FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[OldAuggie]

Regarding all things Augsburg Football these days Derrin Lamker and his staff of coaches are pulling together a nice class of recruits for the Auggies. It will take him a year or two I think to build it up but I hope he can fulfill the role that Steve Johnson played for Bethel. You guys know this and I can't say this without offending some Bethel guys but the Royals were a bad team in my playing days and looking to get worse. Steve Johnson literally had the football team rise like a Phoenix from the ashes over at Bethel. Now look at Bethel, they are a great MIAC program. I see Lamker doing this at Augsburg.

From a recruiting perspective, this messy virus situation does not seem to be slowing Lamker down too much, if you are able to watch his commitment videos on twitter, he has improved his/all coaches level of presentation as well as the overall quality of recruits. Reusse had an article on Augsburg Football a couple of weeks ago and it was a positive message for the most part. As a Gopher fan, we learn to hate Patrick Reusse but as an MIAC fan he is fun to read.  Pure hypocrisy, I am aware of that and I admit it.

[wally_wabash]

Do not knock Meatloaf!  His old high school was destroyed by a tornado that actually improved the building.  (I've worked at that school, and it was a mess.)  I think he was honored at a ceremony there a few years ago, and I am pretty sure he went unrecognized by almost everyone at the school.  I am still trying to find the one thing he would not do for love. 

That (But he won't do that). 

[hazzben]

It will take him a year or two I think to build it up but I hope he can fulfill the role that Steve Johnson played for Bethel. You guys know this and I can't say this without offending some Bethel guys but the Royals were a bad team in my playing days and looking to get worse. Steve Johnson literally had the football team rise like a Phoenix from the ashes over at Bethel. Now look at Bethel, they are a great MIAC program. I see Lamker doing this at Augsburg.

I don't think it offends anyone. I readily tell people how bad we were in the 80's. It only serves to underscore the job Steve's done.

[Texas Ole]

Texas Ole:

That is good that your state is restarting some activities
However, what can you share with us regarding what type of safety procedures these sports leagues and high school programs are putting in place to protect the participants and coaches, etc.?

Our idiot governor here in Michigan just reversed her decision to allow some, but not all, northern Michigan businesses to open. This, about just over a week after she extended the lockdown statewide- I do not know what changes occurred in one week that made her decide, because nothing really changed. Perhaps she is afraid of more protests, although I will say that the protesters have not been very smart in that they have utterly forgone any safety protocols ( no distancing, no masks, etc. ). The other problem is that while some restaurants and some retail businesses can open up on northern Michigan, it won't help those folks that much right now, especially for this upcoming Memorial weekend as motels are not open, state parks not open, no attractions/ historic sites open, Mackinac Island is not open. Tourists won't have any place to stay unless they have a cottage or a trailer, but again , there is no place to park the latter. A mess.

As far as sports here, I previously posted what is in the works for potential safe planning for resuming programs in August at the small college level of that is allowed/decided on. Good luck to your state- I hope the people will be smart about returning to activities- including sports as those resume. If they act like some people here in Michigan, Wisconsin, and other states, there could be some reocurrances of spikes in the virus, which would be unfortunate and that could be their own fault if common sense protocols are not followed. I hope and pray that doesn't occur for anyone.

Michigan has to be a special kind of mess.  I have a few connections with Michigan, and the complaints are almost impossible to understand.  I will agree the protesters definitely cross a few lines of sanity, but that is probably true with extremists on both sides of any issue with the middle sane suffer.  I think the biggest issue with Texas is the political party running the state.  I think the Democrats here want to shut this thing down until a cure is found.  The Republicans want to open up maybe a little faster than is fully advisable, but they also realize Texas is a big place so what works one area might not in other areas.  I believe once a place opens it will be almost impossible to close it again.  This virus has become a political tool for both parties. 

As for rules I have attached the links that were sent to me.  I haven't heard how the leagues I work with will address specifically. 

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/opentexas/OpenTexas-Checklist-Youth-Sports-Families.pdf
https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/opentexas/OpenTexas-Checklist-Youth-Sports-Operators.pdf

There may be a more hope for sports soon based on this report.

https://news.yahoo.com/cdc-coronavirus-mainly-spreads-through-persontoperson-contact-and-does-not-spread-easily-on-contaminated-surfaces-153317029.html

[SagatagSam]

BTW, I didn't realize you were in Alabama? I thought you were up north in the east or mid- Atlantic area.🙂

This begs the question--do you side with Auburn or Alabama come college football season? I lived in Columbus, Georgia for three years, and I believe that refusing to pick a side isn't much of an option.

