MACA stays unstoppable at Perham

Perham has a nickname I have always liked: "Yellowjackets." Certainly a "safe" name in this age of sensitive issues. Our "big cats" of Morris would appear to be the default or safe way to go. Earlier this year our Tigers played D-G-F which has had to deal with its "Rebels." Logo was once of a Southern Confederate soldier. Ouch. Now the sumbol is a Revolutionary War soldier although I have never associated the term "rebels" with the Contenental Army. Have you? 

Anyway, "Yellowjackets" might be a cute name but their football team was outclassed by our surging Tigers last night (Friday). Game site was Perham. There, the 8th-ranked orange and black defeated the Yellowjackets 32-13. 

Wow, we are 7-0 as season's end gets closer. Following regular season play we'll plunge into the playoffs and where might that progress to? Can we envision the state championship game? Before we get deluded on this matter, let's consider that one very tough regular season game remains. Word is, the Fergus Falls Otters will give us all we can handle. 

Win that game - Wednesday - then maybe the images of the state title game would dance in our heads. 

Up to now the weather has been very nice for football. Some rain is falling on this Saturday morning as I compose this. The newspaper will make us wait until Tuesday. I say "why wait? We're in the age of the Internet." 

When Brett Miller was at the radio station, he wrote some real nice and timely sports summaries for the station website. Update: I checked after doing the first draft of this post, and kmrs-kkok has some individual stat details for the Tigers from last night. This is more than they have done as a rule. So let's give credit where credit is due. Not sure if things will develop to where we see standards like what Miller established. BTW I have never met him. Looks like they at least have their thinking caps on there. So thanks and congratulations! We're getting more than "the score" now! I'm happy for Deb the manager, Morris High Class of '72. Yours truly is '73. I'm not sure she noticed me much in high school.

As for the SCT newspaper, it still wears the dunce cap. Obviously it is always my pleasure to try to supply updates with at least a little bit of substance. It's a priority for yours truly in this stage of life where I have white hair. I wore a younger man's clothes when I first started covering the Tigers. That was in the fall in 1972. 

I advise you to check the radio station website at present. I had to click past an ad. I'd advise never to click where you see "continue." You can usually get past these things. Remember that the radio station and newspaper are profit-making businesses. Me? I rely a lot on Social Security.

Tigers 32, Perham 13

The game versus Perham required the Tigers to battle some. That's because shortly before halftime, Perham succeeded dramatically on a fourth-and-20 play. Alex Blume passed to Gavin Griffin, 30 yards for a score, putting the Yellowjackets within three at 10-7. But the exhilaration among the home Perham crowd was short-lived. 

The Tigers were not going to stand for their opponent getting so close. We showed our No. 8-ranked chops to be sure. We marched down the field in the limited time remaining. Drew Huebner polished things off by passing to Jack Kehoe: 19 yards. 

Let's note that the Perham venue is called "Meinhover Field." Fans there tried to retain optimism for their team going into the second half. But the "mo" would clearly belong to the orange and black. Our fans cheered as Mitchell Moser turned on the jets for scores. Huebner took charge with his throwing arm again to find Jackson Hallman for six. 

Now we own the game with the score 32-7. And the final was 32-13. The Yellowjackets were left with a 1-6 record. 

Our 32 points was impressive but it's shy of our average of 37.5. Certainly a crowd-pleasing brand of football. Fergus Falls should really test us in the next game. 

Let's not overlook that we have a bona fide kicking game. It's not often we see this in high school ball. But our Riley Saito is pretty powerful and accurate with his toe. It's a pleasant surprise to see this in a high school game. I think it can shock the opposing team and its fans. I wonder if Riley started in soccer. Whatever, he showed his prowess last night with a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter. 

 

Some numbers

Drew Huebner finished the night with 12 completions in 22 attempts for 150 yards and two scores. Hallman had three catches for 43 yards and the score. Kehoe also had three catches which covered 37 yards and netted a TD. 

Huebner in the ground game churned out 85 yards on seven carries. He crossed the end zone stripe. Moser charged forward for 67 ground yards on 15 carries. And Kye Suess rushed for 67 yards on 11 carries. Hallman and Tyler Friesen each intercepted a pass. 

Jace Kleindl had a solo tackle and six assists for seven total points. Zach Dietz asserted himself to get one solo and six assists for seven points also.

 

Volleyball: Tigers 3, Benson 0

Volleyball success Thursday night for the orange and black, albeit against a team that has struggled badly. Benson not only loses often, they get swept often. So MACA poured it on to get just that kind of outcome. Yes, 3-0 over the Braves who I guess are still going by that name. Benson keeps saying to the State of Minnesota in effect "show us the money" (to make the name change). 

