Girls shake their recent second half woes, win

MACA girls basketball got things turned around Tuesday to defeat the Lac qui Parle Valley Eagles at the Eagles' court. Score was 54-47. Winning was a relief because the Tigers have had problems sustaining a top-notch effort. They have had a problem with second half collapses, to be blunt about it. Their Friday and Monday games were unfortunately in the "collapse" category. I cover those games on my companion blog, "Morris of Course," and you can read with this permalink. Thanks.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-hex-in-second-half-whatever-maca.html 

 

OK, now on to a more upbeat story. This time our fortunes actually improved after halftime. Way to go, coach Henrich. And way to go Tigers. The score was tied at halftime, 25-25. This time around we held off the opposition the rest of the way. So we won by the seven-point margin. 

Have we found a solution to the second half woes? We own a 9-14 record now. Beating the Eagles was a feather in the cap as this team is quite far above .500 (at 18-6). 

Maddy Grove was a standout with her 13 points and eight rebounds. Meredith Carrington was a factor with 12 points and seven boards. Kaylee Harstad put in 12 points. Then we see Sydney Dietz with nine and Cate Kehoe with eight. Cate came though with eight rebounds and six assists also.

Boys: Tigers 77, Montevideo 64

I wish the West Central Tribune would knock it off with all the "future Augustana player" or "Augustana recruit" references to Jackson Loge. What matters now is that Loge is an MACA Tiger. College can wait. Loge was a force on the basketball court on Tuesday with his 34 points. Indeed, we lived up to our lofty state position with yet another win. We have only lost once. 

Another bothersome thing that I associate with the Willmar paper: the way they always refer to us as "Morris/CA." It is simply inaccurate. Maybe they have made the judgment that "Morris Area Chokio Alberta" is unwieldy or illogical, I don't know. Maybe they'd even be right about that. It misses the point. We are Morris Area Chokio Alberta or MACA. 

Personally I'd like to see "Morris High School" take over as the reference for all our sports teams. We'd go back to the old days! It is understood that Morris pulls in students from a wide radius. The "little" towns are not as identity-conscious as they were in a bygone time. Many have become bedroom communities and they just don't care, outside of appreciating that their towns are quiet and safe. 

I am old enough to remember when the community of Cyrus was highly parochial and assertive with its image. That attitude grated on a lot of us. Nothing against Cyrus at all, but it is a satellite town. I'll take that over St. Cloud, where reportedly there are gangs. In the old days, the problem with St. Cloud was that there were too many Catholics! I guess I'm just kidding on that. 

Fans at Tiger Center saw their team assume a 46-38 lead by halftime Tuesday. We outscored the T-Hawks 31-26 the rest of the way. Presto! We got win No. 20, score of 77-64. 

Let's pore over some stats. We were 31 of 53 in field goal shooting, 58 percent. Loge was a monster contributor on this night: 15 of 19 in shooting! Thomas Tiernan made five of eight shots and posted 14 points. Brandon Jergenson put in nine points on three of nine. Also scoring: Cole Wente 7, Tyler Berlinger 6, Durgin Decker 2 and Toby Gonnerman 2. 

Tiernan, as he so often is, was a key shooter from three-point range. He made four of seven. Jergenson and Loge each made two 3-pointers, and Wente made one. We were nine of 25, 36 percent, from 3-point land. I'm trying to get back in the habit of writing "3-point land" again. It's charming, right? 

Loge went to work at the freethrow line to sink five of six. He was sure pinpoint on Tuesday. Jergenson had our other made freethrow. We were six of nine. Loge vacuumed the boards for 12 rebounds, three offensive. The team total was 24, five offensive. Jergenson was sharp with his passing to rack up nine assists. We had 24 total assists. Tiernan had two steals of our five total. Our turnover total was 11. Loge blocked three shots and Gonnerman blocked one.

 

I invite you to compare my coverage of the Monday and Tuesday MACA hoops action with what you see on the Morris newspaper website. Am I out of bounds in saying that the sports part of the paper's website is just overloaded with UMM to an annoying degree? To add insult to injury, the best source of UMM sports coverage is UMM's own website anyway. The newspaper has someone paid to do sports.

 

Valentine's Day 2022: non-event

Yours truly came very close to making a Valentine's Day gesture with a woman. Let history record. I was strongly inclined for a time - you might say I had my heart set on it. And then: fear. I have done an excellent job all my life of protecting myself from the substantial risks involved with coaxing a special relationship with an opposite-sex person. 

Did my risk-aversion win out again? Looks to be the case, and I'm not completely proud about it. I wasn't certain if the female would welcome it. I think the odds were better than 50-50 that she would. But there was no way of knowing for sure, alas. 

So now I'm at least content in knowing that she isn't going to come after me with a rolling pin. Do young people even know what a rolling pin is any more? Or has that gone the way of hot water bottles on your forehead after a "night on the town." Remember the old comic strip "The Better Half?" The guy would be sitting at the breakfast table in his white sleeveless undershirt with water bottle on his head. 

What lies ahead for me? Safety only? I guess "relationships" are all about risk. Will I ever place my toe in the water? Look what happened to Jeff Zucker at CNN. And to his significant other. There's a headline in front of me now: "Ex-CNN  Executive Allison Gollust fires back at Parent Company WarnerMedia: An attempt to retaliate against me." See where love gets you?

