I don't want to get into an argument here (or privately) with Dan, who seems to have his mind made up about a number of things, including the relative importance of other sports fans' viewing preferences. I guess since we're all members of HOCKEY-L, college hockey rates right up there for us. However, I'm looking forward to the Tennessee-Old Dominion women's national championship game in a couple hours, and I even enjoy watching Martina Hingus play tennis. (Hope no-one sends Craig Berube after me!) As a long-time sports editor, if I've learned one thing it's not to defend (or attack) one person's favorite game at the expense of another. Frankly, I thought ESPN did a pretty good job with the telecast of the NCAA Final Four this year. The production values were improved (lots of nice interviews), the replays and camera angles, as usual, were excellent, they hung around at the end for a little of the celebration, and nobody said anything stupid, although Bob Norton has his voice turned up to Dick Vitale pitch too often. Was that a great second period by North Dakota or what??!! I thought their quickness matched Michigan's and wish the teams could have met. If North Dakota, BU, Michigan and Minnesota are setting a trend back to quickness and skating in college hockey, we're all better off for it. Or maybe you like watching the neutral-zone trap (which BU played to perfection, not unlike Michigan State against Michigan this season; does Jack Parker know game film or what?). As a Michigan State fan, I was a little jealous that North Dakota got back to the national championship game (and won) 10 years later. MSU was there 10 years ago, too, losing to the Hrkac Circus, and the Spartans won the national championship the year before (my first in East Lansing). Maybe 1998. Michigan reminded me of the 1985 Spartans (the team that preceded the national champion MSU team). Ron Mason will tell you that team was his best at MSU, but the Spartans lost to Chris Terreri and Providence in the Regionals that year. I had seen Terreri play in the ECAC playoffs, and I don't think I ever saw a college goaltender play better. Mason didn't win with his best team, and Red Berenson didn't win with his best team this year. Some things just aren't meant to be, I guess. Finally, as to the Fox puck. I can take it or leave it (I certainly don't need it), but my wife, who doesn't really watch hockey, loves it. To each his own, Dan. Steve Klein [log in to unmask] PS: Congratulations, of course, to Dean Blais and his very excellent team. I remember Dean when he was a freshman at Minnesota and he played in a freshman game (frosh weren't eligible back then) at Wisconsin's Hartmeyer Arena. You've come a long way, Dean. Way to go! ---------- From: D B Doucette To: HOCKEY-L Subject: NC$$ Should Dump ESPN Date: Sunday, March 30, 1997 5:52PM Well, the Hockey National Championship was held yesterday and seen on TV over E$PN (I propose we call it that on the list from now on). So, this morning on the noon Sports Center, they recap the game covered on their own network. The story lasted THIRTY SECONDS !! 0:30, at one hour 18 minutes into a 90-minute broadcast. That was, of course, after such critical sports news such as Dinah Shore women's golf, a no-doubt vital game between the Jazz and Spurs and other losers in the NBA, a 16-year old millionaire tennis champ (don't talk about college scholarships when making comparisons to the ethics of THAT) and two separate stories on the NC$$ own Title-IX Politically-correct championship -- women's basketball. BTW - does anyone have records of attendance figures in Div. 1 women's basketball vs. Div. 1 college hockey ? Which sport draws the larger total crowd, for an entire season, overall ? Why not offer the championship game to the Fox network ? I'd even take the glowing puck, and robots with sound effects, over the obvious lack of interest in the sport the meatballs from E$PN show. Imagine the hype if it were on Fox compared to the present situation ? Dan Doucette UMaine 78 MPA 80 HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.