Now the REAL Season Begins (UUN#12-22)
Dear Cardinal & Blue Believers —
We did well last Saturday…better than well, actually. It was our best and most complete game of the season, and we seem to be peaking at just the right time. With this victory St. John’s won its MIAC-record 36th conference championship and earned the league's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division III playoffs.
For those of you not aware, we handled our only real rivals, since the departure of U$T, by the somewhat misleading score of 28-10; we ended the game running out the clock and taking a knee on the Royals’ 2-yard line, otherwise it would have been 35-10. Had it been against the Tommies, I hope we would have pounded it in.
If we had to give a game ball to someone I’d suggest it would be to the entire defense. With the early departure of Jaran Roste, the Royals’ outstanding quarterback, we limited the potent Bethel offense to a measly ten points. Five (count ‘em 5) interceptions, including two thrown by Roste himself, really aided the cause, but the defensive line and linebackers absolutely shut down their running game as well — only allowing 49 yards.
The Johnnie Defense relishes their very convincing 28-10 victory over the then-ranked #9 Bethel Royals (Courtesy of Graham Miller).
Senior cornerback #24 Cayden Saxon and sophomore linebacker #3 Cooper Yaggie intercepted two passes each. Here Yaggie is shown streaking for a 61-yard Pick-6 off Jaran Roste that gave us a 21-10 lead.He led SJU with 11 tackles (six solo), including two for a loss and one sack, while adding a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Yaggie was named the MIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week and to the D3football.com National Team of the Week — the fourth Johnnie to accomplish the feat this season and the second consecutive — for the performance.
Offensively, junior quarterback Aaron Syverson finished 30 of 43 passing, the sixth-most completions by a Johnnie in a game, for 323 yards and two touchdowns, one each to senior tight end Alex Larson (10 for 98 yards) and senior wide receiver Nick VanErp (10 for 147 yards). Senior running back Henry Trost scored the first touchdown after a run of 13 yards. It was mostly passing from both teams and the Jays only collected 74 rushing yards themselves. One thing I really enjoyed seeing was how Syverson kept things going forward, gathering first downs by throwing short passes under the coverage across the middle time after time, instead of his usual deep passes of 20, 30 or 40 yards.
When you go to the link below for the game recap and box score you will see in the “Team Statistics” that Bethel’s total and passing yards, first downs and time of possession were virtually equal to our own. In fact the main area of difference was, once again, our eight penalties for 80 yards to their three for 30. (Let’s not get into some of those penalties, though…at least three should not have been called, while often flagrant holding calls against Bethel were not called.) Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that, while I suggested the cold weather would limit the fans to about 2,000, we were all pleasantly surprised with an attendance of 7,582 in 26º weather. The Bethel side was filled. A good game will do that, I guess.
Here’s is the link, which includes video of Cooper Yaggie’s 61-yard intercept and return for a TD.
Bethel Game Highlights Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBXde0Y1rdY
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Clean Hit or Not? —
There was a bit of controversy during the game as to whether All-American defensive lineman Michael Wozniak deliberately tried to injure Bethel’s star quarterback Jaran Roste with a late hit. At any rate, the referee thought so and flew a flag late, bringing a 15-yard penalty. That, after the play was shown on the big screen, brought a chorus of boos and an argument by the coaches. There is a video of that play making the rounds but it’s not available on a link for you; what it shows that Michael began his tackle a milli-second after Jaran got off a hurried pass, with Michael then continuing through with his tackle by landing on Jaran solidly, as is common with his patented “Mike Drop.” Roste re-injured his shoulder on the play and was helped off the field. He was unable to return and back-up QB junior George Bolt played the rest of the game.
One can see the ball at the top of the photo as #91 Michael Wozniak begins to bring Bethel quarterback Jaran Roste down. The flag was thrown after the play when the ref saw that Roste was on the ground hurt from the play.
That tackle/hit was discussed in newspaper coverage of the game. Here’s some StarTribune copy as it relates to the play:
That Roste was sidelined by a play flagged as illegal was unfortunate, both teams said. “That was a little irritating,” acknowledged Royals coach Steve Johnson, who has lost to St. John’s in both of the MIAC conference’s new title games.
But neither side saw the play was unethical, either — including Roste. The quarterback sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder during last week’s victory over Augsburg, and when Wozniak reached him in the pocket, “he kind of picked me up and drove me into the ground directly on that same shoulder,” Roste said. “He’s a heck of a player and when he hits you, you feel it. I don’t put that on him; it’s being a competitor in a game. It’s a football play.”
“Guys get hit all the time,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t say it was cheap. I don’t feel like that’s why we lost.”
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Bethel Bible Study —
"Coach, who was Hamlet?"
"Bring me the Bible, you ignoramus ,and I will show you who he was."
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Round One, NCAA Playoffs —
This Saturday, after being awarded a #1 Seed in its Bracket quadrant, St. John’s hosts the first of its hoped-for few games in Collegeville in the playoffs. Our first foe is the University of Northwestern Eagles of Roseville, MN, a St. Paul suburb. The Eagles, with a 6-4 record, won their Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship with a 6-0 record. That entitles them to an automatic bid to the Division III playoffs, the fact that the conference is one of the weakest in the country notwithstanding.
University of Northwestern (UNW) is a private Christian university established in 1902 as Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School by William Bell Riley, a pastor at First Baptist Church of Minneapolis. In 1951, the school began offering baccalaureate programs. Prior to July 1, 2013 the school was called Northwestern College. UNW also owns a chain of radio stations across the Midwest and Eastern United States, broadcasting listener-supported Christian music and teaching programs. Noted evangelist Billy Graham served as the school's second president from 1948 to 1952.
The school bought its current campus, the former Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary, from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1971 for 1.1 million dollars. In February 1949, the Northwestern Schools opened their first radio station in the Twin Cities area, the first in a series of radio stations across the Upper Midwest serving markets in Fargo, Duluth, Madison, Waterloo, Des Moines, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Kansas City, Omaha and Hartford, CT..
Northwestern also operates the Faith Radio Network. The mission statement for the University of Northwestern – St. Paul's media ministry is: "to lead people to Christ and to nurture them in their spiritual growth through Christ Centered media.”
UNW offers 75+ areas of study, six of which are through its FOCUS Adult Undergraduate Program. Northwestern offers five Master’s degrees. There are 3,425 students, 1,800 of whom are undergraduates. The university was granted an exception to Title IX in 2016 which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons.
UNW sponsors 20 varsity intercollegiate athletic sports, including football, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's lacrosse. Northwestern is a member of the NCAA Division III, a Division I member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, and is one of nine full-time members of the UMAC. Prior to its NCAA Division III membership, which began on a full-time basis prior to the 2008-2009 academic year, the Eagles were a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Since becoming a Division III member in 2008, the schools teams have earned bids to 32 NCAA Tournaments. In 2015 two University of Northwestern – St. Paul teams advanced to NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in men's basketball and women's volleyball. The Eagles volleyball team has advanced to ten of the last eleven NCAA Tournaments, 2 Sweet 16's (2015 & 2017), a Final Four (2016), and was a recipient of the NCAA's Sportsmanship Award for all divisions in 2009. The men's basketball team has also advanced to nine of the last ten NCAA national tournaments.
