FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[OzJohnnie]

I got this email from SJU yesterday, as I am sure many of you did. Seriously? I think back to when our kids were a little younger and needed backpacks full of activities and snacks to get through the afternoon. Heck, I brought a propane heater a few times!

New Clear Bag Policy for SJU Football Games
Dear Johnnie Football Fans,
As you prepare for the upcoming Saint John's football season, we want to make you aware of an important change to gameday entry procedures.
A clear bag policy will be in effect for all Saint John's football games at Clemens Stadium this season.
If you plan to bring a bag into the stadium, it must be one of the following:

• A clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag no larger than 12" × 6" × 12"
• A one-gallon clear resealable plastic bag
• A small clutch bag no larger than 4.5" × 6.5"

Medical, accessibility and diaper bags are permitted and will be subject to inspection.
Backpacks, large purses or totes, coolers, duffel bags, fanny packs, camera bags and other noncompliant bags will not be permitted. Please leave these items in your vehicle before entering the stadium.
To make the transition easier, approved clear bags will be available for purchase beginning with the first home game at the SJU Spirit Shop, football stadium shop and Spirit Shop cart in the tailgating lot.
Thank you for helping us make gameday safe and welcoming for everyone.

Go Johnnies!

Saint John's University

Safe and welcoming?  Even rural central Minnesota is getting the bag inspection routine now.  That's a shame.

[OzJohnnie]

Mrs Oz and I have had a week's holiday in tropical Far North Queensland (FNQ, in the local lingo) and as I was walking through part of the hotel, I noticed that not only has Gough Whitlam, Australia's only Prime Minister to be dismissed by the Queen/King, been here, but Bobby beat me here as well.  I'm having a year of Bobby.  You're everywhere.

[BDB]

Mrs Oz and I have had a week's holiday in tropical Far North Queensland (FNQ, in the local lingo) and as I was walking through part of the hotel, I noticed that not only has Gough Whitlam, Australia's only Prime Minister to be dismissed by the Queen/King, been here, but Bobby beat me here as well.  I'm having a year of Bobby.  You're everywhere.

From the boyhood home in Hibbing to some long ago tour stop at FNQ (see what I did there), that's a quality Dylan find in your year of Bobby.

Similar to the Seinfeld bit "Nothing finer than being in your diner" episode. But then again, maybe not.

[hazzben]

The new Drake uni's look strangely familiar.

[faunch]

I got this email from SJU yesterday, as I am sure many of you did. Seriously? I think back to when our kids were a little younger and needed backpacks full of activities and snacks to get through the afternoon. Heck, I brought a propane heater a few times!

New Clear Bag Policy for SJU Football Games
Dear Johnnie Football Fans,
As you prepare for the upcoming Saint John's football season, we want to make you aware of an important change to gameday entry procedures.
A clear bag policy will be in effect for all Saint John's football games at Clemens Stadium this season.
If you plan to bring a bag into the stadium, it must be one of the following:

• A clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag no larger than 12" × 6" × 12"
• A one-gallon clear resealable plastic bag
• A small clutch bag no larger than 4.5" × 6.5"

Medical, accessibility and diaper bags are permitted and will be subject to inspection.
Backpacks, large purses or totes, coolers, duffel bags, fanny packs, camera bags and other noncompliant bags will not be permitted. Please leave these items in your vehicle before entering the stadium.
To make the transition easier, approved clear bags will be available for purchase beginning with the first home game at the SJU Spirit Shop, football stadium shop and Spirit Shop cart in the tailgating lot.
Thank you for helping us make gameday safe and welcoming for everyone.

Go Johnnies!

Saint John's University

Makes one wonder what precipitated this? Too much contraband being snuck in? Was there an incident recently? Or maybe they just want to sell a few hundred cheap clear plastic bags at $10-15 a pop.

[OzJohnnie]

The regular AFL home-and-away season is complete, and the Hawks have finished fourth in the standings.  It's hard to believe that I feel disappointed about finishing fourth, given Hawthorn's progression under Sam Mitchell, but there are no rules about the demands fans make on their teams.

2022: 8 wins 14 losses, finished 13th
2023: 7-16, 16th
2024: 14-9, 7th (lost in the second round of Finals)
2025: 15-8, 8th (lost in the third round, one short of the Grand Final)
2026: 15-2 draws-6, 4th (earned a bye and a double chance in Finals, let's see how far they go)

There's an odd structure to the finals pairings that is too hard to explain.  Hawthorn earned a bye this week and plays top finishers Fremantle in Perth next week.

And as a treat, here's Nick "The Wizard" Watson taking a high-flying mark in horrible weather against West Coast last night in Perth.

https://x.com/HawthornFC/status/2091483750886691276

EDIT:  Heh.  And another treat by Hawthorn-hating media commentator (and past St Kilda player who got pumped so many times by Sam Mitchell and the four Premierships Hawks team of the 2010's), Leigh Montagna.  I love seeing his quote on Mitchell's appointment as senior Hawks coach in 2022:

[art76]

Does anybody here have any influence on the MIAC website? I ask, because they have the BU game listed against North Central on September 5th as being a home game.

https://miacathletics.com/index.aspx - then select Events, then Football in the upper right hand corner to see what I am talking about.

If you go to the composite schedule of all the football teams - there they have it right.

And now BU has 3 night games this season, the first two home games against Gustavus and Hamline, and then the away game at Macalester.