I don't think a new name has been identified yet but I could be wrong. The key is to get the $ from the "deeps pockets" State of Minnesota. I guess principle is secondary. Let's see the money. Until then we're the "Braves" complete with the feathers on the logo! "Bobcats" would be a nice new name. Another "cat" name would be available and that's "caracals," a feline very much like the other common big cats. 

I'm filibustering here with this write-up because I do not have match details on the Tigers. It's very sad: I have not been able to type the names of any MACA volleyball players all fall. I used to be in much better shape for getting details from other media sources. Those sources have now dried up. 

I have the Thursday scores from the West Central Tribune: 25-17, 25-15 and 25-11. So, an impressive night by our "cats." 

Contentious Benson logo

I do have match details on the Benson Braves. Mya McGeary and Sophie Krusemark each had one serving ace. Julia Clausssen did Benson's setting with 13 assists. Three Braves came at the Tigers with four kills in hitting: Alexis Hoberg, Carly Tolifson and Jada O'Leary. Madison Osterbauer had three kills and Claussen had two. 

Kaida Helgenset led in ace blocks with three. She was followed by Hoberg 2, Osterbauer 2, Claussen 1 and Tolifson 1. Krusemark out-distanced the pack in digs with 20. She was followed by Tolifson 9, Claussen 6 and Helgenset 5. 

When Brett Miller was at the radio station, I was even able to write a little about MACA cross country sometimes. It's nice to stay on top of all these names. What's the top story on the Stevens County Times website this morning? "Cougars take a loss on the road to Bethany Lutheran." The SCT is obsessed with covering UMM on its website. A soccer loss to Bdthany is priority over everything else? I don't understand it.

Follow the Lynx!

Hey, we have a pro Minnesota team in the championship finals! It's asking too much for this to be as big a deal as the Twins and Vikings, I guess. But I hope that if our Lynx go up 2-0 on the New York Liberty on Sunday, we'll see a swelling of enthusiasm. We can do this without Caitlin Clark! Well, get close anyway. 

My zeal about the Lynx began my email last week to my fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson, and you just know I touch on some tertiary subjects as well. Seriously I think you might find this interesting: thoughts related to Big Cat Staduim, the suggested parking issue there.

I always keep an eye on local interscholastic sports. There are always highlights and sidelights. Now I have to look up "tertiary." 

I sent my email to Warrenn on the day after the  Lynx completed their success vs. the Connecticut Sun. Truth be told, I wouldn't know Connecticut was called the "Sun" if it weren't for Caitlin, because she has made me interested in the whole league! I wouldn't even know there was a team named for "Connecticut."

 

Minnesota Lynx!

Hello Warrenn, Lynx win! Lynx win! So that's neat. A week ago I withheld judgment on whether I'd stay interested in WNBA after Caitlin's exit. So I wasn't sure if I'd stay interested, BUT I HAVE! I even watched a portion of a game on livestream with the "square" in the middle of the screen (for copyright). So, that passes the test. 

In spite of all the headlines about how ratings have fallen off since Caitlin's exit, the telling thing is that the WNBA plans expansion. We'll see the "Golden State Valkyries." So, things can't be too bad in "blue state" California.

Now the Lynx play the Liberty and we'll see "Sabrina" vs. us. Foreign-sounding last name but "Sabrina" is a totally cool first name. I knew nothing about her prior to this season. Her background is very, very much like Caitlin's but she never got any "mo" toward being a celebrity. I'm kind of rooting for her. Played for Oregon in college.

I wonder about Caitlin, if she can really blend in with the "team concept." She was arguably surrounded with very good talent with the Fever. She might have to be persuaded to try to be a little more low-profile and to be more of a facilitator. The main thing is if she wins a championship. If she does that, her personal stats won't matter. Maybe Caitlin will decide to join the golf tour instead. No risk of being poked in the eye.

Big Cat Stadium

So our school board is discussing parking problems at the end of Tiger football games!!! You and I go back a long way with Morris athletics and we remember the days of the high-level high school tournament games at UMM. We remember full well how it would be a total "zoo" outside at the conclusion with cops and their flashlights trying to be in charge!!! People accepted it then. But now? What's the deal? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to think of ways of avoiding the parking crunch. Sheesh, people are so spoiled. Everyone wants to park right by the venue and then leave immediately afterward. Instant gratification. The school parking lots are so close. Or, just wait a half an hour before going out to your car.

