Boys win, girls defeated to begin 2025

The West Central Tribune site has coverage of the Friday contest between our MACA boys basketball Tigers and Minnewaska Area. Nice to see some attention for this game somewhere, because the Tigers won impressively. In past times the Forum-owned Willmar paper would have a fair amount of details about both teams. I will compliment them on having that service. I'd go to the Morris library and examine the on-paper edition. 

Nothing stays the same I guess. The ravaged newspaper business has made us scramble. I never look at the "print" edition anymore. 

On this morning (Saturday) I see the headline with the score of MACA 65, Minnewaska 41. So congratulations Tigers, if anyone cares what I think. A nice winning margin of 24 points. 

So what does the first sentence of the short article tell us? It tells us that "Marc Gruber and Connor Frey each scored 10 points in Minnewaska's loss to the Morris/Chokio-Alberta Tigers at Morris." And yes the Willmar paper misidentifies our program. Our program is really "MACA" or "Morris Area Chokio Alberta." 

There is a reason for this. But regardless, the Willmar paper should call our program by its actual official name instead of applying its own judgment. I have talked about this periodically on my blogs, pointing out that we are not "Morris/CA." But to no avail. Heavens, no one with the Forum is going to listen to me. 

So the WC Trib gives us a first sentence that reports the scoring leaders for Minnewaska Area. It's under a headline that reports the score of the game. So readers might assume there would be the normal professional and balanced treatment of the game. 

So even though our orange and black rather demolished the Lakers 65-41, the opening sentence only tells us about 'Waska's leaders. The average person might ask "why?" 

I know why and it's because the Forum kicked us out of the WC Trib's coverage area several years ago. No MACA athletes making "All-Area" any more etc. 

I have to wonder if the Forum became embittered when it felt it had to pull up stakes here as owner of the Morris newspaper. That was sure a train wreck. Who was our paper's manager in those years? Where is that person now? If she's with a local educational institution now, how is that institution doing? Well, "crappy," I'd say. 

I have tried to stay connected to that institution. I have tried to be an optimist and that goes against type for me somewhat. And what do I get for it? I just see ever-increasing signs of decay at the place. 

I doubt that the locals would even be willing to give me much credit for my efforts. And if they do, they'd nevertheless speak much differently in private moments. And regarding anything positive I try to do, they might sniff and say it's vanity. Just like with my songwriting. What do these people want me to do? There is no way I can satisfy them. 

So all I can do is just to try to make the best of life, make the best of the hand I am dealt. And people will still snicker at me from the background, like the former newspaper manager I allude to. Morris is a strange town even if most of you are oblivious to that, all of you in your comfy little social cliques. Be sure to memorize the latest "party line." 

Well, congratulations to Marc Gruber and Connor Frey of the Lakers. They get some well-deserved attention. They led the Lakers in a game that their team lost by 24 points. The WC Trib's coverage has "stats not available" for MACA or "Morris/CA." Well f--k you, Forum and WC Trib. The paper should recognize that even though we're not in their coverage territory, we very often play teams that are. These games will receive their "coverage." But we typically see "stats not available" for MACA. 

I will say this on this cold Saturday morning on the windswept (godforsaken) prairie: The paper's coverage of our girls game has some offensive details for us WITH NAMES. My God, it's like pulling teeth. But there it is. I will give credit where it is due. 

The female Tigers played the BOLD Warriors. BOLD won 66-49. We got buried in the first half to the tune of 39-16. So unfortunate to see our struggling. We did outscore BOLD in the second half 33-27. Probably with BOLD having its "shock troops" on the floor. But whatever. 

Our scoring leader was Leah Berlinger, 16 points. Addison Cihak was next with eleven. The rest of the list: Chloe Fehr 6, Maddie Fehr 6, Mylie Fehr 4, Adlee Gades 3, Samantha Konz 2, Ryla Koehler 1. Berlinger supplied thrills with four 3-pointers. Cihak and Fehr each made a long-ranger. I won't be too hard on the Willmar writer here but he/she has "Clark" instead of Cihak. Bad note-taking, I guess. Can't say I've never done that. The Cihaks are my neighbors up on Northridge Drive. 

I was disappointed not to see Morgan Harstad's name in the scoring list. She is my sometimes server at DeToy's Restaurant. She is tall. 

BOLD had three players in double figures led by Lainey Braulick with 18 points. Then we see Lilly Henriksen with 14 and Layla Pfarr with 12. Braulick made four 3-pointers. Let's give credit to the talented Warriors of BOLD. We're plunging into the New Year now. It feels colder than it is outside.

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

All of a sudden East Side Park comes at us

It is the first morning of 2025. Maybe if lucky I can find something to eat downtown. I can always fall back on drinking a couple bottles of "Glucerna" to get through. Obviously some good ol' coffee too. Then anticipate "normal life" tomorrow, Thursday. 

Ended up with an unusual holiday season in our Morris. Usually we are in suspended animation here in coyote country. People leave town to visit others. The inverse happens almost not at all. Poor turnout in church? It's because people are "gone." 

