Pure principle is unassailable. There ought be no reservations when its well is tapped.
The story I should be telling here is one with the happy ending we can expect when principle is invoked. That ending looks muddy now.
Principle was asserted by the University of Minnesota president last year when the new on-campus football stadium was set to open. That stance left many people glowing as they could assume, presumably, that lesser motivations could be put aside.
The U president seemed unequivocal in announcing a policy for the new Gopher venue. It was greeted as if a breath of fresh air in the eyes of many. It pertained to alcohol policy, where enlightenment (as in eschewing these products) has been making inroads.
Let's look back a little. The boomer generation when young trumpeted principle and pushed aside "materialism" all over the place. Until us boomers aged to the point where we truly had a seat at the economic table and acquired assets. But we have long memories. And we still smile at the triumph of principle.
Today that allegedly narcissistic generation seems as conservative as any preceding it. The boomers have always followed a certain zeitgeist as exemplified by Minnesota politician Norm Coleman (who shifts amoeba-like). True, Minnesota does have two progressive (left of center) U.S. senators. But we have a cookie cutter Fox News governor.
The U of M president is Robert Bruininks. From day 1 since his elevation to the presidency, I've been perplexed at the spelling of his name, as it's impossible to pronounce as spelled.
"Oh, just say 'Brunix,' " an insider might tell me.
Well, then, why doesn't he just spell his name "Brunix?" Like how the spelling of Mao Tse-tung's name was finally modified for simplicity and logic (Tse-tung to Zedong).
Several generations ago my family name was "Williamson," I'm told. The last syllable was dropped, I suspect because it seemed superfluous. It's easier to handle now, like for writing checks etc.
Bruininks' declaration on alcohol last year seemed to have an air of finality. It was as if he trumpeted "we're doing the right thing, now let's proceed."
But as time passes, "stuff happens."
Year 1 is in the history books for the new Gopher football stadium. Was this stadium named in an inspiring way, invoking the name of an iconic public person who gave much to society in his/her life? The way the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome was named? No. Consistent with the ethos and the throbbing of that zeitgeist boomer element, the new stadium was named for an entity that supplied money. We can feel nostalgia but we still prioritize the do-re-mi.
Was this naming entity at least perceived as a benevolent voice beyond mere material aims? I don't think so. The stadium is named for TCF Bank. Stadium boosters immediately began promoting a shorthand way of referring to the place that would fit young people's lexicon: "The Bank." How neat. "The Bank."
But has it caught on? Does this name inspire warm feelings? It seems doubtful, because last fall the lack of student body support for this stadium was so marked, the Star Tribune devoted a front page article to it. What happened?
Lack of support for a shiny new toy like a stadium? I'm dumbfounded. Well, not really. The "comeback" of open air stadiums in Minnesota might eventually lead to consternation. In the meantime, the U of M is scrambling, trying to remedy shortcomings by putting principle aside. And how, exactly, is Bob Bruininks putting his imprimatur on that? His original statement of principle, so applauded in this post thus far, had to do with the alcohol ban throughout the stadium.
The Star Tribune quoted him saying of the ban that "it's the best, most responsible, most principled position we can take."
Mr. "Brunix" was reflecting the direction society was clearly taking with such vices as cigarettes and booze. We've come a long way since we all laughed uproariously at comedian Foster Brooks whose shtick was to behave like a drunk.
Booze is increasingly seen as an aberration rather than as an expected part of our lifestyle. The boomers' elders thought nothing of such vices. We love those people dearly but times change, I think. The March 24 front page of the Star Tribune revealed an unfortunate cynical turn in the University's stance about the stadium's alcohol policy.
It seems nothing is official yet but the camel's nose is in the tent. Why, oh why, would the U even consider a reversal on a matter where the asserting of what's right once seemed so refreshing. What could possibly cause this?
Money.
I would suggest that the stadium's apparent shortcomings to date are not based on the alcohol ban. And heaven help us if they are. They are based on the failed thinking that contributed to the push to get TCF Bank Stadium built in the first place. We felt nostalgic about a "return" to open air big-time sports, even though this is Minnesota and we have some, er, complications with our weather. The U was actually lucky from a weather standpoint in its first season at "The Bank." And still there was a void with student body support.
Should we cite a tepid performance by the Gophers? Nothing new there. It has been the norm throughout the adult years of the boomers, a generation which here has attached itself most decidedly to the NFL's Vikings. The Gophers have been the red-haired stepchild.
When my father attended the University - he's a 1938 graduate - the Gophers were totally big-time. They played at the now-razed Memorial Stadium, a quite fine facility built like a brick, well, like a brick football stadium. I'm sure that edifice would have needed only some internal refurbishing (like Williams Arena).
But no, we tore it down. Because promoters of the proposed Metrodome felt the Gophers would benefit oh so much. Then-coach Joe Salem was a visible advocate of the Dome. The bottom fell out of his program and he moseyed on down the road. Remember that Nebraska game (like covering your head with mortar shells coming down)?
