Girls exit from post-season too fast

Well, that was fast. The MACA girls basketball team, capable of supplying lots of excitement through the 2017-18 winter with three-point shooting and other attributes, exited from the post-season quickly. It's discouraging. We fell to the Minnewaska Area Lakers in a 58-44 final. The game was played on Monday, Feb. 26, at 'Waska. We're in Section 3AA.
Depressing also was the next day's Willmar sports section which had two sentences of coverage. The second sentence was this: "No other details about the game were provided by press time." Is the sports editor spending too much time smoking cigarettes or what?
The season did in fact have its highlights for the orange and black. Often we'd make three-pointers. We had post talent with Malory Anderson. I never personally watched the team play but I enjoyed following them. Now that MACA is done, how can we properly acknowledge "March madness?" We can hope for some success by the MACA boys. Unless the boys surprise us, don't expect their post-season to last too long either.
The boys did impress on Monday with a 56-39 win over Montevideo on the road. Will that presage things? The win left our W/L record just under .500 at 12-13. Monte struggles with a 3-20 mark. Jaret Johnson made two 3-pointers and led us in scoring with 16 points. Jackson Loge and Connor Koebernick each made one '3'. Camden Arndt came through with ten points. Koebernick and Loge each put in nine points. Tate Nelson added six points to the mix and Kyle Staebler scored four.
(The individual totals in the Willmar paper add up to 54 points, not 56.)
Loge and Arndt led in rebounds, each with six. Arndt with his eight assists led there. Johnson was tops in steals with three. The Tigers led at halftime 27-25.
For Monte, Jackson Snell and Cole Sandven led in scoring with 13 and 10 points respectively. Adam Root scored four points. These Thunder Hawks each scored two: Blaine Sederstrom, Christian Riley, Isaac Hoogeveen, Thomas O'Malley and Josh Kinman. The list wraps up with Hunter Ward and his one point.
(These individual totals from the Willmar paper add up to 38 points, not 39.)
Sandven connected twice from three-point range and Snell made one long-ranger. Snell and Henry Strunc each had five rebounds. Snell executed two assists. Sederstrom stole the ball three times.
 
What about girls' future?
Any time a prep team loses in the first round of post-season, the conversation should be wide open for speculation on whether the coach should stay or step aside. No one should feel inhibited. I felt we were underachieving when Lauren Reimers was playing, and now we have some quite impressive individuals making their mark. But losing in the first round? It certainly seems deflating. Could someone else be given a shot at coaching this team?
I remember in the 1980s, how slow the Morris girls athletic programs were in getting up to snuff. It was like molasses. There are always exceptions to a general rule, and in the '80s we had a softball program coached by Mary Holmberg that could reach great heights. Holmberg could not duplicate that success in basketball. Our girls volleyball was lagging too. Basketball and volleyball are the highest profile sports.
We saw some small schools in the Morris area set very high standards in the high profile girls sports. We saw massive fan turnouts at the P.E. Center for teams other than Morris, teams like Wheaton and Hancock. Hancock was a story unto itself. A whole book night be written about that. Actually one was, by the coach who made his unique mark on Stevens County athletics. That coach/scribe was Dennis Courneya who wrote "Sudden Death Overtime." He praised that Halvorson guy of the Alexandria paper but didn't mention me. Oh, I'm so hurt! But I'd rather be in my shoes than in Courneya's, because I have no prison record in my personal background. Yes, Courneya was found to have crossed quite the line, Roy Moore style. Moore hasn't spent time in prison. In fact he came rather close to getting elected to the U.S. Senate. Congratulations Republicans, you almost got him pushed over the top.
The Stevens County Museum should ensure that the heyday of the Hancock girls basketball program gets preserved in an effective way. Regardless of the coach's misadventures, which were substantial, the Owls were rather a phenomenon with their nonstop running and pressure approach. Wheaton under coach Earl Steffens made its mark too, supported by that "sea of red" of fans. I used that term more than once and then I heard Janet Karvonen use it on TV, making me wonder if she'd read my work!
Wheaton had Sondra Weick who'd end up coming to UMM and playing very well. At that time I covered the UMM women. There was no UMM website with its high standards for coverage and PR. Those were different times. They were actually more relaxed times. I miss some of it.
Morris girls athletics in the 1980s needed a jump start. If we weren't going to win, we at least needed hope. Hope seemed elusive. Finally Chris Baxter came along and generated a 15-10 record with the volleyball team. This success made many Morris faculty members nervous. Fans needed patience but we finally righted ourselves. Today if Morris plays Wheaton in girls basketball or volleyball, it's just an ordinary game and either team can win - and that's the way it should be! In the 1980s such a matchup might have ended up as a political spectacle.
I was troubled that Morris community leaders, however you might want to define that network, didn't apply pressure to achieve progress faster. I was there and watched it all along. Mary Holmberg was great for advocating for equal resources for girls athletics. She didn't seem as committed, in my eyes, to setting high standards for competitive advancement. Dennis Rettke was a leader when the turnaround came, but even that turnaround was halting at times. Politics, friendships and political bonds had to be overcome.
Today the environment seems quite acceptable. But losing in the first round of post-season is never something we should feel comfortable with. If one thing doesn't work, try something else. It's just sports, it's just fun. In some years when Morris loses early, I start writing about New London-Spicer, that great program coached by Mike Dreier. I'll see what I feel like doing.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Kannegiesser & Nienhaus spur Owls in home win

Hancock got its 20th win in boys hoops action on Friday (2/23). Playing at home, the surging Owls entertained with a 75-68 win over Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. There was another milestone - it's connected to a superstar type of player in the HHS fold. It's Noah Kannegiesser. Noah's 51 points broke his own school record!
What an exhibition of stellar play by Kannegiesser: ten 3-pointers! He was a complementary player too as he racked up five assists. When Noah wasn't busy burning the nets, Bennett Nienhaus had impact as this Owl scored 17 points. Kannegiesser and Nienhaus scored all but seven of the Owls' points. Daniel Milander scored three points while Connor Reese and Peyton Rohloff each scored two.
Kannegiesser with his ten 3's was followed in that department by Nienhaus with three and Milander with one. Rebound leaders were Rohloff with nine and Kannegiesser with six. These three Owls each had a steal: Nienhaus, Milander and Koehl. Hancock was up 42-34 at halftime.
The visiting Saints of KMS had four players score in double figures: Weston Gjerde (15), Josh Peterson (13), Ethan Hauge (12) and Regan Carlson (11). Brandon Rasmusson scored five points and Noah Thorson two.
Unfortunately there's another problem with info in the Willmar paper. Those individual KMS totals add up to 58 points, not 68. It's unfortunate how often this happens.
To resume: KMS was pretty proficient from long range with four players hitting 3's: Gjerde and Carlson each with two and Hauge and Rasmusson each with one. Hauge snared five rebounds to lead. Rasmusson and Gjerde each had five assists. Three Saints each had two steals: Isaac Call, Gjerde and Carlson.
The Owls entered the weekend with a sterling 20-2 record. Terrific memories are being made, certainly. All that's missing is the electric guitar music of the late Roger Clarke's son!
 
Hancock girls: Owls 39, Brandon-Evansville 29
The game had quite a low-scoring complexion when the Owls took the court to play Brandon-Evansville in GBB action. The Owls scored 39 points but that was enough to win. The defense came to the forefront in this game with a 39-29 final score.
Fans at the home gym enjoyed on Thursday, Feb. 22. The win was No. 13 for the HHS crew. The halftime score was 23-17 with the Owls up. B-E is having a .500 type of campaign.
Lexi Staples topped the Owls' scoring list with 13 points. Here's the rest of the list: Tess Steiner (8), Haley Mattson (6), Ashlyn Mattson (5), Rylee Hanson (3) and Morgan Kisgen (3).
These totals from the Willmar paper add up to 38 points, not 39.
Ashlyn Mattson and Staples each made a three-pointer. Ashlyn with her ten rebounds led in that category. Steiner was the top assist producer with four. Plus, she led in steals with four. None of the B-E Chargers scored in double figures. Here's their list: Sara Jacobson (7), Madison Quinn (7), Allie Satterlee (6), Megan Lauthen (3), Kristin Kokett (2) and Mikenra Pattrin (4). Jacobson had the Chargers' only '3'.
 
