Quote from: DuffMan on April 22, 2025, 01:02:22 PMI can't imagine the mess that would create with transfer credits, etc.

Duff your comment shows your D3 mindset. That line of thinking was thrown out the window years ago at the D1 (and some of the D2 schools/conferences).

"Student"-athletes.

Quote from: DuffMan on April 16, 2025, 09:01:17 AMUM-Morris, Auggie Tech, Mac, Hot Carls, and St. Scholastica at home?  What an awful home schedule.  I'll set the over/under for regular season points given up at Clemens at 7.5.

I was having the same conversation with some of my SJU classmates, and I set the over/under for points allowed by the Johnnie defense at Clemens Stadium at 13.5. With games that lopsided, the Johnnies are bound to give up a garbage TD or two to Auggie or Carleton.

UM-Morris, Scholastica, and Mac are all ripe for the shutout picking.

Quote from: DuffMan on April 12, 2025, 09:43:45 AMMy first meeting with Fr. Don was summer of '99.  I worked on the grounds crew the summer before my freshman year.  Fr. Don was, as always, strolling around campus and socializing.  Rich Froehle introduced us, and Fr. Don, without missing a beat, asked, "Is your dad, Al, who wrestled here in the 70s?"  His ability to remember people was astounding!  He always referred to me as "The Pearl of Sartell." 

Rest in peace, my friend.

My favorite story of Fr. Don meeting the son of an alum involves one of my first SJU friends, Bill, whose dad graduated from SJU in the early 80s. Bill and his dad are practically identical twins. Pictures of his dad in college are indistinguishable from Bill at the same age.

It was at move-in weekend my freshman year. Bill's dad had not been back up to campus much since graduating, but was there helping Bill move into Mary 3. Bill and his family went to the Refectory for lunch and ran into Fr. Don. Bill's dad stopped to re-introduce himself, thinking that Fr. Don probably didn't remember him from 20 years previous. "Hi, Fr. Don, you probably don't remem--"

Fr. Don interrupted him and, without missing a beat, shakes his hand and says: "Blatzheim. Rice Street, Saint Paul." Then Fr. Don turned to Bill, and with a knowing smile and says, "Oh, we're going to have to keep our eye on you."

God broke the mold after making Fr. Don.

Quote from: MadRedFan on March 31, 2025, 03:56:08 PMPretty sure SJU homecoming is scheduled for 9/27 vs. Augsburg.

If it is September 27, it's not published on the athletic website yet. It could be. I'm just saying it must be published somewhere else. If I'm SJU, I want the Macalester game for homecoming. Colors would be at peak on the second Saturday in October.

Quote from: GoldandBlueBU on March 31, 2025, 02:47:22 PM

Quote from: SagatagSam on March 31, 2025, 10:45:25 AM

Quote from: DuffMan on March 30, 2025, 03:59:06 PMLast time the Johnnies and Scots met was my junior yet, and I just turned 44. 

I have never witnessed a SJU-Mac football game. The series ended two years before I started at SJU.

I almost feel like there should be a commemorative program or ticket printed for this game

I'm sure it'll be a wire-to-wire entertaining game.  Full of drama, and with an exciting, close finish.

If you're talking about whether SJU will cover the -45.5 point spread, yes.

Quote from: DuffMan on March 30, 2025, 03:59:06 PMLast time the Johnnies and Scots met was my junior yet, and I just turned 44. 

I have never witnessed a SJU-Mac football game. The series ended two years before I started at SJU.

I almost feel like there should be a commemorative program or ticket printed for this game

Quote from: BiggieSmalls on March 29, 2025, 11:13:19 PMMIAC 2025 schedules:

Augsburg: https://athletics.augsburg.edu/sports/football/schedule/2025
Bethel: https://athletics.bethel.edu/sports/football/schedule/2025
Carleton: https://athletics.carleton.edu/sports/football/schedule/2025
Concordia: https://www.gocobbers.com/sports/fball/2025-26/schedule
Gustavus: https://gogusties.com/sports/football/schedule/2025
Hamline: https://hamlineathletics.com/sports/football/schedule/2025
Macalester: https://athletics.macalester.edu/sports/football/schedule/2025

Not posted yet: The 3 Saints (Olaf, John's, and Scholastica)

Johnnies and the Scots meeting for the first time in 24 years. Probably going to be SJU's homecoming game as it falls in mid-October.