Here’s an interesting factoid for you: UNW became the first college football team in modern history to play two games on the same day. On October 8, 2005, under head coach Kirk Talley, the Eagles defeated Trinity Bible College 59–0 in a noon kickoff before defeating Macalester College 6.5 miles down Snelling Avenue at 7 p.m. that night, 47–14.
The Eagles qualified for the NCAA National Tournament by winning the UMAC conference this fall. UNW finished the season with a perfect 6-0 conference record and completed the perfect UMAC season with a 31-9 victory over Martin Luther last Saturday. The Eagles are back in the NCAA National Tournament for the first time since 2016.
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What to expect on Saturday? —
Besides incredibly cold weather, not much. This will be a classic mismatch, made even more so by the fact that both teams are limited to 58 players each. That means not too many scrubs will get to play as is usually the case during a regular season at-home blow out, and could result in a higher score than Gary Fasching likes to have against have-not teams.
Why are we thinking blow-out? Obviously the Eagles aren’t completely inept after going 6-0 in their conference. UNW needs to be prepared for, respected and taken seriously; after all, we’re in the playoffs and there’s no room for slack performances. Besides, sloppy, uninspired play leads to injuries and penalties…and we already have enough of those.
Looking at their record, we have had two common opponents this season: UW-River Falls and Augsburg. Against River Falls, we won a narrow victory 37-34 after completely dominating them for three quarters before mailing in our fourth quarter and almost losing. Against UNW, UWRF won 63-27. In our game with Augsburg, we skunked them 45-0 on their home field, while UNW lost a fairly close game 23-15 to the Auggies. So the Eagles aren’t necessarily a bad team, they just don’t have the horses to compete with higher-powered football opponents.
The Eagles have 83 players on their roster, 2/3 of whom are from Minnesota and Wisconsin, while the remainder are from all over. They are not what you’d call a “big team” although they have a few husky lads. Many of them are studying kinesiology, sports management and PE/Health Education.
UNW appears to be a passing team foremost, but they do have a stable of competent running backs, at least at the UMAC level. The running crew is led by junior #30 Jeremiah Staten, with a pair of freshmen #23 Sivert Klefsaas and #41 Cal Johnson expected, among others, to see action.
Quarterbacking is another freshman, #11 Caden Cantrell (from, honest to God, Snowflake H.S. in Arizona). Young Caden’s primary receivers are wide receivers senior #12 Mike Bostrom and sophomore #10 Beau Burk; also getting a lot of work is another freshman, tight end #19 Damon Clapper.
Handling kicking duties is senior #99 Cole Uplegger (if pronounced Up-Legger, it’s a great name for a kicker…but not as good as our sophomore linebacker Jake Schwinghammer.)
On the defensive side, those with the unfortunate task of trying to stop the Johnnies are senior linebacker #15 Brad Kulinski; junior defensive lineman #90 Jaikub Jones; sophomore defensive lineman #11 Jeffrey Markvicka II; sophomore linebacker #25 Sam Schlabach; senior linebacker #40 Nic Schultz; and senior defensive back #20 Nathen Fenske.
What about the Johnnies? Well, we sure don’t want to give much away in game films to our next opponent in terms of tendencies, trick plays and the like. Also, we should resort to the establishment of a running game after some long passes for timing’s sake and early scores; that will serve to keep the clock running and the score down. Lately I’ve been hearing from Johnnie fans that we should win 55-0. While a shut-out is always the goal of our defense, especially in a game like this, I’m expecting that it won’t be that high and that the Eagles may very well score on us…after all, even lowly St. Scholastica did. Although we all expect a large SJU victory over an over-matched foe, I see the score being more in the 48-9 range. I hope the coaches set as a goal ZERO penalties.
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About Game Tickets —
Here’s a note from Nicci Malecha, assistant athletic director:
As our regular season has wrapped up we now begin NCAA football playoffs this coming Saturday (11/19)! SJU hosts University of Northwestern- St. Paul at 12pm. [Ed’s Note: Yes, bundled-up fans, a NOON game.] Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for youth (3-18) and college students. Tickets are REQUIRED for all NCAA playoff games. Season and game day passes will not be accepted for playoffs. Season ticket holders still own the rights to their seats but will still need to purchase a ticket in advance to get into the game.
Please purchase your ticket at www.gojohnnies.com/tickets as this will help speed up the process at each entrance. Thank you and Go Johnnies!
(If you need to contact Nicci, her info is nmalecha001@csbsju.edu
Work: 320-363-3296; Cell: 952-846-9354)
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Johnnie Playoff Shrines —
Avid St. John’s supporter, John Sipe ’61/’65, is ready for the playoffs with his own Johnnie Rat “shrine” prominently established in his home. Of course, this will inspire our team to great victories...and may just get him a free beer or two from admirers at the La after the games.
Here’s what all true St. John’s fans must have for the playoffs…only they won’t because this one-of-a-kind Johnnie Rat was commissioned by Tom ’75 and Bonita Brever from a tree that was felled in their backyard. Tom, an attorney, now keeps this masterpiece in his office. Note: the digit raised by Mr. Rat is his index, not middle, finger…as in ‘We’re Number 1,” just so you know. The UUN is a family e-publication. By the way, one of the Brever’s sons, Nathan ’04, is the team sideline physician; Nathan and family live in Albany, MN. Another son, Eric ’01, is also an attorney in practice with his dad, and lives in New Prague, MN. It will be interesting to learn who the Johnnie Rat is bequeathed to some day. We found another Brever listed — Andy ’08 — and are wondering if he, too, is in the running for claim to the Rat someday..
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AROUND THE MIAC —
Last Week’s Results —
11th Week, Saturday, November 12
MIAC Football Championship Week
(Editor’s Comment: Each of these MIAC games, at their own level, will provide great gridiron entertainment because all the teams are evenly matched. Although I’m not a great fan of this new divisional playoff system, I have to admit that this week will be really interesting.)
Augsburg at Gustavus — I’m picking Gustavus, 28-21. Actually the Gusties won it 34-20.
Concordia at Carleton — Whenever I pick the Cobbers they lose, but I’m sticking with them in a close one, 35-32. Actually, it was close but the Cobbers lost again: Carleton 17-14.
Hamline at St. Scholastica — Can the Saints do it again? Let’s say yes, 42-37. Actually the Saint DID win another by an eyelash, 26-24, adding to their year of [slightest] dominance over the poor Pipers.
Macalester @ St. Olaf — I haven’t seen Mac play but I’m betting they can’t take the Oles at home…St. O. 36- Mac 24. Actually, I have to give Mac more credit; they escaped the Oles 33-30.