MACA boys: Tigers 62, Benson 38
Benson didn't put up much of a challenge against the MACA Tigers in Thursday BBB play. The orange and black shot out to a 32-18 lead by halftime. Then the Tigers outscored the Braves by ten in the second half, 30-20, so the game's final score was 62-38. The action was here in Motown.
My, Benson is having a winless campaign. It seems in general, Benson has had tough sledding in sports over the recent past. We hope they can right their ship a little. As for our Tigers, the won-lost mark is 11-13, not quite as good as what fans would like.
We had three players in double figures scoring: Camden Arndt (13), Jackson Loge (11) and Tate Nelson (10). Jaret Johnson scored six points followed by Connor Koebernick and Chandler Vogel each with five. Kyle Staebler and Kevin Asfeld each put in four points. Wrapping up the list are Tyler Reimers and Judah Malek each with two. Nelson and Johnson each made two 3-pointers while Koebernick made one.
Loge snared seven rebounds to lead. Arndt and Vogel each dished out four assists. Arndt and Nelson each had four steals.
The Benson scoring list was topped by Austin Ose and his 13 points. Sam Lundebrek scored eight points followed by Eric Hoium and Hunter Gonnerman each with six. Matt Goossen scored three points, and Jonas Habben and Kaden Schmidt had one each. Goossen made the only 3-pointer for the Braves. Lundebrek was tops in rebounds with five. Devon Liles had Benson's only assist. Ose and Gonnerman each stole the ball twice.
Click on the link below to read about the MACA boys' loss to Sisseton on Feb. 19. This post also covers the Hancock girls' win over Rothsay. The post is on my companion website, "Morris of Course." - Thanks for reading.

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/02/johnson-arndt-score-well-but-its-defeat.html

 
What about school safety?
The media are full of talk about preventing school violence. Good causes are easy to pinpoint. Solutions get awfully complicated and nuanced. Kids can make outlandish statements because, well, they're kids. We intervene with the proper resources. Make counselors and psychologists available. But where do we draw the line for pulling kids away from the flock and isolating them, so as to not risk a terrible incident?
Hindsight is so easy as with the Florida madman (or kid) who went on his rampage. But law enforcement people will say that kids with issues are common, kids who might be said to be threatening. But what ones are truly threatening? What ones are just blowing off steam or venting because of the anxieties of youth/adolescence.
I will predict tight now that a large number of kids who are basically innocent are going to be caught in the web of a crackdown. That's what always happens with these crackdowns as with child molestation in the early 1980s or the current situation with elder abuse. Cases where guilt is clear must be aggressively addressed. But of course there are other cases in a gray area or where innocence can be easily pronounced. TV documentaries have been done about the innocent people caught in the web of the molestation thrust. Elderly people present a number of issues that are difficult to judge. Heaven help us if we think we can set some sort of standard of perfection for nursing homes. What about drugs that are administered just to make certain seniors easier to manage? Is that practical or ethical? See the issues we get into?
What about kids who say silly, impulsive things but who do not intend to do anything bad? Some of these kids, if treated harshly, could have the whole future course of their lives altered.
Teachers with guns? Forget it. We now hear there was more than one deputy in Florida that stayed outside the school during the carnage. Was it an easy solution for all those law enforcement dudes to race into the building with guns brandished? I would suggest that the more guns that are present, the more risks. The shooter is not going to cooperate in getting shot.
The AR-15 simply has to be banned. The deputies had inferior firepower.
I'll repeat my suggestion from earlier: let kids age 15 and older just do their studies from home, using the Internet.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

No glowing eulogy for Billy Graham from me

Big news this morning (2/21) is that Billy Graham has passed on. Boomers remember him as representing Christianity when we were young. He held what amounted to "pep rallies" on TV.
I have always felt some cynicism about the man. I felt that corporate America propped him up as a way to keep the working class submissive. Just keep working hard in your miserable lives, "accept Christ" and you'll eventually be in heaven where you can escape the ennui.
My generation associated Graham with our parents. We knew what side of the generation gap he was on. He kissed up to presidents. He'd kiss up to Donald Trump today and try to rationalize away Trump's offensive personal behavior/statements. Isn't that what Franklin Graham does? Franklin doesn't pretend to embrace the wide public, he's a southern style of fundamentalist.
Billy surely strived to reach the broad public - it was his mother's milk. Imagine being able to attract a stadium full of people. Imagine being able to invite Johnny Cash and June Carter as your musical guests. Johnny and June saw that as a gold mine for themselves, I'm sure.
Yes I'm cynical. Billy Graham put forth Christ and God as our solution for everything, at a time when young men all across the U.S. had to fear getting a conscription letter. "Greetings."
Vietnam was the extremely dark backdrop for my growing-up years. So was entertainment TV on the "Big 3" networks when shows had to be crafted so as to appeal to everyone. We all now know, thanks to disclosed taped conversations, that Billy Graham blamed the Jews for much that was considered bad in entertainment. You can accurately say he was anti-Semitic.
I'll repeat what I've written before: I have had little contact with Jews in my life, and it's possible I had contact with people I didn't know were Jews. Maybe the popular resentment stems from how ambitious they are. Well, don't our local Apostolic Christian people have the same reputation? Ambition?
"They value education," my friend Ray Staley (retired from Florida State University, Tallahassee) once told me about Jewish people. Seems like a quite admirable trait. Do Jews practice exclusion? I imagine other groups within the population do so as well.
Billy Graham was notorious for kissing up to "Tricky Dick," Dick Nixon. This removes any doubt as to where he stood in the generation gap. Years later the evangelist was challenged on whether Nixon took advantage of him and his power. "I don't think he did, although some of the people around him may have," I remember him responding. Let's think of the cast of characters in Watergate. Watergate may have reflected evil intent but it also reflected sheer ridiculousness. It's almost embarrassing to see a movie or read about it because it was a phenomenon associated with the boomers' growing-up years, and with our parents - bless them despite their short-sightedness.
While most of us were planning our lives and seeking happiness, the Beltway was enmeshed in this cloak and dagger drama where the efforts of the principals didn't seem worth the trouble.
Graham didn't mince words about Jews. Let's be clear: in 1972 when yours truly was 17 years old, the great evangelist sat in a conversation with Nixon and one of those Watergate celebrities (eventually), H.R. Haldeman. Nixon raised a topic that he said couldn't be broached publicly, at least not in a palatable way. The topic was Jewish influence in Hollywood and the media. From the perspective of Nixon, Graham and their ilk, Jewish people were either in the primary roles or acting as "puppetmasters" for the front men like anchor David Brinkley. But it always came down to the Jews.
Nixon makes his point and then Graham responds: "This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain." Nixon then says "you believe that?" And Graham says "yes sir." Were they suggesting that TV fare like "The Beverly Hillbillies" were somehow subversive? TV used to be full of stuff that seemed devoid of substance, which is why Newton Minow famously used the term "vast wasteland." It's why we talked about "the boob tube."
Someone on C-Span recently commented that if you used the term "boob tube" today, people would be puzzled. Times change. Contestants on the old "Match Game" - we loved Gene Rayburn and his long microphone! - would prompt audience laughter when suggesting answers relating to excess alcoholic beverage consumption. No one laughs now.
Graham was unequivocal in his anti-Jew bias. There was no point paying attention to his later apology, given when his health was deteriorating. We learn today he was 99 at the time of death. It's not really "sad" when someone age 99 dies. It's something to be expected. Graham can now see if heaven really is that exhilarating escape place like for the throngs of middle class slobs who attended his pretentious rallies.
Did a cat get Graham's tongue when it came to speaking out on Vietnam? Would that have been so hard? We learned in 1989 of a memo Graham once sent to Nixon re. that war. It originated as a secret letter from Graham in 1969, sent after the evangelist met in Bangkok with missionaries from Vietnam. These "men of God" said that if peace talks fell through, Nixon should get aggressive and bomb the dikes. Graham felt that act would destroy the economy of North Vietnam.
Let's understand that Graham was supporting a policy to the president that on Nixon's own estimate would kill a million people. Would female leaders even think in these terms? Men do. Men destroy things and people, whereas women are nurturers. Were any World War II leaders or generals women?
The German high commander in occupied Holland got the death sentence for breaching dikes in Holland. He was executed. We excoriated Saddam Hussein for allegedly having chemical weapons hidden away. But didn't the U.S. use chemical weapons in Vietnam? Didn't the effects of those chemicals, like a time bomb, ruin the lives and cause the deaths of our own troops?
Billy Graham could have been described in the context of war criminal. Yeah, while the FBI surveilled Martin Luther King Jr. We are so human an animal.
When Billy Graham arrives at St. Peter's gate, I suspect he'll be evaluated like everyone else. May God have mercy on his soul. We can pray that Franklin becomes more temperate in his thoughts and opinions. Franklin kept his distance from Barack Obama. I'll take Barack Obama over the Grahams anytime.
 
