Gently Lowering Expectations (UUN #6-22)
Dear Red (as in Embarrassed) Fans —
Our victory against a resilient Concordia team was sure a bummer, if that’s the right word. Yep, a win’s a win, darn it…but sometimes they sure get ugly. Nobody on our side seemed to be happy with the resulting 35-28 score, from the coaches to the players to the 8,300 Homecoming fans, who were quietly horrified by the dismal 4th quarter scenario unfolding before them. Many of us are beginning to look past our initial euphoria from our upset of Whitewater and subsequent high national ranking to a perhaps more realistic understanding of our abilities.
Go here for a game recap and listen to the post-game interviews in an embedded video: https://gojohnnies.com/news/2022/10/1/football-solid-middle-overcomes-slow-start-finish-in-homecoming-win.aspx
Yet…YET ! … besides holding on to win, we did some remarkable things during the Concordia game that we can build on. Junior QB Aaron Syverson was named MIAC Offensive Player of the Week by setting career highs in passing yards (360) and passing TDs (5). And senior Michael Wozniak was named MIAC Defensive Player of the Week when he tied for the team lead in tackles with 10 (six solo) and added 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and two quarterback hurries in another beastly outing. An additional highlight was the absolutely amazing catch and shifty run for a TD by junior Jimmy Buck. Syverson threw for over 300 yards for the third consecutive game, while WR Buck has had three straight 100-yard games. Mighty impressive and shows how potent we can really be.
Junior wideout Jimmy Buck recorded his third straight 100-yard receiving game Oct. 1 vs. Concordia. Here he scores after an amazing run (image courtesy of Nick Gilman).
Also encouraging was that three seldom-heard names all scored TDs: freshman Dylan Wheeler; senior Darian Washington; and senior Zach Jungles (who actually scored two, including the last one that proved to be the winning score). Perhaps that’s because the big names of senior Alex Larson, junior Jimmy Buck and senior Nick VanErp were well-covered much of the day.
Senior wide receiver Darian Washington celebrates after his 47-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter (image courtesy of Graham Miller)
Take a look at this fun highlights video. Not only will you see a portion of Jimmy’s athletic TD run, but also see the beating The Woz put on sophomore Cobber QB, and former Johnny, Cooper Mattern…how that young man got up after some of those hits puzzles me (“takes a lickin’ but keeps on tickin’), but also makes me respect him all the more.
The bottom line is we’re 3-1, still nationally-ranked albeit a bit lower than before the game, and in position to run the board for the MIAC Championship game in November. However, we need to run the board and with our start-stop offense and defense problems lately, that is certainly not a forgone conclusion. Already we’re hearing questions about our ability to handle Gustavus thanks to sporadic performances of late. Let’s put all those questions to rest after two strong performances before we host the Gusties.
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A Few Homecoming Scenes —
The rainbow leads to a pot of gold on the CSB campus. Photo by Vic Murphy.
A view of the Homecoming tailgate; it was well-populated despite the intermittent drizzle. Again by Vic Murphy.
Jim Kuhn ’02 samples one of Tom Nicol’s ’91 specially-prepared uber-hot dogs.
Preparing for the Cobber game are (left) Gary Kordosky ’64 of Tucson, AZ; Bob Wicker ’64; Rick Nolan ’66; Jim Dechaine ’66 out from Maryland; and Paul Judge ’64, visiting from San Diego. Former Congressman Rick and Jim are childhood friends from Brainerd, MN. Jim helped Rick get elected, then went with him to Washington as his chief of staff. Jim was also SJU tennis coach in the late ‘60s. And during lulls in the political action, he came back to SJU as Dean of Admissions, and VP in the development office.
This framed Senility Prayer was presented to your editor on the occasion of his birthday by Ron '65, Gary ’67 and Patrick Tomczik…and actually produced by Gary’s wife Hilary.
Two recently deceased notable CSB-SJU individuals were saluted during the game. John Grobe '72 is pictured sitting in the giant chair he helped make in the Abbey Woodworking Shop, and Dr. Ed Turley was a professor in the Music Department, specializing in piano.
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About Augsburg —
Augsburg University is a private university in Minneapolis, Minnesota, not too far from downtown near what is known as the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, one of the most diverse in the city. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was founded in 1869 as a Norwegian-American Lutheran seminary known as Augsburg Seminarium. Today, the university enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduate students and 800 graduate students representing some 40 states, more than 40 foreign countries, and 24 tribal nations/reservations.
The college is involved in providing services to students with physical or learning disabilities. StepUP is Augsburg's program for students in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. The university is known for its emphasis on service learning; volunteering in the community is both an instructional strategy and a required part of a student's coursework.
The students and the university’s athletic teams are known as the Auggies and the school mascot is an eagle, no doubt known as Auggie Eagle,. Wonder if he’ll show for this Saturday’s game?
Meet Auggie Eagle, Augsburg’s raptor-like mascot. And take a peek at the stands in this shoebox stadium behind him. If you’re coming, try to get there early if you want a seat. Oh, and if you plan to get something at the concession stands, do it very early since they tend to run out of nearly everything well before halftime. They are not used to the Johnnie following.
