Jaguars claw past stubborn WCA at Perham

BBE 76, WCA 71

"The Hive" is what they call the sports venue in Perham. Makes sense, 'cause the Perham sports nickname is "Yellowjackets." We have learned of "killer hornets" getting established in the U.S. Perhaps that's a candidate for a school nickname like for a school under pressure to shed its Native American nickname. I believe Benson is still the "Braves." 

Interesting: we still see vestiges of the "Fighting Sioux" nickname out and about - signs and clothing that are left over. If the intent is to keep the symbol alive, it's a fool's errand. If you take walks along the biking/walking trail east of Morris, you'll see on the south end as you pass by an opulent residence, a little sign with the old "Fighting Sioux" logo. Must be an alum who refuses to leave the past. 

There is nothing heartwarming about this. UND got rid of the old racist imagery for a reason. The residence of which I speak is probably the most opulent one in town. Would not be my cup of tea, but to each their own. 

So in Perham it's "The Hive," home of the Yellowjackets, but this was not the team showcased there on Tuesday. We're into the "March Madness" phase of this highly atypical school year. Fans really have to hold their breath to see if a particular game even gets played. Paynesville and 'Waska had their post-season GBB plans torpedoed. But on Tuesday, BBE and WCA got the green light for state quarter-final action. 

We're talking Brooten-Belgrade-Elrosa and West Central Area. It was a close game in which BBE managed a tenuous lead throughout. But BBE was able to cling to the advantage and prevail by five, 76-71. BBE's Jaguars are in for the state semis, a first for the program. We'll pray for Covid to stay away as the team prepares for its April 6 contest at Target Center, Minneapolis. 

The Jaguars have lost just once this season. Bonanza Valley pride is brimming, a sentiment that I'm sure is projected from my old newspaper compatriot Randy Olson. Congratulations Randy and all! 

BBE is buoyed by a senior group of seven. A broad-based effort was needed, as it turned out. This was to counter a terrific 3-point shooting attack by the vaunted Knights of WCA. How terrific? The Knights made ten from beyond the 3-point arc. BBE had just three. 

BBE had to overcome prolific scorer Lexi Bright of WCA. Bright made two of the 3's and led her team with 23 points scored. She's a 5-7 junior guard. Bright dueled with Abby Berge of the Jaguars. Berge is a 5-10 sophomore guard. She lit it up with 27 points and connected twice from 3-point land. Just as significantly, she had the job of guarding Bright. 

BBE regularly had the lead but never by more than nine. Fans were on edge of seats. BBE had a one-point lead at halftime, 34-33. 

Berge was one of three Jaguars scoring in double figures. She was complemented by Josie Knutson with 13 points and Allisa Knight with eleven. Jackie Lindsay came through with nine points. The rest of the list: Karissa Jones (6), Karsee Kampsen (4), Liz French (4) and Allison Dingmann (2). Berge's two 3-pointers were complemented by Knutson's one. 

Top Jaguar rebounders were Knight (7), French (6) and Knutson (5). Kampsen dished out four assists. Berge had six steals and Knutson four. Knight blocked two shots. 

Bright was at the fore of WCA's scoring with her 23 points. Other double figures achievers were Elizabeth Rustan with 14 and Mya Foslien with eleven. Claire Stark put in nine. Then we see Brynn Fernholz with seven points, Macy Grosz with four and Sydney Ulrich with three. Bright and Foslien each made three 3-pointers. Rustan connected twice from that range while Fernholz and Ulrich each made one. 

My late aunt Viola, wife of my blood uncle Howard, was from the Brooten area, so I say "go Jaguars!"

 

Addendum: The "killer hornets" in the news are also known as Asian giant hornets, but let's maybe back off on the latter term based on the anti-Asian prejudice that has been in the news. 

BBE Jaguar team photo from "twitter"

 

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

Such violent depictions at the time of Easter

Spare me this brutality

The weather teased us a little with a summer-like day Monday. It is a common early-spring phenomenon. The temperature shifted quickly late in the day. Rapid temperature shifts are often associated with UFOs. The "Marfa lights" of Texas are explained this way. But I saw no suspicious craft out east of Morris as I completed my walk. Always fun to encounter Sharon Martin and her dog "Goldy."

The biking/walking trail is popular now that people want to put winter's doldrums behind them. Something else to put behind us, hopefully: the you-know-what. Starts with "p." 

Easter will be a nice escape for many people. I say "nice" even though we hear so much about the misery of Christ by torture and crucifixion. So often we are influenced by the entertainment industry and don't even know it. Mel Gibson made his extremely violent movie "Passion of the Christ" (2004). We are now expected to wallow in that. 

Why should I care about Mel Gibson and what he might want for my life? He's just a talented person in the entertainment industry. He knows how to develop an entertainment product. He lost a lot of ground by becoming known as an anti-Semite. But prior to that he built up an impressive resume. Still, why should I care about him? Just because he's capable of getting my attention with his entertainment savvy? That makes him no more wise than me or anyone else. 

We get influenced by these things and don't even know it. Well, I'd like to think I don't get influenced, just because I have made the effort to think about it. 

Many of us got influenced in the same way by Donald Trump. He too had communications savvy that came from being in entertainment. Why do we let these people fool us so much? We cut some slack for O.J. Simpson as being possibly innocent because we had affinity with him, had "welcomed him into our homes" through football. It was never a "whodunit." Vince Bugliosi was greatly upset by the "whodunit" suggestion. 

But such is the power of the people who supply our entertainment. Trump became president for four years. 

My late mother was an extremely reverent person with Christianity - no way would she appreciate Mel Gibson's movie about Christ's final mortal days. As for Christ's post-mortal existence, that surely is a matter for debate. My mother surely accepted Christ as divine. I have tried too, that's all I can say. 

Now we're coming up on Maundy Thursday. It is also called "Covenant Thursday" and "Thursday of Mysteries." It is the fifth day of Holy Week. It begins the Easter Triduum, a period that marks the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. So I guess we're remembering the Last Supper. 

My mother would say it's essential to recognize the facts of what happened. She'd embrace the meaning of it all. I'm sure she would want to avoid all the sadistic imagery. Same with me, but I see so many Christians appearing to want to embrace the violent and depressing stuff, the stuff presented in a graphic way. Why? Can't we just accept that Jesus died for our sins? That he was sent by God who loved us and wished to give us a shot at salvation? 

We're hopeless but God loves us. Reminds me of the alien character in the restaurant from the re-make of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (2008). He had an Asian look, remember? He was really a space alien put forward to impersonate an Earth human. He talked with "Klaatu" and said that despite the hopelessness of the human race, "there is another side." Remember? "I Love these people," he said. 

Toward movie's end we saw Klaatu won over as well. By then the nano particles or virus or whatever it was had been unleashed - the clouds - and he intervened. 

So God intervened with us too, the same way? He saw another side. He loved us. The nano particles were the devil. 

So, God would love us here in America even though such a large portion of the populace have in effect bastardized the Christian faith, in a truly obscene way IMHO, by merging it with Donald Trump, making this very flawed person an extension of the faith. That's hardly overstatement. The phenomenon is by itself enough to alienate a considerable percentage of America's young people. It happens at a time when Christianity can ill-afford such a stain. But a stain has surely been created. 

So Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper. The various denominations celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion, which they teach was instituted by Jesus on this night. 

I have tried all my life to give Christianity a fair hearing in my mind. I would do this for my mother if for no other reason. Seems to me the Christ story is the sort of thing that could be easily fabricated by those with strong political or philosophical motivations. 

We cannot truly relate to the time of Christ, any more than we can relate to 19th Century America and the willingness of scores of men North and South to sacrifice their lives. Were the consequences so terrible for the South to remain in the Union? To risk a violent death at a tender age? The young men must have OK'd the risk. 

The U.S. had military conscription when I was a boy. Somehow our American society accepted how we got dragged through the Vietnam war, even with all the protest activity. It was like pulling teeth to extricate our U.S. from this notion that we have to send waves of young men into a sensational war every few years, as if somehow it's a rite of passage for each generation. 

My point is, we have evolved from that, would think it outrageous to be put through it again, and the transformation happened in just the recent past. So how on earth can we relate to the world of Christ's time, the values, culture and politics of that time, the lack of advanced medicine and science etc.? The answer is we cannot. And yet so many of us try to build our lives and faith on things that happened then. We're told to accept Christ because he "rose from the dead." How on earth can there be any certainty of that? 

Pressed on this, adherents would say "well there isn't" but we accept it on faith. The road to hell can be paved with "accepting things on faith." Like with accepting Donald Trump with no empirical backing as to his wisdom. The empirical evidence points to quite the opposite with Trump, that he is almost certainly an outright criminal who has sought to exploit Christianity, the naivete of the masses. We have allowed this to happen so easily. 

And if so many of us can be this gullible in our enlightened scientific age, what of the robes-and-sandals people of Christ's time? Trump holds a Bible upside down outside a church, after having military/law enforcement clear away peaceful protesters in an onerous way. And you all are impressed by that? Evidently yes, based on how this community continues to allow a big Trump sign to be seen by the highway next to where people turn onto Columbia Avenue. 

Has it gotten to the point of worshiping Trump himself? We truly seem on the verge, at least out here in West Central Minnesota where the congressperson is Michelle Fischbach, an even more hardened Trump supporter than Tom Emmer. 

Well, say a prayer you all - I won't be listening. I'll enjoy my chocolate bunny from Willie's on Easter Sunday morning.

 

Cheech and Chong

Addendum: The Cheech and Chong "stoner" duo, popular when I was young, had a bit where they're at a drive-in movie watching a scene with torture. "But you have cut off both my hands," a character says. One of the stoners comments "This movie a bummer, man." It's an apt comment for the Mel Gibson movie. 

 

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

Success vs. Pipestone, Tigers in for state!

Tigers 57, Pipestone 49

The state basketball tournament should do a lot to create a local sense of euphoria that will counter the blues of the pandemic and its limitations. At least this is what we hope. We really hope for "normal life," right? Sorry to say, it might be wishful thinking to put that scenario in front of us now. 

Will the state boys basketball tournament be a totally healthy experience for all who take it in? By that I mean, will we all be able to guard our health well enough? 

A local restaurant plans a buffet for Easter Sunday. It's a place which in the past can get packed for this sort of thing. My church plans two services for the sacred Easter Sunday. The church requests sign-up beforehand. To what extent will the sanctuary be filled or close to that? 

We feel ecstatic about the Tigers, and about upcoming Easter Sunday with its buffet afterward. A lot of the more conservative political minds are inclined to defy the restrictions of the pandemic, to almost be in denial. It's nice to have a rosy outlook, all things being equal. All things may not be equal at present. But the Tigers surely won the section title in BBB. 

The orange and black prevailed over Pipestone Friday at Montevideo. We overcame a halftime deficit of four points. We overcame with a 30-18 scoring advantage in second half play. Bravo! We're on to state. The 3AA title is ours. 

It's our fifth trip to the big show, the last having come in 2004. The Class AA tourney will also include: Caledonia, Waseca, St. Croix Prep, Minneapolis North, Annandale, Moose Lake-Willow River and Fergus Falls. 

Our overall won-lost is now 19-2. 

Oh, the final score from Friday: 57-49! 

Jackson Loge led our three double figures scorers. He was 7 of 17 in shooting for 18 points. Thomas Tiernan was 3 of 6 for 14 points, and Brandon Jergenson 5/9, 12 points. Toby Gonnerman scored seven and Durgin Decker six. Our team field goal shooting numbers were 21 of 44, 48 percent. Jergenson was 2 of 5 in three-pointers, Tiernan one of four. We weren't sizzling in 3's on this night: three of eleven, 27 percent. 

Tiernan was definitely sizzling at the freethrow line: 7-for-7. Loge made four freethrows and Gonnerman one. As a team we were 12 of 22, 55 percent. 

Loge topped rebounds with eleven, four offensive. Our team rebound total was 25, six offensive. Loge was the top assist producer with six. Jergenson added three assists to the mix. We had 13 total assists and 13 steals. Jergenson and Loge each had three steals. Loge blocked four shots while Jergenson and Gonnerman each blocked one. 