Bethel at St. John’s — Don’t let me down, Johnnies! I say you win 36-24 with Roste, 36-16 without. Actually, the Johnnies definitely did not let us down, taking down the Royals 28-10…Should have been 35-10 but we took the knee on the 2-yard line.
Other Game of Interest:
Brrr…Stetson, of DeLand, FL flies up to St. Paul to take on the Tommies. What a bummer — to lose to the Tommies and freeze their butts off while doing it. Stetson is 3-5 overall, 1-4 in the Pioneer League. They’ve lost some close games, but nothing like losing to Davidson last week in two OTs 56-48. The Toms should take them 45 - 20 in front of under 2,000. Actually the Tommies, in a strong defensive showing, held the half-frozen visitors to naught, winning 23-0…in front of an impressive (for them) 4,625 spectators.
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Pre-Med Majors' Corner, Diagnosis Division —
The man told his doctor he wasn't able to do all the things around the house that he used to do. When the examination was complete, he said, "Now, Doc, I can take it. Tell me in plain English what's wrong with me."
"Well, in plain English," the doctor replied, "You're just an old lazy bum."
"Thank You," said the man. "Now give me the medical term, so I can tell my wife!...
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Games This Week—
12th Week, Saturday, November 19
First Round, NCAA Division III Playoffs
(You can take a look at the Bracket discussion farther below for the major games, but here are the ones we need to follow.)
#7 UW-La Crosse at #12 Wartburg — UWL plays in a tougher conference and has a much higher strength of schedule rating. Ergo, the Eagles take the Warthogs (or whatever they’re called) and visit Collegeville two Saturdays from now.
#25 Mt. St. Joseph at #23 Alma — Don’t know (nor particularly care) about either of these teams, but it should be a good game given their undefeated records and place in the standings. I’ll pick MSJ mainly because they are a Catholic university in Cincinnati and no doubt have God on their side (unless it’s a Jesuit school). But it doesn’t matter who wins because on the following week one if them must face Whitewater...at the Warhawks home...in that damn cold. (We know it all too well.)
#8 UW-Whitewater hosts poor Aurora — At least Aurora’s bus ride is only a couple hours away…it will just seem longer on the way home.
#13 Bethel at #15 Wheaton — Even without Roste, Bethel’s greater strength of schedule should allow them to play pretty evenly with their hosts; with Roste, Wheaton’s toast. Let’s pray for Roste’s quick healing so he can suit up and get in there.
University of Northwestern at #4 St. John’s — Oh, dear…it’s going to be another horrible mismatch. Let’s hope no one on either side gets an injury, especially on our team.
Other Game of Interest:
St. Thomas at Butler (IN)— Hope it will be warmer in Indianapolis than it will be here this Saturday. The Tommies hope to wrap everything up in their impressive second year in the so-so Pioneer Football League. Butler is 7-3, meaning not necessarily a push-over, although they played in close contests to teams that U$T either creamed or handled fairly well. The Toms should emerge victorious 32-12.
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D3Football Top 25 —
This is the final ranking for the regular season and things remained pretty much the same at the very top, with St. John’s switching places with Linfield again, this week moving back up to #4 with the Wildcats dropping to #5. I’m not sure if our convincing win over Bethel, coupled with our strength of schedule, sealed the deal, but for the past couple of weeks I’ve been bemoaning the fact that we’d have to travel out to McMinnville, OR because Linfield, undefeated in their conference, seemed to be “groomed” for #1 Seed in the West. Aren’t we glad the Bracket Guys changed their mind, giving us the home field top seed for as long as we keep winning.
Speaking of Bethel, the Royals dropped to #13 from #9, and that caused some readjusting, making UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater #s 7 and 8 respectively, sandwiched by #6 Trinity and #9 Hardin-Simmons. UWL and UWW are the only two WIAC teams left in the Top 25, with both UW-River Falls and UW-Oshkosh out of the ranking but receiving votes.
https://d3football.com/top25/2022/week11
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A Quick Look at Strength of Schedule —
Here’s the link to the d3football S.O.S link:'
https://www.d3football.com/seasons/2022/schedule?tmpl=sos-template
This doesn’t mean everything but it’s an important indicator of how well a team does against better competition. SJU is #2 with Bethel close behind at #5; gosh, even our disappointing pals at Concordia have an SOS at #6, with St. Olaf at #19. Does that mean that the Cobbers and the Oles would stand a chance against any of the top teams? Nope, but it shows they would have had a better win-loss record if they played less powerful teams.
How about some of the other higher-ranked teams? Especially the teams who have been racking up huge scores? #1 North Central comes in at #59; #2 Mount Union at #126; and #3 Mary Hardin-Baylor at #101. Tsk, tsk, boys. Contrast that with #8 UW-Whitewater at #3 S.O.S.
Compared to the Top Three, #5 Linfield’s #26 S.O.S. doesn’t look so anemic. They are followed by #7 UW-La Crosse’s #30 and #15 Wheaton’s #33. #6 Trinity at #55; #12 Wartburg comes in at #87; and #9 Hardin-Simmons at #157. Now let’s take a look at the NCAA D-III Playoff Bracket.
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2022 Division III Football Playoffs —
https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/b/w/g52zkzgykzqmlt/2022-football-bracket.pdf
Try factoring in the S.O.S. of some of these bigger games Saturday. In the St. John’s Bracket #7 La Crosse goes to #12 Wartburg. I’d have to favor UWL, but it’s going to be a tough game…and SJU will face the winner up in Collegeville. In the meantime #8 Whitewater will run all over unranked Aurora, and in the Mount Union Bracket, UMU has a laugher over unranked Salisbury.
If the Johnnies get by UWL or Wartburg, then UW-Whitewater again, we would face Mount Union. At home, this time, I think. But that’s a lot of winning that needs to be done first, and those are all very good teams.
At the beginning of the season I was convinced Mary Hardin-Baylor was the team to beat, right until they lost early and have looked uneven ever after. Now I’m thinking the class of Div. III has to be #1 North Central and they will sail through their entire bracket at home (but I thought that last year when UMHB humiliated them in the Stagg Bowl in the second half).
The absolute toughest bracket, comprised of so many really good teams, is the UMHB side on the lower right. Just look at this Saturday’s games…geez! Other than Linfield’s fairly easy game and Mary Hardin-Baylor’s gimme, four very good teams must whittle down to two the very first round. If Roste can play, then #13 Bethel looks good over #15 Wheaton; if he can’t or gets taken out early like at SJU last week, then Wheaton will advance. #6 Trinity hosts #9 Hardin-Simmons. Trinity should win a close game, only party because of its superior S.O.S.
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The Johnnies enter the field before the Bethel game. Look at the intensity of the team. They will need to keep at this level of commitment and preparation for the duration of this year’s pursuit of a Stagg Bowl win.
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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 W—45-0
Oct. 15 St. Olaf* Northfield W—49-10
Oct. 23 Gustavus* (FW) Collegeville W—41-28
Oct. 29 St. Scholastica* Duluth, MN W—56-6
Nov. 5 Carleton* Collegeville W—45-16
Nov. 12 MIAC Champ. (Bet) Collegeville W—28-10
Nov. 19 NCAA Rnd 1 (UNW) 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 ’87, Mike Carr ’77 and Charlie Carr ’03 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/csbsju/
(Note: All NCAA games are streamed for free. Is this a great country or what?)
