FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Johnnie Red]

Made the trip to Grand Old Day in St. Paul yesterday and ran into OAS and his new bride. She is very nice and works for Summit Brewery. That has to be a great place to work!

[johnnie_esq]

Fourth, when I was at the Alumni Summit a few weeks ago, I heard a verified rumor about SJU's plan to install lights on the football field.  So, let me get this straight: we replace the grass with sprintturf; the ash track with the rubber stuff; the fieldstone border around the field with concrete; the wood bleachers with plastic and aluminum; the old white shed serving great carmel apples with a three-story suite of boxes serving pre-packaged brats; and the silence between plays with "Johnnie fans, if you turn to page 21 in your gameday program...."; and now we seek to change the ritual of Saturday afternoons to a Saturday evening main event?  Forget it.  I am out.  Way to systemically destroy what placed St. John's on the list of can't-miss places to watch a football game.  The school has milked that notion for all it was worth and now will have lost just about all its nostalgia that was a big draw to me.  We might as well put up big sandstone fence around the place too.  And yet, they can't find a way to stream video of the game with a three-story press box.

As long as you don't cut down the trees to build parking ramps, you'll likely keep your spot among the "can't miss places to watch a football game".  I doubt the lights will be a deal-breaker for many people.  It can't be that long before they put in a big video board and fill it with ads, which might reduce the need for audible ads between plays.

Night games would also serve the hunters, craft-fair goers  , and people wanting to see multiple games a day.

AO, my point is that the place has changed so drastically from that 1990 list that comparing then versus now is truly day versus night (pun intended).  With all of the expansions in D-I football facilities since then I don't think we're on that list again.  In my opinion, the thing keeping attendance up is success; and if the Jays stay middling, I really think we'll start to see a slow attendance slide at SJU-- and lights won't help that.

Keep in mind that a 1,000/fan difference * 5 home games at $5 per head guessed average ticket (student price) = $25,000.  That's a pretty big chunk of change just in ticket sales alone, not counting concession revenue or loss of marketing, which could be equal to that over a season.  So a $50,000 revenue loss is a big deal at the D-3 level when you count on one program to substantially fund your athletic department.


Thinking constructively, though, what improvements should be added?  Aside from some aesthetic things that I have mentioned, I would love to see a hand-operated scoreboard replace the current one-- perhaps on top of a re-built stone arch that framed the entrance to the field in the 1920s.

[Just Bill]

Thinking constructively, though, what improvements should be added?  Aside from some aesthetic things that I have mentioned, I would love to see a hand-operated scoreboard replace the current one-- perhaps on top of a re-built stone arch that framed the entrance to the field in the 1920s.

You're going to need someone with really quick hands and an uncanny sense of timing to manipulate a hand-operated clock on a football scoreboard.  Especially if it has tenths of a second. 

[Touchdown Tommy]

Ha Clark you dog.  Now you are calling me "Barney"??  It seems you miss me during the offseason.  Just think 3 more months and we'll be able to catch up while Clark Junior knocks heads!!!

Great weekend in the MSP.  Got a chance to meet legendary Bears coach Mike Ditka at Surdyk's Liquors on Saturday.  I'll try to get a pic up of yours truly with Da Coach for your viewing pleasure.  Sunday was spent perusing the Edina art fair.  Splendid!!

[faunch]

Lights at Clemens wouldn't bother me all that much.  I think one reason for this is the opportunity to host high school playoff games.  The quarterfinals of state must be played on turf and often are played under the lights.  Also some of the area school might have difficulty hosting section games especially when there is inclement weather.  Hosting these games would be another way of marketing the facilities and the campus.  If you were a high school kid and played at Clemens Stadium (day or night), the experience could have a huge impact on your college choice.

[Touchdown Tommy]

Da Coach and TDT!!!

[wildcat11]

Da Coach and TDT!!!

TDT,

Quit taking pictures with the talent and get back to sweeping the floors.