The Augsburg Auggies are a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Augsburg University participates in NCCA Division III Athletics. The wrestling team has won thirteen NCAA Division III National team wrestling championships: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015 and 2018. The men’s hockey team has won three NAIA National ice hockey championships in 1978, 1981 and 1982.
Men's Varsity Sports (9): baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, track & field, wrestling
Women's Varsity Sports (10): basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, track & field, volleyball
What To Expect Saturday?
Gosh, our Johnnies are going to have their hands full again. This could be an archetypal trap game since the Jays are ranked pretty high nationally and Augsburg is not…yet. So our guys could come down to Minneapolis expecting—despite what the coaches tell them—that it’s going to be cake-walk city and go through the motions, especially if they jump off to a fast start.
We’ve got identical 3-1 records, but the Auggies strength of schedule hasn’t been much: wins 23-15 over Univ. of Northwestern; 45-7 over Martin Luther; and 50-13 over hapless St. Scholastica. Last week they lost a close, high-scoring tilt to St. Olaf 41-36. In earlier years, when our team seemed not to take their foot off the gas so regularly after taking a good lead, I’d predict a blow-out.
Not so this year for two reasons: First, our guys are showing a tendency to poop out late, can’t run the ball consistently, give up too many “big” plays, and are not protecting our QB as they should; and Second, and more importantly, this Augsburg team is not like earlier Auggie squads. They have a new alum coach, they have shown to have an explosive offense, and their defense is much improved. They are a young team and I foresee them improving over this year and in the future. All these are reasons for our boys to take them seriously and play consistent, opportunistic, tough Johnnie Football…for the entire game.
Who should you be watching? The Auggies have many impressive young players led by yet another good sophomore quarterback, #8 Cade Sheehan. He shares the backfield with a fine running back, #28 junior Isaiah Thompson who carries the main load. Sharing running chores with Thompson is #0 sophomore DJ Monroe.
Sheehan’s primary targets are wide receivers #11 junior Dominic Smith (All-MIAC last year and a preseason 3rd team All-American) and #1 sophomore Braden Tretter, a top target, probably because Smith is doubled a lot.
There are some defensive standouts: let’s lead off with linebacker #44 junior Jariel Lopez-Barrera who just seems to attract fumbles and then runs the distance with them; so far this year he has FOUR fumble recoveries/returns for TDs. That’s got to be a record somewhere. They have two other linebackers of note in #4 sophomore Hamsa Kahim and #52 sophomore Justin Tverberg, a tackling dynamo. Two seniors have been active in sacks: #96 D-lineman Shaquille Young, and defensive back #15 Lionel Gates. And we can’t forget freshman kicker #98 Nathan Wangensteen who recently was named MIAC special teams player of the week, and who has been consistently excellent so far this season.
So, what’s the bottom line? As an inveterate homer, I’ll say the Jays win one running away for a change, 46-27. GO JOHNNIES!
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Augsburg Parking —
Here are the two places for SJU fans to park:
Lot L: Located on 25th & Riverside
Fairview West Bank Ramp: 2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454
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AROUND THE MIAC —
Last Week’s Results —
5th Week, Saturday, October 1
Hamline at St. Scholastica — In this Battle for the Bottom, these two equally-handicapped teams will have an interesting contest, but I’m betting that, because of the home field advantage, the Saints take the Pipers 30-20. Actually, the Saints won their first-ever MIAC football game just by the hair on their chinny-chin-chin, 43-42.
Bethel at Gustavus — There will be no emotional letdown for the Royals in St. Peter. Although the Gusties show some promise, they still are not in Bethel’s class: 34-18 Royals. Actually, maybe it was a letdown after the SJU game, but Bethel was lucky to escape St. Peter with a win, 30-27.
Augsburg at St. Olaf — These two teams have shown some moxie thus far; it should be close but I’m picking the Auggies by ten: 34-24. Actually, it was close but the other way with the Oles taking Augsburg 41-36.
Macalester at Carleton — Look for a good, hard-fought contest. The Knights should prevail over Mac in a higher scoring affair — 38-28. Actually with Carleton winning easily 56-27, I don’t know how hard-fought it really was.
Concordia at St. John’s — We are never to take the Cobbers for granted, even when they’re down. However, based on what Gustavus did to them, it’s practically a forgone conclusion that we will take them 35-7. Parents will be happy when the subs get in fairly early. Actually, hardly any SJU subs got in making our defensive showing in the fourth quarter all the worse; the offense also disappointed in all but the second quarter, winning 35-28. Back to the drawing board.
Other Games of Interest:
St. Thomas at Marist College — The Tommies fly to Poughkeepsie, NY to play what earlier should be a patsy. However last week Marist turned up a 35-25 road win at Drake, so if the Toms bring the same kind of effort shown against Lincoln U., Glenn will be in another snit. Still, it’s hard to see U$T losing to Marist, so how about 48-22? Actually, St. Thomas won in a bit closer but still presentable contest, 38-24.
National Game of the Week: #3 UW-Whitewater at #9 UW-La Crosse — This is the cream of the WIAC and they face each other right out of the conference box. This game may be reminiscent of the St. John’s-Bethel tilt, meaning it could go either way, but it’s hard to bet against Whitewater, so I pick them 26-18 (but I’m rooting for the UWLC Eagles.) Actually, it was a helluva game, finally won by Whitewater 34-31 via a field goal in the final three seconds.
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Battle Between The Sexes, ‘Bert’s Surprise’ —
Bert always wanted a pair of authentic cowboy boots, so, seeing some on sale, he bought them and wore them home. Walking proudly, he sauntered into the kitchen and said to his wife, "Notice anything different about me?"
Margaret looked him over. “Nope."
Frustrated, Bert stormed off into the bathroom, undressed and walked back into the kitchen completely naked except for the boots. Again he asked Margaret, a little louder this time, "Notice anything different NOW?”
Margaret looked up and said in her best deadpan, "Bert, what's different? It's hanging down today, it was hanging down yesterday, it'll be hanging down again tomorrow.”
Furious, Bert yelled, "And do you know why it's hanging down, Margaret?”
"Nope. Not a clue," she replied.
"It's hanging down, because it's looking at my new BOOTS!!!!”
Without missing a beat Margaret replied, "Shoulda bought a hat, Bert! Shoulda bought a hat."
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Games This Week—
6th Week, Saturday, October 8
Macalester at Concordia — After two tough, close losses to top teams the Cobbers are ready to explode and they’ll do it against Mac 48-17.
Hamline at Bethel — Ooooh, nasty. Royals 56-Pipers 12.
St. Scholastica at Gustavus — The Gusties will show no mercy, so let’s say 66-9.
St. Olaf at Carleton — This will be the top game in the MIAC this Saturday, and I think Carleton will emerge victorious 34-21.
St. John’s at Augsburg — The Auggies are improved and, thanks to the way the Johnnies have been letting teams off the hook in the second half, they could make it closer than it need be, with SJU holding on 46-27.
Other Games of Interest:
Davidson (NC) at St. Thomas — The Tommies host what should be their toughest game of the season but, by being home, add a TD at least to the final score with U$T winning 28-21. If this game doesn’t bring out a crowd, they just don’t care in TommieLand.
National Games of the Week: We got three games of import in the Western Region:
With identical 3-1 records #9 UW-La Crosse goes to UW-Stout for a huge game for both schools; although unranked, Stout has received votes in the poll and could be a sleeper in the contest with the higher-ranked Eagles. Still, one would think UWLC should prevail 32-21.
#16 UW-Oshkosh faces #17 UW-River Falls. They too both sport 3-1 records, but after seeing River Falls play, I have to pick them to edge out a win by 41-32.
#7 Linfield (3-0) travels to unranked Whitworth (3-1) for the biggest conference game for both teams this season. I think it may be tougher for Linfield than they think, but they’ll still win 26-17.
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The Injured Tommie —
A Tommie linebacker goes to the hospital. The doctor asks, "Where does it hurt?"
The Tommie points to his shoulder and says, "It hurts right here, OUCH!"
"Interesting. Does it hurt anywhere else?"
"Yeah!" He points to his leg and says, "OW! It hurts here too."
"I see. Does it hurt in any other places?"
"Sure does." He points to his chest "YEOW! It hurts here too!"
The doctor asks, "By any chance are you a Tommie linebacker?"
"Yes! How on earth did you know?"
"Because you have a broken finger."
(Courtesy of Conrad Macina, Landing, NJ)
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D3Football Top 25 —
Not much happening this week; the Top Ten retained their spots with SJU still #6. Bethel jumped up one place to #11 while Wheaton fell to #14 from #11 after losing to #1 North Central. Wheaton didn’t lose badly so the ranking folks are overly strict again. Then Gustavus once again did not receive any votes for nearly beating Bethel who jumped up one. Go figure! Down lower you’ll see a different ranking system sent in by Paul Hamann that seems to be more fair and rational.
https://www.d3football.com/top25/2022/week5
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SJU 2022 Football Schedule
(All games are played on Saturdays, beginning at 1 pm)
Date Opponent Location
Sep. 3 UW-Whitewater Collegeville W—24-10
Sep. 10 UW-River Falls Collegeville W—37-34
Sep. 17 Bye —
Sep. 24 Bethel Arden Hills L—28-24
Oct. 1 Concordia (HC) Collegeville W—35-28
Oct. 8 Augsburg Minneapolis
Oct. 15 St. Olaf * Northfield, MN
Oct. 23 Gustavus * (FW) Collegeville
Oct. 29 St. Scholastica * Duluth, MN
Nov. 5 Carleton * Collegeville
Nov. 12 MIAC Champ. Wk. Collegeville
HC = Homecoming
FW = Family Weekend
* = Northwoods Division
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Johnnie Radio Network —
Saturday’s game can be heard live on WBHR-660 AM across central Minnesota, KDIZ-1570 AM in the Twin Cities and KOWZ-1170 AM in Waseca, which covers most of southern Minnesota and into western Wisconsin. Mark Lewandowski, Bryan Backes, Mike Carr and Charlie Carr will call all the action, beginning with Johnnies Magazine at 11 a.m. and the pre-game show at 11:30 a.m. The game will also be broadcast on the SJU football website via Stretch Internet. This is the 24th season SJU football can be heard worldwide over the internet.