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MIAC Standings —
(As of November 12)
Division MIAC Overall
Northwoods Division
St. John’s 4-0 7-1 9-1
Gustavus 3-1 6-2 7-3
Carleton 2-2 5-3 7-3
St. Olaf 1-3 3-5 4-6
St. Scholastica 0-4 2-6 3-7
Skyline Division
Bethel 4-0 7-1 8-2
Augsburg 3-1 4-4 6-4
Concordia 2-2 3-5 5-5
Macalester 1-3 3-5 5-5
Hamline 0-4 0-8 2-8
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English Majors' Department, Bad Analogies Section —
~ The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
~ Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
~ She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.
~ He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
~ I felt a nameless dread. Well, there probably is a long German name for it, like Geschpooklichkeit or something, but I don't speak German. Anyway, it's a dread that nobody knows the name for, like those little square plastic gizmos that close your bread bags. I don't know the name for those either.
~ Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
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(Compliments of Mike Obler '64)
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A View From The Field —
(By Ron Tomczik ’65, Medicine Lake, MN)
Comments :
From linebackers coach Tom Wicka; the difference today vs 9/24/22:
“Our linebackers are so much better than in September. The D-backs probably played their best game today. And the team as a whole played a great game, maybe our best game of the year.” Yes, we were definitely the better team today. While we feel bad about Jaran Roste’s injury, most everyone, including Bethel Coach Steve Johnson (who said, “I don’t feel like that’s why we lost”), said it was not a game changer.
Regarding Michael Wozniak’s penalties: the first was not a penalty—see quarterback Roste’s and Coach Johnson’s comments in Sunday’s StarTribune. The 2nd penalty at the line of scrimmage—not a penalty either. After a hit, the Bethel player just laid down on the turf and the ref saw him lying there and called a penalty. Because we won, we can comment on poor referee calls; if you lose, criticizing referee’s call is considered sour grapes. I spoke with Michael about the two bad calls; he said, “I can’t control that.” Were you unhappy about those two calls?“Absolutely” but he used stronger words. I asked him about his finger injury—taped with a blood-soaked bandage. “No problem, no problem , I will be ok next week.” OBSERVATION—in my many years of asking/speaking with injured Johnnie football players about their injuries, NOT ONE has ever complained or said they will miss a game…maybe some were too optimistic, but they wanted to play again soon! A few years back we had a running back’s foot so taped up before the game that I was amazed he could walk, much less run, but run he did in the game. After an away game one year at Eau Claire, one of our receivers had a broken arm bone poking out of his skin. “How are you,” we asked? “I am fine.” Note: sometimes an injured player was taken off the field on a gurney and immediately taken to a hospital and as result I was not able to speak with them. But the next week he usually was back and, of course, “I am fine/okay.”
Senior defensive lineman #91 Michael Wozniak appears to be held by not one, but two Bethel defenders, although probably not as egregiously as many of the uncalled penalties are. He often has to change jerseys at halftime because the first one has rips in it.
Nick VanErp and his zigzagging skills: After the game, players were lining up for family, friends’, and fans’ pictures. Someone told Nick to “go get the [MIAC Championship] plaque.” He immediately went zigzagging through the crowd so fast that it was just difficult to even watch/follow his moves. Even after going half way across the field to retrieve the plaque, he was back, seemingly in a heartbeat, again weaving through the crowd. No wonder he is so elusive after a catch!
Elusive and swift senior wide receiver #7 Nick VanErp was very active against Bethel, with a TD reception, and ten catches for 147 yards.
Humor/Language correction:
On Saturday at the La Playette with classmate John Sipe and brother Pat Tomczik, we were served by a lady who appeared to be in ownership. I asked her “Are you the owner’s wife? Immediately, she said, “NO, my husband is over there,” pointed him out and said, ”HE works for me!” After this clarification/humor, I confirmed that she and her husband are indeed the La owners. Afterwards, I spoke with the husband, who told me how they try to the support SJU teams and I thanked them for that.
More Trivia:
After our 2003 National D-3 Football Championship win, our team arrived back from Salem, VA quite late that Saturday evening. The La closed down and the team, coaches, etc., were entertained with food and beverages for quite some time—ALL FREE! I think we now have new owners and, as mentioned above, they are continuing the Johnnie support. This is just one of the reasons why many of my family/friends support the La to this day. Go Johnnies! — Ron
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More Scenes From Stearns County —
A Paynesville man enters a barber shop for a shave. While the barber is foaming him up, he mentions the problems he has getting a close shave around the cheeks.
"I have just da ting," says the barber taking a small wooden ball from a nearby drawer." Just place dis between your cheek and gum."
The client places the ball in his mouth and the barber proceeds with the closest shave the man has ever experienced. After a few strokes the client asks in garbled speech." And what if I swallow it?"
"No problem," says the barber." Just bring it back tomorrow like everyone else does."
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Meanwhile, Before, During and After the Bethel Game —
(Photos courtesy of John Sipe and Chris Scholl)
COLD? What cold?
Firing Up Prior to Kickoff #1 — (from left) Chad Sutherland, Bruce Folkens and brother Doug Folkens. Bruce is the grandfather of SJU sophomore center #72 Charlie Folkens.
Firing Up Prior to Kickoff #2 —
Firing Up Prior to Kickoff #3 —
Rolling out the carpet for the Johnnies at the tailgate.
"It ain't cold, Fadda...it's a Johnnie game!" From left, Harry Burns ''74/'78; Mike Spanier '83; and John Delebo ' 81.
Longtime regulars Donna Buttenhoff and Gaye Dean dress for warmth.
Meanwhile, up in the President's Suite, there's a break in the action. But it's warm, at least.
Usually there's a lot of visiting going on up in the suite, but during some tense times in the Bethel game everyone's paying attention for a change.
The game's over and the two teams come together in respect and camaraderie. But one team's very happy. GO JOHNNIES!
Back for the first time in a couple years, former teammates from 2019 help celebrate the big win at the La Playette. From left, Ryan LaCasse; Jackson Erdmann; and Kai Barber.
This group knows how to celebrate...in their own corner of the crowded La Playette. From left standing: Jeff Anderson ‘89, John Ellis '84/‘88, Dave Lutz ‘89, Scott Hylla ‘’89, Pat Hall ‘89, Deb Lutz (Cobber’90). In the bottom row are (left) Abe Havelka '22 and Ethan Hylla '22.