"Have you met thy Lord, my son?"
"Have you been dead before, father?"
- Toba Beta
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Decker goes to the well with 3-pointers in win

The MACA girls came down the home stretch of the regular season with a narrow win over Melrose. Our stock rose with a 49-47 win over Melrose at home.
The February 16 contest saw Riley Decker score 15 points with all of them coming from three-point range. Yes, five successes by this Tiger from beyond the three-point line. Liz Dietz made two 3-pointers and Maddie Carrington made one.
It was anybody's ballgame all the way through as the margin was one point at halftime with Melrose up, 26-25. Then we found the momentum to outscore the Dutchmen 24-21 in second half play. Our attack had an iron man look as just five Tigers scored led by Decker and her 15 points. Dietz was No. 2 with her eleven points and Malory Anderson scored ten. Carrington had a point total of nine and Carly Wohlers had four.
Post player Anderson topped the rebound list with eight. Dietz and Jenna Howden each grabbed four rebounds. In assists it was Carrington and Decker leading, each with three. Decker had an aggressive stance on the court and stole the ball eight times. Carrington achieved three steals.
Let's take a look at the Melrose stats. Here we see just four players making the scoring list. Makayla Luetmer was in the groove to score 19 points. Cassie Klaphake poured in eleven. Then it was Mia Meyer with nine points and Ashley Rademacher with eight. Klaphake made two 3-pointers and Luetmer made one. We steamed out of this game with a 15-9 record while Melrose owned 13-11 numbers.
Some of my recent Tiger sports coverage has been on my companion website, "Morris of Course." Click on the link below to read about the MACA girls' 52-41 win over Sisseton SD. This post also reviews the boys' defeat vs. BOLD, 62-58. Also: the boys' win by three over New London-Spicer in overtime, 69-66. Thanks for reading. I started a second site so that none of my sites would get "clogged" with sports, though I surely enjoy writing about sports.

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/02/home-fans-cheer-maca-girls-as-they-win.html

 
Boys: Sauk Centre 52, Tigers 50
The Sauk Centre court was the site for this Friday hoops action. Our Jaret Johnson led all scorers on the night with his 19 points. But it was the host Streeters coming out on top, led by the 1-2 punch of the Schirmers boys, Ryan and Casey.
The Schirmers boys came at the Tigers with a combined 30 points, Ryan with 16 and Casey with 14. The two were complemented by these Streeter mates: Cade Neubert (nine points), Alex Kowski (6), Matt Traeger (5) and Jacob Jennissen (3). Ryan Schirmers connected for three 3-pointers while Casey Schirmers made two. Traeger succeeded once from three-point range.
Jennissen and Neubert led in rebounds with eight and seven, respectively. Three Streeters each had two assists: Ryan Schirmers, Kowski and Neubert. Neubert had two steals. Sauk Centre led by four points at halftime, 30-26. The final score was 52-50.
Johnson with his 19 points for the Tigers was followed by these teammates: Tate Nelson (15), Jackson Loge (10), Connor Koebernick (4) and Camden Arndt (2). Nelson made four 3-pointers and Johnson made three. Our top three rebounders were Loge (7), Arndt (6) and Koebernick (5). Chandler Vogel and Kyle Staebler each had two assists. Koebernick and Loge each stole the ball three times.
 
Hancock boys: Owls 87, WHN 52
The reward was the Pheasant Conference title when the high-flying Owls downed Wheaton-Herman-Norcross on Friday. Noah Kannegiesser scored 29 points but he wasn't dominant as he sometimes is. Bennett Nienhaus came through with 27 points. The two Owls drained 13 three-pointers between them, Nienhaus having seven of those and Kannegiesser six.
Kannegiesser and Nienhaus were part of a big cast of scoring contributors for the Owls. Here's the rest of the list: Connor Reese (7), Daniel Milander (6), Jordan Peterson (4), Tyler Timmerman (4), Cole Reese (3), Mason Schmidgall (3), Peyton Rohloff (2) and Parker Schmidgall (2). Top rebounders were Peyton Rohloff with seven and Nienhaus with six. Kannegiesser with his eight assists topped that list, while Reese (first name not reported in Willmar paper) had four.
Kannegiesser is often a marquee scorer but the stats show him having impact in many ways like in steals where he had eight on Friday.
Hancock was in control at halftime, up 49-22. The Owls' win was their 19th against just two losses. WHN is having a struggling campaign.
The Warriors had just five players score led by Matthew Thielen with 20 points. He was followed by Nelson Schmidt (12), Zach Stueve (11), D. Fuentes (7) and Z. Braaten (2). (The latter two names had first initials only reported in the Willmar paper.) Thielen sank three shots from three-point range. Schmidt and Fuentes each made one '3.' The Owls' conference title is their first in 15 years.
Click on the link below to read about other recent Hancock hoops games, boys and girls. This post is on my companion website, "Morris of Course." Read about Noah Kannegiesser scoring 40 points in a win over Brandon-Evansville. He's now atop the career scoring list in Owl country. 

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/02/noah-kannegiesser-leads-wave-of-hancock.html

 
The Trump mystique
The presidency of the U.S. is fundamentally about moral leadership. Don't we all think it's rather bizarre that we're bumbling along with Donald Trump as president with all the illogic and outlandish behavior? Don't we all hear a voice in the back of our head suggesting something is profoundly embarrassing?
I would like to assert that Trump succeeds because of a rare communications trait. Compare Trump to the several garden variety candidates who challenged him in the Republican primaries. Trump stood out, right? Was it because he actually seemed sharper? No. He stood out because he had a rare natural talent to connect with audiences. I might compare this ability to a German dictator of the mid-20th Century but that would be deemed extreme and unreasonable. In my own mind the connection is valid, even though we'd all like to doubt that Trump would lead our nation down the very same path.
Me, I don't rule out anything. But for the time being, let's just be concerned about Trump acting like a crazy uncle at times, causing embarrassment that we then try to tamp down or be in denial about. How much longer can we go on like this? A total economic collapse in the U.S. would change the equation. The Dow flip-flops like crazy, making us wonder. For the time being, we're whistling past the graveyard, n'est-ce pas?
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