Listening to an incumbent coach on anything is pure folly. They're here today and gone tomorrow. We listened to Lou Holtz when he recommended John Gutekunst as his successor in Gophers football. Harvey Mackay once wrote an entire chapter in a book on how you must never listen to an outgoing outstanding individual on who should succeed him/her. Because subconsciously at least these departing people don't want the successor to set the world on fire. Did Gutekunst set the world on fire?
Current coach Tim Brewster is hardly making waves competitively either. The Gophers were lucky to beat South Dakota State last season. And the Gophers lost to North Dakota State the season before. If we start falling behind the Dakotas in Division I football we're in trouble. Why can't St. Cloud State University, my alma mater, be built up to that level? Wouldn't it be great to have a strong in-state Division I football rivalry? Many states have this but we never have. Wouldn't it build interest in college football?
St. Cloud State has a still-new stadium where I attended a game once, in 2006. It's a larger version of our local Big Cat Field. These new stadiums are designed for serious football watchers with the idea being to just park your rear end on a (hard) bleacher seat and watch football. The old Selke Field in St. Cloud was like our old Coombe Field in Morris, with a much more informal air and with throngs of fans ringing the periphery, wandering at will and socializing almost to the exclusion of watching the game.
Did stadium designers suddenly feel these people were unimportant? Apparently so. Big Cat Field has had trouble attracting Tiger football fans in the number desired. I know because on the night of every home game, I take a gander from a vantage point to the east. I don't pay to get in but I ride my bike out to that general vicinity - very quiet, expansive and peaceful.
I make these excursions perhaps because I want to have my prediction affirmed that high school football would lose its luster at this location. And it has, but not for the late-stage high school playoff games overseen by the Minnesota High School League. Those late-stage games command attention just for the significance of the games. Parking your butt and watching them is justified.
It's harder to sell the regular season games of the Morris Area Tigers. And it's woeful that the MAHS pep band makes such rare appearances there. It's inexcusable really, and you'd think a few upperclassmen could at least organize a musical effort, which the fans would appreciate so much.
This community invested so much in getting the new school and Big Cat Field put up (for better or worse, likely the latter), we should be pulling out all stops, like insisting that a band play for Tiger games - all of them. But this community doesn't always follow the right script. Or zeitgeist. We had a county commissioner state publicly, in the wake of the horrible jail controversy, that he's glad none of his children live or work in Stevens County. Maybe this is the Twilight Zone.
"Booze" isn't even on the table for our local prep football games, naturally. Because those fans lack the needed "maturity?" LOL on that. . .
Why should the U of M even weigh the booze option now, no matter how much money is on the table? I'd laugh but Foster Brooks isn't funny anymore.
-Brian Williams - Morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
Principle was asserted by the University of Minnesota president last year when the new on-campus football stadium was set to open. That stance left many people glowing as they could assume, presumably, that lesser motivations could be put aside.
The U president seemed unequivocal in announcing a policy for the new Gopher venue. It was greeted as if a breath of fresh air in the eyes of many. It pertained to alcohol policy, where enlightenment (as in eschewing these products) has been making inroads.
Let's look back a little. The boomer generation when young trumpeted principle and pushed aside "materialism" all over the place. Until us boomers aged to the point where we truly had a seat at the economic table and acquired assets. But we have long memories. And we still smile at the triumph of principle.
Today that allegedly narcissistic generation seems as conservative as any preceding it. The boomers have always followed a certain zeitgeist as exemplified by Minnesota politician Norm Coleman (who shifts amoeba-like). True, Minnesota does have two progressive (left of center) U.S. senators. But we have a cookie cutter Fox News governor.
The U of M president is Robert Bruininks. From day 1 since his elevation to the presidency, I've been perplexed at the spelling of his name, as it's impossible to pronounce as spelled.
"Oh, just say 'Brunix,' " an insider might tell me.
Well, then, why doesn't he just spell his name "Brunix?" Like how the spelling of Mao Tse-tung's name was finally modified for simplicity and logic (Tse-tung to Zedong).
Several generations ago my family name was "Williamson," I'm told. The last syllable was dropped, I suspect because it seemed superfluous. It's easier to handle now, like for writing checks etc.
Bruininks' declaration on alcohol last year seemed to have an air of finality. It was as if he trumpeted "we're doing the right thing, now let's proceed."
But as time passes, "stuff happens."
Year 1 is in the history books for the new Gopher football stadium. Was this stadium named in an inspiring way, invoking the name of an iconic public person who gave much to society in his/her life? The way the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome was named? No. Consistent with the ethos and the throbbing of that zeitgeist boomer element, the new stadium was named for an entity that supplied money. We can feel nostalgia but we still prioritize the do-re-mi.
Was this naming entity at least perceived as a benevolent voice beyond mere material aims? I don't think so. The stadium is named for TCF Bank. Stadium boosters immediately began promoting a shorthand way of referring to the place that would fit young people's lexicon: "The Bank." How neat. "The Bank."
But has it caught on? Does this name inspire warm feelings? It seems doubtful, because last fall the lack of student body support for this stadium was so marked, the Star Tribune devoted a front page article to it. What happened?
