Dear Gang of Ragged but Intrepid Believers,
Okay, so the inauguration of the Jays season last week at UW-River Falls left something to be desired; at least we got a “W” in the closing minutes 28-24, right? There are players, especially on defense like preseason All-American Nick Gunderson, who will tell you that we didn’t witness real Johnnie football and “wait until this week” when we play our first home game against another, higher-rated WIAC opponent — UW-Eau Claire.
Oh, I hope so…or it might be a long year. And that’s not a put down of River Falls. I think they played pretty well. Of course, they practice preseason contact and played a scrimmage with the University of St. Thomas already so perhaps their little bit of game-like experience exasperated our usual first-game rust. However, they are rated toward the bottom of their conference and more was expected from the nationally-ranked Johnnies, particularly on defense. Still, SJU inexplicably climbed up a couple of places on the D3 Top 25 list to #11 (while UST shimmied up one point to #20 by clobbering Macalester 54-14); and we saw some glimmers of hope in a relatively young offense led by a maturing junior QB Joe Boyle. This next game will speak volumes about our chances for continued MIAC dominance. Yes, there’s a tough UW-EC and then up to the always difficult Concordia for Game 3 for our first serious MIAC challenge. The Cobbers (64 votes) this week received the most votes for the “almost ranked” teams after beating #8 Willamette, ahead of UW-Eau Claire (43), UW-LaCrosse (18) and Bethel (8). Check out the standings for yourself.
Below, as usual, I have links to the UW-RF game and MIAC coverage by St. Cloud Times’ Frank Rajkowski and College Sporting News’ Rich Mies SJP ‘76/UST ‘80, plus a remarkable 3-part Pioneer Press series on Mike Grant ‘79 and his highly successful high school football dynasty at Eden Prairie, MN, plus the yearly Bob Sansevere column on John Gagliardi, plus a front page Minneapolis Star Tribune article on Denis McDonough ‘92, the highest ranking Minnesotan in President Obama’s inner circle. Plus an extraordinary number of “welcome back” notes from some UUN subscribers. Do I expect you to read all this stuff? Naaah. I know most of you just scan for the jokes. But it’s there if you’re curious.
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Re the River Falls game
The Tomczik van, with Ron ‘65, wife Sandy and Mt. Union’s own Jay Cutler, arrived in downtown St. Paul last Saturday morning to pick up John Sipe SJP ‘61/SJU ‘65, Chris Gillespie and me for a gas-saving junket to River Falls. We headed to Bo’s & Mine, the preferred pub of our host, Rev. Mr. Tom Weiss SJP ‘66/SJU ‘70. Tom recently retired from UW-River Falls but remains a deacon working with the campus’ Newman Center. We were joined there by Kim Devoy ‘63 and a bunch of Lillys — Leroy ‘55, Colleen, Pat ‘79 and Colleen Jr. ‘81.
After enjoying some well-constructed Bloody Marys with Rush River-brewed chasers, we hied off to Ramer Stadium to conmingle with the Johnnie Faithful at theTraveling Stiftungsfestivities. Right off the bat we ran into Frs. Daniel Durken ‘52, Alberic Culhane ‘52 and Wilfred Theisen ‘52 who was celebrating his 80th Birthday. We said hello to Matt Beirne ‘94 and his new bride Laura Stork Beirne ‘96, Joe Sandkamp ‘96 and Jon Ruis ‘96. Although I was too late for the Fahey burgers, benefactors Cindy and Bill Sharpe (with Grandma Tibby Sharpe) graciously shared a turkey sandwich with me and a couple others. They are parents/grandparent of defensive end Jimmie Sharpe. Not necessarily in this order I quickly bade greetings to Pete Regnier ‘65, Dusty ‘83 and Aimee Wagner,Mike Fahey ‘75, sometimes UUN Hurricane correspondent Max Stein ‘04, Chris “Karbo” Traxler ‘83 , John Quinliven and his pal Jerry Fesenmaier, both Preps of ‘54, Tim Ward ‘78, Pete Hacker ‘88, Huy Tran Honorary ‘88, Harry Burns SJP ‘74 /SJU ‘78, and his son Charlie ‘09, Derek Stifter ‘09, Brett Saladin ‘08, and in from San Raphel, California were Noelle and Clark Stanton, parents of John ‘10-’11.