We all know kids can say the darndest things

So the FBI appears to have not followed up adequately on a tip. It's so easy on the surface to pass judgment re. this. Paul Ryan complains about a "knee-jerk" reaction to a shooting incident, in terms of people calling for gun control. It's just as easy to be knee-jerk in terms of responding to the FBI's alleged negligence.
The Internet age has created issues that will take time to deal with. We hear about this all the time, how the law has to catch up to the Internet. Remember those stories about kids who faced years in prison because of stumbling onto some inappropriate porn website? Since then it appears porn has consolidated onto one or two sites where any kid or adult can get his jollies, and presumably those sites have appropriate controls. They had better, or they'll be wiped out.
Porn no longer lurks in many dark corners of the 'Net, or maybe it does and it just isn't needed. So the main sites are left alone as they should be. Men who have these irresistible needs can go there, accomplish their business and carry on. In the process they'll likely become "de-sensitized" and they'll feel less of a need, perhaps no need at all, to consume such stuff. No more need for boys to hide their Playboy magazine and live in fear of their mom finding it (like what happened to the Tom Cruise character in "Born on the Fourth of July"). Today they go online, get de-sensitized, have the stigma of "porn" wiped out in their minds, and carry on with the idea that "it's no big deal" (porn). They are more mentally healthy as a result, IMHO.
Compare that to the days associated with the boomers' youth when guys might have a National Geographic hidden with their Playboy, so to look at women's breasts from places like New Guinea. I prefer the current system. Moms of that era: Why were you so hard on us? We just innocently responded to the way God made us.
We now have the problem associated with the Internet, of kids being able to share quite impulsively all their thoughts and reactions to their environment. So a kid impulsively puts something online that might be construed as a "threat." Do you realize how prevalent this might be? If a threat is not direct in expressing something sinister to be done - I'm sure the gray area situations are ubiquitous -  what action is necessitated? You can talk to the kid, fine. But what if he goes off the deep end and does something terrible? People in law enforcement are going to fear the repercussions from society. So, there is the omnipresent danger of government doing what it so often does: cause unintended consequences of government vigilance.
Remember the child molestation "crackdown" of the early 1980s? You can see TV documentaries today about all the innocent people who got railroaded, having their lives ruined. At present I see the exact same potential for abuse and overzealousness with the crackdown on elder abuse. These phenomena follow the same pattern: it starts with the media doing stories about egregious cases. The government feels it has to do something. Thus we can get the unintended consequences of government probing into gray area situations with overzealousness.
The issues related to aging Americans are very complicated. It is a time bomb of an issue because medical science is dramatically extending lifespans. The trend is happening to an extent where there are more and more people unable to properly care for themselves. What to do re. all of them? Our society insists on electing Republicans these days at a time when it appears the social safety net is needed more than ever. And Republicans promote austerity. Not only that, the forces of automation and globalization are wiping out the traditional "job" in America.
None other than conservative sociologist Charles Murray trumpets this, and says we'll inevitably need "universal basic income" (UBI) in America. Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer talks like single payer health care is inevitable in America. If it's inevitable then let's start preparing now, but Republican politicians tend to throw up resistance, those people who seem to insist we can keep living in a Norman Rockwell America. Krauthammer projected seven years until single payer, and I heard that comment about a year ago. It won't just be Bernie Sanders promoting it, it will be a consensus of America.
And yet we tend to elect GOPers who want to slash Medicaid and other parts of the safety net. Of course, those Republicans now appear to have gotten lots of support from Russia. Turns out that the whole "Hillary for Prison" campaign was thanks to the Russians. I saw those bumper stickers on the back of pickups at DeToy's Restaurant here in Morris in the morning. So, it appears I rub shoulders there with Russian fellow travelers. I in contrast am going to advocate for America.
In the age of the Internet and "social media," what are we to do with all the kids who might type silly rebellious or combative threats onto their online devices? If it isn't enough to just talk to them, what are we to do with them? Segregate them off, in effect incarcerating them, even though they committed no act? Maybe the Appleton prison could be opened again. Maybe the best thing to do is just not have kids. Too risky.
Maybe kids over the age of 15 should just be allowed to stay at home. They can be given assignments to do online just to ensure they properly develop their reading, writing and arithmetic. Going to a building like school where they'll likely have all kinds of conflict with peers or teachers, seems questionable for many of them. I'd likely be a better person today if I had been allowed to stay at home away from various schisms. Another alternative is to make school more pleasant and pressure-free. Let the kids relax more. They'll have a hard time going out in society and finding a "job" anyway, in this age of automation and globalization. Those forces are going to increase the pressure we all feel just to get by.
Meanwhile our elders are going to be forced in increasing numbers into assisted living and nursing homes. And who's going to pay for all this? In the meantime, we not only need gun control, we need aggressive gun control.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Maynard Ferguson's whole career on YouTube

Maynard Ferguson came to Morris twice as I recall. He attracted a nice audience both times at the UMM P.E. Center. Today because of YouTube we can easily explore Maynard's whole career. Is it necessary to pay for recorded music anymore? Do the big box stores even have a department that sells music CDs? I don't get out much.
I grew up in a time when recorded music was characterized by scarcity. Us young Maynard fans would get excited about a particular album and then have to wait six months to a year before getting the next offering. We were like kids in a candy store when that next album came out. Maynard himself was always overly optimistic about when it would happen. "Six months" he'd say about the timetable for the next vinyl product. This is etched in my mind for the period after his "M.F. Horn 2" album. But we waited a full year.
I had my copy of "M.F. Horn 3" mailed to me. It was anticlimactic. Rabid fans of particular artists could sometimes be let down by a new offering. Was it a case of overly high expectations? Problem was, I think, we were too often starved for the kind of music that excited us. Like I said: scarcity.
It has been said we are nowhere close to being through the "digital revolution." One thing we have realized to date: All the music in the world from all time seems easily accessible, for free and with top-notch sound quality, on YouTube. I don't even have volume control on my new laptop. I just click around and listen. As with all blessings of this kind, we can begin to take it for granted.
We must never take this music accessibility for granted. As someone who once browsed the vinyl records at the Crossroads Center "Musicland" (St. Cloud), I see the new arrangement as nothing short of Nirvana. Maynard's whole career is there, a career that can be divided into two periods.
First he was the esoteric jazz guy fitting in with all the bebop and cool musicians. His albums were artistically brilliant but were never going to be good enough to make him a household name. The '60s were terrible for big band music which was Maynard's niche. Maynard ended up in England where Keith Mansfield discovered to his delight that MF was not under contract.
Mansfield was 100 percent essential in creating Maynard's second career as a pop music master with the jazz element tamped down. Gone was the rough-sounding sax section of the type we'd associate with the 1940s. The saxes were still there along with the other standard band elements. But Mansfield cleaned up the sound substantially so that it would captivate the young crowd that existed around the year 1970. We all know how rambunctious and demanding the young generation of this nation was in 1970! Mansfield had his own orchestra ready to go, to merge with Maynard. The rest is history. Mansfield and Ferguson partnered for four albums. The second of those, "M.F. Horn," was the one that instantly mesmerized the generation of young high school band musicians. John Woell at our Morris High School had a copy ready for anyone to play who was interested.
There were two more albums after that, presenting the Mansfield flair with its distinctive appeal, very deep, clean and tight. The stage was set for everything that came later. Maynard even got into the disco phase heavily. After years of riding a popularity wave, he left Columbia Records (which had been generous to him) so he might drift back more to his jazz roots with smaller labels. His long-time fans, having been attracted into the fold by that first "M.F. Horn" album, were happy to follow and were able to appreciate the pure jazz better than they would have as kids.
You can listen to Maynard all day on YouTube now. I'm sure he's smiling up in heaven. I saw him in Dawson MN not long before his death. MF and the band did gigs in small towns as well as in the more famous places. Years earlier I heard the great Maynard at Orchestra Hall. I heard him at the (now razed) Met Sports Center for a date that was an experiment to see if MF could fill an arena. That experiment failed. But MF did a fine (if short) concert there that night. I remember him pointing up with his thumb just before hitting his high note at the end of "Stella by Starlight."
But my richest memories of Maynard go back to the St. Paul Prom Center (or Ballroom). What an atmosphere at that place. The newly attracted young fans of Maynard behaved like a rabid cult there. Remember the old Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood? The Prom had an atmosphere just like that - it was just much larger. I guess boxing matches were held there. Pat Boone played there in the 1950s.
A gang of us would head to St. Paul supervised by an adult like Doug Garberick (who was like a kid with his music enthusiasm), and we'd have our evening meal at the Bridgeman's Restaurant. Then it was on to the Prom, where the mere sight of the "Prom" sign would give me goosebumps. Kids stood outside in line waiting for the doors to open. The adults might drift across the street to have a cocktail or two at Denny's Loft. The kids saved seats for them. Upon getting inside the Prom, us kids grabbed the little plastic ashtrays and instantly made them into frisbees!
About 20 minutes before the concert started, we'd hear Maynard play warm-up notes from a little room off to the side. We grew silent to appreciate the notes, then roared when he was done with his little "exercise." He came out of the room to great fanfare when he was announced. The band would be playing his lazy theme, "Blue Birdland." Goosebumps there too. I will never have another musical experience like this.
I have written a song in tribute to the late MF. The lyrics are for a melody that I originally used with different lyrics, the title of the original being "Las Vegas Town." The new title: "M.F. That Trumpet Man." This is not a three-chord song! The way I hear it in my mind, there are chords I might associate with Frank Sinatra. These chords are funky to the point where I'm not sure I can accurately notate them. I might need some consultation.
I have written many songs and have gotten only a small number recorded. I'll consider the MF song along with all the others. At any rate, I'm most happy to share the lyrics for my song "M.F. That Trumpet Man." "Stan" is a reference to Stan Kenton. "Miles" is a reference to Miles Davis. Get on YouTube sometime and call up Maynard's "Message from Newport" album material.
 
