FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[miac952]

In fact, UMU spends about $8 million on student services, so perhaps SJU drops just a few dollars more on football than UMU does.

SJU needs to spend some of that money on a scoreboard from this decade (though I have heard several times that the monastery has vetoed it).

Wait another 250 years and that scoreboard will show up on Antique Roadshow worth about $9 billion.

It can go right next to the deer blind that UST pretends is a press box currently.

[BDB]

Dear BDB,

Please tell us about your 2018 Blue Devils.

Story out today (Includes Augsburg scrimmage pic)

https://athletics.uwstout.edu/news/2018/8/29/football-veteran-group-on-offense-will-help-offset-inexperience-on-other-side-of-ball.aspx

[OzJohnnie]

Story out today (Includes Augsburg scrimmage pic)

https://athletics.uwstout.edu/news/2018/8/29/football-veteran-group-on-offense-will-help-offset-inexperience-on-other-side-of-ball.aspx

It's looks like it will be an exciting strength-on-strength matchup.  The Blue Devil defense has almost completely turned over while the offense has almost entirely returned.  From reports of Johnnies in the know, the Johnnie D is looking quite sharp while the O is still working out kinks.

Less than three days to go.  Gettin' nervous.

[DuffMan]

****tin' rocks.

[BDB]

****tin' rocks.

Duff, I'd like to buy a vowel. 

[faunch]

https://twitter.com/SJUJohnnies/status/1034863319532875776?ref_src=twcamp%5Ecopy%7Ctwsrc%5Eandroid%7Ctwgr%5Ecopy%7Ctwcon%5E7090%7Ctwterm%5E3

Speaking of spending money on athletics this SJU hype video is good but it had to cost a pretty penny.  I defend MIAC athletics often and to some casual fans they think all D3 athletics should be funded like Mac or U of Chicago. The MIAC like the WIAC is a wicked competitive conference and not for the weak of heart. Spend it if you have it is my thought. Some critics see the  big tuition $ generated by all the D3 athletes playing various sports and I know that is part of the budget.  SJU and UST football as well as Augsburg wrestling also attract additional students to the respective school.  That is fact.

It might not cost as much as you think...from what I understand the guys that started @SSQTCHMEDIA are Johnnie alums and were doing a lot of this kind of work while they were students.

[sjusection105]

https://twitter.com/SJUJohnnies/status/1034863319532875776?ref_src=twcamp%5Ecopy%7Ctwsrc%5Eandroid%7Ctwgr%5Ecopy%7Ctwcon%5E7090%7Ctwterm%5E3

Speaking of spending money on athletics this SJU hype video is good but it had to cost a pretty penny.  I defend MIAC athletics often and to some casual fans they think all D3 athletics should be funded like Mac or U of Chicago. The MIAC like the WIAC is a wicked competitive conference and not for the weak of heart. Spend it if you have it is my thought. Some critics see the  big tuition $ generated by all the D3 athletes playing various sports and I know that is part of the budget.  SJU and UST football as well as Augsburg wrestling also attract additional students to the respective school.  That is fact.

It might not cost as much as you think...from what I understand the guys that started @SSQTCHMEDIA are Johnnie alums and were doing a lot of this kind of work while they were students.

Drones with cameras  & edited clips from last year. I could do it but it wouldn't be nearly as slick & may take me a few more hours than a 20 something........

[OzJohnnie]

[AO]

I don't think it will change any of your conclusions but the operating expenses are included in the section you labeled "direct expenses".

Thanks, AO.  How do you know?  I tried to figure that out when i was writing the post but wasn't sure.

I've seen other articles use these numbers and they referred to the total expenses line as the total budget.

[USTBench]

Obviously UST needed to inject cash into the program to compete nationally. When you SJU alums stop shaking your fists for kids to get off your collective lawns, it might just dawn on you, as it has with Glenn Caruso, and yes, even Gary Fasching, that there are the way things were and the way things are. Kids now put more value in energetic coaches that speak their language and facilities than they do the other things SJU excels at: atmosphere and tradition.

Atmosphere:

SJU has the best atmosphere in DIII, no question. But your school is in the middle of the woods a 20 minute drive from the nothing-to-do metropolis of St. Cloud. The options are hunt, fish, go to the football game. You're quit literally the only game in town. UST is right in the middle of the Twin Cities, with thousands of options for a kid to burn up a Saturday afternoon, including going to watch a Big 10 team 5 miles down the road.

Tradition:

No argument here. 4 National Championships. Dozens of MIAC titles. Gags' 400+ wins. UST had a nice run in 1948 and maybe some decent runs here or there in the NAIA years, but from 1990 to 2008 there was nothing to get excited about except a win or two over SJU. From 2009 to present day, it's been a great era for UST and hopefully we get a national title out of the deal, but "tradition" has to start somewhere, especially a winning one.

So, no, you may not like UST's different uniform combinations (which, let's be honest, is really just different colored pants), playing music during their practices (no idea if they do this, just seems but seems like something they'd do), jumbotrons, or any of the other new age stuff they do. Which is fine. But I've witnessed and was actively part of two decades where the best we could hope for was 7-3 but were fine with 6-4.

