The Whistler

Maybe Marco had beans for lunch.

Naw, the WCHA referee's are highly trained and they'll realize that the players are liable to get a bit rowdy since the game is out of hand so they'll correctly and intelligently take ahold of the game and see to it that all of the players are available next week. Just kidding, I don't think that at all.

Guess we missed our chance to call for Hak being fired.

Umm Dad? Brother? Uncle? I've seen TJ's dad and the voice isn't as I'd imagine.

Who's this Tim Oshie helping Tim Hennesey?

The settlement is here. The appendix covers what our Attorney didn't give away. The agreement says that the tribal governments have to agree to us using the name. The rank and file seem to support us using the name (or at least don't mind) but their support seems understandably weak. (Most don't have a UND connection). The powers that be at the NCAA are selected and I guess controlled by the universities' presidents. They aren't a reasonable bunch so yes, I can see them ganging up on a few smaller schools. Our only chance was to have our day in court, which we never will have.

Assuming that we don't get approval then pick a new name. Let the kids build a new tradition.

Well I do think we should give them one last chance. I don't want to beg, I don't want to threaten and I don't want to buy them off. The reality is that it's up to the tribal leadership now. Didn't you also say it was time to move on? I'm not going to quit going to their Casino's (mostly because I don't go now because I don't like losing money). I won't change my stand towards special programs for Indians (I'm in favor of a few of them (INMED) but by and large I think everyone should be treated the same by government). And I'm not going to be rude to anyone (because I think that's wrong.) Added! I do take the tribes word today that they will not extend support.

Concessions? You yourself said that we should move on. So what does three years do for us? We get to keep what, some statues that will no longer fit in with the new team. I guess the only thing I care about in the whole concession list is the marble artwork in the floor (I guess keeping the NCAA acting as the Khmer Rouge and destroying artwork is worth something). I suppose you also can say that the pictures of former Sioux is important however it seems outrageous that you couldn't display pictures of former teammembers but then this is ridiculous. I think we should have had our day in court. Did we have a weak case? Do we think we wouldn't have had a fair trial (4 of the 5 Supreme Court justices have ties to UND). I think the case would have been decided by law, but if I was on the other side I wouldn't have been comfortable. Still I could have lived with losing in court, I can't just accept not trying to win. Stenejhem's not been in the news much. What good things has he done? Who even ran against him last time. I've always been a loyal Republican voter but I'm not going to vote for him again. I want someone competent in the office and for someone to spend a million bucks and not come up with a case he could take to court doesn't speak to any competence. Face it PCM the NCAA won what they wanted. We didn't lose we gave it away.

I'll retire my Sioux Gear but I will not wear a logo or name again. I'll show up to the games wearing black or green. (I spill too much on myself to wear white.) If the kids want something with the new logo on it that's fine. They can build up their own identity. The only exception that that rule is I'll probably go ahead and purchase the championship hats as we go forward.

I don't agree with that. We never had our day in court. I could live with losing but caving in to a bunch like the NCAA is ridiculous. On the other hand we are stuck with the deal that the Attorney General got for us (But not with the Attorney General). So I'll agree that it's time to move on.

I've got two suggestions. Either the Fighting Lawyer or Fighting Crybabbies. This episode has shown those are the only two groups that matter. (I want to be sure that you nobody associates "crybabbies" with the Indian population. Both the UND and Sports Illustrated showed that their support of Indian nicknames was pretty widespread.)

I should have been clearer. Our elected and governor appointed leaders shouldn't have given up.

Leave it to the Herald Stenejhem to call everyone else racist. I say give the tribes a once chance and if they say no then drop the name. The fact is that the lawsuit should not have been solely about the fact that the NCAA ignored their own rules. It should also have dealt with the the fact that the name was not hostile and abusive and the NCAA was acting capriciously. I talked to a lawyer about that (a lawyer with a far better record of private practice than Stenejhem) and he thought it was a good case. (That was my work, but names got changed in an upgrade a year ago.) I would think that the fact that ignored their bylaws would help us make the case that they were acting capriciously in the whole matter. We had every expectation of a fair trial. If we lost it then we could move on. Giving up is the wrong way to go.

We're the Fighting University. FU FU FU. (someone did that above)

Great Point. There's more Irish in me than in many tribal registered indians. And at 1-7 we can make the hostile and abusive charge stick.

I'm sorry I blamed the Herald. The Attorney General got it wrong in his statement. Maybe he didn't bother reading it.

Let's include a straight cash payoff in that. Maybe agree that the tribes have some ownership of the merchandise sales but that's it. I say set a date just after the hockey season's over (only because it's the latest season). Publicly announce why we think they should keep the name and let it be. Let the tribes make their decisions and live with it. That's the best we can do with the deal we have today thanks to the Attorney General and Governor's appointees. It's not what I like but it's what we have.

For some reason Stenejhem negotiated a deal that requires not one but two specific tribes to approve. Nice that he could work us into a double hard situation.

So if the NCAA admits that our name is not hostile and abusive then why would we have to change it. I think my big problem is that we just gave up our chance in court. We had no reason to think that we wouldn't have gotten a fair hearing. If we would have lost then sobeit. Caving just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe things will work out. I say don't weasel around with the tribes. Tell them it's up to them (as the Stenejhem protocol says) give them a date to make up their minds and live with it.

How much do you want to bet that the Attorney General sees to it that they stay sealed?

I just read the settlement agreement. Schedule A has the items the NCAA is deigning us to keep. Some pictures and banners, the Sitting Bull Memorial, a couple sculptures, a plaque, and the logos in the floor. That's it, the rest of it has to be out by 2012. Great work Wayne, you rock!

The Herald did say: But it wouldn't be the first time the Herald got it wrong. So we got three years of time to kick this around and keep some of the architecture. I wouldn't have settled for that. So what happens the mythical day the Ralph gets turned over to the University? Jackhammers?

NO then we would have reverted to the original sanctions that only would have applied during post season NCAA play. For hockey at least that'd amount to maybe one regional every four or five years at the best, right. No under the Stenejhem protocol we have to give up the logo during the regular season if the tribes don't agree. I don't see where this was a good deal at all.

We got hosed. I think we got a worse settlement than we would have if we had lost the case. The alternative would have been to go to trial probably win on the technicality that the NCAA did not follow their rules. Then you could negotiate from a position of strength.