UN #7-16
Dear Bummed-Out Johnnie Followers —
I’ll give it to you quickly: SJU out-gained #4 St. Thomas 328-304 but committed five turnovers in a 33-21 loss in front of an announced crowd of 16,514, the second-largest recorded football attendance in NCAA Division III history, Sept. 24 in Clemens Stadium.
That unseemly loss, which was made all the more bitter because, despite the turnovers that turned into easy scores, we played even with them. And despite those miscues — some of which happened by good plays on our opponents’ part — we were only six points behind them with five minutes to play. Then, after the only major breakdown in our very successful stifling of their long runs, UST’s frosh phenom finally scampered for a 47-yard TD, icing the score. The Tommies are good but either they are not as good as last year or we have improved immensely. I think it’s the latter. However, UST is used to big game pressure and we’re not…and it showed. Nevertheless, our performance against them was undoubtedly sobering for Caruso and the Toms, whether they’ll admit it or not. I felt terrible for our guys in the way we lost while at the same time being very proud of them for the tremendous effort they made to stay in the game.
Understandably, SJU slipped four spots from #6 to #10 in the d3football.com poll. Not bad. However, if we should lose to Bethel, or even barely win, we’ll slip way down if not out of the Top 25. After Saturday we’ll have some spirited contests with Gustavus, Augsburg and Hamline, all of which we should win, but the last really tough game will be up in Moorhead against Concordia. We have to win out for a chance of a rerun against the Tommies. Maybe by that time we’ll learn how to hold on to the ball when opponents are whacking and pulling at it. And to protect our quarterbacks from headhunting Tommies practicing Caruso’s philosophy of physically removing the best prayers of the opposition by targeting them with “extra attention.”
* *
The atmosphere leading up to and throughout the game was electric, colorful and so much fun. Before I ever so briefly touch on that I have to comment on a couple of things: First, the public address system was turned up so loud it was almost at the pain threshold — that needs to be addressed immediately. (And it’s shrillness made the interminable advertising announcements all the more unbearable. I ran into a member of the Board of Trustees who was livid, both about the volume and repetitiveness of the ads.); and Second, whoever was playing the very loud rock music before kick-offs and other plays, like third downs, should be removed from that position stat. In the past, in our showing respect for the opposition and modeling good St. John’s sportsmanship, that kind of music would fade out just prior to the play — this time the heavy-handed, blindly partisan person at the controls just kept it going even after the Tommies had left their huddle, lined up and began the play. During my halftime stroll I ran into the Football Whisperer and caught an earful about all this from him as well. I dislike the Tommies as much or more than the next red-clad fan, but that display embarrassed me and many others. It was, like so many of our continual ads, bush league and intrusive. [End of rant.]
* *
Our weekend began with Chris and me checking into the Guest House Friday afternoon before attending the evening mass with the monks, especially Frs. Don Talafous and Timo Backous. Afterwards Father Hilary Thimmesh ’50, Mike Fahey ’75, John Sipe ’61/’65, Don Schreifels ’65, Tom ’61/’65 and Kris Bauer, and Chris and I all trucked over to Fishers Club in Avon, before heading back to the Guest House Library for a nightcap involving dark chocolate and red wine — a pleasant way to get some additional antioxidants. On the back back we drove through the already mostly packed tailgate lot and saw the that Troy Fritz ’88 and Jim Kuhn ’02 with the Institutional Advancement office had reserved some crucial spots for Tailgate King Mike Fahey and his assistant John Sipe.
In the morning much of the same group met for breakfast with Timo and we were joined later by Vicky Reid of Spearfish, SD who was here to visit her daughter Elise, a senior at CSB; her son Alex ’14 also went to SJU. Over her hardboiled egg and toast Vicky then went on to explain the rest of her SJU-CSB pedigree and it’s complicated so I hope I got this right: one of her brothers — Steve Eckrich ’81 — is a Johnnie with a daughter, Marissa ’20; she mentioned another brother, Jon Eckrich, who may have also gone here but he’s not in the Online Directory. A third brother, Jerry Eckrich, did not attend but sent two sons — Sam ’07 and Peter ’10…and I think Allison who is either a Bennie or about to be. Vicky said that the draw for the Reids and the Eckriches is how everyone becomes “family” here, not just attending students. We also said hello to Fr. Wilfred who was breaking bread with his brother and nephew; Johan Von Perys from the Basilica of St. Mary who said he was teaching a class that weekend; and Tom Nicol, who invited us over to the tailgate for some of his soup (spoiler alert: I had a bowl and it was awesome, minestrone, I think. Lots of veggies.
The crowds started building very early and one thing that stood out was the large number of law enforcement officers on campus. In one area, north of the Palestra, there were about 12 police cars lined up. [see photo #1 for some of them]. There were about 20 officers from the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department who joined every available member of the SJU-CSB Life Services group, plus any number of SJU administrative staff who were present to maintain order and stop any problems very quickly. Most of the purple visitors and nearly all our Johnnies and Bennies behaved, but, as you’ll read farther down, there were quite a few who were over-served on the way up from the Cities on party buses that had to park out at the highway. And, of course, we have a scene [see photo #2] of some of the stereotypes we have of Tommies (and Tommettes) behaving badly on the sidelines, heckling soph WR Will Gillach after he scored our final touchdown. Someone wrote of this scene: “The girl’s parents would be so proud.”
At the tailgate, which was going full speed by early in the morning, it was wall-to-wall people having a most wonderful time noshing, mixing bloody marys, reconnecting, laughing, joking, talking friendly Johnnie-Tommie smack (there were a few purple T-Shirts in the crowd). There were too many people there even to try to acknowledge but I did meet Pete Rockers ’81 (who is married to Sue Erlandson Rockers ’84) and is a cousin of my classmate Dio ’64; ran into classmate Don Corbett ’64; saw Mike ’73 and Ruth Zauhar of Brainerd, parents of Molly ’04 and Michael ’06 who were about somewhere. Molly’s S.O. is Wade Rignell ’02. The Zauhars were with Perry and Patti Good, parents of Jason ’06 and his wife Lindsay Novak Good ’06. Also happy to see Tom ’66/’70 and wife Mary ’70 Weiss up from River Falls, WI. John Delebo ’81 told me the story of how he found his personal accountant for 30 years, a Tommie. When they first met the Tom asked John why he would want to do his financial business with a St. Thomas grad; without skipping a beat John fired back, “Because nobody cheats like a Tommie.” Also saw some old tailgate friends for the first time this season: Pete Hacker ‘88, Max Stein ‘04, Bob Verkuilen ‘56 and John Lohmann ’64. At different times Colleen Lily ’81 and Jim Conn ’64 and I wandered about the scene but we didn’t get very far before we were waylaid by happy people ready to talk. The day, 9/24, being my birthday, Chris surprised me by adding a special cake to the sharing table. [see photo #3]
Jim and I did check in with a young lady from the U of M wearing a red T-Shirt whose message we didn’t get. She and her Bennie pals were nice enough to explain it since it was probably the most popular shirt with Johnnies and Bennies that day. In the front it said: “Harambe’s Last Words” and then below a picture of a gorilla “Tommies Suck.” On the back was something like “Harambe gave his all for you…time to pay it back,” or something like that. We didn’t get it and still think it was pretty obscure and kind of dumb…but the kids apparently liked it. Harambe, we learned, was the gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo who was killed when a toddler fell in his pit. [see photo #4] Other T-Shirts: several Bennies were wearing one that read, “Tommies Sit To Pee”; Saw some Tommie T-Shirts too: “Juck the Fohnnies” and “Bottles Before Bennies”.