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From Our Readers —
(Received before the Bethel game)
From Steve May, Friend of St. John’s, St. Louis Park, MN —
Bob – I like our spunk in not backing down to Bethel. Charge. — Steve
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From Jeremiah Eisenschenk ‘01,’05, Crosslake, MN —
Wick, I'll be footing the $10 to stream from home this weekend as my wife had planned surgery and is recovering. My call: SJU 31-21, another multi-TD day from Alex Larson. At some point, perhaps in the offseason, you should create a compendium of your UUN jokes…love them, especially the medical ones. Be well, — Jeremiah
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From Conrad Macina, Close Follower of St. John’s, Landing NJ —
Hi Rob! Greetings from Cuzco, Peru, elevation 11,150 feet! I won’t be able to follow tomorrow’s game, but I’m sure the Johnnies will beat Bethel. You can’t spell Bethel without B, E And T!
Since I’m on the road I don’t have access to my humor archives, so you’ll have to put up with a "Conrad Original." My plan was to make this a top ten list but I came down with a devastating case of altitude sickness so I could only do three.
Top three ways landing in Cuzco is different:
3. Empty plastic bottles don’t crush, they blow up
2. When they depressurize the cabin, air rushes out
… and the Number One way landing in Cuzco is different:
1. There is no descent. The pilot just drops the landing gear and hits the brakes
I know, if I had a day job you’d tell me to keep it. BTW, The finals of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions start airing on Monday. One of the contestants is Sam Buttrey, who is my nephew. — Conrad
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From Paul Hamann ’63, Edina, MN —
Hi Bob, Well I've read it from cover to cover..er..top to bottom. Don't know how you do it but certainly appreciate your efforts and the resulting UUN. Enjoyed the history of the tailgate. Thanks for the mention of my classmate Rich Hall '63. I loved the closeness of the Library lot and haven't brought myself to the new location yet. I've got my warmest gear set for the Bethel Game. Seat courtesy of classmate, His Honor, John Lindstrom ’63. Go Johnnies — Paul
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From Jim Conway ’58/’62, Wayzata, MN —
Great job on your newsletter again, Rob, as usual. Always the best thing in my mail. Living with this young lady is pretty much all I care much about these days. Besides your newsletter. Best. — J
Jim Conway '58/'62 lost his wife Sandy last year to a multi-year illness; they were sweethearts from their teen years in Superior, WI. His daughter, Kate, recently back from working/living in Ireland, has returned home while she searches for a job as an executive assistant stateside, and Jim is happy to have her back. Any job referrals are appreciated.
This is Jim mugging with Maloney, an equine neighbor, who Jim can enjoy while not having the expenses and time it takes to own such a fine animal.
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From Colleen Lilly ’81, Edina, MN, on the Beat Bethel “Fire Up” video —
Michael Woz did the voice over! https://youtu.be/ylubXCBRRxc — Colleen
(Editor’s Comments: For those who have forgotten from last year, Amos 5:5 is: [New International Version] “…do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
Which brings me to something that needs to be addressed to The Rats, who were responsible for infiltrating the filled-up Bethel side bleachers, going to the top, and unfolding a large sheet that stated, “Royals Suck.” Talk about classless, juvenile, and poor sportsmanship…I don’t know how many of our guests saw their handiwork, but it did nothing to enhance our image. Perhaps, if some subtlety or intellectual humor had been involved — say putting “Amos 5:5“ on the sign — it wouldn’t have come off as so ignoble and crass. Keep in mind, however, that if we had been playing St. Thomas I wouldn’t be saying this!)
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(Forwarded by Colleen — a Facebook post by Boz Bostrom ‘95, SJU accounting professor)
Last year, I handed back Exam 2 in the Intro Accounting course the day before the conference championship game against Bethel. Many of you remember that post, as I shared a picture with exam high-scorer and Johnnie kicker Conor Murphy. I commented that if it came down to a kick to win the game, I'd bet the house on Conor to make it. 24 hours later, with the snow coming down and one second left in the game, Conor calmly drilled the extra point and the Johnnies won by 1.
Today, I again handed back Exam 2 in the intro Accounting course the day before the conference championship game against Bethel. Starting inside linebacker Hayden Sanders had the high score in his class. Hayden is quiet, humble, and incredibly sharp. If the game is on the line and Bethel runs his way, you can bet that he will be in position, and he will make the play. — Boz
Accounting professor Warren “Boz” Bostrom ’95 and high test scorer Hayden Sanders, linebacker.
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From Nellie Klein ’60, St. Cloud, MN —
Loved this read tonight in your UUN! Amazing how filled it always is with so much info and humor. (I literally laughed out loud at your “pre-med” story! I must be real tired. Right?
Gary’s not feeling well so I will be watching the game tomorrow here at home. Hoping my Johnnies can set the stage and perform right from the get-go! Loved reading about the players who feel they have the ability to go all the way during the upcoming playoff season. Most positive to read! Most impressive too was to see the winning record of Coach Fasching! We are in good hands!! — Nell
(And here is Nellie’s joke) —
A 54 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God she asked "Is my time up?"
God said, "No, you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live."
Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her teeth! Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.
After her last operation, she was released from the hospital.While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.
Arriving in front of God, she demanded, "I thought you said I had another 43 years. Why didn't you pull me out of the path of the ambulance?"
God replied, "I didn't recognize you!"
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From Anthony “Addy” Bombich ’64, Clinton, MS —
Hi Rob, I have not yet communicated with you this season, but that does not mean I have not read every one of your UUN messages. I appreciate the detail, insight, and jokes you bring to us each week, especially for those of us who live far from St. John's. The video streaming of the games is the next best thing to attend.
I appreciate you recognizing Johnnie, Fr. Mike Schmitz, and his Bible-in-a-Year podcasts. Becky and I are today on day 315 and soon will complete our first reading of the entire Bible. He has made it so easy to do. I have started so many times without completing it. It has been so fulfilling. We plan to join Fr. Mike on his Catechism in a Year beginning in January. He is a Gem! Thanks again, Rob. — Addy
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(Received after the Bethel game)
From Jim Conn ’64, Alexandria, MN —
Bob - After listening to the Bethel game in sunny Florida, I went back to your most recent UUN and reviewed your five-point analysis of why we should beat the Royals. Each of of the points you detailed were factors in the game, so kudos on an excellent pregame analysis! Go Johnnies! — Jim
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From Conrad Macina, still in Peru —
I just saw the final score on the GoJohnnies app. Great game! Congrats!!
Now, before you complain about student attendance in cold weather in Minnesota, consider a team that is winning but only sells seats for a quarter to a third of their stadium's capacity. And it’s in LA so the weather isn’t keeping anybody away.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/sports/ncaafootball/ucla-football-game-attendance.html
(Editor’s New Info from d3football.com: No. 12 Ithaca made sure it would enter the playoffs as an unbeaten team, as the Bombers pulled away to a 34-17 win at Yankee Stadium against No. 11 Cortland in the Cortaca Jug. Anthony Wingfield was an efficient 18-for-20 for 209 yards and Jake Williams was both the Bombers' leading rusher and leading receiver in the win. Check out the photo gallery from d3photography.com.
