Morris Legion team takes second in MN!

Note: Six of the last seven posts on this site are about the Morris Legion baseball team. I invite you to scroll down and enjoy. I hope this material serves as a long-term (digital) souvenir. I hope I have contributed in my own small way. - B.W.

  

Memories are rich for the players and fans with the 2013 Morris American Legion baseball team.

Post #29 played in the Division II state championship game on Sunday. The game, played in Bird Island, ended a long and success-filled road.

Morris came out of District 7 to vie in state. So did BOLD, the host team for state. There was no double-elimination format in state. If you lost you proceeded into a consolation bracket. This is what happened to BOLD.

Morris meanwhile thrilled fans with wins on Friday and Saturday. This propelled the Post #29 athletes into the state championship game, where La Crescent awaited as the foe. A hard-fought game unfolded Sunday at Lions Memorial Park.

In the end it was La Crescent prevailing in the 4-3 score.

I'm a little startled by the threadbare coverage in the Monday Willmar newspaper. The opening sentence states the outcome of the game. Beyond that there's a subhead under which you'll find a grand total of three sentences reviewing the game. The name of "Mac Beyer" is spelled "Mac Beier." Can you imagine if I had to answer for such a lousy effort when I was with the Morris newspaper? I'd be called ten kinds of stupid.

The Willmar and Morris newspapers are owned by the same company: Forum Communications of Fargo ND. You would think they could come up with the kind of synergy to get the job done in a situation like this. It is my assessment that the state American Legion baseball tournament should be a high priority.

Willmar's threadbare coverage tells us that La Crescent scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the fourth. We also learn that Post #29 got a couple baserunners on in the seventh but came up empty.

The article reports that Morris got RBI singles by Chandler Erickson, "Mac Beier" [sic] and Logan Manska.

Morris won in the state semis Saturday over Taconite, scoring often in waltzing over Taconite. The score: 13-3. On this game the West Central Tribune of Willmar gave us two sentences under a subhead. Oh, we also get runs-by-inning data.

There were eleven Morris hits vs. Taconite. It would be nice to see a breakdown. But no. Mac Beyer's name is the only one to appear, in this instance spelled correctly. We learn that Beyer was the Morris pitcher in the abbreviated (five-inning) affair. Beyer struck out one batter, walked one and gave up six hits.

Whoever wrote this observed that Morris "punched its ticket" to the championship game. Cute. Now let's get more details.

There's an item on the front page of the Monday Willmar newspaper that has me remembering an episode from my Morris newspaper career. I remember when Leonard Wulf passed away and he was praised very justifiably as a community icon. Jim Morrison wrote an editorial tribute. When I passed by the funeral home on the night of the reviewal, I noticed a very long line winding out and around outside the building.

I took a photo and submitted it as a candidate for publication. It was pulled from consideration and in the process I was called ten kinds of idiot for thinking such a photo was tasteful to run. On the Monday Willmar front page, there is a huge photo of a hearse parked outside a church and a line of people outside the church, the occasion being the funeral for Lila Warwick. The photo was taken by Ron Adams.

I'm just puzzled.

Who is the sports editor of the Willmar newspaper? Was he sleeping through the state Legion tournament? Couldn't he coordinate some coverage efforts with the coaches? I would certainly be expected to.

My current post on my companion website ("Morris of Course") takes a look at local print journalism and the flow of information. Please click on the permalink below. Thanks for reading. - B.W.
http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2013/08/journalism-is-inescapable-part-of-me.html

  

A hearty congratulations to the Post #29 Morris Legion baseball team of 2013: state runners-up!

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com