Me? Well hell I walk. Interesting: I notice that the gate for the "freeloaders" is being opened in front basically at the same time as the opening kickoff! I have noticed this the last two games. The only reason I'm interested is that I want to get in to get a burger basket. I have done this the last two games.

Mary Holmberg

Also interesting: Fans are welcome to stand along the sidewalk to the north that leads to the P.E. Center entrance. There are even accommodations for those fans: a couple rows of elevated bleacher seats next to the fence where you can set your concessions etc. This is IRONIC because when Big Cat first opened, they had volunteers trying to chase away fans who were standing along there (like me - it happened). I went and talked to Charlie Grussing about that. He said that in his estimation, "the college" had no problem with people standing there. So that means the high school. I wrote in my blog at the time that "I could just see Mary Holmberg doing this." Here's an example of where UMM and the high school could have a conflict. 

I would still like to know as a matter of policy if MACA softball is entitled to use Big Cat Field for games like UMM has done. Last winter was nice but before that we had extended and miserable winters. That's why I have talked up the idea of an "inflatable cover" for Big Cat Field. UMM would be a magnet for high school softball teams from far and wide if that were available.

Erin Christensen told me that MACA softball would in fact be eligible to use Big Cat but frankly I'm not sure I believe it. They have all the amenities for softball at Big Cat, and it's FANTASTIC for fans who can sit in the bleachers.

Just keep watching the school board: next they'll plan a new "referendum" for putting in a new parking lot, probably to the east of the stadium. The community just keeps voting "yes" all the time. Schools will always come up with a list of "needs," so sometime the public simply has to vote "no" just to instill discipline.

Remember how Wheaton fans with their red clothing would fill half the P.E. Center for girls basketball? Sondra Weick went on to play for UMM. Hancock was all the rage too with their coach who ended up in prison. The excuse was that he was a mental casualty of Vietnam, the "Rambo" defense. Maybe the U.S. should skip some of these wars. But it was good for the career of John Wayne. I'd like to see John Wayne in real combat, he'd probably try to protect his own ass.

 

Below is what a real "Minnesota lynx" looks like!

- BW

Trying to unpack great mystery

Morris community leaders should maybe try to pry through the cobwebs or fog of time and understand whether, really, Coborn's was intending to build a new store here and was only stopped by failure of the city to issue a liquor license. 

Certain people who had influence at the time might say "no." But what would you expect them to say, if in fact they were just blindsided by the Coborn's decision? Would you expect them to say "boy, we sure made a big mistake." 

Well of course not. They'll practice CYA. 

The great Coborn's legend provides the grist for my current post on my companion blog "Morris of Course." I honestly think you could find other items of interest in that post. I invite you to read, to give me a sense of fulfillment in my otherwise limited life. Here's the link:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/10/myth-or-fact-about-old-coborns.html 

 

Nice Homecoming at MAHS

Here's from an email I sent to a friend on Saturday.

Del - Would it be such an unreasonable suggestion for the newspaper website to have a photo at the top of the Homecoming king/queen in their parade vehicle for people to enjoy this weekend? And they don't even have to develop film in a darkroom anymore. I don't want to be unreasonable.

The radio station site only has the "score" of the game. The site has deteriorated badly because of the loss of Brett Miller and Marshall Hoffman. Hoffman would do interviews with state legislators that gave me tips for my blogging.

I hope we don't have any more "Palestinian Sundays" at First Lutheran.

 

Events at UMM

We all know UMM is showing signs of duress, but nevertheless there are many highly entertaining and enriching events happening out there. Always pay some attention to music. IMHO it would be helpful for a few more people to attend music events. 

Sunday afternoon brought one such event, "Connecting Traditions." It featured piano music by Norwegian and American composers including recent discoveries of music by Minnesotan Theodora Cormonian.

Monica Tomescu-Rohde

We heard the following perform: Norwegian pianist Monica Tomescu-Rohde and her collaborator Shannon Wettstein Sadler from Michigan State.

I am amused because "newly discovered works" instantly reminds me of "PDQ Bach!" Peter Schickele was the mind behind "PDQ Bach." The point was parody. Anything can be parodied.

Music is wonderful but it is often in the shadow of athletics. Consider UMM volleyball this fall. A dearth of fans? Sorry but I have not set an example myself. Thanks to my friend Randy Olson for paying attention to fan interest. Here's from a Saturday email I received from Mr. Olson of Bonanza Valley. He's quite attuned to UMM.

