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Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Sayonara, eh?

There seems to be some controversy concerning my post the other day about scholarships in Junior B. I spent a good part of last night going over Section 12 of the NCAA bylaws concerning amateur standing, and found more bureaucratic code supporting my position than going against it. I also had a good discussion with a friend of mine in the game for whom I have great respect, but disagree with on this issue. Still, his arguments consisted mostly of "it's wrong," but not why it's wrong. I'm a critical thinker, a "Doubting Thomas" if you will. I spend my working hours at a university taking information and conventional wisdom that deans and VPs (with many more letters behind their names than I) just know is true and shoot holes through it like Swiss cheese (think of it as "Mythbusters for academia"). One rule of academia is: if it's not documented, it doesn't exist. I'm still looking, and am openly soliciting for documentation on this. Several people told me that at the USA Hockey annual meeting recently it was pressed upon folks that scholarships lead to ineligibility. That's fine, but on what grounds (NCAA chapter and verse, not USAH) was this relationship established? Indeed, if this was such a major issue why, among the dozens upon dozens of other clarifications written and approved this year, were clarifying regulations regarding this issue not promulgated?

Still, I have enough experience with my blog to know when I'm really swimming against the current - I get the outrage in pretty short order. I'm not sensing a whole lot here... just one anonymous comment and some secondhand whispers. I usually get more reaction by saying the sky is blue. It's not that it's summertime and no one is reading, either, because my traffic was higher than average. I guess I'll know more (I hope) by the time I get back.

Speaking of getting back, I'm outta here until August 5th. I suppose I could blog while I'm gone, but came up with the following reasons not to:

10) The NCAA compliance officers are going to be looking for me to ask me what I know about scholarship opportunities to junior hockey players.

9) I have five stitches and a butterfly bandage on my index finger and my typing skills have been compromised - and Lindsay says she's not my personal secretary anymore!

8) I do not live-blog, so anyone wanting up-to-the-minute updates on the Alpena Icediggers open tryout all star game Friday afternoon are just going to have to do without.

7) My in-laws are technologically impaired by their inability to connect to the "real world" - there's no internet and no cable since the company that handled that went bankrupt over a year ago. I guess bears aren't paying subscribers.

6) Cell phone calls are virtually impossible and can only be made from the top of the hill - my phone will read "no service" if I'm on the lake.

5) It's a one mile walk (one way) to the A-Frame gas and bait shop to retrieve a day-old copy of the Detroit News or Freep.

4) My desktop PC at home, which recently suffered a system meltdown, also needs a break from Lindsay's constant euchre playing and needs the vacation too.

3) I will be going up there to fetch some of MacArthur's finest maple syrup and my good fingers will be too sticky to touch a keyboard.

2) After less than 24 hours in the company of my wife's extended family, all of my blog sentences would end with "eh?"

1) After less than one hour in the company of my wife's parents (my dear in-laws), Lindsay and I will be unceremoniously shoved out the door and told to "leave the kids with us" ... and I will be free to pursue my other "hobbies" - that don't require a puck, stick, referee or a laptop!

Some probabilities while I'm away...

Blue Line is sold (signed, sealed, and delivered) and new ownership begins preparations for reopening: 100%... no really, I'm serious this time!

NAHL releases regular season schedule: 95%

Some team will be pissed about extra trips to Alaska: 99.999%

The NAHL unveils their new commish: 30%

Someone cooks up some conspiracy theory regarding the new commish and the Texas Tornado: 95%

Someone reads too much into the above statement: 100%

Someone inside the junior hockey universe will claim I'm an idiot that doesn't know what I'm talking about: 75%

I still average 300 hits a day to the blog (about a third of average) even though all my regular readers (and you know who you are) have been told for a month I'm going on vacation: 25%

200 hits: 45%

Someone thinks I'm scouting at the Alpena camp this week: 60%

That I can help place their kid: 10%

There's news ready to be broken on a new USHL expansion team for 2007: 50%

That it has nothing to do with Lacrosse: 99%

That a regular media source mentions me in an article: 1%

That it's the Wichita Falls TimesRecordNews: 0.0001%

That's it's in the upcoming Sunday edition: 0.000000001%

That I'm pulling your leg: maybe

When my vacation is over I'll be ready to come home to 105 degree temps and the continuing drought: 5%

That I'll be ready to come home to real BBQ and Tex-Mex: 99.99999%

And now... here's the last call for a couple of weeks:

Kamloops Blazers add Zulyniak and Milne to their coaching staff...

Peterborough Petes hire former Ottawa 67's assistant Vince Malette as head coach...

Williams Lake TimberWolves have four players looking to break out...

Former Flin Flon Bomber/OCN Blizzard right wing Brett Needham signs with the UHauL Port Huron Flags...

More trade news from the SJHL...

Paris named coach of Restigouche Tigers...

Atlantic Junior Hockey League gets another D1 commitment...

Nepean Raiders name Archie Mulligan head coach...

Former Texas Tornado players touch down in Dallas Stars camp...

USHL pro signings for the last week...

NAHL Showcase schedule has been released...

Dan Price named Chilliwack Bruins assistant coach...

Drayton Valley's new head coach and GM Blaine Gusdal ready to tackle the task...

Later folks... I got an early flight in the morning...

Comments on "Sayonara, eh?"

 

Blogger USAFA Bulldog said ... (8:10 AM, July 26, 2006) : 

You may be right about the scholarships and I would hope so, but unfortunately just because the NCAA has something in its rules doesn't mean that they will follow their own rules.

Two examples I can think of are Jeremy Bloom and the current situation of the "offensive native american mascots" issue. With Jeremy Bloom the NCAA rules said people can accept endorsement money and not lose their eligibility, as long as it isn't in the same sport as they play. With Jeremy Bloom they ruled him ineligible saying that skiing isn't a NCAA sport.

With the "offensive native american mascot" issue, the NCAA went against their own rules by declaring this rule without having their member schools vote on the issue.

It could be that I am thinking this through wrong, since I haven't looked through their law, but that's how I have read about it.

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (11:06 AM, July 26, 2006) : 

You do not have to charge a dime to play JR B or A. IF max is 6k and I let you play for 3k so be it. This mess started be couse a certain Owner felt slighted. To bad.

 

Blogger WCharles said ... (11:26 AM, July 27, 2006) : 

"Someone reads too much into the above statement: 100%"

That's funny!


"That it's the Wichita Falls TimesRecordNews: 0.0001%"

Don't feel bad. During football season, the Wildcats are lucky to get a two-sentence blurb in the TRN--and that has nothing to do with the beat writer, Zach Duncan. He does a great job covering the Wildcats.

 

Blogger WCharles said ... (5:19 PM, July 30, 2006) : 

Well, Marc, we were both wrong. The front page of the TRN had a picture and short article about hockey in Wichita Falls, and the the Sports section had a feature article starting on the front page and taking up the entire back page--and you were quoted several times.

So, kudos to Zach Duncan for a great article, and I guess I owe a bit of an apology to the TRN's Sports editor, Nick Gholson.

 

Blogger WCharles said ... (5:23 PM, July 30, 2006) : 

O.K., so I was the only one who was wrong since your "maybe" was a knowing one. Still, I am amazed that the TRN ran such a long feature article. That is a definite change around here.

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (9:48 AM, August 03, 2006) : 

Boomer, Sooner... Whoops! Looks like Grand Prarie' own just got busted and the OU football season went in the toilet. Sorry Marc. You can always root for the hockey team. Hey, at least the NAHL schedule is out.

 

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