nodakvindy

Minot would probably also want to rekindle their rivalry with Mary.

That's great news, although I'm not sure who they would/could get. I think Delta and United are out because they already in Fargo, and I think it would be difficult to generate the additional traffic to Salt Lake and Denver. Other options US Airways - Slight possibility for a direct flight to Phoenix, would be very popular in the winter. But neither US Air or American West have much history up here so would require a fair amount of promotion. Frontier - Would be the only low-cost carrier operating in North Dakota, and would be another option for those travelling to Fargo to catch United to Denver. Don't know if they are expanding or would consider a market as small as Grand Forks. Horizon/Alaska - Could offer a flight to Seattle. They are in many Western cities, but Grand Forks would be a long flight for them. Also a partner of Northwest, so that may discourage them doing it. American - The only major airline not in North Dakota. Don't really have a Western hub, but could offer flights to St. Louis or Dallas.

Unless said sugar daddy is dropping Gates/Buffett kind of money, UND still could not be a major football powerhouse at the DIA level. Look, Minnesota is a team with a pretty rich tradition and it isn't even a powerhouse anymore. And if you are dropping that kind of coin, why not make a run at hiring Phil Jackson and simply put basketball on the map.

Isn't anyone concerned about the statement "If UND wants to reach its goal of being a major football powerhouse, we have to go IA." Since when is this a stated goal. I bleed green as much as anyone, but this is insane. UND is never going to be Michigan, Tennessee, Miami or USC. North Dakota is simply too small a state to devote the funding that would be needed to be successful at that level. The Alerus is fine as is, and could likely be expanded by adding seating on the south end if the magical 15,000 seat mark was needed. Upgrading the basketball program and trying to be a George Mason or Gonzaga is a much more realistic goal than thinking a run at the BCS is possible.

Yes, right on the border with Vermont. Closest airport to fly into would be Manchester, NH. Boston is another hour south. Manchester is much easier to navigate, obviously.

I'd say hs football and hoops probably switch especially if you factor in the Mandan girls and the Dakota Wizards move in at 5 behind the Twins. Bismarck really supports its minor league teams. There Indoor football teams have usually drawn pretty well.

Why We Fight was actually a series of documentary/propaganda films by renowned director Frank Capra for the US Army.

Tornadoes are truly devastating. Hopefully the National Guard can get deployed quickly to help out. My thoughts are certainly with the folks in Warroad.

Where does that leave the likes of the Sun Belt, MAC, WAC, C-USA and probably Mountain West, who will rarely (and for the first three leagues likely never) get a sniff of the BCS?

I don't think there is that much confusion, I think it's that schools don't like being called I-AA. When it comes to March Madness, I have never heard anyone say, "I hope that I-AA Southern Illinois can advance." It's even more disingenuous to rename the I-AA Championship, the Division I Championship, as it does not include all Division I schools. This is another NCAA solution to a problem that doesn't really exist.

Kolpack apparently isn't aware that the proportionality prong is the only one that is airtight in court. And that's a much bigger problem with the NCAA. People really seem to have difficulty grasping that Title IX isn't some NCAA concoction, it is federal law. On the skills and abilities front, once you aren't accomodating an expressed interest, you are no longer in compliance. That's a huge risk to take.

That's a great point about proportionality. I can't recall a case when anyone has been successful with either of the other prongs in court, despite their existance. I was shocked that NDSU was trying to pull that off as their means of Title IX compliance. Although it certainly explains how they were able to move football up so quickly. I would be interested to see if volleyball got any extra schollies. If not, with the problems that program experienced last year, another bad year could open the door to a lawsuit, legit or not.

I'll admit it takes some vision to enter a conference where you are 800 miles from the closest member. And as for the media package I was talking UND's, not the conference. It's a tough to sell ad time when most of your audience is in bed. La. Tech and TCU had few options at the I-A level, so they took what they could get. I'm not sure why the Big Sky is viewed as a bastion of stability while the Mid-Con is scorned. In the past decade, Idaho, Boise St. and Cal St. Northridge have all departed, while the additions have been Sac. St., Portland St. and UNC. All three of the new additions have been weak. And in any future conference shuffle, the Big Sky will be where the WAC looks for replacements. In addition, the Mid-Con is a better match for UND's athletic offerings. There is a difference between settling for the worst, and being in touch with reality and not tilting at windmills. If UND is headed for the Big Sky, it will almost certainly be with NDSU, with either SDSU or Denver as the third.

