FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[OzJohnnie]

I am in my mid 30's and have been following the D3 football (MIAC included) since the early 90's. Not that I see the relevance. I hear what you're saying about the hatred towards the Tommies and I get the age old adage about 'your two favorite teams' in the regular season, but come playoff time (like it or not) they're representing you and every other MIAC team. Liken it to the Big Ten, it reflects on the whole conference when their conference champ goes and gets it's arse raped by the SEC representative in whatever bowl game they're in.

So... Michigan fans have been cheering for Ohio St these last three years?  And if they haven't then they're bums?  And as long as we're holding out this new standard for tribal loyalty, when was the last time that a Johnnie ever asked a Tommie for support?  What's that we hear?  Crickets?  I thought so.  It's will be a cold day in Hell before the Johnnie nation goes begging the Tommies for a little moral support.

OK.  So you're not a Tommie, but you could have been.

[OzJohnnie]

Oh... but I reckon you are a Tommie, DoubleO.  You could paper over the linkages, if you like, but with a national view I can see a glimpse of a fiber of connection to supply me with enough evidence to make a reasonable assumption.

[sju#57]

Oz....he just may not be ready to come out of the closet yet..

[wildcat11]

Since I have already been proclaimed an asshole, I'll lay it out there that I will not be rooting for UST next week.  Not that I'll be pulling for Coe, either.  I really don't care either way.  DOC and WC11, is there room on the Linfield bandwagon?  I even sported a Wildcat shirt with my Johnnie apparel yesterday!

Duff,

There is always more room on the bandwagon.  In fact, TDT has been begging for room on the Wildcat bandwagon for weeks and he's such a windbag loudmouth that I think he would fit in perfectly with our crowd.

Welcome aboard.

[stanbob]

Since I have already been proclaimed an asshole, I'll lay it out there that I will not be rooting for UST next week.  Not that I'll be pulling for Coe, either.  I really don't care either way.  DOC and WC11, is there room on the Linfield bandwagon?  I even sported a Wildcat shirt with my Johnnie apparel yesterday!

Duff,

There is always more room on the bandwagon.  In fact, TDT has been begging for room on the Wildcat bandwagon for weeks and he's such a windbag loudmouth that I think he would fit in perfectly with our crowd.

Welcome aboard.

usTDT(d) is riding another wagon right now.

[sfury]

New to the MIAC board, but I have to ask all the Johnnie fans a question, where does all of your red-headed (pun intended) step child hate for the Tommies come from? I know it's a rivalary, but at this time of the year you should be pulling for conference foes when your team is out of the hunt. By all means, you're program's the one that been on top of the conference mountain forever. I would expect that the type of hostility that some of you have shown for the Tommies from some of the other conference schools that have been taking their medicine from you guys, not the other way around. Makes me question if you guys sense a potential change at the top with this new coach from St. Thomas? Why else would you root against UST or any other conference school at this time of year? And don't tell me it's because you can never pull for a rival, because that's ds.

Why not ask the Tommies why they have hatred for Johnnies? It's a rivalry, that's what happens. I'm sure they've been pulling for the Johnnies every year since 1993.

I'm happy for others to root for other conference teams and have myself (Concordia, etc.). But I never understood the idea of forced fanhood, whether it's Johnnie fans chastising others or people telling Johnnie fans to hop onboard. It reminds me of religious evangelism a bit too much. Let people do what they want. If they want to pull on their purple underwear and Mal Scanlan masks, let Touchdown Tommy do that. But if someone is completely against the Tommies winning, let them do that. Being told to cheer for something is also reminiscent of when people tell me every four years that I suddenly have to be interested in and appreciate soccer, just because the World Cup has arrived.

And as far as fearing St. Thomas rising...yeah, I suppose they could. But in 1997 Augsburg was starting their reign, in 1997 it was going to be Bethel, and then it was Bethel the last few years. It was the Gusties - remember them? - in 1998 and 1999.

Concordia's always there. St. Olaf with Meidt and the Florida connection was going to be the next power. And they all rise and fall at various times, but the consistent thing is the Johnnies. And even if the Tommies do maintain a level of great play for five, 10 years, whatever, that doesn't mean the Johnnies will be dropping off. There's talk now about talent levels, etc., but the defense remains the best in the MIAC, pretty much every year. That's not all coaching.

And that's with a boatload of injuries this year, so obviously there's a lot of talent still there. Offensively, they are going to return a lot, in the backfield, some young receivers, Overman has another year I think Jim G. said yesterday. And if they can add a real game-breaker at receiver, then they'll just go to another level. Regardless, you can pencil them in for probably 9 or 10 wins and a victory over St. Thomas. So, no, I don't think it's about fear of a new regime.