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Listening via the Internet: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/csbsju/
Viewing via live streaming: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/augsburg/
(Note: There is no charge watching live from Augsburg)
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An Auggie Goes Shopping —
This Augsburg offensive lineman needed some stationery items and decided to go downtown to a specialty shop. One pen really caught his attention.
He picked it up and took a close look at it because it was prettier than most. The clerk said, “Do you like it? It’s made in Germany."
The Auggie replied, "That's too bad, I can't use it then."
The clerk said, "What's the matter? You don't like German pens?"
He said, "No, that's not it. I just never learned to write German."
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Johnnies rally to win 2022 MIAC Men's Golf Championship —
Saint John's rallied back from a 10-shot deficit to claim the program's third consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's Golf Championship last Monday.
The Johnnies were down nine shots after the first round and ten after round two before rallying for a third-round score of 285 to take first place and the 15th conference title in program history. With the victory, the Johnnies also punched their tickets to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships on May 16-19, 2023 at Keene Trace in Nicholasville, Ky.
Ten MIAC men's golfers earned All-Championship Team recognition after recording the ten lowest 54-hole totals at the 2022 conference championships. These players will automatically earn 2022-23 All-Conference honors when postseason awards are announced in May. St. John’s placed four out of the ten on the Championship Team. They are junior Nate Loxtercamp in first place; sophomore Andrew Boemer in 3rd; junior Sam Berger in 4th; and junior Blake Schuler tied for 8th.
SJU’s MIAC Golf Championship Team: from left: Andrew Boemer, Sam Berger, Nate Loxtercamp, Blake Schuler, and Thomas Gutzmer.
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* * * *
Academic Prioritization Process Continues —
Addressing the institutional realities that normal households face when income doesn’t match outflow, hard choices must be made about where and how to use financial resources. With falling enrollment at both schools, and reductions to faculty not keeping pace, existing and future academic programs are being put under a spotlight by the Joint Faculty Senate, Provost Richard Ice, and new President Brian Bruess.
This means that several departments may be closed and other majors and/or minors be discontinued, reduced or revised. Additionally, preliminary recommendations outlined faculty reductions from 28 up to 55 members. On the other hand, the addition of some new academic programs were identified that could meet internal and external demand. Under discussion are Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Finance.
Final decisions are expected to come in February 2023 via the two Boards of Trustees, after President Bruess submits his own recommendations.
Dr. Ice was quoted in The Record saying,”It’s a difficult process. For some people it’s painful. I understand all of that, and I understand that there’s a lot of people that wish we didn’t have to do this, myself included. But higher education is at a turning point, and there’s a lot of disruption in higher education. And if we don’t continue to innovate and continue to update our pedagogy and our curriculum, then we’ll be in trouble.”
To read the entire Record article, go here:
https://cdm.csbsju.edu/digital/collection/CSBArchNews/id/44724/rec/1
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Today’s Deep Thought by Jack Handey —
If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is “God is crying.” And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is “Probably because of something you did.”
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The Uncasual Fan —
I was not able to physically attend the previous game against Bethel and I was feeling like I had let the team and my fellow alums down by not showing my full support for a tough game. So this past Saturday I happily put on my Johnnie Red gear and headed out early to try and get a decent parking spot for what I anticipated was going to be a big Homecoming crowd
I was thinking I was heading to SJU to witness a homecoming with five expectations:
decent weather forecasted; a festive pregame gathering; a stand full of supportive fans; an enthusiastic student section; and an energetic football team looking to put their best foot forward after a tough loss to a very good Bethel team.
I should have known things were not headed in the right direction when it started to rain on the drive from the cities to Collegeville and there was nothing but dark clouds for the entire trip. But who knew I would have missed on all five.
This was the weirdest homecoming in recent years. The crowd was rather low key, and the student section was almost non-existent except for a few Rats and maybe 100 friends of the football team.
That brings me to the energy and enthusiasm of the football team. Last week I tried to channel my inner Aaron Rodgers and just say “R E L A X” after a close loss to a good Bethel team. I try to be a “glass is half full” kind of guy most of the time but after this last game I had to take a closer look at what could be happening. Mr. Rodgers had a new quote this week and it feels a little closer to home. “Winning against teams that play poorly is not sustainable.”
In our Game 1 win against Wisconsin Whitewater – UWW shot themselves in the foot multiple times with bad snaps and a fumbled punt and finally were overwhelmed by our defense in the 4th quarter. You get to fix mistakes from Game 1 and hopefully make some big leaps for Game 2. Their poor execution and play at critical times allowed us to earn a 24-10 victory.
