So MACA baseball was able to get going on a pretty reliable timetable. April 4 was stretching things for trying to play. We see "PPD" on the schedule. Think how much worse it would have been last year! All systems were "go" for the Tiger diamond action on April 9, Tuesday. But it was not a winning outcome. The orange and black fell to Montevideo at Chizek Field.
Two games were played. The Thunder Hawks of Monte enjoyed the winning edge 4-2 and 6-5. The 6-5 outcome required 12 innings. A long day of baseball for the Tiger crew, good for "getting in the groove" with game action.
The Tigers did a turnaround with their competitive fortunes two days later, April 11. They took command in an 11-2 win over West Central Area. The next day saw them matched against Paynesville at home. Alas our bats were quiet in a 3-0 loss to the Bulldogs. The schedule shows we're supposed to play Minnewaska in a doubleheader today (Tuesday). But that does not look likely. Rain is coming down steadily as I write the first draft of this.
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| Blake Karas |
Speaking of Minnewaska, our friends/neighbors to the east, what's with this talk I hear of our activities/athletic director leaving us to join the rival 'Waska school? Say it ain't so. Well I guess it is so. This fellow is Blake Karas who I have always referred to as "Alex Karras" based on the football and acting celebrity of yesterday. Alex was in "Blazing Saddles." Imagine if a movie like that was made today. Well, the movie absolutely would not be made today. Cultural taste standards.
My generation of the boomers was young in the '70s and we were not inhibited by anything. Understand? You probably don't.
I sought confirmation on the status of Blake Karas with a friend who was in a better position to know of such things. The friend said "yes, Mr. Karas is leaving for a similar post at Minnewaska." I am bothered by the fact that Alex I mean Blake is staying so close to Morris. Looks bad IMHO.
Did Blake bolt from here because of the money/compensation issues that the Morris staff has been hitting us over the head with over the recent past? Over a series of weeks in which the Morris fishwrap has reported on a procession of teachers showing up at school board meetings to in effect raise holy hell? I think it's tacky and rather crass, as our board should be focusing on what the school is doing for the kids.
But I have seen this sort of thing a lot in my life. I need to work at restraining my umbrage. I am older and more withdrawn now. Well not completely, as I am a $ benefactor for the MAHS band program. I do monitor things with a fair amount of interest. So did Karas leave in order to get a little bump up in pay? Too bad if a pattern starts to develop with this. His teams at 'Waska will now be competing with our teams.
The Morris fishwrap did such a fawning article on Karas when he started here. Let's not do that again. These people don't deserve it.
I have tried to find out if Dale Henrich is departing from just the GBB coaching position, or if he'll stick with other sports like cross country, of if maybe he's retiring completely. As a younger person I'd be in position to know all this. Nada today. I have told friends it's amazing that a member of the old "Mulder clique" would still have a head coaching position today. Henrich was a member of those ranks but I saw his personality as far less confrontational than the others. Not confrontational at all really.
But Dale's name was on a controversial letter to the editor in the fishwrap from back in the day. Dennis Rettke referred to that letter as "that damn letter" in a private conversation with me. (Private in the sense that this was not a newspaper quote.)
"That damn letter." This was in the wake of our AD Mulder departing. Mary Holmberg's name was not on the letter. I'm sure she was asked to support it. Wonder what she told them. Let us not forget our school history.
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| New GBB coach Daly |
Is Karas already gone from here? Already at 'Waska? I don't know.
More to the story?
Regarding the teachers' loud complaints about things at present, they may have a beef with how payroll systems are being handled. A source with a connection to the school informed me of this a couple days ago.
This assertion came across as pretty credible to me. Maybe I should have taken notes on the details on a piece of scrap paper. But why should I? Reed Anfinson constantly preaches about how we all need the local paper to help us understand the details with such things, right? So why doesn't the newspaper get off the schneid, find a teacher spokesman or two to report the allegations? I think this would be very interesting.
It appears that maybe teachers are getting shorted some. That would be bad. I could quote the host of a radio talk show from recently: "Money never comes easy."
Ah, "talk is cheap but it takes money to buy whiskey." (I learned that from Jim McRoberts.)
Standout player
I'm glad I had the chance to congratulate Kaylee Harstad Sunday on her selection as MVP for a post-season GBB all-star event. I have never watched her play in person but she sure looks like an athlete who could dominate. Unfortunately the Tigers were eliminated in the first round of the post-season. And it's not like Harstad was the only talented player they had.
The Tigers were really dominated by Minnewaska during the season. And now Mr. Karas is going over there. I personally think it would be fantastic if the GBB Tigers under coach Daly could turn the tables on the Lakers. We have incentive.
Addendum: Another note re. "that damn letter" as Supt. Rettke referred to it: He told me that he had told Mark Torgerson that the letter "almost cost you the (boys) basketball coaching position." Such strong emotions were exchanged back then but in terms of actions taken, the incumbent or status quo group really came out pretty well, pretty unscathed. But the bottom line was that it was unfortunate the community experienced all that. It came to include business boycotts.
My companion blog
Click on the link below to read my current post on my "Morris of Course" blog with the headline "Spring sports waits for no one." Thanks. I try to cover lots of important ground.
I have two blog sites because years ago I was more involved in local sports coverage. The information has become a little harder to find. There was a time when I saw a need for a second site so I always had a convenient place to put a non-sports post. I remember being introduced to some people at Oyate during UMM's Homecoming one year. A person at the table was made aware of my blogging. She responded that she thought she had discovered my sites. She said "sports and politics, right?"
BINGO!
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesoita - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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