FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Veek]

Congrats to UWW for their win on Saturday.  

SJU came out firing on all cylinders and then went dead just like the battery in Zip's car.

Thanks for the Polish, Zip.  They were great as usual.

Thanks for the beer, Flash.  It was much appreciated.  

Thanks to JR for heading up the Stiftungsfestivities for another year.  

Thanks to LBean, TDT, and Veek Sr. for making the road trip enjoyable.  Let's do it again next year.

Thanks to Dusty, Finsleft, Mr. Shoes, 105, Duffman, TC, TDT, Tatts, Esquire, ROR, Ritz, and all others who contributed to Johnniefootball.com.  You guys do a great job.

Thanks to Mark, Bryan, and the Carrs for the superb job they do on the air.  

Thanks to d3football.com for this great site and the job that they do.

Finally, thanks to the players for working hard this year and for hanging in there when others thought their season was over.  There is obviously room for improvement but they came a long way and gave us a fun season.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

[tmerton]

I think Zip, Veek and Bean pretty much hit everyone who needs thanking so I'll just agree instead of going through another list.  Most of all thanks to the players, who put so much into the season, and especially to the seniors, who have put on the Johnnie uniform for the last time. 

Fight, you Johnnies.  (And recruit, you coaches.) 8)

[DustySJU]

I think Zip, Veek and Bean pretty much hit everyone who needs thanking so I'll just agree instead of going through another list.  Most of all thanks to the players, who put so much into the season, and especially to the seniors, who have put on the Johnnie uniform for the last time. 

Fight, you Johnnies.  (And recruit, you coaches.) 8)

For good measure I added my own list of Thank You's at www.JohnnieFootball.com...

....never too late for another shameless plug. 

Warhawks - you guys rocked!

[Klopenhiemer]

Well men are we making ice in Minnesota yet?  Just thinking about my anual trip to the northwoods for some fishing and beer drinking in January!

[stanbob]

Well men are we making ice in Minnesota yet?  Just thinking about my anual trip to the northwoods for some fishing and beer drinking in January!

I know that in southern Minnesota there is ice being made, but for an old spearer like me some snow cover would be nice once season opens.

[DuffMan]

Well men are we making ice in Minnesota yet?  Just thinking about my anual trip to the northwoods for some fishing and beer drinking in January!

I know of several folks who have been out already.  I might go out later this week.  I'll have to see how the ice is.  4" and I will hit the lake.

[badgerwarhawk]

I thought I'd stop in to see if you guys were talking about ice fishing yet and I wasn't disappointed.   

Congrats on your season and best of luck in the future. 

[sjusection105]

I thought I'd stop in to see if you guys were talking about ice fishing yet and I wasn't disappointed.   

Congrats on your season and best of luck in the future. 

BadgerWarhawk- we are also talking ice fishing over on the WIAC board. Come & join the coversation 

[57Johnnie]

I think Zip, Veek and Bean pretty much hit everyone who needs thanking so I'll just agree instead of going through another list.  Most of all thanks to the players, who put so much into the season, and especially to the seniors, who have put on the Johnnie uniform for the last time. 

Fight, you Johnnies.  (And recruit, you coaches.) 8)

For good measure I added my own list of Thank You's at www.JohnnieFootball.com...

....never too late for another shameless plug. 

Warhawks - you guys rocked!

JohnnieUp Indeed 

.............and +k all around

[OzJohnnie]

Well men are we making ice in Minnesota yet?  Just thinking about my anual trip to the northwoods for some fishing and beer drinking in January!

I know of several folks who have been out already.  I might go out later this week.  I'll have to see how the ice is.  4" and I will hit the lake.

My old man tells me that houses are out on some lakes up north in Grand Rapids.  He also tells me that big northerns are being speared in the lake across the road from their house for the first time since Moses took a boat ride.

[stanbob]

Well men are we making ice in Minnesota yet?  Just thinking about my anual trip to the northwoods for some fishing and beer drinking in January!

I know of several folks who have been out already.  I might go out later this week.  I'll have to see how the ice is.  4" and I will hit the lake.

My old man tells me that houses are out on some lakes up north in Grand Rapids.  He also tells me that big northerns are being speared in the lake across the road from their house for the first time since Moses took a boat ride.

