Sid article

[tony]

Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/507/story/1419393.html)

Let me preface by saying that I have a soft spot for Sid and like that he is a big Gopher booster.

I don't think this quote is going to win people over although please note that he doesn't comment on the quality of the thinking behind the decision:


Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio) are on future Gophers schedules, but North Dakota State is not after this year. It's apparent the Gophers don't want to recruit against the Bison now that they are a Division I school.

Seriously: attendance for the game last weekend was 45,383. I guess this means that the Gophers are so scared of NDSU's recruiting ability that they are willing to leave 20,000 or more tickets unsold? I take that as a compliment.

Anyway, I certainly can see that upgrading the schedule is a priority for the Gophers but do recruits around the country really think that playing against Bowling Green and Miami (OH) in front of a lot of empty seats is more impressive than playing NDSU in front of a packed house? How about next year when they have to TRAVEL to Bowling Green?

NDSU only has a prayer of getting regional recruits from Minnesota and their BCS status - and, honestly, the NDSU's best shot right now is the same as it's always been: signing those kids that the Gophers want to walk on or something. Maybe down the road NDSU will win some head-to-head recruiting battles but I don't think that not playing NDSU is going to help win those battles. Playing NDSU and whooping up on us - that's how you win recruiting battles.

On a positive note, I think that the new stadium is just what the Gophers need. If they can fill it up (and I hope they do), then at least they won't be throwing away a couple hundred thousand dollars away every year by scheduling a MAC school instead of NDSU. On the other hand, if they travel to MAC schools... ouch.

[sambini]

Thanks for the insight Tony. We were down to the U and saw where the stadium is being built. Parking will be a premium. I hope the day comes when we are getiing those young men who decide NDSU over the U. Its not that far away.

[mjh]

Doesn't the new stadium have 20,000 less seats than the dome? They should fill it up.

[Herd]

When NDSU goes to the 85 scholly level in 2015, game on for recruiting. Currently the gopher don't have as much to worry about.

I say we beat them this year in front of a packed house of 25,000 bison fans so they never want to play us again. :hungry:

[sambini]

Well said Herd. 2015 AS WE ARE MEMBERS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT WildBillJR?

[buffalobilljr]

Well said Herd. 2015 AS WE ARE MEMBERS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT WildBillJR?Mountain West would be a great achievement but the HOLY GRAIL is beyond that as you well know from our outside the box discussions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!

[sambini]

Thats true and we do have time...

[KC Bison]

I would agree that a new stadium might help the Gophers but never forget that the Gophers are always going to be 2nd class citizens in the Twin Cities area as long as the Vikings are still in town. I would think that Minnesota could be a National contender on a very consistent basis without the Vikings.

[tcbison]

I would agree that a new stadium might help the Gophers but never forget that the Gophers are always going to be 2nd class citizens in the Twin Cities area as long as the Vikings are still in town. I would think that Minnesota could be a National contender on a very consistent basis without the Vikings.

Winning cures everything. If the Gophers were ever to win the Big Ten or a big bowl game, all the Viking fans would be come Gopher fans.

[bisonaudit]

I would agree that a new stadium might help the Gophers but never forget that the Gophers are always going to be 2nd class citizens in the Twin Cities area as long as the Vikings are still in town. I would think that Minnesota could be a National contender on a very consistent basis without the Vikings.

I don't think you can lay the Gopher's lack of football success at the feet of the Vikings. The Gopher Hockey team is the #1 club in that sport (and always will be) but the Wild are doing pretty well playing second fiddle to them what with selling out every single home contest in the history of the franchise.

[sambini]

Wasn't the Gopher basketball ticket a hot item years ago also?

[KC Bison]

Yes, the Gophers have a really good basketball team about once every 10 years but no one will ever confuse Gopher basketball with Kanas basketball. As for the hockey team, there was a gap for a number of years after the North Stars left and the Wild came into town. Hockey might be the one sport that the Twin Cities Metro area could fully support two teams. But basketball and hockey are sports that a good crowd is 15,000-20,000 fans. But with football, a good program brings in 80,000 to 100,000 fans. So, the Gophers are fully admitting that they are no where near to elite college status in football when they build a stadium that holds only 45,000 fans.

I still don't think its an accident that the last Gopher football national championship was either 1960 or 1961 and 1961 was also the year that the Vikings showed up. The Twin Cities has 10 times the population and resources of Lincoln, Neb. but their college football teams haven't been competitive with Nebraska for as long as I can remember.

[99Bison]

That seems be a little stretch, in 1960 they were handed a the crown. Then lost in the Rose bowl and were 8-2. Before that they were 2-7 and 1-8 the two prior years.

The glory years there were the 30's.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Golden_Gophers_football

[KC Bison]

There's no question, they won 6 national titles on paper (like all national champs from 1A Division) from 1934 to 1960, with the majority of them in the 1930's. But the point being that in the 47 years since the last one, they haven't come close to winning anything. I would still suggest that they are 2nd class citizens in the Twin Cities behind the Vikings and will never have enough support to get the job done with the Vikings around.

[Bryan]

Typical Sid, I was at the Brewster press conference where he talked about this and Sid completely misunderstood what he what saying.

It was just before the game in Florida against Fla. Atlantic and Brewster said he wanted to play non conference games against teams from regions he wants to recruit in, like florida. Brewster views everything through the eyes of recruiting and since ND isn't on the recruiting radar, it doesn't do him much good to play them. That was the point he was trying to make, no that they we're worried about recruiting head to head, if that was a concern, then he should be fired immediately.

[sambini]

What will he say today?

[braveheart]

Mountain West would be a great achievement but the HOLY GRAIL is beyond that as you well know from our outside the box discussions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!What is the Holy Grail being discussed here?

[SlickVic]

Wasn't the Gopher basketball ticket a hot item years ago also?

chea my favorite college basketball team of all time...bobby jackson, sam jacobson, and quincy lewis were so slick...big john thomas bangin in the post...coach clem had them boys playin ball that year my oh my

[jeffdaryl3rd]

With the amount of time they saved by not having to go to class or write papers they had no excuse for not being good.

[met1990]

Do you think anyone has alerted Sid to the fact the Gophers lost on Saturday yet? After all, it's only Monday.

[sambini]

He was very cordial on sunday on SID AND DAVE show.

[imabison]

He was very cordial on sunday on SID AND DAVE show.
I agree with your comments, and our car was plesantly amused when they said they were sending Coach a Murrays certificate. Coach said he would use it when he was recruiting in the cities, and they asked him NOT to used it for recruiting :) :) Shows your that Sid or Dave did not understand you can't use it to buy the recruit lunch etc.