During the game I ran into classmate Bernie Beckman ’64 and his daughter Tracy, who was sitting in for Bernie’s wife Nancy who wasn’t feeling well. Before long the Beckmans will be heading south to their Florida winter home in The Villages. Said hello to Fr. Nick Kleespie OSB and asked what he was up to. The answer was quite a bit: he’s chaplain to the student body at SJU; a faculty rep in a freshman dorm; he works with the SJ Fire Department; and assists at St. Joseph Church in St. Joe. Good thing he’s young. During halftime Denny Schlepper ’83 received the Bob Bastien Award for Excellence. Denny lives in Florida with his Bennie wife Brenda Jones Schlepper ’86 and is CEO of an accounting firm that employs 4,500 employees nationwide. He said during his acceptance remarks that “Tommies have been hired at his firm and do well…[pause]… when supervised by a Johnnie or Bennie.”
Chris and I were sitting between Jim Senden ’64 and his grandson Jack, [an 8th grader who knew quite a bit about the intricacies of football, pointing out, for example, how the Tommie linebackers were usually playing very close to their D-line to stop the run and how that left space behind them for quick passes in that middle area, which our coaches and boys didn’t seem to capitalize on] on one side and Tom ‘60/’64 and Lynn McKasy on the other. In front of us were Owen and Jan Krueger of Sonoma, CA, grandparents of junior RB Dusty, whose parents, Duff and Shelley, sat with them. Duff, no slouch in the tailgating department, had an RV in the tailgate lot and slept in it overnight.
Not being able to bear watching the inevitable purple crowd swarming our field and dancing upon the “J”, Chris and I left with about three minutes to go, got out quickly and were the first ones in the back room at the La Playette, where we began moving tables and chairs together to seat “our people” when they invariably arrived. The ensuing scene in the La was something to behold…one would have never thought we had just lost again to the hated Toms, so much fun, laughter and mixing/visiting was going on. And just when things couldn’t get any more festive in walks Captain Morgan and five or six beauteous lady pirates dispensing samples of different kinds of the Captain’s rum drinks. [see photo #5 of me posing with the crew for posterity — it was my 74th birthday, what can I tell you?] And speaking of not acting one’s age, I was outdone in that department by Phabe Wartman ’51/’55, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering and much younger wife, Rita. We witnessed something I had not seen before at a couple nearby tables — drinking these “fishbowl” mixtures of three kinds of booze and sugary mixes — each had three or four straws for group guzzling. I get a glycemic boost just thinking about them. At the table behind us there were three fishbowls ordered because, as one of the younger Johnnies there said, “four would be excessive.” I was asked to judge a hotly sucked contest between three teams consisting of three Johnnies, three Johnnies, and two Bennies and a Johnnie. The team with the Bennies won quite handily even when their Johnnie teammate had to pause due to brain freeze. The winning team was comprised by Carolyn Triggs Moscho ’12, Kristin Donner ’12 and Jake Ingalls ’12. Carolyn’s husband Ryan Moscho ’11 wisely sat that one out.
Others I spoke with were Dave Lutz ’89 and his senior Bennie daughter Megan ’17; Dave’s wife Deb (the avid Cobber) was watching their Johnnie son Matt ’20 at a golf match; see farther below to see how SJU fared. Said hi to Jim Sexton and his wife Paula, and Mike Kuhn ’99 and wife Sarah Meixner Kuhn ’00 (and their friend William Addison). A most depressed Ron Tomczik ’65 came in a bit later after having visited with about a half dozen players on the field after the game. He said the general feeling among all the players was the same: “We didn’t lose this game; we gave it to them,” and they all said, “We plan to see them in the playoffs.” Also showing up at our crowded table were Bill and Jennifer Lynch; Bill’s a Notre Dame grad who has adopted the Johnnies as his local team. He has some CSB bona fides as well. His sister is Mary Lynch Norlander ’82 and he has a niece from Connecticut, Sierra Kaptain ’16. Bill said he and Jennifer stopped in at Brother Willie’s Pub and told the young manager that they were there after reading about it being open in the Unofficial Underground News. [Note that well, potential advertisers!] Bill also said he had talked with some of the Sheriff’s deputies on campus who said they were amazed at how many totally bombed Tommies there were, but added that overall their behavior was not so bad.
* * * *
The Tommie Manager —
A young office worker was leaving the office late one evening when he found the sales manager, a St. Thomas alumnus, standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.
"Listen," said the Tommie most officiously, "this is a very sensitive and important document here, and my secretary has gone for the night. Can you make this thing work for me right now?"
"Certainly," said the young man. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.
"Excellent, excellent!" said the very-important Tommie grad, as his paper disappeared inside the machine. "I just need one copy ...."
* * * *
What About Bethel? —
It’s taken awhile for the Bethel Royals to get settled and start churning their legendary ground game while unleashing their stingy defense again. Prior to last Saturday, the Royals were a very surprising 0-3, including a close conference loss to Concordia.
Against lowly St. Olaf last week in Northfield, however, the Royals simply decimated the poor Oles 44-7. They ground out 379 rushing yards while limiting the Oles to -4 on 26 attempts. But they did give up some passing yards, leading me to think the Jays can open up an air attack to loosen the death grip their linebackers have on opponents’ running backs. Here are three names to listen for on defense — linebackers sophomore Andrew Ragsdale and junior Josh Dalki, and sophomore defensive end Dawson Brown (from Becker, MN and who the Football Whisperer claims is arguably the best defensive player in the MIAC; I believe he transferred in from a D II school but I’m not sure.) Brown is fast, tough, canny and seems to be everywhere on the field. Offensively the two names we’ll hear most are shifty junior Bridgeport Tusler and tiny sophomore Brady Bomsta; these running backs had twenty carries each for 7.8 and 6.1 yards per carry respectively for nearly 200 yards. As a team Bethel seems pretty fast, but not more so than St. Thomas or ourselves.