Sounds like it is time to visit my sister in GR.  Oz, thought you might enjoy this, but as I wsa going through some of my stuff in storage last week I found a Grand Rapids Indians hat.  Guess that says how long that stuff hadn't been looked at.

[Johnnie Red]

My thanks to everyone who helped make the Stiftungsfestivities another success this season. Veek, Dusty, Finsleft, LBean and many others, thanks for bringing the culinary delights and adult beverages to the tailgates. Thanks also for all the persons who made a monetary contribution. Always helps to cover the expenses.

Though it was tough watching the second half at Whitewater, it was remarkable that we were there. Many of us walking out of the Bethel game thought there was no chance for the Johnnies to be in the playoffs this season. Very exciting season with so many heart stopping games. Congrats to the Johnnies on yet another conference championship.

Speaking of winter activities, keep the EelPout Festival on your calendar. It is February 20-22, 2009 in Walker. This is the 30th anniversary of the biggest outdoor keg party in the state. Hope to see many MIAC posters make an appearance.

[DuffMan]

Speaking of winter activities, keep the EelPout Festival on your calendar. It is February 20-22, 2009 in Walker. This is the 30th anniversary of the biggest outdoor keg party in the state. Hope to see many MIAC posters make an appearance.

I'll be at Bock Fest yet again.  One of these years I will make the Eelpout Festival!!!

[DustySJU]

Man, I don't know about you folks, but for me the "can't wait until next year" feeling is stronger than usual.  Maybe it's the combination of the closeness of the MIAC and the potential of this year's defense that has made the waiting (and hoping) for a big performance next year all the stronger.

My thoughts: I bet we pick up some good recruiting this year.  The ability for talented individuals to come in on the offense and put almost every position into consideration may be a compelling draw.  A conference championship caliber team with so many opportunities to contribute?  Doesn't happen often.

It may just be that this year's three or four star recruits that 'got away' when they went to somewhere with the chance to top the Johnnies have opened up the opportunity for the Johnnies to clean up this year with some stars that can step right in.  Anyway, here's keeping my fingers crossed.

Regardless, it's time to start counting: 293 days, 13 hours, 51 minutes and 56 seconds until Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 1:00:00 PM (Minneapolis time)

I'll second that!

Developing...

[OzJohnnie]

Sounds like it is time to visit my sister in GR.  Oz, thought you might enjoy this, but as I wsa going through some of my stuff in storage last week I found a Grand Rapids Indians hat.  Guess that says how long that stuff hadn't been looked at.

Grand Rapids connections?  Who knew?

The day that the school district caved to political correctness and re-badged the high school mascot as the "Thunderhawks" was a sorry day.  So much tradition down the tubes: school chants and the school song high among them.  The greatest tragedy of all, however, was the near simultaneous banning of the unofficial school theme that the band would regularly play perched in their IRA Arena loft during hockey games.  That theme?  The Hamm's Beer theme song.

Since it's the off season and we've got 292 days to fill, it's time to bring out the stories.  In the "Small World" category (have I related this one before?  If I have, humor me.) I had the most unlikely meeting concerning Grand Rapids...

Way back in 8th grade there was an Aussie (pronounced Ozzie) girl that attended our school for a year.  I think her dad had transfered for a short period to the paper mill.  One of my best friends had a huge crush on her, and being that she shared his bus route we would spend the ride to his house after school trying to get her attention.  Fast forward about 20 years and I'm playing indoor cricket in an old Grand Rapids Indians t-shirt.  A girl playing a game in the next set of nets asks me at one point if those were the Indians of Grand Rapids, MN.  It turns out that she was good friends with the girl that had lived in GR for a year.  I offered to catch up and say hello, but she got a look on her face like I was some sort of pervert (it usually takes more time for me to be found out) so no reunion ever occurred.  Small world.

In a slightly less small world coincidence but with a higher pervert factor, the wife and I were driving into the city one day about 5 years ago and I stop at a light next to a tram stop and standing there were two girls, one wearing a St. John's t-shirt and the other wearing a St. Ben's.  I roll down the window, say "welcome to Melbourne" and tell them I'm a Johnnie.  The combined look of fear and disgust on their faces cannot be adequately described.  The wife commented something along the lines of, "those poor girls must think they just ran into the Melbourne strangler" and I've lived with a complex ever since.