The game was played in front of a paid crowd of 40,232, the second-highest attendance in Division III football history. )
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From Julie Ditzler, wife of John ’58/’62, Minneapolis, MN —
Bob, This [the UUN] was so fun to read. Thank you. I loved watching the YouTube on the building of the church. I have vivid memories of standing at my brother’s graduation in May 1958 with that huge hole behind me. It was enormous. My Dad hated to see the Twin Towers go but he always realized that growth and change were a part of life. He attended St. John’s in 1913. Anyway thanks again. I agree that the Johnnies are a much better team than when they began the season. Perhaps that’s true of many teams. We watched yesterday while getting ready for the wedding. Great game. Hi to Chris — Julie
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From Thom Woodward ’70, Sartelll, MN —
Howdy, fellas. Even the StarTribune paid attention to the Collegeville showdown. St. Thomas headed-up the snippet reports on the various area conferences but Bethel-SJU merited a by-line article. Jaran Roste said Michael Wozniak's unsportsmanlike game-ender penalty was simply a part of the game. I see there were 7,500+ reported in attendance. Nice. (SJU basketball won in double overtime Saturday night over UW-Eau Claire for a Johnnie doubleheader sweep on the day. Front-page feature in the St. Cloud Times today on a Johnnie cross country runner who also serves in the Minnesota Air National Guard; he advanced to the NCAA championships yesterday.) —Thom
Junior Lloyd Young earned his second consecutive All-Region honor (top 35 individually) with a 10th-place finish in 24:53. A junior accounting major at SJU, Young runs cross country and track for the college. Young committed to run at St. John’s, but when he came out of high school, he also made another commitment: to the Minnesota Air National Guard. So Young spent fall 2019 in basic training for the Guard, starting at St. John’s in spring 2020. When it was time for his first college cross country season, there wasn’t one. He’s honed his time management skills juggling classes, tutoring, sports and monthly drill and other commitments for the Air National Guard. And that self-motivation came in handy when Young put in the hours to train when there wasn’t any competition to train for. (Read about the track regionals here:)
https://gojohnnies.com/news/2022/11/12/cross-country-johnnies-finish-seventh-at-ncaa-regional.aspx
Junior Fiona Smith of the CSB Cross Country Team has had a record-breaking, history-making season and the junior standout will look to continue the success at the NCAA DIII Championships on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Forest Akers East Golf Course on the campus of Michigan State in Lansing, Mich.
On Sunday (Nov. 13), Smith, who has won back-to-back NCAA DIII North Region titles, was among the individuals selected to go to the NCAA Championships. With her school record clocking of 20:51.6 at regionals on Nov. 12 in Northfield, Minn., she won the race by 15.3 seconds to earn the berth at nationals. (Read more here:) https://mail.aol.com/d/folders/4/messages/AMpyqwRVjoOmY3V16gNLwIWWWWc
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From Anonymous,Twin Cities —
UST Tommie Media claims their football team has a 37-game win streak and that their senior class has a perfect 20-0 record on their home field. The "win streak" would have started at the beginning of the 2017 season. It's somewhat true if the Allianz Field and Target Field games were recorded as neutral site games.
What’s laughable is that in their “official” records they counted the 2019 loss at Allianz Field a neutral site game and the 2017 win at Target Field as a home game.
2016 they finished their playoff run at home with a loss to Oshkosh
2017 7-0 at home which includes the Target Field game
2018 6-0 at home
2019 4-0 at home (they counted the Allianz Field loss as a neutral site game)
2021 4-0 at home
2022 6-0 at home
Correct me if I'm wrong but this only adds up to 27 wins in a row....12 if the Allianz Field game was treated as a home game.
(Editor’s Observation: You're not wrong, Anonymous. Even though they are gone from the MIAC, they are not forgotten — U$T is not to be trusted either. I credit it to their innate inferiority complex and too much institutional money.)
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From Vic Murphy ’92, St. Paul, MN —
Regarding the live stream (I’m also going to send this observation to the admin at SJU), I usually don’t mind paying $10 and yesterday I didn’t really have a choice, as our dog had been sick all week and going out of town wasn’t an option.
The video stream froze and buffered many times right in the middle of the second quarter of the game. I read on the D3 boards that others had the same issue. The technology is good, in fact it’s amazing compared to what it was 10-20 years ago. In the late 1990s and early 2000s I would use my dial-up internet and listen to the radio broadcast using the RealPlayer app and I thought that was pretty awesome.
However when it’s a “conference” championship game and people are paying $10 a pop it has to be perfect technically. It makes SJU look really bad to be one of the only (maybe only) D3 programs charging a fee and then the webcast glitches. The optics are really bad…it makes us look greedy. Everyone that paid yesterday should be refunded. — Vic
(Editor’s Comment: I heard via email from Henry Gallagher ’61 in Washington, DC at halftime who was irate with the livestream and St. John’s video providers. But then, after the game, I received another email saying that the problem cleared up in the second half and to “never mind.”)
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From Lynn Youso Bormann SJP ’86, Elk River (I think) —
Rob, On behalf of everyone in the Youso clan, many thanks for your tireless efforts each week in publishing the UUN. We all look so forward to reading it and enjoy the updates, photos and interesting links you include. I thought I'd also share a couple of photos from the Bethel game last week:
My uncle Gary Youso ('63/'67) is no longer with us, but my dad, Ron Youso '64, and I [Lynn Youso Bormann] enjoyed bringing Gary's "Rat Touchdown Towel" to cheer on the Johnnies to a big win: "Welcome to the Sea of Red."
My hubby, Peter Bormann, dons a special jacket that was given to my Grandpa Youso (Sev) in 1994 by John Gagliardi. John gave this special gift to my Grandpa when Grandpa's health was beginning to fail. My dad shared that it was the first time he saw his dad get teary-eyed. God bless, and GO JOHNNIES! — Lynn
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From Wayne Hergott ’57, Edina, MN —
The Johnnies had a great game. Just about everything went our way. The guys played well and were coached well. The one downer was the roughing the passer call against Wozniak. I happened to be watching Woz on that play and he clearly tackled Roste a split second after Roste threw the ball. It was a hard, clean, legitimate tackle. The referee delayed making the call until he saw that Roste was injured and then he threw the flag. The only infraction on that play was the referee's call of roughing the passer. It angers me as I feared the reaction of the media would be that the Johnnies played dirty. However, to their credit, Roste and Johnson quelled that by their quotes in the StarTribune this morning. They both say it was a legitimate but hard tackle. I'd be eager to hear what the coaches say about it. I feel VERY strongly that the referee goofed and if I knew how to contact the Referee's Association, or whatever it's called, I'd write to it and complain about that call. — Wayne
Occasionally Woz makes it to the quarterback, sacks him, rejoices, and IS NOT flagged by some over-wrought ref.
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From Bill Kauffmann ‘87, Plymouth, MN —
I couldn’t agree more with Wayne about the call on Michael. It was a very poor call and I was happy to hear how Roste and Johnson responded. First class. In my opinion, this was the best game the Johnnies played all year. Although it may have been a more competitive game had Roste remained in the game, I don’t think the outcome would have been much different. Great if Johnnies are peaking at this time of the year!