I don’t particularly like the Royals…for years they were the chippiest team in the conference and they have had more than their share of victories over SJU. We’re their “Tommie game” whereas I don’t think we normally got up for them in that way. This year the Royals were inexplicably down with losses yet, as last week shows, they are not out. The Johnnies should prevail in a another tough, physical game but it won’t be a breeze. If, by some horrible chance, our team comes into this game with dobbers down from last Saturday’s loss, they certainly can be upset. And that would do it for this season for the Ol’ Cardinal and Blue. Let’s hope Gary has the guys ready.
YIKES! JUST IN…I heard that one of our key players is out for a game or two. Rats! We’ve so far lost terrific soph running back Kai Barber and first-team senior wide receiver Dan Harrington over the past two games, both with season-ending injuries. Now this new thing… All of a sudden our game against the Royals takes on an even more scary complexion.
* * * *
Trading Gas Caps —
A Bethel grad filled his car with gas at a self-service gas station. After he had paid and driven away, he realized that he had left the gas cap on top of his car. He stopped and looked and, sure enough, it was lost.
Well, the Royal thought for a second and realized that other people must have done the same thing, and that it was worth going back to look by the side of the road since even if he couldn't find his own gas cap, he might be able to find one that fit.
Sure enough, he hadn't been searching long when he found a gas cap. He tried it on, and it went into place with a satisfying click.
"Great," he thought, "I lost my gas cap, but I found another one that fits. And this one's even better because it locks..."
* * * *
Bethel, The Institution —
Bethel University sits on Valentine Lake in Arden Hills, MN, a northern St. Paul suburb. It is a private institution affiliated with Converge Worldwide, earlier known as the Baptist General Conference. The school was established in 1871 as a seminary for Baptist immigrants from Sweden. It came to St. Paul in 1913 after it merged with Bethel Academy. It became a four-year liberal arts college named Bethel College and Seminary in 1947. It moved to its present location in 1972 and in 2004 changed its name to Bethel University. While it claims to have more than 6,500 students worldwide, there are 2800 undergraduates at the main campus.
About this time each year when we play the Royals I usually slip in my favorite Bethel joke about why Baptists don’t make love standing up — so their neighbors don’t think they’re dancing. But, doggone it, this year they threw me a theological/morality curve ball by releasing a “Welcome Week” video showing, among other things, the student body dancing! [ https://www.bethel.edu/features/welcome-week/ ]
But fear not. All is not lost. Student still have to sign “The Covenant,” which is a lifestyle agreement for living a Christian lifestyle of personal morality that “includes a respect for all persons and ethnic traditions, refraining from extramarital sex, gambling, illegal drugs, and tobacco in any form. It also states Bethel students should live a biblical lifestyle, which would mean staying away from gossip and gluttony.”
However it does not include apparently a prescription against football players twisting opponents’ ankles in pile-ups, stepping on an opponent’s hand while he’s still down, pushing an opponent’s head/helmet into the mud while getting up after a tackle and offering most un-Christian trash talk after plays and from the sidelines.
* * * *
Live Streaming Audio and Video —
It appears that Bethel is picking up the Johnnies pregame show beginning at 11 am and beginning the video streaming at 12:55 pm
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/bethel/
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Bethel Parking, Tailgate and Partying Beforehand —
From Adam Herbst ’99, St. John’s Alumni Relations
Bob, John Anderson posted in the SJU Current Football Parents Facebook group this morning. I thought I would share what he posted with you. Here it is:
Tailgating
Opponents are directed to the SoHo parking lot (#18 on the campus map).
map: http://www.minnesotaso.org/Files/bethel-campus-map.pdf
There is a grassy area right next to the parking lot as you begin to take the path to the field that we can use. It is the same place as previous years so some of you will remember it. It is not up by the field but by the parking lot. There is NO ALCOHOL allowed on campus.
The Exchange Food and Drink - 500 5th Ave NW in New Brighton
Opens at 10am. They will hold an area by the bar for us and we can order from the standard menu. http://www.exchangefoodanddrink.com/
Last year we went to Grumpys but they advised they are expecting to be busy with other events that day, too They open at 11 and we are welcome but there will be no reserved space or staff. http://www.grumpys-bar.com/roseville.html
Hope to see a big visitor crowd again. Go Johnnies!!! —Adam
(Editor’s Relevant Comments: [A] The SoHo lot (#18) that Bethel is directing us to is quite small and inaccessible unless you are coming south on Hwy. 51. Come early and try to park in Lot #9 known as the West Parking Lot, or across old Snelling Avenue west of the main entrance at Lot #8 at the Ona Orth Athletic Complex. It will be really congested all around because of Bethel’s Homecoming celebration.
[B] There will be no Stiftungsfestivities tailgate at the usual location because chief instigator Mike Fahey ’75 has tickets to the Ryder Cup tournament on Saturday. But others are free to do their own thing, maybe even in the SoHo Parking Lot. By the way, although Bethel may have a no alcohol policy, we always did our discrete “Red Solo Cup and No Open Bottles” thing and no one bothered us, nor did we abuse the property or the occasion.
[C] Last year my old roomie, Jim Senden ’64, formerly mayor of New Brighton who still knows his town well, suggested that we should have selected The Exchange Pub over Grumpy’s for a number of reasons, the most relevant is that it’s closer and easier to get to Bethel than Grumpy’s. So that’s where I’m heading for my pregame burger and brew...and then leaving early to snag a parking spot somewhere. For those Grumpy’s diehards, they open at 11 am and serve breakfast to 3 pm, plus they have $4 Bloody Marys. OR...one could always arrive real early, walk around, enjoy the pleasant Bethel campus, and grab a Baptist Burger (actually they have a lunch special for $8) in Building #4, Brushaber Commons.
* * * *
Baptist One-Upmanship —
An artist’s son, a musician’s son and a Baptist pastor’s son were talking.
The artist's son said, "My dad can scribble something on a piece of paper, call it a picture, and sell it for $100."
The musician's son said, "Oh, that's nothing! My dad can scribble something on a piece of paper, call it a song, and sell it for $1000."
The pastor's son looks at them and said, "You guys don’t know anything!!! My dad can scribble something on a piece of paper, call it a sermon, and it takes like six guys to gather all the money!"
* * * *
Monks Playing Golf —
Two retired monks, Fathers Wilfred Theisen ’52 and Alberic Culhane ’52, had been giving each other a friendly hard time about the other’s golf game for quite some time. Finally, one morning after coffee in the monastery, they decided to go golfing the next pleasant Spring afternoon to determine once and for all who was the better all-around golfer.