 

Hello Brian, I am a close follower of the UMM Cougars (of course) via their website and what I find as robust and terrific coverage. They must be a little short handed in the P.E. department, however, as I do not see video interviews of any players like I've gotten used to seeing in recent seasons.

(Hey, if I can do it, why can't they?)

Anyway this e-mail isn't meant to criticize their website...instead I'm a little disappointed (a lot actually) to see pathetic attendance figures at UMM volleyball. They are a top UMAC team year in and year out and they are drawing paltry crowds.

Example - this weekend! A nice weekend to travel and take in D-III athletics. Yet their match on Friday night had a crowd of just 107!!!!
Saturday afternoon's crowd? Reported attendance was just 59 !!!

Are you kidding me? That's wicked when the side they have open (they only open one set of bleachers already, as the crowd attendance is nothing like it used to be at home events)...one side can easily seat 1,000 fans.

 

I would be more interested in attending UMM basketball. It has been years since I bought my two slices of pizza at a Cougar sports event at the P.E. Center. I shudder to think about the kind of price inflation that has likely happened. We see this with everything, don't we? But the alarm bells don't seem to be ringing with the overall public yet. Economics is a science. Constant inflation is a result of the Fed keeping interest rates too low for too long.

Now we're hearing about problems with parking congestion for MACA football games! 

 

Re. alleged parking headache

Is there ever a time when the school doesn't have issues to address? We hear talk about parking congestion for Tiger football games which are otherwise joyous events. Obviously the parking can be thick. Hasn't it always been that way for well-attended events? Here's from an email I sent to Del Sarlette:

 

I assume you know board has discussed the parking thing in the fishwrap. Maybe this is an excuse to get more money from the public in a referendum? Until a referendum fails, look for the board to still list things that NEED to be done. When the spigot is turned off, then they'll shut up. Is the public starting to feel restless about school district costs? I suppose you'll say "no."

The public is too lazy to deal with the parking situation out by UMM. It doesn't take genius to come up with creative strategies like to park at the school. Oh, but they can't walk that far! It's healthy to take a walk like that.

I have a hard time remembering the name of this other school board candidate. Weird name, Skulan? Skylan? Signs for this individual and Seales are on the communists' properties. [OK, tongue in cheek]

- BW

 

I'm not done re. parking

An exchange with Randy Olson is always stimulating. I shared with him on the parking (alleged) issue in a weekend email. You'll see a supplementary topic too.

Randy - Our school board is now discussing parking congestion problems for high school football games. Doesn't affect me at all because I walk. You may know I live out by the soils lab, but it's actually no big deal. Of course, I used to run the Twin Cities Marathon. But hey I'm 69 now.

My immediate response on the parking issue is why don't people spread out more for parking like to use the school parking lots which are very close to the stadium. A nice pleasant walk to the stadium and back. Also, the UMM parking lot on east end of campus would not be unreasonable to use and you don't need a permit after 4 p.m. I actually wonder how often campus security checks the lots for permits anymore. UMM doesn't want to alienate people and certainly not their own students. I have heard that the reason there's a permit policy is to discourage students from having cars. Students often park along residential streets close to campus and that creates an issue for residents or so I have learned. Legend has it that some students park at Willie's in the morning and leave their car there all day.

The oven at Caribou Coffee has been "down" all week! I always go to Caribou for breakfast on Sunday but I'll have to go to DeToy's today. What would we do without DeToy's? Don's does not open until 8 so I can't even consider that place. Another wave of inflation could kill off many restaurants. The "Fed" has to lower interest rates. More "QE."

All hail the Gophers!

Well, this not really expected, the U of M football team defeating the great Trojans of USC! I share in the surprise or the elation with my fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson. Here's from an email sent to him Sunday, in which I also express surprise at fans being allowed to storm the field at the end.

Warrenn - So the Gophers can beat the No. 11 ranked team in the country. For most of my life we have considered USC a real marquee elite team, just like Nebraska. Remember John McKay? He got the job for the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then all he did was complain about not having any talent. Remember that? That would never happen today. First of all it was a downer. Didn't they use the No. 1 overall pick in the draft for a runningback? Stupid, as that should be traded to a contending team in exchange for more than one high draft pick. Seattle did this when they came into the league. But then the NFL loosened things and allowed new expansion teams like Carolina and Jacksonville to be more competitive right from the start. When I was young I wondered why new expansion teams had to be so totally screwed.

When a star runningback gets picked by a lousy team, that athlete is going to get beat up badly. And the team will lose anyway. The NFL in the years since has de-emphasized the runningback position. From the days of Walter Payton.

