Payback time for SJU! UUN #8-24
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Dear Not-So-Easily-Satisfied Fans —
What’s the matter with this picture? The undefeated St. John’s football team traveled down to Northfield last Saturday to play the Carleton Knights, a team that has never defeated SJU…ever…now after Saturday it’s been 41 years. And SJU won it convincingly 48-7. The Johnnies have now out-scored the Knights 1,798 - 369 (44 - 9 avg.) in the series, which dates back to 1983, including a 514-53 advantage and four shutouts in the last 10 meetings.
Yet people—from fans, parents, coaches and especially players—were dissatisfied. "Offensively, especially in that first half, it wasn't anywhere near where we wanted it to be," said senior quarterback Aaron Syverson, who has now thrown for 400 yards or more in a game four times over the course of his collegiate career. "There were too many mistakes. We shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties. I missed some open guys. We just can't have that." Still, the Johnnies piled up 621 yards of total offense - including a total of 428 through the air.
Senior wide receiver #1 Marselio Mendez caught seven passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in the win including this beauty. (Photo by Libby Auger).
"I thought we left some points on the field in the first half," said SJU head coach Gary Fasching '81, echoing Syverson's sentiments. "We fumbled the ball right before halftime. It really bothered me that we gave up the ball down there. Then we had another drive where we had some penalties, and we didn't protect very well. Aaron maybe misfired on a pass or two. But the good thing about him is he's always looking to improve. He's always looking to get better. And he keeps doing that."
Said senior linebacker Hayden Sanders, who tied for the team lead in tackles with five. "We weren't perfect today by any means. But we got one step closer. Now hopefully, we continue to get things tuned up going into next week.” This after SJU forced nine three-and-outs against the Knights, which were the most since Martin Luther in the 2018 playoff win. The five first downs allowed, which were all recorded through the air, were the fewest against SJU since that 2018 game.
The swarming Johnnie defense made for a tough day by this beleaguered Carleton quarterback
Well, maybe if we hadn’t fumbled on the 3-yard line right before the first half ended, or had been able to score at the end of the game rather than classily taking a knee on the 9, the score then would have been 62-7, would that have made everyone happier?
Even as it was, Fasching and the coaching staff starting running in the second string and then reserves fairly early in the fourth and, for some, maybe earlier…lots of sophomores and freshmen that made the road trip got in, including a real surprise — freshman quarterback #11 Leyton Riviere up from Pfugerville, TX - St. Dominic Savio H.S. “Who's he?” wondered the crowd. “Where’s junior #3 Zander Dittbenner, our second string QB?” Turns out Zander pulled a medical redshirt for this year, opening the door for younger fellas to show their stuff.
SJU held the Knights to 146 yards of total offense — 75 of that coming on their lone score, a touchdown reception by Carleton junior Tyler Dimond in the second quarter. That play was Carleton's lone first down of the first half. The Knights finished the game with just five total and were held to (negative)-6 yards on the ground.
So, all-in-all, it was fine tune-up game for Gustavus, and even if not perfect, a satisfying bounce-back game for the Johnnie defense, who weren't happy with the way they played in a 38-31 win at Concordia the week before. Bring on the slightly-tarnished Golden Gusties this Saturday...our guys will be ready.
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Game Recap and Box Score:
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Additional Quick Video —
SJU vs Carleton Highlights: The Mini Movie [Oct. 19th, 2024]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puwaITz0zuM
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Getting Acclimated at GAC—
Overheard at the Freshmen Convocation at Gustavus from one First Year student to another: "I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long."
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All About Gustavus Adolphus College —
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans in Red wing, Minnesota and had a couple locations and a couple names before settling in St. Peter in 1873.
Gustavus was named for Gustavus Adolphus, a famous king of Sweden, once the final location and buildings were secured. A delegation from St. Peter won favor from the founders to relocate there as a result of the town's offer of $10,000 and donation of acreage for a larger campus. In October 1876, Gustavus Adolphus College opened at the location that still stands today, up on a hill overlooking the town. It is the oldest of several Lutheran colleges founded in Minnesota. It is now affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
In the MIAC we have four nominally Lutheran colleges — Gustavus, St. Olaf, Augsburg, and Concordia in Moorhead; the latter three were all started by and for Nor-VEE-gans, with only Gustavus by and for Swedes. Doesn’t seem fair given the number of Swedes running around Minnesota. Back in my day, Gustavus was considered a “country club college” due to a large number of upper-middle class and wealthier students it attracted, as well as for its predominance in tennis and golf. But the Gusties were tough in football too, and for many years the Golden Gustie were the team to beat.