At the Albany Golf Club a few days later the two men approached the fourteenth tee pretty much even, which is not the same as saying they had low scores. The straight fairway ran along a road and bike path fenced off on the left.
Wilfred teed off and hooked the ball badly in that direction. The ball went over the fence and bounced off the bike path onto the road, where it hit the tire of a moving bus and was knocked back on to the fairway.
As they both stood in amazement, Alberic asked him, "How on earth did you do that?"
Wilfred shrugged his shoulders and said, "You have to know the bus schedule."
* * * *
Tommie Game Reports —
From GoJohnnies.com
From Frank Rajkowski, St. Cloud Times
* * * *
The Tommie Office Assistant —
The office manager of a small company was asked to hire the grandson of the company’s owner, a young man who was a recent graduate of the University of St. Thomas.
The manager was indeed getting frustrated with the Tommie grad’s work habits and attitude. Finally he told the kid, "I'm telling you for the last time -- answer the phone when it rings!"
The Tommie replied, "Why? It's almost always for you!"
* * * *
Physics Corner, Irrefutable Laws Department —
186,000 miles/sec: Not just a good idea, it's the LAW.
* * * *
Psychology Department, Career Opportunities Division —
The employer asked the applicant, "I see you were last employed by a psychiatrist. Why did you leave?"
"Well," she replied, "I just couldn't win. "If I was late to work, I was hostile. If I was early, I had an anxiety complex. If I was on time, I was compulsive."
* * * *
2016 SJU Football Schedule
(All games begin at 1 pm)
Sept. 3 St. Scholastica Collegeville W 49-7
Sept. 10 Buena Vista Univ. Storm Lake, IA W 40-17
Sept. 17 St. Olaf - Homecoming Collegeville W 44-0
Sept. 24 St. Thomas Collegeville L 21-33
Oct. 1 Bethel Arden Hills
Oct. 8 Augsburg Minneapolis
Oct. 15 Carleton - Fam Wknd Collegeville
Oct. 22 Gustavus St. Peter
Oct. 29 Bye Week —
Nov. 5 Hamline Collegeville
Nov. 12 Concordia Moorhead
* * * *
Around the MIAC —
Augsburg 49 - Carleton 17 — Nothing to see here, folks...just move along.
Bethel 44 - St. Olaf 7 — Hmmm, it looks like the Royals have some of their mojo back, but will it be enough for them to seriously challenge the Jays? Stay tuned...or better yet, show up in Arden Hills and cheer our boys on. I think we may need it.
Hamline 42 - Gustavus 40 — Wow! A barnburner between two unbeaten middle-of-the-MIAC-packers. Have to say I’m pleasantly surprised that the Hamline Pipers prevailed, although the result probably would have been different if the Gusties had its hot-shot QB at the helm.
St. Thomas 33 - Saint John’s 21 — We showed we can play with the Bullies of Summit Avenue; next time we’ll keep our hands on the ball and kick their purple arses.
* * * *
MIAC Standings, Week 2 —
MIAC ALL
St. Thomas 2-0 4-0
Concordia 1-0 2-1
Hamline 1-0 3-0
Augsburg 1-1 1-3
Bethel 1-1 1-3
Gustavus 1-1 3-1
Saint John’s 1-1 3-0
Carleton 0-2 0-4
St. Olaf 0-2 1-3
* * * *
Who’s Playing Whom This Week? —
Concordia versus Gustavus — The Cobbers bury the Gusties.; if they don’t then the Pipers are for real.
Hamline versus Carleton — The Pipers will have their way with the Knights.
Saint John’s versus Bethel — The Royals often have had our number in the past, but hopefully not this year.
Augsburg versus St. Thomas — Another one of those 55 to 12 games...ho hum.
By process of elimination, the Oles get the week off to lick their wounds.
* * * *
Battle Between The Sexes (A Continuing Series) —
If Men Got Pregnant
1. Morning sickness would rank as the nation’s number one health problem.
2. Maternity leave would last for two years with full pay.
3. Children would be kept in the hospital until toilet trained.
4. Natural childbirth would become obsolete.
5. All methods of birth control would become 100% effective.
6. Men would be eager to talk about commitment.
7. There would be a cure for stretch marks.
8. They would serve beer instead of coffee at antenatal classes.
9. Men wouldn't think twins were so cute.
10. Sons would have to come home from dates by 9 pm.
* * * *
Biblical Prophecy of Victory —
(As confided by Fr. Timothy Backous OSB, St. John’s Abbey)
Bob, My mind wandered during our scripture reading at morning prayer and I started wondering how we’d do against Bethel when suddenly the reader (Br. Paul Richards) read from the book of Amos 5:5 - “and Bethel shall come to nothing.” I left morning prayer a happy monk. — Timo
* * * *
Accounting Prophecy of Victory —
(As foretold by Accounting Professor Boz Bostrom ’95)
Bummer about the UST game, but definitely more encouraging than our two games against them last year. Hopefully we can run the table and get a rematch with them in the playoffs. Erdmann made a few mistakes but, gosh, I like having him at the helm - his final TD was a beauty.
Prediction for this week...Bethel started slow but has been coming around. I see Johnson working his magic against us and using his awful field to keep it closer than might be suggested on a paper. 21-7 Johnnies in very ugly win with low yardage totals.
[Random factoids of the week from football players I have in class:]
1. The last time senior Griffin Toomey had a punt blocked was in high school. The person who blocked it was Su'a Cravens, who now plays for the Washington Redskins, and who had a game ending INT in the Skins win over the Giants this past weekend.
2. Frosh Chris Clarkson from Compton, California has a pet goldfish named Kevin and brought Kevin to class for show and tell.
(Editor’s Aside: “Show and tell”? This IS a college course, is it not? Let’s hope Kevin didn’t bum out the class by floating upside down in his bowl, like all my goldfish ended up doing. Finally, do your magic and have Chris meet some Bennies…he’s becoming too close to his goldfish.)
* * * *
Overheard on the Bethel Campus —
A young Bethel student was engaging a pretty blond Royal coed in conversation at the Student Union. He authoritatively explained to her, “In French, oeuf means egg, cheese is fromage. It's like those French have a different word for everything."
* * * *
The Football Whisperer —
The ‘Purple Reign’ (school colors purple) continues. The top four teams in Division III (Mount Union, UW-Whitewater, Mary Hardin-Baylor and St. Thomas (UST)) all won their games. It now looks like all four teams could be 10 and 0 going into the playoffs.
UW-Whitewater must get wins over highly ranked Oshkosh and Platteville and Mary Hardin-Baylor must get by Hardin-Simmons. If Whitewater loses one game, St. Thomas might get moved to another region. The playoffs have now started for SJU (now ranked number 10). They must win out to get a bid and that starts at Bethel.