Pipestone ends its season with the lukewarm W/L of 11-11. The Arrows must have stepped it up a notch for the post-season. Yes, they stepped it up for Friday's first half as they shot 52 percent in the half. Dawson Kellen was on a roll as he put in 14 first half points. We were down by four at halftime but it could have been worse. 

Bring on the second half. The Tigers took on a renewed look and pleased fans with a 19-4 run. Our lead swelled to eleven before the Arrows found some new life. The Arrows enjoyed an 8-0 run. But the Tigers had an answer with a 5-0 run. Suspense over. 

Kellen finished with 18 points for the Arrows. Aaron Lingen put in eleven. 

Hancock's Owls are in for state too. Those Owls beat top-ranked Mahnomen-Waubun 77-71 in Fergus Falls. The Owls own a 17-5 record now.

 

MACA's win vs. Redwood

My summary of the Tigers' previous game, the win over Redwood Valley, is on my companion website or blog, "Morris of Course." I'll remind you occasionally to check there. This post includes a link to a YouTube post showing old video footage of a Tiger basketball game from March of 1971. Ancient times! Hey, I was a sophomore in high school. We were the "MHS" Tigers then. We sang those initials neatly in the school song. Will that day ever come back? 

Here's the permalink to my writing about the Redwood Valley game. It's a pleasure for me to continue doing this. 

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/03/tigers-hold-off-late-redwood-valley.html

 

Side effects today? None yet

Got my magic second vaccination shot on Friday. So we're supposed to be on guard for side effects. It's Saturday morning and I detect none thus far. 

An old newspaper compatriot of mine from Central Minnesota shared some advice and background. He starts out this message with "I'm under the gun now" and that's a reference to wrapping up some newspaper work under deadline. I once did that a lot myself, to a fault really because I would have been justified slowing down sometimes. Stop and smell the roses. 

Here's the message from my sage friend, a Bonanza Valley fellow:

Hello Brian! I'm under the gun but wanted to reply quick and say that with jab No. 2 today, now the clock ticks for at least 10 days where there's basically no added protection. Then it goes up almost exponentially after that. I've read a lot of charts that show how it plays out.

So with 5 more days left in March, then add a good week after that. I'd consider you vaccinated by the area of April 7 to April 10. At that point your mask is just for show, and just a courtesy in certain places where they require them. I see nothing against a vaccinated person having it at the grocery store line, or in a school or perhaps some crowded area where you wouldn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. 

We're getting there, it's just taking a little time. 

Past April 10, I encourage you to breathe freely and enjoy time at a place like DeToy's "like the old days" before last March struck.

(end of quoted material)

 

Boy, so nice to think of the "old days" coming back, walking freely in and out of the public library etc. Right now it's just a dream. Speaking of newspapers, how is our newspaper doing with getting the MACA news on the website? Well it's noon Saturday, just took a look and really it's threadbare, basically just an announcement that we made state. The minimal text reports Hancock first. I would get some derision doing that.

Come to think of it, I do feel a little listless. But no nausea. 

Remember the 1955 Tigers

My seventh grade social studies teacher Bill Coombe made sure we knew about the fabled climb of the 1955 Morris High School team. Fans did not specify "boys" in the 1950s. Those were the "Hoosiers" days, and speaking of the movie, our Tigers made the climb to state IN THE OLD ONE-CLASS SYSTEM. 

It is an extremely important chapter from Morris history, lest we forget. Some of the shine came off when Morris lost rather badly to a Minneapolis school in round #1. Well so what? Winning the overall championship only happens in the movies when Gene Hackman is the coach. 

Mr. Coombe liked to refer to himself in the third person and he'd say "Mr. Coombe." His name would grace our football field for many years. He was the MHS athletic director in 1955. I don't know how he fell all the way down to seventh grade social studies by 1967. He was very personable. He coached me in elementary basketball. 

The '55 team might have lost some of its luster by the perception, which I became aware of, that maybe some of those guys got big-headed. Well I sure wouldn't make an issue of that. We all have human failings, hubris being one. 

Our gym in 1955 was in the old, now-razed school building. It was a gym/auditorium. It would have looked appropriate in "Hoosiers." Harriet Stevenson told me there was a time when the bleacher seats on the east side weren't even there. So it was just the auditorium seating, which meant the interest level must not have been very high. Harriet said "it was just a wall" on the east side. 

In 1968 we got a new gym at the new location, seemed like the greatest thing since sliced bread. But years later what happened? We got a still newer varsity gym. We set the bar higher all the time, don't we? And now we hear about the need for a new gymnastics gym? I guess I'm channeling my inner Ken Johnson and Warren Luebke. 

Well, best of luck to the 2021 Tigers. They won't be facing anyone like Minneapolis Washburn.

 

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

Advisory: Covid shot is covered by Medicare

Those of us unaffected by Covid should really be thankful in these times. At the same time we feel sadness for those families that have been affected. The father of a good high school friend of mine had to be hospitalized. An attorney friend had to be hospitalized, according to my network of friends. 

We wonder how the virus picks certain people out. Elderly? Overweight? Seems likely. We are taught not to attach such a stigma to "overweight" these days. We are discouraged from passing judgment on people based on body image. But it's paradoxical because the health care community would discourage carrying excess weight. 

I turned off my refrigerator/freezer shortly after Mom died. Some friends scoff at me for that. I'm concerned that if I were to bring groceries home, I would consume it too fast. It's too tempting. 

This morning I picked up a couple of terrific bagel sandwiches from Caribou Coffee at Willie's. The sandwiches have bacon, egg and cheese. This breakfast plus my senior lunch (cost of $4) could easily get me through the whole day, supplemented with "Boost." One morning I found myself feeling a little light-headed and then realized I had to re-stock my Boost. 

I stay hydrated. 

My attorney friend is the type you might call overweight. Oh, but we are not supposed to be judgmental. 

Got a tip one morning that Prairie Ridge in Morris had the Moderna vaccine. We were all pretty anxious to get "poked." I had been on the waiting list at SCMC, my normal clinic. I acted quickly on the tip and got poked at Prairie Ridge. All seemed to go smoothly. Yesterday I got a bill for $42. Well, I didn't come into town on a turnip truck so I knew this was afoul. Medicare is supposed to cover this, silly rabbit.  