Fun story. I went to the Auburn vs. Georgia game in 2012 at Jordan-Hare. Had a guy sitting behind me that went to SJU and we spent the latter half of Georgia's 38-0 throttling of Auburn chatting up all things Collegeville.

I miss the South.

[OzJohnnie]

A great interview with Bartch.  He does very well with these.  I sure hope he drives some interest amongst the talent with SJU.

https://www.jaguars.com/news/o-zone-conversation-ben-bartch

EDIT:  In fact the Jags have a lot of good content on him and it looks like he gets to keep #78.  May he'll help crack open our own Florida pipeline.

https://www.jaguars.com/team/players-roster/ben-bartch/

[BDB]

NCAA Division I Council voted to approve voluntary athletic activities in football, men's and women's basketball beginning June 1, sources told @Stadium. Also reported by Yahoo

[Texas Ole]

NCAA Division I Council voted to approve voluntary athletic activities in football, men's and women's basketball beginning June 1, sources told @Stadium. Also reported by Yahoo

I am seeing other sources report it so that is promising.  I am not sure how voluntary those activities are for many of the athletes.  I am also seeing more schools trying to end terms by Thanksgiving.  That might be a good plan especially for the larger schools.  I am getting a little more worried this virus could end up being seasonal based on increases in other parts of the world.  I think the advantage is that we will have more test subjects which helps with treatment studies.  I also see promising results from several antivirals that I think are far more important than vaccinations.  The more I hear about this virus the more I am convinced we have treatments sooner rather than later.  People are looking for ways to profit off of this pandemic, and the profits will be astronomical.

[OzJohnnie]

NCAA Division I Council voted to approve voluntary athletic activities in football, men's and women's basketball beginning June 1, sources told @Stadium. Also reported by Yahoo

Woohoo!  Game on.  Now I just need the Australian gov't to ease up on international travel.  Let's go, boys.

[jknezek]

This begs the question--do you side with Auburn or Alabama come college football season? I lived in Columbus, Georgia for three years, and I believe that refusing to pick a side isn't much of an option.

There are 2 things you get asked when you meet someone new in AL.... 1) What church do you go to and 2) Alabama or Auburn.

As a kid who was raised Jewish in the northeast I don't make many friends when i answer "none" and "whoever has the least chance at making the playoffs."

Fortunately I'm quite good at taekwondo and I have lots of ex-pat friends.

[OzJohnnie]

This begs the question--do you side with Auburn or Alabama come college football season? I lived in Columbus, Georgia for three years, and I believe that refusing to pick a side isn't much of an option.

There are 2 things you get asked when you meet someone new in AL.... 1) What church do you go to and 2) Alabama or Auburn.

As a kid who was raised Jewish in the northeast I don't make many friends when i answer "none" and "whoever has the least chance at making the playoffs."

Fortunately I'm quite good at taekwondo and I have lots of ex-pat friends.

3) Is she your sister?

[OzJohnnie]

AO gets to cheer.  Northwestern is open for on-campus classes this fall.


Also declaring on campus classes:

St Cloud State (I like this one!)

Previously declared open:

Bethel
Macalester
Concordia St Paul

Considering a range:

St Olaf

Waiting to decide:

U of M

[faunch]

AO gets to cheer.  Northwestern is open for on-campus classes this fall.


Also declaring on campus classes:

St Cloud State (I like this one!)

Previously declared open:

Bethel
Macalester
Concordia St Paul

Considering a range:

St Olaf

Waiting to decide:

U of M

I had a beer last night w/ a fellow Johnnie that recently spoke to someone on the "inside" and was told CSB/SJU plan to be on campus this fall.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Thought this was pretty interesting...

https://techstartups.com/2020/05/20/coronavirus-infection-rates-declined-not-increased-states-lockdowns-ended-jp-morgan-study-shows/

[MUC57]

Mount Union to resume face-to-face learning in the fall semester. 🎓

During each week of instruction, a portion of students in a course will meet face-to-face for one class session, and switch to remote learning. The other portion of students will perform the opposite.

This allows the school to maximize personal interaction between faculty and students, and between students in a course, while reducing density in classrooms, thus permitting proper social distancing.

Just another way of getting school started again. Nothing mentioned about the sports programs. 

(This story was in today's "Alliance Review" newspaper)