Sad for MACA, happy for Minnewaska Area!

The classic American life, RIP

I felt wet snow underfoot yesterday and today, a sign of moderation in temperature from the chilling cold. But oh my, the chilly cold is coming back. I normally dine out on Friday night but I'll keep the car in the garage tonight. Stay secure in the home. Last Friday a thick sheet of ice formed on the windshield while I was in Don's - never seen anything like it. But in Minnesota we're always ready for "firsts" with the weather. 

Nice to comment a little on the weather in starting this post, as news is grim when it comes to the MACA girls basketball team. Cut to the chase and look to the 82-25 score of Thursday night. A super letdown for Morris, yes (and Chokio-Alberta). And yet a most upbeat story for the victor, a team that I often blog about. 

I must confess it's easier to write about teams on the winning end as opposed to the other end. MACA continues to be in one of those profound funks that unfortunately has characterized much, though not all, of the program's history. Believe me I have observed all of it. When I was younger I might try to suggest an explanation. We have certainly had coaching issues - hoo boy - but I'm in no position to comment about that now. 

I have never met Mr. Daly but I sure knew his father Paul. I hope Paul still gets out ice fishing. Of course he once held the reins with the now-defunct C-A boys basketball team. He had some exciting teams over there. I remember traveling to Alexandria for a game when of course Alex played at their former school. I haven't been in the new one yet. I ought to visit in order to see the Witt boys or Chloe Scholl. Their parents were once deeply involved with Tiger sports here. Chloe's grandmother was on the school board. 

I used to be in a position to know so much about what was going on. 

I'm filibustering here before getting into a review of the Thursday GBB game between the Tigers and Lakers. As a Morris-based writer I ought to have head hanging some. MACA was beaten up by the Lakers who took a 58-4 lead by halftime. Oh my God. 

It's hard to think we must rule out finger-pointing. I would not assume that coaching is at issue, but perhaps other factors or influences are. You can't tell me Minnewaska is in some sort of superior position with assets/resources. It's a pretty comparable school to Morris, n'est-ce pas? I just think 58-4 is eye-opening. This data appears on the West Central Tribune website this morning. 

TGIF except that it's going to get darn cold again. 'Waska eased up some in the second half to outscore MACA 24-21. 

What about team morale? Is it holding up for the Tigers? You might say it adds insult to injury that the WC Trib has "stats not available" for Motown. Their old "stats not available" dismissal. Morris does not rate. The Willmar paper is owned by Forum Communications. We are out of their coverage territory even though we very often play teams that are in. Would Morris coaches cooperate if they were invited? 

The 'Waska girls have been winning convincingly in many games. For MACA, the complexion of Thursday's game was just like our loss to Mayer Lutheran. That loss was so bad, I implied in my writing here that maybe our school administration should not have put us in a situation where we'd match up vs. them. 

But hey, take a look at some other scores from last night: BOLD played a competitive game versus Mayer even though they lost. I just wish MACA could hold its own better. 

I believe Morgan Harstad has left the team. A very tall girl just like her sister Kaylee. I'm a next-door neighbor of one of the MACA players. I hope that family does not feel down, even though there would be very good reason to feel down. 

58-4 at halftime! Is there a "running clock" rule for games like this? I wonder if 'Waska sent its reserves into action for the second half. 

I remember visiting the 'Waska school just days before the whole covid thing set in. Normal life prevailed on that night. It was a post-season game for our Tigers and we were defeated. I had a great time. I mainly went to see Janet Kehoe's granddaughter play. I was hoping she'd make a 3-pointer that night. She did not. 

 

Watch Sydney Dahl

'Waska obviously had several "guns" on Thursday and a prime one was Sydney Dahl. She's a senior post player standing six feet even. Dahl scored the team-best 22 points. There were four players in double figures. Lauryn Ankeny scored 17, Addyson Kath 11 and Alia Randt 10. 

The rest of the list: Olivia Danielson 8, Megan Thorfinnson 4, Jayda Kolstoe 4, Kendall Danielson 4 and Amber Peabody 2. Kath and Randt each made two 3-pointers and Dahl made one. 

Kolstoe nabbed four rebounds. Ankeny picked up four assists. Thorfinnson with her seven steals led there. Kath and Phemie Oeltjen each blocked two shots. 

'Waska has an activities director who was previously at Morris, that Karas guy. At least I assume he's still there. I heard the rumor that Karas was going to make $40,000 more a year at 'Waska. Well, maybe they are starting to get their money's worth. 

Congrats to 'Waska. Backers of the Morris program need to get their heads together. I have a long history of speaking openly about such things. I haven't always won friends doing so, especially on school staff. 

I see the kmrs-kkok website is not exactly on the ball this morning. C'mon Morris, let's get fired up!

Iowa women looking mortal

We could have expected some dropoff in the performance of Iowa women's basketball following the departure of you-know-who. Well that's "CC." Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall were complimentary stars as well. 

This year? Iowa definitely has a competitive look and it's a very likeable bunch. They can challenge anyone on any given night, just like our U of M Gophers. But there's only one winner in a game. Lately, things have just not fallen the Hawkeyes' way. Thursday night was one of those occasions. Playing at home, the Hawks took Nebraska into overtime. Game was at Iowa's Carver place which I'm sure was loud. Alas, the hoped-for victory slipped away. The final score: 87-84. 

Hannah Stuelke

Carver was sold out. Hannah Stuelke is a familiar holdover from the CC days. She's just a junior. She was a leader for the Hawks with her fifth double-double of the season: 16 points and 16 boards. 

Aaliyah Guyton scored her career-best 14 points. Lucy Olsen, the highly-touted newcomer from Villanova (via transfer) looked good with her 14 points. Kylie Feuerbach nailed two 3-pointers and totaled 13 points. She's a senior. 

In overtime, Nebraska took an early lead with freethrows and never looked back. I am greatly anticipating the matchup of our Gophers with the vaunted Hawkeyes.

  

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

Thorfinnson makes five 3's in 'Waska triumph

What a skein of success by Minnewaska Area girls basketball! It all started on December 17 with the win over Paynesville. That score was 57-17. The Lakers have done nothing but win since. Not only that, many scores have been one-sided like in the P-ville game. 

However, the most recent win was pretty hard-fought. That was the 59-54 win vs. BOLD on Tuesday at Bird Island. I remember the old bumper sticker "Where the hell is Bird Island?" It was quite a novelty at the time. And then Cyrus did a copycat and "cleaned up" the language some! "Where the HECK is Cyrus?" 1970s nostalgia. Way pre-Internet. 

Hey, there's a very big game on tap for tonight (Thursday, Jan. 16) for 'Waska. It's big in the eyes of MACA fans as it's a Lakers vs. Tigers matchup. In 'Waska overlooking beautiful (frozen) Lake Minnewaska. Can the Tigers challenge the high-flying Lakers? I am skeptical but we'll see. 

For the record, I would like to be blogging regularly about our Tigers. It's hard. I struggle to find game info on a timely basis on the Internet. I am much more able to write about the Lakers. I am most happy to do so. I have family connections to Glenwood anyway. When you enter Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery you'll see a big slab of rock with "Williams" on it. That's my family! 

My sports posts these days are sometimes on a site that I call my "companion blog." So I sometimes share a reminder of what I have there. You can click on the link below to read about the Minnewaska Area girls' win over Litchfieeld on Jan. 10, score of 55-25.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/01/waska-girls-pummel-litchfield-for-11th.html 

And for you MACA fans, I invite you to click on link below to read about our boys basketball team's game vs. Cherry last Saturday in Perham. We came up short. I found info on this game on a website called "Newsbreak."

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/01/was-it-flying-clipboard-cherry-turns.html 

'Waska 59, BOLD 54

Sydney Dahl and Megan Thorfinnson were key offensive contributors in this 'Waska win that lifted the team's record to 12-2. Will win No. 13 come tonight, Thursday? In front of the home fans? The West Central Tribune reported that this game will be played Friday. I think that's wrong-O. I just checked the Morris school calendar and it confirms Thursday which is what "Minnesota Scores" has. Erratum, WC Trib. 

"Minnesota Scores" is not perfect. I saw a wrong score there just recently. 

Uh-oh, the BOLD girls have a Friday game set vs. Mayer Lutheran. The MACA girls got absolutely trampled, massacred by Mayer Lutheran recently. Hang on to your hats. 

Dahl and Thorfinnson each poured in 19 points to lift 'Waska over the BOLD Warriors 59-54. Thorfinnson thrilled with her five 3-pointers. Lauryn Ankeny made one long-ranger and finished with seven points. Here's the rest of the scoring list: Addy Kath 6, Jayda Kolstoe 4, Alia Randt 2 and Olivia Danielson 2. 

BOLD's big guns were Lainey Braulick with 18 points and Ema Flann with 14. Thee two were complemented by Lilly Henrickson 8, Kenley Elfering 4, Kya Elfering 4, Zoey Lippert 2, Peyton Sander 2 and Layla Pfarr 2. Henriksen made two 3-pointers and Braulick one. Braulick with her ten rebounds led there. Flann led in assists with three. Kya Elfering had three steals. Sander blocked three shots.

Mallory Heyer

Gophers challenge Maryland

It is obvious now that the U of M women's basketball team can challenge any team in the country. We came close to victory against eighth-ranked Maryland. Our Gophers entered the game at No. 24 in the nation. We had to wait too long to get nationally ranked. 

