FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[faunch]

I simply cannot believe that they went ahead with the cheapest option on this "project", but then I saw the pictures.  What the heck was being thought when this went through?

I can understand wanting to get it done ASAP if the Johnnies believe that next season is going to be one that includes a lengthly playoffs.  However from what I witnessed last year I don't see a team that finishes any higher than 3rd...maybe I'm wrong.  There may still be a need for lights during those early November practices but I don't see the 2012 team practicing outdoors after November 10th.

If they are going to schedule 4 or 5 high school games to provide kids the experience of playing at the Natural Bowl I'm all for it.  That said it could have been done in a more aesthetically pleasing manner.

[OzJohnnie]

Game on tonight. Hawthorn's regular season opens under lights at the MCG against the Collingwood Magpies. 90000 fans are expected, or about 1 in every 255 Australians.

I'm hoping for a big year from Hawthorn. They are hard, full of talent and fast. I'm a little nervous with anticipation.

[HSCTiger74]

Game on tonight. Hawthorn's regular season opens under lights at the MCG against the Collingwood Magpies. 90000 fans are expected, or about 1 in every 255 Australians.

I'm hoping for a big year from Hawthorn. They are hard, full of talent and fast. I'm a little nervous with anticipation.

I know the Hawks had a good season in 2011 so it should be a pretty good match, but I expect the Pies will be tough ... minor premiers last year but lost in the Grand Final, and took the premiership in 2010. Have they shown any significant dropoff in talent since September?

[OzJohnnie]

The Greatest Arrest Video in the History of Arrest Videos

This is worth the 6:10 minutes of your time.  I spent some time in the back of an MP paddy wagon back in the Philippines but I didn't see anything like this (and it was a friendly, preventative ride from MP friends, not a lockup, dang it).  The intoxication here is at a magical level of making him too stupid to care, but yet still lucid enough to sing the entire Bohemian Rhapsody with a little ad-lib context at the end.  Ah, the days of no care.

EDIT: @HSCTiger74; Actually, the Pies are looking good.  They have picked up two lobotomy patients and a chimpanzee as supporters so the knowledge level of their fan base has increased 18% this year.

[OzJohnnie]

Woooooooo!  What a game!  That was playoff quality football in round one. Made even better, of course, by a Hawthorn victory in a brutally hard and crazy skillful match.  No side got more than about ten points in front until about eight minutes to go when the Hawks finally broke free and ran away to be 22 point victors, 137 - 115.

Now we've got a ten day break until we face reigning Grand Final champions, Geelong.  It's like starting the season against Mount Union and Whitewater.

[Johnnie Red]

Had the opportunity to hear the Gustavus choir last evening at East Union Lutheran Church southwest of Carver. Very impressive performance. It was in honor of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Gustavus Adolphus. The school was founded in Red Wing in 1862 and then moved to East Union a year later. It was known as St. Ansgar's Academy back then. After 13 years in East Union and mounting debt, it was decided that the school should be moved to a more central location like Minneapolis, where an endowment fund could be created. When plans for a move to Minneapolis began to fall apart, several communities, including St. Peter, threw their hats into the ring. St. Peter secured pledges of support to the tune of $10,000 and became the winning bidder for the college. In 1876, St. Ansgar's Academy opened as Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

[SagatagSam]

Brace Hemmelgarn just posted a picture of Clemens Stadium at night with the new lights on his Facebook page. For some reason I cannot attach the photo, so I'll provide a link to his Facebook page. I'm sorry if you're unable to view it.

https://www.facebook.com/bracehemmelgarnphotography

Just a few thoughts:
1) It is amazing how much character the stadium loses without being able to see the surrounding hills and trees. I almost thought it was a random high school field.
2) I wonder if the ancillary improvements have been made that would be required to accommodate fans for events such as the MSHSL football tournament quarterfinals (ex., walkway lights, concession lights, etc.) I ask because that is one of the big ticket reasons apologists use to justify the installation of lights.

[AO]

Seems like they'd need a little more toward the end zones.  Looks no different than most high school venues in this shot with the track and the inability to see much of the natural bowl.

[SagatagSam]

I thought one of the arguments to put in the lights was so that the track could be used for meets that went into the night hours. Unless there are lights on those towers turned off for this picture that are angled specifically to illuminate the north/south end of the track, I think they failed on that front as well.

I also agree with your thought, AO, that it looks a little dim in the end zones. I'm not sure I'm going to call that a failure at this point because I haven't seen it with my own eyes.

