FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[hazzben]

And no one is questioning your fan attendance superiority. I might question your fan participation superiority. Fan for fan, I'll take Bethel's any day.

What that h#ll does "fan participation superiority" mean?

Thinking back to last year's game at Bethel, the Royals crowd was swelled by what looked like some sort of open house for high school kids, all clad in neat white t-shirts, most of whom seemed to be girls.  Maybe that's what you mean.  Or is it the jumping up and down?

You keep talking about this. If you'd been at the game on Saturday you'd have seen the same thing. A DIII version of a student body whiteout. As much as it might pain you, those were Bethel Students, not high school students. The fact that they were all wearing the same colored shirt is something that happens almost every year in the student section. When I was there it was often all yellow or all blue shirts. It's almost like they all got together and planned to wear the same color that day in a sign of solidarity or something  Groundbreaking stuff.

And yes, by fan participation, I mean the jumping up and down. The D-fense chant. The Royal Rowdies. All of the above. They do a fantastic job of not just showing up to games and sitting on their butts, but cheering loudly and creatively.

[sju56321]

The Rats top any student coordinated cheering efforts. Nothing gets the crowd going than to see someone barrel down the hill in a shopping cart or some guy in a Kilt! 

[tmerton]

And no one is questioning your fan attendance superiority. I might question your fan participation superiority. Fan for fan, I'll take Bethel's any day.

What that h#ll does "fan participation superiority" mean?

Thinking back to last year's game at Bethel, the Royals crowd was swelled by what looked like some sort of open house for high school kids, all clad in neat white t-shirts, most of whom seemed to be girls.  Maybe that's what you mean.  Or is it the jumping up and down?

You keep talking about this. If you'd been at the game on Saturday you'd have seen the same thing. A DIII version of a student body whiteout. As much as it might pain you, those were Bethel Students, not high school students. The fact that they were all wearing the same colored shirt is something that happens almost every year in the student section. When I was there it was often all yellow or all blue shirts. It's almost like they all got together and planned to wear the same color that day in a sign of solidarity or something  Groundbreaking stuff.

And yes, by fan participation, I mean the jumping up and down. The D-fense chant. The Royal Rowdies. All of the above. They do a fantastic job of not just showing up to games and sitting on their butts, but cheering loudly and creatively.

I keep talking about this?  Did I mention it last year?  If so, that would be twice in 12 months and you say I "keep talking about this"?  Wow, you're obviously not married.  

Many of the kids in white were undoubtedly Bethel students, but they also were having some sort of high school open house that day - the signs on campus were in English, so I could read those, and I can also tell when someone is escorting students around and giving a tour, and they were all wearing white T's.  BTW, the SJU students and other fans wear red pretty consistently - I don't know if they all get together and plan that or not.  Maybe only Bethel does that. 

If your remark about not just showing up and sitting on their butts was aimed at SJU fans, then you've lost so much contact with reality that I don't know what to say (and if it wasn't, I don't understand the point you were making as no one suggested that Bethel fans do that either).   I don't think any team travels as well as SJU and the SJU fans certainly don't just sit on their butts.  As for student sections, Bethel is indeed very spirited but the J's student section was far and away the best I saw in watching games the last five years in the MIAC, and I was at games at every school except Concordia, including 2 games at Bethel.  Just my view of course, generally from down on the field. 

[DuffMan]

This is pretty f-ing pathetic that we're talking about attendance #s.  As a player on some pretty successful SJU teams, I can tell you that there were only a couple of times that I actually noticed the crowd.  One was vs. UST my senior year.  We were stomping them, and I took just a moment to look up and appreciate the crowd.  One was vs. Concordia my junior year, and that was simply because we were in the Fargodome and the crowd is basically on top of you (it makes you watch your language when you can see your mom  )  Other than that, the only people who give a rat's ass (pun intended) about attendance are fans and the media relations folks.

[OzJohnnie]

My prediction on the qb situation this weekend is that the SJU leadership will do everything they can to avoid last year's obviously distracting QB shuffle. So I Predict they will pick a QB this week and then stick with that man through Hell and high water. Nothing short of utter offensive failure will change the QB and the change won't be made until three quarter time.

The fact is that with practice and last week's game coupled with the coaching staff's experience, the decision makers should be in a position to decide. A line ball decision may be difficult in that it's close but that decision is also easy since either choice will get close to the same results (hence the term line ball). The contribution that the coaches can make to this process is less the decision itself but rather the gumption to back themselves after they make it. If last year demonstrated anything, it is that indecision is not a luxury of leadership. Gags rarely allows the same mistake twice so I don't think we'll be seeing that one again.

[sfury]

My prediction on the qb situation this weekend is that the SJU leadership will do everything they can to avoid last year's obviously distracting QB shuffle. So I Predict they will pick a QB this week and then stick with that man through Hell and high water. Nothing short of utter offensive failure will change the QB and the change won't be made until three quarter time.

