PCM

Just what we need...more advice from Fargo.

Oh, heck no, Sid wasn't smart enough to pick up on that angle. His arguement was that because the D II schools didn't have to put as much money and effort into D I sports, they could concentrate all their resources on one sport -- hockey. Fortunately, the Gophers were able to overcome that severe handicap and win two national championships back-to-back, proving that Sid really should keep his mouth shut when it comes to college hockey.

Mapletoft.

C'mon, Goon, you have to admit that even most Gopher fans know at least something about hockey. But maybe Bison1234 is actually Sid Hart because their hockey knowledge seems to be about the same. Remember when poor Sid was whining about how D II schools like UND and SCSU had an unfair advantage over Minnesota?

You guys are pretty slow. I thought about editing my post to change that part, but I wanted to see how long it would take someone to make a joke about it.

With apologies to Woody Allen: I can say it. I don't know what it means, but I can say it.

The interesting thing about Colby Genoway is that last season, Sioux players kept telling me about how good he was -- in practice. It seemed that the players and coaches knew he had real talent, but now we're starting to see it where it counts the most.

Mike McFeeley wrote in his column... Earth to Mike: That's what it's always been about. Dale Lennon and Roger Thomas have said so all along. The rules didn't suddenly change at the end of the regular season. Both teams drew up their regular season schedules knowing full well that the Division II playoff selection criteria were deliberately designed to discourage DII schools from playing outside their division. While I applaud McFeeley for admitting that he was wrong on this issue, it is disingenuous for him to say that up until last weekend, the Sioux weren't operating in their best interest.

My apologies for the late posting. Between MidcoNet Internet problems and my daughter's homework, I wasn't able to get it on until now. Live from Lola's Authentic Northern Italian Restaurant in beautiful downtown Grand Forks. Tim Hennessy is the host with UND head coach Dean Blais. TH opens the show by announcing that Brady Murray will be on US junior team. Blais says Brady's father, Andy Murray, called the Canadian team several times to see if Brady could get on the team and nobody returned his calls. TH said he read article quoting Andy as saying that Brady wants to play in a top-notch Christmas tournament. Blais said that he called Mike Eaves and encouraged him to watch Stafford and Murray as prospects for Team USA. He didn't know what had changed with Murray, but now USA Hockey will allow him to play for them. He has to get US citizenship and an American passport to do it. TH said this would permanently commit Brady to play for Team USA. Blais said it's like when Brett Hull played for the US instead of Canada. TH said he thinks the Canadian are crazy for not wanting a fast, outstanding skater like Murray on the Olympic ice. TH said the Murray has to be the fastest player on the Sioux team. Blais said that in sprints, Parise and Bochenski both keep up with Murray, but that might be because of their competitiveness. Blais said that the Sioux could also be without Drew Stafford during the World Juniors. He's an alternate and there is a forward on the team who has a high ankle sprain. It will be tough for the Sioux to play their WCHA series at St. Cloud without those key player. Blais said the Roger Thomas is on WCHA scheduling committee and he's trying to balance the schedule so that they play 14 WCHA games before Christmas and 14 after. TH asked what effect the long layoff going to have on the team when they play UM-Duluth. Blais said they need to play games to play sharp, but there's no excuse for not being mentally ready. Blais said he thinks UND will make a good run at the WCHA title during the second half of the season and he wouldn't bet against them. He said they have a class group of guys who are fun to coach. TH said that Blais has an all-senior line of Hale, Lundbohm and Palmiscno. Blais said that line might not play against the US under 18 team. He said that even though the upcoming game is an exhibition, the Sioux need to win the game or they won't maintain their number-one national ranking. He said that Canady, Fabian and Massen will have an opportunity during the game to show what they can do. He mentioned that Massen and Canady have been injured and haven't played much. TH said that Matt Smaby collided in practice with Mike Prpich and now has a sore neck. Blais said he doesn't know how serious it is and thought it was more of a concussion. He said Smaby practiced Monday and looked okay, but Tuesday he didn't feel well and didn't practice. TH said the biggest surprise in the WCHA is Mike Eaves at Wisconsin. They've beat some quality teams. Blais said Mike had to work with what he had last season and they had player problems. Now he has everyone buying into the program. A caller asked if the possibility of an NHL strike improved the chances of UND keeping Parise and others around for another year. Blais said Parise came here to develop into an NHL player and won't leave until he's ready. Parise and Bochenski are both interested in earning their degrees. TH said he thinks the younger players on the NHL rosters will be moved down to the minors to keep them playing. That means there's not much room for unsigned players to come aboard, especially when the teams have no source of revenue. Blais mentions Bryan Lundbohm left UND early because Nashville promised him playing time that he never got. TH said Tim Skarperud is afraid for his job because of all the young NHL players who will be moved down. He believes it will be good for college hockey because the top-level players will be staying longer. Blais said that there are players on the Sioux roster who came here to win a national title and that's one of their goals. Bochenski and Parise want to win a title while they're hear, he said. A caller asked about Bochenski's chance of winning the Hobey Baker. Blais said that he thinks Bochenski has an excellent chance because of what he's accomplished in two years. The longer UND is ranked number-one, the more voters for the Hobey look at who's on that team. Blais said Bochenski and Parise both have excellent chances, and that he wouldn't discount the Sioux goalies, either. TH pointed out that UND

