If it's truly only the error on Cal's transcript that the NC$$ is having
trouble with, then this ruling is a disgrace.  If it turns out that the NC$$
does not count the time that Cal spent at the community college as part of
his "year off" in transferring to Maine (a possibility that Wayne men-
tioned), well, then I can understand the NC$$'s decision a little better --
but it would still be a case of punishing Cal for following bad advice.
 
Barring an appeal by Maine, is this the last word on the matter from the
NC$$?  Wayne and I discussed this a bit through e-mail, and the reason I ask
is that I still haven't seen any mention of a possibility that Maine might
have to forfeit those 14 games that Cal appeared in during Fall '91.  One
way or another, he was technically an ineligible player during that time,
right?  When Alaska-Fairbanks used an ineligible player during the 91-92
season, they wound up having to forfeit a dozen wins.  I wonder, does the
NC$$ try to nail the player first, and then go after the program if they
can't do that?  I'm sure there are a number of differences between Alaska-
Fairbanks' case and Maine's, but since this whole situation seems to be much
more Maine's fault than Cal's, it would make sense to me to punish the Maine
program (with forfeits and maybe a fine or something) than to go after Cal.
I suspect that if given the choice, the appropriate officials at Maine would
vote for the forfeits and keep Cal on the ice for his senior year.
 
Inevitably, this mess will once again bring calls for college hockey to
secede from the NC$$, but I still don't think that's the way to go.  What I
think hockey and all the other "minor" sports *should* do is band together
and call for a Congressional investigation into the capricious way the NC$$
runs things.  This seems to be the only action that gets the NC$$'s atten-
tion, as showed during the struggle a while ago over whether graduation
rates should be revealed.
 
Anyway, this ruling scares the hell out of me, mainly for selfish reasons.
We still haven't heard anything from the NC$$ on the booster housing situa-
tion at Cornell.  The NC$$ is not expected to come down hard on this
violation, since Cornell self-reported it and has cooperated fully with the
investigators -- but look what that got Maine and Cal Ingraham.
--
Bill Fenwick                        |  Send your HOCKEY-L poll responses to:
Cornell '86 and probably '94        |  [log in to unmask]
LET'S GO RED!!
"This is a really sexy thing to do, according to the French, although you
 should keep in mind that these people also like to eat snails."
-- Dave Barry, on French kissing