So I called. I had to recite all my personal data, had to fetch my Medicare card (again) from the glove compartment of my car. At the end of it all the receptionist/employee said "disregard the bill for now." She was friendly enough but I wondered: "for now?" I consulted the Internet machine (as Rachel Maddow calls it) this morning, read on the official Medicare site that, ahem, "Medicare covers FDA-approved Covid-19 vaccines." Nice, succinct and direct. 

I got the Moderna vaccine. Word had spread some in Motown so people were streaming in. When I told the person at the desk that "I'm a new patient here," she responded that most of the patients there that day were in that category. I presented my driver's license and Medicare card. Then a week or two later, I get a bill. What if I was a dull-witted person and just went ahead and paid it? Would the error be caught? 

I had perhaps been caught dull-witted when I was persuaded to buy a new water softener, as per new city law. Well, screw the City of Morris, and by golly I mean that. Mom has been gone three years and I must learn to be sharper, to protect my own interests. 

So I'm to disregard the Prairie Ridge bill "for now." And if they rock the boat further? Pay a lawyer? Well, that would seem to be self-defeating. Pay a lawyer to deal with the water softener issue? That (expletive) softener issue disrupted my whole life. Because government was involved - the City of Morris - the government had a better obligation to take care of the people. 

Do I need to retreat into a cocoon and not trust anyone? Not even people at the medical office? 

I find myself now regretting that I didn't just stay on the SCMC waiting list. I think SCMC would have been a lot more professional. Prairie Ridge could have used their prompt access to the vaccine to maybe lure permanent patients. Well, that sure got torpedoed with me. 

Prairie Ridge was my late father's clinic. He lived to 96. Once when Mom and I were visiting Dad at the hospital, as Dad's health was declining, Dr. Stock spotted a mole on Mom's head that needed examination. She went to "Dr. Fred" at Prairie Ridge and had it all taken care of. Life-saving? Maybe it was. 

And Dr. Stock had literally saved my father's life in the 1980s by getting him to Abbott-Northwestern Hospital for five-vessel heart bypass. It had to be done quickly. Previous to that, Dad's doctor at the other medical facility had simply told Dad "you're getting older," when Dad reported stress symptoms. Dad had an older doctor who had a reputation for not keeping up with things. The reputation was oft-repeated. 

Mom and Dad miraculously got through a number of health hurdles through their later years. Now you can figure the ages of death from dates on our Summit Cemetery monument: 96 and 93. Not bad, I'd say. There is no date of death for yours truly. I take Lipitor once a day. A little prayer now and then doesn't hurt either.

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

Tigers win so stage is set for North finale

Tigers 65, NL-Spicer 57

MACA took care of business Saturday night at home in boys hoops. We took care of business as the No. 1 seed. This was done with a 65-57 win over the New London-Spicer Wildcats, No. 5. To remind, we're in Section 3AA-North. 

The game was a pretty typical superior performance by the Tigers. Home fans enjoyed the success. We'll be staying at home for the next round of action. Now we'll face No. 2-seeded Redwood Valley for the North championship at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Tigers faced Redwood back on Jan. 26 and won by three, 63-60. 

Right now the orange and black has a won-lost of 17-2. New London-Spicer closes out at 9-11. 

The Wildcats were pretty competitive Saturday. Our lead was just one at halftime, 30-29. The tight complexion remained for much of the second half. 

We opened up some breathing room with under five minutes left. The lead was narrowed some but we hung on for the eight-point margin. Redwood Valley advanced with a 74-64 win over Paynesville. Fortunately Paynesville was not derailed by Covid the way their girls team was (along with Minnewaska). Ah, "protocol." You can't fight the government. 

"Another day at the office" I guess for Tiger Jackson Loge. I seem to recall his father having lots of those. Loge poured in a team-best 25 points. He made 11 of 17 field goal attempts. Thomas Tiernan was the other main cog in our attack - he scored 17 points on five of nine in field goals. Brandon Jergenson put in nine points and Toby Gonnerman eight, then we see Durgin Decker with four and Riley Reimers with two. 

As a team we shot 27 of 40 for 68 percent. Tiernan put up our only 3-point attempts and he was one of three. Tiernan made six of eight in freethrows. Loge put in three freethrows and Jergenson one. We were 53 percent at the freethrow line. Decker worked to the top of the rebounding list. He had nine rebounds followed by Loge with eight. The Tigers collected 27 rebounds with four being offensive. 

Loge set the pace in assists with five. Jergenson and Tiernan each dished out three assists. The steals category saw Jergenson and Tiernan as tops, each with three. We had 16 turnovers. Loge blocked two shots. 

NL-Spicer came at us with three big guns: Brycen Christensen and Peyton Coahran each with 16 points and Jaden Zylstra with 15. Six players total scored for the Wildcats. Wolzen Holland scored five points, Tyler Danielson three and Aedan Andresen two. 

NL-Spicer was pretty sharp with 3's where they had Coahran make five, Christensen four and Holland one. Christensen with his seven rebounds led there. Danielson with his six assists led there. Steal leaders were Danielson and Holland each with four. Christensen and Luke Wosmek each blocked a shot.

Wrestling: two Tigers to state

The state wrestling tournament is always quite the spectacle. We're pleased to report that two Tigers have passed the test for 2021. Vying at Redwood Falls, Davin Rose was No. 1 at 132 pounds in the Section 2AA/3AA super sections. I hope I have the terminology right. 

Rose's last obstacle was Austin Gabbert of Watertown-Mayer Lutheran. Rose took it to the Lutheran in a 6-2 decision. Don't be too hard on us Lutherans. 

Our Ethan Lebrija was No. 2 at 126 pounds and is thus in for state. Dallas Walton placed fourth at 113 pounds. 

I guess the Class 2A state tournament will be in St. Michael. When I was a newspaper writer, the whole state event was in St. Paul and it was a superb state showcase. I covered events at the old St. Paul Civic Center including at least one state wrestling event. I go back to the days of Bryan Wetz as a Tiger wrestler. Yes, I even remember how to spell the name "Bryan" whereas my way is the "right" way, "Brian," just kidding. All those years with Al Hendrickson as coach - what memories. Al Hendrickson RIP.

