PCM

Which one of us is forcing you to read this thread?

Or maybe he just has more backchecking forwards and a better team in front of him.

I thought Lueck only had one year of eligibility at UND.

So now I'm the Grand Forks media? Wow. Ryan Bakken will be disappointed that he lost the title. My opinion on this subject has always been that NDSU and UND should each pursue courses that they believe to be in their best interests. I can understand why NDSU got tired of living in the shadow of UND's renowned and nationally known Division I hockey team. Pride and emotion are powerful forces that sometimes overpower logic, reason and financial considerations. But Chapman did what he thought was necessary for NDSU, and I'm okay with that. I hate to break this to you, but you have completely and totally missed the point of Kupchella's letter to the UND football alums. Allow me to paraphrase his main points: A) UND's decision on whether or not it makes the jump to DI-AA shouldn't be driven by pride or emotion. B) Future events beyond UND's control (i.e. actions by the NCAA) might force UND to move to DI-AA, even though it makes no sense to do so and the university isn't in a position to support the move financially. C) If UND decides to or is forced to move up a level, it will require significant increases in the amount of financial support UND receives from its students and alumni.

You provided a link to one person's viewpoint. That person, a Grand Forks Herald columnist, doesn't write editorials for the Herald. He doesn't work for WDAZ. He doesn't work for any of the Grand Forks radio stations. All it proves that one person in the Grand Forks media was against NDSU's move to DI-AA. It proves nothing about the statement that the Grand Forks media in general was against NDSU's move, which was the claim that started the discussion. Pay attention. It's news that there were UND documents saying the exact same thing that Kupchella, Harmeson and Thomas have been saying for months? Thanks for that lesson in journalism. The other cow college where I received my degree in the subject was a little sketchy on some of the details. Your NDSU education has obviously given you insights into journalism that I never thought possible. So if someone said to you, "Future events might force you to jump off a cliff," you'd just go ahead and jump, not knowing whether it was neccessary or if you had a choice?

As I recall from my conversation with Jim Johannson, senior director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, when he was in Grand Forks about a month ago, that is correct.

I told you the reason why the Herald wrote its editorials. If you don't believe it, that's your problem. The total lack of logic and reasoning in that statement is staggering. Hey, Mr. Lost Bisonguy Puppy, isn't it ironic that you're here on a UND message board scolding Sioux fans for not being supportive of NDSU? Why is the Fargo Forum, which declared UND too inferior to cover, suddenly devoting so much coverage to UND's DI-AA discussions and publishing UND's records? Obviously, reading comprehension isn't a strong point of an NDSU education. My post in that thread had absolutely nothing to do with Fargo and NDSU supporting UND. Try reading it again -- slowly.

The Herald's editorials urged UND not to make the move to DI-AA because after NDSU did, there was pressure on UND to immediately follow suit. Advocating that UND not make the move is not the same as expressing oposition to NDSU's move. I hope you can recognize the difference. It's rather significant. You're the one being obtuse. For the record, this is the quote for which I requested supporting evidence: So far, all you've done is refer to a Ryan Bakken column which said that in Bakken's opinion, NDSU wasn't making a smart move. I'm fairly certain that he was speaking only for himself, not the entire Grand Forks media, UND or even the Herald. I swear, sometimes I think life must be one big chick flick for Bison fans. Why is NDSU so demanding and needy that it requires the love and support of Grand Forks and UND for everything it does? I thought you didn't care what anyone up here thought. Besides, UND tried to be supportive of NDSU by starting a program in Fargo that helped cover NDSU's academic shortcomings. And what thanks did UND get? NDSU's alleged competition-loving president threw a hissy fit and ran crying to the chancellor to punish the big meanies at UND for hurting his feelings. Where's the gratitude from NDSU when UND tried to be supportive?

Nice try, bisonguy. Unfortunately, if you read closely, you'll see the Herald editorials you cited discuss reasons why UND shouldn't go DI-AA. They don't say that NDSU shouldn't.

Let's keep a few things in mind. Kyle Radke is 19. Travis Roche was a 21-year-old freshman who sat out a year because of eligibility problems. In his first season for UND, Roche had 6 goals and 22 assists. Sioux fans think of Brad Williamson as a good offensive-defenseman, but his stats during his freshman year didn't show it. He had 1 goal and 3 assists in 34 games.

So you're saying that one columnist who routinely knocks NDSU is reprsesentative of the Grand Forks media? I don't think so.

Okay, I'll give you that one. You have Herald columnist Ryan Bakken, who never misses an opportunity to make fun of NDSU, stating his opinon that NDSU's proposed move to DI-AA was a dumb idea. What else?

Refresh my memory. Hadn't NDSU already decided to move to DI-AA by the time Bakken wrote this? Maybe because UND isn't in DI-AA and hasn't said whether it will be.

I can sum up the most important reason for Briggs' success in two words: backchecking forwards.

I never said you have no say. You have some say as a student. I have some say as a taxpayer. But that would be true whether I lived in Beach or Grand Forks.

I think NDSU and the Fargo media know that NDSU's chances of getting into the BSC are better if UND goes, too. It's the only way I can make sense of the Fargo media's current preoccupation with UND records related to DI-AA. After all, it wasn't that long ago that the Forum declared it would give less coverage to UND because it was in an "inferior" division. What changed? The BSC's interest in UND as a potential member. Cite some evidence, please.

That covers the cost of you attending UND as it exists today. It doesn't cover the additional cost of a move to DI-AA. Big difference.

Gosh, Tony, I really don't know. Could you give me a hint? Maybe the message was a tad too subliminal for me to pick up. Nope. The Grand Forks media wanted NDSU to move to DIII. Honestly, I don't recall the Grand Forks media saying much about whether NDSU should stay in DII or move to DI-AA. As I recall, most of the coverage centered on how NDSU's move was likely to affect UND and what UND should do in response. I sincerely doubt that anyone in Grand Forks had any illusions about influencing NDSU's decision. Everyone knew that NDSU was going to go sooner or later.

If Internet polls meant anything, John Kerry would be planning his inaugural and Jared Ross would be polishing his Hobey Baker trophy.

Since when was it up to the people of Grand Forks to make the decision? It's not. They can have a voice, but ultimately, it's up to the UND administration, the alumni, the State Board of Higher Education and legislators. All those who are so anxious to move to DI-AA can do one thing to speed up the process: Open their checkbooks and start writing a check to UND.

Now we're arguing about appropriate metaphors? Once again...

I have to disagree, Wilbur. Any good sports reporter who saw how angry the normally calm Lennon was about the penalty would have asked him about it. And while everyone knows that coaches aren't supposed to comment on officiating, that doesn't mean they don't. Most coaches know how far they can go before crossing the line. It's not the reporter's responsibility to make sure a coach doesn't say something he might later be sorry for.

Coach Lennon, his staff and the Sioux players continue to make UND proud. Thanks for another fine season of football.

Blais was usually quite a bit more candid than Hakstol. It might be that they just have different personalities or it could be because Hakstol is a new head coach.