Th Whisperer pretty much called the UST-SJU game. SJU had to stop the running game, we were out rushed 190-83, we had to get to their QB Fenske (Sr) and force a replacement Perra, (Fr) to win the game. That didn’t happen. What the Whisperer did not consider was that SJU needed to protect the ball. We had five turnovers. That was the difference. The Whisperer was approached by fans asking, why did this happen? Were they nervous, did UST’s pressure cause it, etc. I’m sure it was a combination of factors. The fact is that SJU still had a chance to win late in the game and UST stopped our plays and we did not get it done. The Whisperer thought a mid-range (10-20 yards) passing attack might have been effective at times during the game but SJU seemed to want to go long. Especially with our strength at tight end.
Bethel (now 1-3) has created some life in their program after defeating St. Olaf in Northfield 44-7 before a crowd of 672. Yes, 672. It will be Homecoming in Arden Hills. Bethel’s running game produced 379 yards against the Oles. Bridgeport Tusler (Jr, #34) had 156 and Brady Bomsta (So, #33) had 122. Bethel defense held the Oles to -4 yards rushing. Their defense is getting better. How much better will be known on Saturday. SJU will need a little more out of their run game and continued proficiency with the pass game. If our defense slows down their run game, we should be able to come away with a win.
Now to the most pressing issues.
The Abbey is asking for donations to buy Bose Noise Cancelling headsets for the retired priests who attend the games. At Saturday’s game, the PA system/speakers were so loud, they turned off their hearing aids and that still did not help. Fans in section 102 were really annoyed. An attempt was made to get the equipment volume control turned down but was met with little cooperation. A Save Our Ears protest may have to be started. Seriously, the speakers need some direction change and/or the volume controls need adjustment.
It is the Whisperer’s understanding that they are about to tear down the smokestack on campus. This has raised some questions. How will we know when a new Abbot or football coach is chosen if we cannot see the white smoke rise to the heavens? This has to be addressed.
* * * *
Johnnie Fans React —
From Paul Hamann ’63, Edina, MN —
Hi Bob, Lots of what ifs and cliches one could use after the game. One item I would like the Football Whisperer to research....What if that frosh Tommie back had stayed at St. John's? Would love to know that back story.
Out East for a few weekends visiting darling daughters.. Will look forward to a game or two later this season, and the rematch!! — Paul
(Editor’s Comment: Since the Football Whisperer didn’t mention Josh Parks, the frosh running sensation who transferred into UST after spending a couple weeks with us last year, I’ll try. He began as a preferred walk-on at the U of M, was red-shirted and did not play. Leaving the Gophers he came to St. John’s but had to leave because he could not afford both our tuition and the rental contract he signed previously down in the Twin Cities. My understanding is he continued at the U of M just as a student last year then transferred to St. Thomas with Jacques Perra, the red-shirted quarterback who is Josh’s friend and encouraged Parks to join him. Josh still has freshman eligibility while Perra is listed as a sophomore. St. Thomas now has two of the best running backs in the MIAC in senior “seminarian” Jordan Roberts (who didn’t play against us) and Parks. No offense meant to our strong team of runners, but we have no one who can dominate a game as running back like either of those two…nor does any other team in the conference. The rich got richer.)
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From Harry Froehle ’63, Eagle River, AK —
It appears the Johnnies successfully fumbled their way to a loss to the Tommies.
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From Mike Murphy ’61, St. Paul, MN —
Bob -- You called it. That was some purple reign up there last Saturday. Not to mix metaphors, but I'm thinking rear view mirrors here: Over the past several years we've been watching this guy coming up fast in ours; now he's watching us recede in his. — Mike
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From Dave Roy ‘83, Excelsior, MN —
Tough loss Wick, but I guess we can't expect to win when we have so many turnovers. Self induced pain. We should've beat the Tommies.
Question for you: With the copious amounts of subscription revenue you make from the Underground News, have you thought about using some of those funds for a big video board for Clemens Stadium. Sure would be nice to see replays of the officiating! Have a great week. Regards, — Dave
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From Fr. Hilary Thimmesh, OSB ’50, 2nd Tommy Faculty Rep [read: Prefect] —
Dear Bob and Chris, Thanks for the dinner at Fishers last Friday and the wine and chocolate afterwards. What a splendid idea and how generous of you! How did tailgating work out Saturday? I caught a glimpse of you in the crowd at halftime, Bob, but had arranged to get a spot in the President’s box to watch the game. I’ll be interested to read your comments on the game. I’ve never been good at seeing what 22 guys are doing individually in the few seconds of a play. In fact I congratulate myself if I know who has the football once the quarterback gets rid of it. On the whole, however, I had the impression that the Tommies were the more disciplined team. I wonder whether coaching has anything to do with it? Much thanks! — Hilary
P.S. - Will Kleinschmidt from Avon is on my floor. Charming young guy, grandson of the Kleinschmidts who owned Fishers.
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From Tony Sandeen ‘94, Hong Kong, PRC
Dear Wick, With anticipation high, son Thad and I awoke earlier than normal so we could watch the replay of the Tommie game before mass -- Sun morning Hong Kong being Saturday early evening in MN (the video quality is exceptional and much better than I would expect for D3 football so it's a great resource for those of not able to be in Collegeville.) The trouble however, was that the final score was posted on the landing page for the video (complaint dept, pls). So for us, the game was over before it began. And after knowing the final, we didn't have the stomachs to watch it play out. So then to the web in search of commentary. I saw the 5 turnovers and thought perhaps we'd given the game away. Then I read Reusse's column and his view wasn't as charitable. The Saint Cloud Times was more woulda, coulda, shoulda. So now we're back in familiar territory; needing to win out and get the Tommies again in the post season. I'm looking forward to reading the collective commentary in the Underground... Cheers from Hong Kong, — Tony
(Editor’s Note: Here’s the column by Patrick Reusse that Tony referred to:
http://www.startribune.com/familiar-style-carries-st-thomas-football-past-st-john-s-31-22/394698311/
And here’s a more balance report by Frank Rajkowski of the St. Cloud Times:
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From Jeff Norman ’78, New Brighton, MN —
So, now that the dust has settled, what are your thoughts on the game?
Mine? UST is a better team. But it's hard to say “What If” when you have 5 turnovers. Also it's hard to win with a first year QB. You really have to have experience in these big games to not only play mistake free, but to be a difference maker. And that's what has to happen at QB for SJU. Erdmann is going to really learn from this game. Hopefully. If he does he has the talent to be a difference maker in the future. We are improving; let's build around a future all-conference QB. BTW, I wasn't very good my first few games.