 

Media notes

I am blown away by the quality of the TV/YouTube telecasts of Tiger hoops. We must pay attention to both TV and YouTube because a lot of us could be losing our TV because of the decision by Federated. So last night I found the hoops game live on YouTube. I actually didn't have to look for it. It was "fed" or recommended for me. I guess that's called algorithms (and it's "rithm" not "rhythm"). 

This is a big plus of the Internet of today compared with long-ago times. Long ago you'd try referring someone to something online and they'd get furrowed brow and ask "how do you find it?" Today's Internet comes close to downright reading our minds. So I picked up on YouTube's referral and watched most of the first half. 

The quality of these productions is phenomenal. The next step will be to zoom in a little closer on the action, so that we won't notice any difference from the big-time ESPN telecasts. We see graphics, replays, all the bells and whistles now. I couldn't be more impressed. If it is easily accessible through YouTube, we night not care any more about the public access cable channel (the "Wayne's World" channel). 

Will TV become passe? Maybe. I need to make a decision soon on whether to even keep my Federated cable TV much longer. It was very disappointing to get the news of Federated's decision. I would be very relieved not having Fox News in my home anymore. No more Jeanine Pirro. 

The Morris newspaper appears not interested in supplying timely or dependable sports information on its website. The radio station is much more helpful with its site. What will be the repercussions for the radio station if more and more Tiger sports is consumed through YouTube? Can the radio station sell sponsorships as easily? 

I greatly appreciate any and all readers who come to my two blogs to check for Tiger news. I hope you all know I have two sites or blogs. I created the second so that I'd have an extra outlet for non-sports posts during hectic sports times. Sometimes I choose to put Tiger sports posts on the secondary site, "Morris of Course," which really isn't so secondary any more.

I will always be delighted feeling as though I can still be part of the Tiger scene. Sometimes I have opinions. Do you suppose it's time that someone else gets a shot at coaching the MACA girls basketball team?

 

My podcast on this Sunday

It is Sunday, March 21, as Easter nears. Christians must grapple with an internal matter: the reach of the "evangelicals" who have become so intertwined with Trump-ism. I invite you to call up my "Morris Mojo" podcast for today and hear some thoughts from beautiful Northridge Drive, Morris MN.

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Seeking-essence-of-Christ-et5i17

 

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

Litchfield does its homework, defeats MACA

Litchfield 67, Tigers 43

The MACA girls took the court in Litchfield Friday to face the second-seeded Dragons. The Tigers were coming off an upset win over Eden Valley-Watkins. Their fans had fingers crossed Friday for a repeat of that upset magic. But Litch had other ideas. 

The Dragons asserted themselves like real dragons. Their coach also did the proper homework to know how to apply defense. The West Central Tribune actually quoted the assistant coach on this. That's kind of neat. This fellow is Zach Piepenburg, who commented "We followed our scouting report and took away their shooters." He liked how his team induced turnovers. Offensively, the shots succeeded at a frequent rate, he noted. All in all, a performance that lived up to the No. 2 seed status. 

But now the Dragons will have to try to breathe fire again vs. No. 1. Guess who that is? It's New London-Spicer, long a kingpin in 3AA-North. Should be an interesting game Monday at NL-Spicer. 

The NL-S Wildcats cruised with a bye that was created by the very odd double-forfeit of 'Waska and Paynesville. The unique circumstance was Covid-related. I'm sure there was lots of frustration over the bureaucratic "rules" that had to be followed. "Protocol!" 

The Wildcats swept the regular season series against the Dragons. The Dragons own a 13-6 mark. The tipoff for the sub-section title game is 7 p.m. Monday at the home of the Wildcats. The game for all the 3AA marbles will be Thursday at a neutral site. 

The Tigers couldn't produce any surprises on Friday. We fell in the 67-43 final as our shooting was a lackluster 28 percent. Our season ends with a 6-14 mark. One of the parents told me the coach has a hard time getting our team to "step it up a notch" for the post-season. 

In the Eden Valley-Watkins game we were buoyed by a player getting hot with 3-pointers: Cate Kehoe. Kehoe connected four times on Tuesday but made no long-rangers Friday. 

We saw Sydney Dietz make two 3's against the Dragons. Three of her teammates each made one '3': Meredith Carrington, Maddy Grove and Emma Bowman. 

Dietz's 3's helped put her atop the scoring list with 13 points. Emma Bowman was our other double figures scorer with eleven. The rest of the list: Carrington (8), Kehoe (4),  Grove (3), Shannon Dougherty (2), Breanna Marty (1) and Destiny Pollard (1). It's my first time typing Destiny's name. A neat first name. 

We were down 34-21 at halftime. 

Lily Osterberg made three 3-pointers for Litchfield. She was atop their scoring list with 16 points. Kylie Michels and Janessa Olson each made two from long-range, and Ryanna Steinhaus made one. Osterberg was followed in the balanced scoring attack by: Izzy Pennertz (11), Sydney McCann (9), Greta Hanson (8), Michels (7), Olson (6), Steinhaus (4), Maggie Boerema (4) and Sydney Jackman (2). 

Pennertz was team-high in rebounds with nine. McCann and  Boerema each had three assists while Michels had two. These three Dragons each had three steals: Olson, Hansen and Michels. 

Litch's Piepenburg said of what lies ahead vs. NL-S: "It's our third time playing them and it was a battle the last time we played them. We're going to prepare tomorrow, go over there and give it our best shot."

Well, we wish them good luck!

 

Boys hockey: Alex 7, Storm 2

The MBA boys took to the ice Friday in Alexandria to face the Cardinals. The Runestone Community Center was the site for this Section 6A quarter-final game. The Cardinals took control on their home ice, assuming a 3-0 lead 1:11 into the contest. This set the tone for the Cardinals' ultimate 7-2 win over our Storm. 

Alex evened its season record at 9-9 plus they have a tie. The MBA record: a fine 13-5-0. 

Yes it was a disastrous start for the Storm Friday, but after that a more competitive look took over. Those three Alex goals out of the starting gate:

- Grant Rebrovich (assists by Jacob Partington and Peyton Doty)), :31.