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

We're seeing parallels with something awful

So it has come to this. A headline this morning on "Mediaite" says "Jim Jordan says Trump 'right on target' with statement suggesting Clinton campaign operatives should be executed." 

I have studied history well. Thus I have had concerns about parallels one might sense between Trump-ism and the Nazis. Obviously one must use caution with such fears or conclusions. On several occasions I have cited "Godwin's Rule" as sort of a guardrail with such things. Generally speaking, back off from citing the Nazis when commenting on contemporary phenomena. It can be a turn-off because it seems extreme, sensational. 

So, often when I cite my Nazi-based concerns, in the next breath I advise to be mindful of "Godwin's." It pains me now to see the situation has advanced the way it has. But I have feared this for quite some time. At first many of us are aghast when hearing of a new Trump absurdity. Such stories have flowed on and on, now reaching the point where we learn of Trump flushing toilets to get rid of documents. Can this be real? 

In an earlier time we would have said "no." We would have been skeptical of any prediction of such a president coming along. We would assume a minimum level of class and decorum, considered it a prerequisite. 

Something drastic has been happening to the American psyche. Germany of the 1930s slowly slid into this type of situation, where surely Germany's own citizens had to know nasty stuff was happening. But they deferred to their leaders. Are we simply deferring to ours now? 

But, Donald Trump is an "ex" president. He seeks to wield clout as if he's still numero uno. Problem is, the media takes him seriously when he does this. So we see at the top of the "Mediaite" site now, the breakthrough story of how Trump-ists might begin taking lives. And is anyone going to stop them? 

We might theorize that Jim Jordan has had his head slammed on a wrestling mat too many times. This is no time for levity, though. Levity has helped us deal with the Trump crowd for a long time: the fodder for late-night comedians etc. Do I even need to look for the humor connected to the toilet-flushing story? It's almost so tailor-made for SNL, it won't be funny. I don't have TV now so I cannot watch the "Cold Open" at the time it's first presented. But I often catch this stuff later on YouTube posts. 

Early in Trump's presidency, he talked about how a certain individual should be charged with "treason." We should not be loose in throwing that word around. "Loose" is Trump's middle name. Decorum out the window. The standards are supposed to exist for a reason. If all this has now broken down, is the U.S. on the skids with its position in the world? I hope that's not a rhetorical question. 

Were the Germans really aware they were on the road to ruin, leading up to 1945? No, they were deluded. And now we have the ultimate flim-flam man, Trump, promoting delusion leading to this: serious speculation on whether Democratic political operatives should be "executed." The penalty for treason, incidentally, is "death." 

We need some opinion leaders in America to start up now and condemn the inflammatory speculation. We need to condemn it before such thoughts get translated into action. It can't happen here? Wasn't that the name of a Sinclair Lewis book? "It Can't Happen Here?" The whole point is that it can. 

Sinclair Lewis

Here's a reminder that Lewis was from Sauk Centre. Might the memory of him be fading a little? He has gotten a little maligned through history: biographers a little too inclined to deconstruct. 

Jim Jordan has been annoying through all of the Trump circus since it came to town. He reminds me of the "general" character in "Mars Attacks" after the aliens shrunk him way down and the pitch of his voice went up, to where he was "yapping away" like an excited small dog. That's Jim Jordan now, and what a relief it would be if we would all just start laughing at him. 

Liz Cheney wants her party to just wake up, shake off its inhibitions/fears and just come forward and say what they've been saying in private. Trump is a disgrace and annoyance. Let's get back to serious politics and problem-solving, done in a sober way and with participants being respectful. You really need me to tell you all this? Really? 

The toilet story and all such stuff diverts our attention from real issues like whether the Federal Reserve (central bank) is going to bring down this country. Trump when president tried pressing the Federal Reserve to implement negative interest rates? First of all, the president is never supposed to try to influence the Fed. That's just the way it's supposed to be. And Trump didn't respect that? Should not we be concerned? 

Negative interest rates might mean you'd have to pay a bank to have a savings account. In a normal world, savers get paid some interest. 

All eyes should be on the Fed now, rather than on Trump's toilet-flushing or other such stuff. Execution? Maybe some people are floating this shock stuff to get people's attention away from the economy and inflation. Because you have to consider: the size of interest rate hikes being weighed by the Fed now, won't be nearly enough to blunt inflation. Nope, sorry. So then what? By even experimenting with such tiny hikes, the U.S. stock market bubble or house of cards could be destroyed. 

And to raise interest rates enough to have a chance to stop inflation? Good chance that would kill the stock market, and no way in hell our politicians are going to countenance that. So, what to do? Pray? And in the meantime, elevate talk of executing one's adversaries? This became reality in Hitler's Germany. 

Trump and his offensive language and behavior just rolls on. The headlines continue with each passing day. He never gets pushed back. This kind of thing happened to Germany too, mid-20th Century. 

If Hillary had been elected, she would have been a mainstream, decent, respectful person who would have left the Federal Reserve alone. 

