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Commentary: Reality Of ‘Division I’ Beginning To Set In
BY JAMES D. CIMBUREK
james.cimburek@yankton.net
After years of talking about the University of South Dakota going “Division I,” these last couple of weeks are when that reality has finally started to set in.
In the last three weeks, the USD women’s soccer team has scrimmaged the University of Nebraska, and played Creighton and Texas-El Paso (UTEP) in games that count. Last weekend, the Coyote women played — and beat — Providence in volleyball.
Last week, the USD women’s basketball team announced a schedule that includes a season finale at North Carolina — THE North Carolina, not Greensville, or Charlotte, or A&T, or whatever smaller school has the acronym “UNC” in front of its name.
Earlier this week, the USD men announced a similar schedule that includes a few more big-name schools, like Notre Dame, Cincinnati and 2008 NCAA qualifier Cornell.
Today, the Coyote football team gets its first crack at a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) — I-AA for those of us not sold on the new NCAA acronym for the second-tier football programs — as they travel to Northern Iowa.
As there were with South Dakota State five years ago when they started this process, there are plenty of bumps in the road ahead. There will be plenty of people doubting whether USD can make the jump talent-wise, and whether the state of South Dakota can support two Division I athletic programs.
But, to this point, it seems like USD is taking the steps to make sure they have the right people in place and are making the right steps to successfully make this transition.
Now all we need to do is get SDSU and USD in the same league so we can get the State-U rivalry going strong again.
Twins’ Troubles
I’m not sure what the Republican National Convention did for the political process and for the state of our nation, but I can tell you what it did to the Minnesota Twins ... and it wasn’t pretty.
After opening the 15-day, 14-game swing with two wins in Anaheim, the Twins proceeded to lose nine of their next 12, with the first eight of those losses coming by two runs or less. They found a number of ways to lose during the slide, including untimely errors out of a normally-reliable defense, bullpen breakdowns — even by the steady Joe Nathan — and starting struggles out of a rotation that could have four 10-game winners.
“We’re reeling a little bit,” said veteran catcher Mike Redmond in an AP article after Thursday’s 9-0 loss to Toronto to end the road swing. “It was a little bit frustrating out there, even for me. That happens when you want to win and you want something so bad. We couldn’t seem to get a break. We couldn’t seem to get a ball to go up the middle. It seems like everybody is making diving play after diving play out there. That gets old.”
The Twins have put together a normal home record, going 46-23, but are 31-40 away from the friendly confines of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. And, despite their two-week slump, they lost only one game to the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central standings, and sat 1 1/2 back entering Friday’s home contest with Detroit.
Minnesota has one more long road trip ahead, a 10-gamer that takes them to Baltimore, Cleveland and AL East-leading Tampa Bay. (Yes, I said, “AL East-leading Tampa Bay.” I don’t believe it, either) The Twins play the White Sox for three games right after that stretch, and can hopefully keep themselves in position to take control of the division during that final week. (And hopefully they can win a few at home in this current six-game home stand, since I am taking my wife to the games, and don’t want to spend three days in Minneapolis with her if the Twins aren’t winning.)
Listen to James D. Cimburek with KYNT’s Brady Donovin on Breakfast With The Coaches, Saturday at 9 a.m., live from Yesterday’s Cafe.
In the last three weeks, the USD women’s soccer team has scrimmaged the University of Nebraska, and played Creighton and Texas-El Paso (UTEP) in games that count. Last weekend, the Coyote women played — and beat — Providence in volleyball.
Last week, the USD women’s basketball team announced a schedule that includes a season finale at North Carolina — THE North Carolina, not Greensville, or Charlotte, or A&T, or whatever smaller school has the acronym “UNC” in front of its name.
Earlier this week, the USD men announced a similar schedule that includes a few more big-name schools, like Notre Dame, Cincinnati and 2008 NCAA qualifier Cornell.
Today, the Coyote football team gets its first crack at a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) — I-AA for those of us not sold on the new NCAA acronym for the second-tier football programs — as they travel to Northern Iowa.
As there were with South Dakota State five years ago when they started this process, there are plenty of bumps in the road ahead. There will be plenty of people doubting whether USD can make the jump talent-wise, and whether the state of South Dakota can support two Division I athletic programs.
But, to this point, it seems like USD is taking the steps to make sure they have the right people in place and are making the right steps to successfully make this transition.
Now all we need to do is get SDSU and USD in the same league so we can get the State-U rivalry going strong again.
Twins’ Troubles
I’m not sure what the Republican National Convention did for the political process and for the state of our nation, but I can tell you what it did to the Minnesota Twins ... and it wasn’t pretty.
After opening the 15-day, 14-game swing with two wins in Anaheim, the Twins proceeded to lose nine of their next 12, with the first eight of those losses coming by two runs or less. They found a number of ways to lose during the slide, including untimely errors out of a normally-reliable defense, bullpen breakdowns — even by the steady Joe Nathan — and starting struggles out of a rotation that could have four 10-game winners.
“We’re reeling a little bit,” said veteran catcher Mike Redmond in an AP article after Thursday’s 9-0 loss to Toronto to end the road swing. “It was a little bit frustrating out there, even for me. That happens when you want to win and you want something so bad. We couldn’t seem to get a break. We couldn’t seem to get a ball to go up the middle. It seems like everybody is making diving play after diving play out there. That gets old.”
The Twins have put together a normal home record, going 46-23, but are 31-40 away from the friendly confines of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. And, despite their two-week slump, they lost only one game to the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central standings, and sat 1 1/2 back entering Friday’s home contest with Detroit.
Minnesota has one more long road trip ahead, a 10-gamer that takes them to Baltimore, Cleveland and AL East-leading Tampa Bay. (Yes, I said, “AL East-leading Tampa Bay.” I don’t believe it, either) The Twins play the White Sox for three games right after that stretch, and can hopefully keep themselves in position to take control of the division during that final week. (And hopefully they can win a few at home in this current six-game home stand, since I am taking my wife to the games, and don’t want to spend three days in Minneapolis with her if the Twins aren’t winning.)
Listen to James D. Cimburek with KYNT’s Brady Donovin on Breakfast With The Coaches, Saturday at 9 a.m., live from Yesterday’s Cafe.
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| SDSU Dykhouse Center Groundbreaking Sept. 13 | YHS Booster Club Meeting Sept. 8 |
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