The Gustavus Adolphus College curriculum aims to "prepare students for fulfilling lives of leadership and service in society." Students choose from over 70 programs of study with 75 majors in 25 academic departments and three interdisciplinary programs (including 17 honors majors). Gustavus has been among the top 10 liberal arts institutions nationally as the baccalaureate origin of physics PhDs. GAC alumni have won Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, National Science Foundation, and NCAA Postgraduate fellowships and scholarships. There are currently only about 2,000 students. Most of them live on campus in 14 residence buildings.
The campus, known as The Hill, comprises 340 landscaped acres and features science facilities, computer and language labs, and a large dining facility. The campus includes 33 sculptures by the late Minnesota sculptor Paul Granlund, an alumnus of the college who for many years was sculptor-in-residence. Its residential campus includes a 125-acre arboretum where every tree indigenous to Minnesota is grown. GAC has an endowment of only $282 million reported four years ago, but they’ve attracted some huge gifts for scholarships (directed to males because they feared they were becoming known as a women’s college) and for a mighty athletics center complex. Much like St. Thomas, GAC is “buying” students, particularly targeting those young men and women with impressive high school GPAs.
The annual Nobel Conference was established in the early-1960s when college officials asked the Nobel Foundation for permission to name the new science building the Alfred Nobel Hall of Science as a memorial to the Swedish inventor. Permission was granted, and a few years later an important and prestigious annual science conference began in 1965 and continues to this day.
Gustavus is a founding member of the MIAC. Key sports at the college are tennis, swimming & diving, golf, basketball, ice hockey, football, and soccer. Gustavus's main rivals are St. Olaf College and Macalester.
About Gustie Football —
The Gusties are middle of the pack so far, sporting a 4-2 overall, 3-1 conference record. After SJU they will play St. Olaf and Carleton, so chances are they will end up for the regular season with a 6-3, 5-2 in conference…not bad. Thus far they’ve looked quite good picking off the bottom feeders, such as UW-Stevens Point, St. Scholastica, Macalester and, somewhat surprisingly, Augsburg. By healthy scores even. However, when they’ve faced just medium high-power teams, like Whitworth (L 40-7) and Bethel (L 43-0), their inadequacies show.
I’m not sure what we’re going to get this Saturday up in Collegeville when the Gusties take the field. Everyone knows how they stole one away from us last year 38-35 in St. Peter, and that the loss cost us a trip to the playoffs. However, they played well, we did not—on both sides of the ball, but more so on defense. What makes this year a puzzle is we don’t know who will be on the field. Last year’s quarterback, senior #6 George Sandven, has been injured and replaced by a freshman #13 Jacob Ginskey. Who will play Saturday…George or Jacob?
Last year we were hurt by GAC’s outstanding 5th year wide receiver #2 Jake Breitbach (who was the MIAC’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 and a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy), but he’s been hurt and junior wide receiver #80 Caden Kleinschmidt has been setting records in receptions, albeit against the bottom feeders; for instance, when he came in for Breitbach, Kleinschmidt had a career day, hauling in seven catches for 228 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-7 win at Macalester.
Then we’ve got their featured running back 5th year #7 River Woods (all 5’8”, 160 pounds of him) who is rock steady, but when he and the second string runner got hurt early in the season, a freshman, #39 DeMarion Brown, entered the game and went crazy; he rushed 25 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns against Stevens Point; he followed that with 114 yards rushing and three touchdowns the next week against Augsburg. His six touchdowns are a team high. He comes from a Texas small town where they play 6-man football! I’d love to see him, but he’s had turf toe for the last couple games, so who knows if he’ll be in? All this has to be difficult for our coaches in preparation for a very big game. If St. John’s wins this one, we’ve pretty much assured of reaching the MIAC Championship game against either Bethel or Concordia (and I’m thinking Bethel).