When history books get written? People speculate so much on this. But I really think the turning point for America, downward, was with the 2008 "financial crisis," and how it just got "papered over." No proper solution at all. We may all be hurtling toward a terrible outcome because of that. But with executions? I absolutely will not rule it out, based on the pattern established to date. 

Merrick Garland might be executed for failing to use his office to "go after" Hunter Biden. That's the kind of world we're in now. 

Oh, to go back to the days of Bob Dole and George Mitchell. Boring. But Nirvana compared to now. 

And to think it was the "evangelical Christians" who gave us Trump in power. 

It is Sunday today and I am staying home from church. It's getting ever harder for me to square Christianity with all that is going on. Without Christianity, we would have been spared the Trump presidency. Does Trump himself live up to any Christian ideals at all? Isn't he rather the antithesis? Maybe he's the devil. Maybe even I will be executed before it's all over. 

So Valentine's Day is tomorrow (Monday). I can celebrate it only in theory, not in practice. I am just like the lead male character in the '80s movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy." Remember? Any time the guy got around a "nubile female," he lost all coordination, might trip over his own shoelaces, couldn't put a sentence together. That's me. I can actually be dangerous in these situations. 

Prescient book we must heed, by Sauk Centre's Sinclair Lewis

 

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

What loss? Tigers show superiority again

MACA worked to crush any left-over bad taste from the loss to Osakis. The Tigers worked to absolutely pummel Benson on Thursday night. They shot out to a 37-22 lead by halftime. And then, finished up business with a 37-14 second half advantage over this opponent with the "Braves" nickname, clearly inappropriate for the year 2022.  

So we won 74-36. 

Click on the permalink below to read about the MACA girls' wins over Paynesville and Benson. This coverage is on my "Morris of Course" blog site. Thanks. 

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/02/maca-girls-defeat-benson-and-paynesville.html 

 

So it was another night of watching Jackson Loge at the top of his game: 24 points. He made 10 of 17 shots from the field. Brandon Jergenson was a standout once again with 20 points on 8 of 11. Toby Gonnerman crept into the double figures circle with his ten (a pinpoint five of six in shooting). 

Other Tigers in the scoring column: Sam Kleinwolterink 5,  Durgin Decker 3, Tyler Berlinger 3, Kyle Fehr 3, Ayden Schmidgall 2, Trey Hunt 2 and Cole Wente 2. As a team we shot 30 of 49, 61 percent. In 3's our numbers were four of 15, 27 percent. Jergenson connected for two of those. Loge and Fehr made one each.

The freethrow story was 10 of 22, 45 percent, with Loge having three makes. Our rebound harvest was 32 with eight of them offensive. Loge had eleven total rebounds and three offensive. Decker and Kleinwolterink each had four boards. 

Jergenson had five of our 18 assists. Berlinger and Wente each had three steals. We turned the ball over nine times. Loge blocked two shots and Kleinwolterink blocked one. 

The chink in our armor from the loss to Osakis hasn't diminished our state standing. The kmrs-kkok review of the Benson game announces we're ranked third, yes pretty rarefied air. When the post-season starts, though, all the teams are 0-0! The Tigers are 7-0 in the WCC. Benson languishes at 0-7 in league. 

The MACA overall won-lost mark now is 18-1. I hope our fans are not chanting "let's go Brandon" for Brandon Jergenson.

 

Wrestling excellence in Quad

The home fans were delighted to see MAHACA vanquish its three foes in the home quadrangular. We beat Minnewaska Area 37-36, West Central Area 36-33 and Border West 52-20. 

Grayson Gibson was a standout on the mat with his major decision, a win by fall and a straight decision. Davin Rose won by technical fall and a pin. Dallas Walton and Tyce Anderson each posted a major decision and a pin.

 

Public schools' future

This is serious, as there may be storm clouds hovering over the very future of our public schools. This is because of the immense pressure coming down from Republican politicians - sorry to make this sound partisan but I'm just stating facts. It's all part of the battle being waged by today's Republican Party with the tone set by their leader, Donald Trump. 

The battle is being waged vs. "woke" ideas that might be suggested by public school teachers. A proposed bill in Oklahoma would allow a parent to sue for $10,000. How many of you would consider a lawsuit if you could possibly get $10,000? Probably a great many of us. A student might be "offended" if a teacher presented subject matter that the student thinks contradicts his religious beliefs. 

Couldn't a large semi truck be driven through this measure, such is its ambiguity? I checked yesterday and found that the definition of "woke" is evolving as we speak. It is broadening. Tucker Carlson of Fox News has pushed the term out there, relentlessly.

All of this is done in concert with Trump. Trump just hovers over everything, in spite of what we are learning every single day about his incredible misdeeds and abject stupidity. He would get a majority of votes in Stevens County including from all the Apostolics, if he were to run again. Many of us are losing hope he will ever be indicted. 

Perhaps behind closed doors, powerful people in Washington D.C. including Merrick Garland are discussing about how a legal move against Trump, of any kind, might cause a violent rebellion all across America. I would like to see the authorities just give it a try. You might be surprised just how accepting Americans would be, for our legal process to pull levers. Is Trump really worth committing a rebellion for? Why? 

I place my greatest hope in the women of America. They just want to see life proceed on, with peace and stability, temperance and love. Women are nurturers, men are destroyers. 