We were stopped by Maryland, the Terrapins, in the Tuesday game at Maryland, 99-92. 

Yes, a game with an entertaining offensive flair. And we were up against a former coach of ours, Brenda Frese, whose last name was Oldfield when she had her hitch at the U of M. It was considered a major loss when she left here. She certainly has upheld the standard she has set for herself. 

Meanwhile our own coach has quite good standing now - great to see. I refer to her as "coach Dawn." I have trouble handling her last name. 

The Gophs have a 16-2 overall record, 4-2 in the Big 10. 

Four from our ranks put up double figures scoring totals. The charge was led by Amaya Battle: 19 points. Grace Grocholski put in 16 points, Mallory Heyer 15 and Sophie Hart 14. 

We impressed from long-range as we made eight 3-pointers. It just wasn't enough to overcome a team of Maryland's caliber. Frese got the upper hand on this night. So nice to see our Gophers being a factor in the national picture.

 

Addendum: You know what's crazy? How yours truly continues to feel pressure writing these blog posts! Hey, it's not like I'm writing for a newspaper any more. Old habits continue to be ingrained.
Relax, stupid, there is no "deadline" any more.

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

Model trains in their "Lilliputian" world!

An entrancing quality

An indoor hobby would be most useful at present, most therapeutic. Winter's most bleak period arrives at about the time of the MLK holiday, to the extent you even recognize that. So it's January. And I'm thinking of indoor hobbies because of model railroading. 

So many boys get exposed to this with the "starter" setup that is so often a Christmas gift. Very thoughtful of parents to give their children some enjoyment with that. 

Shall I specify boys? Seemed like a male-oriented gift when I was young. 

Thing is, kids can get bored with their gifts. And let's think of the model railroad starter version with the small circle of tracks. Round and 'round the train goes. Let's be frank and say the novelty quickly erodes. And yet model railroading as a hobby can get very involved. As you probe the pastime you'll see photos and videos of the quite elaborate layouts. 

I think my generation of boys got attracted to the "HO" scale because of a big feature in Boys Life magazine. That's the magazine associated with the Boy Scouts. And do "Boy Scouts" even exist any more? My generation accepted the organization as a staple of growing up as a boy. I guess it encountered the same shoals as the Catholic Church, if you know what I mean. 

And the whole concept of gender has gotten so complicated. We never could have dreamt. Many people were inclined to vote Republican in the last election because of being upset about a member of the San Jose State volleyball team. And I must say that while I am an outlier and continue to vote Democratic, I feel no support for the "trans" thing at all, zero. Don't even talk to me about it, don't try to "enlighten" me. 

There are two genders. Girls deserve to play on sports teams in leagues that are 100 percent biological girls. 

I suppose people at our UMM in Morris would point fingers at me. But I'm not certain of that now. I think UMM is focused now on simple survival. Oddball political causes are to be put aside. And these causes did not all come from the political left. We saw an absolutely incendiary tone coming from the right wing as represented by "Northstar." It was a dangerous publication and one that made me want to avoid coming on campus. 

 

Model railroad sizes

The HO scale of model railroads got planted in my mind as the "standard" or most accepted "gauge." I came to consider the "N" scale as being the smaller alternative. I began to wonder why the hobbyists would get attracted to a particular gauge or scale. Because there certainly are several of these and the size varies substantially. 

You might think that people with limited space would go smaller. Then again, HO seems quite small to begin with. I've seen the argument that the small "N" scale allows you to do more with scenery. But you can go so much smaller than "N" if you want. Kind of blows your mind what some people can do with the very smallest size. "Z" is extremely small but I believe there is one even smaller than that. 

 

The image shows well-known "N" scale enthusiast Todd Treaster of Pennsylvania.

 

Oh but let's go larger too! "O" gauge is considered the standard larger size, and you might immediately place the "Lionel" name. "Lionel" has no aversion to calling their trains "toy" trains and that's interesting. There is one realism issue with Lionel and that is the middle rail with the tracks. Hobbyists don't seem to give that much mind. 

I'm impressed by the sense of power projected by the "O" gauge trains. These hobbyists generally speaking don't make sheer realism as much of a priority. The miniature houses and structures can have a "toy" look to them. Nevertheless I am impressed watching the videos. 

Videos on YouTube are a great way to appreciate the hobby. They have become endless. But what hasn't become endless on YouTube? I would also suggest they are therapeutic, i.e. soothing. On and on these videos go, drawing us into this alternative tiny dimension of the model trains. Quite surreal. 

And of course in real life, train tracks are never as dense as what you see in these layouts. So the whole "realism" thing has an asterisk attached right there. And where in real life are the trains confined to basically go around in circles? Even in an elaborate layout - and some are incredibly elaborate - a train will end up where it started. Oh but we can overlook that. 