For any of your readers who may not know, there was a Johnnie connection in that Baldwin-Wallace (BW) Yellow Jackets near upset of Mount Union last Saturday. Michael Orts ’09 was the quarterback coach for the Johnnies and last summer accepted the position of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at BW. I reached out to him by email and he said it was a heck of a comeback by his boys (21 points in the fourth quarter). The TD catch was as miraculous as any Hail Mary passes I have ever seen. Michael said a BW victory would have ended a 28 year drought for BW as Ohio Athletic Conference champs and in beating Mount Union. I don't know how to isolate the video of the catch but it is worth a Web search if you haven't seen it. Here is where I found a clip. Go Johnnies! — Bill
(Editor’s Note: I scrolled down just a little and saw a small screen pop up on the right hand of the page. After listening to an ad, that part of the game was shown…and I was able to increase the size of the screen. What a pity the Mount won the conference yet again.)
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From Josh Rebholz ’15, St. Paul, MN —
Wick, We met a few years ago in St. Louis Park at a Johnnie lunch. I had been invited by John Sipe after crossing paths in the Saint Paul skyway sporting my red SJU cap. In any event, I moved jobs last summer and lost the UUN distribution as a result of the change.
Happy to report I’m working for a Johnnie, Patrick Tinucci (class of 85), and he sent along the UUN in advance of the game this weekend. Would love to get back on the list. Hope all is well at St. Cecilia. — Josh
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From Terry Fruth ’60, Minneapolis, MN — (Here are some emails Terry has recently sent regarding the necessary actions of the new boards to bring the schools closer together for efficiency and savings.)
Bob, Title IX is an impediment to a complete merger with CSB. SJU spends a lot more on sports than CSB can. But I have argued that the savings from a merger would provide the cash necessary to mitigate, if not eliminate, the legal problem.
Men’s sports is not where the opportunity is. It is in women’s. (A women’s sports bar just opened in Minneapolis). So if you combine the two sports programs, net effect is growth. Women’s NCAA sports participation since Title IX was passed has increased ten fold and it is not mature. Business looks for scale—more revenue to carry the fixed costs.
Look at the org. chart for the SJU sports enterprise and you will see the opportunity. It is no longer the coach and the kid with the towels. Take publicity as an example. SJU has a relationship with national media. It reaches parents and potential students.
Our Joint Board has hired a General Counsel, whom I know by reputation. She has the experience we need to eliminate, or at least mitigate, the risk to the SJU sports program that a merger presents. I argue that the savings from the merger will provide the cash necessary to mitigate, if not eliminate, the risk of dilution of the SJU program—one of the best in D3. CSB does well with what they have—one the best track and field programs. Title IX gave women greater access to education. Here’s what It says and does.
Regards, — Terry
P.S. Look at this announcement: https://www.csbsju.edu/news/katie-alvino
Wow! She is high powered. Another consolidation. I wonder why the schools are not bragging about it. A formal marriage of two venerable institutions would be newsworthy. I can only guess that there is some opposition in the monasteries. When I was on the Board it was the SJU monks. The women are more collaborative, as you may have noticed. One does not associate testosterone with a monk. It was CSB that hired the first lay President, a male. The monks held out to the last. Fr. Coleman Barry had it right. Tradition is our greatest strength and weakness. Traditio—he used the Latin.
(Editor’s Additional News: This is older news but how many saw it? St.John’s/St. Ben’s Named Best Value: https://wjon.com/st-johnss-and-st-benedicts-named-best-value/ )
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From Jeff Rathmanner ’83, Minneapolis, MN —
Hi Rob--- I promised a picture from the wedding of the Johnnie/Bennie alums….here you go. Rather than list every Johnnie/Bennie, I’ll give you the wedding party, who are almost all alums.
Mariah Rathmanner ’17—bride; Parker Anderson ’17—groom; Martha Rathmanner ’12—sister; Max Rathmanner ’14—brother; Emily Boyle ’17—Roommate; Dylan Jackson ’17—step-brother; Mary Baymler Rathmanner ’83—Mother; Jeff Rathmanner ’83—Father; and Martin Rathmanner ’57 Grandfather (there in spirit…he passed away in 2004)
All in all, I think there were 55-60 Johnnie/Bennie alums there (almost half the wedding). Fun was had by all and, of course, “Piano Man” closed out the night!
In my speech, I did manage to work the story of you stating in the newsletter that they were dating, before they actually were. I gave you credit for making it official! Thanks — Jeff
(Editor’s Incredulity: Can you image what this wedding must have cost? It was the Ice Banner sculpture that did it for me. That’s some Johnnie magic.)
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From Jim Herickhoff ’64, Ft. Collins, CO —
Hi Bob — I have perhaps been noticeably absent from commenting or even corresponding with you this SJU season. There are no reasons, just excuses.
That said, I marvel at your ability and persistence in publishing so faithfully every week. We in the hinterlands are especially grateful because it is many times difficult, or impossible to receive radio or computer transmission of the games. We don’t know how far our Johnnies will go in the playoffs, but we hope and provide our verbal support – some of which must go to the stratosphere and comes back onto Gagliardi Field/Clemens Stadium, etc.
So THANK YOU for your effort, your insights, your reporting of players, alumni, and miscellaneous attendees. I really appreciate it. —Jim
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From Brother Richard Crawford OSB, St. John’s Prep School —
Bob — Tuesday night on PBS Newshour, Saint John’s Abbey Woodworking and our new Pipe Organ Building venture was a special feature. The national news story prominently featured KC Marrin SJP’67/SJU ’71 and Fr. Nick Kleespie, OSB SJU ’06, SJU Student Chaplain and presider at the post football game Mass. In addition to a wonderful story about this exciting new apostolate of the Abbey, it features beautiful music and videos of our Collegeville home.
[My editorial thoughts for the UUN: Make sure and watch to the end, as our dear friends in Saint Paul sponsor the entire Under-Told Stories Project series of which this report is a part. Thanks to the Tommies for this incredible national exposure for Saint John’s!]
See you Saturday; God Bless and Go Johnnies!! — Br. Richard
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From Tony Sandeen ‘94, Hong Kong, SAR —
Wick, I tried ringing you a few times prior to the Bethel kick-off but you must have been deep into tailgating. Great result on the game and the seeding that followed for the playoffs. You're lucky to be getting opportunities to spend more Saturdays in Collegeville. Go Johnnies.
Cheers, — Tony
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New record set on ‘Give SJU Day’ —
The power of the Johnnie network yielded a record-high total when it came to dollars raised for the Saint John’s University Student Fund during this year’s Give SJU Day event on Wednesday, Nov. 16.
All told, $768,863 was raised to support Student Fund scholarships during the 24-hour period, surpassing the total of $729,821 raised in 2020. Meanwhile, a total of 1,443 donors contributed – exceeding the set goal of 1,400.