In the ticket line we bade hello to Frank Ziegler ‘62 and welcomed Mark Lewandowski who was heading up to the radio booth. Inside we bumped into fellow St. Cecilia’s parishioners Kathy and Tom Awe, parents of running back Harry Awe ‘12. Kathy introduced me to her dad and brother Bob and Doug Orman, up from Chicago to see the Jays and Harry. As I made my way toward the 50 yard line I heard Bob Gavin ‘62 yell down, “Wally Hinz says hello.” I replied that that was nota good thing! Bob and his seatmate Bob Praus ‘62 had attended Minneapolis DeLaSalle’s inaugural footbal game on their own field after more than 100 years of playing off campus. This event became reality after several years of legal wrangling and lawsuits costing DeLaSalle over $500,000 filed by neighboring bigoted, racist, elitist, incredibly selfish Nicollet Island residents and their various political allies who so complicate life. The two Bobs, who were teammates at De and SJU, as well as roommates in Collegeville, ran into Wally ‘64 the night before.
We scored 50-yard line seats high up, thanks to Mark Dobberstein ‘82 who is a friend of Tom Weiss’ daughter Rachel ‘97. We sat behind Gary Gunderson, father to All-American Nick ‘09 and Anna ‘05, and a bunch of other Gundersons. We appreciated Gary’s insights into some of what was happening on the field, and were pleased to learn that Nick already has a job with a health provider in accounting after this semester. During the game I heard a familiar voice shouting encouragement to the Johnnies (who sure needed it for awhile there); looking around I saw it was indeed Bob Verkuilen ‘56, traveling down from Little Falls to boosthis team of over a half century. Last winter, before the ill-fated UW-Whitewater play-off game, I climbed into a warm pickup with Bob and, over a Stiftungsfest burger and some Olde Johnnie Ale, he reminded me of a cute story he told me the year before at Patrick’s, the warm-up bar & grill we all met in in downtown St. Peter before the Gustavus game. It’s been two years now that I haven’t related that tale and this year I am going to — maybe next issue, maybe not.
At halftime I bumped into George Smith ‘65, another De alum, and sheparded him to Mssrs. Gavin and Praus who were visiting with one of George’s classmates,Don Simon ‘65. I think I heard Don say he handles the scoring for SJU home games. I also visited briefly with John ‘64 and Mark ‘58 Lohmann. Filing out we said hello to Ron “Sid” ‘57 and Barb Sandeen who were driven to the game by their daughter Elizabeth ‘91 Osborne and her husband John and three kids Sarah, Julia and Jack. It was Sid’s first day without a walker. They joined all of us back at Bo’s & Mine for the post-game wrap-up, where we met a classmate of Tom Weiss II’s, Steve Thielen ‘94 who refs college games but had the weekend off.
That’s all about that. Last night I attended a funeral service and today the SJU Entrepreneur Luncheon. I’d like to tell you a bit about that meeting but maybe next week. Anyway, that’s why this is so late getting out. This Saturday at 1 pm we host UW-Eau Claire. The tailgate, to which everyone reading this, guests and Eau Claire visitors are invited, will begin serving up goodies around 10:30 in that parking lot above the scoreboard. If you think of it, bring something to put on the buffet table. Hope to see some new people there this week.
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SJU football: Boyle takes a big step
By Frank Rajkowski, St. Cloud Times
RIVER FALLS, Wis. _ When a quarterback enters his second season as a starter, the expectation is that he will take some big steps forward.
If Saturday afternoon’s 28-24 come-from-behind victory over Wisconsin-River Falls in the season opener is any indication, St. John’s junior Joe Boyle is ready to do just that this fall.
Boyle finished 17 of 27 passing for 278 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdown passes came in the second quarter after his team had fallen behind 17-0. Those scores cut the Falcons’ lead to three at halftime….(Read more)
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Johnnies climb out of a hole
By Frank Rajkowski, St. Cloud Times
St. John’s defensive lineman Nick Gunderson was brutally blunt when assessing the play of the Johnnies defense in a come-from-behind 28-24 victory over Wisconsin-River Falls in the season opener Saturday afternoon.
“This was our worst game ever,” Gunderson said. “I’ve never seen us play that bad before. We gave up enough yards to last us the next three games.”