Some hobbyists get carried away to where they have roads with moving vehicles on them. A friend suggested to me that this is probably accomplished using magnets underneath. So much trouble and so much expense to try to replicate the real world. What really is accomplished by all this? Let's not use raw logic to evaluate one's "hobby." It fills a legitimate psych need. 

An escape? A fantasy? Let's get more real: I don't think the purpose of the hobby is so we can watch the trains basically go in circles. To state the obvious: it would get "old" so fast! So I think the reward comes as simply learning the techniques in planning such a layout and then doing it over time, feeling the satisfaction afterward. 

Me? I can have the best of both worlds, you might say: I can appreciate the hobby immensely through YouTube videos, yet am spared the expense and hard work of developing a layout. Truth be told, I'd have to do a lot of research on methods. So many of the hobbyists get so immersed. I can't help but think it's excessive in many cases, even though the final product can be awe-inspiring. But tiny autos/trucks too? Going to and fro on the little roads? Ah, Lilliputian! 

This seems obsessive

And toward what end, really? Just to show you can do it? A boy who gets the standard "Christmas train" with the small circle of track is barely scratching the surface with the hobby. Just look at the most elaborate layouts and compare - there really is no comparison. 

Maybe Lionel is best with the minimalist landscape features, perhaps just some green felt on which the tracks are placed. Just place around some plastic buildings. No need to simulate forests or mountains. To each his own! Anyone who enjoys a hobby, well all the more power to them. 

Then again, I can't help but be reminded by a thought from the columnist Dave Barry: "There is a fine line between having a hobby and mental illness." 

"Lilliputians" might be from a model train layout!

 

Addendum: Remember the classic "Airplane" scenario where the nun is reading "Boys Life" and then we see the boy reading "Nun's Life?"

  

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

Unfortunate upheaval for Morris churches

So, why not another shot of bad news? Lining up right on top of similarly-themed bad news. UMM is on the list but let's put that aside for now.

It's bad enough that we're in the immediate post-holidays period when the sheer holiday joy is gone and we are clearly in mid-winter. It is Saturday morning, Jan. 11. It is bleak. Word is we'll get dumped on with snow over next 24 hours. Perhaps worse yet, the sky is gray yet again. Sheer sunlight does so much, n'est-ce pas? 

The bad news I got from yesterday has to do with my church of First Lutheran (FLC). 

News is supposed to be man-bites-dog, right? The defining feature? So, is the following "news": FLC is losing its pastor? He was an "interim" to begin with. He only would have been here a year. FLC is one of two ELCA churches in Morris. What's up with the other one? The Faith Luth. faithful recently got word that their super-popular minister E.S. is leaving, soon. 

An ELCA minister leaving is not news. The norm is for frustration and spinning-of-wheels. Even if you are a happy ELCA member these days, you have to concede that this organization is "bland" within Christianity. I sense it all the time. The late Rev. Cliff Grindland would not recognize this. For most of its history, FLC was the most mainstream institution you could imagine. 

Is there anything more quaint than to remember the days when outstate Minnesota towns were divided between Lutheran and Catholic? Today the question is not whether you are Lutheran or Catholic, it is whether you'll stay in a woke or progressive organization or roll up your sleeves and profess the right wing political attitude. Get on board with our elected leaders like Michelle Fischbach, Torrey Westrom and Jeff Backer. 

Today Backer does not directly represent us but he's close, and he certainly represents the prevailing attitude of our Morris area. I am puzzled why this trend has gotten locked in with such decisiveness, now with almost a hypnotizing effect on us. 

Fischbach who voted against certifying the 2020 election results wasn't even good enough for lots of the local conservative folks. Steve Boyd got his own following. "Life begins at conception." If only moral questions were so simple. 

And the ELCA has been severely sent to the ropes in a truly existential way. The shift took hold with the creation of a whole new church in a rural setting. It's just to the north of Morris. Couldn't these people have "stuck it out" at their ELCA churches? 

Haven't you noticed that the whole tone with gay rights has been toned down? It is fundamentally unwise to make drastic decisions based on emotions. Yet we saw this in a pretty vivid fashion. Don't you realize that ELCA members are gentle people who want the best for everyone? The big shift happened because of a misunderstanding about what "gay rights" really ought to entail. What "gay marriage" ought to entail. 

We read these days about how the vast majority of us really have no problem with gay rights, I mean with trying to stop outright abuse and discrimination against our gay brothers and sisters. Society did in fact need some adjusting. But here's the deal: We simply needed some basic tweaks within our legal system. Yes, even to allow "gay marriage" with the privileges of marriage accorded to those who do it. This should have been done in a relatively quiet, low-profile way, merely to bestow sensible legal protections. 