Lack of support for a shiny new toy like a stadium? I'm dumbfounded. Well, not really. The "comeback" of open air stadiums in Minnesota might eventually lead to consternation. In the meantime, the U of M is scrambling, trying to remedy shortcomings by putting principle aside. And how, exactly, is Bob Bruininks putting his imprimatur on that? His original statement of principle, so applauded in this post thus far, had to do with the alcohol ban throughout the stadium.
The Star Tribune quoted him saying of the ban that "it's the best, most responsible, most principled position we can take."
Mr. "Brunix" was reflecting the direction society was clearly taking with such vices as cigarettes and booze. We've come a long way since we all laughed uproariously at comedian Foster Brooks whose shtick was to behave like a drunk.
Booze is increasingly seen as an aberration rather than as an expected part of our lifestyle. The boomers' elders thought nothing of such vices. We love those people dearly but times change, I think. The March 24 front page of the Star Tribune revealed an unfortunate cynical turn in the University's stance about the stadium's alcohol policy.
It seems nothing is official yet but the camel's nose is in the tent. Why, oh why, would the U even consider a reversal on a matter where the asserting of what's right once seemed so refreshing. What could possibly cause this?
Money.
I would suggest that the stadium's apparent shortcomings to date are not based on the alcohol ban. And heaven help us if they are. They are based on the failed thinking that contributed to the push to get TCF Bank Stadium built in the first place. We felt nostalgic about a "return" to open air big-time sports, even though this is Minnesota and we have some, er, complications with our weather. The U was actually lucky from a weather standpoint in its first season at "The Bank." And still there was a void with student body support.
Should we cite a tepid performance by the Gophers? Nothing new there. It has been the norm throughout the adult years of the boomers, a generation which here has attached itself most decidedly to the NFL's Vikings. The Gophers have been the red-haired stepchild.
When my father attended the University - he's a 1938 graduate - the Gophers were totally big-time. They played at the now-razed Memorial Stadium, a quite fine facility built like a brick, well, like a brick football stadium. I'm sure that edifice would have needed only some internal refurbishing (like Williams Arena).
But no, we tore it down. Because promoters of the proposed Metrodome felt the Gophers would benefit oh so much. Then-coach Joe Salem was a visible advocate of the Dome. The bottom fell out of his program and he moseyed on down the road. Remember that Nebraska game (like covering your head with mortar shells coming down)?
Listening to an incumbent coach on anything is pure folly. They're here today and gone tomorrow. We listened to Lou Holtz when he recommended John Gutekunst as his successor in Gophers football. Harvey Mackay once wrote an entire chapter in a book on how you must never listen to an outgoing outstanding individual on who should succeed him/her. Because subconsciously at least these departing people don't want the successor to set the world on fire. Did Gutekunst set the world on fire?
Current coach Tim Brewster is hardly making waves competitively either. The Gophers were lucky to beat South Dakota State last season. And the Gophers lost to North Dakota State the season before. If we start falling behind the Dakotas in Division I football we're in trouble. Why can't St. Cloud State University, my alma mater, be built up to that level? Wouldn't it be great to have a strong in-state Division I football rivalry? Many states have this but we never have. Wouldn't it build interest in college football?
St. Cloud State has a still-new stadium where I attended a game once, in 2006. It's a larger version of our local Big Cat Field. These new stadiums are designed for serious football watchers with the idea being to just park your rear end on a (hard) bleacher seat and watch football. The old Selke Field in St. Cloud was like our old Coombe Field in Morris, with a much more informal air and with throngs of fans ringing the periphery, wandering at will and socializing almost to the exclusion of watching the game.
Did stadium designers suddenly feel these people were unimportant? Apparently so. Big Cat Field has had trouble attracting Tiger football fans in the number desired. I know because on the night of every home game, I take a gander from a vantage point to the east. I don't pay to get in but I ride my bike out to that general vicinity - very quiet, expansive and peaceful.
I make these excursions perhaps because I want to have my prediction affirmed that high school football would lose its luster at this location. And it has, but not for the late-stage high school playoff games overseen by the Minnesota High School League. Those late-stage games command attention just for the significance of the games. Parking your butt and watching them is justified.
It's harder to sell the regular season games of the Morris Area Tigers. And it's woeful that the MAHS pep band makes such rare appearances there. It's inexcusable really, and you'd think a few upperclassmen could at least organize a musical effort, which the fans would appreciate so much.
This community invested so much in getting the new school and Big Cat Field put up (for better or worse, likely the latter), we should be pulling out all stops, like insisting that a band play for Tiger games - all of them. But this community doesn't always follow the right script. Or zeitgeist. We had a county commissioner state publicly, in the wake of the horrible jail controversy, that he's glad none of his children live or work in Stevens County. Maybe this is the Twilight Zone.
"Booze" isn't even on the table for our local prep football games, naturally. Because those fans lack the needed "maturity?" LOL on that. . .
Why should the U of M even weigh the booze option now, no matter how much money is on the table? I'd laugh but Foster Brooks isn't funny anymore.
-Brian Williams - Morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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