Defensively there aren’t so many questions. In the MIAC the Gusties fare pretty well in that department, especially against passing. Hmmm? I’m thinking they’ll have their hands full with Mr. Syverson and his many capable targets. Nevertheless, we’ll have to watch their veteran D-Linemen 5th year #93 Cody Bonk (good name for a Dee lineman) and senior #95 Javier Gratacos; their linebacking crew 5th year #13 Carson DeKam, senior #49 Jack Klug, and juniors #11 Myshawn King and # 42 Bode Hogan. In the secondary, leading the group is senior #8 Taylor Stroh.
Bottom Line: St. John’s will come out fired up; we’ve been waiting for a year for this grudge match. However, emotions can get tricky and often result in mental errors and, of course, deadly penalties. The Gusties are no push-overs, but ultimately I think we’re going to be too much for them, no matter who gets to play. I’d love to see something like 50-10, but look what the Cobbers did to us; we should have beaten them by that score too. We’ve simply got to play up to our abilities and standards. We have to start fast and keep the pressure on for the entire game.
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Life in the Gustavus Co-ed Dorm —
As a Gustie junior was getting in bed, she said, "You're drunk."
He slurred, "How do you know?"
She said, "You live next door."
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View From The Field —
By Ron Tomczik ’65, Medicine Lake, MN —
Heard this from many fans; a sloppy game, not playing like a D-III #3-ranked team. For players it is a challenge to be up for an opponent that has never beaten us in over 40 years. But the players will definitely be up for Gustavus! The players remain super motivated to win out the regular season and receive Home Field advantage in the playoffs.
Here are some Interesting thoughts from sophomore transfer Will Blakey: “Before the first game all emphasis was on beating Wartburg and Bethel.” With that accomplished and being rated #3, it can be difficult to maintain the momentum against lower quality teams…at Concordia we ran into the second best quarterback in the conference. Some defense changes were already made for the Carlton game, e g. Carleton had negative rushing yardage and, except for one long pass, very little passing yardage. Current Status—Undefeated 6/0!
Another view on the excessive penalties: per Will, he is really impressed with the quality of our of our juniors and seniors, these guys who worked so hard to be great players, great leaders and win games. But sometimes the excessive exuberance in attempting to make a play causes penalties — “but our guys are not dirty players!”
On a personal note, I was very impressed in talking with Will and his wife who was holding their young child. They feel really happy to have “found” SJU and for Will to be a part of a great football program and enrolled at SJU. They love SJU!
From a very productive senior defensive lineman, Zack Frank, who as of last week was leading D3 in sacks: Many of Carleton offensive players appeared to be playing very casually, appeared apprehensive at times and not motivated. As an example, after recovering an SJU fumble, their O-Line players came back on the field with eyes almost saying they were expecting more time on the sideline to rest up.”
Years ago, after SJU beat Carlton on a very rainy day, with few fans except girl friends and family attending, I asked the Knights’ AD if it was difficult to get students to play football. “Not at all,” he told me, “Guys come here for the education, football is almost a club sport. And we only accept about 15% of applicants, so recruiting is not an issue.”
Go Johnnies! — Ron
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St. John's senior defensive lineman #97 Zach Frank high-fives fellow D-Lineman senior #40 Isaac Hetland after another strong defensive showing against Carleton. (Photo by Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE)
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Ten Signs That You're Too Old for Halloween —
1. You get winded from knocking on the door.
2. You have to ask someone to chew your candy for you.
3. You ask for high fiber candy only.
4. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.
5. People say, "Great Keith Richards mask!" and you're not wearing a mask.
6. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and you can't remember the rest.
7. By the end of the night you have a bag full of restraining orders.
8. You carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hair piece.
9. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
10. You avoid going to houses where your ex-wives live.
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Planning Ahead Department — Road Trip, Duluth! —
On Saturday, November 2 the Johnnies head to Duluth to meet the St. Scholastica Saints on the gridiron. The CSB-SJU Duluth Alum Chapter is hosting a tailgate outside the stadium before the game, beginning at 11 a.m. and lasting until 12:30 p.m., same as last time.
