FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[tmerton]

That's terrific news about Ryan Wimmer, VOJ.  Great kid and great player, so it's well deserved recognition.  He will be sorely missed next year.  

We were talking to his parents after (I think it was) the St. Olaf game and noticed he wasn't still on the field.  They said he had run in to shower so he could still get in a couple of hours of deer hunting before the sun went down (he hunts with bow and arrow).  Don't run into that much out here.

[hazzben]

Hazzben,

When you are talking about location and academics are big contributors to allowing a school in the big ten, are you talking about recruiting students who are gifted athletically and not so much in the academic area?  Or do schools take that approach and figure they will have enough students who are brilliant academically and don't care about athletics to balance it all out.

I'm talking about the criteria the Big 10 is looking at. Say what you want about the academic where-with-all of Big 10 athletes, but the conference prides itself on being comprised of schools that are strong academic universities across the board. They are all major state universities or large, well endowed private universities. By and large, major state schools and large well endowed private schools have stronger academics than do smaller state schools.

Without a doubt, the prestige of the potential 12th school is going to be a significant factor. What that actually says about the academic quality of the athletes may be another matter.

I do think it is pretty broad brush stroke to imply that because a student plays at the DI level they are not serious about academics (maybe that's not what you're saying, but I gathered that from your post). There are certainly plenty who don't, but I think you'd find a fair share who do as well. Especially when you're dealing with student-athletes who compete in non-revenue sports. I think most of these tend to be pretty good students and compare pretty well with the broader student body, as they aren't competing in sports where they have much hope of making a lucrative career in said sport after college.

Bottom line, whether the athletes are gifted students or not is not the issue. What is an issue is that the Big 10 is looking for an institution that does have strong academic standards and isn't located outside the Midwest (whatever that means).

[WithasilentK]

Hazzben,

When you are talking about location and academics are big contributors to allowing a school in the big ten, are you talking about recruiting students who are gifted athletically and not so much in the academic area?  Or do schools take that approach and figure they will have enough students who are brilliant academically and don't care about athletics to balance it all out.

I'm talking about the criteria the Big 10 is looking at. Say what you want about the academic where-with-all of Big 10 athletes, but the conference prides itself on being comprised of schools that are strong academic universities across the board. They are all major state universities or large, well endowed private universities. By and large, major state schools and large well endowed private schools have stronger academics than do smaller state schools.

Without a doubt, the prestige of the potential 12th school is going to be a significant factor. What that actually says about the academic quality of the athletes may be another matter.

I do think it is pretty broad brush stroke to imply that because a student plays at the DI level they are not serious about academics (maybe that's not what you're saying, but I gathered that from your post). There are certainly plenty who don't, but I think you'd find a fair share who do as well. Especially when you're dealing with student-athletes who compete in non-revenue sports. I think most of these tend to be pretty good students and compare pretty well with the broader student body, as they aren't competing in sports where they have much hope of making a lucrative career in said sport after college.

Bottom line, whether the athletes are gifted students or not is not the issue. What is an issue is that the Big 10 is looking for an institution that does have strong academic standards and isn't located outside the Midwest (whatever that means).

Beginning of TMQ mentions the academics in football and basketball and I tend to agree with him.  As much as I usually despise his arguments and how he defends them, he got this right. Though his argument of NESCAC schools and Harvard being able to make the playoffs with high academic standards is terrible.  All schools in their conferences have high academic standards, thus the conference winner will make the playoffs and have high academic standards.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/091215&sportCat=nfl

[WashedUp]

Is Ostrue from St. Thomas a junior or a senior?  He is listed on the St. Thomas website as a junior on their roster, but is a senior in the AFCA All-America list.

[hazzben]

Is Ostrue from St. Thomas a junior or a senior?  He is listed on the St. Thomas website as a junior on their roster, but is a senior in the AFCA All-America list.

With the MIAC now accepting redshirts, he is officially a redshirt junior. He is probably listed as a senior for AFCA because he may not have filed the NCAA paperwork to appeal for an extra year yet. Or UST may have just listed him as senior for AFCA, a pretty common ploy to increase a guys chances at an award. By and large, you are more likely to get an award as a senior than as a junior, all other things being equal. But I have no idea whether or not UST did this and I think there's no question that Ostrue is worthy of the honor.