Earl Campbell, seated

Bud Grant wanted to get Earl Campbell. That was the thinking then. Earl Campbell is in terrible shape today, all because of our entertainment needs.

Re. the Gophers game, I winced at the scenes of fans "rushing the field." I thought the powers that control college sports were going to crack down on that. Like "taking down the goalposts."

Our high school teams in Stevens County are making it look too easy. Hmmm.

Yesterday the oven was still down at Caribou. I finally inquired to make sure Paul Martin and Jay Nelson know about this, and they do. Very strange for Caribou to be without a working oven for a whole week. So I can't come to Caribou this morning (Sunday). Maybe they don't want to serve hot sandwiches there? I can't go to Don's because they don't open until 8. Before covid they opened at 6.

One more blast of inflation and we'll see lots of restaurants closing down. Larry Summers now says it was a mistake for the Fed to lower interest rates. But low interest rates are a heroin injection for lots of people. There is no free lunch. I used that expression with someone and I got insulted. That person needed the heroin. He said "people who invest in stocks are risking everything." Really? You could have fooled me.

- BW

 

Maybe there's no money in heaven

Here's from an email I sent over the weekend to Jim Morrison, a pretty astute person with investment and all that stuff.

 

Jim - From Yahoo! News this morning:

"(Bloomberg) - Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates last month was a mistake after new data showed that US job growth last month topped all estimates."

Again, I think it's crazy for Powell to be making such frequent public announcements about what the Fed is likely to do. He'll make a proclamation and then backtrack, which makes me wonder why he needs to say anything at all. He is not an elected official. The Fed should just hold their meetings and make announcements about what they did, in dry fashion. 

Instead we have Powell after the meetings making long-winded statements that everyone tries to TRANSLATE and I'm getting sick of it.

And if Trump wins, he and his treasury secretary will strong-arm their way into controlling the Fed. And if that happens, why even have a Fed? Just let the treasury secretary make the decisions. But of course that's dangerous because short-term political benefits will be sought for incumbent administrations. That's why we have a Fed.

But I'm just some dummy living out in Flyoverland, right?

I was forced into a sad "panic" a couple months ago but what if I had fallen into a situation, again, where I went bank-to-bank and was forced to accept interest of under one percent, maybe just half of a percent. I have experienced this, [name withheld] saying "it could change tomorrow." I now have no savings at Riverwood. That used to be my main bank. Do they even care? I am now leaning on Dakotah Bank and B-Mo and I don't even care about the FDIC limit anymore.

I am 69 years old and I need some assurance that I'll have an acceptable income over the next few years. We just lost Joanie Murphy. Death eventually comes.

If I could relax more I'd do some more home improvements. Contractors could get paid.

- BW

Tigers win shutout for Homecoming 2024

Stevens County football teams have been making it look easy. I'm reminded of the Garrison Keillor line "all of our kids are above average." It's the way we like to think of our youth in our peaceful outstate communities. "Lake Wobegon." 

The Stevens County youth have been flexing their muscles in football, that's for sure. Do y'all realize that the Morris and Hancock teams have won all their games in this season of 2024? We can go further in asserting the superiority: our teams have been winning in a one-sided way most of the time. 

My restaurant server at DeToy's said she felt sorry for one of Hancock's opponents earlier this season. I appreciate that sentiment. It comes from a female whose gender is known to be empathetic and nurturing. We need more of that kind of attitude. Not sure I'd feel comfortable at a Hancock game where the "Owls" are so completely sinking their talons into an opponent. Like in the most recent game. 

I'd want to leave early. 

Men believe in destroying things while women are empathetic and caring. This helps us understand why so many men stick with Donald Trump. Maybe you're amused by that observation. We may all stop being amused come November. Oh we pray we can have a normal election. But the possibility exists that virtual hell could break loose even with violent conflict. 

We got a taste of the conflict in 2020. And our own congressperson appeared to sympathize with the insurrection attempt. She voted against certifying the election results. So she wanted to see a violent overthrow of the Federal government. We can surmise that. But we'll probably elect her again. And, she's totally "pro-life." "Pro-life" is not such a simple proposition. 

But I know a lot of you don't want to have your brains taxed too much. Just keep your "Trump" signs up and then try to "report" the people who have the Harris signs. This is happening, more down South than here. 

Our Tigers of MACA took charge totally in their Friday game for the 2024 Homecoming. A happier atmosphere could not be found anywhere, for sure. I again took advantage of the $8 "burger basket" offering just outside the grandstand. What a reasonable offer! A meal for 8 bucks. Will it be back next year? I sat at one of the picnic tables. 