This is a free event; because food will be served, the group is requesting people register by the following link for a head count; bring your own beverages, and your own chair if desired. A map and further instructions are included on the website.
https://connect.csbsju.edu/register/DuluthChapterTailgate
The location is Walt Hunting Stadium, 401 N. 44th Avenue W., Duluth, MN 55807
Our association hosts are: Paul Goossens SJP ’79/SJU ’83; Michael Henderson ’06; Toni Roberts ’06; and Kelsey Berg ’04.
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Pre-Med Majors’ Department, Emergency Medicine Section —
The tired doctor was awakened by a phone call in the middle of the night.
"Please, you have to come right over," pleaded the distraught young mother. "My child has swallowed a contraceptive."
The physician dressed quickly, but before he could get out the door, the phone rang again.
He answered it and heard, "You don't have to come over after all," the woman said with a sigh of relief. "My husband just found another one."
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Johnnie Red Cousins Dig Playing Together —
First cousins Joey Gendreau and Cooper Yaggie have both made an impact for the nationally ranked Saint John's football team. Junior tight end Gendreau and senior linebacker Yaggie play on opposite sides of the ball, but they are all in one, big, happy family, literally.
Read about the duo and the close-knit Yaggie family in today’s St. Cloud Orthopedics Thursday Feature, by Frank Rajkowski.
STORY: https://gojohnnies.com/.../football-st-cloud-orthopedics...
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SJU ranked #1 in NCAA’s NPI —
This is a newly-instituted procedure involving several metrics by the NCAA Power Index this year to rate more accurately D-III teams in the selection of at-large invitations to the playoffs (as opposed to—ahem—last year). https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/d3/2024-25D3MFB_NPIReport.pdf
St. John’s is currently ranked number 1. And here are the rankings: https://d3datacast.com/npi/football/ (Note that St. Olaf is ranked higher than Bethel…and we still have to play St. Olaf.)
NCAA Power Index (NPI) - FAQs
https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/committees/d3/champs/D3CC_SelectionCriteriaDatabaseFAQ.pdf
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Johnnie Radio Network —
Saturday’s game can be heard live on WBHR-660 AM across central Minnesota, and KDIZ-1570 AM in the Twin Cities. Mark Lewandowski, Bryan Backes ’87, and Mike Carr ’77 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 26th season SJU football can be heard worldwide over the internet (660wbhr.com).
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Listening via the Internet: https://www.wbhr660.com/wbhr-st-johns-sports
Viewing via live streaming: https://miacsportsnetwork.com/?B=1140143 (Pay to Watch, begins at 11 a.m.)
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2024 Football Schedule —
(All games begin at 1 p.m.)
Sep. 7 Carthage (WI) Collegeville W 49-0
Sep. 14 Wartburg (IA) Collegeville W 35-13
Sep. 21 Bye —
Sep. 28 Bethel Arden Hills W 45-20
Oct. 5 Augsburg Collegeville W 45-20
Oct. 12 Concordia Moorhead W 38-31
Oct. 19 Carleton Northfield W 48-7
Oct. 26 Gustavus Collegeville (Family Weekend)
Nov. 2 St. Scholastica Duluth
Nov. 9 St. Olaf Collegeville
Nov. 16 MIAC Week Collegeville
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Battle Between the Sexes,
Anniversary Celebrations —
Milo and Elaine Schulzenberger of Paynesville were celebrating their 25th anniversary and decided to drive the half hour all the way into Anton’s in Waite Park for a big dinner.
They kicked off the experience with each having a couple Brandy Manhattans. After ordering their steaks they also decided to buy an expensive bottle of wine to really make the night feel special.
However, after her second glass of wine, Elaine suddenly kicked Milo under the table hard and said, “That’s for twenty-five years of bad sex.”
Surprised, Milo thought for a moment, then kicked her back even harder and said, “That’s for knowing the difference.”
(Adapted from Garrison Keillor.)
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Around The MIAC, Week 6 — Oct. 19
St. Scholastica at St. Olaf — (The Oles will win big, but not as big as the Gusties last week; let’s say 35-17.) Gotta say I’m proud and a bit surprised of the Saints for making a good game out of it, losing only 36-33.
Concordia at Hamline— (It ain’t going to be pretty, with the Cobbers easily scoring in the 40s or higher.) Yep, CC 41, Pipers 7.
Augsburg at Bethel — (One would think the Royals will handle the chippy Auggies fairly easily, but I hope the latter gives them a game at least.) Holy Moly! The Royals all but incinerated the Auggies 73-8. So much for mercy and sportsmanship.
