 By
- Joshua A. Swanson



 In October 1962, the Russians placed nuclear missiles in Cuba,
only 90 miles from the southeastern coast of the United States. The event,
well-known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, was the hottest moment of the Cold War.
For 13 days, the world sat on edge, and on the brink of nuclear disaster. As a
proud history major and alum of North Dakota State, and certified PhD Bison
homer, my brain often finds parallels and historical examples to draw lessons
from.



 After being burned by advisers during the Bay of Pigs incident,
President John F. Kennedy learned his lesson. During this tense standoff
with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, JFK formed a special committee
called the "Executive Committee," or EXCOMM, to advise him during
these momentous 13 days.



 If it worked for JFK, it's good enough for me. I've assembled my
own EXCOMM of sorts with eight of the most knowledgeable Bison fans that I
know. This SWAN-COMM will act as a sounding board for this website and my show.
That, friends, is listener interaction taken to a whole other level!



 You can join the SWAN-COMM and chime in with your thoughts by
hitting me up on Twitter @swany8 or texting 35270 during the show on Saturday
mornings from 8:00-9:00a.



 I asked the SWAN-COMM the following question getting ready for
this week's season opener against Cal Poly --- what do you want to see from
North Dakota State in this week's game, and what are the big stories that
you're following. Six of them answered.



 1.  The Music Man: "I'm excited to see Greg Menard and
Jabril Cox play together and get after the quarterback as well as how we
utilize the incredible talent we have in our backfield."



 2. Mr. Tailgating: "I'm looking forward to giving fans that
don't normally get an opportunity to see a game my tickets. I'm going to
tailgate like a champ, listen to the first half on the road, and the second
half on the pontoon."



 3. Selling It: "Hoping to see our backup QBs in the second
half if we get a big lead."



 4. Tecmo Legend: "What receiver(s) will step up and be a
reliable target beyond Darrius (Shepherd)."



 5. The Rookie: "I'm pumped to see the new tight ends we
redshirted last year - [Noah] Gindorff and [Josh] Babicz."



 6. Old Ball Coach: "How dominant will our front seven be on
defense. Minimal rushing yards and can we get pressure with just four
[defensive] rushers. Offensive side of the ball I want to see zero dumb
penalties, and great pass protection. Not worried about running the ball but
they need to keep it on the ground 55-60 percent of the time."



 As you can obviously see, I've assembled an excellent SWAN-COMM.
You can join the committee and let me know what you think on Twitter @swany8,
or text 35270 this Saturday morning from 8:00-9:00a.



 Is anyone else excited for Saturday?!

By
- Joshua A. Swanson


 In October 1962, the Russians placed nuclear missiles in Cuba,
only 90 miles from the southeastern coast of the United States. The event,
well-known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, was the hottest moment of the Cold War.
For 13 days, the world sat on edge, and on the brink of nuclear disaster. As a
proud history major and alum of North Dakota State, and certified PhD Bison
homer, my brain often finds parallels and historical examples to draw lessons
from.


 After being burned by advisers during the Bay of Pigs incident,
President John F. Kennedy learned his lesson. During this tense standoff
with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, JFK formed a special committee
called the "Executive Committee," or EXCOMM, to advise him during
these momentous 13 days.


 If it worked for JFK, it's good enough for me. I've assembled my
own EXCOMM of sorts with eight of the most knowledgeable Bison fans that I
know. This SWAN-COMM will act as a sounding board for this website and my show.
That, friends, is listener interaction taken to a whole other level!


 You can join the SWAN-COMM and chime in with your thoughts by
hitting me up on Twitter @swany8 or texting 35270 during the show on Saturday
mornings from 8:00-9:00a.


 I asked the SWAN-COMM the following question getting ready for
this week's season opener against Cal Poly --- what do you want to see from
North Dakota State in this week's game, and what are the big stories that
you're following. Six of them answered.


 1. The Music Man: "I'm excited to see Greg Menard and
Jabril Cox play together and get after the quarterback as well as how we
utilize the incredible talent we have in our backfield."


 2. Mr. Tailgating: "I'm looking forward to giving fans that
don't normally get an opportunity to see a game my tickets. I'm going to
tailgate like a champ, listen to the first half on the road, and the second
half on the pontoon."


 3. Selling It: "Hoping to see our backup QBs in the second
half if we get a big lead."


 4. Tecmo Legend: "What receiver(s) will step up and be a
reliable target beyond Darrius (Shepherd)."


 5. The Rookie: "I'm pumped to see the new tight ends we
redshirted last year - [Noah] Gindorff and [Josh] Babicz."


 6. Old Ball Coach: "How dominant will our front seven be on
defense. Minimal rushing yards and can we get pressure with just four
[defensive] rushers. Offensive side of the ball I want to see zero dumb
penalties, and great pass protection. Not worried about running the ball but
they need to keep it on the ground 55-60 percent of the time."


 As you can obviously see, I've assembled an excellent SWAN-COMM.
You can join the committee and let me know what you think on Twitter @swany8,
or text 35270 this Saturday morning from 8:00-9:00a.


 Is anyone else excited for Saturday?!

Bison Illustrated columnist, podcast host and NDSU alum Josh Swanson takes the reigns hosting Herd It Here talking game match-ups, taking calls and offering the best way to get your gameday started each Saturday morning from 8 a.m. - 9 a.m.!

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