The MACA girls came on very strong to defeat the Dragons of Litchfield in Tuesday hoops. The win ought to be a major confidence builder going into the holiday break. So the Tuesday story was not only a win, but a quite one-sided win. Coach Dale Henrich had to be smiling by game's end.
The hoops action was at Litchfield. We soundly defeated the green-clad host team 54-21. Our charge was led by Kaylee Harstad who scored 17 points. The other double figures contributor was Cate Kehoe with 12. Our defense stiffened in second half play - either that or the Dragons went cold. We outscored Litchfield 30-8 in the second half!
This was just our second win of the season. Litch came out of the night 1-3.
Nice to see MACA stat report in the Willmar paper, albeit partial. Addison Cihak followed Harstad and Kehoe on the scoring list: nine points. Morgan Harstad and Hana Schutz each came through with five. Brianna Marty added to the mix with four. Maddie Fehr wraps up the list with her two points. Mission accomplished by the Tigers.
The mission included some 3-point shot makes. Kaylee Harstad connected three times from 3-point range. Kehoe and Cihak each connected twice, and Schutz had one.
The other stat categories had "N/A" in the Willmar paper, "not available." But it was nice to see the other numbers. So often the Willmar paper just misses us these days. The Willmar paper gets credit for what it reports on this MACA win, but there is still a problem that should be noted: how they refer to our teams. It's a longstanding problem.
It has not helped that yours truly has written about it often. I am a mere "alternative journalist" now. I have pointed out how the Willmar paper errs in referring to us as "Morris/CA." Over and over this happens. Like it or not we are "Morris Area Chokio Alberta" or "MACA." And we are happy with that.
My friend Randy Olson of Bonanza Valley reminds me this morning that the WC Trib "stubbornly continues to get the team's name wrong." He continues:
It's really, really strange considering that from what I recall, the phrase "Morris Area" was adopted around 1989 when Cyrus came into the fold. (I think '86-'87 was the last year of Cyrus high school?)
There's over 30 years of history behind "Morris Area" that the Willmar paper is ignoring.
A lump of coal for the Willmar scribes, I guess. The paper is owned by Forum Communications which used to own the Morris paper. Then the Forum just pulled up stakes here. A former co-worker of mine from when I was with the Morris paper informed me: "The Forum never made money here."
Well, that's interesting. Legend has it the Forum was getting set to close the Morris paper. Well, not really legend, but background from my Central Minnesota newspaper source. I think the Anfinsons have been buying time here by cutting overhead/benefits. If that's what it takes to continue to have a newspaper, well then it's defensible. A part of me, though, thinks that newspapers continue to make more money than what they let on. It's human nature to never beat your chest over how much money you're making.
Let's not overlook the Litchfield point-scorers from Tuesday: Anna Sorgatz and Morgan Falling each had five points. Adallia Bruning scored four. Then we see Kelsey Palmer with three and Adeline Lundin and Emma Knudsen each with two.
The Morris Area concert hall was "the place to be" Monday night for the Holiday Concert. The musical fare was terrific all the way through, like always, but for me the highlight was "combined bands" at the end. I have never heard such a joyous-sounding performance of Christmas tunes. Two singers were out in front of the massed band.
The singers helped us follow along with the lyrics of Christmas standards. We were encouraged to join in! Such an incredibly full sound! People went home immersed in the Christmas spirit. Directors were Wanda Dagen and Andrea DeNardo.
Eye on the economy
I thought I saw a notice a couple weeks ago that the Morris paper is raising prices. Wouldn't that be par for the course? Today (Wednesday) we get a new Federal Reserve announcement. Really "the Fed" ought to be raising interest rates again. But so many of us would scowl over that. The "financial media" would scowl big-time.
The media is so heavy-handed with its bias toward the lowest possible interest rates.
And why would I not want to hop on that bandwagon? All you people who are mesmerized by this mantra of lower interest rates need to see the other side of the coin. Put aside this "heroin" of low interest rates and realize there is a corollary with inflation. Prices across the whole range would continually shoot up.
I am thinking of buying a snow blower for this coming winter. If there's no snow, at least it would be an insurance policy. So I have to wonder: expensive as this purchase might seem now, what will the cost be in five years? You can apply that to everything.
Really truly, I think skepticism is building fast over this idea of the great American "single family home." The costs are slowly growing prohibitive for many. More and more, expenses that once seemed fairly routine or "token" are growing beyond that, to be real issues. We only need look at going to the dentist. People do not yet seem to be panicking in the face of inflation. The time could come.
And then, if you think "MAGA" represents some sort of revolution, it's nothing compared to what a true revolution from the political left would be, built up through middle class dissatisfaction with the cost of living. "Middle class?" What does that term mean any more? I have heard it said that wealthy people like inflation because it creates more separation between the rich and poor. All I can say is: "Be careful what you wish for."
So what will the Federal Reserve tell us today? Jerome Powell will issue his statement which will then put all the "Fed translators" to work. Word by word his statement will be obsessively interpreted.
I laugh. Why do we seem so dependent on this thing called "the Fed?" What does that very fact tell us about our financial system? Or our cultural values in fact? I mean, wanting this "sugar rush" of low interest rates all the time. And really truly seriously, will the excrement totally hit the fan at some point? This would be with "hyper-inflation" which has happened through history around the world. It contributed to what happened in Germany in the 1930s.
Maybe you think I'm over-reacting or over-analyzing. Well, we'll see. "There is no free lunch."
Oh, so you "don't have to pay rent" when you own your own home? The hell you don't. Look at "property taxes." It makes you feel like you're paying a fee to live there.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment