fightingsioux4life

Everything costs money. Does anyone else notice that down at NDSU, they generally don't talk about how they can't afford this and that; they just get it done. Both schools have one big revenue sport (NDSU has football, UND has hockey), both schools have similar enrollments and both schools have sports that need subsidies from both within and outside the athletic department. But it just feels like NDSU makes progress, while UND makes excuses. I hope that some of that $300+ million endowment can be used to address some of these shortcomings. It would enhance our programs and help make them more successful, which in the long-run will help generate more revenues. And that is my primary concern, the long-term health of UND as a whole.

Based on this logic, Wal-Mart could get rid of their on-site parking and replace it with paid RV parking because "we are responsible for getting ourselves there" (taxi, city bus....whatever). And you would probably plunk down the cash for taxi fare or bus ticket and still shop at Wal-Mart. Well, at least you would have the store to yourself because 99% of the people would not stand for that nonsense. So why should UND hockey fans put up with it? Also, how do you think it would work if the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul had very limited on-site parking and people "were responsible for getting themselves there"? Without that big parking ramp connected to the arena, it would be a disaster. But when it comes to UND hockey, it's "just the way it is". This small-time, local-yokel mentality will simply not work in the long-term. We wanted Division I athletics, we got Division I athletics. But unless we want to settle for being "Division I in name only", we had better start solving (or at least start planning to solve) some of these issues.

I have been thinking about this myself. If UND is so cash-strapped, why don't they get rid of the campus-wide shuttles that run 9 months out of the year, 5 days a week (minus Christmas Break, Spring Break and Holidays) because they don't make money and thus are 100% "in the red"? If they can't afford to run shuttles for home hockey games (while charging for ramp parking), how can they afford those weekday shuttles for students? This is yet another 2+2=5 moment that doesn't pass the smell test. But according to some people on this forum, we should just accept whatever explanation is dished out by the suits in Twamley Hall and never, ever question authority. As for me, I will continue asking the questions that should be asked. After all, we are all stakeholders here. Right?

I don't know, I just think Bubba should be in the conversation. Although the prospect of going outside the box and bringing in new blood is also attractive.

But Lennon took over a program with more depth and talent. Roger Thomas did not exactly leave the cupboard bare in 1998. UMD was a weak program when Bubba took it over and it took him several years to build it up to UND standards.

I like either one of those.

Good points. I guess the point I was making was that the results on the field and the behavior on the sidelines pretty much confirm that what needs to happen in the locker room isn't happening.

I think he is taking a shot at the Summit, implying that it should be a low-major.

Jared Allen should have been traded a couple of years ago after his 20.5 sack season on a 3-13 team. Now, he is two years older and not worth as much. But I like your idea. Market AP and JA as a package deal and get a crap load of draft picks. Then, get rid of this coaching staff and let the new regime have some input into what kind of systems they want to implement. Then use that as your guide in the April draft. Serious surgery is needed on this team and it's needed now.

How do you know Bubba wouldn't have achieved the same results if he hadn't left to join Lennon at SIU? It took him a couple of years to get the program built the way he wanted, but he left before they gelled and someone else took the reins and the credit. I think Bubba should be in the mix, along with DeBoer.

Who the heck cares what is going on in the locker room? Whatever it is, it isn't helping us win. I don't need to know what is going on in the freaking locker room; what has been going on in public on the field of play has been bad enough. What will it take for you to acknowledge that this regime has failed and will continue failing until Faison puts it out of its misery? More 50 point losses? More "Dancing with the Stars" tryouts on our sideline? Home attendance that could fit inside REA's Olympic Practice Arena? Please enlighten us, I would love to know. Where is the freaking accountability with some of our fans? This kind of garbage should never be tolerated at the University of North Dakota. Mr. Faison, the next move is yours. Don't screw it up.

Don't speak for me; I haven't been throwing insults at anyone. I have, however, been pointing out the plain and simple fact that this is Mussman's ship and that ship is taking on water. There will be no improvement in the FB program with this regime in power. And if you think otherwise, please enlighten us. But don't basically tell us to shut up about it.

Oh really? I will have you know that a lot of the posters on here are active check writers for UND athletics and other endeavors on campus. I am one of them. If that "just doesn't matter" to Faison, then he is in the wrong line of work.

A top five overall pick would be great also.

They are usually better than the Cleveland (Freaking) Browns!

Well, I've been a Vikings fan since I was 6 years old and I will always be a Vikings fan. Win, lose or draw. That said, watching crap like this year after year isn't much fun.

Considering how often Hak shuffles the lines, who knows how long these guys will play together.

Yeah, but it's been their motto for about 50 years now. And they still don't have enough bricks laid to form one wall of a one-room building!

I think he was being sarcastic with the negative message board comment. He should have used the at the end of it.

I was calling him out for dictating terms to other posters on what is and is not acceptable here and for assuming that everyone else on this forum is here only to "exchange information" and not offer opinions and (sometimes) passionate viewpoints. And that does include, from time to time, complaining. Problems that are not pointed out are problems that are never solved.

Come on now, I was having a good Monday morning (what an oxymoron that is) and you just had to bring that up.

That is correct. Get rid of the deadwood on the roster and establish new standards, goals and expectations and you'll see a much better product on the field sooner rather than later. The "signature wins" might take some time to get, but I am willing to wait for those. Changing the culture is the first step.

This is another theme that I was hoping was behind us. Gothberg has to develop some game to game consistency or else he'll have to settle for being a back-up to someone else.

I must disagree with you on Hunter. He was calling out the ownership and front office for being penny-wise and pound-foolish, which they are still doing. After this year's debacle, the Star Tribune did a series on what needs to be fixed with the Twins. Terry Ryan and company acknowledged that the team needs to change some things to win again, but still talked like they weren't going to change anything to get there. New stadium, more revenues, same tired old Twins. Some things (unfortunately) never change.

No you don't. All you do is come on here and talk like a wanna-be economist who knows everything. I think people would get along with you better if you would drop the professorial act and talk to people like the ordinary Joes and Janes that they are. No you are not. You are here to defend any and every decision made by the powers-that-be, no matter how fishy their explanations are sometimes. Holding decision-makers accountable is an important part of being a stakeholder in an athletic department. And each and every one of us that buys tickets to games, donates to the Champions Club and travels to road games to support our teams are stakeholders. And that is your prerogative. But you should understand that a discussion forum like this is a place where people vent, express their opinions AND trade information. You should remember that the next time you scold someone for being too opinionated and passionate about a topic. What bothers some of us is certain posters telling other posters which opinions and viewpoints are or are not acceptable here. Does that remind you of someone?