St. John’s surrendered 390 yards to be exact, 265 in a first half when the Falcons scored on their first three possessions to open up a 17-0 lead before a crowd of 3,500 on a sunny and warm day at Ramer Field. (Read more)
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St. John’s injury update
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St. John’s 28, UW-River Falls 24
(Scoring & stats)
[The St. Cloud Times]
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MIAC Football: A Perfect Start
By Rich Mies, CSN ‘Mapping the MIAC’ Columnist
While the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football season does not get underway until September 19, the league made its presence known by sweeping six non-conference battles under ideal weather conditions. Highlighting the list of wins was Concordia’s 24-17 upset of eighth-ranked Willamette. Elsewhere, Bethel flattened Concordia of Wisconsin 52-10, St. Olaf dispensed with Luther 33-13, St. Thomas hammered Macalester 54-14, Saint John’s rallied to nip UW-River Falls 28-24 and Augsburg battered Crown College 44-13. (Read more)
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Questions with Bob Sansevere: St. John’s football coach John Gagliardi
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Reader Responses from Issue #1 —
From Max Stein ‘04, the sometime Official Unoffical Underground News Hurricane Correspondent, West Florida Division) —
Theo, you old dog. Very well done in your inaugural issue of 09-10. See you tomorrow! — Max
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From Jay Cutler, Mt. Union’s own SJU wanna-be, Chanhassen, MN —
If you weren’t spending so much time in Collegeville with Jimmy & John hammering out the new offense you would have had time to get the newsletter out sooner. BUT…the new offense is much more important. I told LK [Larry Kehres, coach of Mt. Onion] about it when I was in Ohio last week and he is interested in talking to you after the season. Or maybe at the Stagg in Dec! See you Saturday. — Jay
(Editor’s Explanation: Jay refers to a little embarassment I suffered a month or so ago when I sent a video of football highlights for an incoming frosh with some personal and confidential comments to a handful of my Johnnie Homeboys — good friends to which I enjoy talking “Johnnie smack” to off the record. The kid looked very good and I wrote that I expected success for him and other promising running backs if our offensive line would improve over last year, which I thought was a questionable part of the team. I also mentioned that I hoped our offense would show more creativity in the running game.
As luck would have it, one of the intended recipients forwarded it to someone at SJU who, being very busy, just looked at the video without reading the accompanying copy. He thought that the entire football staff would enjoy seeing it and forwarded it to them. Do you see where this is going?
Well, my comments were not particularly well-received and I shortly later got an e-mail from the Legend Himself. Actually his note was very mild: he suggested that he’s been coaching for quite a while and he thinks with some certain degree of success. But that doesn’t mean he has all the answers and if I know of some things they are not doing that would help the team, he sure would appreciate them.
Wow. Do you have a closet I can hide in?
John’s response to my remarks reminds me very much of one of my all-time favorite stories. It happened way back when Popes were still Italian. This particular pope was being carried across St. Peter’s Square in his chair, carried by eight stout Vatican officials, their way through the throngs cleared by members of the famed Swiss Guard. Around them came the shouts of about 100,000 Catholic faithful — “Viva il Papa…Viva il Papa.” And His Holiness would lean first one way, then the other, smiling, waving, blessing his flock.
Suddenly, out of the throng, the Pope heard a new shout: “Fugga da Pope.”
Outraged, the Pope cried out: “Stoppa da chair…bringa dat man to me.”
The burly Swiss Guards brought the struggling man to the Pope’s side. Looking down, His Holiness asked quietly, “What dida I hear you say, my son?”
The man replied defiantly, “I saida, “Fugga da Pope.”
Then the Pope said gently, “My son, do you know who I am? I am the Bishop of Rome..the Vicar of Jesus Christ..the Successor of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles…the Head of the College of Cardinals…the Patriarch of the West…and the Visible Head of the Church of scores and score of millions of the Faithful… Fugga me? FuggaYOU!”
I wonder how many of my dear readers ever got a “Fugga you” note from the Collegeville Icon? Oh, by the way, Jim Gagliardi ‘89, offensive coordinator, also didn’t agree with my and others’ remarks; in an “exclusive interview” on www.JohnnieFootball.com Jim explains that in his view our offensive line last year was on par with other good years, but it was the circumstances involved with using three quarterbacks plus having some running backs unfamiliar with blocking schemes that caused some offensive breakdowns. So, that’s why they get the big bucks coaching and we have to sit up in the stands.)
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From Mark Selner SJP ‘68/UST ’72, Shoreview, MN, the Godfather of Olde Johnnie Ale —
Bob – THIS YEAR the TOMMIES are going to rule!!!
We will be getting OJA in 12pk BOTTLES for our annual Octoberfest sale this coming September. Hopefully, by the 15th. We are having a promo with them from the 10th-19th. — Mark
(Editor’s Note: Mark’s sale is at Surdyk’s in Nordeast Mpls. Fill up, my laddies, and lassies too — the Prep School gets a taste on each and every can…and now bottles! As far as the Tommies versus the Good Guys goes, based on what we saw last Saturday, Mark’s might not be an idle boast.)
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From Jack Uldrich SJP ‘82, Minneapolis —
Bob: Thanks for the newsletter. As an SJP grad (’82), I wanted to take a moment and let you that my latest book, Coached for Life, has recently been published. John Gagliardi has written the introduction. For more information, visit www.coachedforlife.com. — Jack
Jack Uldrich, jumpthecurve.net, unlearning101.com
follow me at http://twitter.com/jumpthecurve
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From Bill Draves ‘64, Tortilla Bluff, AZ —
Thanks WIck! Keep ‘em coming! — Bill
(Editor’s Note: We who know and love AZ Billy know that he’s really more verbose than his note would indicate. Much more.)