"M.F. That Trumpet Man"
by Brian Williams
 
That trumpet man who had his awesome band
He played that brass like no one ever could
That trumpet man who got his start with Stan
He gave us jazz that Miles understood
But what we liked most
Was how he would reach for those high notes
We stood up and cheered for each new dose
Let's raise a toast
 
That trumpet man with such adoring fans
He made us feel enraptured by his tone
That trumpet man who played with such command
He was the greatest brasser ever known
We called him Maynard
The man was the absolute last word
We all should have heard the great Maynard Ferguson
 
That M.F. sound would leave us all unwound
We played those vinyl records day and night
That M.F. sound that made us all so proud
Of instrumental music done just right
His band just wowed us
The talent it had was a surplus
I felt like a kid at the circus
Oh such a rush
 
That M.F. sound would bring him such renown
To hear his theme "Blue Birdland" blows my mind
That M.F. sound would never let us down
The high school jazz bands worship at his shrine
All hail that M.F.
He left us too soon with his trumpet
And jazz is in debt to that Maynard Ferguson
 
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

An even playing field for men & women? Really?

It's 2 a.m. and I'm watching Jeanine Pirro on Fox News. Heaven forbid that I would seek Fox News watching, but I sample some just to see what they're up to. I notice immediately that "Judge Jeanine" has a generous amount of lipstick smeared on her lips. Here's a direct question: "Why do women do this?"
I notice Meghan McCain on "The View" with a similar amount of surplus lipstick on her lips. My forehead becomes wrinkled as I wonder.
The old movie "Marie Antoinette" revealed the custom vividly. It is revealed at the end of the movie where we see Norma Shearer without lipstick or makeup. She didn't look like the same person. But what was wrong with how she looked? The occasion for making her eschew makeup was surely grim: she was about to be guillotined.
In addition to cosmetic habits, this movie made me wonder if in our current digital age where "flash mobs" are enabled, could something like the French Revolution happen again?
But let's get back to the topic of makeup. I hear no general discussion about it. But we are seeing headlines regularly about male misbehavior. Two guys in the White House had to pull the rip cord and bail out. The Weinstein thing started a flood of discussion. Then we had Steve Wynn. Democrats are pressured to return money from the likes of these people, but Republicans are not. My friend Brent Waddell remarked recently: "Democrats are going to have to learn how to play dirty."
Well, I think circumstances in our society are going to prop up the Democrats again. I guess politics exists to reflect the will of the people.
The recent scandals of misbehaving men have promoted again the message of how women must be totally equal. Men should not exercise any special leverage. In theory it's all easy to grasp. In practice there are issues. In a subtle way we encourage predatory habits in boys. We still have the notion that it's boys who ask girls out on dates and not the other way around, right? Can you explain the basis for this custom? Is it something instilled in our nature from prehistoric times, when the male cave man would drag around the woman by her hair (an amusing stereotype, yes)? Is this how it was when man roamed the savanna?
Men were assumed to have superior strength when I was growing up. That assumption seems suspect now. I got dragged through stages of enlightenment myself. When the three-point shooting rule was instituted for basketball, I was skeptical if females could ever make much use of it. There were people in the early '70s who felt girls basketball would remain little more than a novelty. We'd watch those poor girls get called for traveling all the time, right? A lot of us sure had our eyes opened.
If men are not dominant physically, then on what grounds do they receive special privileges at all, including the privilege of being the ones who propose dates? We have the odd custom of Sadie Hawkins which is an isolated opportunity for women to be assertive. Why so isolated and rare? We raise boys thinking they have the privilege of "going after" girls, yet we act surprised when we find out some men are abusive.
There ought to be a movement among women, who I will not refer to as "the fairer sex," to abolish makeup. Can they give me any explanation why it's necessary? By the same token, why do women have this fear of showing up at a party wearing the same outfit as another woman there? As a guy I could not care less about this. If we are to wipe out temptations among men to be abusive in any way, maybe we ought to wipe out all these behavior expectations that are tied to gender, n'est-ce pas?
Think of all the celebrity men who have some unacceptable behavior in their background. They go to bed every night knowing it could all come out publicly the next day, and they'll have to wear a scarlet letter the rest of their lives. Neanderthals like Donald Trump make apologies for them, eagerly buying superficial denials from the men (who have been forced to resign anyway). Trump campaigned for Roy Moore.
Men are raised thinking they can be assertive with women as if it's a cultural right. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised that some of us men go off the rails (though in the case of Moore, such behavior cannot be forgiven on any terms). As for me, I have never even dated a woman, never even shared a cup of coffee. God created me in such a way that any woman would laugh at the notion of doing something social with me. I get laughed at. It's my lot in life. A person could definitely have worse problems.
God created me with an effeminate appearance that drew a tremendous amount of teasing when I was a kid, and even some acknowledgment as an adult. I don't know what I am supposed to do about this. Sometimes I pass judgment on people because they seem so eager to pass judgment on me.
It's 3 a.m. now and I still have Fox News on, where the women seem to be required to wear dresses and makeup. How fundamentally odd, these differences in notions in how men and women present themselves, even in our new age of "zero tolerance" re. men who behave badly. What was it that Roger Ailes expected Gretchen Carlson to do for him?
I continue to maintain that the mysteries of sex are due to our origins as a hybrid species between space aliens and Earth primates.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Coach reaches milestone, not surprisingly

Allow me to reveal that I have never been a big fan of career records or milestones in sports. Any player who excels over a long time is going to reach some impressive-sounding numbers. I consider the milestones themselves to be rather arbitrary. A certain player is bound to reach a certain number. I was always rather irritated by the hype surrounding these things.
Now we hear about the MACA boys basketball coach having reached a lofty number: 500 wins. Well. . . Considering the coach got what amounted to a lifetime appointment back in the late '80s, I'm hardly surprised he has collected quite a few wins.
Click on the link below to read about the February 5 boys game vs. Melrose, a loss. This post is on my companion website, "Morris of Course." The post leads with coverage of the MBA boys hockey Storm's 7-6 overtime win over Worthington. Thanks for reading. - B.W.

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/02/another-zach-bruns-hat-trick-does-trick.html
 