Last year at this time, the Johnnies had a 4.5 point lead over GAC. The Gusties have the edge in Tennis (going for their 36th consecutive regular season championship). Bethel is going to be the favorite to win the outdoor track & field championship. Johnnies should be in the hunt for second or third at a minimum. Gusties are 10-0 in their non-conference baseball schedule and the Johnnies are 4-2.

Keys to Gusties taking home the Durenberger: Tennis has to take care of business, improve the gap with in T&F over indoor performance (can't finish 7th like at Indoor), baseball could be the toss-up that decides it all.

Keys to Johnnies keeping the Durenberger at home: Tennis needs a respectable showing (no worse than 5th), T&F needs a 2nd place or better finish, win the toss-up that is baseball.

Here are the Durenberger Trophy standings as we close the winter sports season and enter the home stretch:

Quote from: OzJohnnie on February 25, 2025, 10:51:44 PMBartch signed a one-year contract with the 49ers.  If he can win the starting job, he'll be up for a big fat free-agency deal.  What a great opportunity.  Good luck to him.

Crazy to think that after next year Bartch will have played in the NFL longer than he did at SJU.

Where I was going with my statement is that we, as a conference, want schools like CSS, Macalester, Hamline to go out and have a good non-conference showing, and then be able to hang a little bit closer in the conference games. We all poo-pooed Carleton for decades, but they have had some good seasons and played some good Johnnie teams close (See 2008, 14-10 last second Johnnie victory). That's my hope for CSS--be good enough to at least give us a scare once every decade. Don't make me wonder if I should take the Johnnies to cover when AO's line is at CSS +60.5. Let's hope CSS can get to a point where AO's line is CSS +35.5. That's at least a step in the right direction and not completely unrealistic.

*Nov. 22, 2014 Home W, 35-7 (NCAA first round)
Sept. 3, 2016 Home W, 49-7
Sept. 2, 2017 Home W, 98-0
#Oct. 30, 2021 Home W, 81-0
#Oct. 29, 2022 Away W, 56-6
#Oct. 28, 2023 Home W, 62-7
#Nov. 2, 2024 Away W, 70-0

Quote from: DuffMan on February 17, 2025, 09:59:50 PMMike Heffernen stepped down as CSS's head coach to return to his alma mater.

Heffernen steps down

Hopefully they can get someone in there to take the program to the next level.
I like winning games, but we need to get the MIAC more competitive top to bottom. Watching SJU throttle CSS every year by 60+ isn't good for anyone. CSS raising their game helps the whole conference.

Quote from: carletonknights on January 19, 2025, 10:17:54 AMAnyone planning to watch the national championship on Monday? Curious to see if Notre Dame makes it close or if this Ohio State team truly is in a class of their own this year

I consider myself a Notre Dame fan. I'll be watching. Ohio State is excellent, no doubt, but not invincible. Go Irish!

Blake Elliott headed to the College Football Hall of Fame:

https://gojohnnies.com/news/2025/1/15/sjus-elliott-to-take-his-place-in-college-football-hall-of-fame.aspx

I tell everyone I meet that I am a "Recovering Minnesotan."

I was born there, grew up there, went to college there, but now I've been "in recovery" since 2007. I had a short seven month relapse after getting out of the Army in 2012.

The Vikings have been dead to me since the love boat scandal back in the mid-00s. Sometimes I actively cheer against them ("anybody but the Vikings") but lately I have become indifferent to even actively cheering against them.

While on paper this was a great Viking team in terms of win-loss record (definitely a top five team since 2000), it didn't feel to me like my die-hard Viking fan friends from college had that much emotional investment in the team. Is the entire state becoming that jaded?