I think the likelihood of adding Canadian schools is slim and none. That would open the NCAA up to the laws of another country, including a possible erosion of powers. That simply won't happen. But more importantly, why would UND want to be in such a 12 team Big Sky. It would be utterly geographically isolated, the only conference school in the central time zone. That puts nearly all road games with 9:00 or later start times. Not something thats going to make your media package very valuable. And this scenario seems based on three teams leaving. I'm assuming that two of those would be the Montana schools. Isn't that rivalry the primary attraction of the Big Sky. Finally, with air travel to GF only possible via Minneapolis, the only realistic direction to look for a conference is east, not west. The lack of any competition into GFK is a huge barrier for UND, creating considerable travel costs. Logic dictates that UND's DI future lies with the Mid-Con, or some derivation of it. The ideal situation woud have UND, NDSU, SDSU and USD forming the core of a Mid-Con western division. That would restore rivalries and lower travel for all four schools.

That's surprising. I would have thought with a reinvigorated football program, there would be more funds coming in. Although looking at the sports I'd have to see it looks like Title IX at work. I too hope that no UND sports meet their demise, but I'd say that baseball and softball will likely be on the chopping block due to the weather difficulties up here.

I'd guess because they are two of the most prominent members of the caucus. And I think it's laughable to call me out for "playing politics" in light of the obvious behind the scenes shenanigans that lead to Potts' outster. And as for Fargo getting back it's sales and income tax, why should it. Hard as it is to believe, Fargo is a part of the state of North Dakota. Just as North Dakota gets a bigger per capita share of the federal pie, rural areas do for the state. This helps to support infrastructure in these communities. It's also why you will still have water in 50 years. Trust me, I'm not jealous of Fargo. I just wants best for the entire state. I can actually see the bigger picture.

Equally important, the AG was not able to investigate the time period prior to Jan. 25. This whole thing has likely been brewing for quite some time. It will be interesting to see if Heitkamp and Every request another opinion for the period of April 25 until Potts' resignation.

Those dates are because you only have 90 days to challenge an illegally closed meeting. I'm pretty sure that was in the opinion. As for why the Gov would do this, that's easy, voters are in Fargo and he's playing to his base. The guy's an empty suit and his administration has been rife with shady activity, so this fits right in. It looks like it will be important for Grand Forks to align with the western part of the state to keep the Fargo legislative delegation in check. Otherwise we will be moving precariously close to a Minnesota-like situation where the Twin Cities gets everything, and the outstate fights for the scraps. Look how well that turned out for Duluth and the DECC.

It also seemed like several of the Board members were backpedaling from statements. They all seemed to know what to say so as to avoid violating the law. It seems clear that members were meeting separate with the expressed purpose of circumventing the law. Several members seemed unhappy with Potts, a plan forms seemingly out of thin air to boot him, yet nobody actually talked to each other. This is the kind of thing that makes North Dakota look like a backwater hick state and deservedly so. The constant need to get rid of people who "aren't from around here" and failure to accept new ideas is strangling the state. I'd like to see the media investigate this further, but I'm sure the chances of that are slim and none.

Swimming makes sense because the added fact that there is an individual component. A great single performance could make someone an All-America. That simply won't happen in soccer or volleyball. I think we should seriously look at Bowling and Rifle. Both are far cheaper that lax would be. Jumping in on the ground floor is a good way to be successful and UND could quickly move up in Bowling. Also imagine Grand Forks hosting the NCAA finals, with Red Ray lanes hosting the majority of the tourney, but the finals being at the Ralph with those portable alleys like the PBA uses. Rifle also has the potential of producing future Olympians, and as women's hockey showed, that can be a publicity goldmine. Lacrosse may be growing, but the power is still in the traditional areas. While the western league has some big name schools, that conference is to lacrosse what the CHA is to hockey.

Actually, there were no alcohol sales at the West Regional, as it was an NCAA event. But I do agree that there seems to be an overemphasis on alcohol being part of the the enjoyment of games. This is especially disconcerting knowing the level or binge drinking and alcoholism in this region.

That was a great game with great memories. And I also know the fate of the gopher.

The women's hockey team is in turmoil, so that academic finding isn't a huge shock. The men's team is hurt by the numerous departures of recent years with guys leaving for the pros. They could have been making normal academic progress, but because they left school the number falls. With the small roster size, a few guys leaving for the pros can make a huge difference.

Because UND's volleyball team isn't competitive in D2, and it's swimming teams could see some success at the D1 level, particularly on an individual level.

No, hockey doesn't count because there is no Division II Championship. So UND can move up one men's sport and one women's sport. And theoretically, UND could add other sports that also have no Division II championship, like Rifle or Women's Bowling. I believe moving up two sports right now would put some teeth in the current decision and show that UND isn't going to back out of this. I think this is especially important in appealing to conferences, as the current decision actually shows no formal commitment to DI at this time.