PCM

I think you are.

It was also mostly bovine scatology written by someone who pretends to know what he's talking about when clearly he doesn't. That, in my mind, tends to mask the so-called eloquence of Tony's bile-filled rant.

We must forgive Mike McFeely. Any journalist true to his principles would understand that Ralph Engelstad supported what is in the best interest of all journalists: freedom of speech. He would understand that the victory which the NCAA handed name-change proponents represents an erosion of Americans' right to freely express themselves. The NCAA has just caved into the minority of a minority that wishes to control which words and which images the majority can use. Journalists everywhere should be appalled by the NCAA's decision. McFeely can't see that. As his latest column demonstrates, he's far too wrapped up in his personal dislike of Engelstad and his hatred of UND to pass up an opportunity to engage in the petty vindictiveness that has become a trademark of his writing when discussing any topic related to the Fighting Sioux. And that's too bad because it would be a refreshing change to see someone like Mike McFeely break from the herd to explain to his readers why the NCAA made a bad decision for the wrong reasons, a decision that will ultimately have no lasting effect, a decision that costs us all a great deal and provides no tangible benefits to American Indians. But I know that's too much to expect. So I will simply forgive Mike for being too blind and too shallow to see what's in his own best interest, the best interest of his fellow journalists and the public interest he pretends to represent.

I agree. On the face of it, the two statements don't appear to make sense. I suspect that this issue will end up in the courts.

As I read it, the new rule doesn't go into effect until 2008.

Well, at least now you've finally seen the light.

I didn't hear Hakstol on the radio, but I did hear Hennessy's summary of what they discussed. Hennessy didn't sound very hopeful that Greene would stay at UND for another year. He thought the deal Edmonton made for Chris Pronger increased the need for the Oilers to sign Greene. In any event, he said plans had been made to play next season without Greene.

Maybe you needed to draw a picture.

I don't think so. Try moving your lips.

You need to read more slowly, Danny. The Sicatoka said Alien Technology was building.

Face it. You're the King of Useless Information. It's the only reason we let you hang around here.

SiouxperDave, please don't tell me that Bridezillas is your favorite TV show.

I agree, dagies. For the past three seasons, I've heard Sioux players and coaches say "every line can score" more times than I care to remember. For most of last season, if one line was scoring, I felt fortunate. It's been a long time since we've seen the days when the Sioux could roll four lines as they did from 1996 to 2000. Case in point: Look at what happened to make UND successful near the end of last season. The team went from having one good scoring line (Spirko, Zajac and Stafford) to three good scoring lines (Porter, McMahon and Genoway, plus Fabian, Canady and Massen, which was supposed to be a checking line). When the other lines began making offensive contributions, it made a huge difference, not only in how the Sioux played, but also in how the opposition had to play them.

Federov's leaving us? So what will you be doing in the real world? Where are you going? Will you still follow Sioux hockey? Will we ever hear from you again?

I understood your question. Perhaps you need to consider the possibility that players on a checking line can fulfill that duty AND score goals. What I don't understand is why you seem to believe there would be something wrong with that scenario. What's Hakstol going to say? "You two lines are for checking, so for gosh sakes, whatever you do DON'T SCORE ANY GOALS!

Yes. I'm extremely concerned that the Sioux might have more than one scoring line. If all four lines got into the habit of scoring, it might drive me mad.

Cool stuff! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Another obviously important rating that EA Sports missed.

I've made some more changes to the roster database files. A. Quinn Fylling no longer weighs 255 pounds. I wondered why he looked like a bowling ball on skates. Talk about density! B. Wisconsin's Robbie Earl is now black. Plus, I tinkered with his ratings a bit. I thought that his offense ratings were too low and his defense ratings were too high, so I changed them.

I don't do console games. Not yet, anyway.

I don't think it would be all that hard, but it would require a lot of time that I don't have. Plus, you'd have to make a lot of assumptions about early departures and make some wild guesses about how to rate the lesser-known incoming freshmen. In other words, it's much easier (and more realistic) to create rosters based on real stats, firsthand observations and on the opinions of those who have seen players perform in the WCHA than it is to make predictions and project future performance. I'd be surprised if EA Sports ever made a stand-alone college hockey game. However, an option that I think is realistic for the PC is to make a downloadable college hockey add-on for the NHL series. That way, EA could cut a lot of the costs associated with producing, marketing and distributing a full game. You'd just go to the EA Sports Web site, give a credit card number, download a patch file and install it. Those who want the college hockey option and are willing to pay for it could get it.

I've created a page on my Web site with links to the edited NHL 2004 database files with instructions for installing them. Check it out here. Let me know if you encounter any problems..

I'll put the files online later tonight and post the links here.

I've done some editing of the main database file and the exhibtion roster file. If anyone's interested, I can put the two files on my Web site and post links for them here. The changes I've made so far include: Some corrections and more realistic ratings for Sioux players. A realistic Minnesota roster and more accurate player ratings. (The Gophers roster is now composed of players who actually played for Minnesota during the 2003-2004 season rather than being a fantasy team of the future.) More realistic player ratings for Denver. More realistic player ratings for Maine. Of course, fans of the teams I've edited would probably complain about the changes I've made. Admitedly, roster editing is a subjective process. I've tried to be objective in making changes that I feel reflect the strengths and weaknesses of teams and players. In going through a few of the rosters, I've found that some of the individual player ratings are ridiculously unrealistic. I've attempted to bring them in line using player stats from the 03-04 season. Unfortunately, I'll probably never have enough time to go through and edit team the rosters by team, player by player.