Bigears

No, I'm not going to do any research to "prove" that those exact words where used. If they weren't, I apologize for my mistake. I still think I had a valid point, but I'll accept your correction. Do you accept that UND will probably not be able to transition to DI, if that's what they decide to do, without following essentially the same route as NDSU and SDSU? That is, declaring their intentions before having permanent conference affiliation for all sports?

You seem to be the one getting upset, not me. I think it is valid to point out that there has been a great deal of speculation about there being some sort of deal in place to bring UND into the Big Sky, for instance, and that that deal probably did not exist outside of the imaginations of those who may have wished that it was true. Do you disagree?

Based on the comments of both the Mid Con and Big Sky commissioners in yesterday's Fargo Forum, I'd say that UND's idea of having conference affiliation before moving to D1 was nothing more than a fantasy. http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm...&section=Sports

My favorite is the "Red Cats". The Red River, Catfish. I think it has a ring to it.

I hope you're referring to hockey only.

Didn't UND have a huge banner ad at the top of the Fargo Forum's on-line sports page for the last year, or so? Can anyone image an NDSU ad plastered all over the GF Herald's website?

So, your answer is "not very likely".

Let's say you wanted to devise a system for ranking the quality of automobile manufacturers in the United States. Do you think a system which ranked car companies based on the following measures would be likely to yield reliable results? 1) A questionnaire sent to three executives at each auto manufacturer, asking them to assign a numeric ranking between 1 and 5 to each car manufacturer in accordance with their views on the companies reputation for quality 2) The selectivity of the manufacturer in its hiring of employees 3) Employee job satisfaction 4) How much it cost to build their vehicles 5) The percentage of return customers 6) Percentage of management holding MBAs or other advanced degrees

True enough. But there's no way antagonizing NDSU and SDSU can do anything but hurt UND's chances.

You people are something else! You get criticized for your arrogant attitude and your comeback is more attitude. Is it any wonder UND is losing its friends?

Excellent point.

I don't think the Big Sky conference will accept any of the Dakota schools for the forseeable future. Big Sky is very snobbish about its status as a scenic mountain conference. Accepting any prairie school would endanger that self image. I don't expect that to happen.

That's the attitude. It never fails. Sioux fans always show their true colors.

Precisely. This whole discussion started because UND fans simply assumed that NDSU and SDSU would help them secure a bid from the Big Sky conference. Both schools should indeed act in their own separate best interests. That is exactly my point. Thank you for agreeing with me.

Sir you don't have a case.

Common sense? Was it common sense that told UND leadership that moving to Division 1 was a terrible idea 3 years ago, or is it common sense that now seems to be dictating the opposite conclusion? Does your common sense tell you that NDSU will welcome UND into Division 1 and work to help ease its transition when UND did everything possible to make NDSU's transition difficult only a couple years ago? Doesn't your common sense tell you that NDSU might be just a little bit pissed off that UND now wants to reap the benefits of NDSU and SDSU's hard work and vision despite providing neither itself. Common sense seems to be in very short supply in Grand Forks these days.

Clearly the ugliness works both ways. I've never suggested otherwise. I will say that, in my opinion, blame lies mostly with the folks from Grand Forks. You probably disagree. In any case, as I said previously, the athletic rivalry between the schools only serves to make matters worse. There are other schools out there with whom both schools can form positive competitive relationships. It's time to move away from this destructive "rivalry".

I completely disagree. There is nothing strong, good or healthy about the relationship between the two schools. I would say "nasty", "ugly" and "dysfunctional" are more descriptive words. The sports rivalry only serves to make an already bad situation worse. Both schools would be better off going their own separate ways.

In my opinion, permanent separation from UND is exactly what NDSU wants and needs. NDSU has simply had enough of the attitude it hears too often, and is aggressively seeking to put as much distance between itself and its onetime rival as possible. Conference affiliation with UND is not part of their plans. They will accept it, if they are forced to, but they will do nothing to encourage it. Abandoning SDSU to become your travel partner in the Big Sky is not an opition.

The primary problem all the Dakota schools face with regard to BSC membership is geography. That problem is worse for UND - it has no travel partner. It will, therefore, be more difficult for UND because of that. Also, SDSU and NDSU are farther along in the D1 process. At this point they are more valuable to the Big Sky from a competitive standpoint than is UND. It seems unlikely to me that the Big Sky would bring in UND over the objections of NDSU and SDSU. Why not wait awhile? The attitude of the Big Sky presidents would likely be something like "NDSU and SDSU have proven their commitment to D1, UND has not. UND can come back in a few years and we'll see if anything has changed." In any case, antagonizing NDSU and SDSU did not, and will not, help UND.

The point is that, despite the magnificence of your HOCKEY arena, you'll need the cooperation of NDSU and SDSU upfront BEFORE the Big Sky even considers you. I don't think you'll get it.

Do you have any evidence at all that that is actually true? I've seen nothing in the media to indicate that. In fact, it seems very unlikely. Geography remains a significant problem for all the Dakota schools. There just aren't many D1 schools nearby and without a travel partner UND may be SOL.