FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[MiacMan]

3 Tommies Work out for Bears, Vikings Scouts: https://www.tommiemedia.com/featured-news/3-tommies-work-out-for-bears-vikings-scouts/

Thumb, nice article. Thanks for sharing. Really nice that two of the three will be back this season!

If the Vikes or Bears don't snap them up, that is. 

Ah, well played Fins! Got a chuckle out of that one!

[Mr. Ypsi]

MiacMan

Oops, I forgot. In some circles it's "SJ2" and not "SJU". A thousand pardons! ☠ 🏈 ☠

I wish either UST or SJ2 would schedule a home and home with  Mount. It's too bad the price is too high to pay if you lose,  even a close game.

I don't think it needs to be a high price, hell even a loss to a top team should be worth more than a win against an also-ran, as long as the score wasn't out of hand. If the fear is you will lose a Conference game or two in addition then so what you were likely not going to have the talent to go very far in the Playoffs anyway. Too many AQ's watering down the field and it just keeps getting worse as more conferences expand.

In the abstract, I don't really disagree with your post, but you have some errors in terms of D3 selection criteria.  Except for SoS, a loss (even by 1) to a national champion team is still worse than a win over The Little Sisters of the Poor (even if they are not a D3 team, since then it simply doesn't count).  A close loss to a top team may sometimes be better in the POLL than a win over a nobody, but the poll is irrelevant to selection.

In terms of AQs, I don't really disagree, but the D3 philosophy is that every team has an equal chance at the 'Big Doorstop'.  That means the winner of every conference that qualifies, qualifies for the tourney.  It is totally true that some conferences may NEVER produce a representative that ever wins a game.  But I'm despairing of a solution to winnowing out the 'hopeless' teams that would ever actually be adopted.

As the number of Pool Cs dwindles, the question intensifies.  So far, few have ever argued that a potential Walnut-and-Bronze winner has ever been excluded, but after MBB 2018, who knows?!

[Pat Coleman]

So far, few have ever argued that a potential Walnut-and-Bronze winner has ever been excluded, but after MBB 2018, who knows?!

Come on, man. We're all smarter than that. Football is not the same sport.

[MiacMan]

Anybody else think the Vikings signing of Kirk Cousins is eerily reminiscent of the Herschel Walker deal? The highest paid player in football, $84m all guaranteed, really? Instead of losing draft picks we lost salary cap $$! Can somebody help me on this one? 

[GoldandBlueBU]

Anybody else think the Vikings signing of Kirk Cousins is eerily reminiscent of the Herschel Walker deal? The highest paid player in football, $84m all guaranteed, really? Instead of losing draft picks we lost salary cap $$! Can somebody help me on this one? 

He'll be the highest paid player for all of a week or two. 

It really isn't that crazy of a deal, given some of the other contracts that are being signed.  The salary cap will go up overall, and per Paul Charchian, the Vikings are spending $29M per year for Cousins and Siemian, where as the Cardinals are spending $28M for Bradford and Glennon...it's really not that outside of the market.

That isn't to say that he'll be successful, but I don't think they've bankrupted the future in order to sign him.

[MiacMan]

Anybody else think the Vikings signing of Kirk Cousins is eerily reminiscent of the Herschel Walker deal? The highest paid player in football, $84m all guaranteed, really? Instead of losing draft picks we lost salary cap $$! Can somebody help me on this one? 

He'll be the highest paid player for all of a week or two. 

It really isn't that crazy of a deal, given some of the other contracts that are being signed.  The salary cap will go up overall, and per Paul Charchian, the Vikings are spending $29M per year for Cousins and Siemian, where as the Cardinals are spending $28M for Bradford and Glennon...it's really not that outside of the market.

That isn't to say that he'll be successful, but I don't think they've bankrupted the future in order to sign him.

Thanks G&B. You pointed out at least a little sanity in that deal. 

[OzJohnnie]

The AFL season launch video should be interesting to long-suffering Vikings fans.  This video is largely the personal growth journey (*barf*) of the Richmond coach on taking the team from perennial disappointments to Premiers.

But the first 20 seconds.  Gold. That caller into a radio sports shows is a legend in football fan feedback. And that guy would sit right at home with Vikes supporters.  We do not suffer alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POY8tfV6SSM

[SaintsFAN]

The AFL season launch video should be interesting to long-suffering Vikings fans.  This video is largely the personal growth journey (*barf*) of the Richmond coach on taking the team from perennial disappointments to Premiers.

But the first 20 seconds.  Gold. That caller into a radio sports shows is a legend in football fan feedback. And that guy would sit right at home with Vikes supporters.  We do not suffer alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POY8tfV6SSM

Just spent 5 weeks here in Boston with a new co-worker who lives in Melbourne and is a HUGE Richmond fan.  He spent most of the 5 weeks explaining to me the AFL, rules and how they had just won the last Premiership. 