The fact is that with practice and last week's game coupled with the coaching staff's experience, the decision makers should be in a position to decide. A line ball decision may be difficult in that it's close but that decision is also easy since either choice will get close to the same results (hence the term line ball). The contribution that the coaches can make to this process is less the decision itself but rather the gumption to back themselves after they make it. If last year demonstrated anything, it is that indecision is not a luxury of leadership. Gags rarely allows the same mistake twice so I don't think we'll be seeing that one again.

Oz, I fear you may have suffered a head injury during a rugby match or a gymnastics event. You must be talking about the QB shuffle from three years ago, right? The last two years Boyle's been the man all the way through, the only time he wasn't was two years ago with the injury. Three years ago was the Boyle-Crees-Hansel merry-go-round.

I do think one of the guys - looks like Bruns now, of course - will claim it early. It will be more like Kofoed in 2004, when there was indecision at the start but by the end of the first game it was his. Ideally it'd be like Linnemann claiming it right off the bat in 1998. It was a similar thing in 1997 too and the team struggled. I think QB's going to be fine this year and reading old high school stories on Bruns, and watching some youtube of him, it seems he has the potential (potential being the key word) to be pretty special. So hopefully this week, in the game, Bruns makes the position his.

[sjusection105]

Oz, I fear you may have suffered a head injury during a rugby match or a gymnastics event. You must be talking about the QB shuffle from three years ago, right? The last two years Boyle's been the man all the way through, the only time he wasn't was two years ago with the injury. Three years ago was the Boyle-Crees-Hansel merry-go-round.

sfury, actually Oz received the head injury while on leave from the United States Navy, during an evening of excessive drinking at The sawmill in Grand Rapids   

[faunch]

As I watched brief moments of the Georgia / Boise St. and Oregon / LSU games last night I wondered how long it will be until the ugly ass uniform frenzy of Nike and Under Armour matriculates down to D3 and shows up in the MIAC? 

I don't care how well some teams might play the game of football I cannot and will not watch football played by teams that wear such disgusting looking duds.  Some of the "outfits" I despise the most are (in no particular order):

Boise St. (the horse outline helmet is hideous)
Maryland
TCU
Anything worn by the Oregon Ducks

[sju56321]

 Possible QB for SJU in 4 years? http://www.youtube.com/user/SJU56321#g/u

[DuffMan]

Nice, Zip!  I assume that's your boy?  Tough to believe that's the same youngster I met in Salem in '03.  Time flies!

[sju56321]

Duff: Yep that is him. We still talk about that game in 2003 and picking you guys up at the hotel-still love the Waffle House story. Was hoping he would Jake Theis that guy at about the 4, but the kid sorta moved out of the way.

[bennie]

Some of the "outfits" I despise the most are (in no particular order):

Boise St. (the horse outline helmet is hideous)
Maryland
TCU
Anything worn by the Oregon Ducks

Your breaking my heart! I am going to cry all the way to the Knight Library, the Knight School of Law, the new Matt Knight Arena, the Jaqua Center (paid for by Knight), and the renovation to Autzen Stadium. It is a small price to pay to let Phil Knight play Barbies with out student athletes.

[Touchdown Tommy]

105: Yes there were several notable celebrities in attendance including The Trickster.  I personally love that Dave Wright, the obnoxious PA announcer at UST, wants him to vend at the Tommie/Johnnie game this year...

Zip: How old/what grade is Brian this year?  Nice work on the Youtube clip.  Keep it up and post the link here regularly.  The only thing missing is you berating the officials.  Please add that at your convenience...

Clark: We missed you at the tailgate on Saturday.

[corn horn]

Don't ever hear BU supporters hanging their hat on their attendance numbers though.

Because their attendance sucks

Sucks in comparion to who, the almighty SJU?

St. Thomas' attendance last year was 26th-best in Division III. Bethel's was 31st.
http://www.d3football.com/notables/2011/02/sju-leads-2010-attendance

These are pretty good numbers compared to 85% of Division III, guys. Yes, SJU is tops in attendance but that doesn't mean everyone else sucks.

Concondia's attendance was 11th in 2010 in a tough season, no MSU-Moorhead game on the schedule, and being a couple hours' drive for any conference competitor caravan. However, I really wish discussion could be more about who is putting what on the field this year, and not attendance and radio coverage.

[OzJohnnie]

Oz, I fear you may have suffered a head injury during a rugby match or a gymnastics event. You must be talking about the QB shuffle from three years ago, right? The last two years Boyle's been the man all the way through, the only time he wasn't was two years ago with the injury. Three years ago was the Boyle-Crees-Hansel merry-go-round.

sfury, actually Oz received the head injury while on leave from the United States Navy, during an evening of excessive drinking at The sawmill in Grand Rapids   

What I appreciate is that the argument here isn't whether I have brain damage but how I became brain damaged.  It's good to be loved!