[faunch]

Seems like they'd need a little more toward the end zones.  Looks no different than most high school venues in this shot with the track and the inability to see much of the natural bowl.

I'd like to see it with my own eyes but from what I can see in the photo I don't think there's enough lighting for night football or track meets.  The larger high school "stadiums" in the metro have far superior lighting IMO.  At Hopkins the entire track can be seen under the lights...same at Wayzata, Edina and Tonka.  I realize that a big reason for this is for spectator safety.  This past year at Minnetonka prior to kickoff against Hopkins they ran mile (1600 m) race under the lights between the schools cross country teams.  It was really cool under the lights and in front of a good crowd.

[OzJohnnie]

First spring practice for the Johnnies, under lights.  No significant comment from the Godfather other than to say that he never thought he would see it.

The most important news in Frank's blog post is that Bruns is the #1 quarterback.  After two years, we are being led to believe that the QB shuffle is over.

[faunch]

First spring practice for the Johnnies, under lights.  No significant comment from the Godfather other than to say that he never thought he would see it.

The most important news in Frank's blog post is that Bruns is the #1 quarterback.  After two years, we are being led to believe that the QB shuffle is over.

So maybe there is a #1 QB however I fear that it will be WR by committee or platoon for that matter.  I think Bruns is skilled passer and hopefully one or two receiving threats will step up.  That or I fear we will see a one dimensional running game.

I also have noticed the SJU CB Alex Powell is not in the stats column for the Johnnie baseball team.  He is listed on the roster but appears to not be playing.  Could his hamstring still be aggravated? 

[OzJohnnie]

Here is a golf ethics question for you.

What if you were playing in the club championship finals and the match was halved at the end of 17 holes. You had the honor and hit your ball a modest two hundred fifty yards to the middle of the fairway, leaving a simple six iron to the pin. Your opponent then hits his ball, lofting it deep into the woods to the right of the fairway. Being the golfing gentleman that you are, you help your opponent look for his ball. Just before the permitted five minute search period ends, your opponent says: "Go ahead and hit your second shot and if I don't find it in time, I'll concede the match." You hit your ball, landing it on the green, stopping about ten feet from the pin. About the time your ball comes to rest, you hear your opponent exclaim from deep in the woods: "I found it!" The next sound you hear is of a club striking a ball and the ball comes sailing out of the woods and lands on the green, stopping no more than six inches from the hole.

Now here is the ethical dilemma: Do you pull the cheating bastard's ball out of your pocket and confront him with it or do you keep your mouth shut?

[sjusection105]

Here is a golf ethics question for you.

What if you were playing in the club championship finals and the match was halved at the end of 17 holes. You had the honor and hit your ball a modest two hundred fifty yards to the middle of the fairway, leaving a simple six iron to the pin. Your opponent then hits his ball, lofting it deep into the woods to the right of the fairway. Being the golfing gentleman that you are, you help your opponent look for his ball. Just before the permitted five minute search period ends, your opponent says: "Go ahead and hit your second shot and if I don't find it in time, I'll concede the match." You hit your ball, landing it on the green, stopping about ten feet from the pin. About the time your ball comes to rest, you hear your opponent exclaim from deep in the woods: "I found it!" The next sound you hear is of a club striking a ball and the ball comes sailing out of the woods and lands on the green, stopping no more than six inches from the hole.

Now here is the ethical dilemma: Do you pull the cheating bastard's ball out of your pocket and confront him with it or do you keep your mouth shut?

Did you win in extra holes Oz?

[Knightstalker]

Here is a golf ethics question for you.

What if you were playing in the club championship finals and the match was halved at the end of 17 holes. You had the honor and hit your ball a modest two hundred fifty yards to the middle of the fairway, leaving a simple six iron to the pin. Your opponent then hits his ball, lofting it deep into the woods to the right of the fairway. Being the golfing gentleman that you are, you help your opponent look for his ball. Just before the permitted five minute search period ends, your opponent says: "Go ahead and hit your second shot and if I don't find it in time, I'll concede the match." You hit your ball, landing it on the green, stopping about ten feet from the pin. About the time your ball comes to rest, you hear your opponent exclaim from deep in the woods: "I found it!" The next sound you hear is of a club striking a ball and the ball comes sailing out of the woods and lands on the green, stopping no more than six inches from the hole.

Now here is the ethical dilemma: Do you pull the cheating bastard's ball out of your pocket and confront him with it or do you keep your mouth shut?

Was the bet for Whiskey or Beer?