The UMM Homecoming can be filed away as very pleasant and successful. A college homecoming presents risks. Risks associated with excessive exuberance, shall we say. I know of no such incidents for 2024.
A traditional highlight for me is the music concert. I guess time was too limited to allow that for 2024. We saw the same situation for the high school football opener: no pep band. Things got going too fast for the new school year, or so we are told. My rejoinder might be: "Where there's a will there's a way."
The public school wants people to keep voting "yes" on referendums, n'est-ce pas? I saw an unfamiliar name on a yard sign for the school board election. The sign was on a teacher's property. Few yard signs are seen at this time. I have to wonder if this particular candidate is "anointed" by the teachers to represent their interests.
Could
the Cougars summon some renewed momentum? Yes! But it wouldn't happen
until the fourth. Going to work from their own 35, the Cougars worked
for their first touchdown. Hey, a pair of "Ethans" did the work for 6.
It was Ethan Klimek throwing and Ethan Tang catching. The play covered
four yards. Ahlers kicked for the PAT. See how important the kicking
game is? 
It
was disturbing a few months ago IMHO to read about a stream of teachers
appearing at school board meetings and venting with strong discontent.
Even disrespectful toward our elected school board. Being quoted in
media accusing board of "lying."
I
have experienced stretches in this town's history in which teachers
became discontented to the point of being disruptive and threatening
community harmony. Would not surprise me if we're headed in same
direction again. And then the teachers might get some of their own
people, like spouses of teachers, elected onto the board. And then all
heck could break loose.
I
remember the underground write-in campaign to get Gail Nelson onto the
board. It was so underground I didn't even know about it. Nelson was
propped up to get a certain incumbent removed. The late 1980s was the
most uncomfortable period for sheer conflict in our public school's
history. It got to where certain businesses in town were boycotted.
The
2024 UMM Homecoming promoted a totally positive air for our community.
People like talking about how the football team did. So they can
celebrate the 17-16 win by the Cougars over Macalester of the Twin
Cities. The highbrow city college came out here and lost in the place
where we hear coyotes at night.
On
Sunday morning I wrote a post on my "Morris of Course" blog about the
2024 UMM Homecoming in general. You may read and thanks:
Macalester
took the early lead on a run up the middle from 14. UMM struck with a
sustained drive. It ended with a 30-yard field goal by Logan Ahlers.
Macalester
has the "Scots" nickname. And they scored on the first drive of quarter
No. 2. They too showed proficiency with the field goal. No routine one
either as it was from 42. It was good! The Scots led 9-3 halfway through
this one.
Macalester
opened up more breathing room in the third. A drive ended with a
28-yard touchdown play. The PAT was good and now "Mac" was up 16-3.
The
Cougars felt pressure to move the ball with the clock showing 2:42 left
to play. We were at the Mac 40. Move the ball the Cougars did, with a
35-yard TD play! Fans were ecstatic to see Klimek launching the ball and
Cole Mitchell on the receiving end. Touchdown!
But
boy, we'd sure need Ahlers to come through again. Ahlers' toe was good
for the decisive PAT! All that was left was for the UMM defense to clamp
down. It was mission accomplished. Mac experienced three INC passes and
a sacked QB. What an exclamation point.
A win and a nice placid UMM Homecoming, just the way it ought to be scripted!
Out and around
From an email I sent to friend Warrenn Anderson on Monday:
Dick
Cheney now endorses Harris. A couple of the Trump campaign signs that
were up along the service road on north end are removed now. But there
are still a couple along the ditch between Fastenal and the soils lab.
Wouldn't that have to be gov't property? The farm field is the U's. I
have not seen any Harris signs yet and it might be risky for anyone to
put one out. People should use video surveillance cams.
Not
sure what the U proved beating Rhode Island so one-sided. Yawn. More
exciting to lose to North Carolina. ANY loss drops our stock for our
bowl game status.
Hey, Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois! And Notre Dame has to pay Northern Illinois lots of $.
Not
sure what Tigers proved traveling all the way to Thief River Falls and
then winning 42-0. We may be good but it's hard to believe TR Falls
could be that flat. Must be a backstory. This game was too far away. I
checked to confirm that it began at 7 p.m. Imagine driving through the
night back to Morris. I wouldn't think of it. I was snoring.
The high school teams really need better and more timely media coverage. It is sad so far.
The radio station has slipped so far since losing Marshall Hoffman and Brett Miller. Now we're left with "DeeDee."
I
wonder if the teachers are setting someone up to run for school board
who will represent their interests. We cannot let the school get too
carried away getting our money because there are other gov't entities
too. I walk by the softball complex every day and I could just shake my
head.
Every
so often, the community needs to put on the brakes with just letting
the school have endless $. Because believe me the school can always come
up with a wish list. Property taxes are killing us. We need LGA, don't
we? Republicans only want to cut income taxes. Many people do not even
pay income taxes.
I
watched most of Caitlin Clark's game yesterday vs. Atlanta. I watched
even though I had to put up with translucent blue square in middle of
screen. Indiana won but they were very lucky. Atlanta had a close shot
that would have won it at the end of regulation. Clanged off rim. Fever
won in OT, so they're winning a lot but most of their wins are
hard-fought. They did dominate a demoralized Chicago team but that was
the exception. Is Chicago playing better now that Angel Reese is out?
And if it weren't for Caitlin, I would be paying ZERO attention to the
WNBA. I am very happy about this, could make basketball a year-round
major sport. I'd like that. Baseball should worry.
I
don't think Harris should debate Trump. Debating Trump legitimizes him,
and he knows how to use the media. A man found responsible for sexual
assault? Why give him a platform? If Biden had refused to debate he
might still be the candidate. His approval is going up now. Debating
just wasn't his "thing."
Jim
Cramer says Trump's policies will bring massive inflation. That could
mean the very end of the USA. Like the Weimar Republic of Germany? How
did all of that turn out? The Apostolics have to think about this.
- BW
No comments:
Post a Comment