FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[repete]

Thanks, Tom Stock, for at least admitting how hopelessly out of touch you are.

[SagatagSam]

That's BS.  If I'm not going to go, I'm not going to go.  I'll just settle for a free radio broadcast if they don't stream.

The attendance excuse is a ruse, and it betrays everything we believe about what makes the Saint John's experience so special.

I'd like to think that a professionally crafted webcast could pique the hypothetical Twin Cities football fan/web surfer's interest and actually encourage more people to attend games at SJU.

[Chubbs]

This is a garbage, not to mention horribly transparent, excuse.
It's nothing more than a tactical move on the part of the football staff because they fear opponents will get to see more film to use to prepare.

I have a hard time believing that anybody in the football operation had a say in this policy, but if they are then they're way outside their lane.  Wasting energy trying to keep opponents from seeing you play when you should be more worried about the quality of the team you're putting on the field would explain an awful lot, though.

[SagatagSam]

I have a hard time believing that anybody in the football operation had a say in this policy, but if they are then they're way outside their lane. 

You obviously have no idea how the SJU athletic department works. What John wants, John gets.

[Chubbs]

I have a hard time believing that anybody in the football operation had a say in this policy, but if they are then they're way outside their lane. 

You obviously have no idea how the SJU athletic department works. What John wants, John gets.

You're almost certainly right about that , but then that would point to woefully misplaced priorities, as mentioned, that have lead the SJU program to the state it is currently in.  Breaking down a team's personell, formations, tendencies etc. from a real time webcast would be absurdly difficult compared to using a DVD or a program like Hudl.  If what you really want is to deny the other side access to footage of your team, then just don't swap films.  That way you're getting under the skin of the opponent and not your alums and fan base.

[finsleft]

Johnnie Fans

[USTBench]

The only title that was followed by immediate dominance was '63. Now, if you want to say the last few years are unacceptable and you're comparing it to the modern SJU dynasty that probably started in 1991, that's fine. Or if you want to say it's unprecedented in the D3football.com/message board era, that's fine too. But if you're talking about the SJU tradition that stretches back decades and decades, well, sorry to say, it's "unraveled" twice before. Now, there are a million things different compared to those times and it's apples/oranges/other fruit comparisons, etc., etc.

But struggles like this are the way things go in every part of football land except Mount Union post 1993. Is it fun? No. Upsetting for fans/former players? Of course. Does it make us worry that it's not just a normal cycle -- the cycle that everyone from Florida to Alabama to North Dakota State experiences -- and is part of some long decline that's impossible to climb out of? Yes. But it's also part of football life. Even football life at St. John's.

Now to play devil's advocate to your devil's advocate- Florida,Alabama & NDSU coaches moved on to other jobs- Mount Union & SJU  stayed around.For whatever that's worth.

Rocky Hager got fired and Craig Bohl is still around. So...not exactly. Oh, and Nick Saban is still the coach at Alabama last I checked, and Bear Bryant retired about two seconds before he died.

Also, Urban Meyer had a nervous breakdown, unless you're talking about Steve Spurrier.

[sjusection105]

The only title that was followed by immediate dominance was '63. Now, if you want to say the last few years are unacceptable and you're comparing it to the modern SJU dynasty that probably started in 1991, that's fine. Or if you want to say it's unprecedented in the D3football.com/message board era, that's fine too. But if you're talking about the SJU tradition that stretches back decades and decades, well, sorry to say, it's "unraveled" twice before. Now, there are a million things different compared to those times and it's apples/oranges/other fruit comparisons, etc., etc.

But struggles like this are the way things go in every part of football land except Mount Union post 1993. Is it fun? No. Upsetting for fans/former players? Of course. Does it make us worry that it's not just a normal cycle -- the cycle that everyone from Florida to Alabama to North Dakota State experiences -- and is part of some long decline that's impossible to climb out of? Yes. But it's also part of football life. Even football life at St. John's.

Now to play devil's advocate to your devil's advocate- Florida,Alabama & NDSU coaches moved on to other jobs- Mount Union & SJU  stayed around.For whatever that's worth.

Rocky Hager got fired and Craig Bohl is still around. So...not exactly. Oh, and Nick Saban is still the coach at Alabama last I checked, and Bear Bryant retired about two seconds before he died.

Also, Urban Meyer had a nervous breakdown, unless you're talking about Steve Spurrier.

Pretty much, nervous breakdown/take a year off- go to Ohio State, why split hairs? Spurrier did go to the Redskins,then back to South Carolina- so yea....

