National exposure for the wrong reasons

[kchats]

Well the Bison got some national exposure by being mentioned in the Monday Morning Quarterback article written by Peter King for Sports Illustrated. It details the travel difficulties UC-Davis had in getting to and from Fargo. Not exactly what we need when the conferences claim the reason they don't want us is our location. It definitely adds to their belief.

AGGRAVATING/ENJOYABLE TRAVEL NOTE OF THE WEEK
A loyal MMQB reader, Doug Kelly, a longtime network and pro football PR aide, now does some work as the radio colorman for UC Davis. The Aggies had a road game at North Dakota State on Saturday. Doug often e-mails me about travel or some NFL note, and I got a great kick out of the Aggies' travel plans for the jaunt from Davis, Calif., to Fargo, N.D.

The team flies commercial, mostly. On Friday, the team split into two groups (the entire traveling party couldn't get tickets on the same Northwest flight), one leaving campus at 7:30 a.m., the other at 9:45 a.m. to Minneapolis. Land in Minneapolis and bus 3 1/2 hours to Fargo. First group arrives in Fargo at 5:45 p.m. Second group arrives at 7:40 p.m. Second group practiced on campus before leaving. First group practiced upon arrival in Fargo.

Saturday at the Fargodome: UC-Davis 20, North Dakota State 13.

Game ends too late to get out of Fargo or to bus to Minneapolis in time to make the last flight to Sacramento Saturday. So it's a second night for all at the Fargo Radisson.

Sunday: First group flies from Fargo, at 7 a.m., to Minneapolis, changes planes and flies to Sacramento. Arrives back on campus at noon. Second group flies from Fargo at 12:30 p.m., changes in Minneapolis, and flies to Sacramento. Arrives on campus at 8 p.m.

Doug, that is either a three-day, 61-hour ridiculous Aggravating/Enjoyable Travel ordeal or an example of just how bad some people want to play football. Or both.

[roadwarrior]

The article fails to mention that Davis's charter flight was cancelled at the last minute, and they had to scramble to find seats for all of the players and coaches. There was an article in the sunday Forum describing it more in detail.

[RonRabbit]

I tired of the "gee, they just got electricity in North or South Dakota..." attitude and have made it a practice of ignoring such comments. I've spent a lot of time in Fargo. I've spent a great deal of time in California including the Davis area.

Davis is a nice area. However, it has more than its share of problems.

Fargo is a very desirable city...as is my home stomping area, Sioux Falls.

I have had more messed up plane flights in California than anywhere else. I refuse to fly in or out of LAX--that place is simply broken.

I guess I'm speaking to the choir but, man, what a doofus attitude displayed by Peter King and his sidekick, Doug Kelly.

[SloStang]

Cal Poly got an email Thursday morning from the charter company they had paid months before that their aircraft had been leased by FEMA and had not been returned. Poly scrambled and got another charter and the team did not arrive in Missoula until after 9:00 pm Friday and did not get a walk through at Wash/Griz stadium.

Last year when they traveled to Fargo the Jet could not land in Fargo because of weather and had to land in SD and bus up. They did not arrive until 1:00 am. These things happen in I-AA.

[IowaBison]

They happen to everybody (not just I-AA) slostang.

When I was going to grad school in iowa, i remember the cyclones often having trouble traveling (and no i'm not talking about some coach drinking with college students ;)).

[bisonmike]

When I first read the thread title I thought it was going to be about how UND was being offensive to Native Americans again. ;D

[swany_spectrum]

++ The travel problems encountered by UCD had nothing to do with NDSU. NDSU is actually easier to travel to then most schools in the Big Sky or on the west coast. Why? Hector Int'l is within a stones throw of the Fargodome and campus of NDSU (and the hotel most teams stay at is a five minute drive from the Dome).

For Northern Colorado the team usually flies to Denver and busses to Denver. For Weber we landed in Salt Lake City and bussed to Ogden. With Cal Davis I beleive the team flies into Sacramento.

Peter King is a duschbag anyways.

[roadwarrior]

When the Bison played in Missoula two years ago, the pilot of the charter refused to land at Missoula because of low visibility due to the smoke in the air, and the plane landed in Helena instead. The Bison then bussed the remainder of the way.

[sambini]

Road that is true as I was on the charter. Got to see Montana a little better. Also when you go to DAVIS you fly into Sacremento.

[DG_Moore]

The simple truth is that Fargo is easier to get to by charter air travel than virtually any University City anywhere. While Brookings has an adequate airport for most charters; teams might prefer to fly to Sioux Falls and bus up.

[Shakermaker]

I tired of the "gee, they just got electricity in North or South Dakota..." attitude and have made it a practice of ignoring such comments. *I've spent a lot of time in Fargo. *I've spent a great deal of time in California including the Davis area. *

Davis is a nice area. *However, it has more than its share of problems.

Fargo is a very desirable city...as is my home stomping area, Sioux Falls. *

I have had more messed up plane flights in California than anywhere else. *I refuse to fly in or out of LAX--that place is simply broken.

I guess I'm speaking to the choir but, man, what a doofus attitude displayed by Peter King and his sidekick, Doug Kelly.

Ummm, LA sucks no matter what they have activity wise. *We Montana born and raised (lI live in the Seattle area now) have to put up with the same stereotypical BS. *Let me see... Montana just got electricity, we're not a state with a huge city or huge state population, therefore everyone grows up on a farm and is a cowboy, not to mention we must be racists in Montana as well because we don't have a huge population of minorities.