Gustavus at Macalester — (What Gustavus did to the Saints last week they’ll do to Mac, only a little worse.) The Gusties had no problems with Mac, winning 36-7, but actually Mac lost by two fewer TDs than did the Saints.
St. John’s at Carleton — (The Knights aren’t as strong this year as last, but the Jays are ripe for a huge letdown, hoping that their talent differential will let them cruise to an easy victory.) The Jays did cruise to a strong finish, winning 48-7, but messed around too much in the first half.
Other Games of Interest —
UW-Stout at #10 UW-River Falls — (Stout might have snuck up on Whitewater last week, but it’s doubtful River Falls will let that happen at home.) UW-RF barely escaped at home, winning 40-37 in OT. Stout is for real, even in this loss.
#6 UW-Platteville at #16 UW-Oshkosh — (As much as I enjoy Oshkosh’s moxie in downing La Crosse, I think Platteville’s on a roll that may take them to the WIAC championship.) If Stout is for real, then Oshkosh is for realer. They defeated Platteville 24-17, further messing up the WIAC standings.
St. Thomas at Valparaiso (IN) — (Valparaiso is 2-4, 0-2 in the conference…the Tommies better feast on these teams while they can, but UST isn’t looking all that strong in their conference wins, so who knows? Last year they narrowly beat Valparaiso 16-10.) What a difference a year makes…the Tommies were victorious 42-14 and move to 3-0 in their conference, 4-3 overall. Guess who has his mojo back?
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Upcoming Games, Week 8 — October 26 —
St. Olaf at Augsburg — (This is kind of a toss-up, what with the Oles barely getting by St. Scholastica and the Auggies getting slain by Bethel; let’s go with Augsburg slightly, only because it’s played in Minneapolis.)
Carleton at St. Scholastica — (The Knights should take the Saints fairly easily.)
Bethel at Hamline — (I think Bethel is improving from when we played them, but the 73 points against Augsburg last week was excessive and shows that the coach wants his team to be noticed by the pollsters who pick at-large teams…expect more excess against the poor Pipers.)
Concordia at Macalester — (The Cobbers had no problems with Hamline and they’ll have the same amount or less with Mac.)
Gustavus at St. John’s — (A grudge match for sure, at least from the Johnnies p-o-v. We are averaging 44 points to our opponents 15 after six games…look for something similar against the Gusties.)
Other Games of Interest —
#10 UW-River Falls at #22 UW-La Crosse — (La Crosse is not that bad a team, judged too harshly by the Top 25 Poll after two very close losses; on the other hand, River Falls ain’t no slouch. It’s the game of the week in the WIAC with R.F. probably winning a close one, although another conference upset would be fun.)
#19 UW-Whitewater at #8 UW-Platteville — (My hope is for Platteville to continue the Warhawks’ humiliation this season, maybe knock them down in the rankings toward #24 Mary Hardin-Baylor, who upset them earlier.)
San Diego at St. Thomas — (The Toms face their first real test in the Pioneer Conference; it comes at a good time since UST seems to be ironing out its problems and getting people healthy again. Tommies by ten points, maybe more.)
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Millennial Teaches Boomer Mom How To Parent—
Middle-aged persons have a lot to learn from their children, especially how to parent these days.
Millennials - Ages 23 to 38, born 1981 to 1996; Boomers - Ages 55 to 73, born 1946 to 1964
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBcjQV1yEQA/?igsh=MTBlZjE4YzMxOA%3D%3D (be sure to turn on the volume right away.
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Saint John’s Pottery Kiln Fired Up On October 11 —
People light the Johanna Kiln with torches during the firing ceremony on Friday, Oct. 11. (Photo by Stephanie Dickrell / St. Cloud LIVE)
Last week marked a special occasion at Saint John’s: the firing of the Johanna Kiln, the largest wood-burning kiln in North America. The 87-foot-long brick kiln was built 29 years ago by master potter and artist-in-residence Richard Bresnahan SJP ‘72/SJU ’76, along with help from apprentices and volunteers. The kiln was built from recycled bricks from the original root cellar of Joe Hall.