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From Dick Merrill ‘64, Indianapolis, IN —
Say hi to Mike Ricci [‘62]—a one time Golden Rule guy. Tell him that Frank Ladner ‘48 (age 82) and I are still doing deals together.
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From Steve May, Honorary Johnnie, St. Louis Park, MN, alluding to my remarks about the late Ted Kennedy’s note to the Pope before his death:
Father Joe [Gillespie OP ‘64] is offended that you will not angle with him for salvation.
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From Bob Conroy of Relevant Radio AM 1330, Golden Valley, MN, the esteemed Twin Cities carrier of Johnnie Football —
Ahhh… “the unofficial” Sure Sign that all is right with the universe and the seasons of life still turn as God intended!! Remember to tune in on Relevant Radio AM 1330 in the cities or stream live at www.relevantradio1330.com on whatever handheld device puts starch in your cardinal and blue pajamas.
(Editor’s Note: Thanks, Bob, for providing at least one answer on how to live stream our games. Once again, here’s the radio info from last issue:
Again this year we’re fortunate to have that great radio team from The Bear — WBHR AM 660 in Greater Minnesota, AM 1330 in the Twin Cities, and AM 1270 in Southern Minnesota — broadcasting Johnnie football fortunes. Led by golden throated Mark Lewandowski, the team includes color guy Bryan Backes ‘87, and on-the-field voices, father-son Mike ‘77 and Charlie ‘03 Carr.)
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From Tom Troskey, ‘67, St. Paul —
Hello Bob, Great to hear from you. I am so pleased you do this. Thanks, Tom
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From Paul Hamann ‘63, Edina, MN —
Great to get the first one. — Paul
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From Al Richie SJP ‘60/UST ‘64, Wayzata, MN —
Whadda ya mean “St. Thomas (BOO)”?? Who reads these details anyway??
(Editor’s Comment: Apparently you do, Al. Congratulations on your careful reading skills, well honed at SJP no doubt.)
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From Charlie Huyink ‘75, St. Cloud —
Thanks Bob and we’ll see you on Saturday! — Charlie H.
(Editor’s Note: Unfortunately I didn’t see Charlie at River Falls, but I think I did spy his dad Roger ‘5 walking back to the parking lot.)
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From Tom Varley ‘65, Northfield, MN —
Bob, Thank God! All is right with the world. Johnny football is about to start and today the Wicker Word has arrived. Praise Be!! Thanks so much, and happy fall!! Go Johnnies, Tom
(And then Tom sent this):
Did you hear about the 83-year-old woman who talked herself out of a speeding ticket by telling the young officer that she had to get there before she forgot where she was going? Makes perfectly good sense to me…..
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From John Quinlivan SJP ‘54, St. Cloud —
Bob, thanks forthe first UUN of the season. Looking forward to seeing you at River Falls. I will be bringing Jerry Fesenmaier SJP ‘54 with me if he agrees to chip in on gas!!!! — John Q
(Editor’s Note: Well, Jerry was there with John, but we still don’t know if he chipped in for petrol.)
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From John Havelka ‘90, Owatonna, MN —
Our family used to be in the beer business in Owatonna, and that Rush River [mentioned last issue by Tom Weiss] is one of the finest brews you can find. The two owners are St. Olaf Alumni. Nick Anderson’s phone number is 612-730-8281. He is the brewmaster and owner and may give you a tour! Great guys; promote the beer, John
(Editor’s Comment: Whether we’ll promote it further will have to wait until we see if St. Olaf beats us this year!)
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Three “Man-Child” Stories from Dave Lukinac ‘92, via his former roommate C.J. Lyngen ‘92 —
- I was walking through the cemetery this morning and saw a guy crouching down behind a tombstone. I said, Morning.” He said, “No just taking a crap.”
- When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realized that the Lord doesn’t work that way, so I stole a bike and asked Him to forgive me.
- I went to an extremely attractive female doctor today for my annual checkup. She told me that I had to quit masturbating. I asked why and she told me, “Because I am trying to examine you.”
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From Todd Mueller ‘74, Arden Hills, MN —
Bob, I don’t know if you are aware of a Johnnie Rat nicknamed “The Animal”. In 1972, he came to a varsity basketball game in the old gym after an intramural b-ball game. He was wrapped in layers of clothing and when the SJU band broke into the Gypsy Rose Lee theme song, Animal stood up and began to theatrically take off his various shirts…and pants….much to the dismay of many ladies in the crowd.
Animal (Michael Kevin Hauer ‘75) got such a rousing reaction that his performance became a much anticipated part of each game – even when the team moved into then new Warner Palestra a year or so later.