So, will the new GOP anti-woke push cause public schools all across America to shut down? Lawsuits would drain the schools' insurance resources. But don't we need our public schools to survive, just to have sports? 

Yesterday I put up a post on "Morris of Course" about Maggie Haberman's new book about the Trump absurdity. Yes, this is the book that includes the toilet-flushing episodes. Must-read, eh? I invite you to click on permalink below to read my book review/analysis. Thanks.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/02/now-its-maggie-haberman-who-seeks-to.html 

 

It is Friday and the weather is hell.

 

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

Reactionary push might endanger UMM?

I shared a warning with a fellow UMM advocate yesterday. Have you followed the news close enough to notice the altered state of the Republican Party, from its traditional outlook? This has been extremely marked. Obviously Trump is the catalyst. But Trump is supposed to be the ex-president. Yet he finds his way to the top or near the top of the news daily. So often, it is with wacky or extreme pronouncements, often with little if any factual backing. We all must be eating it up. 

Even if we find a lot of it to be absurd, we are eating it up. It is slowly transforming the nature of our society, to the point where the reactionary element feels emboldened like never before. 

This Senator Kennedy of Louisiana asks questions in a hearing as if he is the second coming of Joe McCarthy. Our society had a consensus for a long time that McCarthy was a bad guy. Really pretty incontrovertible. Nothing appears to be incontrovertible now, not even the thumbs-down with Jim Crow. The Supreme Court with Trump's appointees, and with the once-conservative John Roberts trying in vain to put his finger in the dike, is allowing Alabama to essentially resurrect Jim Crow. 

Hey, Jim Crow was supposed to be a relic. We all seemed to agree on that for a long time. Incontrovertible. Nothing is incontrovertible now. 

I honestly do not consider it overstatement to note that brainwashing is happening, with Ron Johnson of Wisconsin perhaps exhibit 'A'. Or Devin Nunes who emerged over the last few years as a top Trump toady. Oh but he shares that platform with a great many. They are not humbled. They won't answer directly if they think the 2020 election was "stolen" from Trump. Chris Wallace tried getting an answer from Steve Scalise three times on this. 

My fantasy is for someone like Chris Wallace to not let go, to just stay on the air indefinitely until Scalise can cough up an answer of some sort. Or, maybe the pol would just get up and walk out. A critic would way he'd "pout." But you can insult these people from any number of directions and it doesn't matter to them. Because they've been brainwashed. 

The New York Times has a story on Ron Johnson, the point being "he wasn't always like this." I have heard the same observation about Nunes. Joe Scarborough noted that Nunes was once a deservedly obscure congressman who followed the standard Republican line on such things as taxes, but was basically civil. 

Why my hand-wringing on this now? Well, a couple things: for this element of society to continue totally undeterred, to cut slack for the Jan. 6 rioters, to run away from reporters as Kevin McCarthy is doing now, ought to float the specter of a slide to Nazi-level danger. We can all pray that this fear will ultimately be unfounded. At present I feel it is quite well founded. 

Welcoming back Jim Crow? Roughing up a witness at a hearing with Joe McCarthy-esque language, not even veiled? Aren't you all shocked we have returned to such things? Let's not be like the frog in water reaching a boil. We need to snap out of our lethargy which has probably grown out of the day-to-day drumbeat that seems monotonous after a while. 

You all have friends of German ancestry. They aren't stupid, right? Quite to the contrary. But anyone would have to ask himself: would my German friends of today have been caught up in Nazi-ism? You might scream "no." I would demur on that. Nazis were not born as mentally crazed individuals, they learned their dysfunction and became attracted by Hitler's speeches. Like the  Trump rallies of today? What even Fox News does not want to cover anymore? We still see vociferous crowds. 

It is a trait of human nature that people get attracted to powerful figures. They want to ride the coattails and to "kiss up." Hitler had his circle. We have seen people around Trump who obviously should have known better. Ron Johnson should know better. He is not stupid, just deluded, vain and intoxicated some on the entrancing mystique of this fellow named Trump, who for a time in his life mastered entertainment from the TV screen. 

My arguments here have relevance for our U of M-Morris. I'm finally getting to the "local angle" here. I feel it is vitally important. Someday if things go badly, you'll look back and realize I was prescient. Let's pray that scenario doesn't happen. But look how far the Trump train has proceeded up to now. 

Republicans all the way down to the state legislature level are following the lead of the loudest people in their fold. Such as, the anti-vaxxers, Dr. Fauci-bashers and mask scoffers. In other words, decrying the legitimate effort at mitigation in the face of the virus. They decry all this in the name of "freedom." In a normal political environment, we might listen to some legitimate skeptics about the mitigation, because surely there is no "perfect" route. 

The virus posed mysteries for a long time and still does. 

Mitigation is for the purpose of saving lives. I could name one non-vaccinated person in Stevens County who died. Debate on the masking stance is legitimate, but the Trumpian element gets in our faces, as it were, with this stuff. It's emotional and angry and translates to a 100 percent Republican attitude in voting. 

Remember what the Republican Party stands for primarily: to promote the interests of the very richest among us. So much of the other stuff is for deflection, to induce naive and scared folks to get on board. 