In our Game 2 win against Wisconsin River Falls, UWRF shot themselves in the foot numerous times with holding penalties and roughing the passer infractions. They stopped themselves multiple times and allowed us to keep our drives going when needed. Their poor discipline at critical times helped squeak out a 37-34 victory.
In our Game 3 loss to Bethel the Royals played well in all facets of the game, made few mistakes, and harassed our QB the whole game. We just got beat by a better team (in the rain) that day.
In our Game 4 win against Concordia, we have to be thankful they could not punt more than 20 yards in the 2nd quarter, and we had great field position on almost every drive. Unenthusiastic play and effort on our part in the 2nd half almost cost us a chance at the MIAC championship game and any post season playoffs.
I know we won the game and getting a win and still having the opportunity for improvement is way better than a loss and opportunity for improvement, but I feel like after four big games under our belts there are still a lot of “why questions” that need to be answered - like:
· Why are we struggling to run the ball? – a negative eight yards net this week if you count the sacks and virtually no running attack in 3 of 4 games so far this year. Can we just try and make someone miss a tackle.
· Why are we struggling to protect our QB? If other coaches are watching game films, I am guessing we are going to see more of the same
· Why have we given up so many big plays?
· Why have we looked like we are playing major chunks of the game with little or no enthusiasm or sense of urgency?
No matter what the answers are I can hardly wait for this year’s team to find its groove and play a complete game. If we can not do this the next couple of weeks then the game against Gustavus on October 22 may be a heartbreaker. However, let’s not look past the next two weeks and see if we can put some things together and come up with some answers.
On a Positive note:
1. I still like our punt game!! Multiple 40 yard punts.
2. We have thrown for 300+ yards in the last 3 games.
3. Our kick-off coverage has been good and held our opponents inside the 20 or 25 multiple times during the last 3 games
4. Our defense has had flashes of brilliance and big plays – we need to put together more complete games like the Wisconsin Whitewater outing
Game Summary:
· We won the 2nd quarter and Concordia won the rest
· We still won the game
· Woz delivered a hit that we heard in the stands
Top players this week
1. Spencer Ell – great job of punting 40+ yard average.
2. Aaron Syverson 18 of 28 for 360 yards and 5 TDs. He was under pressure and duress for most of the game and managed to have another good performance.
3. Jimmy Buck - 111 yds receiving and 1 TD
Half Full or Half Empty – just a drop below half full
My Final Rant – let’s play with some energy and sense of urgency this week
Go Johnnies! — The Uncasual Fan
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Heavenly Wishes —
Two University of St. Thomas graduates died at the same time and met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, "I'd like to get you guys in now, but our computer's down. You'll have to go back to Earth for about a week, but you can't go back as humans. What'll it be?"
The first Tommie says, "I've always wanted to be an eagle, soaring above the Rocky mountains."
"So be it," says St. Peter, and off flies the first U$T man.
The second Tommie mulls this over for a moment and asks, "Will any of this week 'count', St. Peter?"
"No, I told you the computer's down. There's no way we can keep track of what you're doing. The week's a freebie."
"In that case," says the second Tom, "I've always wanted to be a stud."
"So be it," says St. Peter, and the second Tommie disappears.
A week goes by, the computer is fixed, and the Lord tells St. Peter to recall the two St. Thomas alums. "Will you have any trouble locating them?" He asks.
"The first one should be easy," says St. Peter. "He's somewhere over the Rockies, flying with the eagles. But the second one could prove to be more difficult."
"Why?" asked the Lord.
St. Peter answered, "He's on a snow tire, somewhere in North Dakota."
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A View from the Field —
(By Patrick Tomczik, Northfield, MN, writing for his older brother, Ron ‘65)
Ron, Gary ‘67 and I (Ed’s Note: collectively The Flying Tomcziks) were sitting together during the Whitewater game, during which I and probably others, got vocal about the consistency of the efforts of some players; the play calling and the use of the time clock. Holding a slim lead, the Johnnies were snapping the ball with 20 plus seconds on the time clock. It made no sense, why not snap it with 3 seconds left and let the extra seconds disappear? The longer the Johnnies held the ball, the less time Whitewater would have available to try and score. Ron said that he had heard that the philosophy was to snap the ball quickly, so Whitewater would not be able set up a better defense. That made no sense to me. The same thing happened against Bethel and last week against Concordia.
We're out here in Virginia currently visiting Peter and Jordan and grandson Finn Patrick. Yesterday, Jordan gave birth to Cecelia!!! CeCe checked in at 8.0 pounds and 19 inches. Mom and Daughter doing very well. Exciting times. So Saturday, Peter and I watched and listened to the Cobber game. Again, I got a little vocal about some tackling, dropped balls, errant throws, play calling and use of the time clock. The Johnnies had a so-so 1st quarter, a very good 2nd and a not very good 3rd and 4th. I don't know how many 3 and outs, but they were snapping the ball with 20+ seconds on the play clock. Those extra seconds, when totaled up gave the Cobbers time to score 2 extra TDs and turn the game into a nail-biter. It also didn't allow Michael W. and the rest of the defense to have a little extra time to take a rest. Didn't make any sense to me. Of course Peter heard me say all of this stuff, and I said the same in phone calls to Gary and Ron Saturday after the game, and Sunday afternoon. So I told Ron he should bring these items up in his article he writes for the UUN and at the get together during the week. He said I should do it, because he's tired of some of the comments directed back from coaches and some fans when he writes his thoughts and signs his name to it.
Peter and I went over some of these things on Sunday when we watched the Vikes. In regards to the Johnnie game, he said to me, “Dad, you have to remember these are 19 to 22 year old kids playing a football game. They are doing their best to play well and are playing to win. On the other side of the field is also a bunch of 19 to 22 year old kids who are also playing their best and who are also playing to win.” He told me not to take my rant out on the players. Play calling and clock usage, that's on the coaches, and some of those points, especially time clock usage are valid. “Talk to the coaches about that, just don't knock the players.”
On Monday afternoon, Peter and I were running some errands and the topic came up again and I flash-backed to a conversation with an old family friend, Fr. Kenneth Thielman. Fr. Ken was from Avon, graduated from SJU and went into the seminary there, was ordained in 1955 and became a priest in the St. Cloud Diocese, where he ran into our family. He was an avid Johnnie football fan and became a great friend in our family and remained close to us until we lost him a couple of years ago.
One time when I was visiting him he told me a story that had happened many years before. He and a fellow priest classmate (who went on to become a career Chaplain in the Navy) had been at a game. A player had dropped a ball and flubbed a punt return. Fr. Ken and his friend loudly voiced their displeasure with the player, and I guess drew the attention of the then coach. Fr. Ken's phone rang that evening at the rectory. On the other side of the call, was John Gagliardi.
John said to Fr. Ken that he had heard Fr. Ken and his friend berating the player. John asked if he realized that that boy’s mother had been in the stands that afternoon as well. John asked Fr. Ken, “How do you think that boy’s mother felt when she heard you and your friend berating her son?”
Fr. Ken told me he can't recall exactly what he told John back, but that the call from John was a thought provoker, a game changer if you will, and he was struck by a couple of things: How much effort John must have gone through post game to search Fr. Ken out, and secondly, how much concern and care John thought of his players. And their families. And indeed, why had he and his friend been yelling at the player. I need to remember this as well. Take Great Care, — Patrick Tomczik
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2022 Class of SJU Athletes Inducted Into the J-Club Hall of Honor —
An appreciative crowd, the largest ever for this event, packed the house (in this case Guild Hall, aka the Old Gym) to honor another group of standout Saint John's athletes as they took their place in the J-Club Hall of Honor after the Concordia game last Saturday.
In addition to Tim Schmitz ’78 and his 1976 teammates, the 2022 class also included Minga Batsukh '11 (wrestling), Troy Bigalke '01 (basketball), +Fred Cremer '67 (football), Matt Erredge '99 (hockey), Jon Habben '79 (swimming and diving), David Lamm '68 (track and field), +Mike Lilly '78 (soccer), Cyril Paul '59 (track and field) and Br. Mark Kelly, OSB (J-Club Distinguished Service Award).
Read about the entire event in Frank Rajkowski’s article here:
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(Editor’s Note: The Abbey Guest House had a sell-out night following the Hall of Honor event. Instead of going quietly to their rooms, a few friends gathered in the Guest House Library to enjoy a bit of red wine or port, dark chocolate, and remaining cake from John Sipe’s ’61/‘65 and Eileen Myles’ wedding celebration the previous week. Joining the wee party were Kim and Michael Dady ’67/’71; Mike Healey ’64; Don Hall ’55/’59; Cyril Paul ’59; and Chris Scholl and Bob Wicker ’60/’64. Besides the beautiful, delicate layer cake, the absolute highlight was listening to 92-year-old Cyril Paul’s moving a cappella rendition of Danny Boy sung to John and Eileen in honor of their nuptials.)
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Men’s Advice Helpline —
The phone rings, and a man answers: “Thank you for calling Bob’s Help Line, how can I help you?”
The caller replies: “Hi, my name is Steve and I really need your advice on a serious problem.”
“That’s what we are here for, can you share about your problem?”
“I have suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me.”
“What made you suspect that?” replies the helpline man.
“The usual signs: if the phone rings and I answer, the caller hangs up. She goes out with ‘the girls’ a lot. I try to stay awake to look out for her when she comes home, but I usually fall asleep. Well, last night about midnight, I hid in the shed behind the boat. When she came home, she got out of someone’s car buttoning her blouse, then she took her panties out of her purse and slipped them on. It was at that moment, crouched behind the boat, that I noticed a hairline crack in the outboard motor mounting bracket. Is that something I can weld, or do I need to replace the whole bracket?”
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Summing It All Up in One Sentence—
If only I may grow: firmer, simpler, quieter, warmer.
Dag Hammarskjold, from Markings
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Wicker’s Health Rant —
Apples are a Healthy Snack…if they are the Right Ones
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” or so says the old axiom. However, increasingly that apple needs to be organic for best health outcomes. Why? Chemicals, my friends…harmful chemicals.