I remember that for years I'd see Sharon Martin watching over all the junior high kids that gathered north of the playing field, close to the P.E. Center. Big Cat Field is old enough to have its own history now. Sharon's presence over there is a part of that. And as I've told her several times, it's a special gift to be able to work with junior high kids. Adolescents! I'm not sure I even survived that. 

A good movie for appreciating the junior high phase of life is "Bad Teacher" with Cameron Diaz. The movie has some Hollywood taste issues but just try to ignore that. 

 

Idyllic

The whole day Friday was perfect for the Morris Area Homecoming and the football game. The 24-0 score could not have polished things off better. 

The MACA and Hancock teams are just making things look too easy this fall. Some of our past coaches would give their right arm to have a season like this. What gives? All our kids are maybe "above average?" Maybe that's it. Only Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton has really challenged the Tigers. We have won by shutout twice. Thief River Falls and East Grand Forks have been our shutout victims. 

Two games remain on the slate. Both will be on the road vs. Perham and Fergus Falls. Someone told me this morning we'll get a stiff challenge from those Otters of Fergus. 

 

Thanks and God bless

The person who took my $ for the burger basket remembered me from my newspaper work locally and was hugely complimentary toward me. She attended high school in Chokio-Alberta, and of course I was always enthusiastic about C-A sports activities. 

It has been so long since the newspaper phase of my life which was the absolute defining stage of my life. I have really just drifted ever since. I'm left to wonder why/how it disintegrated. We cannot always find logic in such things. That's because we're in a desperate jungle so much surrounded by "beasts" that are acting on instinct. 

The company that owned the Morris and Hancock papers at the time I left ended up leaving town. They weren't so smart after all. Sue Dieter was actually not my biggest problem at the end, may not have been a big factor at all. She could be generous in some ways. The dagger was applied to me by someone else in management. I'm not sure he even answered to Sue. He may have answered to someone higher up. 

The Forum had some well-known "headhunters" in the upper realm of management. Well congrats Forum Communications, you demonstrated that even a multi-tiered company like yours can be a failure: you sure left a turd here in Morris. 

Now the Hancock paper is gone and the Morris paper under different ownership has shriveled greatly from what it once offered us. I ask y'all to go online today (Saturday) and look for highlights of the Homecoming football game. Click on "sports." See what the paper's priorities are now. MACA is almost invisible. Why do you accept this? 

Our kids might all be above average but the adults aren't - so many still support Donald Trump uncritically. You are lemmings! Trump chased off the foreign students from places like UMM and now many of these places are hanging by a thread. The foreign students were UMM's "cash cow." Doesn't money influence your priorities in life? Or are you more concerned with sending the Haitians home from Springfield, Ohio. 

Again, you are lemmings. 

The Tigers surged on Friday largely by being able to take advantage of "short fields." We set the tone early as Jack Kehoe deflected a pass and made an interception at the 12. Kye Suess then scored two plays later. The Green Wave had no first downs in the first quarter. 

Drew Huebner, whose mom was the one who complimented me pre-game, passed to Riley Asmus for a big chunk of yardage: 43 yards. Riley Saito capitalized on the field position to kick a field goal. So we're up 10-0. Our defense stopped an EGF threat just before halftime. 

The Wave's problems with turnovers would continue. One of these was on a gimmick play attempt by the Wave: the "hook-and-ladder." I immediately think of former MACA coach Jerry Witt and his wizardry with this play! But the execution wasn't there for the Wave. The lateral was high. The orange and black took advantage. Huebner carried into the end zone. 

Asmus intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter. Our final TD came on the "Huebner connection" of Drew and brother Jonah. The play covered 15 yards. So it's 24-0 and fans could file this game away as yet another 'W'. 

MACA fans are now ready to go on the road. Then it's playoffs!

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

Hypertension loomed with Pete Rose

Pete Rose

So hypertension did in Pete Rose. A name close to the hearts of boomers. Hearing about hypertension reminds me of "Curly" of the Three Stooges. That's the menace that did him in too. Boomers remember the Stooges mainly because they had a big revival starting in 1959 thanks to late-afternoon "kiddie TV." 

So what's my first nugget of a memory about Pete Rose? His flawed nature can never be put aside. Bad enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. But not as bad as for Art Schlichter. Schlichter couldn't even get off the ground as a pro quarterback. 

