FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Mr.MIAC]

We don't need no more cats...we need more dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EChnZTJicw

I noticed a hint of Johnnie in his style. Looks like a few new UST videos have been posted since the last time I looked:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMdGjaRrKQU&index=1&list=UUoacjlyrUbUmWXI0hR7d9-A

[Mr.MIAC]

We don't need no more cats...we need more dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EChnZTJicw

I noticed a hint of Johnnie in his style. Looks like a few new UST videos have been posted since the last time I looked:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMdGjaRrKQU&index=1&list=UUoacjlyrUbUmWXI0hR7d9-A

Oh, here's one with Glenn imparting some wisdom...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu_-CNHKO7s&list=UUoacjlyrUbUmWXI0hR7d9-A&index=5

[faunch]

We don't need no more cats...we need more dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EChnZTJicw

I noticed a hint of Johnnie in his style. Looks like a few new UST videos have been posted since the last time I looked:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMdGjaRrKQU&index=1&list=UUoacjlyrUbUmWXI0hR7d9-A

If they've got the time and money to produce these videos they don't need to jack the ticket price for Saturday by $2.

[faunch]

Tough news for Coach Fasching and many of the SJU players.  I read on Gary's chat today that he had coached this young man in baseball a few years back.

http://www.sctimes.com/story/sportsblog/2014/09/23/sju-football-bearson/16128829/

[BDB]

TIMEOUT!



I just wanted to say I LOVE Tommie-Johnnie week.

You may now continue. 

BDB

[sju56321]

Double O-the funnny thing about your post is that my son gets letters from UST also and talked to the coaches that were at the Northwestern showcase camp in June. I just didn't mention that. But I guess UST doesn't waste it's time on Fox Valley guys, right?

[DoubleO]

Double O-the funnny thing about your post is that my son gets letters from UST also and talked to the coaches that were at the Northwestern showcase camp in June. I just didn't mention that. But I guess UST doesn't waste it's time on Fox Valley guys, right?

Congratulations to your son for expressing interest in UST (that must sting). Clearly, he is a smart kid! I can assure you that UST spends considerably more time and effort on CCL, ESCC and SCC as evidenced by their roster. Best of luck to GLC the rest of the way, good thing they see some of their Fox Valley (Fox) brethren ahead!

Roll Tommies, Roll!

[Mr.MIAC]

I just took a look at the SJU stats page, which has lots of interesting information...

It looks like SJU's attendance for home MIAC games peaked at 10,463 in 2007. Attendance has declined since then in two phases, which I'll call: 1) the frustration years (2008-2010) and 2) the reflection years (2011-2013). The frustration years were a shock to the collective SJU smoke-fest nation. With an average attendance of 9,003 fans, people were still attending games in great numbers. However, with multiple losses per season and poor playoff performances there was a growing sense of disillusionment amongst the unrivaled. The reflection years saw attendance drop even further to an average of 7,753 fans. With multiple losses at home and no post-season play, fewer casual smoke-festers made the trek up to Collegeville. Diehard smoke-festers were left to reflect on better times and post on this forum about the magical year of 2003 and other DIII championship seasons (all of which occurred at least 35 years ago, by the way).

So here are a few questions on the future of SJU:  As we enter the next phase of SJU's slide to mediocrity, let's call it the acceptance years, will attendance plunge even further?  If so, how will this affect social life at SJU? How will the already cash-strapped university survive without football revenue? Finally, if no one is going up to Collegeville anymore, how will Bennies find husbands so willing to accept their sturdy features?     

[sfury]

Obviously a SABR guy could dig deeper into the numbers and take into consideration things like how home opponents play into attendance, as well as what the weather was like for each game, etc. So someone can go nuts with that.

But certainly the last couple of years attendance is down from its huge peaks. Although the average went up in 2012, even after 6-4 season of 2011.

But the bigger point is crazy-big numbers at SJU games is a fairly recent phenomenon, from about 2003 onward. SJU still led in attendance before that, but you'd see averages in the 5 or 6,000, even when SJU was contending for national titles. Fans were always passionate and the school had great attendance compared to the rest of the country, but the huge numbers -- 9,000 and up -- were rare occasions, not averages. I'm sure if SJU again starts becoming a national title contender it'd go back up to 8 or 9 thousand per game. If not, it'll probably stay around 7, maybe even 6. I'm sure it'd be a concern for the school as far as getting less money, etc., but overall it'd hardly be a historic shock. The 2000 team averaged 5,100 fans. The product on the field played a role in the big increases in the mid-00s, but I think there was a lot more to it than just that, just as there's more to it now.

[art76]

MIAC PICK-EM'S

Name	W1	W2	W3	W4	W5	W6	W7	W8	W9	W10	W11	Overall
art76	15	15	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	36
ChicagoTommie	10	15	10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	35
jayhawkdaddy	13	17	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	34
AlmostEx	11	15	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	33
Capn34	13	13	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	33
GoldandBlueBU	11	13	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	33
wm4	12	15	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	33
repete	9	14	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	31
OldAuggie	5	15	10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	30
finsleft	12	10	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	29
OA	14	6	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	29
Captain_Joe08	7	13	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	28
sju56321	13	8	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	28
02 Warhawk	11	10	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	27
miacmaniac	5	9	12	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	26
AO	4	18	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	24
desertcat1	-	15	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	24
OzJohnnie	10	5	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	24
FCGrizzliesGrad	6	8	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	23
mr_mom	8	7	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	21
USTBench	9	9	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	21
hazzben	9	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	16
stanbob	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5

You can knock me over with a feather right now, as there is no way I could have predicted I'd be at the top of the heap after 3 weeks. (Well, obviously I'm making predictions, but after last week's dismal showing I was sure I would have been dethroned.)

I've been laughing at all the bad jokes all week - keep it up, it makes folks that walk by my office wonder what I'm reading. :-)

[OzJohnnie]

We don't need no more cats...we need more dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EChnZTJicw

I noticed a hint of Johnnie in his style. Looks like a few new UST videos have been posted since the last time I looked:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMdGjaRrKQU&index=1&list=UUoacjlyrUbUmWXI0hR7d9-A

If they've got the time and money to produce these videos they don't need to jack the ticket price for Saturday by $2.

I, for one, don't mind the higher ticket prices. They are an unavoidable reminder that SJU is superior. There is only one game that UST can gouge and not affect attendance. If they tried to charge an extra $2 against STO even their own fans wouldn't turn up.

So you're welcome, Tommies. Keep working. Maybe one day you too will have a fan base that other schools can rely on for a little extra revenue.  King Glenn can take an award for that too.

[OzJohnnie]

So here are a few questions on the future of SJU:  As we enter the next phase of SJU's slide to mediocrity, let's call it the acceptance years, will attendance plunge even further?  If so, how will this affect social life at SJU? How will the already cash-strapped university survive without football revenue? Finally, if no one is going up to Collegeville anymore, how will Bennies find husbands so willing to accept their sturdy features?

There, I helped you a little.  Envy.  It's an ugly emotion.

[Mr.MIAC]

We don't need no more cats...we need more dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EChnZTJicw

I noticed a hint of Johnnie in his style. Looks like a few new UST videos have been posted since the last time I looked:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMdGjaRrKQU&index=1&list=UUoacjlyrUbUmWXI0hR7d9-A

If they've got the time and money to produce these videos they don't need to jack the ticket price for Saturday by $2.

I, for one, don't mind the higher ticket prices. They are an unavoidable reminder that SJU is superior. There is only one game that UST can gouge and not affect attendance. If they tried to charge an extra $2 against STO even their own fans wouldn't turn up.

So you're welcome, Tommies. Keep working. Maybe one day you too will have a fan base that other schools can rely on for a little extra revenue.  King Glenn can take an award for that too.

UST Alums: Next time you're at the club, be sure to tip those service workers well. I didn't realize $2 was such an expense for Johnnies. Let's make it a real Horatio Alger story...reward hard work now and maybe their children will have a better life. Maybe they could even go on to be Tommies someday.

[faunch]

I just took a look at the SJU stats page, which has lots of interesting information...

It looks like SJU's attendance for home MIAC games peaked at 10,463 in 2007. Attendance has declined since then in two phases, which I'll call: 1) the frustration years (2008-2010) and 2) the reflection years (2011-2013). The frustration years were a shock to the collective SJU smoke-fest nation. With an average attendance of 9,003 fans, people were still attending games in great numbers. However, with multiple losses per season and poor playoff performances there was a growing sense of disillusionment amongst the unrivaled. The reflection years saw attendance drop even further to an average of 7,753 fans. With multiple losses at home and no post-season play, fewer casual smoke-festers made the trek up to Collegeville. Diehard smoke-festers were left to reflect on better times and post on this forum about the magical year of 2003 and other DIII championship seasons (all of which occurred at least 35 years ago, by the way).

So here are a few questions on the future of SJU:  As we enter the next phase of SJU's slide to mediocrity, let's call it the acceptance years, will attendance plunge even further?  If so, how will this affect social life at SJU? How will the already cash-strapped university survive without football revenue? Finally, if no one is going up to Collegeville anymore, how will Bennies find husbands so willing to accept their sturdy features?   

One year removed from a national championship appearance U$T managed to average 3965 fans to their home games.  Even with all the gimmicks, video scoreboard, food trucks on the plaza, WCCO radio and hosting the SJU game last season, U$T still on average drew half the crowd that SJU did. 

In two games this year SJU has drawn 18,041...whereas in the same number of games U$T has reported 9322. 
I would think an institution w/ 10,000+ students (6,000 or so undergrads) would be drawing larger numbers.  For Christ sake they've got busses, trains and billboards all over town.  It also says a lot about the U$T fan base when last year they only drew 2750 to it's Homecoming game against Carleton...that said it was week after losing to the Johnnies....most Tommies were probably still hungover stuck on the top of a tall building somewhere.  What's funny is that I attended the second half of that game and can't believe there were over 2000 people at that game.  Yes SJU may over report their attendance numbers but it's rare that a Homecoming draw less than 9 or 10,000.

[sjusection105]

After a really good party a man walks into a bar and orders a drink. Already drunk and delirious, the man turns to the person sitting next to him and says, ''You wanna hear a Tommie girl joke?'' The person replies, ''I'm a UST graduate and the 2008 Homecoming Queen. My friend is also a UST Graduate and was a member of the 2010 Women's Softball Team. And my other friend over at the end of the bar is a UST Graduate and was a member of the 2009 Women's Basketball team. Do you still want to tell me that Tommie girl joke?''

The man thinks for a while and replies, ''Not if I have to explain it three times.''