[BDB]

BDB, Oz and MUC57 getting food from Chicago Tommie.

[MUC57]

BlueDevil Bob

At least I'm in good company. How's the food and who's paying? Just curious! ☠ 🏈

[MUC57]

To whomever (or no one)

Ran into a girl I know yesterday. She said, "why don't you come over to my house. Noone's home".
So I went to her house. No one was home. No respect!
Buy ah, I'm old. I get mixed up and I forget things.
(Just a little off season humor)!  ☠ 🇷🇴 (Mount Union helmet decal and Romanian flag)

[OzJohnnie]

The AFL season launch video should be interesting to long-suffering Vikings fans.  This video is largely the personal growth journey (*barf*) of the Richmond coach on taking the team from perennial disappointments to Premiers.

But the first 20 seconds.  Gold. That caller into a radio sports shows is a legend in football fan feedback. And that guy would sit right at home with Vikes supporters.  We do not suffer alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POY8tfV6SSM

Just spent 5 weeks here in Boston with a new co-worker who lives in Melbourne and is a HUGE Richmond fan.  He spent most of the 5 weeks explaining to me the AFL, rules and how they had just won the last Premiership. 

Did your new colleague say Richmond just won THE last premiership or THEIR last premiership?  Your mate is likely to be in a nursing home before Richmond threaten to take the flag again. 

Actually, the Tiger army has been very entertaining in victory. Very loyal and long suffering.  Extremely passionate and, surprisingly, not too arrogant in victory. 40 years of choking and letdown has built a caution reflex in Tiger supporters that looks a lot like humility.  Anyway, I'm happy for your mate. Richmond fans deserved this one.

[OzJohnnie]

AFL starts up next week and I'm going to Hawthorn's season opener at the MCG against Collingwood on Saturday night.  That, of course, is no great shakes.  Normal.  What is shaking, however, is that I'm going with #1 and her boyfriend.  It's all a bit formal and such for my liking.  We'll see how it goes.  The guy, unfortunately, is quite nice.  Good haircut.  Polite.  Studies hard.  I don't like him very much at all.

Some interesting Hawthorn news is a revealing article on the trials of Jarryd Roughead, Hawthorn champion and captian, as he underwent experimental treatment with a cocktail of immunotherapy drugs for stage 4 melanoma two years ago, which with current treatments patients only have a 15% chance of surviving one year.  Roughead is currently cancer free (and he played the whole season least year, but not too well) and just had a kid with doctors telling him he's got a good chance of living to be a grandfather.  Pretty remarkable situation, really, given the nasty state of his cancer.

The article is behind a paywall, but I'll quote a couple interesting bits:

THE physical toll of Jarryd Roughead’s cancer treatment had a secret impact on his football last year.

The Hawthorn captain on Thursday night revealed he played much of last year with limited feeling in his feet as a result of nerve damage. It also forced him to stop immunotherapy treatment earlier than planned.

...

But the drugs took a huge toll on his health and he had to stop the treatment after just three rounds when his lungs, eyes, liver and finally his feet began shutting down due to critical inflammation.

The loss of nerves in his feet became so bad Roughead had to constantly soak them in water to restore feeling.

But having just become a father — and being told he can look forward to becoming a grandfather — Roughead told the gathering of experts he owes his life to immunotherapy.

“It’s better than any Grand Final I’ve won,” he said.

“Footy is 5 to 10 per cent of my life — this drug has given me 100 per cent.”


Roughead has had a glorious career with many highlights (with many more to come with the mighty Hawks) but my favourite moment, despite all the goal kicking glory, was this hit he put on Sydney's Daniel Hannebury in the 2014 Grand Final.  Hannebury was fully streched out and the big Rough powered the point of his shoulder right into Hannebury's ribs.  I have to admit it took a lot of courage (and a lot of time) for Hannebury to get back up and re-enter the fray.

https://youtu.be/bertqz-udCE?t=26m37s

[OzJohnnie]

I'm so desperate for the footy to start that I'm watching a replay of last nights women's game between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.  When I notice this poor girl who I imagine is looking forward to getting married.



If her parents had named her Wilma or Wendy then I think she would have had cause to sue.

[BDB]

Last year Oz's high school won the state 2A Hockey Championship. And Pat Coleman's high school won the 1A Boy's basketball title.

Yesterday my high school, Austin Pacelli, in co-op with a small town 12 miles away won the 1A Girls basketball championship.

Back when I was there we were known as the Shamrocks, so very appropriate they won it on St. Patrick's Day. We also had about 500 students grades 9-12 and didn't need to co-op sports. Now I wonder if they have 100 students total.

Anyway congrats to the Lyle/Pacelli Athletics! (formerly Shamrocks)

http://kstp.com/sports/lylepacelli-wins-class-1a-title-at-girls-state-basketball-tournament/4829945/?cat=7