- Nick Peterson (assist by Joe Lamski), :41.

- Josiah Gronholz (assist by Brycen Berg ), 1:11.

MBA got going with a Zach Bruns goal at 8:53 of the second. He got two assists: Brady deHaan and Will Breuer. Alex answered with an unassisted Gronholz goal at 12:33. 

Alex outscored the Storm 3-1 in the third. Tyler Kludt scored for Alex at 1:22 with an assist from Nick Peterson. Brycen Berg scored at 3:27 with assists from Partington and Pieter Mulder. Our Kaleb Breuer got the puck in the net at 4:50 with a Bruns assist. The night's scoring wrapped up with Mason Loch of the Cardinals scoring with a Lamski assist at 12:11. 

Our goalie was Brady Backman who had 25 saves in 32 attempts. Alex's Christopher Loken wore the mask and he had 24/26 numbers. Congrats to the Cardinals who will resume action Tuesday. The top seed in 6A is Little Falls, who beat Prairie Centre 10-0.

More regarding Hancock

On the heels of getting an unofficial report that approximately 20 percent of the Hancock school faculty is resigning effective at the end of the school year, yours truly is trying to get some background. It is harder for me these days. In the old days I could have scraped up some background pretty fast. My contacts have dried up through the years but I will try. 

Did something scandalous happen over there? I just don't know. People just don't walk away from teaching jobs. In fact, it is known that when a teacher takes a leave of absence, no matter what they say at the time, it's practically a lock that they will come back to the school. We have sort of learned that the hard way in Morris.

 

My podcast for March 20

It's a windy Saturday, March 20, and I had the opportunity to take in the "Sunday service" of a favorite Austin TX church. This is Triumphant Love Lutheran which posts on YouTube. My podcast episode addresses topics in connection to the Lutheran faith. I'm a devoted ELCAer. My podcast is called "Morris Mojo." Here is the permalink:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Church-from-Texas-et3fsb

 

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

Tigers' 20-2 run delivers knockout to ACGC

Tigers 85, ACGC 57

Well, this could have been scripted: the MACA boys breezed through round #1 of the post-season. We all have to keep fingers crossed through this, because a single positive Covid test, either among our own players or a recent opponent, can send you to the sidelines. The 'Waska and Paynesville girls teams experienced this scenario last week. 

Is it a case of over-reaction? No one wants to risk the spreading of the bug, but sometimes we have to wonder. We do not live in a perfect or risk-free world. We never have. 

OK, so the Tigers surely took care of business Thursday night. Action was here at Tiger Center. The Tigers met the ACGC Falcons in the 3AA-North quarter-finals. We worked to a 39-27 halftime advantage, then things got even better. We charged out for second half play, like on a mission. Hey, we had a 20-2 run. 

We "never looked back," the West Central Tribune coverage noted. But the West Central Trib's coverage did not include stats for ACGC. ACGC is well within the Willmar newspaper's coverage radius. What about ACGC fans who are paying for an online "subscription" to the paper? Might they feel slighted? A ripoff? I refuse to pay for any information online. Eventually it will all be there for free online, although a lot will have advertising $ support. 

Right now, papers are trying to have their cake and eat it too: they do in fact seek ad money for online but then they try to squeeze readers too. Ah, the pursuit of money! 

I'll remind: check out the "incognito" system for trying to get around newspaper paywalls. Just do a basic online search. I have found the system works with the Willmar paper's site. You might still be asked to "register" but you will get access. 

The MACA boys breezed to an 85-57 win over the outmanned Falcons. The Tigers were 32 of 54 in shooting for 59 percent. 

Jackson Loge took a back seat on this night to Thomas Tiernan. Tiernan shone with his 8 of 15 shooting stats, 53 percent. His team-best point total was 22. Loge took no back seat when it came to shooting percentage which was 100 percent. He made all four attempts and scored 12 points. But it was Toby Gonnerman who was second high in scoring with his 13 achieved on four of five. 

Indeed the Tigers were sharp-shooting: Durgin Decker made five of six shots and scored ten points. Cole Wente made four of five for ten also. Brandon Jergenson scored eight points, Riley Reimers seven and Sam Kleinwolterink three. 

So, was Tiernan tops in 3-point shooting? That's what I would have guessed, but Loge led with his three long-rangers followed by Tiernan with two. Three Tigers each made one '3': Wente, Jergenson and Reimers. As a team we were 8 of 19 in 3's, 42 percent. We were 13 of 21 in freethrows led by Gonnerman and his five makes. Tiernan made four. 

The rebound department saw Loge on top with his ten, two offensive. Decker was second-high with eight, four offensive. We snared 31 rebounds, eleven offensive. Jergenson and Tiernan led in assists, each with five. Decker and Loge each dished out four. Tiernan stole the ball four times. Loge blocked three shots. 

The Tigers own the No. 1 seed in sub-section. ACGC fell to 3-14 with Thursday's outcome. Next for the MACA boys: another game at Tiger Center, this one against New London-Spicer, the No. 5 seed. Action is set for 7 p.m. Saturday. NL-Spicer advanced with a 60-58 win over 'Waska. Paynesville beat Benson 80-56. Redwood Valley advanced with a 75-53 win over Montevideo. 

Can all these teams keep steering clear of Covid? 

Our KMRS site informs us that Brandon Pickle led ACGC in scoring with 22 points.

 

Doings in Hancock

What's up with this? An email from a friend this morning is curious:

  

You’re the investigative reporter, you should look into this: There are 7 (I think) Hancock teachers resigning effective the end of the school year. That’s 20% of their teaching staff. I’ve heard rumors as to why, but of course unsubstantiated, so I won’t bore you with that. You must still have contacts down there from your glory days at the Fishwrap, you should call in a few favors. Anyway, that sure is peculiar.

 

And, from another friend, the following interesting background about the strange and discouraging "double forfeit" in girls hoops, affecting Minnewaska and Paynesville:

  

To explain the double forfeit.

In the last regular season game when Minnewaska and Paynesville met one another in rural Starbuck, on March 11...they played a full game, and all was fine.