So what? Not that I care, but I hear NDSU's basketball team is nothing to write home about. You tried and failed, remember? It wasn't that long ago. Not when you can't compete with UND in hockey, its marquee sport, which, I might add, is a true DI sport. I understood perfectly. It made no sense the first time you wrote it and it makes even less sense when you attempt to explain it. UND is a DI school in hockey and competes with the best DI hockey schools in the country. I guess Boston College, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin should be ashamed that they sometimes lose to a little ole' DII hockey school like UND. You're out of your depth, Donny.

Bowenkamp is normally the starter. When he's "on," few are better at dissecting a defense. In Stattelman, Ahlers and Lueck, he has the receivers to do it.

Speaking of the upcoming football game, on WDAZ sports tonight, it was reported that John Bowenkamp would be starting for the Sioux Saturday.

Perhaps it's takcy to mention this, but I'm certain that the state's attorney is considering the possibility that he might have to prosecute Rodriguez without a body. This is probably why law enforcement is being so tight-lipped when it comes to releasing information.

UND played U-Mary in football? I must've missed that. Other than trying to become a DI hockey school just like UND, right? It's good to set your sights high, but your goals should at least be realistic. Which school's football team is still playing? I had no idea that you knew so little about hockey. I hope you didn't strain anything coming up that thought. Shouldn't your reasoning also apply to football? If NDSU wants to be DI, make it play real DI football schools like Oklahoma instead of pretending to be a DI school. The difference is that UND rountinely beats "real" DI hockey schools such as Minnesota, Maine and Wisconsin and has more national championships than any of them. But facts just seem to confuse you, so I probably shouldn't bring them up.

I think the message they were trying to get across with the news conference was that the search for Dru was ongoing and that they still need everyone's help. Not releasing any specifics on a crime this serious is fairly standard.

I'd hoped that they'd have more information, but I'm not surprised that they're not saying more because it's an ongoing investigation.

Depending on the evidence, it's possible he could be convicted of kidnapping with no body ever being found. If they have good evidence that he was in her car or she was in his car, they have a good case. Also, now that people know what the person looks like, the possibility of eyewitnesses putting him in the area at the time of Dru's disappearence adds to the evidence. But you're right. He is innocent until proven guilty.

I'm listening to the news conference live now. If they say anything new, I'll post it here. The GF County state's attorney said that they can't discuss any evidence or any specifics about the case. Sounds like nothing new is going to come out of this. The state's attorney says the focus right now is on finding Dru Sjodin. They are asking for 1,000 volunteers to search on Wednesday. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. at Engelstad Arena. They are also asking property owners in Grand Forks and Polk counties to check their land. Police say that they've gotten more tips since the picture of Alfonso Rodriguez was released.

This is from the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Web site: What the law says: Level III Sex Offenders Published December 2, 2003 A Level III sex offender is determined to be at the highest risk of all predatory offenders for reoffending. They are required to register when they move, and authorities distribute information about such offenders throughout the communities or neighborhoods where they live. That includes holding public meetings about the notification process, the registration of offenders and information about the Level III offender. Information about the specific offender is also released -- including a general area of residence, a description of the offender and a description of the offender's past behavior. This disclosure does not apply to an offender in a licensed residential facility where staff members are trained to manage sexual offenders, nor does it apply to offenders in secure hospitals operated by the Department of Human Services. Source: Minnesota Department of Corrections.

I just heard Blais on the radio this morning and he said it isn't a done deal. It sounds as if Brady is leaning toward playing on the US team, but he has yet to take the steps that will enable it to happen. Blais sounded as if there was a good chance Parise, Stafford and Murray would all play for Team USA.

Here's more detailed information on Alfonso Rodriguez from Minnesota sexual offenders Web site. Notice that it says, "No longer under supervision." How convenient for him. :)

I spell it T_H_A_T.

So it was you! I was in 203, row M. The woman to your left was giving my daughter high fives whenever the Sioux scored. Just to be safe, I'll tell my daughter to project more, but to keep her swearing under control.