Will weather make a turn for Friday game?

The nice weather hung on through the early portion of this week. So, the runners and the observers must have enjoyed being at Sauk Centre Golf Course on Tuesday. I almost hesitated writing the word "enjoyed" because this is the sport of cross country. It's a test of stamina naturally. But if the kids did not enjoy the sport or the challenge of it, they would not be out there. 

One of my age peers who was in cross country said the sport is really fun "if you're in good shape." Let's hope our running Tigers all had fun on Tuesday. 

The weather is supposed to take a chilly turn by Friday, certainly by Friday night. And guess what is on the slate for Friday night? Well, Homecoming football for 2022. Football was always the big event for Homecoming week when I was young. The pep rally skits were focused on the gridiron clash. 

Since then, a sense of parity has set in regarding sports, mostly because it's a given that girls have 100 percent equality. So there's a Homecoming week volleyball match, or should be. I suppose we can never expect cross country to get the same kind of attention for Homecoming as football. 

Football has to be feeling increased stress because of the very serious health issues connected to it. Punishment of the body and brain is concerning. Despite the developments on this front in terms of what we know - significant - there is a huge lagging effect with public response. So many of us fell in love with watching football in our young years - so how do you let go of that? There is little evidence that football interest if genuinely shrinking. 

So, I expect for the chilly Friday night of this week - so chilly there will likely be no pep band - the traditional fired-up atmosphere will be felt at Big Cat Stadium. It is misplaced, totally. But this scene just drones on in communities all across America. Indeed it is Americana. It is also a mass delusion. 

It is one thing to sit on your rear end and watch football. It is an entirely different proposition to be out on the field. Bodies smash into each other. Nothing positive comes of this, only negative. But the big gravy train rumbles on. 

And, many people would be inclined to snipe at me because of such observations. I was hugely blessed: never played football. Now I'm 67 and I know that no cognitive decline will happen as a result of having played it. We encounter enough issues as we get older. I'll need to see the eye doctor within the next year. Next time my doctor calls me in for a routine consultation, he'll likely say first thing "have you had your eye examination?" 

Ah yes, "the eyes have it" (rimshot). 

The players out on the field hear the cheers, they see the fancy stadium around them that the public had constructed, so they likely conclude "this is important what we're doing." Does it dull the pain? 

I began writing about the Tiger football team 50 years ago. I continue to this day, if I can get access to info, which I did after the Pierz game. For what it's worth, that was a huge win. From Saturday afternoon until Monday afternoon, I was in fact the only local writer who had anything available to read on the Pierz game. Finally on Monday, the radio station put up a few paragraphs. I do compliment them on that. 

The negligence of the Morris newspaper is astounding. Are people making this into an issue? If not, why not? The Morris paper puts out its print edition only once a week. Their website isn't worth the bother to even check any more. 

Coaches should see to it when they give out information, that it is to media parties that will make their coverage available to the public to read in a reasonably timely way. This ought to be a slam-dunk in our age of the Internet. Let's all get into the year 2022. 

The Brainerd Dispatch newspaper had its coverage of the Pierz game available to read online before their reporter went to bed Friday night. That is exceptional, and maybe not something that we should always demand. But surely, before the end of the weekend would be very nice, very reasonable. 

If the coaches submit to the newspaper on an exclusive basis, and if the paper makes no attempt to share online in anything but a highly sporadic way, then the coaches should stop doing it this way. 

 

Current sports news

This post started out with emphasis on cross country. It is always a pleasure to acknowledge that sport. So on the pleasant Tuesday, our Hailey Werk took third place, time of 19:29.30. She was joined in the orange and black effort by Kendal Fischer (21:32.11), Avery Waterworth (23:04.56), Hana Schutz (23:18.10) and Alayna Perkins (24:43.12). The girls race was won by Caroline Kuehne of LP-GE, time of 19:22.27. Rocori was top team. MACA was fifth. 

We have five runners to report on with the MACA boys team. Here the effort was led by Gavin Stallman (16th place, 18:24.46). He was joined in the orange and black effort by Matthew Giese (19:19.82), Jacob Buhl (19:46.11), Grady Stallman (20:50.27) and Ethan Koehler (21:19.09). 

Brandon Kampsen of the host Sauk Centre team was No. 1, 15:53.96. Rocori was top team, Tigers were down the standings a ways.

 

Eul's Hardware, Mike Eul

Do you feel a little bothered seeing the second floor door at the old Eul's, where the stairs have been ripped away? So, there's the door, aloft. Do you imagine someone mistakenly stepping out? I suppose that's absurd, and whoever is responsible for the property now has that fixed so door won't open. I'm just imagining someone who has had too much to drink, or some other impairment. 

So it's absurd but my imagination gets carried away sometimes. Thinking of Eul's has long-time Morris residents thinking of the oldest of the Eul children, Mike, who died very recently. 

Mike Eul

The news was a shock. Mike was an MAHS Class of '73 member, like yours truly. I remember that in our "class prophesies" that were published in the school newspaper, it was foreseen that Mike would be "trying to monopolize all the hardware stores in town." 

Speaking of which, I have been surprised that we have not seen more consolidation in the hardware business. It has happened in so many other businesses. 

Mike Eul could have joined us for our 50th class reunion which is set for next summer, 2023. I hope the United States of America holds together 'til then. The whole MAGA thing is dragging us down so badly, I'm not sure if this is not existential. Republicans are now rallying behind Herschel Walker even though he paid for a female friend's abortion. 

Dana Loesch said the Republicans' prospects for Congress are too important for Walker to be compromised by this. So Dana, the Republicans' prospects are more important than the taking of an innocent human life? That's how people on your side of the aisle think about abortion. 

I last saw Mike Eul in St. Paul in 2007, on the night when the bridge fell into the Mississippi River. My party had crossed the river but not on that bridge. Just think of my parents sitting at home hearing about a bridge collapse. My companion and I both called home expeditiously. 

Mike and I had fun renewing our friendship at the reunion concert of the Bill Chase band from the '70s. Yes, the band was in a plane crash back in the day, killing Chase himself, but other band "alumni" were survivors. 

So, a good time was had by all at the Minnesota Music Cafe, St. Paul, "where the food is great and the music's always cookin'." 

I'm blessed having had the chance to renew my friendship with Mike Eul on that evening. "The show went on" despite the bridge collapse. We saw news coverage on TV screens in the nightclub. 

Remember the hit song "Get It On?" That was the Chase band's greatest hit. Maybe Mike will be able to hear Bill play it again in the heavenly realm. Mike could open his own trumpet case, as this was his "axe" in MHS band. Director was John Woell.

 

Addendum: Why does the abortion issue keep tripping up Republicans? It's because right-wingers aren't actually "pro-life," or "Christians," or "patriots."

 

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