Then the next day, the Department of Health notified Minnewaska Area schools that one player on the MAHS Lakers team had a COVID test returned with a "positive" result. The girl was not sick, and her family was surprised to hear she was "positive" ...but protocols then fall into place that deem the Lakers team in an official "two week quarantine" and...as the playoffs began this week, that meant they were done for the year.

Because Paynesville played them, and the player was considered "COVID positive" ...then Paynesville's team was also put into that "two week quarantine" mode. This, too, erased the rest of their season. The Sub-Section 3AA-North tournament remained an official 8 team bracket, with that double forfeit included - and NLS then receiving a bye in the semifinal round.

And, now your MA/CA Tigers have landed a semifinal berth, so that side of the bracket will hold a game, the other side - no game.

 

Trumpian forces mounting locally?

Now that we have a U.S. congressman building up the idea of vigilante justice and lynching, we must wonder about the very real threats we might face everywhere. Have you seen the new sign on display at the very pro-Trump residence next to East Side Park in Morris, where kids play? It uses "blank" for an improper word but of course we can all fill in the blank. It is derisive toward Joe Biden. 

The local pro-Trump sentiment is so strong, will they take the congressman's words to heart - he's Chip Roy - and launch some really dangerous things? 

It seems to be all men who are programmed this way. As for the women, I think even the Apostolic women might be inclined to secretly be thankful they are getting a stimulus check from the government, thanks to the Democratic Party and Biden. The Republicans allowed the nation's deficit to explode under Trump. Wasteful spending? How about the new "space force," a big expensive new bureaucracy? Heaven help us if nation-states around the world find they have to start using weapons from space. 

Men tend to think like this. Women are passive and peace lovers, I would wager even the Apostolic women. Yes, I'm quite certain.

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

Kehoe, Bowman hit 3's in Tigers' upset win

Tigers 53, Eagles 40

The high school hoops playoffs are proceeding during these Covid times. They proceed with an asterisk: Paynesville vs. Minnewaska of our sub-section had a "double forfeit." Huh? 

Our MACA girls team was the on-paper underdog Tuesday. I suppose it's not a huge upset for No. 6 to defeat No. 3. That's what happened. The Tigers beat the Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles 53-40 at Eden Valley. 

It was thrilling to hear from the public access TV channel how Cate Kehoe put up her 3's and succeeded. Maybe this is a suggested strategy for the next game which I hear will be in Litchfield. Set up a screen for Kehoe. She made four 3's. Her long-range shooting work was complemented by Emma Bowman. Bowman succeeded three times from 3-point range and led the Tigers in scoring with 23 points. 

I'm sure Cate's success thrilled fans like Janet Kehoe, Tom Carrington, Matt Carrington and Neal Hofland among others. I see Tom nearly every morning around 6:30 a.m. at DeToy's Restaurant. This morning he asserted that Cate more or less used her own initiative in launching her 3's. He's not sure the coach shared the enthusiasm about this. But it sure worked, at least on this night. 

Maybe this is a strategy that works when seeking an upset: sink or swim with 3's. When these are hitting, it sure supplies lots of fuel. 

Is it possible that only four Tigers scored Tuesday? Looks that way. Bowman and Kehoe had 23 and 14 points respectively. Maddy Grove supplied nine points and Meredith Carrington seven. Bowman led in rebounds as well as scoring. In rebounds her stat was seven. 

Grove topped assists with four. Bowman and Carrington each had three steals. Kehoe and Grove each blocked two shots. We shot with 48 percent success while holding the host team to 35 percent. We also pressured the Eagles into 20 turnovers. The orange and black was in good shape at halftime, up 31-20. 

Our overall W/L record is 6-13. EV-W closes out its season at 9-8. Whitney Jansen was EV-W's top scorer with 12 points. Brielle Kuechle put in nine.

Will the Tigers keep surprising in 3AA-North? Here's a bulletin: The Tigers' next game is Friday, 7 p.m. at Litchfield against the No. 2 Dragons of Litch. This foe is green! The green-themed Dragons climbed with a 48-18 thumping of Benson. Also in 3AA-North, No. 1 New London-Spicer (no surprise) dominated ACGC 69-21. What's in the drinking water at NL-S? 

I'll assume Covid-related factors caused the odd double-forfeit involving 'Waska and Paynesville.

 

State of UMM, 2021

Well, this is a little disturbing. How could it not be? UMM items "in the news" that are about people leaving the campus either by retirement or simply leaving. In the case of the high-profile choir director, he's making a lateral move. How is this not concerning? Not only that, he's leaving the prestige of our U of M for a private school. 

Private schools have their place but the U is supposed to be special. That's my understanding. Choir director Brad Miller has announced he's going to St. John's to occupy the same position. What gives? Obviously this was done for a reason. What all played into it? Inquiring minds want to know. 

We will miss the whole Miller family here in Morris. They will be greatly missed at First Lutheran Church where there is a need for young and vigorous families. Ana Miller is a virtuoso singer. 

We'll even miss their dog, a cute white little house dog.

But all this being said, we need to move on from the subject and focus on UMM's present and future. A representative of UMM informs me that Miller is replaceable. Well I should hope so. As far as his departure being "in the news," it looks like this has happened in just one place thus far: my own online writing. 

I have some justification for writing about UMM because I am a benefactor. My family's Fund on behalf of the school will be adjusted this spring so that it is neutral in connection with the various ensembles in the music department. Up to now, choir has been the priority. 

My late father directed orchestra and he was also the only music faculty in the institution's first year, so he directed band! He obtained some second-hand uniforms from the Twin Cities campus. I have found some people assuming he only directed the men's chorus when it came to choir. No, he also directed "mixed chorus" on many occasions. That's the equivalent to today's UMM concert choir. 

Gender-related terms are probably phased out now. As anachronistic? Well yes. Times change. My father could have directed jazz in UMM's early years, but it would not have fit in with cultural norms at the time. "Jazz" had non-sophisticated connotations. Oh, so quaint to look back on. Maybe part of that attitude was racial. My father was simply color-blind. He had a background of playing in a jazz-oriented dance group when he was on the U of M campus in the 1930s. I have published a photo of that group twice on my blogs. (I have seen racial enlightenment in my lifetime but now we have Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.) 