Rose was a stellar player even while dealing with his flaws. He wasn't a power merchant but he sprayed hits all over the place. I haven't checked to see how baseball "analytics" or "sabermetrics" evaluated him. 

My top game-based memory of Rose was what he did in the All-Star Game one year, plowing into catcher Ray Fosse and hindering the latter's career. Of course the All-Star Game was not worth that move by Pete. Also, Fosse should have stayed clear in the same way that Cam Newton backed away from trying to recover a fumble. Remember that? Bodily preservation. Can't argue with that. 

Rose and Schlichter had their weakness with gambling. In Schlichter's case it became a monster that destroyed him. But maybe a re-evaluation is in order based on all the documented concussions that the man experienced in football. I can't begin to relate to that. 

I have written about high school and college football so much. Ironically I never exposed myself to the serious dangers the sport poses. Yet I promoted it. That shouldn't be in the past tense because I still write about high school ball when I get the chance. I had the opportunity to share more than a few details of the MACA win over Detroit Lakes last Friday. My spirits were lifted. It still does mean something to me. It's hard to know how much reach I have using the online world. 

I boasted to a friend that from Saturday through Monday I had a "monopoly" with my work. No other Stevens County media reported on the game beyond the "score," to my knowledge. And I think this is really a problematic void. It is so easy to harness online. The problem with a weekly newspaper is timeliness of course. People who think we have to be so dependent on a newspaper are behind the times of course. 

The newspaper can stick around as part of our info world, albeit in a greatly reduced form from when I was with the Morris newspaper. It can stick around if it is a practical business venture of course. I understand that the Morris paper would be gone if the previous owner had had its way. It would have gone the way of the Hancock newspaper which vanished into thin air. And there truly is grounds for questioning that. 

Hancock is a community with its own K-12 school still. Right there you have a foundation. I was surprised at the time of the Hancock Record's cancellation that there wasn't a sense of controversy or disapproval in Hancock. I did not sense an appreciable degree, if any at all. That should tell you that dependence on newspapers is indeed diminishing, probably seriously. 

The vanishing act of the Hancock Record, courtesy of the behemoth  Forum Communications of Fargo, has had repercussions for here in Morris. The paper was the "Morris Sun Tribune" in my tenure there: a twice-a-week product. 

The problem now is that ever since Hancock lost its paper, the Morris paper has tried to absorb it. And don't you think they have done much too well with this? I mean, disproportionate attention to Hancock, sometimes in a way that really jumps out at you? And quantity of the Morris newspaper product had already eroded by going to once a week. And if you want to get technical, the page size began shrinking in steps a long time ago. Hey, that's "shrinkflation," right? 

But does anyone really care with a newspaper? How much do people really care? Maybe people would've been disconsolate with the loss of a Morris newspaper. One might argue that the loss would not have been all that tangible. It would have been intangible in the sense that "hey, we lost something." Understandable, but why was this community not commensurately moved by the loss of the summer Prairie Pioneer Days? We showed we could lose a major symbol and source of pride for the community, and not give a rip about it. 

I guess I cared, along with Kevin Wohlers. Us two had a little chat about it at a Wohlers family gathering. We sliced and diced the whole thing and shared background and theories. Ahem, like how Morris had an element of "leaders" whose top priority was to "get away to the lake" on summer weekends. To which I'd respond that not everyone lives like that. 

 

Consider this

It's easy to point fingers, like to the fact that the Morris community band, the type of group for which the Killoran stage was absolutely designed, was not even invited to play at the park in PPD's last year of the original iteration. Not even invited! I think that says volumes about how maybe the cancellation of it all was a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

The community band made its triumphant return to the Killoran stage a couple weeks ago for the festive Thursday night event that had ice cream. I was so struck by the successful nature of it all. The Hispanics contributed a lot to the family atmosphere. A friend tells me that when the Hispanics are around, you see the "little heads." Bless them for prioritizing family in such a joyous way. 

The white folks were once that way with us "boomer" kids. We were everywhere, it seemed. But if we had to depend on white people now, would be daunting. There are places that welcome the Haitian immigrants and why shouldn't they? All classes of human beings can be lifted up in this miracle nation, "America." A rule of law based on the Judeo-Christian ethic. Prosperity. Freedom. Abundant resources. 

So it's sad to hear Donald Trump talk the way he does so much. 

We're a month away from the election. Are we all whistling past the graveyard? A friend told me this morning that we might assume Harris/Walz will win. She felt Walz was not particularly impressive last night. To which I said as devil's advocate: Well then Trump will be president again. I noted that any hope of codifying Roe vs. Wade would be lost. I warned that Trump really could win in November. 