Apples make the perfect snack for Fall because during cold and flu season we need the nutrients found in apples to support a healthy immune system. Most varieties are also a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium, antioxidants, and phytochemicals — such as quercetin, catechin, and chlorogenic acid.
Since most of our immune system resides in our gut, it’s important to consider that apples contain a good mixture of soluble and insoluble fibers. Soluble fiber helps feed good gut bacteria and lower high cholesterol. While insoluble fiber helps keep your intestines clean and healthy.
While apples are the fourth most popular fruit in the U.S., they place fifth on an entirely different list that should cause any consumer to take pause. Apples are fifth on the Dirty Dozen list provided by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) each year to demonstrate the products that have the most pesticide residue. But it’s important to realize that you cannot simply wash apple pesticides off which is what most consumers are led to believe. According to the EWG‘s analysis of USDA data, washed apples still had over 47 pesticide residues. The data showed up on 98 percent of the more than 700 washed apple samples tested.
Please take the time to read this brief article for more details:
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Meanwhile, In The Monastic Garden —
Father Adrian and Brother Mathias, two elderly monks living in the Abbey retirement center, were sitting on a bench in the monastic garden on a warm Fall afternoon when Adrian turned to the other and said, "Mathias, I'm 86 years old now and I'm just full of aches and pains. I know you're about my age. How do you feel?"
Brother Mathias replied, "I feel just like a newborn baby."
"Really!? Like a new-born baby!?"
"Yep. No hair, no teeth, and I think I just wet my pants.”
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From Our Readers —
(The following emails came after the UUN report that Tom Melchior ’58 was named to the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.
From Thom Woodward ’70:
Fifty years ago yesterday (Sept. 27), Fr. Dunstan Tucker was inducted into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. Fr. Dunstan was the original Ol’ Perfessor.
From Wayne Hergott ’57:
What a gift he was to baseball at St John's and the state of Minnesota. He always flattered me by calling me The Old Pro. He is missed.
From Jim Mohs ’58:
I had the honor and pleasure of playing for two great baseball coaches at SJU. Elmer Kohorst coached the first three years and Fr. Dunstan the last year. Before our first game Fr. Dunstan told us what his signals would be--the same as he used when Eugene McCarthy played. He told us the opponents didn't pick them up then and they sure wouldn't now. I sat by him on all our road trips and he would tell me stories about his days as a Navy chaplain during WWII and his times in Italy studying Dante. Truly a wonderful man and, as Thom said, the Ol' Perfessor.
From John Taylor ’58:
James, thanks for your memories. Sending them on to some others and Peggy Roske, our outstanding archivist.
From Russ Reiter ’58 (to John Taylor):
Dear Jack,Thanks for the info regarding the nominees to the MABHF. I learned some time ago about Tom’s nomination since we have kept in contact. Both write-ups are very good and Tom is deserving. I recall Fr. Dunstan coming to our baseball practices. Since I was the third baseman and close to the fence where he stood, he often talked “trash” to me. I really enjoyed his presence and his friendship.
Indeed, Fr. Dunstan had a MAJOR impact on my life. It was when I took his biology courses that I finally became a serious student. I registered for every course he taught, and we became good friends. One of the courses I took was Ecology which at the time generated little interest; now Ecology is on everyone’s mind. I also enjoyed Fr. Bertrand’s classes in biology, but he was much less interactive with the students, me included.
Thanks to these individuals and others, you probably recall I received a 5th honor doctoral degree recently; it was announced in the SJU newsletter. But my institution was wrong; I am not at the University of Texas at San Antonio. My institution is UT Health, Long School of Medicine. These two institutions have different campuses with the common feature that both are components of the UT System.
I was recently nominated for the Khwarizmi International Award administered by the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology. Over the years I have encouraged and interacted with many Iranian scientists via the internet; the intention is to support these individuals and hopefully “turn down the temperature” between our respective countries. The award would require a trip to Tehran for the awards ceremony in the spring of 2023. I am also an official nominator for the VinFuture Prize (see Google) administered by Vietnam. It will rival the Nobel prize soon because of the significant financial award, about $3 million; it is awarded annually.
Jack, I am pleased to learn you are still actively involved. I really miss my colleagues from the class of ’58; do you know how many of us remain “above ground”? I wish you well now and always. Make it a life well-lived. Russ
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From Bill Marrin ’61/’65, Dallas, TX, regarding narrow win over Concordia —
Are there no blowout wins anymore? Looks like we really ticked off Concordia…..in the first half! Where are Crown and Macalester when we need them? No, you’re wrong. I still love St John’s. Missed seeing you guys today. — Bill
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From Anonymous, whose cup is half empty.—
Our rushing game, or lack of it, and our poor offensive line play is a real concern. We are averaging about 38.5 rushing yards per game: -8 yards rushing; -.03 per attempt. How did we get 101 on Bethel? The Cobbers sacked Syverson 5 times today. I’m concerned he’s going to get hurt again. Then there are defensive lapses late in games giving up big plays…GAC game could be a real challenge in a few weeks.
