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View Full Version : Baseball as the new rivalry????



Tuk
04-28-2004, 04:15 PM
Well, it looks as if we got swept yesterday by the Sioux.

I guess the UND baseball team is going to continue to play us in the future....and it looks as if the coaches are going to try to get baseball as the focal sport of rivalry enthusiasts.

Another article from our beloved ;) Michael McFeely about the game and rivalry:
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http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=56760&section=Columnists&columnist=Mi ke%20McFeely
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Bison-Sioux rivalry needs some work
Mike McFeely , The Forum
Published Wednesday, April 28, 2004
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Mitch McLeod and Kelvin Ziegler have to work on this rivalry thing.

When asked Tuesday whether the North Dakota-North Dakota State baseball competition was as heated as that of other sports like football, men's basketball and women's basketball, the Bison and Sioux coaches pretty much laughed off the question.

"Let me tell you something," said McLeod, who remained cordial and cooperative and didn't seem the least bit interested in committing hari-kari even though his NDSU team was swept in a doubleheader and might have lost a chance at winning the North Central Conference regular-season title. "When Kelvin and I are at the same games scouting or as spectators, we sit together."

Ziegler, the Sioux coach, confirmed the story.

Gasp.

Could you imagine Amy Ruley or Gene Roebuck spending quality time together? Or Rocky Hager and Roger Thomas?

Or Tim Miles and Rich Glas?

At the height of their rivalry, for goodness sake, you got the feeling Ruley and Roebuck would have preferred being locked in a room for a day with a 3-week old road-killed skunk over being locked in a room for five minutes with each other.

And here are McLeod and Ziegler all but admitting they are friendly with one another.

Rivalry, schmivalry.

About now you're asking yourself: And why is this important?

So we'll tell you. Starting next year, the Bison-Sioux baseball game is all that will be left of the once-great rivalry. With NDSU moving to Division I, the Sioux decided not to play the Bison in the sports with which people live and die. That would be football, men's basketball and women's basketball.

And all other sports, for that matter.

Except for baseball. Ziegler, astutely recognizing an opportunity for publicity and media coverage, has agreed to play the Bison for as long as the games remain competitive. The teams will play in Fargo in 2005 and in Grand Forks in '06.

"I think it's a great deal," Ziegler said. "It's good for baseball and I think it's good for Fargo and Grand Forks. Hopefully it will fill the void for the fans. I'd love to see it turn into a huge deal."

And therein lies the problem. Judging by the announced crowd of 848 that fell far short of filling Newman Outdoor Field for Tuesday's important twinbill, it is not a huge deal – or even a mid-sized one – for area sports fans.

It was Bison vs. Sioux, yes, but other than a handful of what appeared to be UND students heckling the NDSU players, the games carried all the passion of a rosin bag. At least from a spectator's perspective.

"It's baseball and it doesn't quite get the same fan support that football or basketball gets. And sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate," said Sioux pitcher Brent Sukut, the complete-game winner in the second game. "But for us, it's huge. For us, beating the Bison is a big thing. And I think, for the fans, these games will get bigger. Without football or basketball, maybe the rivalry will carry over to baseball."

It might to a certain point. But it's not likely that 4,500 people would ever fill Newman Outdoor Field for a Bison-Sioux baseball game. In fact, there's probably a better chance of a big crowd coming to watch the Bison host a big-time Division I team like Minnesota.

No, this rivalry will probably remain most heated between the lines. Even McLeod and Ziegler, friendly off the field, admit the competitive fires get the better of them when the Bison and Sioux square off.

"On the baseball field, we've gotten into it a little bit because of the intensity of the rivalry. There's probably been words spoken, maybe some yelling between the dugouts," McLeod said. "But it's an on-the-field thing. We keep it on the field. Off it, we're fine."

Memo to McLeod and Ziegler: You can't expect fans to dive head-first into a rivalry unless you're willing to do it, too.

So, Kelvin, next time you're speaking about Mitch to a member of the media, call him "knucklehead."

And Mitch, next time your team loses to the Sioux, refuse to shake Kelvin's hand.

That'll stir things up. That'll get the media involved. That'll fire up the fans.

And then we'll have a rivalry worth talking about.

Forum sports columnist Mike McFeely can be heard Saturdays at 8 a.m. on the WDAY Golf Show (970 AM). He can be reached at (701) 241-5580 or mmcfeely@forumcomm.com