My friend and I will have to cancel out the votes of the crusty older guys who sit in the middle section of DeToy's Restaurant. That's the best we can do: to cancel out two of those votes. But we need success, we need victory to ensure that Fascism does not rise up in America. 

Trump tried fomenting a violent revolution four years ago to overturn the election. If our legal system were as strong as it should be, there should have been quick hell to pay for Trump and his accessories. No. So Fascism really is knocking at the door. Our congressperson was fine with opening the door for Trump.

 

More re. Schlichter

A final note about Art Schlichter the ill-fated quarterback: a top memory for me was when he threw the interception against Clemson in college ball. He was playing for Woody Hayes. Remember Hayes? "Crusty" would not do him justice. He appeared to be in some mental decline. A Clemson linebacker intercepted Schlichter. The linebacker was brought down by the sidelines whereupon Hayes gave him an upper-cut punch. 

There was such a "scrum," it wasn't real obvious to the TV-watchers. But I'm proud to note that I did notice the punch and I alerted my father. I don't recall the game announcers saying anything about it. So we tuned in to the news the following week and there was no doubt, so Hayes' career had to come to an end. 

Hayes left football ignominiously, but an even stronger word needs to be reserved for Schlichter. The gambling addiction devoured him. But let's not put aside all the concussions that could have seriously impaired his brain. Just think if he had never put on a football uniform or helmet. Just think, think if our society with its school competition norms had not been such an allure for him. He was lured when he was underage and not in position to use the best judgment. 

It's hell to pay if kids are caught with booze or cigarettes, right? But football? We continue to allow it? And to even reward our kids who "win?" 

Look at the spectacle at our Big Cat Field for the home games. Yes, our community leaders like to go to the lake on weekends and they thump their chest too when the football team wins. Put aside any thoughtful or careful analysis of all this. We are who we are. And the community band sounded great at the park. Let's not let years roll by before the next such occasion. But we've done it before.

 

So it's October

Halloween is near so I'm "scared" of what the Federal Reserve and its chairman are going to say and do. The guy is in the news too much. He is tethered to inflation in case you're not aware. So I share on this as the crux of an email I sent to old colleague Jim Morrison a few days ago. He and I are sort of attached to UMM with our family names. 

And how is UMM doing? Actually I start out the email with a thought or two about our august local institution. I'm not sure we should be thrilled. Trump got rid of the foreign students and they were UMM's "cash cow." Elections do have consequences.

The new U president

Jim - Maybe I missed it, but has the new U president even made a visit out here yet? The library has been closed for a month so I haven't had access to Morris newspaper. Once I did see it at church. I don't take notes every week about what's going on. If this Cunningham hasn't come here yet, that could be a worrisome sign. The guy who wrote that "Peach" essay, if you recall, noted that central U administration doesn't like to be bothered with the coordinate campuses at all. So I wondered what they thought when they first got wind of the goalpost incident. Oh my God, a crisis out of Morris. 

The UMM campus seems awful dead to me.

Inflation is THEFT. Inflation is a TAX. Can't other people see this? I am resenting it more and more. Yes I can "give up things" but that contradicts the whole idea of acquiring wealth. We're supposed to live better, not worse.

I wonder if there will be a move to eliminate the Federal Reserve and institute some new kind of system. I am greatly bothered by two things that Powell said over the recent past. And BTW why is Powell's name on the tip of everyone's tongue? When we were young we didn't know who the Fed chair was, didn't care, it was a boring subject. Today it's top-of-mind. Why? Powell made the statement during the rate increases that "inflation is hard on poor people." And my response was: It's not the Fed's role to make comments like this. No one with the Fed is elected. 

The second big disturbing comment was "time to start cutting interest rates." I guess that was right after Jackson Hole, right? What a name, "Jackson Hole." 

"Time to start cutting" clearly indicates a pattern of rate-cutting, and why is Powell proclaiming this in advance? Why even bother having a "quiet period" just before a FOMA meeting? I have to laugh. Powell's statement sure disrupted my life. But I have to try to ensure that I have an income flow, and I think I've done that adequately, albeit with going over the FDIC limit in places. I have lost all flexibility in dealing with banks. I have to shave things down to 2-3 banks that I can trust. If I lose everything I'll have to turn to the government. Where else do people turn? In 2008 where did all the big shots turn? To the government for TARP. Who else was going to help? George W. Bush said "if we don't do this our economic system will collapse." Right away I was suspicious. But I guess I'm not as smart as all the New York Times people et al.

- BW