"We're going to be gone." 

We love Morris in spite of its well-known traits. Nothing grandiose, right? Wait a minute, something of a grandiose nature did come forth, n'est-ce pas? A friend shot me an email about a week ago. He referred me to the Morris fishwrap (newspaper) for elucidation. There was so much elucidation there, I had a hard time handling it in one sitting. This I did at the Morris library. 

And why is the library hiring kids? That's a joke! It's a takeoff on the old line "when did they start hiring kids to be policemen?" The joke as you might surmise is that the person saying that is just getting older. Having a hard time handling it. Is that me? I'll be 70 at the end of January. Boomers are noted for not acknowledging effects (ravages) of age. 

So my, what is this hot local topic that has suddenly flown in our faces right at the somnambulant holiday season of 2024? It seems rather smacking of controversy. 

Remember the controversy over the proposed county jail? Whoa Nellie. The armory got packed with the festering sentiment over that. County commissioners wanted to speak there, I was told. They were not allowed. "You're here to listen to us," the insurgents said. 

Important note: I was not blogging then. It was after my departure from the paper but before my foray into online writing. I left a voicemail message for Jerry Lesmeister who sadly has left this life. He called back and said "you're still a member, Brian" (still someone with a viable presence post-newspaper). 

Well, I appreciated that much, Jerry. RIP. 

It was easy to get the impression there was overwhelming opposition to the jail. I was enlightened later by an upstanding community leader from my church - well, why not identify him as Doug Ehlers - that I was underestimating support for the jail. And the argument for support, according to Mr. Ehlers, was "we need to keep building Morris." 

It is a laudable aim, I suppose. Of course we're depending on government dollars. From property taxes? I may not know all the bells and whistles about this. 

How did the prison in Appleton turn out? What the heck is its status now? I have been amused by the sign on the outskirts of Appleton: "Do not pick up hitchhikers." Do young people today even learn what "hitchhikers" are? It was a common thing when my father was young and growing up in the Depression. John Dillinger was shot and killed in the summer after Dad graduated from Glenwood High School. 

We might remember one or two other past "controversies" in Morris. The most ridiculous one, through my experience, was in our school district toward the end of the 1980s. And I say ridiculous because the problem or issues that surfaced were so obvious, so irrefutable. Yet our community got absolutely dragged through a divisive process that scarred us. No one was better positioned to see this than yours truly at the newspaper. 

The stench of "small town politics" with its corrosive, narrow and self-serving personalities was so in evidence. 

Do you remember the "cemetery chimes" controversy? That was more recent. Essence of the debate pointed in one clear direction. Whatever you think of "hymns" and their merit, that wasn't the issue, y'all. People wrote letters to the editor suggesting it was. Man, when religion comes into play. . . And now we have an incoming U.S. president who gets his power from the "conservative Christians." Hold on to your hats. 

Re. the chimes, well a man's home is his castle. Everyone is entitled to basic peace and quiet where you live. Maybe we put up with some industrial sounds like what happens in west Morris over by Wells Park. But we recognize the need for a strong local economy, are willing to live with some of this. But, carillon bells rendering "hymns?" In our faces? 

Let's just listen to the hymns in church on Sunday, if that is your thing. It isn't mine. But I do go to church on Sunday because it's something to do and I like representing the Lutheran ELCA because it's a safe haven from all the Trump-oriented Christians. 

Fast-forward to the present: We now have this big to-do about East Side Park! Wow, I have barely been able to wrap my arms around this matter. Thanks to the library for having the local fishwrap available. I'd show the paper more respect if it utilized its website in a manner that wasn't token (if it's even that). Good grief and for crying out loud, can't the paper's website be of service with some (reasonably) timely coverage and attention for our MACA sports teams? I wouldn't want to be unreasonable. 

I will try to be reasonable as I take a look at East Side Park. It's a place where this community has allowed the performance stage to sit there years and years with a level of use that can hardly be described as "negligible." 

So what's up with Morris? 

Now I'll have to try to go out this morning and find some food on this holiday. Another issue for this town, in case you care: there is only one bona fide grocery store for all of Stevens County. Monopolies are not a good deal, they never are. And according to Morris legend, Coborn's just wanted a liquor license. Mercy.

Update: I was delighted to find Casey's open this morning! Got a breakfast burrito and some additional coffee to what I'd had at home. I'm not the kind of person who has to pop Alka-Seltzer or some such thing on the morning after New Year's Eve! I slept like a hibernating bear.

 

Addendum: A comment that I posted with a Yahoo! News article this morning:

 

So the U.S. wants to take over other countries, I assume using force if necessary, at the same time we're going to push out the undocumenteds (brown-skinned) through detainment camps? Our world will never allow pure evil to take over as the norm. If force was not a threat, why is Denmark beefing up its defense of Greenland?

"Leonard" responded:

The nations of the world have a duty to humanity to invade the US and dismantle the Trump administration.

 

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