Does anyone get married in a "church" any more? I said to a lawyer friend of mine "marriage is just a legal thing." Many in my boomer generation got married too young and went through unpleasant, read hellish divorces. A high school classmate friend of mine said "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy." Praise God I never experienced it, never risked it. To this day I have never even joined a woman for a cup of coffee. In theory I would very much like to. I am profoundly scared. 

I digress here which is my license for writing online. The gay rights cause burgeoned with a flow of letters to the editor in our Morris newspaper. Seemed like everyone was just overreacting to the issue. Whenever anyone discovers problems in their own family with a gay person who has felt abused by society, there is immediate sympathy for that family member, not scorn. It's just like when a family member (i.e. close relative) is in position to deal with a problem pregnancy that could be life-threatening, all of a sudden the whole flag-waving "pro-life" thing is out the window. 

So why can't people extrapolate this kind of empathy for everyone? Locally, we saw people associated with our U of M-Morris basically go nuts on the gay rights question. It was totally out of bounds. The collateral damage from that was with our "moderate" or "calm" churches like FLC, Faith Lutheran and Federated. We became seen as bland and even offensive in the eyes of those who were sickened by being exposed to so much talk about "sexual preference." 

People got alienated by the "gay rights crusaders." And I don't blame them. The crusaders and (literal) flag-wavers were seizing on the issue in a way that was totally wayward, out of bounds. The local newspaper manager had to announce "we aren't publishing any more letters to the editor unless there are new developments." There was such a flood. 

All society needed was minor adjustments with laws to properly accommodate people who were gay. Just like we need laws to accommodate women who might be imperiled by a problem pregnancy. It is the Good Shepherd people and all their ilk that have set the stage for a new presidential term of Donald J. Trump. 

Once this momentum got started, I could see that nothing was going to stop it. People were wasting so much time listening to the usual suspects on "talk radio," time wasted because everything those guys said could have been scripted in advance. I check it out myself just to confirm that it's continuing. 

So just because of a few "social issues," we have acceded power to this dangerous person DJT who will do God knows what in a new term. 

What would Rev. Cliff Grindland RIP say? Well he wasn't perfect either. He was a Nixon Republican. This nation desperately needs Bernie Sanders. Would that we could have Kamala Harris.

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

BOLD's second half defense overcomes MACA

The Tigers of BBB visited Bird Island Thursday and came up shy of victory. The score was 54-47 with the orange and black having the 47. It is very rare that I can find a thorough game summary from the other media within 24 hours after a game. This is one of those occasions where I can feel quite happy: the West Central Tribune on its website this morning (Friday) has a reasonably thorough review. This was their standard practice in a past time. 

Officially we are no longer in the WC Trib's coverage radius, unless they have made a decision at this time to change that. We'll see. I am unable to influence the affairs around me. But you have to admit: I am still "media." 

The BOLD coach described the game as a real battle. He cited his team's second half defense as a factor leading to victory. BOLD is into a challenging stretch of its schedule. 

Alex Asmus supplied thrills for the Tigers with his four 3-pointers. He used these to build his team-leading point total of 12. Hey, the 3-pointers provided all those 12! My arithmetic is good enough. 

Our other Asmus, Riley, made one 3-pointer as did Ben Tiernan, Tyson Grove and Tyler Friesen. Alex and Riley finished with 12 and 9 points respectively. Tiernan and Grove each finished with seven. Friesen and Drew Huebner each posted five, and Jack Kehoe put in two. 

Perhaps I should withhold some of my praise for the Willmar paper: the other stat categories have "N/A" (not available). At least we did not see the "stats not available" message as we so often do. And to think that sportswriting standards were so high for me back in my newspaper days. 

BOLD's top scorer was Jack Gross: 20 points. He and Will Penkert, the latter with 18 points, carried the load for the victorious Warriors. Here's the rest of the list: Tyler Ruschen 5, Daylan Weber 4, Hudson Vosika 4 and Owen Baumgartner 3. 

Penkert was sharp from beyond the 3-point arc: four makes. Weber and Ruschen each made one '3'. We have the other stats for the Warriors, so we see Gross with eleven rebounds followed by Penkert and Weber each with five. Vosika had five assists and Weber three. Vosika stole the ball three times and Gross had one steal. Baumgartner had one blocked shot.

Donnie Eich

Donnie Eich RIP

We lost Donnie Eich recently, who among other blessings was a super local sports fan. He didn't need to have kids in the programs to have intense interest. I know he had opinions, not always approving of how certain programs were going, but I wasn't aware of him ever coming across as unpleasant. 

I should explain here that his interest spread to the UMM Cougars most enthusiastically. I'd show up for women's basketball games in the 1980s and '90s and see him up along the top row of bleachers. He didn't have to sit so far away but he just liked that spot. 