P.S. - Here’s an excerpt from a St. Cloud guy, “Dirty Dick” Rengel, who writes a weekly sports blog called “The Rant.” It’s mostly about professional and big college sports but he comments on small college sports from time to time. I’m sending on his remarks about the Johnnie-Tommie game:
I attended the game of the day, at least in Division 3, as St. John’s lost at home to St.Thomas, 33-21, mainly because of five turnovers. The tailgating was festive, as was the scenery. These girls are wearing those skin-tight spandex which doesn't leave much to the imagination I'm here to tell ya'. YIKES!
There were over 16,500 in attendance, which is the second largest crowd in D-3 history, topped only by the 17,000 plus that attended the same game last year in Collegeville.
I rode with fellow ranter Gordy Spengler [’78] and we hooked up with his nephew Ryan [’13] and fellow ranters Harry Burns [SJP ’74/SJU ’78] and Jeff Norman. Jeff QB'ed and place-kicked for the 1976 Johnnies national title winner. That was the third of their four.
I will never be a Johnny fan but I rooted for them over St. Thomas. St. Cloud State is so horse-crap that after losing to Wayne St.- Nebraska I may not go to another of their games. Wouldn't surprise me if they got beat by winless Crookston this week.
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From Peter Harrington ’81, Minneapolis, father of senior WR Dan —
Rob, Not sure if you heard. Dan broke his fibula on the first-down catch he made with 1:30 left in the half. He's out for the season. Tough one for a senior with high expectations of himself and the team for his senior year. — Peter
(Editor’s Sympathetic Reply: Ahhh, crap! We’re all really feeling for the young man (and Kai Barber too); please extend our best wishes to Dan.)
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From Jim Conn ’63, Alexandria, MN —
Bob – Yesterday was a great day to be a Johnnie – but you had to be at Collegeville and surrounds to experience the joy that even a loss can bring. The vaunted #4 Tommies came to town with their ever-present chip on their shoulders – and slunk out of town in late afternoon with their tail between their legs. Why a great day you ask in light of their win? Well – it can’t really even be categorized as a win for UST – but rather a loss by the Johnnie football team. Nuanced as this statement might be – SJU was the superior team on the field except for the turnovers. It was clear to me that had the Johnnies eliminated the 5 turnovers – the final W-L score would have been reversed. If one compares the playoff loss to UST last Fall – when UST really did beat the Johnnies – this loss to UST was a whole different ballgame and really showed me that UST is not the juggernaut that it was last season, or better said – the Johnnies can be a real contender this year, even with the loss of Sam Sura. I just hope that we have a chance to meet UST football yet this year in the playoffs.
Other joyful reasons to be a Johnnie yesterday – and here some credit due to the Tommie fans as well – the mob scene at the Flynntown parking lot prior to the game felt and looked a lot more like a full-blown NFL tailgating event than the more sedate events in the Science Hall parking lot of years past. I’ve never seen so much food (and beverage) at a tailgating event entwined amongst a crushing body of raucous and friendly fans. The spirit prior to the game was infectious – but you had to be there for the experience – and to bounce off of some of the celebrants while navigating around and through the area on foot! I hope that the SJU administration can find a way to preserve the good feeling of connectivity that was present amongst all at the tailgate - prior to the game itself.
After the game was over – I drove Anita into St. Cloud and dropped her at the Executive Express terminal at the Holiday Inn as she was headed for MSP to meet old shopping friends - all on their way to Myrtle Beach to celebrate their 25th Anniversary of shopping together (OUCH). Having consummated my mission of transferring my wife to others so as to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet, and prior to returning to Alexandria, I decided to stop at the La for a celebration of sorts, expecting a subdued crowd of losers crying in their beer – only to find another spirited, raucous wall-to-wall crowd of mostly Johnnie supporters continuing the enjoyment of each other’s company from earlier in the day and already planning the next football win against UST. As always Bob, I am certain that you will report on who all was there as I saw you taking copious notes – but I think it important for all UUN readers to know that your behavior that afternoon, albeit short of dancing on the tables, was special in its enthusiasm for all things Johnnie – and that is why your readers love you so much! — JimC
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Secrets Of The UUN’s Epicurean Institute —
How to prepare Tofu:
1. Throw it in the trash.
2. Grill some Meat. *
* 100% grass-fed, of course.
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Another School Of Theology Ecumenical Moment —
(Contributed by Pat McDonnell ’67, Lilydale, MN)
A Lutheran arrives at the Pearly Gates and St. Peter bids him welcome. He tells him, "All the Lutherans are in Room 10, but please be quiet as you pass Room 4."
The Lutheran thanks him and enters. A Methodist arrives next. St. Peter welcomes him and says, "All the Methodists are in Room 7, but be sure to be quiet when you go by Room 4." The Methodist nods and enters.
A Latter-Day Saint shows up a moment later and St. Peter checks his name off the list. He says, "All the Mormons are in Room 14, but be sure to be quiet when you go by Room 4."
The Mormon starts to enter, but turns and asks, "Why, what's in Room 4?"
St. Peter answers, "The Catholics."
The Latter-day Saint is puzzled. "So why do you want me to be quiet?"
St. Peter replies, "Because they think they're the only ones here."
(Editor’s Note: Although funny, that thinking was more prevalent prior to Vatican II and only held today by a shrinking minority of us mackerel snappers.)
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The Few, The Proud, The Unusual —
Jack Uldrich, SJP ’82, is a global futurist, lecturer and author. The link below takes you to a brief but thought-provoking article Jack has written about the need for corporations to have some talented oddballs on staff who can sniff out coming changes in order for the organization to continue to thrive in the future.
http://jackuldrich.com/blog/change/the-few-the-proud-the-unusual/
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Bits & Pieces —
Six Arrests at the UST/SJU game —
The Stearns County Sheriff's Department reported six arrests at last Saturday's St. John's/St. Thomas football game.
The game drew a crowd of 16,514, the second-largest in the history of the series. It ranked behind only the NCAA Division III record crowd of 17,327 the regular-season meeting between the two teams drew last year.
The number of arrests Saturday was up from that game, which yielded just two. But Capt. Jon Lentz said that was probably due to the fact that the department more than doubled its presence at the game this year.
In all, a total of 22 officers were on duty, and four more provided help at some point throughout the day.
"We have a very good partnership with St. John's and St. John's Life Safety," Lentz said. "And after the game last year, my thoughts were that we needed to have a bigger presence in case anything happened, and just to keep everything in control.
"They agreed with that.”
Lentz said one arrest Saturday was for minor consumption, two were for minor consumption and providing a false name, two were for minor consumption and disorderly conduct and one person was taken to jail after fleeing from detox, where they had first been brought.
In all, Lentz said his department took 42 calls during the period they were on campus between 10 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Saturday.