[SagatagSam]

I read through the transcript of the live chat with Frank Rajkowski and while I don't think he is a Gagliardi apologist deliberately, Frank certainly knows which side his bread is buttered on.
This isn't New York where the media is somewhat of a faceless blob. Frank has to maintain a working relationship with all of the coaches at SJU.

I'm pretty sure there is mention of Gags refusing to talk to a local reporter that criticized the program in "The Sweet Season."

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Johnnie Fans

best laugh of the day....+k

[hazzben]

I read through the transcript of the live chat with Frank Rajkowski and while I don't think he is a Gagliardi apologist deliberately, Frank certainly knows which side his bread is buttered on.
This isn't New York where the media is somewhat of a faceless blob. Frank has to maintain a working relationship with all of the coaches at SJU.

That's too bad if its the case. I can certainly understand needing to protect your livelihood, but that's also not his job as a reporter. He's got to maintain objectivity and be willing to write the story, whatever the story. Does that sort of attitude creep into Frank's work as a D3football top 25 voter? Hopefully and probably not, but it's usually not as easy to compartmentalize as we try to convince ourselves. Then again, the poll isn't for keeps anyway, so that's not a real big deal.

I'm pretty sure there is mention of Gags refusing to talk to a local reporter that criticized the program in "The Sweet Season."

Really  That seems awfully petty. But it also explains why Frank would operate in the manner described. If that's an accurate story about John it's not a great endorsement of the atmosphere of the SJU athletic department.

[hazzben]

Evidently Bethel and Coach J have no concerns about anyone seeing 'extra' game film. 

Highlights up from Saturday's game against Carleton.

Love the blocking on Klitzke's 3rd TD run. Great job up front, exceptional cut by Walbilig and good work on the second level by Hillbrands. That was one where everybody executed to perfection.

And it's really fun watching Hillbrands run in the open field. His strides just eat up ground.

[OzJohnnie]

A family which are friends of Mrs Oz and I collapsed over the weekend. A punch was thrown. Kids were screaming. 2am break ins and police call outs. Court appearances and intervention orders.  An utter tragedy fueled by long bubbling issues which when they finally came to a head have caused the complete distruction of a good family in the course of 24 hours.

Point is, be careful in your calls for revolution. You may get what you want in your heat of passion but realise when your head has cleared that we've lost everything which was important to us.

My further point is that although success is important success alone is not the only thing which is important. If it were then we would all be Tommies.

[sfury]

A few things:

* I can't speak for Frank, but like all reporters, I'm sure he appreciates hearing what his job as a reporter is.

* Is SJU supposed to be covered like the Yankees and Jets? Should Billy Bob from Avon be calling into PA's show each day demanding that Gagliardi be let go? Is Frank an apologist because he hasn't written a column demanding that Gagliardi retire? Where's the evidence he's an apologist?

* How is a head coach supposed to prove to people how involved he is with the team? Honest question, I don't know. I hear from insiders -- love that phrase -- that John watches as much film now as ever and still dissects the smallest details. But does that prove anything? I don't know. Mike Grant doesn't wear headsets on the sidelines for Eden Prairie. Seems he's out of touch with what's going on; this is the guy we want leading SJU? Gagliardi, like Grant, should have headsets on at all times and should be screaming after every play -- right up in their faces, so we can see it on the webcast hear Mark talk about it on the broadcast and know that, yes, he's as involved as he was when he chewed out Lehman's old man.

* The Sweet Season anecdote. It involves the infamous and flagrant SJU violation from 1999 that put them on MIAC probation. It was the violation that was widely regarded as an utter joke. Two months after SJU had its punishment, The Times got the news and was going to print it the day before the Johnnies' game against Gustavus. SJU asked them to hold the story till Monday. The Times didn't. Which is fine and the right thing to do. But they also blew it up and made it sound like something that was not quite as bad as Ganglehoff. In the book, Gagliardi says if the Times runs the story on that Friday, he was done talking to the paper.

The paper ran the story before the game. Gagliardi -- or someone impersonating him -- has been quoted many, many, many, many times in the Times since 1999, so I'm guessing we can say it was a heat of the moment statement that he didn't actually follow through on and not something that's some type of indictment about the atmosphere in the SJU athletic department. 

[hazzben]

My further point is that although success is important success alone is not the only thing which is important. If it were then we would all be Tommies.

Now that is a Johnnie fan who hasn't lost perspective