The basketball coach has always benefited from a base of support in this community that has been totally unquestioning. That base exists within what I'd describe as "polite society." The coach got the appointment at a time when school leaders were striving to extinguish an unpleasant level of conflict. Once the appointment was made, the school's leaders - people with official positions along with their high-standing personal friends in the community, people like dentists - made it clear they wanted absolutely no more contentiousness. Anyone who spoke up in a questioning way, I mean above the level of chatter at the Legion Club or some such place, might experience the wrath of God.
There was in fact dissent from the party line over a number of years, but it existed below that top level of leadership. It existed as sort of an underground although I admit that sounds like overstatement. People would say "Torgy" and not in a way intended to be flattering. There has always been two sides to that coin.
The coach's original appointment came down to winning a 50-50 proposition, with the alternative being a guy who would later end up in Hawley. Not Mike Martin, Chris Baxter. Martin was a press writer in Morris but that was a sideline. Administrator Dennis Rettke, with whom I had regular conversations in his office, was an advocate for the other guy, Baxter. He told me that directly. The other guy would have stood out for the sheer intensity he would have instilled. My view is that Rettke in his considerable wisdom knew that an intangible like intensity would do much to smooth over some shortcomings that existed at the time.
Shortcomings? Let's wade into Morris community history, albeit rather remote in time now. Here's how I piece it together based on my close observation of community matters at the time. (I even had a police scanner!) There was a time when schools had paid faculty members coaching elementary. Phasing this out could step on toes because the unionized teachers were likely to be a affronted. A parent told me all about what happened here.
A volunteer-run program was going to be inevitable. A group of parents who wanted to get things going felt they had to work directly with Superintendent Fred Switzer, because the other administrative guy was in the camp of those wanting to resist it. The parent told me this "other" guy was told: "I guess we're going to do this whether you support it or not."
The volunteers would show up in the morning, having gotten the nod from Switzer, to find the doors locked. I believe this was at the old elementary gym (the building now razed). I believe this happened more than once. "We called Fred at home," the volunteer leader told me.
Keep in mind that the teachers union was very strong at that time. Today I think the system has gone through proactive adjustments to keep things on a smooth course. The old adversarial model had to be ended. Teachers were too much of a politically motivated element once. I would argue they overestimated their importance. Are teachers important? Well of course they're important. They're important even if their role is as glorified caretakers. They take care of our kids through weekdays, guiding them toward basic maturing and civil behavior. So teachers are important, just not quite in a way they once saw themselves.
There were married couples on our teaching staff which I think made things worse. These people had power via synergy from their relationships. Other teachers who should have known better basically shrugged and went along with their professional brethren. But not all were so engaged in a parochial way, according to Don Fellows, a wonderful man with whom I had rapport. You know, I could "break through" with some teachers despite the political contentiousness of the time, if their own kids were friends of mine. Should not surprise you.
When I shared with Mr. Fellows what I understood about Rettke's agenda for coaching appointments, i.e. Rettke's preference for Baxter, Fellows said "I don't doubt that Brian." My critics will always have a way to put me down. When all else fails, they'll use the very Minnesotan cliche of  "it's no big deal." When a Minnesotan says that, what is really meant is that it probably is a big deal, but life in Minnesota has enough real adversity as with weather, so let's just shelve it.
The push for elementary volunteer coaches was bound to win out. Eventually we saw sports get the proper attention through the grades. Of course I can't tell you all the details about how the system is run now.
Torgy got the appointment and I believe he actually had to survive some rough spots through the early years. I suspect he was a fighter to keep the position. There has been some reason for controversy through the years. Whether all that is past now, I don't really know.
I overheard a retired teacher talk one day about how Torgy planned to phase into retirement, as if Torgy was pulling all his own strings, guiding his own destiny. I have never felt his performance justified that kind of deference. But, the leadership class of this town (dentists etc.) decided at a certain point long ago that there would be no more discussion about this. Of course, I'd offer a comment now and then and be totally pilloried by certain stuffed shirts in the leadership class. An employee at the WCROC told me in shrill tones "if you didn't do your job (writing sports), someone else would." Couldn't you say that about anyone?
And weren't the teachers being a little hypocritical? Very often they'd try to diffuse an argument by saying "it's just sports." But in their own actions, they treated certain coaching appointments like they were of overwhelming importance.
There is a ready explanation: In the late '80s after all the contentiousness, which Supt. Switzer allowed to get out of hand, the teachers desperately wanted the appointments to go a certain way (having little to do with job performance) so as not to signal to the community that the community could butt in and influence things. In an even earlier era, Mayor Chet Birch told me "the people on the hill," i.e. the school people, felt threatened by anyone wanting to give constructive feedback. They'd stop at nothing to try to resist it. School people should never be allowed to feel like a power unto themselves.
Up through the mid-1980s, teachers were given room to flex their muscles. Teachers who were lazy, ossified and bureaucratic largely got away with much of their discouraging behavior. It was common in the 1970s to hear teachers simply say they hated their work. I think in the mid-1980s, a considerable push got started to wipe out the negative stuff and make school people more accountable. Today we see so many more kids on the honor roll. That's the way the parents would have wanted it all along.
We believe today that kids should feel uplifted and enjoy much of their school experience, whereas in my young years it was more "pain equals gain." I was dragged through school where I felt so much of the activity was pointless.
School sports went through a profound adjustment in the '70s with girls getting into it. That took some time. We had a quasi-administrator here who was known all over town for hating hockey. That stance was surely not bound for success. We later ended up with an athletic director who had a daughter play hockey. That quasi guy might deny he ever resisted hockey, rather he'd just say, perhaps: "Show us the money." I remember talking with a very credible local person - I forget who exactly - who said during the conflict period: "I think a lot of people around town think we should be doing better than we are, even without spending more money."
So often there's a financial component, n'est-ce pas? Certain people might have been expected to work a little harder without a corresponding rise in pay. There were serious scars left after all that, unbeknown mostly to today's Morris residents. Should I mention there was a petition at the Dairy Queen? Certain people would have their hair raise up on their head to even read that. Hey, I thought sports wasn't so important.
I suppose it's nice coach Torgerson has 500 wins now. It's an excuse for some nice puff writing at the Morris paper, where people wouldn't say s--t even if they had a mouthful. You'll probably get the most valid opinions at the Legion club.
 
Addendum: My issue with the Morris Dairy Queen is more recent. I resented how I saw Fox News on their house TV once. 
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Joe and Mika give us perspective on news

I turned 63 recently (on 1/28) so increasingly I'm at an age where I cannot understand some trends in the news. My day begins with watching "Joe and Mika" on MSNBC. The discussion dwells on the stock market today. Our president has been telling us that stock market gains should give all of us satisfaction. I have no money in stocks. Should I have all our family savings there? What am I to make of the president's recent comments?
I have noticed the market surging upward in such a way, I almost wonder if it's a function of the TV set. We see those little green arrows with perhaps a triple digit figure next to them. Months go by and it seems the stock market might reach the stratosphere. It sure wasn't like this when I was a kid or a young adult.
Early this week we saw a snap back. But we can't be sure what it means. The stock market by definition defies any coherent predicting. Is this really where we want our life savings? I suppose I'm a dinosaur in that our family savings are in the local banks. One of them informed me recently that the interest payment on a five-year CD is one percent. But I'm still not tempted to veer into the stock market.
I have heard the Republicans' tax cut bill blamed for the current volatility. The tax cut, it is explained, is good for main street but might not facilitate Wall Street. We should cheer for main street I suppose. How can you not? But what about President Trump's pronouncements that his presidency has been so good for the stock market, i.e. people's 401Ks?
The economy may now be heating up. Wages are going up. We may be seeing a whack-a-mole situation where what's good for the goose may not be good for the gander. I had no problem buying bank CDs back in the Jimmy Carter years! How could the same nation that elected Jimmy Carter, a gentle, uplifting man, now elect Donald Trump, a cruel, course cad of a human being?
"Joe and Mika" have started my day for a long time now. I remember when Joe Scarborough had an evening program which I think was called "Scarborough Country." There was an opening that showed him playing touch football. Prior to Joe and Mika (Brzesinski) in the morning, we had Don Imus whose show famously and sadly crashed and burned because of some inartful comments that were intended as satire. Satire is very risky. There has been a publication on our UMM campus that has to come out and tell people that it's satire, which means of course that it isn't very good satire. Either that or the "satire" explanation is just a "cover" for some mean-spirited stuff that it dispenses.
I don't know if the "Northstar" still exists on the UMM campus. I generally find it unacceptable to visit the UMM campus because it seems like a nervous place. There are people associated with the radical/reactionary "Northstar" who apparently can get access to video surveillance footage to see if anyone is taking multiple copies from their newsstand. I don't even want to show up on UMM video surveillance footage.
What if I were a student and simply wanted to take an extra copy of the publication for my roommate? They say that each additional copy costs $5. But where would you pay for it?
The University Register which is the normal, sane UMM student publication has no charge. The expansion of free circulation newspapers is actually causing confusion or potential confusion. One must keep track of the free ones like Senior Perspective as opposed to the ones that extract money from you, like the Forum-owned Morris and Willmar papers.
Why would a publication be free? That's elementary - they get money from advertisers. We can look forward to the day when there is a Morris community paper that is free.
My late father and I used to rise for the Don Imus show. It was sort of an acquired taste. Nothing like it has really come along to replace it. I guess Imus had a resurrection, first on RFD TV (of all places) and then on the Fox Business Channel. But he was never the same after his flame-out on MSNBC. Scarborough credits him for laying the foundation for "Morning Joe," in that Imus had a topical show connected very much to the day's news. I remember the guy who imitated New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagen so well.
Imus flamed out because of satirical comments that I guess you could say were directed at hip-hop culture. The problem was that the comments took in a college women's basketball team, Rutgers. "Nappy-headed hoes," remember? I understood the humor but could also see how it was going to torpedo the show. I was sad to see it end. I'm glad that Scarborough gives Imus some credit.
Watching "Morning Joe" seems like the type of thing an educated, interested person would do. But there's an element of the show that might be described as "Beltway gossip." I wonder is that's the lure for me.
The show probably had the effect of helping Trump ascend. He was the "shiny object" in the presidential race. Surely he stood out among the ridiculously large field of Republican candidates (17?). How could anyone not be more interested in Trump? But look at the situation we're in now.
For good or bad, I have to watch Joe and Mika in the morning, and I pray for our country. I have written a song about this pillar of morning topical television. It's called "I'm Watching Joe and Mika." I don't know if I'll have it recorded. Here are the lyrics. Thanks for reading as always.