Women's basketball still showed some signs of growing pains in the 1980s. Indeed it took quite some time before it was really on equal footing with men's. People back then probably would have been skeptical about the women's version gaining full parity.

We all know what eventually happened: Women's basketball took its final steps to achieving equal status due to one individual from Iowa. You might assume that such a player would have to be big or tall. "CC" does not stand out by either of those yardsticks. 

You can argue that it's unfair we had to wait so long for one individual to really be the catalyst. Many things in life are unfair. The satisfaction now should be ample given how the women's game has totally "arrived." I can tell you the won-lost record of the U of Minnesota women's team. Prior to this season I could not have done that.

The Gophers beat Illinois. Illinois beat Iowa yesterday. So my goodness, what anticipation for the early-February game of MN vs. Iowa! It will be at Williams Arena.

 

A dispassionate eye

Mr. Eich would clutch his game program and he'd take notes on it. People will remember him as being so supportive. But he was fully capable of expressing discontent when the high school programs were maddeningly struggling. He was aware of the background.

Through the various vicissitudes, Donnie Eich had a great time following MAHS and UMM athletics. And special kudos to him for following the UMM women. He was ahead of his time. I always found him to be fundamentally pleasant. I would have visited him at West Wind Village if covid had not come along. Carl Moser too, most definitely. Because of covid I still do not go out there. I don't want to take any chances for the sake of the brittle residents. 

I hope to see Donnie in the next life if I end up in the same place as him. The UMM P.E. Center? It would have to be like that. He'd be happiest there. Don and his "butch" haircut with hair. Jerry Witt once said to me "we're all aware of each other" (those with this haircut). Ah, the "Sergeant Carter" look (from 1960s TV). 

Donnie told me he once attended a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game at the storied Ebbets Field. He did this while being in the service. Ebbets came to be so romanticized. So I asked him his impression of the place. "It was a dump," he said. Well, landmarks on the East coast tend to be overrated, although this is not as true as it once was. 

Donnie Eich RIP. He was a denizen of Pacific Avenue in Morris. Pacific Avenue shows signs of wear and tear but it has personality. Morris was originally planned for Atlantic and Pacific Avenues to be totally equal. Didn't quite turn out that way. I wish the LaGrand Hotel  had been left standing. 

I once heard that when Donnie was young, the ladies were quite enthralled with him!

Ebbets Field, Brooklyn

An update re. UMM

I'll share here an email I sent to Jim Morrison this morning, Friday, and initially I talk about the "jobs report." Oh, "good news," righr? Actually no, from the standpoint of the stock market. So I comment on this with Jim and then I move on to a subject of great local pertinence: the status of UMM which cannot be described as real encouraging. At some peril to myself I ask you to read:

 

Jim - So, a good jobs report is out this morning and it's a DISASTER from the standpoint of the stock market which is the only thing we are supposed to care about. Strange times. And I am sick of hearing every day these reports on the ODDS of what the Fed will do next. Every friggin' day. Oh, the odds are now such-and-such of a certain Fed decision. Like it's a big casino which maybe it is. Again, WHY DON'T WE JUST WAIT to see what the Fed does and then deal with it? Jerome Powell himself is a terrible offender with his sweeping projections of what the Fed is likely to do. He could just stay quiet. What difference would it make? When we were young, the Fed was about the most boring subject out there. I don't get it.

I'm getting in trouble again locally because now I'm expressing concern about changes in the UMM music dept. In this town we're supposed to just shut up unless we want to praise all the administrators. Starting this next semester, UMM music ensembles will be a combo of students and COMMUNITY. Crookston has done it like this for some time, but THAT'S CROOKSTON. They only offer a music minor. Looks like UMM is headed that way too. And we have this huge cavernous HFA building on campus which feels more empty all the time. 

What a surprise for all this to be happening. I have inquired about becoming a benefactor for music at the Twin Cities campus. I have communicated with a "big city" U person, the land of George Floyd. But the locals got wind of that and now I'm shutting up about it. I still live here. Morris, where never is heard a discouraging word.

- BW

MACA misses "bunnies," falls to KMS

She scores 24

It isn't just "Saints" it's "Fighting Saints." Reminds me of the old hockey team that was set up to draw some attention from the Minnesota "North Stars." Wait, you don't remember the North Stars? Green and gold? With Bill Goldsworthy and the "Goldy Shuffle?" I remember the upstart Fighting Saints getting commensurate attention with the North Stars on Twin Cities media. 

But I certainly digress here. That's what happens when nostalgia tugs at me sometimes. 

We are stressing the Fighting Saints of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg today, Wednesday, another most chilly day in the northland. KMS is turning heads in girls basketball. Neal Hofland reminded me just now that they are undefeated. 

