If there was ever a time I felt I deserved my own limited edition Wheaties box, complete with a few paragraphs about my life full of in-decision, lapses of selfishness and below average athletic ability, the time would be now. The pedestal that we perch athletes and coaches on is sometimes as high as the gates of heaven and it's refreshing to watch them come down off that podium once in a while.

North Wind sports edior RJ Walters recently sat down with NMU president Les Wong to discuss his role with NMU athletics, his true colors as a fan and his feelings on a number of NMU athletics issues.

Sunday marked the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson becoming the first ever African-American in the Major Leagues, yet the celebration was about so much more. It was a realization that sports and society wouldn't be the same today without a group of classy black athletes that cashed in on a few small chances during the first half of the twentieth century.

It's been three seasons since the NMU women's basketball team reached the GLIAC tournament, the 'Cats improved by three wins from head coach Troy Mattson's first and second seasons and last year Northern was just three wins from reaching the post-season. Hoping that the third time around is the charm, Mattson is counting on a trio of talented guards from around the Midwest, coupled with the 2007 U.P. Player of the Year to bolster his squad and help them take the next step.

Senior guard Maria Kasza will play her final collegiate season in the U.P., just as she has her first three, only she will be donning the black-and-yellow, rather than the green-and-gold. Kasza announced her decision to transfer to rival Michigan Tech, where she will sit out one season due to NCAA rules, and finish her career a Husky.

Former Cameron University (Okla.) head coach and Michigan Tech assistant Dominic Yoder is now at the reigns of the NMU volleyball program as Qi Wang's replacement. Yoder is still new to the head coaching ranks with just one season under his belt. Last season he took a team that was 15-14 the year before and led them to a 25-4 record and a conference title on his way to being named Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year.