This year’s firing is the 17th for this kiln. The biennial firing draws artists, alumni, and former apprentices, who returned for a lighting ceremony Friday, October 11th. Once the kiln doors are closed and sealed, the lighting ceremony begins. Hundreds of individuals from the Saint John's community—monks, laypersons, and guests—gather to take part in the lighting ceremony. After a short prayer, the kiln area is ritually purified in the Japanese tradition with rice, salt, and sake. The Johanna Kiln, named in honor of S. Johanna Becker, OSB (1921-2012), is then lit with a handmade torch.
For 10 days, people feed the fire in the wood-burning kiln getting the temperature to nearly 2,500 degrees. People come from all over the world to get the chance to fire a piece in the kiln. This year’s batch includes the work of 30 artists from 13 states and several countries. The firing, which happens every two years, is quite an undertaking. The kiln can fire up to 12,000 works of pottery and sculpture, which can take up to nine weeks to load. People have been splitting and gathering wood for months, with logs stacked to the rafters of the building surrounding the kiln. Forty-five people, working in four shifts, feed the fire around the clock.
Once the firing is done, the kiln is sealed with recycled clay and allowed to cool for two weeks. Then, the kiln is opened, and people unload and clean the ceramics and prepare them for use.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/21/10-days-10000-objects-one-very-large-kiln
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The Great Pumpkin Returns —
Performance in the Abbey Church, back by popular demand
Monday, October 28, 2024, 8:00 p.m.
"The Return of the Great Pumpkin" is free and open to anyone who wants to attend. The Abbey Church can accommodate all and, based on the popularity of this show last fall, we expect a remarkable turnout: students, faculty, staff, neighbors, alumni, and friends!
A Halloween Gala featuring jazz musicians George Maurer, and friends Jeff Engholm, Pat Kent, and Carolyn Finley. Also participating: Fr. Bob Koopmann, OSB; Br. Jacob Berns, OSB; Br. David Klingeman, OSB; Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB; and Mr. David Jenkins
Halloween favorites with organ, piano, and jazz combo. All are welcome to get into the Halloween spirit!
This is a Free Event. Freewill offerings will be accepted at the event, or use the link below to support our Abbey Organ Endowment for events like these to continue to take place. Suggested donation is $10.
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2024 D3football.com Week 7 Top 25 —
The first five Teams, including #3 St. John’s, remained the same, with Salisbury jumping up three points to #6. Interestingly, three WIAC teams have juggled around to be #8 UW-Platteville, #9 UW-Oshkosh, and #10 UW-River Falls all in a row, with Oshkosh jumping up from #16 on the strength of their defeat of former #6 Platteville. To quote Alice while in Wonderland, “It gets curiouser and curiouser.”
Grove City took a big dive down to #15 from #7 after its loss to Washington and Jefferson who jumped into the Top 25 at #21, and, by the way, the WIAC still has five in the Top 25, with #19 UW-Whitewater and #22 UW-La Crosse bringing up the rear.
Top 25 through Oct. 19, 2024:
https://www.d3football.com/top25/2024/week7
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Thought of the Week —
There is no sense in being pessimistic, it wouldn't work out anyway.
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History Majors’ Corner,
British Monarchy Studies —
What better way to learn all the names of the British monarchs than to put them to song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC6okzIKQvg (4:26 minutes)
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From Our Readers —
From Gary Kordosky ’64, Tucson, AZ —
Bob - thanks for UUN 7-24. I listened to the Johnnie game [Concordia] on the radio. What a game of back and forth. On the plus side St. John’s defensive line stepped up in the fourth quarter and got some pressure on the QB and that was the difference. I recall the announcers mentioned that St. John’s substituted some defensive backs. Not sure it did much good. All in all, not the best outing, but the team made some big plays late in the game and won it. This team does not give up and plays hard to the end of the game. They also have some good speed at wide receiver and a QB who puts the ball in a good spot for his receivers. — Gary
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From Conrad Macina, Landing, NJ —
I hate you. Well, “ hate” is a strong word so I’ll just say … no, I hate you. You said “In those days we also chanted “Retard them…Retard them…Make them relinquish the ball”, allegedly borrowed from Harvard” and stuck me with this earworm.
When I was in high school we had a cheer that went, “Kick ‘em! Stomp ‘em! Step on their heads!” The school administration told us we couldn’t use that cheer anymore.
