nodakvindy

The key difference (other than being a state action rather than a federal one) in the Maryland case is the law was crafted as you stated, to regulate companies that meet certain criteria, which currently only Wal-Mart does. If another company later met the criteria, the law would apply to them. Again, since I can't read the bill online, I can only go by Rep. Johnson's press release, which has language specifically mentioning the NCAA. The bill would not apply to the NAIA, NJCAA or other smaller bodies that also regulate college athletics. I think that would almost certainly bring about a legal challenge by the NCAA.

This is a stretch. The NCAA is a private organization and has the ability to choose where it will conduct it's business (read: championships). What then prevents a bill to keep Wal-Mart to build in communities of certain size? That is a highly contentious issue that would likely receive far more suppot than this issue. Unfortunately, Thomas does not yet have the text of this bill yet, but Rep. Johnson's press release indicates it is solely aimed at the NCAA and is not a broader regulation of interstate commerce. I will continue to maintain that letting this follow the proper course in the courts is better that a quixotic attempt to "step up and do something".

Wow! I can't imagine this is a swing vote issue for someone. We're in a war, gas is $3 a gallon and a wishy-washy statement on a bill that hasn't even gone through committee yet is deciding your vote. You obviously don't get how DC works. The only way North Dakota has any say is by keeping members in for a long time. We have that right now. As for having to cater to the tribal base, all three members work to get federal contracts for companies like Uniband. That and helping with legimate tribal issues like health care weigh far more than this issue. Even if Pomeroy supported this, do you really believe the tribes would vote Republican? Perhaps Earl really believes this isn't a place for federal interference. I think most North Dakotans would agree they don't like the feds jumping in on petty issues. The courts are the proper venue for this issue and that is I believe it will ultimately be settled. * I doubt the economic issue will gain much traction, as the NCAA has had a hosting ban against locations in Mississippi and South Carolina because of their state flags.

The best bet is to call one of his offices. Earl has several staffers who are UND alums, including his press secretary.

Just read in USA Today this morning that Illinois's tennis team is the first to lose hosting privileges due to the NCAA "hostile and abusive" policy. The team was the #7 seed in the 64 team tournament, and all of the remaining top 16 seeds are hosting.

I know who Canuck is and wouldn't question his allegiance to the Sioux. And I thought you would bring up when an NCAA player signs a contract. The key difference is that while they lose the scholarship, while playing college hockey, school is at least as important as hockey (or at least it should be). That is in no way the case in the CHL. So a guy that played NCAA for three years then signed a contract has three years of college/university completed, while a guy who plays three years in the CHL and then signs a contract has nothing. This whole "argument" was based on development toward the NHL, and the only guys that can benefit from the CHL scholarship program are ones that do not go on to the pros.

Canuck, I wasn't responding to your first comment, just clarifying the second which pertained to the college scholarship. The scholarship is really the meat of the education package. Do you really believe that players are making meaningful progress in education while they are playing in a league with a 70 game season and road trips like Portland to Brandon and Everett to Regina? Add to that the possibility a player could be traded, and taking classes while playing is a very difficult task. With regard to the WHL scholarship, the portion you quoted made that seem guaranteed. I simply pointed out that wasn't the case. Once a player signs a contract, the scholarship is forfeited.

Provided the player never signs a pro contract. Another advantage for the NCAA is the certainty of where you will play. A kid can't get shipped off to Union or Merrimack if they get off to a slow start.

Being a second generation J-school grad it really is apalling the neglect shown by the administration over the past 30 years. At one time UND was right there with schools like Kansas, Missouri and Syracuse for journalism and produced the likes of Irv Kupcinet and Chuck Johnson. But while money was going to the business school and CAS, the journalism school was left to die on the vine. Hopefully the current situation can be resolved and the department can right the ship, but I fear that will take quite a long time.

I'd think North Texas would be on the WAC radar before any Big Sky schools. Gets them into the Dallas media market and the fertile texas recruiting grounds. Plus they are already I-A.

I hope that Sparky will be battling WCHA foes to the pain for at least two more years.

An ideal scanario would have the Sioux making a trip and playing BU or BC at Fenway on a Friday night and then taking on Holy Cross at the DCU Center on Saturday night. I think the UND-BC rivalry will help make the Fenway game a reality.

I'd definitely be interested in this.

Nope, these are the purple away jerseys according to forecheck.

No name on the back. HC is old school. Just the number 14.

I'd be interested in #14 if this comes to pass. Let me know how you would like payment.

Defense is certainly a need, but the thought of Toews centering Ovechkin is frightening. Your top line would be set for the next 10 years regardless of who skates with them.

Try ne.cn8.tv Looks like they are showing the Maine-Harvard game right now.

You can try the webcast at www.cn8.com I am pretty sure they will be showing the West Final, especially now that Holy Cross is in it. They have a Mid-Atlantic and a New England feed, so you might have to check both.

It's good because we played SCSU four times and CC only twice, so it helps our RPI, it also hurt Michigan and Maine. That result flipped the Pair Wise comparison against Michigan back in our favor. Crazy night with three road teams grabbing playoff wins.

North Central Pairings 1 UND 8 CSU-Pueblo 4 Northern State 5 Regis 3 St. Cloud 6 Augie 2 Wayne St. 7 Concordia-St. Paul

I think it was a big mistake to delay in starting the program and it may take years to make up the lost ground to the other WCHA programs. UM and UM-D have quickly developed "histories" and have a huge edge in recruiting, and now Wisconsin might be able to step forward and claim a title this year. Had UND gotten in the ground floor conceivably things could be much different. Also I don't think the Ralph is much of an advantage when it is at best 10% full. In fact, I think on some level the success of the men's team may make recruiting more difficult in that the women's program gets scant media attention. UM-D's success has gotten them a foothold and Minnesota has the same "pride on ice" advantage in keeping the best in-state players. One surprising thing is that UND hasn't seemed to be able to grab player's a lot of players from western Canada. This is a little surprising with Rivard being from Canada and UND being the western-most program in the country. I think the key is patience. There was a time when UND women's basketball wasn't very competitive and look at where that program is now.

The NCAA may want neutral sites, but they just don't exist in the west. In the next three years, Wisconsin, Minnesota and CC will all be hosting, so I think a good crowd will be important. And like I said, it's important to have fans in the stands wearing green and white rather than maroon and gold. What good is it to bid on and win the regional, then not pack in your own fans.

In that case, I agree, although I really hope Sioux fans snap up tickets soon. First, to keep away the potential swarm of maroon and gold, and second to not give the NCAA any out to in awarding future events to UND/GF. The Elite 8 hoops debacle combined with the relative difficult in traveling to Grand Forks (we really need another airline) are somewhat legitimate strikes against us.

Like that whopper the USFL got after beating the NFL in court. Courts take a long time to do anything, and going it alone against a Goliath like the NCAA is not without risks. I'd much rather see cooler heads prevail.