[bennie]

Some words of wisdom from John Buccigross which I think applies to all parents, not just hockey parents.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/notebook/_/page/buccigross_091215/my-13-simple-rules-hockey-parents-everywhere

[tmerton]

Someone better go rescue retagent over on the No Fun Board.

[Retired Old Rat]

That's terrific news about Ryan Wimmer, VOJ.  Great kid and great player, so it's well deserved recognition.  He will be sorely missed next year.  

We were talking to his parents after (I think it was) the St. Olaf game and noticed he wasn't still on the field.  They said he had run in to shower so he could still get in a couple of hours of deer hunting before the sun went down (he hunts with bow and arrow).  Don't run into that much out here.

People who shower?

[OzJohnnie]

That's terrific news about Ryan Wimmer, VOJ.  Great kid and great player, so it's well deserved recognition.  He will be sorely missed next year. 

We were talking to his parents after (I think it was) the St. Olaf game and noticed he wasn't still on the field.  They said he had run in to shower so he could still get in a couple of hours of deer hunting before the sun went down (he hunts with bow and arrow).  Don't run into that much out here.

People who shower?

People who hunt deer during daylight hours, presumably without a flashlight?

[tmerton]

That's terrific news about Ryan Wimmer, VOJ.  Great kid and great player, so it's well deserved recognition.  He will be sorely missed next year.  

We were talking to his parents after (I think it was) the St. Olaf game and noticed he wasn't still on the field.  They said he had run in to shower so he could still get in a couple of hours of deer hunting before the sun went down (he hunts with bow and arrow).  Don't run into that much out here.

People who shower?

Rat, you are bringing back memories of the old Haight Ashbury days - in which case I could say "Them, too." 8)

[retagent]

Someone better go rescue retagent over on the No Fun Board.

Thanks. But the day I can't handle those  d bags on my own is the day they put me in the ground.

[OzJohnnie]

You know what else is no fun?  Getting cracked over the head with a five iron by a Swedish bikini model.

I bet there is a lurker on the No Fun Board with a name that rhymes with Liger Poods.  Rumor is he's looking for a bit of catharsis.

[OzJohnnie]

Everything is falling apart...

"Salami battle in supermarket leaves Germans in hospital "

Two Germans needed hospital treatment after they fought a pitched battle in a supermarket with salamis used as clubs and a chunk of Parmesan cheese brandished like a dagger.

The fight took place in the western city of Aachen when a 74-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman both laid claim to a shopping trolley on Saturday.

As the pensioner wrestled the cart from the hands of his rival, her 24-year-old brother stepped forward and floored him with a punch...

[The pensioner] clubbed the younger man with a salami as [the younger man's] mother tried to fend him off with a sharp 4lbs piece of Parmesan.

The pensioner then pushed the woman down on to a glass countertop on which she cracked her head...

The trolley was undamaged.

Well, at least the trolley was undamaged.

[57Johnnie]

Some words of wisdom from John Buccigross which I think applies to all parents, not just hockey parents.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/notebook/_/page/buccigross_091215/my-13-simple-rules-hockey-parents-everywhere

Amen to that.  I like the cell phone part which I think has more people addicted than ........ you name it.

[tommiegun]

I realize this is a football board but big news from South Campus yesterday. 

http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/news/Denning_12-15.html

Dennis Denning is calling it quit at UST.  His 522-157 record in 15 years is tops in all of DIII over that time period.  He won his second national championship last year and I guess he decided to go out on top. 

As one of his former players (and I mean player in the very, very loosest sense of the word; I spent a lot of time just chilling with the trainers) this is pretty surprising to me; I thought he'd die getting hit by a foul ball or something. 

His coaching strategy was one of hard nosed, wrong side of the tracks intensity that was hard for some to grow accustomed to (myself included) but it was that intensity and desire for perfection that made his players great ball players and better young men.  He also just had a messianic way of knowing what to do in a given situation - even when it didn't make any sense - it always seemed to work out.

Finally, he was the only coach at any level I have ever seen call time, walk out to the field umpire, put his arm around him, and get him to reverse a balk call. 

He will be missed.