Another current news item from UMM is the retirement of the chancellor. That shocked me. It's a position that sets the tone for the whole campus. One source tells me that Michelle Behr has been "working remotely from the mountains of Colorado." I sought some additional background and was informed that Colorado is where she will retire. This is all fine, I guess, or maybe not so fine. 

My source observed: "Is this going to be the future? Sure hope not. People need to see the eyeballs." 

My bottom line: We should not be talking so much about people leaving UMM or retiring from UMM. IMHO we should put these people in the background of our thoughts or excise them altogether, because our emphasis should be on the present and future. We should be recognizing the people who really want to be here, who really want to be invested in things, who don't mind living in this little prairie outpost called Morris, Minnesota. 

It sure doesn't bother me to live here. The name of the blog is "I Love Morris." UMM has a theme of "In the middle of somewhere" which I disapprove of, because it plays on the derisive comment about how we're in the middle of (something else.) A lot of people actually believe the latter.

A very credible source tells me there are issues with morale on the UMM campus, conflicts between departments etc. I didn't come into town on a turnip truck and I know how these things can happen in an academic institution. It is dealt with from the top and by that I mean, by the overall U of M president who is Joan Gabel. I'd like to invite Ms. Gabel to come out for a visit again.

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

Be honest about the pandemic

A friend predicted to me that by midsummer, not only will "normal life" have returned, we will "forget" what we had been through. Struck me as an interesting thought. 

Right now people are buzzing about whether they've received the vaccine yet. Such a perplexing pandemic: we are supposed to treat it as if we're all potential victims, yet we know that very elderly people were the prime targets. Of course they were not the exclusive targets, just the prime targets. 

Unspoken in all this was the thought that nursing home deaths need not be grieved as much as for younger people. Nobody wants to see anyone die. However, it was legitimate to weigh the fact that young and middle age people of basically normal health, non-overweight people, had substantially less to worry about. 

And yet this was not the truth that was conveyed by the media. The notorious media - never mind that it is not a monolith - processes things through a propriety filter - a more raw term is political correctness. 

I remember Bernard Goldberg from the one good book he wrote, "Bias," writing about the AIDS crisis from the same viewpoint. The media like "Oprah" felt it had to convey that AIDS was a danger lurking around the corner for all of us. Which would be fine if it was true. The media succumbs to the bias of making us all seem equal. 

It's taboo at present to suggest that overweight people are more vulnerable to a pandemic. We are not supposed to be judgmental in this way, just like we were not supposed to be judgmental vs. gay people during the AIDS outbreak. Goldberg pointed out with sincerity, the fact that death among gay people was a horrible tragedy. It was self-evident. But the media was defensive so as not to be perceived as being hard on the gay element of the population, an element that had striven over time to escape the shackles of discrimination. 

Goldberg pointed out a danger in the media's coverage, that people not at risk could become petrified by fear. The media, because it wants to reach the masses for commercial purposes, wanted us to think we were all equal. The media fails whenever it shies away from facts for reasons of self-interest. 

I got to thinking about the overweight thing a couple days ago when a TV news channel showed pictures of numerous pandemic victims. So many were overweight, many in a way that I do not recall from when I was young. They looked overweight in a truly bloated way. 

People are very guarded in the comments they might want to make about this. 

Body image bias is something we are constantly trying to avoid in this age of being so non-judgmental. But if you think someone is overweight, "bloated" in a way that doesn't seem healthy, why blot that out of your thoughts? Well, men nowadays are supposed to erase from their thoughts any notion that a woman is "good looking." The push is toward the non-objectification of women. Seems to have merit, right? And it's right in line with the meme of how "we're all equal." 

I think it's fine if men modify their thoughts so that the "ideal" is no longer the "36-24-36" women. (Later it got modified to 38-24-36.) Didn't Jesse Ventura get laughs by referring to a certain bra size? 

Banter along these lines was once common, now it's pretty much discouraged. But can you believe that men are not still forming judgments about women in the more, shall we say Neanderthal way? And let's not be judgmental about Neanderthals. (Just kidding on that one, but we need a way to describe Republicans these days.) 

Sometimes we'd be sitting at McDonald's and notice quite rotund people ambling in. But we are less likely to even notice that aspect of people now. I'm 66 years old and remember a time when a "fat person" entering an establishment would invite a stare and some whispers perhaps. Hardly ever happens now, either because of the "non-judgmental" meme out in society, or the scary fact that there are so many rotund or "fat" people. 

My language might strike you as Neanderthal at times. I grew up in times when crass objectification of women was standard. Women should have protested but they probably thought it'd be fruitless. The forces of change and evolution need time to build up, get momentum. Of course, maybe we should not accept the normalization of being overweight. Obviously there are health issues, as we seem to be reminded during Covid. 

I personally have not felt scared during Covid. Even though I'm 66, I am not overweight, and outside of taking Lipitor every day I seem fully stable. I have had my first vaccination shot for Covid. 

Maybe it's actually good that I spent about ten years of my life with a distance running hobby that I'm sure convinced many people I was nuts. I was actually underweight during that period, got comments about it even. But maybe the pastime served to add some years to my life. That time period, incidentally, was 1982-92. I had to phase it out because of chronic soreness in my right foot. Yes it was a real problem, not like Donald Trump's bone spurs. 

And speaking of the overweight former president, he of the junk food preference, why is there still a Trump campaign sign near where people turn off the highway onto Columbia Avenue? It's in such a conspicuous spot. Increasingly I find this sight offensive, especially in light of what happened on January 6. Who is behind this sign? What are they trying to tell us? Who owns the land? It is becoming a public relations issue for the Morris community. I know we have a disproportionate number of Trump supporters here - heaven help us - but why allow this to be advertised to the world?

 

My podcast for March 14

My, we're two days away from the most revered "St. Urho's Day!" I won't fool you here: it is a faux holiday but one that is enjoyed by many. We need some excuses for reverie now. The question is: do you have enough energy left over for St. Patrick's Day? I invite you to listen on my "Morris Mojo" podcast:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/St--Urhos-Day-on-Tuesday-esicd0

 

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