"I'm Watching Joe and Mika"
by Brian Williams

I'm watching Joe and Mika
With hot coffee at my lips
They give me all the headlines
The words they will never mince

We turn to them for wisdom
When D.C.'s out of whack
I'm watching Joe and Mika
Because they're like mom and dad

With Katty Kay beside them
They sift through items of note
And Willie Geist is handy
To make his comments and jokes

It's like a morning beacon
That reaches through the fog
I'm watching Joe and Mika
They're always up to the job

They analyzed Obama
Through eight years he was the man
They ridiculed the birthers
And all the hate that they fanned

And through it all they realized
The press is here to stay
I'm watching Joe and Mika
To get my start to the day

It landed like a circus
When Trump got the nod to lead
It started as a punchline
But turned into something real

The talking heads were busy
They dipped into the well
I'm watching Joe and Mika
They always answer the bell

They talk about a tweetstorm
From our commander in chief
It overloads the senses
When he unleashes a tweet

We recollect the old days
Decorum was the rule
I'm watching Joe and Mika
They just are nobody's fool

Consider Rachel Maddow
A voice from the feisty left
She deconstructs the big lies
And makes GOPers sweat

And then I hit the pillow
Alarm set for the dawn
I'm watching Joe and Mika
They make me feel I belong


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

Nine 3-pointers by MACA girls in win vs. Monte

Tigers 59, Monte 45
Maddie Carrington and Riley Decker were sharpshooters from long range in an MACA victory on the first day of the month. Those 3's were a chief weapon as MACA downed Montevideo at home. Carrington and Decker each made four 3-pointers and Liz Dietz added one.
The barrage was part of this 59-45 win to delight the home fans. We owned a ten-point lead at halftime, 30-20. We entered the weekend with a 12-8 won-lost record. Monte languished with a 4-13 mark.
Our scoring was balanced in a satisfying way. Unfortunately the individual scoring totals in the Willmar newspaper are too generous, as they add up to 64 points when we scored 59. We can live with a little excess I guess. I typed the following paragraph based on the Willmar info. Maybe I should give up doing this. Oh, and the discrepancy is also seen on the Stevens County Times website.
Our four double figures scorers were Carrington (16 points), Decker (15), Dietz (12) and Malory Anderson (11). Adding to the scoring were Emma Bowman (5), Carly Wohlers (3) and Jenna Howden (2). Post standout Anderson led in rebounds with ten followed by Dietz with seven. Anderson showed sharp passing to rack up five assists. She also led in steals with five followed by Carrington with four.
The T-Hawks had two players score in double digits: Sydney Zindel (12) and Emmy Enevoldsen (10). Also scoring were Kamren Saue (6), Greta Rongstad (4), Madalyn Killbarda (3), Livia Gades (3), Molly Reeves (2), Kari Fragodt (2), Tegan Marty (2) and Jasmyn Kronback (1). Monte made no three-pointers.
 
Boys: Minnewaska 59, Tigers 47
Our MACA boys slid to 9-9 in W/L with a Friday night setback versus conference foe Minnewaska Area. We got down by ten points at halftime, 28-18. 'Waska outscored us by two in the second half, 31-29. So the final score was 59-47 with the visiting Lakers having garnered their 13th win against five losses.
Jackson Johnsrud made three 3-pointers for the Lakers. Ryan Christianson and Matt Gruber each made one '3'. Johnsrud's 3's helped make him co-leader in 'Waska's scoring with 16 points. Gruber also poured in 16 points. Garrett Jensen stoked the surging Lakers with 12 points. Jaeger Jergenson had four points and Ryan Christianson three. Hey, that's only 51 points and 'Waska scored 59! The info is in the very fallible West Central Tribune, sorry.
Gruber got ahold of six rebounds. He and Jensen each dished out four assists, and Jensen had four steals.
The Tigers' Jaret Johnson made two 3-pointers and topped the scoring list with 20 points. Camden Arndt and Tate Nelson each made one '3'. Arndt's point total was ten. Also contributing points were Connor Koebernick (8), Nelson (4), Jackson Loge (3) and Kyle Staebler (2). Loge stretched out to get seven rebounds while Johnson had six. Koebernick with his five assists led there, while Johnson had five steals followed by Koebernick with four.
 
Boys hockey: Storm 7, Red Lake Falls 0
Our Lee Center was the focus for prep hockey on Friday. Indeed, "hockey night in Morris!" Not only that, it was a winning night for our Morris-Benson Storm. Zach Bruns thrilled fans with his hat trick in a 7-0 triumph. Chase Engebretson wore the goalie gear and he turned back all 12 shots by the opposition.
Our scoring was steady: two goals in the first period, three in the second and two in the third. It was a night for Storm fans to cheer in robust fashion. Bruns got the MBA scoring going with an assist from Kolby Goff. Matthew Tolifson scored our other first period goal unassisted at 5:46.
It was Goff scoring the first of our three second period goals. Jack Riley assisted. Then Bruns put the puck in the net at 7:19 with assists from Goff and Riley. Mike Halvorson notched a goal with an assist from Riley at 9:38.
Bruns completed his hat trick with a goal at 5:31 of the third period, assisted by Michael Ruona and Goff. Kellen Erdahl wrapped up our night's scoring with a goal at 16:06, assisted by Erdahl.
Engebretson's goalie opponent was Brendon Larson who stopped 39 of 46 shots.
 
Hancock boys: Owls 77, Ortonville 65
We knew this was coming: Noah Kannegiesser making an assault on the HHS scoring record. Friday (2/2) saw him make strides toward that again. The super Owl scored 26 points, leaving him just six points short of the record. Bennett Nienhaus was a force too, putting in 18 points.
The Owls soared to a 77-65 win over the Trojans of Ortonville at Ortonville. Hancock owns a sterling 15-1 record. Kannegiesser made two 3-point shots but was outdone by Nienhaus in this category, as Nienhaus made four. Connor Reese and Cole Reese each made two 3's. Daniel Milander succeeded once from long range.
Cole Reese and Connor Reese scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Kaleb Koehl came through with eight points. Milander added three. Koehl topped the rebound list with nine followed by Nienhaus and Connor Reese each with six. Cole Reese dished out five assists to lead. Kannegiesser and Connor Reese each contributed four assists. Kannegiesser and Milander each had two steals.
The Owls were one point down at halftime, 36-35, then surged to outscore the Trojans 42-29 in the second half, surely putting a smile on coach Cory Bedel's face.
Davante Edwards won raves for Ortonville with his 24 points scored. Three Trojans each scored 13 points: Tyson Powell, Peter Treinen and Caden Wellnitz. Nathan Strong scored two. Wellnitz made three 3-pointers and Treinen made two.
Let's make way for Noah Kannegiesser standing atop the Owl career scoring list!
 