There is a very real threat to our U of M-Morris at present: this big push by Republicans now to crush the so-called "woke" ideas. "Woke" didn't really enter our vocabulary until relatively recently. It pains me to give credit to Tucker Carlson for anything, but he probably gave traction to the word. And now the reactionary crowd reacts as if presented with marching orders. 

Let's acknowledge that our UMM really does reflect a "woke" approach to things, if you want to use that word. We should all be in agreement on that. 

Am I comfortable with UMM's approach? Did I say I was uncomfortable? No, that is not my point. I can wrap my arms around UMM anytime. Their intent is good even if a bit overzealous sometimes. It's nothing to rabidly protest against, but we are seeing rabid protests grow against so-called woke attitudes all over the U.S. now. Ethnic studies. Gender awareness. Scrutiny of race-based conflict through history. The scrutiny can be embarrassing for white America. But we must acknowledge facts and history. 

Republicans wish to apply the brakes to that now - no reservations. It takes no prisoners. All this has picked up steam just recently. 

The supposedly moderate new governor of Virginia, this Youngkin fellow, who was supposed to be keeping his distance from Trump - remember? - is now behaving like a front-row Trumpite. Amazing. 

Such is the power of a cult, or of brainwashing. This all happened in Germany once. Heaven help us all. Let's pray for UMM's future. (Or is it "UMN" now?)

Final note: I'm a "white" person but my skin isn't really "white."

 

Jim Carrey's artwork is at left. Donald Trump's personal behavior does not diminish his standing among evangelical Christians. He seems only to get elevated in their eyes. The photo shows Trump with Stormy Daniels. Mention this matter around the Trump people and they'll just shrug. Or they'll be amused at how you think this is a disturbing matter, I mean Trump's morality. I can just imagine the dismissive smile on the face of a friend who subscribes to Trump. "Oh, that's cute." Many young people across America are being alienated from the Christian faith. It is a matter that should concern us all.
 

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

Tigers are dealt first loss, by 3 vs. Osakis

Osakis 58, Tigers 55

The Tigers cannot assume smooth sailing to the top, if they ever did. They sure were habitual winners over a long spell in the current season. They carved out lofty ranking status. They have a prime marquee player in Jackson Loge. The players around Jackson have a lot to offer as well. 

But on Saturday, the Tigers were given a reminder that they have challenges. The opponent was Osakis. The occasion was the "Breakdown Winter Lakes Classic." Osakis has the nickname "Silverstreaks," neat. Yes it's one word. Osakis has its own visions of possibly getting the state title. They now have a 16-2 record. And MACA? The orange and black now has 17-1 W/L numbers. 

Win No. 18 sure did seem to be within reach: we had a three-point edge at 50-47 with under four minutes left. Disaster struck. Osakis went on a tear to outscore us 11-5. The key for the "O" crew, according to the Echo-Press, was "big defensive stops." 

The Silverstreaks were buoyed by sophomore Grant Mages, a forward. He was a clutch shooter down the stretch. His 3-pointer put the Silverstreaks up 52-50. He subsequently made a layup. The scoreboard showed 56-50 with about a minute left. The Mages baskets made up almost his whole point output for the night. That output was seven points.

"Grant's a gamer," Osakis coach Matt Hoelscher said to the Echo-Press. Grant was no-go for last season due to a knee injury. 

The Tigers had a chance to tie the score as they owned the ball with .4 seconds left. No-go. So in the end we lost by three, 58-55.

Is the following an important note? Loge fouled out with 1:24 left. The Tigers need contingencies for when this guy becomes unavailable. We have other considerable talent. But I hope our fans are never caught chanting "let's go Brandon" (for Brandon Jergenson). I don't watch the Tigers in-person, though it would be fun on occasion. I'm a senior citizen and I don't want to sit alone. I don't have a female friend. I don't even have a dog any more. (I sense a country music song forming.)

Coach Hoelscher saw the Loge departure as pretty significant. He rationalized from the Tiger perspective: "That's just the way it goes." 

So, "the way it goes" for the Tigers Saturday was their first loss. 

Our previous game had shown we were not world-beaters. We won, yes, but by only two points vs. Redwood Valley. My review of that game is on my companion blog, "Morris of Course," and I invite you to read with this permalink. Thanks, and think spring! Oh, but it's still February.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/02/open-under-basket-maca-boys-win-65-63.html 

 

Surely the Tigers will have to bear down now with an extra dose of resolve, if they are to realize their chief dream. Yes, No. 1 in state! Jackson's father Kevin was once on a Tiger team that was No. 2 in state. I was there to watch in person a good share of the time. I covered the Tigers in state for the Morris newspaper. I remember the bus rides. Such a rush! The ultimate. And what therapy to put aside the dreary nature of our winter. 

Is the state experience forthcoming for this year's Tigers? We can't help imagining it. But the team will have to bear down. 

Osakis was led in scoring Saturday by Bauer Klimek with 20 points. He scored 13 of those in the second half. I have always seen Bauer as a last name, not a first. There is a first time for everything. Mr. Klimek is a senior guard. 

Might the Tigers have their No. 5 ranking position modified downward? I guess in the end, rankings mean nothing. We were in last season's AA state tournament. 

Loge had to retire to the bench after battling for a rebound with Brady Mages. 

Osakis had to vie with Loge "stuffing the middle," according to coach Hoelscher. The coach explained "you have to drive and kick." 

Brady Mages had major impact with 18 points scored. He and Klimek dealt a 1-2 punch. Brady is a challenge to guard in the post spot. But on Saturday he produced from outside of that spot, yes from outside. He watched Loge pretty effectively inside. 

Reportedly there was a sense of intensity that grew with Brady Mages and Jackson Loge. I guess Brady does not shy away from an assertive stance. Carter Watnaas played defense on Loge when Brady was out. 

Osakis now bathes in a 12-game winning streak. Hoelscher saw the Saturday outcome as a huge confidence-builder. How could it not be? "I like our matchup with anyone in the state," he told the Echo-Press. 

Loge scored 22 points to lead us Saturday. Durgin Decker put in ten, Toby Gonnerman nine, Thomas Tiernan seven and Brandon Jergenson six. MACA led 31-25 at halftime. Osakis outscored us 33-24 the rest of the way. 

So Klimek and Brady Mages were atop the Osakis scoring list with 20 and 18 points respectively. Mekai Hoelscher put in five points. Then we see Carter Watnaas with four, Stewart Jons also with four and Grant Mages with seven. Isaac Maddock grabbed a rebound.

Osakis was four of eleven in 3-point shots. 

The Tigers next play Thursday at Benson.

 

Wrestling on Saturday too

Quite the important prep sports action this past Saturday. Is there more Saturday prep sports than there used to be? Media people have to really stay on their toes. Maybe spend more time working on weekends? I'd be willing. But I'm a fossil now.

Congrats to Davin Rose of the MAHACA Tigers who showed his prowess on the mat to take first in the conference meet. This he did at 138 pounds. Action was at Minnewaska. These Tigers took runner-up at their weights: Ethan Lebrija, Tyce Anderson and Dallas Walton. Third place in the WCC is owned by Hunter Massner and Hunter Gibson. 

The Tigers took No. 4 as a team.

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

So much hand-wringing, toward what end?

It is Friday morning as the wind batters us again. We might "walk backwards against the wind."  

So a scan of the headlines gives a feeling of redundancy: we learn of so much bad stuff in connection with the Trump presidency. On and on it goes, to the point where I hardly care to read the updates now. Worse than Watergate? Demonstrably so, yes, but weren't a lot of higher-ups indicted in connection to Watergate? What's happening now? What's happening now is almost leading to an indictment of the media. 

Because, the media presumes there is so much outrageously scandalous staff to be unearthed. You can make an argument that there is, certainly. But bad actions are supposed to have consequences. Without such consequences, isn't the media being presumptuous? 

The pattern goes back to midway in the Trump presidency. We got the bombshell news one day that one of Trump's close associates had "set up a back-channel with Russia." Oh, interesting and intriguing. But is there a presumption that we should be revulsed by this? Who says? Let's see, was it Jared who did that little number? I don't want to get my facts wrong. 

There's such a litany of the suspicious-appearing stuff, it's hard to get it filed away correctly. Media people have fluffed up their careers royally by just being able to report on all this, like it's a cottage industry of sorts. So is that part of the problem? A weird symbiotic relationship between the self-interest of the media crowd and the shady folks who propped up Trump? 

And it's not even over. It is hardly over. Trump can start out the day's news cycle on any given day. Rudy Guiliani pops up often. There is a whole rogue's gallery that is having new life breathed into them by the prospect of "pardons." So the specter looms of Trump getting back in driver's seat, very real. 

An actual indictment would stand in the way of that, but does anyone now think this will actually come about? In spite of Trump's voice being ON TAPE with Georgia secretary of state? My God, how did cases like this get prosecuted in the days before tape recordings? 

An ironic part of this, is that Trump's weird misbehavior is so out in the open, we become sort of disbelieving about how it could actually be illegal. If the perpetrator were conscious of this, wouldn't he try to be more low-key or "stealth?" But Trump is like the bull in the China closet, with impunity. So instead of real legal consequences, what we get is this incredible gravy train of media people who churn out sensational stories day after day. 

It's breathtaking, I guess, the lengths to which Trump and his odd little band of sycophants and hangers-on would go to wrest the presidency, keep Biden from assuming the job. This is so drastic it's jaw-dropping. We as a society are failing to internalize it. So is this the very end of the United States as we've known it? 

Liz Cheney is just one person, a Republican with a clear eye re. all the goings-on. One person! This Kinzinger fellow helps too. But Cheney has the real Republican "creds" for standing up and trying to penetrate the incredible fog of deflection and emotion. 

Kevin McCarthy is worse than a fool or a toady. Mitch McConnell thinks mainly of judges, the kind who will get abortion outlawed everywhere. No wait, it won't technically be outlawed, but there is a back-door tactic opening the way for "lawsuits." Check out Texas. Hoo boy, wait until that tactic starts getting abused, as it will. We might see a $10,000 fine for failing to recycle. Are you all prepared for this? Plus, a litany of other like infractions, which would make America a reflection of the old East Germany. What was it called there, "stasi?" 