“Scholarships are so crucial right now and they remain our top fundraising priority at Saint John’s,” said Ted Kain ’12, SJU’s director of annual giving. “I’m incredibly grateful for the generosity of our donor community and the way they continually show their support for making the Saint John’s experience possible for so many outstanding young men.”
(See entire release here:)
https://www.csbsju.edu/news/give-sju-day-recap-2022
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Christmas At Saint John’s/St. Ben’s, December 3 —
CSB and SJU Music Department: Christmas with Saint Ben's and Saint John's
The time-honored tradition of Christmas with Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s (formerly Christmas at Saint John’s) returns at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 3, with a single on-campus performance in the Abbey and University Church at Saint John’s University. This annual concert celebrates the seasons of Advent and Christmas through traditional and contemporary music. Purchase tickets
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Married Couples Retreat , February 10-12 —
Real Presence in a Virtual World: Keeping Marriage Real
Despite an increasingly digital, Zoom-impacted world, married couples can remain grounded in their sacramental covenant and truly present to each other. The Eucharist shows us how. Presented by Jim and Maureen Otremba. Learn more and register
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(Courtesy of Denny Bracco ’75, Elmwood Park, IL)
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Battle Between the Sexes, Communications Department —
(Courtesy of Don Hall ’55/’59, Minneapolis, MN)
Something to keep in mind: A communications expert explained that we express ourselves in so many ways from the day we were born, until the day we get married.
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Battle Between the Sexes, Marital Encouragement Division —
(Courtesy of Terry Kotnour ’64, Our Man in New Yawk City)
When a group of tourists visited a crocodile farm, the owner of the place launched a daring proposal: “Whoever dares to jump in this pond, swim to shore and survive, I will give a million dollars.”
Nobody dared to move. Then suddenly a man jumped into the water and desperately swam toward the far shore while he was chased by all the crocodiles. With great luck he arrived, winning the admiration of everyone in the place. The farm owner announced loudly, “We have a brave winner!”
After collecting his reward, the man and his wife returned to the hotel. Upon their arrival the hotel manager told him that he was very brave to jump in. The man replied, “I didn’t jump, someone pushed me!”
His wife smiled.
Moral: Behind every successful man, there is a woman who pushes him.
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Wicker’s Health Rant —
Making It Through the Winter, as well as the Rest of the Year
A little more than a year ago I received a call from Kristee Rutten Flynn ’89. A Twin Cities ad rep for LPi, a Wisconsin-based company that produces parish bulletins, she sells space to advertisers on the back of the weekly bulletins. She called me to see if I might sponsor an ad to help lower the cost of the bulletin production for our parish. I wondered what a retired fellow like myself could “advertise” but then asked her if I could put any message in an ad. She said, within reason, yes. So I told her I’d purchase a space in which to place four quarterly messages about the importance of Vitamin D. They are listed below. By the way, Kristee told me she comes from a large family of Johnnies and Bennies, and mentioned some to me, but unfortunately I lost my notes. However I know her husband, Gabriel Flynn ’90, and his late dad John '67 and mom, are also CSB/SJU alums.
For more than fifteen years I’ve been ranting on the importance of Vitamin D, and yet that message falls mostly on deaf ears (see Matthew 13, Parable of the Sower). Although there is no “magic potion, silver bullet” pill to health, an adequate Vitamin D level is most definitely one of the foundations of overall health, especially for strengthening immune systems while all these coronavirus variants are still about. If you want to get serious about health maintenance, you must address your D level issue.
Having said that, there’s more to this than popping a bunch of Vitamin D3 capsules. Everyone should have their D level tested to know how much to take safely; that said, until you get tested you generally can use between 2,000 and 4,000 IU of Vitamin D3 a day safely, with the higher amount if you are older, heavier and/or have any ongoing health issues. Talk to your health provider about it, but realize that many doctors are not properly trained in nutrition, may have biases against natural approaches to health or are skeptical about the value of Vitamin D; in that case an alternative health provider, such as an integrative health physician, naturopathic physician, chiropractor, nutritionist, or Oriental Medicine practitioner may be of more help.
Please read this excellent primer, sent to me by Sister Lois Wedl OSB ’53, on the importance of Vitamin D and what additional supplements you should be taking with it: https://s3.amazonaws.com/naturalhealthconnections/Dr._Marlene_NHC_Newsletter_Issue_3_8.pdf
Ad #1 - FALL
Maintaining Heath in the Time of Covid
You've had your shots...now what's next? Eat better, sleep longer, exercise regularly…AND supplement with Vitamin D3. Have your doctor check your D level.
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Ad #2 - WINTER
Hey, It's Cold, Flu and Coronavirus Season!
What's the most important thing to maintain your immune system at this time? Supplement daily with Vitamin D3. Find your D level, but take 2,000 to 4,000 iu a day until you know.
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Ad #3 - SPRING
Spring Into Action For Health Maintenance
Balancing your immune system must be a year-round priority. Diet, hydration, sleep and exercise are all keys. But there's still more: you must maintain a high Vitamin D level for best immunity.
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Ad #4 - SUMMER
Vitamin D — God's Great Gift For On-Going Health
Vitamin D influences 3,000 genetic functions in our body; and it comes free through God's own creation — the Sun! The problem is most don't get the proper D level naturally; Don't stop taking your D3 daily.
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Finally, A Northwestern Joke —
A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter gives him a tour and asks him, "Well, what do you think?"
The man says, "Its terrific, everything I dreamed it would be. But who were those people sitting by themselves looking so unhappy?"
"Oh, those are the University of Northwestern grads; they can't believe that they aren't the only ones here."
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THE FINAL WORD
As a butcher is shooing a dog from his shop, he sees a $10 bill and a note in his mouth, reading: "5 lamb chops, please."
Amazed, he takes the money, puts a bag of chops in the dog's mouth, and quickly closes the shop.
He follows the dog and watches him wait for a green light, look both ways, and trot across the road to a bus-stop. The dog checks the timetable and sits on the bench.
When a bus arrives, he walks around to the front and looks at the number, then boards the bus. The butcher follows, dumbstruck. As the bus travels out into the suburbs, the dog takes in the scenery.
After awhile he stands on his back paws to push the "stop" bell, then the butcher follows him off. The dog runs up to a house and drops his bag on the step.
He goes back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself—Whap!—against the door. He does this again and again. No answer.
So he jumps over a wall, walks around the garden, beats his head against a window, jumps off, and waits at the front door. A big guy opens it and starts cursing and shouting at the dog.
The butcher runs up and screams at the guy: "What the heck are you doing? This dog's a genius!"
The owner responds, "Genius, my Aunt Fanny!…It's the second time this week he's forgotten his keys!"
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Wow...this is so late, sorry. Lots of material. Next week will be a shorty thought since we're leaving town for Thanksgiving, and will miss the next game and well as the one tomorrow. BUT —
We’re in the playoffs now. Even though it’s going to be cold as heck, that shouldn’t keep you from repeating in a somewhat boisterous manner…
GO JOHNNIES ! !
Fricassee the Eagles (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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