Photo: Left – Hot seat for UND’s Tim Hennessy. Right – Blazing saddles for DU’s Jay Stickney

Chaos continues in Grand Forks North Dakota as state cutbacks hit the national champs. After dropping their baseball program due to funding cuts, the university sent out a letter from the interim president announcing the firing of veteran hockey play-by-play announcer Tim Hennessy. Hennessy had been calling men’s hockey games since 1977, including six of the team’s eight national championships. According to the Grand Forks Herald, Hennessy is an institution and has been a fan favorite for years and was the respected voice of college hockey in North Dakota.

Surprisingly, the announcement went out without the knowledge of the athletic department. Eventually, UND did an about-face and retained Hennessy and his counterpart, Paul Ralston, who does play-by-play for UND Hoops.

We do not expect that to ever happen at DU –  nobody better mess with Jay Stickney – except us. However, it did make us think – how would Jay react to a similar event? So, we came up with the things Jay would say upon his (highly unlikely) firing:

• “Who is going to keep Norm McDonald awake?”
• “How could they  do this – I have a face for radio.”
• “I’ll call Harvard – DU was my safety school.”
• “Will I still have access to the media buffet?”
• “I have Rocky’s Autos on speed dial – Shagman II!
• “What does the real estate market look like in Saskatoon?”
• “Does this mean I don’t get to see the sunrise at Monty’s house New Year’s Day?”

We’re glad Hennessy is back in the fold. Fans understand the value of a great home announcer. And, we don’t want his second to last call to be a win versus the Pioneers.

As for Jay – he reminds us of Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles who said, “My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.”

We’ll be listening.