Are we supposed to feel surprised by all the "disagreement" across rural America? It's a big deal now because of the Associated Press article that focuses on Benson. I suppose Sinclair Lewis could have written about Benson. Or Morris. Small town with petty and parochial people, right? Beautiful stereotype. 

The article would not have happened were it not for the cooperation of the Anfinson family. 

So Reed has a column of response in the current Morris newspaper. It's nice the column was put on the website or I might not have seen it. I saw the original AP article because I peruse the Yahoo News headlines daily. 

Reed Anfinson (MNA image)

Reed confirms that the article got published all across the breadth of the U.S. He says the article could have been written about any place like this. Well, I wish the AP writer had gone elsewhere then. 

How did he end up here? There has to be a story for that of course. Reed has been kind of a big shot with the Minnesota Newspaper Association. His fellow press people are no doubt aware of a little "tic" to the left politically. Why should that be such a matter of notoriety? I guess these days it is. So let's profile little Benson MN like it's a lab sample of something, talk to a local minister of course. Stoke the conflict, add a little kerosene. Which the article appears to have done. 

I have told friends that I would be shocked if Shelly Anfinson was not incensed by the article. Article noted that both Anfinsons had been married previously. I didn't know that. Not sure how that fits into the theme of the article. 

I would have liked to see Shelly write something for the Morris paper. She seems like a level-headed person. 

The minister in question is with a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church in Benson. I checked on that. It's a very conservative synod. Perhaps the parishioners are inclined to place Donald Trump above God and Jesus. I'm sick of the ties between so much of the Christian faith and Trump, because so many people have gotten "played." The damage now is likely permanent, damage to the United States of America and the Christian faith itself. 

Young people are turned off by so much of this. Sorry, it's too late, just like the Federal Reserve is going to be too late fighting inflation. Maybe the Trumps will end up in Russia. Maybe they'll be spirited away in secrecy. Putin knows how to pull strings, he's KGB.

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

Hoops and vibrant jazz music at school!

Weather became hostile again on Monday evening, but it was no impediment for enjoying school activities. The gym was full of enthusiasm for girls basketball. At the same time, music was showcased at the concert hall: jazz music. 

The wind was howling outside. We have alternated between wind and extreme cold, and sometimes get a cruel combination of the two. But the enrichment of the school activities served to counteract. In the gym the GBB Tigers played the Sauk Centre Streeters. The Tigers fell further below .500 with a 46-39 setback vs. the Streeters. Sauk has the No. 8 state ranking. MACA came out of the night at 6-12. Sauk's W/L: 13-5. 

Sydney Dietz led our scorers with the modest total of eleven points. Plus she grabbed six rebounds. Meredith Carrington put in nine points. Maddy Grove added seven points and six rebounds to the mix. The kmrs-kkok article noted we "hung tough." Surely we did, but often this isn't enough versus a highly-ranked foe. 

I personally attended the instrumental jazz concert at the concert hall. Excellent presentation naturally, lots of talent. I took a look over the program and noticed "Chase the Clouds Away." Brought back memories from when this was on a Chuck Mangione album in the 1970s. I had the vinyl album, was a fan of Mangione for a time. 

You remember Mangione? He put forward a hippie-type appearance and played the "flugelhorn." The instrument is an offshoot of the trumpet, has a more mellow, less penetrating sound. It's shaped a little different. But for a trumpet player, the adjustment is basically nil for playing. 

"Chase the Clouds Away" was before Mangione had his "run" in popular music. He had already been building a pretty good following with works like "Friends and Love." But he came to the forefront with his "Feels so Good." We heard this tune on top 40 radio a lot. I read that radio deejays latched onto it because they were tired of the Bee Gees and wanted something completely different. Surely the Mangione sound was a contrast. 

After the concert I did some quick research to see if "Chase the Clouds Away" was a Mangione original, or if he had recorded it as a "cover." Aha, it was an original. It even has lyrics, even though none were sung on the album. The song title was also the name of the album. I really loved the whole album. 

Concert-goers Monday at our school heard "Jazz II" play the "Chase the Clouds Away" song, arranged by Mike Lewis. Nice job of performing. "Jazz II" led off the concert. Director Wanda Dagen has a habit that reminds me of the National Guard: punctual, so much so, a concert might start a couple minutes ahead of scheduled start time. I guess the musicians were really "champing at the bit" to perform. 

So if you consider attending MAHS band concerts, maybe make sure you're in your seats five or ten minutes in advance. 

"Jazz II" was followed by "Tiger Jazz Band." They led off with "Bugle Call Rag." 

Then, bring on "Jazz I." This top-flight group gave us four numbers. "Brick House" capped the night in an exciting way. Ms. Dagen brought forward a "ringer" for this tune, Viktor Berberi, father of student Henry who is a keyboard master. 

Henry Berberi has performed with UMM musicians and I have heard him at the HFA. Dad Viktor strapped on the guitar. He has played guitar with the West Central All-Stars for the UMM Jazz Festival. The guitar would appear to be a staple for "Brick House," as the tune is funk style. It was recorded by the Commodores back in the Lionel Ritchie days. 