I get you're upset because the normal order of things has been has been disrupted. You could pretty much pencil SJU into the playoffs every single year, now, it's more of a process. So, naturally, you're looking for something to pin to our success outside of good recruiting, coaching, and talent, like "UST just bought themselves a team" as if we're the New York Yankees. Yes, money has a lot to do with it, but it sure beats the alternative: milquetoast coaches given the HC job because they didn't get the baseball gig they coveted and just needed to get to .500 to keep the administration off their back; literally climbing over a wall after leaving the locker room before the Carleton game because security wasn't there to unlock the gate; walking by dormant tradition (that bell you all hate was there long before Caruso, it collected dust under the bleachers).

So make fun of the holding hands (which thousands of college and HS teams do) and Caruso walking out with the captains, but if I'm playing it sort of would give me the impression the coach is in with us, instead of just sauntering out after the team.

Yes, much to the chagrin of many, Caruso has made himself the face of the program, but newsflash, he is. College football is turnover, graduation and injuries let us only enjoy our favorite athletes in a finite vacuum. HC's job is to sell the program, and Caruso has done a great job of that, whether you agree with his methods or not. Obviously, he doesn't need me to defend him to any of you, but there are two specific stories about this guy that stick out to me:

One: the way he treated me after my brother passed away. Handwritten notes, numerous phone calls. I was a poor law student, who barely played at UST, and my brother didn't even go to UST, he went to the U of M, but Caruso made it a priority to see if was doing okay. He sure as hell didn't have to do that.

Two: at an alumni banquet Caruso had all of his former players stand up and introduced them to older alumni one by one. You'd think he'd go on and on about the Waldvogels and Ostrues. But he talked with the most pride and at the most length about kids who might have only played 4 total snaps for him, or a quarter in a blow out their senior year.

Just my thoughts. Ok bye.

[OldAuggie]

Awesome thoughts. Thanks for sharing that, now back to bickering amongst the SJU/UST peeps with the sage advice from MUC57 that we are all used to reading.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Awesome thoughts. Thanks for sharing that, now back to bickering amongst the SJU/UST peeps with the sage advice from MUC57 that we are all used to reading.

Debating Coach Caruso is the bickering that we are used to reading!

It's a very predictable cycle.  SJU folks state their case for why he isn't to be liked, UST folks state their case for why he is. 

Neither side is ever going to change their opinion of the guy, so the humerous part is that they keep trying.

Personally, I like his enthusiasm and energy, but do think he could do more to not outright embarass opponents.  The best part is, we're all 100% right, because it's subjective!

Sure glad football is back!

[Mr.MIAC]

Awesome thoughts. Thanks for sharing that, now back to bickering amongst the SJU/UST peeps with the sage advice from MUC57 that we are all used to reading.

It all comes down to who's winning and what it costs the losers. Caruso's winning has cost SJ2 its reputation as a contender for the National Championship, and it's understood that in some years they won't even make the playoffs. That's a hard one for SJ2 fans to swallow. With Caruso winning, it's now unlikely that other MIAC teams will make the playoffs with any regularity. That's a hard one for their fans to swallow. 

Caruso's winning has relegated SJ2 to second fiddle in the MIAC. In the decade before the Caruso era, SJ2 won the MIAC championship six times, Bethel won it three times, and Concordia won it once. Each got an automatic playoff bid. Since the start of the Caruso era, UST has won it six times, SJ2 three times, and Bethel won it once. That's unfortunate for SJ2 fans.

Let's say the MIAC runner-up is the only other team likely to make the playoffs each year. In the decade before the Caruso era, the champion and runner-up spots were filled by SJ2 and Bethel seven out of ten years, with Concordia making it in the mix the other three years. Now those top two spots are dominated by UST and SJ2 (usually with UST on top), which means other MIAC teams are likely to have a short season. That's unfortunate for their fans.

In other words, people target Caruso with their animus because he's a winner and they're losing out. I'm sure other MIAC coaches have idiosyncrasies worthy of comment, but no one really cares because they're not winning. Maybe the haters should spend more time figuring out why they're losing, rather than trying to tear down Caruso for being a winner...

One last thing for MUC57: Maybe supporting everybody is the same as supporting nobody. Just a thought...

[AO]

UST fans

No doubt The Tommies are among the elite in Dlll. For that, I give Caruso credit. Also credit to the University for being supportive of the football program.
Now. 2012 Stagg Bowl. Mount running out the clock. Burke takes a knee. Tommies linemen go after him. 2nd down. Burke takes a knee. Tommie linemen try to tackle him. 3rd down. Burke asks Coach Kehres if he can throw into the end zone for a possible TD. Kehres says no. Which coach has the most class? Kehres is in the College Hall of Fame.

Attempting to blow up the victory formation is fairly classless, but this wasn't a victory formation situation.  St. Thomas had their timeouts left so Kehres was essentially asking the Tommies to give up their final chance at scoring.  With a minute left in the game it's very rare but it's hardly unprecedented for a team to score 2 touchdowns to tie or win the game.

[art76]

Anybody going to the Ole game at Crown tonight? We're headed North for the weekend, so I'll be watching things from afar this weekend.

Edit: actually, I see that that game is tomorrow night.