Twenty-eight minor consumption citations were handed out. Two more were handed out in conjunction with other offenses — one for possession of a small amount of marijuana and the other for possessing a fake ID.
"Overall, it went pretty smoothly," Lentz said. "There were others who probably could have been cited for minor consumption. But either our officers didn't have time to deal with them, or they kept a pretty low-profile and didn't draw attention to themselves.” — (From a report by Frank Rajkowski, St. Cloud Times)
(Editor’s Comment: I had heard, second-hand and off-the-record because of confidentiality, that the arrest and citation rate was about 5 Tommies for every 1 Johnnie/Bennie. From my own observation I think that the majority of Tommies were probably caught as they stumbled drunk out of their party buses left out on the frontage road by the freeway or as they walked raucously to the game. Some were obviously impaired inside the stadium. Also from my observation, I’d have to say that the vast majority of purple-clad fans were perfectly fine, orderly and just having a good time.)
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SJU Takes First Place in Gustavus Twin Cities Classic —
The St. John’s men’s golf team, ranked No. 24, took first place in the Gustavus Twin Cities Classic at the Le Sueur Country Club on Monday. The Johnnies shot a 303 in the final round to finish with a score of 883. SJU’s Mack Farley earned medalist honors with a three-day total of 215 and Austin Kottke tied for fourth with 218.
Team scores — 1. St. John’s 883; 2. Gustavus Adolphus 890; 3. University of Manitoba 894; 4. Wisconsin-Eau Claire 896; 5. St. John’s B Team 908; 6. Augsburg College 913; 7. St. Thomas 920; 8. Bethel 933; 9. Luther College 934; 10. Concordia 935; 11. St. Thomas B Team 942; 12. Nebraska Wesleyan 945; 13. Gustavus Adolphus B Team 946; 14. Central College 950; 15. St. Olaf 956; 16. Augsburg College B Team 984.
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Prep Scoring Machine —
Lizzy Kolb, a junior on the St. John's Prep girls soccer team, has scored all five goals in the Johnnies' two victories this fall. She had three goals in St. John's Prep's 3-0 win over Melrose on Monday and also scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Cold Spring Rocori on Sept. 19.
"She's intelligent and anticipates the other team's play very well," St. John's Prep head coach Stephen Larson said. "She's played at a very high level in the off-season and knows the game inside and out."
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"Town Ball Parks of Minnesota" Updates —
(From Todd Mueller ’74, Arden Hills, MN)
Hi Everyone, By now most of you are aware that my book on town ball parks in Minnesota has been out since June. These past several months I've travelled across the state doing book signings at selected ballparks. My first Barnes and Noble book signing event is this Sunday, Oct. 2nd at the Roseville (Har Mar) store. The book signing runs from 2-3:30 pm.
If you're in the area please stop in to say hi. If you haven't yet purchased the book (townballparksofmn.com), this is a great opportunity to buy a unique gift before the holiday rush.
Also, the book and town ball will be featured in a "Life to the Max" segment this Saturday evening at 11:05 pm on WCCO-TV. Best, Todd
P.S. Check us out on Facebook
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Beloved Melrose Doc Turns Author In Retirement —
The eldest of five children raised in Belgrade, a small Stearns County community, James Mohs ’68 attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, where he played baseball for four years. Earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1968, he was then accepted into the University of Minnesota’s Medical School where he received his M.D. in 1972.
After a one year internship he began his medical practice in Melrose, Minnesota, and was named the Outstanding Family Physician in Minnesota in 1997 by the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians.
He met and married his wife, Nancy, in 1974 and has three children and five grandchildren. Retiring from his medical practice in 2006 he decided to write a novel, which he accomplished with the love, support, and encouragement of his family. Jim enjoys reading, writing, and playing golf in addition to spending as much time as possible with his wife, children and grandchildren.
Over the years he delivered a couple thousand Melrose babies, including such SJU football standouts as Tom Linnemann ’00, Ben Sieben ‘00, and Blake Elliott ’03. He also was the personal physician of John and Peg Gagliardi at John’s request.
Jim describes his writing style as a cross between John Connelly and Jon Hassler. His first two books, in this order, are described here:
The Fed Man: https://www.amazon.com/Fed-Man-James-Mohs/dp/1937110028
A Rabbi, A Lady and A Gun: http://www.greenivybooks.com/index.php/featured-authors/m/a-rabbi-a-lady-and-a-gun.html
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Always Time For A Few More Tom Swifties —
"Oh, well, another broken window," said Tom painlessly.
"Nice mirror!" said Tom reflectively.
“I need a home run hitter," Tom said Ruthlessly.
"No! You can't have any of my lobster," said Tom, shellfishly.
"I'm a car salesman," said Tom Valiantly, not Dodging the question.
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From Our Readers, Before The Game:
From Boz Bostrom ’95, St. Joseph, MN —
I talked to John Gagliardi tonight. He is also nervous for the game, but believe if we make fewer mistakes than UST that we can win. We give Caruso a lot of grief for his antics, but he has definitely cut down on his team's mistakes, and that is a big reason for their success. They used to play very undisciplined football, but that has definitely changed. — Boz
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From Mark Selner SPJ ’68/UST ’73, Shoreview, MN —
Hey Rob-here it is again. Johnnie/Tommie game. I sure hope you take it easy on us, not like the last time we came up to Collegeville. I think it is going to be fairly low scoring. The winner only by 3 or 4. By low scoring I mean in the 20's. — Mark
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From Steve Thielen ‘94, Eagan ,MN —
Hi Bob, I'm off this weekend, so I will be at the game. See you Saturday! Go Johnnies!
— Steve
(Editor’s Note: Steve is a Big Ten (B1G) collegiate football official.)
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From Chris Kennedy, Marquette grad and SJU follower, Chicago, IL —
Go Johnnies---I mess up my daughters’ birthdays too!
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From Mike McIntyre ’76, Northfield, IL —
Rob, The 9/23 UUN issue was awesome. Keep it coming. Cannot get this in-depth analysis anywhere else. Look forward to the UUN every week! You deserve a Pulitzer for your coverage of Johnnie Football.
Living in Chicago makes the trip to the Pine Curtain a rare event, but your UUN brings the anticipation of a weekly win to my front door!! — MAC '76
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From Rick Sitarz ’87, Maple Grove, MN —
Rob: Could you add me to your email list for the UUN distribution. I enjoy reading your email and have had it forwarded to me from Steve Thielen [’94]. Pat Hall [’89] and Dave Lutz [’89]. Time for me to get it on my own.
