Brandon Jergenson pitched a complete game just like he had on Saturday. He was touched for a two-run home run in the second inning. That blast was off the bat of Will Serie. It proved to be the difference-maker. The Tigers could not mount enough offense to overcome it.
Jergenson's mound opponent was Conner Connell. It was Connell's day to prevail. The final score was 3-1. Jergenson scored the game's first run. He came home on a double by Sam Kleinwolterink. Alas, Connell of Luverne became dominating after that. We had only one more hit.
Connell's gem had him allowing just the one run on three hits and two walks. He set down 12 MACA batters on strikes. Jergenson allowed two earned runs among the three total that Luverne scored. He fanned seven batters and allowed five hits. The Cardinals move on to face ACGC in an elimination game.
Track and field
The site was Pipestone for the Section 3A track and field competition on Thursday. The goal for all the athletes was to finish in top two in the individual events or be on a first place relay team. That gets you to the prestigious state meet. I'll never forget the climactic atmosphere at the state meets I attended when I was with the Morris newspaper.
Why do MACA athletes have to go so far south for so much of the post-season? This pertains to all sports. South, south, south. The distance becomes an inconvenience for many MACA fans, I'm sure. So much activity in Marshall. What makes Marshall so special? We're just as special here in Morris with UMM facilities, right?
I had thought the softball complex could be a magnet for special things. It appears that is off the table. Big-time softball events can draw lots of fans (and people to town) but the "Morris Community Softball Complex" is notoriously non-fan-friendly. Sheesh. Sit out by the outfield fence? In chairs you have to bring yourself? That's what a lot of people are doing.
I noticed a small dirt parking area recently. However, on further examination while out walking, I noticed there's a standard curb to drive over to get in there. And as for the newest field, where the UMM diamond previously was, is there going to be room for dugouts?
Dugouts are actually a problem at Holmberg Field. They include storage space and so they are too long, blocking the fans' view.
MACA track and field has eight athletes going to state. That's a pretty impressive number. Our boys as a team took second. Ethan Lebrija was tops in the 200 meters and No. 2 in the 100m dash. Blake Bruns was No. 2 in the 400 meters. The 4x200m relay unit of Lebrija, Lewis Nohl, Trey Hunt and Derek Waldbeser was No. 1.
Our MACA girls team had Olivia Lebrija take first in the 100m hurdles. Lydia Fynboh was runner-up in the 100m. Hailey Werk excelled in the distance phase with her second place in the 1600 meters. Our girls team took fifth.
I remember handling track and field info at the Morris paper and finding it to be rather complicated and delicate, much like swimming. That's especially if you're reporting all the times, distances and heights. Sometimes we're talking decimal points.
I remember that late in my tenure, the Willmar paper misreported on the Tigers in section by making a big deal out of one of our relay teams making state. Well, it did not make state. This story is an example of why it is often wise for coaches to write up sentences and paragraphs for the newspaper, leaving no doubt with the precision of information. Coaches submit information anyway, so why would this be a big deal?
Coach Marv Meyer prepared material in "rough" form, which was standard in those days. I can't speak for how it's done now. Meyer used faxing technology! Well it seemed like a miracle when it first came along. He sent the same fax to me as to the West Central Tribune. So he dutifully wrote down all the names and place-finishes, no problem. But here was the problem: at the bottom he simply wrote that first and second places got you to state. He did not distinguish with the relays.
So the West Central Tribune got misled and screwed up. I don't think I did. I'd remember if I had.
I also remember when our Legion baseball team took second in state, at a time when I was no longer with the Morris paper. The coverage in the Willmar paper was cringeworthy. Brief article and with errors. Want examples? One of our standout players was Mac Beyer and the paper had his name spelled "Beier." Can you imagine what people would say about me if I'd done that? Well.
I'm sure the paper's writer actually tried for the proper spelling, but the non-Morris source was groping and guessing. Hey, I've come up against that a few times. The public just doesn't understand.
I believe Kyle Berget was coaching the Morris Legion team. He was a very online-literate person. And so I thought: why doesn't Kyle just type up several paragraphs making his team's info totally clear?
Why was the West Central Tribune struggling? Oh, I should explain: the championship game or games were played on a Saturday. Back when the paper had a paper edition on Monday, the coverage of Saturday games was a problem for them: apparently no one taking phone calls Saturday night, I guess understandably. What's different in the year 2022? We are all now so empowered by the new digital media, we simply do not have to rely on newspapers at all.
I question MACA coaches supplying comprehensive game info to the paper, to the exclusion of others, in cases where we'd have to wait so long for the next paper edition to come out. I was with the Morris paper when we were twice a week. And Principal Mike Martin would be very demanding for timeliness, even projecting a hostile tone sometimes. Well, the paper has now been a mere weekly for some time. That's a big come-down.
The paper has opted to make its website a mere contact point for the business, not a timely news source. Many papers are far more active with their online-based reporting. The sports reporter could just start a blog (for free). It just takes a caring attitude.
Why do coaches still bend over a little backwards for the "local newspaper?" It's the "legacy effect." "It's always been done that way." Well Shazam, as Gomer Pyle would say, the digital world is transforming our lives at a rapid, sometimes stressful pace. You cannot fight it, much as you might like to keep old habits sometimes. That just doesn't work.
Look at our "YouTube geniuses" of MAHS, aren't they amazing? Unfortunately they forgot about the spring band concert.
For most of my life, there has been no YouTube. Let's not take any of the new stuff for granted.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment