No fight left in me

Here I was, all set to dive into a great weekend of college hockey matchups, when once again, the Fighting Sioux controversy had to rear its ugly head. Instead of hearing about the pivotal weekend hockey series coming up with Duluth, the whole week has been a stream of angry bickering over something that appeared to be over and done. I can’t even remember how long this has been going on, is it year 6? Year 7? Regardless of the particulars, there is only one answer needed: Far too long.

Don’t get me wrong, I would’ve loved to see the name stay, and think the whole thing has been handled unfairly, but when is enough enough? Anyone who’s been paying attention knows that the NCAA is completely full of sh*t as an organization, that’s never been up for debate. But then again, so is Congress, and they run the country, so why is the idea of an inept and unresponsive governing body such a shock? Incidentally, the NCAA may be the only organization with a lower approval rating.

Did they tweak the rules from day one to exempt bowl games, their greatest cash cow, hiding behind the definition of a “NCAA sanctioned postseason”? Yes. Did they stir up fake morality to make it appear as though they cared, in order to take the focus off players committing crimes on campuses, coaches making a mockery of recruiting rules, the fact that they make billions off of unpaid laborers and the lack of a football tournament? Probably. But as your parents used to tell you, life isn’t fair, it’s called power, and they have it all in this situation. Get used to it, or take your ball and go home.

While it’s unfortunate that the second tribe required to give approval has never been allowed to vote, there isn’t much that can be done there. I’d like to give even then most ardent nickname supporter the benefit of the doubt, and assume that if the majority of the Sioux people felt it was an insult, rather than an honor, they’d agree to retire it yesterday, and move on. That would’ve been the easiest way to end the debate years ago, but for some reason it hasn’t happened. A cynic would say that is because the powers that be wouldn’t like the result. It’s a bit underhanded, and once again draws to mind our lawmakers, refusing to bring a motion to the floor, for fear they may have to take a firm opinion. But once again, them’s the rules, life isn’t fair, move on.

At this late date, after formally giving the name up once already, you’re making everyone associated with the University of North Dakota look dumb. I know you have an emotional connection to the nickname, I know it’s tough to hear Bison and Gopher fans mock you with the “Fighting Whioux?” jabs, but for the greater good of things, let this go. I can honestly say that I’ve done so. Even passed a man outside of Englestad Arena a few weeks ago who was gathering signatures for his petition without a moment’s thought of signing. Walking into the game with the two biggest UND fans I know, the shared sentiment was: Why can’t people just let this go?

I’m not a purveyor of perspective, or an ocean of calm, when it comes to sports. I flip my lid sometimes, get mad and act stupidly, I’m well aware of my shortcomings. But when it comes to taking the inconsequential to far, I cannot hold a candle to this crowd. The University of North Dakota is about more than a logo and a nickname, and acting like those two things are so important marginalizes everything else associated with it. The name was great, and worthy of the love you have for it, but the school itself is too, and what’s happening here is going to hurt it in the long run.

Be pissed if you want, withhold donations, scream and yell and stomp your feet. But get out of the way, it’s time to move forward.

Spring, the season of new (and misplaced) hope

So I suck at this blogging thing, but may have found the answer. Over the weekend, I had a small electrode implanted at the base of my skull, any more that 3 days without posting will set of a series of small electric shocks at 30 minute intervals until something is posted. This will either lead to regular postings, or chronic incontinence, we shall see.

So much time off leaves too much to cover, so here's a little rapid-fire Love/Hate to bring us back up to speed:

LOVE - Target Field, just the greatest thing to happen to this town in some time, I finally have a reason to look forward to summer, instead of just considering it the boring 3 months before fall returns.

HATE - The NFL draft on Thursday nights, way to wreck what was a great tradtion, waking up a spending a whole day with friends, celebrating the ultimate day of football hope. I know more people watch TV on Thursdays, but does the NFL really think it's going to steal part of the Grey's Anatomy audience by moving the draft? More likely a bunch of guys that would be watching on a Saturday morning are instead being subjected to the Dancing With the Stars semifinals. Plus they cruised through the picks so quickly, those of us who were watching didn't get to savor it much. Trust me on this, if someone is not a draft fan, they're not going to become one simply because you move it to prime time. It is a small (well maybe not so much anymore) but dedicated group of individuals watching, nobody who couldn't make time for it on Saturday is suddenly glued to the TV on Thursday. I fail to see how this benefits anyone, but as many leagues have proven, it doesn't have to be a good idea to get adopted.

HATE - Viking draft picks; nice job moving up to grab the white running back, no way that backfires. On a related note, we really need to agree on a universal font for sarcasm. As Loserville reader Joe Kelm points out, Adrian and Toby sounds like a gay couple that should be hosting a show on the Food Network, we'll see how this pans out.

LOVE - NHL playoffs, and pity the poor fools who don't watch the greatest tournament in all of sports. Both the NHL and NBA improve greatly this time of year, as players give us a glimpse of what the game looks like when played with full out effort and intensity. Unfortunately, that usually translates to teams trading 15-point blowouts in the NBA, where most NHL games are nailbiters. Advantage: Hockey.

LOVE/HATE - Twins fast start/Twins starting pitching. 19 games in seems like an appropriate time to offer the first official impressions, to quote Brett Favre: "We should be pretty good". Unfortunately, I see good and not great things on the horizon for this team, as I still have significant doubts about the ability of their starters to pitch well consistently. Every guy has dazzled at times, but each one has also laid a turd or two, and a good lineup might hack the whole staff to pieces over a 5 or 7-game series. Liriano is the guy who can change all that, but if pinning your hopes to that guy isn't a prospect that makes you nervous, you haven't been paying attention.

UBER HATE - Fighting Sioux nickname resolution. Can it get any worse than being railroaded by the PC Thought Police over the objections of the people they're claiming to defend? I will grant that the University of North Dakota has been fighting (no pun intended) this battle too long and it needs to end, but it should end with a binding vote of the people impacted, not the foot-dragging inaction of a bunch of bureaucrats.

I'm not going to tell you the Sioux tribes should feel honored or offended, in fact I'm not going to tell anyone anything, I'm simply asking for the open and honest accounting that was allegedly the goal of this process. This ridiculous witchhunt by the NCAA started 5 years ago, and rather than chronicle all of the double standards and missteps in the process, I will simply say that I think they got one things right: Asking the opinion of the tribes impacted and abiding by the result.

Unfortunately the Fighting Sioux nickname will not be afforded the same luxury that the Florida State Seminoles, Central Michigan Chippewas and University of Illinois Fighting Illini were given. Instead, with the nickname receiving overwhelming support in the only binding vote to date, the question of a second and final vote will be allowed to wither on the vine. I accepted some time ago that the name and logo would be gone, all I have ever wanted was honesty from those seeking to remove it. Just admit that you are PC do-gooders who care far more about assuaging your own guilt than the feelings of the people represented by the names.

For an organization that purports to represent the values of integrity and fairplay, the NCAA has shown neither in this case. They have constantly tweaked the rules to create double standards, most likely motivated by a desire to make a fake moral stand on an issue that does not jeopardize their pocketbook. Now that their conditions were seemingly about to be met, the powers that be have conspired to pull the rug and leave the whole thing in perpetual limbo, as that is the only way they can avoid looking like the frauds they are. Sure, it's only a nickname, we can get past it, but I don't like the implication that the will of the people should dictate, until it runs afoul of the will of the government.