I also wanted to share with you a perspective related to the story from Scott Edstrom [’77] regarding his encounter with my son after the St. Olaf game. My son Josh Sitarz has the privilege of wearing number 47. Scott approached us while were on the field after the game and told us the story of Mark "Griff" Griffin [’77] and pointed out Griff's mother and sister standing at mid field. When he mentioned that we were the last ones on the field, we looked around and were surprised by the fact that all the rest of the players had headed for the locker room already. Our hearts were touched by the irony and by the story of Griff. We were able to observe Josh interact with Scott and the Griffin family from a distance and it was a memorable moment.. When Josh returned he was deeply touched and commented how impressed he was with Scott Edstrom and the Griffin family and how God introduces us to others in powerful ways. We went to the SJU/St. Olaf game to watch a football game and left with an experience that we will remember forever. Johnnies Forever, — Rick
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From Nell Klein ’60, St. Cloud, MN —
Rob...loved that most inspiring letter in your UUN regarding the family of Mark Griffin written by his roommate/friend! Beautifully written and emotional at best! Thank you for sharing that piece of Johnnie love. Hope most Johnnies can relate to that same closeness with their classmates and Johnnie friends! Most touching to read..I'll see how touched I get after this upcoming Tommie game tomorrow!! — Nell
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From Vince Connelly ’80, Alpharetta, GA —
Rob, My nephew is at SJU and his mother sent me a copy of your "update email".
Can you add me to your distribution list? Pretty funny. Class of 80 Should be a good game tomorrow. Thanks — Vince
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From Kathryn Schrupp, Melrose, MN —
Please send the UUN newsletter to us. We are parents of two former Johnnies, one Bennie and now a Bennie granddaughter. Enjoy the newsletter; our son says it's time for us to get our own copy. Our son Paul Schrupp graduated 1984. His daughter Maria Schrupp in the class of 2020. Our daughter Beth Schaupp Farley and son-in-law Michael Farley are both of the Class of 1985. I am a Katie (don't boo). My husband (Les) is a Mankato State graduate. Our lake home is at Melrose for seven months, so we try to get to some games each year. We raised our family in Sleepy Eye.
(Editor's Comment: We'd never boo a Katie...I'm quite fond of all the St. Kate's grads that I know, some of whom even read the UUN.)
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From Casey Lund ’95, Plymouth, MN —
Nice job as always. Thank you for the email. GO JOHNNIES!!! — Casey
(Editor’s Affirmation: Casey, nice touch with the red “Go Johnnies.”)
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Our Nation's Continuing Secularization —
The visiting Bible school supervisor asks little Johnny during Bible class, "Who broke down the walls of Jericho?"
Little Johnny replies, "I dunno, but it wasn't me!"
The supervisor, taken aback by Johnny's lack of basic Bible knowledge goes to the school principal and relates the whole incident.
The principal replies, "I know Little Johnny as well as his whole family very well and can vouch for them; if Little Johnny said that he did not do it, then I, as principal, am satisfied that it is the truth."
Even more appalled, the inspector goes to the regional Head of Education and relates the whole story.
After listening the Education Head replies: "I can't see why you are making such a big issue out of this; just get three quotes and fix the wall!"
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Battle Between The Sexes (A Continuing Series) —
After my husband and I had a huge argument, we ended up not talking to each other for days. Finally, on the third day, he asked where one of his shirts was.
"Oh," I said, "So now you're speaking to me."
He looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Haven't you noticed I haven't spoken to you for three days?" I challenged.
"No," he said, "I just thought we were getting along."
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Tommie Lawyers —
Two lawyers, graduates of both UST and the St. Thomas School of Law, were walking along, negotiating a case.
“Look,” said one Tom to the other, “let's be honest with each other.”
“Okay, you first,” replied his fellow alum.
That was the end of the discussion.
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THE FINAL WORD —
Flynntown
by John Young ’83
In late June during Reunion 2016, there were plenty of smiles in Flynntown as Johnnies and Bennies from the early 80s to the early 90s gathered in big numbers for an "old school" house party at sunset. It was a perfect night with an awesome band, and everyone seemed grounded in that familiar sense of place. At that particular moment there was nothing like being back in Flynntown surrounded by a special family of CSB and SJU friends.
As darkness fell, however, the spirit of the alumni family gathered there did as well. Word had slowly begun to spread of the tragedy that had struck one of our own late that very afternoon. David Forster, Class of 2011, was out for a run in Minneapolis and had told his buddies that he would be heading to campus soon thereafter to join them for their five-year reunion weekend celebration. But the unimaginable happened. David, an elite distance runner, suddenly collapsed, not knowing that he had already made his last trip Collegeville.
The news left everyone shocked and saddened, and the Flynntown smiles began to vanish. Much like the Class of 2011, members of the Class of 1981, who were celebrating their 35th reunion, were equally stunned.
David's mother, Sandy Pfefferle Forster, graduated from CSB in 1982 and his father, Dave Forster, graduated from SJU in 1983. His brothers, Max and Sam, are also graduates, along with his grandparents, many aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws. Few of us can comprehend the pain that this family has endured over such an unexpected and devastating loss. Yet true to who were are as an extended CSB/SJU family, Bennies and Johnnies of all ages have been standing with them to offer strength and support from the very beginning. What I witnessed at David's funeral Mass at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis was breathtaking, and what I have observed since that time has been extraordinary. It makes me proud to be a part of such a special Benedictine family.
David's story is remarkable and inspirational. As his uncle, Bob Pfefferle ’83, so eloquently stated, David ran life's race with grace, always including everyone and never leaving anyone behind. He made Saint John's proud in so many ways. He was an exceptional friend, classmate and teammate, especially to the underclassmen Johnnies in track and field and cross country.
This past Saturday thousands of Johnnies and Bennies returned to campus for the Johnnie-Tommie football game, and among them were members of the Forster and Pfefferle extended families. Hosting the tailgate party was a large contingent of CSB/SJU friends led by George Jacob ’81. The spirit of the celebration was heartwarming, and the love and kindness being extended to all was reminiscent of David's life. Everyone was included and invited to join in, including two of my high school age sons and their friends, along with my daughter and her friends, who happen to be sophomores at CSB. Everyone made them feel like family.
Construction of the new Dietrich Reinhart Learning Commons prompted the location change for this fall's tailgate to the Flynntown Lot. Ironically, we were all just a few yards from the site of that reunion party in late June. Then it struck me. As the brats were smoking and the music played, friends were reunited and once again grounded in that familiar sense of place. And only one person could be responsible for bringing so many smiles back to Flynntown.
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Y’know…this is later than usual because it took seemingly forever to mix in all this material (and I left out about 20%)…However I still have enough stamina to say without any hesitation whatsoever:
G O J O H N N I E S ! ! Oust The Royals (Or something like that.
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Respectfully submitted,
Rob/Bob/Wick/Theo Wicker SJP ’60/SJU ’64, St. Paul, MN
651-699-4697; theowick@aol.com
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