[Willy Wonka]

I think this is all rather funny. I know multiple posters have been...let's say upset...with me in the past when I refused to cheer for the Johnnies in the past when they were the last MIAC team still playing. Funny how things change when your team is done early too, eh? I don't blame any of you all in the slightest, but a little consistency would be nice.

And how about TDT being validated for saying SJU wasn't as good as its record? I still hate the guy, but his objectivity is refreshing.

Ypsi - Oz knows everything, despite seeing a single SJU game in the last 10ish years. You might as well go argue with the tree in your front yard. It will give ground more easily.

sfury - No, no one remembers the Gusties anymore. Sadly.

[sfury]

I think this is all rather funny. I know multiple posters have been...let's say upset...with me in the past when I refused to cheer for the Johnnies in the past when they were the last MIAC team still playing. Funny how things change when your team is done early too, eh? I don't blame any of you all in the slightest, but a little consistency would be nice.

And how about TDT being validated for saying SJU wasn't as good as its record? I still hate the guy, but his objectivity is refreshing.

Ypsi - Oz knows everything, despite seeing a single SJU game in the last 10ish years. You might as well go argue with the tree in your front yard. It will give ground more easily.

sfury - No, no one remembers the Gusties anymore. Sadly.

The legend of Bob Southworth still lives.

[sju#57]

Don't worry Wonka...I still remember when I got there in '88 some of the older guy's telling me about the heartbreaking 31-32 loss in the regular season  but then  the ship was righted with a playoff win .   I actually wish the Gusties would make a resurgance. I only live 45 miles from St. Peter and would make the SJU/GAC game worth going to when it was there.

[stanbob]

I think this is all rather funny. I know multiple posters have been...let's say upset...with me in the past when I refused to cheer for the Johnnies in the past when they were the last MIAC team still playing. Funny how things change when your team is done early too, eh? I don't blame any of you all in the slightest, but a little consistency would be nice.

And how about TDT being validated for saying SJU wasn't as good as its record? I still hate the guy, but his objectivity is refreshing.

Ypsi - Oz knows everything, despite seeing a single SJU game in the last 10ish years. You might as well go argue with the tree in your front yard. It will give ground more easily.

sfury - No, no one remembers the Gusties anymore. Sadly.

Not to say it never happened, but who ever told you that you had to back
St John's in the playoffs out of conference loyalty?

[USTBench]

Time for Bench to weigh in:

As a former player (albeit, nothing special) I always respected SJU and their program. There are some SJU rubes I could do without, but their hatred is more for the student body at UST and their perception of "what it is to be a Tommie." I highly doubt your average SJU fan would find it hard to get along with a UST football player if they sat down and had a beer. And whether you want to believe it or not, our rivalry isn't "Michigan v. Ohio St." I've felt it was more of a sibling rivalry. We gear up once a year, hate each other for 3 hours, give some good natured ribbing about who won(SJU the last 12 years- I know, I know) and it's over with. When it came playoff time I always wanted SJU to win, and thoroughly enjoyed watching them beat Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl. But if you want to hate on UST for the sake of hating on UST, that's your perogative and I highly doubt I'll change anyone's perception.

[PurpleReign]

This is classic Stages of Grief on behalf of our friends at St. Johns:

   *  Denial (this isn't happening to me!)
   * Anger (why is this happening to me?)
   * Bargaining (I promise I'll be a better person if...)
   * Depression (I don't care anymore)
   * Acceptance (I'm ready for whatever comes - even a Tommie Victory)

We are here for you and fully support you during your moment of need.
+++k

[Pat Coleman]

First off, to those SJU fans that feels the need to bitch and yell loudly everytime a penalty is called on SJU, grow up.  The refs are doing their job.  They may make a mistake or two, but there is no way they screw up nearly as much as you may think, and there is a good chance that SJU has committed the called infraction.  Perhaps they may have a better vantage point and understanding of the rules than you do...just maybe   

Hey -- good point. You could replace SJU with any team's name and there would be a lot of fans that would fit the description.

[TC]

To echo the comments of others, I had no problem pulling for Concordia in the 2004 and 2005 playoffs, and I suspect I would have been pulling for Carleton last year had they been able to finish off the Johnnies in the season finale.  But I have a really hard time envisioning a scenario in which I would like to see Bethel or St. Thomas win a football game. 

That doesn't change the fact that the Tommies are going to do mean, evil, hurtful, disgusting things to Coe this weekend.

[Johnnie Red]

My thanks to everyone, especially Veek and Dusty, for making the Stiftungsfestivities another great tailgate event this season for Johnnie football. Always enjoy meeting fans from visiting teams. It was nice to have the Coe coeds present on Saturday.