And who was their most recent opponent? It was our MACA Tigers. And we did not fare any better than any of the other KMS foes (victims). MACA was the victim in a 59-47 loss at the hands of the Fighting Saints on Tuesday. The game was here in Motown. 

Another fine job by the local YouTube broadcast crew. Who pays for all that? A knowledgeable friend told me this morning he's pretty sure it's "The Sports Boosters." 

It's only 9 a.m. but I have already picked up a lot this morning from Neal and this other individual. Sometimes this is the best way to gather news. 

"Sports Boosters" would be a private source. So I responded by saying school stuff seems to be increasingly supported by private $. And that is wonderful, I would opine. Definitely more accountability. High quality standards are a given. As opposed to what? As opposed to the old government monopoly sense about our public schools. My, how that could be depressing. The people who work inside such a system get "ossified." They are defensive, self-centered (and self-important) and can be downright rude, in-your-face. I have seen a fair amount of that in my lifetime. 

The YouTube on behalf of MACA Tiger sports is totally inspired by comparison. I think this helps keep standards high for team performances too. Nothing wrong with a little pressure to win, although I remember a time when the school faculty would gnash their teeth at such a thought. "School is about academics, not sports." Well, go sit under a cow. 

 

KMS 59, Tigers 47

Congrats to KMS having such a stellar season. How stellar? The Fighting Saints are 11-0. They have won all seven times at home, but on Tuesday their success was here in Motown for our fans to appreciate. Here's how the Saints have done in some other recent games: 57-48 over Monte, 68-30 over Benson and 71-58 over Lakeview. Hofland told me this morning (when we often see each other at DeToy's) that "we missed too many 'bunnies.' " That's the way it goes sometimes. 

KMS led at halftime 35-29. We were still in it. 

The big gun for the Saints was Acelynn Hacker with 24 points. She connected three times on 3-pointers. Leah Wagner scored 14 and made one '3'. Then we see the Luft girls - Mamie and Maddie - Mamie with nine points and Maddie with seven. Emily Zurn had three points with her 3-pointer, and Emily Wagner scored two. The Luft girls led on the boards, each with 12 rebounds. 

Mamie Luft led in assists with five. Hacker stole the ball three times. Maddie Luft blocked three shots. 

I am assuming the Lufts are sisters. This is another of those cases where a newspaper cannot use first initials to distinguish between sisters! The West Central Tribune went with "Mam." and "Mad." but I would suggest it isn't worth the trouble - yours truly would just type out the full names each time. 

Oh my goodness, the WC Trib short-shrifts MACA again! They have "stats not available" for Motown. This happens all the time. Aren't we all getting sick of it? If I didn't know any better, I'd think the MACA coaching staff was negligent. But I think it's a case of the WC Trib not wanting to put itself out for MACA. 

I just wish the Morris coaches would find an online home for posting game stats on a timely basis, like within 24 hours after a game. We cannot rely on the Morris newspaper. We used to get good service from the radio station and its website when Brett Miller was at the station. All good things come to an end? 

The KMS game was played on Tuesday, so when will a wrap appear in the Morris paper? Next Tuesday? Unacceptable.

Lakers excel again

The Minnewaska Area girls express keeps rumbling along. On Tuesday the story was an overwhelming 86-28 win over Benson. The Benson Braves? Apparently so. 

You didn't need to be a psychic to predict the outcome of this game at 'Waska. Minnewaska fans could just sit back and enjoy. The Lakers got on top 52-10 by halftime.

How much longer will Benson be the "Braves?" 

This was a night for Alia Randt to really shine. This Laker made four 3-pointers and scored 20 points. Lauryn Ankeny was right behind with 19 points and she made one '3'. Lauren Stryhn, a name I am not familiar with, made double figures with her 11 points, so congrats Lauren. Sydney Dahl's contribution was nine. 

Also scoring: Megan Thorfinnson 8, Jayda Kolstoe 6, Carly Jergenson 5, Amber Peabody 4, Addyson Kath 2 and Olivia Danielson 2. Stryn joined the long-range shooting attack with three 3-pointers. Thorfinnson and Jergenson each made one '3'. 

Thorfinnson with her six rebounds led there. Her three assists led there. Oh and she was tops in steals too: 6. Randt, Stryn and Dahl each had one blocked shot. 

The Lakers now own a 10-2 record.

Click on the link below to read my summary of the Lakers' big 79-22 win over Rocori. This post is on my companion blog "Morris of Course." Minnewaska is special too, "of course."

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/01/lakers-crush-another-opponent-rocori.html 

 

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

Surging 'Waska handles WC Area at home

Lauryn Ankeny, a steals whiz

The Minnewaska girls keep piling it on with impressive margins of victory. So on Friday we saw the Lakers roll up a 68-33 win over an outmanned West Central Area team at home. The success kept the Lakers' home record perfect at 5-0. Their overall mark is 8-2. In conference it's 3-1. 