Recently, I uncovered an 8 mm film (silent of course) of the 1974 Tommie/Johnnie bout in the Palestra. Turns out, I had filmed Animal’s act and had long forgotten about the movie which sat buried in a basement box for over 30 years.
Now you can see it…complete with dubbed in music thanks to Thom Woodward…at our class reunion website: — Todd
(Editor’s Comment: I bet Animal’s mom was so proud.)
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From Drake Dierkhising SJP ‘59/SJU ‘63, Sonoma, CA —
Thanks for the UUN. I will back for homecoming with my grandson Ben; see you then. — Drake
(Editor’s Query: And what SJU class year shall I put down for Ben?)
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From Ryan Heining ‘91, president-elect of the SJU National Alumni Board, Hutchinson, MN —
Bob, This [first issue of the Underground] has me primed for Johnnie Football. Ben Vanderhyden [current SJU wide receiver] interned for us this year at MSpace. Not since Ross Denne ‘03 joined our ranks have we had such interests across the board for Johnnie Football. I am hosting multiple employees up to Collegeville for games this year!!
On another note, I read about Tom Weiss II, ‘94. What an incredible Johnnie family and Johnnie story. My hope is first to see Tom II’s full recovery from his injuries,second to get a story up on sjualum.com about the family and third, get them all back up to Collegeville for a Fall Saturday to enjoy a football game. Do you have email for him or his parents? I would like to send a note of thanks and support. I have been involved with Tee IT Up for the Troops the last 4 years which supports wounded warriors. I was a R.O.T.C. grad as well from SJU, commissioned in 1990.
Thanks Bob and keep up the great work. This stuff is just fantastic. — Ryan
(Editor’s Reply: Thanks for your nice note, Ryan. I’m pleased to pass Tom II’s email on to you and any other Johnnies and Bennies who’d like to send some “best wishes” thoughts him. Here is his email: thomas.weiss@us.army.mil.
Ryan also alerted me to a first-ever for the Alum Board — an SJU Homecoming T-shirt the association will sell at prior to Homecoming on campus for a measly $10 as a project with T-spot (A Johnnie/Bennie on-campus printing company). He sent me this PDF and I WANT ONE!
(Note: Later I heard from Aaron Smith about the T-shirts:)
Bob, Thanks for getting the word out about the shirts. Ryan has covered the details for the shirts. Here’s reiteration with a few more details:
- $10/ea. – cash sales preferred! Personal checks made payable to the order of (name of Board Member) will also work! No credit card sales at this time. Did I mention cash sales preferred?
- Available through Board Members who will be selling them at the Game on the 12th, at Stiftungsfestivities prior to the game, and at McKeown Center Grand Opening. (”Visit the Alumni Association tent on the track at the Palaestra end of Clemens Stadium“)
- Also available for order through Board Members who can arrange on per-order basis to rendezvous to deliver the shirts personally to them prior to or at the game on the 12th or at Homecoming.
- Assuming we sell out this first bunch (”quantities are limited – get them while you can!!”) we’ll get more for sales up to and at Homecoming
- We will have them for sale at our Alumni Association tent on the Tundra at Homecoming
- If you need custom shirts created for your own family/business usage, contact David Forster (Junior at SJU) for more info on the T-Spot: DRFORSTER@CSBSJU.EDU or 612-618-3983
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From John Chromy ‘64, Washington, D.C. —
Wicks–welcome back and thanks for the update. Your UUN is often much more interesting then the official alumni newsletter–you’re in the best tradition of Father Don Talafous’s newsletter empire. Cheers — John
(Editor’s Note: If any of you are not yet on Fr. Don’s e-newsletter list and want to be, please write him at dtalafous@csbsju.edu and request to get it.)
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From Art Froehle SJP ‘59/SJU ‘63, Minneapolis —
Bob, I thoroughly enjoyed latest “epistle” and will briefly reply. I am also wondering what Ron Sandeen was doing up on his roof! By the way, did you know that Ron and I taught together for a while at Olson Junior High here in Mpls in the l970’s?
I would truly love to join your for coffee sometime. My schedule gets a little crazy, but I can maneuver it if I get advance notice. I look forward to it!
I will certainly keep Tom’s [Weiss] son in my prayers.
Finally, two books to mention: Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s LIVING TO TELL THE TALE, his autobiography, and GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ: A LIFE by Gerald Martin–perhaps one of the best biographies I have ever read! Not everyone would appreciate Marquez, but I “have an affinity for him” because I spent the summer of ‘65 in Bogota (and he was writing for their big newspaper, EL ESPECTADOR, though I didn’t know it at the time). Both Marquez and Pablo Neruda (Chile) were vocal critics of their (mostly) corrupt governments, and it’s amazing that they were not assassinated. PEACE! — Art
(Editor’s Reply: Art, let’s try for early next week. Thanks for the recommendations.)