When I was in college one of our opponents had a cheer, “Ahhhhhh … SH*T!!” I was told that when the opponents’ games were televised, the network would impose a seven second delay so they could bleep the fans.
As you know, I have a bit of a conflict of interest this week since my grandniece is a Carleton alumna and currently works for the college. But my heart is always with the Johnnies. — Conrad
(Editor’s Comment: This week I ran into Dan Marrin SJP ’64/SJU ’68 at a funeral who reminded me that in his day the Harvard cheer was, “Retard them…Retard them…Make them relinquish the spheroidical object.” For more information about a football’s shape, go here:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-did-the-pigskin-get-its-shape-63180450/ )
(…and Conrad's weekly Tommie joke:)
A St. Thomas pre-Engineering student in the school’s STEM Program went to Home Depot and saw a sign saying “Machine Screws.”
The Tommie thought, “Isn’t it remarkable what they’re doing with automation these days?”
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From Billy Kauffmann ’88, Plymouth, MN —
Wicks - Sorry so late in getting this photo from the Concordia tailgate to you. I enjoyed having a conversation with Charlie King’s parents Jon and Becky King with Ev Weber ’68. Charlie caught a TD pass and plays defense. He transferred from Mankato State and his folks report that he loves it at St. John’s.
From left, John and Becky King, with Ev Weber ’68, up in Moorhead.
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Pictured at an alumni gathering in Tokyo are (left) John Stanton ’10, who lives, works and is raising a family there, and Rob Culligan ’82, SJU Institutional Advancement.
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Overheard just about anyplace in Florida —
I’ve sure gotten old! I’ve had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I’m half blind, can’t hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts of dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can’t remember if I’m 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends.
But, thank goodness, I still have my driver’s license.
(Compliments of Tommy Cebulla ’58, Andover, MN)
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Wicker’s Health Rant —
Nine Ways To Reduce Or Prevent Developing Cancer
Cancer is a scary and serious diagnosis. As a two-time cancer survivor himself, Dr. Stephen Kopecky, M.D., Preventative Cardiologist at @MayoClinic, shares his story about beating cancer twice, as well as what you can do to prevent – or at least reduce your risk – of developing cancer. This includes:
*Getting proper nutrition and eating a healthy diet
*Staying physically active
*Wearing sunblock when outdoors
*Avoiding smoking
*Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption
*Maintaining a healthy weight
*Avoiding behaviors that elevate cancer risk (such as sharing needles and not practicing safe sex)
*Staying updated on vaccinations
*Maintaining regular checkups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSe2RhUIjj8 (3:31 minutes)
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The Final Word —
More Scenes From Stearns County —
Anton and Myrtle Blechinger of Lake Henry invited a couple from Spring Hill to an afternoon of visiting and dinner after church. Myrtle prepared a nice Sunday meal, which included her favorite spicy baked beans. Their stout, unmarried daughter, Annette, ate three very generous helpings of the beans.
After dessert, Anton proudly announced that Annette would entertain them with a piano recital. When the young woman sat down to play, she felt the beginning rumblings of the beans in her stomach, with the inevitable pressure build up.
Her fear grew with the increasing pressure from the spiced beans, when the solution came to her: as she came to a loud passage in the music, she would pound loudly on the keys as she let fly to relieve the pressure, masking the sound of her relief.
Thinking that she escaped embarrassment, she continued playing, but soon the pressure built up again, so again she banged loudly on the keys as she let fly a second time. Then finally things seemed to come to rest.
At the piece’s conclusion the visitors applauded politely, and asked the name of the music. Annette replied, “It’s called ‘The Storm in Farm Country.’”
One guest said, “Dat vas so realistic, it made you feel you vere dere. Especially da parts vhere da lightening strikes da outhouse.”
(Once again, our thanks to Tommy Cebulla ’58)
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We’ve been waiting to teach the Golden Gusties a lesson for a whole year; I’m pretty sure we can do it quite well if we all jam into the stadium and scream:
Becalm The Gusties!
(Or Something Like That.)
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Submitted by R.L. Wicker ’60/’64
2035 Eleanor Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55116
theowick@aol.com; home: 651-699-4697
Website: Unofficial Underground News