The arrangement needs guitar "and there must not be any high schoolers that can play guitar and are willing to sit in with the band," an audience member later explained to me. 

This tune along with all the others went over great on Monday night. All while the Tigers were playing Sauk Centre in the gym. 

I glanced in the gym on my way out. I was impressed by the state of the art scoreboard. Where will all this advancement end? Look at what is done with YouTube, incredible. We could not have dreamt of so much of this when I was in high school. Most of my school years were spent when there were no varsity girls sports, and no school-sponsored hockey either. Or swimming or gymnastics. 

Such progress up to the present! I hope everyone appreciates it. 

One final note regarding band: We are immensely blessed having a person of the caliber of Ms. Dagen lead the program. 

Viktor Berberi

Viktor Berberi is assistant professor at UMM, director of the Hasselmo Language Teaching Center. He has expertise in "Italian Fascism." Might he have some insights into what the U.S. has been going through with Donald Trump and the Republican Party of today? 

I say "of today" because the current Republicans generally speaking do not reflect the kind of tenor I recall from most of my life. For most of my life, Republicans and Democrats were all pretty reasonable and well-intentioned, operating within the framework of being proud U.S.. citizens. I'd like to see that come back. 

Our own new congresswoman Michelle Fischbach is unfortunately in the fold of the new dangerous types. They want to seize power and keep it, to crush the opposition and make the opposition merely a token political party. Such systems exist around the world. The USA has until recently been a proud exception to the dysfunction and corruption, the "sham elections" etc. 

I can only pray that the worm will turn. We should all pray. 

The media continues having a field day with the revelations of all the absurdities of what Trump did, slowly being unearthed by the January 6 committee as it faces threats of imprisonment from Newt Gingrich. Isn't a "newt" a type of reptile or amphibian? We can laugh about some of this stuff up to a point. 

The revelations roll forward and "nothing happens." What is Merrick Garland thinking? We just don't know, and that's the scary part. Maybe he's concerned that if certain high-profile people are indicted, the Republicans could re-gain power in the mid-terms and then go on a tear with vengeance - who knows where that would stop? 

Anyway, I'm sure Professor Berberi does very important work on behalf of the U of M. I'm also sure he took total delight in strapping on his guitar for the Monday performance! Probably a relief from some of the sobering subject matter he deals with as a prof. Do you all remember how Mussolini ended up? I won't explain it to you. Thanks for sharing your guitar talent Monday, Professor Berberi. I described your son in a recent email as "ridiculously talented." 

I see where Tammy Berberi is on UMM faculty, in French. Family contributes a lot to Morris, n'est-ce pas? 

UMM symphonic winds has a concert upcoming in March at the concert hall and not at UMM. Director Simon Tillier is reportedly concerned about people seated in a too-congested way at the HFA recital hall. Wow, this points to a sore point: the failure of the "Humanities Phase III" being realized. Maybe I shouldn't bring that up. 

I have wondered why the Morrison Performing Arts Center (also known as Edson) couldn't be used as a music discipline venue. Man, it sure was used back in UMM's early days. It was used for everything. I sent an email to Jim Morrison wondering about this. Then I arrived on a theory: Edson/Morrison is located too far away from parking lots. Would make it challenging for elderly concert-goers? Was this an issue in UMM's long-ago time? 

Well, things were different then. No scoreboards like what we see at MAHS now! I attended basketball games at the old "P.E. Annex." Our overall population was younger, more vigorous in the '60s. Buildings and events were not set up to accommodate people who were challenged in their movements.  Just look at my church of First Lutheran in Morris. My goodness! Steps and stairs all over the place.

 

Tigers 68, Melrose 40

Girls basketball had a better outcome on Friday: a 68-40 win over the Dutchmen of Melrose. Meredith Carrington was in the groove with her offense: 26 points. The kmrs-kkok article noted the Tigers "led wire-to-wire." So I'm sure Meredith's grandpa Tom was delighted. I'm sure he sat at the DeToy's counter Monday morning with a spark in his eyes. He and I get there when it's dark out. 

Indeed the Tigers showed spark by forcing 27 turnovers in the win. Meredith complemented her point total with five rebounds and three steals. Maddy Grove got in the act with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. MACA shot 52 percent. 

Sydney Dietz got on the list with her eight points, as did Cate Kehoe with six. Dietz grabbed seven rebounds. Melrose is struggling and came out of Friday at 3-14. Their Kaydence Bertram scored seven points.

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

 

"Chase the Clouds Away" by Chuck Mangione, lyrics

You must be the sun:

Only you can light my world with a smile.

And, while you're gone, the angels cry with me.

Even they agree:

Only you can chase the clouds away.

 

And, you are like a star:

Only you can make my one wish come true.

If only I could share my life with you,

I'd be in Heaven, too.

You were meant to chase the clouds away.

 

With you, the sun will always shine.

Life would be just fine.

With your love, my wildest dreams will come true.

Tomorrow's far away...

Tonight, my heart sure would like the chance to

ask your heart and soul if they would care to dance.

 

Then, you and I will ride the wind,

Turning on the moon as we pass him by.

And, long before the children question why

The sun's not in the sky,

You and I will chase the clouds away...

You and I will chase the clouds away...

You and I will chase the clouds away...away.