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Around SBN: Bob Sapp Denies Throwing Fights

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Barely tolerated Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox highlighted the chasm between print media and newer forms of media in pretty unique ways on two consecutive days. On Monday, he penned a column saying Jose Bautista's surge in home runs this year should lead to questions about whether or not he's using steroids. The question is innocuous enough, if not for the fact that a Philadelphia Phillies blogger spent the better part of a week last year being a mainstream media whipping boy for daring to make the same suggestion about Raul Ibanez. There's perhaps a lesson to be learned from that, even beyond that nobody really cares what you write if you do it in America Jr.

Anyway, the next day, Cox penned this article about Paul Kelly and the Canadian Hockey Summit that is going on this week in Toronto. On first glance, it's about as shallow of a look into the NCAA/CHL debate that you can take. But then again, that's not so much an indictment of Cox, as it is of his medium. His column clocks in at just a smidge over 700 words, and I doubt he had that much more space to work with, compared to the 2000 words I spent on it last week--not counting linked reference material that adds a lot of depth--and I could have written more if I had wanted. Both forms have an audience they serve.

The article also mentions Indiana University potentially starting a hockey team. Commence the latest round of Big Ten Hockey Conference panic.

Next on my list of dubious sources, Tim Staudt took a break from his federal courthouse vigil for Jeff Smoker and wrote a Hartman-esque treasure hunt for a few valuable hints of information amidst a bunch of stuff that makes no sense. The stuff you may not have already known: 2014 is mentioned as a possible start date for Penn State, and the vote to keep shootouts just barely passed.

It also actually raises an interesting scenario with Notre Dame. If the Rapture came and all of the Big Ten schools ascended to heaven, would Notre Dame want to stick around in the CCHA? There'd potentially be openings in the WCHA, but is the WCHA still that much more attractive without Minnesota and Wisconsin? North Dakota and four Minnesota schools still gives you the opportunity for a fairly profitable league tournament. But if the issue is name brand opponents, people have at least heard of Miami of Ohio and the other Division I MAC schools in the CCHA. There wouldn't be a team left in the WCHA that your average potential Notre Dame hockey ticket buyer has heard of.

This ends up further down the page than it should have been, but former St. Cloud State assistant coach Eric Rud is the new head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL, replacing Jon Cooper, who continued his meteoric rise up the coaching ranks by taking an AHL head coaching job. Rud was a pretty highly respected assistant coach, and had been in the running for some head jobs. As seems to be the trend, taking over a USHL team should give him some of the executive experience college teams seem to look for when hiring a head coach.


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It is nicknamed "IU" for a reason...

Because the name of the university located in Bloomington, Indiana, is actually Indiana University, rather than the fictitious “University of Indiana” you so boldly assert. Probably a good idea to make sure you are actually correct before scolding someone else for a supposed error.

by DoubleEagleBC on Aug 25, 2010 12:04 PM PDT reply actions  

My apologies to the Hoosiers. I’ll fix that.

by WCHBlog on Aug 25, 2010 12:25 PM PDT reply actions  

The article also at least insinuates that Penn State is a done deal for next fall… did I miss that announcement?

by Jon Marthaler on Aug 25, 2010 1:44 PM PDT reply actions  

It was just Damian Cox pontificating.

by Eric B on Aug 27, 2010 6:57 PM PDT up reply actions  

Please no Big Ten Hockey conference

I really hope that if PSU and IU get D1 teams that ther is no Big Ten Conference. As a Badger fan, I would hate to lose out on the hockey rivalries we have in the WCHA, especially North Dakota. Games against DU and CC are always entertaining and all the Minnesota schools as well. While I would have no problem playing Michigan more often, we already play them once a year, as well as MSU. THis isn’t basketball or football. Its hockey and the Badgers are part of (IMO) the best conference in college hockey and have some excellent rivalries.

I have read suggestions of a a Big Ten tournament or something to that effect, which would be kind of cool over a weekend or two, but please no Big Ten Conference.

by Badger_in_Utah on Aug 26, 2010 11:53 AM PDT reply actions  

Big Ten

would have to agree that a Big Ten conf for hockey is a HUGE mistake. Both WCHA and CCHA are a good mix of big name schools with lesser known schools. Besides losing out on great rivalries in each conf, you would just force the lesser knowns (i.e. small minnesota and michigan schools) into their own conf. And in each instance, although the bigger name schools tend to have an advantage in recruiting, the lesser known ones still put up solid programs and compete year in w the the big name schools. Adding Penn state to CCHA would obviously be a good fit (esp since it’s currently an 11 team conf). But IU is a long way from advancing their club team to the next level; and let’s face it, southern Indiana is not exactly hockey country. Assuming Penn State is a done deal, that’s still only 6 schools (7 if you count Nebraska/Omaha as Nebraska). The better idea is to keep the Showcase tournament and/or expand it to a big city market like Chicago (that has the greatest concentration of big ten grads). If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

by voices of reason on Aug 27, 2010 11:59 AM PDT reply actions  

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