NoiseInsideMyHead

In a few years, natty-less Hak can pen a tell-all autobiography entitled "Ermine Kampf."

Wow, Gramps. Most armchair sports fans can knock out 95% or more of those. Those are all either regional rivals or top flight national powers. Only one I can't pull out is RIT.

We could get in on the new Jurassic Park sequel. And University Station could in fact start selling Sinclair gas. Marketing tie-ins galore!

Fixed your post. Have you not seen UND's 4-year graduation rate?

"Avian ally"? Is that like a bird's friend or something?

For all the crap about amateurism and the long, slow, and agonizing death of college sports, I tend to think that universities should reserve their 'pride' for situations where the system actually works. Loyalty and commitment are best served by seeing students through to a degree and (almost always) exhausting years of eligibility. Athletic departments are strenghtened with each and every such outcome. Early departures cheapen the whole experience and fuel the criticism that college sports has lost its way.

Never said he was a failure in his own right; rather he was a failure for the University. The University took on a student-athlete who didn't fulfill the student-athlete bargain. What is there to be proud of? The University failed its academic mission, and by trumpeting its pride looks more like a professional athlete mill.

I'm okay with fans celebrating these type of achievements, as well as local media. Early departures are a fact of college sports; hell, not even Duke and Coach K can avoid them nowadays (3 freshmen gone within 10 days of winning a title). But does anybody else find it the least bit hypocritical or tacky for the University of North Dakota to tag this tweet #UNDProud? After all, isn't UND supposed to be concerned with academics, graduation rates, student-athletes, and all. Brock (a phenomenal success as a professional athlete) is more of a failure for the University than a success, no?

As you all know, I am outspoken on this subject and will not belabor it here. But is this true? Are schools really playing this card against UND? Any evidence, or is this just speculation? It would truly be a shame if there are recruits being swayed on such dubious grounds, and an even bigger shame that some grown-ups are sinking to that level.

But I thought God loves a Terrier...

Grassy knoll type stuff, right there.

Twilight Zone.

Y'all thinkin' I'm crazy?

WTF. That same security guard yanked that same guy taking a cell phone pic during the on-ice ESPN interview on Thursday.

Well, we have some special programs. Uh, we're doing Shakespeare in the Round again this year, of course. Uh, our political round table, Henry Kissinger will appear. Yasser Arafat is gonna come out, spend a weekend with the kids. Just rap with them. And the kids wanted animals. So this year, we will each stalk and kill our own bear in our private wildlife preserve. But, the real excitement, of course, is gonna come at the end of the summer, during Sexual Awareness Week. We import 200 hookers from around the world, and each of us, armed with only a thermos of coffee and $2,000 cash, tries to visit as many countries as he can and the winner, of course, is named ''King of Sexual Awareness Week'' and is allowed to rape and pillage the neighboring towns until summer ends.

Has there ever been much of a call for a consolation game at the FF?

On the plus side, God I miss the days before "The Bottom Line." That thing has basically ruined watching sports on ESPN.

ESPN3's "Multicam" is tolerable, but it would be infinitely better with clock and scoreboard.

Yet, the enactment of a law by the North Dakota legislature is NOT a defense to breach of contract. Had the NCAA been so inclined, it could have sued UND for failing to adopt a nickname in accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement. The legislatively mandated 'cooling off' period would have explained the breach, but not excused it. I wonder why the NCAA didn't go that route. Hmmm...

"Black and white, clear as crystal."

This is actually a compliment…you're not thinking like a lawyer.

Because the underlying assumption was that no new nickname = Fighting Sioux. This assumption was proven false. It is that simple. The settlement agreement -- like every other contract -- was flawed and in the event of a dispute, will need to be read in accordance with well-established rules of construction. People should not be dazzled by the words on the page; they don't always tell the whole story.

Au contraire. What about UND's monetary damages when it prevails on its claim that the NCAA acted arbitrarily and capriciously and in flagrant disregard of associational rules and bylaws by imposing sanctions on a member for conduct that was not occurring and had not occurred for years?

See above re: damages. Short version -- the NCAA doesn't have any.