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From Gary Kordosky ’64, Tucson, AZ —
Last Saturday the Johnnies slept through the first quarter, they were spectacular in the second quarter and the early third quarter and then they drifted off to sleep again.
Nice to see you at the tailgate. I was impressed with the number of tailgaters and the behavior of the crowd. Had a chance to talk to the new president at the tailgate and later at the game. He has a real challenge to increase the number of students entering the two schools. The board of directors have an equal challenge in these two areas. Please give my best to Chris. — Gary
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From Paul Hamann ’63, Edina, MN —
Here's a link to Logan Hansen's ratings. We dropped from 4 to 7. Did you see that Cooper Downs, the former SJU back-up QB from Ames, IA who transferred to Central (IA), had five touchdown passes in the third quarter Saturday? Tied a D3 record. And that Cooper Mattern from Fargo Shanley High School, who now starts for Concordia as a sophomore and played so admirably against the Jays, also is another former SJU QB? Go Johnnies — Paul
(Editor’s Further Discussion: About the QBs leaving first: it’s regrettable but understandable that talented, self-confident young Johnnie players, looking ahead to riding the bench for a couple years at SJU, would seek other opportunities where they can play regularly and/or show off their abilities. Our recruiting of special skills players is splendid…maybe we ought to concentrate on the O-lines and D-lines where more people with talent will get to play sooner and more often. Question of the moment: How are we going to replace that incredible D-lineman, Michael Wozniak, next season?
As for Logan Hansen’s D-III football ratings, his analytical system was designed with the purpose of predicting outcomes of Division III football games, while using rating metrics that a casual fan can understand easily.)
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Bionic Aggie Baby? —
Did you hear about the pregnant Augsburg grad who is concerned because the baby kicks and moves every time she turns on the radio. She is afraid the baby is becoming radioactive.
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CSB Nursing Department, Patient Care Section —
A male patient is lying in bed in the hospital, wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. A young student nurse appears to give him a partial sponge bath. “Nurse," he mumbles, from behind the mask. “Are my testicles black?”
Embarrassed, the young nurse replies, “I don't know, Sir. I'm only here to wash your upper body and feet.”
He struggles to ask again, “Nurse, please check. Are my testicles black?”
Concerned that he may elevate his blood pressure and heart rate from worry about his testicles, she overcomes her embarrassment and pulls back the covers. She raises his gown, holds his manhood in one hand and his testicles in the other.
Then, she takes a close look and says, “There's nothing wrong with them, Sir!”
The man pulls off his oxygen mask, smiles at her and says very slowly, “Thank you very much. That was wonderful, but, listen very, very closely...ARE MY TEST RESULTS BACK!?!?”
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THE FINAL WORD
More Scenes From Stearns County —
Leo Eisenmenger and his wife Beatrice went down to the State Fair at the end of August and one of the first exhibits they stopped at was the Breeding Bulls pens in the Animal Barns.
They went up to the first pen and there was a sign attached that said: THIS BULL MATED 50 TIMES LAST YEAR
His wife playfully nudged Leo in the ribs, smiled and said, "He mated 50 times last year."
They walked to the second pen which had a sign attached that said: THIS BULL MATED 150 TIMES LAST YEAR
Beatrice gave him another healthy jab and said, "Wow! That's more than twice a week! You could learn a lot from him."
They then walked to the third pen and it had a sign attached that said, in capital letters: THIS BULL MATED 365 TIMES LAST YEAR
Leo's wife was so excited that her elbow nearly broke his ribs. Beatrice then said, "That's once a day. You could really learn something from this one."
Leo looked at her and replied, "Go over and ask him if it vas vit da same old cow.'"
Note: Leo's condition has been upgraded from critical to stable, and he should eventually make a full recovery.
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Another issue done (and really late because I enjoyed a 3-hour lunch today with Bob Christensen '62, Bob Gavin '62, Bob '62 and Steve Praus, Terry Cummings UST '62, John Brandt '58/'62, John Ditzler '58/'62, John Hoffman SJP '58, Jim Randall '58/'62, Jim Conway '58/'62, and Fr. Joe Gillespie OP '64; missing with excused absences were Bernie Kukar '62, Frank Ziegler '62, Frank Knoll '58/'62, and John Sipe '61/'65)…
Shout Hooray! But I think we should preserve our voices until Saturday when we throatily exclaim:
GO JOHNNIES ! !
Auger Those Auggies (or something like that)
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P.S. For those that want to subscribe or resubscribe, please go to the website listed at bottom in red. Yes, thanks to my daughter Caitlin we have an in-progress website.
Sincerely submitted,
R.L. Wicker SJP ’60/SJU ’64,
You can call me Rob, you can call me Bob, you can call me Theo or Wick…and my personal pronouns are “he a Johnny” and “him a Johnny.”
St. Paul, MN; 651-699-4697
theowick@aol.com
https://www.unofficialundergroundnews.com
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