The Friday success came after three other decisive wins. The Lakers turned back Paynesville 57-17, Melrose 69-26 and Minneota 70-41. Quite the express the Lakers have going, out by beautiful Lake Minnewaska. The romp vs. WC Area was in the home setting. 

The 68-33 win over the Knights saw a halftime score of 48-21. 

Three Lakers finished in double figures scoring led by Megan Thorfinnson with 19 points. Sydney Dahl poured in 17 and Olivia Danielson 14. This group was complemented by four of their mates: Addyson Kath 7, Lauryn Ankeny 5, Jayda Kolstoe 3 and Alia Randt 3. 

Thorfinnson built her total with the help of two 3-pointers. Kath, Kolstoe and Randt each made one from beyond the arc. 

Dahl with her seven rebounds topped that category. Kath dished out two assists. Steal leaders were Thorfinnson and Ankeny each with four. Ankeny seems to have a knack for steals - I have noticed that over time.

Paige Bueckers

OK, on to college

Wouldn't Paige Bueckers look super in a Minnesota Gophers uniform now? I have to try to visualize that based on the rise of the Gophers women to super-competitive status. What a delight to watch the Gophers at present. "Our beloved rodents" as Patrick Reusse sometimes refers to the student-athletes, disposed of Illinois Sunday in a pretty closely-contested game. 

Meanwhile Paige Bueckers who is a most vaunted female athlete was busy representing the "UConn Huskies." UConn has quite the status in college women's hoops. But at present I think the Gophers could challenge them or anyone else really. 

Bueckers is a Minnesota native. So it's logical to try to speculate how she could have turned out as a UM Gopher. Perhaps she had issues with our program? If this was during the Whalen coaching era, well maybe that would be understandable. Didn't Whalen have an ignominious departure from the U? Awkward? Halting? Too bad our U could not have saved face a little better over that. The U is fundamentally halting at times. Or at least this has historically been the case. 

If things have been patched up now, that's terrific. Keep fingers crossed. Our biggest triumph this year might be if we can be competitive against U of Iowa! And I most certainly think this is in the cards. 

There is another big reason why I'm thinking about Bueckers today (Monday). Man, she was in a most concerning injury situation yesterday in the game versus Villanova. Villanova is where Iowa star Lucy Olsen played previously. 

Villanova on Sunday was no match for UConn. I don't care much for the UConn coach. He rubs me the wrong way. He had Bueckers on the floor late in the third quarter when UConn was completely on top and running away with it. 

So there's a loose ball. Bueckers, probably not feeling real intense given the circumstances at that point, reached down for it. A Villanova player meanwhile dove for the ball. The result was the Villanova player rolling up Bueckers' ankle. Some fans are faulting the Villanova player. I have examined the video several times and I do not fault her. 

There is a lesson here: When you cease giving 100 percent in a game, maybe you become more susceptible to injury. Bueckers did not have to give 100 percent. I guess she cannot be faulted for how she was playing. But she sure got hurt. I guess more will be known today. But right now I'd say the odds are about 80 percent it's a season-ending injury for this player who seems rather made of porcelain. Yes she has an injury background. 

I wonder if her whole story would have turned out better if she had played for Minnesota. She'd look terrific in a Gophers uniform to be sure. Maybe she could lead us to the Final 4. Actually I think the quality is there to make a bid for the elite anyway! I hope this establishes a new norm for the U women's program. 

Meanwhile Lindsay Whalen has settled in as an assistant for Cheryl Reeve with the Lynx. I don't think Whalen can do any harm there. She was a super player but this does not automatically transfer to coaching success. I remember when our high school here in Morris hired a former UMM women's superstar for basketball. Well the historical record speaks for itself.

Grace Grocholski

Gophers 68, Illinois 61

This was a come-from-behind win for the U on Sunday. The atmosphere was electric at Williams Arena in the afternoon as the U succeeded with a come-from-behind flair. We had to fight back from an 11-point hole. Hey, we are now 15-1! 

I am not going to even try to type our head coach's last name, sorry. All that matters re. the coach is that she's doing her job. Mission accomplished! I can easily type her first name: Dawn. Already I find her more likeable than the UConn coach. 

Dawn is in her second year coaching the Gophs. 

Our top scorer Sunday was Grace Grocholski with 19 points. Annika Stewart poured in 11 in her reserve role, and Tori McKinney put in 11 also. Mallory Heyer led us in boards with ten. We can only imagine what Bueckers could be adding to this team. Maybe we don't need her? She turned her back on her home state.

Iowa fought out of a big hole vs. Maryland Sunday but still came up just short at Carver Arena.

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