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From George Smith ‘65, Minneapolis —
Bob, I don’t know how your name got on my email note to my bike rider group. Hopefully you won’t be getting mail into perpetuity as a result. It was nice to see you in River Falls. Thanks again for hooking me up with Simon, Gavin and Praus. — George
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From Jerry Engleson ‘52, —
I am really glad you’re back! — JJE
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From Eric Brever ‘01, St. Paul —
Greetings Johnnies!
In efforts to maintain and continue the SJU gameday tradition of a positive and fun atmosphere for tailgating and pregame activities, the SJU Alumni Associationwill be unveiling a “Gameday Host” program this fall. Gameday Hosts are volunteer alumni who will welcome fans, friends, alumni and visitors to campus on Football gamedays and who assist in the communication of campus amenities, events and policies to these groups.
We are looking for interested volunteers willing to spend 3-4 hours on Football Saturdays socializing, chatting, and meeting with different visitors and fans and assisting in the crowd management of the SJU Campus. Shifts would begin between 9am and 10am on a football Saturday and end at kickoff, when the Hosts would be free to attend the game. All Hosts would receive free admission into the game and a t-shirt for their service—plus, it’s a great way to meet people while volunteering on campus!
Please contact Troy Fritz at tfritz@csbsju.edu or Eric Brever at ebrever@fosterbrever.com if you are interested or know of someone who may be a good “Host” to assist for at least one Saturday this fall. We’d love to have you help out! As always, Go Johnnies! -Eric
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From Pete Amann ‘90, Inver Grove Heights, MN —
Hi, Bob. The Mankato Area Alumni Chapter is reviving itself with a kick-off event in St. Peter on Thursday, 9/24. The event will be held at Richard’s [Note: We believe this spot is actually Patrick’s?... that’s where we were before] which seems like a suitable place to host a Johnnie alumni event two days before the Johnnies invade GAC.
Andy Willaert ’80 and Steve Bennett ’89 will be our hosts that evening and are providing the leadership for the alumni chapter. Yes, you read Steve’s email address correctly, he has infiltrated the GAC staff in his role as Assistant Dean of Students.
Please let both Andy and Steve know of any pre-game festivities on the 26th and maybe they can help get the word out and bring the red wave into GAC Field or whatever they call it. Thanks, Pete
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Nutrition Bites
By Lindsay (Novak) Good ‘06, RD, LD
Top 10 Healthy Cooking Tips
American Heart Association
- Preserve the nutrients and colors in veggies. Cook them quickly by steaming or stir-frying.
- Use herbs, vinegar, tomatoes, onions and/or fat-free or low-fat sauces or salad dressings for better health, especially if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
- Use your time and your freezer wisely. When you cook once, make it last longer by preparing enough for several other meals. Freeze it and have a ready-made healthy treat for the next time you are simply too tired to bother.
- A smoothie can cover a multitude of needs. Throw a banana (you can keep them in the freezer for weeks) into your blender along with frozen berries, juice, some fat-free or low-fat yogurt and protein powder. It’s easy, cool, refreshing and healthy.
- Prepared seasonings can have high salt content and increase your risk for high blood pressure. Replace salt with herbs and spices or some of the salt-free seasoning mixes. Use lemon juice, citrus zest or hot chilies to add flavor.
- Canned, processed and preserved vegetables often have very high sodium content. Look for “low-sodium” veggies or try the frozen varieties.
- Prepare muffins and quick breads with less saturated fat and fewer calories. Use three ripe, very well-mashed bananas, instead of one cup butter, lard, shortening or oil or substitute one cup of applesauce per one cup of these fats.
- Choose whole grain for part of your ingredients instead of refined products. Use whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and whole cornmeal. Whole-wheat flour can be substituted for up to 1/2 of all-purpose flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, try 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour.
- In baking, in place of regular yogurt or sour cream, use fat-free or low-fat sour cream.
- Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use fat-free milk or 1% milk instead of whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk. For extra richness, try fat-free half-and-half or evaporated skim milk.
(Editor’s Note: I’m very pleased Lindsay has agreed to once again pen a nutrition column for the Underground; this is her third season with us. I requested that she consider offering a healthy menu item each issue, perhaps showing us now how to utilize the harvest bounty that many of us currently enjoy from our own or neighbors’ gardens. Here is her first suggestion — I apologize if the format get all corrupted, making this difficult to read: )
Regular Pasta Salad Modified Pasta Salad 4 cups cooked pasta Substitute: Whole grain pasta 1 cup celery 1 cup celery 1 cup onion 1 cup onion 1 cup ham Substitute: Leaner ham and reduce to 1/2 cup 1 cup cheese Substitute: Low-fat cheese and reduce to 1/2 cup 1 cup mayonnaise Substitute: Reduced-fat mayonnaise Add: 2 cups of tomatoes Add: 1 cup of broccoli Add: 1 cup of carrots Makes: 8 cups Makes: 11 cups Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups Servings Size: 1 1/4 cups Calories: 600 Calories: 300
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Quick Primer for all the Pre-Law Students —
Q: What’s the difference between a dry cleaner and a lawyer?
A: A dry cleaner will pay you if he loses your suit. If a lawyer loses your suit, he will still take you to the cleaners.
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A baby turtle was standing at the bottom of a large tree. With a deep sigh, started to climb. About an hour later, he reached a high branch and walked along to the end. He turned and spread all four flippers and launched himself off the branch. BAM!…He landed at the bottom in a pile of soft, dead leaves. He shook himself off, walked back to the base of the tree and with a sigh started to climb.
About an hour later, he again reached the very high branch, walked along, turned, spread his flippers and flung himself off the branch. Again, BAM!…he landed in the leaves, shook himself off, went to the base of the tree, sighed and started climbing.
Watching these proceedings from the end of the branch were two birds. The mommy bird turned to the daddy bird and said, “Don’t you think it’s about time we told him he’s adopted?”
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Thought for the Day —
Middle age is when you’ve met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else.
— Ogden Nash
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Passed on by Jerry Howard ‘56 , St. Cloud —
CSB and SJU recognized as top institutions nationally
The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University have been recognized nationally by their peers in several important classifications in the recently released U.S. News and World Report college rankings. Get the story here.
Not only did both schools move up in the overall rankings, but in addition:
- CSB was recognized as one of just 13 “Up-and-Coming” liberal arts colleges.
- CSB/SJU were recognized among the top 25 colleges in the nation for undergraduate teaching.
- CSB/SJU were recognized among the top 30 colleges in the nation for study abroad.
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Stillwater native is the West Wing’s ‘Dude’
Denis McDonough ‘92 is the most influential Minnesotan in the Obama administration, refining the words that define the president’s posture abroad.
By KEVIN DIAZ, Star Tribune
September 4, 2009
WASHINGTON – In Barack Obama’s West Wing, Denis McDonough directs strategic communications for the National Security Council, where he is known as a square-jawed foreign policy aide in frequent eye contact with the president.
Back at St. John’s University in Collegeville, where he helped the Johnnies compile a 28-5-1 football record between 1989 and 1991, the Stillwater native is simply known by his family moniker, “Dude.”
McDonough, 39, is the most influential Minnesotan in the Obama administration, sculpting the words that define the president’s posture abroad, a foreign policy that demands nuance, engagement, and, occasionally, the grand gesture… (Read more)
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Religious Life Quickies (a continuing series) —
A New York judge, as usual very rushed, sees that the first case of the day involves an elderly Jewish gentleman with a long beard, payos, the works.
The judge immediately says to the clerk, “Quick, get me a translator.” The translator shows up and the judge says: “Ask him what his name is, how old is he and where does he come from?”
The translator says, “Die judge vilt vissen, vos is dein namen, vie alt bist du, and fun vie kumst du?”
The old man smiles, looks at the judge and says with a British accent, “Your Honour. My name is Sir Chaim Ginsbug. I shall be 82 next Thursday and I’ve come from England where I hold the chair of Hebrew Philosophy at Oxford University.”
The translator turns to the judge and says: “Ehr zukt, ehr is Sir Chaim Ginsburg, ehr is tzwei und achtzig yur alt, und ehr is, mit sach Yiddish philisoph, areingekummen fun Oxford.”
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The “Why We’re Never Going To Win” Department (Part 1) —
Carefully submitted by Thom Woodward ‘70, Sartell, MN —
WHO IS YOUR REAL FRIEND?
This test really works! If you don’t believe it, just try this experiment.
Put your dog and your spouse in the trunk of the car for an hour. When you open the trunk, which one is really happy to see you?
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Mike Grant ‘79 Pioneer Press Series —
Part 1: Empire of the son
Eden Prairie players expected Bud Grant’s kid to be strict and stoic when he took over their struggling program in 1992. But Mike Grant mixed fun with dominance on the field — and six state championships followed.
[St. Paul Pioneer Press]
Part 2: Titantic Tutors
Eden Prairie football coach Mike Grant learned from the best: his father, Bud Grant, and college coach, John Gagliardi
[St. Paul Pioneer Press]
Part 3: Price of Success
Eden Prairie High School’s football success has inspired admiration and some envy
[St. Paul Pioneer Press]
* * * *
From Paul Hamann ‘63, Edina, MN, serving up a little Tommie trash talk already! —
Recently a member of the Tommie golf team was asked to play in a charity golf tournament.
At first he said, “Naaahhh! I already play five times a week.”
Then they said to him, “Come on, it’s for handicapped and blind kids.”
He thought… “Sh*t, I could win this thing”
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Pre-Med Quickie (Part 1) —
“Doctor, doctor, I keep seeing this spinning insect.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a bug that’s going around!”
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From Dave Roy ‘83, Plymouth, MN —
Reverend Ole is the pastor of the local Norwegian Lutheran Church and Pastor Sven is the minister of the Swedish Covenant Church across the road. One day they were seen pounding a sign into the ground, that said:
DA END ISS NEAR!
TURN YERSELF AROUNT
NOW BAFOR IT’S TOO LATE!
As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, “Leave me alone, you Skandihoovian religious nuts!”
From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash. Rev. Ole turns to Pastor Sven and asks, “Do ya tink maybe da sign should just say, ‘Bridge Out’?”
* * * *
The “Why We’re Never Going To Win” Department (Part 2) —
On their 50th wedding anniversary, the couple was asked the secret of their long and happy marriage.
The husband said, “I have tried never to be selfish. After all, there is no ‘I’ in the word marriage.”
The wife said, “For my part, I have never corrected his spelling.”
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From Sister Lois Wedl, OSB, St. Benedict’s Monastery —
(There is a wonderful story from the play, Some Folks Feel the Rain; Others Just Get Wet; and I think it’s worth sharing again to shed some light on how people think about teamwork…)
A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.
“Warwick can get you out of that ditch,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.” The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch.
The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted, “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!” And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch.
The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, “Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?”
The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind pulling.”
* * * *
Pre-Med Quickie (Part 2) —
The doctor is examining a patient who is in a great deal of pain. He puts his stethoscope up to the guy’s thigh and hears, “Give me $10! I’m desperate! I need $10!”
The doctor puts his stethoscope up to the guys’ knee and hears, “Please! I really need $5! Just $5! Please!”
Finally, the doctor listens to the patient’s ankle, “I just need $20! Please lend me $20, just this once!”
The doctor says, “It appears that your leg is broke in three places.”
* * * *
The Perils of Technology Department —
John was a salesman’s delight when it came to any kind of unusual gimmicks. His wife Marsha had long ago given up trying to get him to change.
One day John came home with another one of his unusual purchases. It was a robot that John claimed was actually a lie detector. It was about 5:30 that afternoon when Tommy, their 11 year old son, returned home from school. Tommy was over two hours late.
“Where have you been? Why are you so late getting home?” asked John.
“Several of us went to the library to work on an extra credit project,” said Tommy.
The robot walked around the table and slapped Tommy, knocking him completely out of his chair.
“Son,” said John, “this robot is a lie detector, now tell us where you really were after school.”
“We went to Bobby’s house and watched a movie.” said Tommy.
“What did you watch?” asked Marsha.
“The Ten Commandments.” answered Tommy.
The robot went around to Tommy and once again slapped him, knocking him off his chair.
With his lip quivering, Tommy got up, sat down and said, “I am sorry I lied. We really watched a tape called Sex Queen.”
“I am ashamed of you son,” said John. “When I was your age, I never lied to my parents.”
The robot walked around to John and delivered a whack that nearly knocked him out of his chair.
Marsha doubled over in laughter, almost in tears and said, “Boy, did you ever ask for that one! You can’t be too mad with Tommy. After all, he is your son!”
The robot walked around to Marsha and knocked her out of her chair!
* * * *
The “Why We’ll Never Win Department” (Part 3) —
From Al Richie SJP ‘60/UST ‘64, Wayzata, MN —
Jim and his buddies were hanging out and planning a 5-day golf trip. Unfortunately, he had to tell them that he couldn’t go because his wife wouldn’t let him.
After a lot of teasing and name calling, Jim headed home totally frustrated. The following week when Jim’s buddies arrived at the golf resort, they were shocked to see Jim sitting in the lobby, drinking a beer, holding his putter!
“How did you talk your wife into letting you go, Jim?”
“I didn’t have to,” Jim replied. “Last I night I slumped down in my chair with a beer to drown my sorrows. Then, my wife snuck up behind me and covered my eyes and said, ‘Surprise.’ When I peeled her hands back, she was standing there in a beautiful see-through negligee and said, ‘Carry me into the bedroom and tie me to the bed, and you can do whatever you want’…SO HERE I AM.”
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That’s it — finally! See you all in Collegeville this Saturday to cheer on the Jays against the BluGold of Eau Claire.
GO JOHNNIES!
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Wicker SJP ‘60/SJU ‘64, St. Paul
651-699-4697
theowick@aol.com