[Retired Old Rat]

I sent Athletic Director Tom Stock an email about the lights.  As usual, Tom responded quickly and comprehensibly.  Here is his response (emphasis mine):

We have a plan to put lights in Clemens Stadium. We have secured the funding. We are now working on bids and securing approval from the SJU Design Committee. Johnnie football games will all be played on Saturday afternoons. The lights will provide our students with inexpensive and much-needed recreation space. We will also be able to attract occasional high school games on Friday evenings, as well as high school playoff games. Lights will also help SJU football late in the season where practices last about 15 minutes due to darkness. Our club lacrosse team will be able to utilize the facility. We think, with lights in Clemens Stadium,  it is all good, Tim.

While I would prefer no lights, I think the pros out weigh the cons.

St. John's, in my opinion, remains the number one place to be on a Saturday afternoon in the fall.  I agree with johnnie esq that attendance will suffer if the team's results slip.  I'm ok with all the changes except for the "turn to page 5 in your program" between plays.  I'd like to hear something like "this quarters silence between plays is brought to you by the Burns Law Office" after the first play of each quarter.


Go Johnnies!

[tmerton]

I'd prefer Tom work on funding to get rid of the pizza ads during the games.  I know many who would contribute to that.

As for the lights, just make sure to put them between the stands and the field like at UWRF.

[Retired Old Rat]

Another Tommie recruiting update.

Who remembers Harry Pitera from Cretin-Derham Hall?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOugoS4CVds

He walked on at the U of M last year.  Hated it so he quit.

Was at the funeral today for the father (and UST grad) of a close friend and Bennie classmate.  Harry's mother, a long time friend of mine, was also at the funeral.  She informed me that Harry was going to play at UST.  She said he felt like UST really wanted him.  Did not get that same feeling at SJU.  Had a good conversation with John, just didn't feel like he was really wanted.

Too bad.  I think Harry will terrorize offenses in the MIAC.

[tmerton]

I believe only one person in the large crowd applauded that statement.    

Gee, I wonder who that would have been.

[tmerton]

Does anyone know the date for the kickoff luncheon this year?

Answer found:  It's Thursday, August 5.

[johnnie_esq]

Lights at Clemens wouldn't bother me all that much.  I think one reason for this is the opportunity to host high school playoff games.  The quarterfinals of state must be played on turf and often are played under the lights.  Also some of the area school might have difficulty hosting section games especially when there is inclement weather.  Hosting these games would be another way of marketing the facilities and the campus.  If you were a high school kid and played at Clemens Stadium (day or night), the experience could have a huge impact on your college choice.

The marketing thing can be a good deal; but as I mentioned, many sections are only played at the location of the higher seed.  I know the kids I coach would rather play at home in any weather or conditions than to move a game away from their friends and home crowd-- and most coaches would say the same thing.  So really, at most, you could possibly get a section final (Friday evening) and possibly one or maybe two state quarterfinals (one Thursday/one Friday) per year under the lights.  That isn't exactly mass marketing.  Especially since SJU will have to be bidding against SCSU for the same games-- don't think the MSHSL wants to move games from two Twin Cities area sections to SJU just because they can; they will maximize their gate by having it at a local high school instead of forcing fans to drive an hour and a half...

Not to mention the admissions office will love having prospective high school students hanging out on campus on a Thursday or Friday evening when school is in session.  

[wildcat11]

My $.02...lights are huge not on Saturday but on Monday - Friday.  When Linfield was able to add lights in 2004 (combined with turf) it just made practice so much easier later in the year.  SJU will be able to get better quality/more efficient work in without having to worry about lighting and rushing to beat the dark.

[tmerton]

In the Daily Planet, Frank has taken a break from changing diapers to report on the (ahem) pre-season top 25 polls from Sporting News and Lindy's.  Both have UWW and MUC at 1 and 2, respectively.  SJU is ranked in top 10 in both, but they otherwise seem to have little clue about the MIAC: 

Sporting News:
4. SJU
10. UST

Lindy's
6.  Bethel
8.  SJU

These obviously are meaningless but Pat won't be coming out with the d3 poll for a while and it's something to throw darts at.  I hate to agree with Barney, but I think UST should easily be the pre-season fave for the MIAC and thus should be top 10 in both.