Hancock girls: Owls 53, Ortonville 52
The Hancock girls won a squeaker at home over Ortonville on Thursday. The Owls built a lead of six at halftime, 31-25, and then hung on through the second half to prevail over the Trojans. The final score: 53-52.
Each team came out of the night with nine wins on the season. Tess Steiner with 20 points was one of three Owls scoring in double figures. Ashlyn Mattson scored 15 points and Lexi Staples put in ten. Morgan Kisgen contributed four points while Haley Mattson and Taylor Wilson each had two. Ashlyn Mattson connected twice from three-point range. Staples made one long-ranger. Steiner and Ashlyn Mattson each grabbed seven rebounds. Tess Steiner dished out four assists. Tess was tops in steals with eight followed by Ashlyn Mattson with six.
For Ortonville, Jaiden Conroy was a force with four 3-pointers which helped put her atop the scoring list with 23 points. Tyler Peters made two 3's for the Trojans. Madysen Stegner scored 13 points and Peters had ten. Three Trojans each put in two points: Megan Radermacher, Samantha Eerickson and Allison Plathe.
 
The Stupid Bowl?
The Super Bowl is tomorrow (Sunday). All intelligent people in the media who engage in fun banter about this occasion, actually know better. They do it in a pained way because it's an old habit. Also, their audiences expect it. They know down deep that football is a dangerous and unacceptable sport. It's hard for that sense to come out in the forefront, when people like Chris Matthews can't help but smile and issue some supportive words for his Philadelphia Eagles. Would he want his own sons to play football?
Slowly the skeptical feelings are advancing so they can be expressed without too much fear of pushback. Recently I read about how the sport's observers feel that any day, a district attorney somewhere is going to press charges against parents who have a son hurt badly. It will be a "test case" at the start, sort of like a shot across the bow.
The effects of football can take years to surface. Parents who enjoy the transitory thrills of their sons in football, neglecting the long-term consequences, need to reach deep into their conscience. Super Bowl in Minneapolis? I could not care less.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Wow! Hancock's offense on fire in 95-81 win

Hancock 95, WCA 81
Noah Kannegiesser of the Hancock Owls was a phenomenal force on Monday, Jan. 29. Noah built on his already substantial reputation by making eight 3-pointers and scoring 45 points. His teammates did quite fine too in a 95-81 victory. The Owls flirted with 100 points in this success vs. the Knights of West Central Area.
Dominant though Noah appeared, there were four total Owls in double figures with points. Connor Reese had a point output of 16. Bennett Nienhaus added 15 to the mix and Peyton Rohloff had 13. Hancock soared to its 14th win while West Central Area was left with a still-fine record of 10-6.
All the Hancock scoring did not spell blow-out. Hancock had the somewhat modest lead of ten points at halftime, 52-42. The Knights kept pace in the second half with 39 points while Hancock put in 43. Six players total scored for Hancock. Cole Reese scored five points and Tanner Pahl had one. Kannegiesser with his eight 3-pointers was joined in this category by Nienhaus and Connor Reese with three and one, respectively.
Kannegiesser led in rebounds too with six. The Reese boys followed, Cole with five boards and Connor with four. Kannegiesser was all over the court to lead in assists too with seven. A career night for him? The season is far from over. Neinhaus led in steals with three.
WCA had players with a marquee look too - consider Logan Paulson with 24 points and Davison Staples with 21. Another double figures scorer for the Knights was Brady Sabolik with 14. Jacob Bright and Nathan Kaye each scored six points. Ross Anderson and Jack Van Kempen each contributed four, and Colton Watzke had two.
Fans at the WCA court cheered as their team made nine 3-pointers, part of a 32-for-52 night in shooting by their Knights. That's a percentage of 52. Sabolik sank four 3-point shots followed by Bright and Kaye each with two and Van Kempen with one.
WCA coach Kraig Hunter was upbeat post-game despite the loss, saying he simply couldn't fault his team. He talked with apparent awe about Kannegiesser, citing the 15-for-20 shooting stats by this Owl. Kannegiesser was dead-on with his "step-back 3's," Hunter said.
WCA challenged other Owls to play a bigger scoring role in the second half, and they were up to that.
The winning coach was Cory Bedel. His Owls sit atop the 6A-South QRF rankings.
Kannegiesser dealt with double and triple teams yet he burned the nets. The senior guard said post-game "the shot was just feeling good, so I kept letting it fly." His fadeaway jumper from about 12 feet broke a 38-all deadlock and spurred an Owl run to the tune of 14-4. Thus the Owls got their ten-point halftime lead.
WCA coach Hunter doubted that Hancock's offense could stay that well-oiled but it did! Fans were treated to a crowd-pleasing brand of basketball regardless. The Knights had won four straight prior to this game, typically dominating on the scoreboard. Could we get a re-match?
Hancock won the 1/29 game on the day after my 63rd birthday. I was the sportswriter for the now-defunct Hancock Record newspaper for 15 years. Can the ever-smaller "Stevens County Times" keep pace with sports coverage demands? I don't think so.
 
Hockey: MBA 6, Mayport 4
Zach Bruns of the Storm led a comeback on the ice with his natural hat trick. Bruns was at the fore of period No. 3. Our Storm surged to defeat Mayport. The site was the Mayville ND ice. Bruns racked up four goals total. Jack Riley contributed two goals and two assists. Chase Engebretson worked in goal for the winning Storm, stopping 49 shots. Fans gathered Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Mayville ice, there to see the teams fight to a deadlock over the first two periods.
The third period told the story of the night as MBA outscored Mayport 3-1.
The night's first goal was scored by Mayport's Jack Ihry assisted by Jordan Sherva. Bruns got the score tied up with his unassisted goal at 8:23. Reece Groth made the score 2-1 for Mayport as the second period unfolded. Braden Soderberg and Sam Satrom assisted. MBA's Riley scored at 6:37. Then Riley scored again, getting the puck in the net with assists from Kolby Goff and Tyler Buss at 8:49. Colby Goser scored for Mayport at 13:32.
Bring on that third period! First it was Groth scoring for Mayport at 6:39, assisted by Satrom. Bruns stepped it up a notch to spur our Storm. He scored with a Riley assist at 7:04. The Bruns/Riley combo worked again to notch a goal at 7:40. Bruns continued as the nemesis for Mayport as he scored with a Hunter Gades assist at 13:39.
Engebretson's goalie opponent was Kade Susie who stopped 29 shots. All in all a memorable mid-winter Saturday for puck fans.
  
The state of the onion, or union
I sometimes get out of the habit of checking the "Onion" website. The satire would be most apt at present with this curious Trump presidency getting curioser.
Watching cable TV news seems a surreal experience these days. Are these news channels or are they like an endless Tom Clancy novel? We have the deepening intrigue over the Mueller investigation. I was watching Joe and Mika this morning on "Morning Joe" as the author Michael Wolff essentially got thrown off the set - Mika was most distressed about Wolff's apparent loose speculation over an affair between Trump and Nikki Haley.
"No one has accused her (of this) so why is she denying it?" Wolff asked.
I totally admire Wolff as a writer. And that is because he has a nose for where the truth lies and isn't averse to a little gossip to get there. Remember the old "Hee Haw" TV show where that group of women sang about how they "don't repeat gossip, so you'd better listen well the first time." Rim shot.
The novelist Tom Clancy is deceased. He could write a fine novel about the intrigue swirling in Washington D.C. now. Other writers will pick up the torch in the aftermath, and we hope there really is an aftermath where U.S. political life can somewhat drift back to normal. We can say "amen" if there's no nuclear bomb incident caused by our president's inartful or jingoistic proclamations.
Donald Trump! If he leaves power we will no longer take him seriously, and we'll wonder how he held a spell over us. He is a cad. Maybe the Beltway crowd likes this whole mess because it makes them, more than ever, feel like the center of the universe. Minus the investigation and related controversies, the TV ratings for "Morning Joe" (with Joe and Mika) would certainly be lower. Maybe the show would even get canceled.
Think of what Trump has done for the career of porn star Stormy Daniels. All our sons can now go online and search about "Stormy Daniels." Isn't that wonderful?
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com