We love Brainerd MN despite the sadness

This photo taken in 1996 shows my mom Martha H. Williams, at left, with her best friend from Brainerd High School, Ruth Schiel-Closson.
 
It is odd that a community in the middle of paradise - Brainerd - should have sadness associated with it. I had ample reason to appreciate the "paradise" part of the equation when I was young. My mother is a native of Brainerd. In her youth it was a company town with the railroad. That's how my grandfather made his living.
Mom tells a story about when Social Security first began and her father's first check was on its way. He died of a stroke, unable to realize the fruits of that new Federal program. So that's sad on a personal family level. We appreciated the Brainerd lakes paradise by having access to lakeshore property owned by friends of the family. It was on Pelican Lake where we find Breezy Point Resort. We were on the opposite end of the lake from the resort. It was a beautiful place where we could swim and keep our fishing boat.
We had access because of Mom's best high school friend. That friend, Ruth Closson (nee Schiel), is in heaven now. Mom is 93 so most of her friends/family have departed for the next life. I presume they're in heaven and we have just been informed by the Pope that there is no hell, I guess. I'm writing this post on Good Friday. I'm a little disturbed that our Morris Public Library chooses to be closed for Good Friday. This is a purely religious holiday. It's one that I do not favor because we hear so much about the torture of Jesus Christ.
I found the Brainerd area to be so different from our prairie Morris area. Not to prefer one over the other, but I found Brainerd to be an uplifting place just because of all the lakes and rich forests. In Morris we have rich farm country and wide-open spaces.
Back to the sadness there: Brainerd today is not considered the best place to live. I began hearing several years ago that much of the area's economic assets were shifting to Baxter. Whatever, we learn that the unemployment rate in Brainerd is fourth highest in the state (6.5 percent). Residents earn the smallest household income in the state! At a combined income of $29,355, families of four are barely above the poverty line.

Mom with her musical flair

Trouble in paradise? It was depressing to see the community name get dragged into the movie "Fargo." Mom's friend Ruth told us soon after the movie's release that it was disgusting.
Brainerd has a high rate of crime today: 14th highest in the state. Ruth changed her residence from Brainerd to Baxter late in her life, moving into an apartment and getting assistance from her daughter Nancy. Nancy was the only child of Ruth and her late husband Chuck, who died too young because of heart problems. Nancy and I are both only children and we graduated from high school the same year: 1973. Today she's Nancy Briley. I haven't spoken to her since the mid-1970s unfortunately.
 
Saddest of all: WWII
Great sadness marked the Brainerd community in the mid-20th Century. Brainerd had a National Guard unit that was called to serve at the outbreak of World War II. My mother Martha was a musician for the send-off ceremony and for the later somber welcome-back. Those Guardsmen were captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. General MacArthur got whisked away. The Guardsmen were left vulnerable and suffered badly, many meeting their deaths at the hands of the brainwashed, sadistic Japanese.
It was February 10, 1941, when Brainerd's 34th Tank Company, Minnesota National Guard, commanded by Ernest B. Miller, was Federalized and ordered to Fort Lewis, Washington, for training. They were combined with units from other places and re-designated the 194th Tank Battalion. Major Miller was appointed the battalion commander. The orders came to "reinforce" the Philippine Islands. They arrived in Manila on September 26, 1941. They were the first armored unit sent outside the continental United States.
The battalion got stationed on the island of Luzon where they trained until the outbreak of war on December 7, 1941. The "Japs" invaded. The 194th held vital positions throughout the islands until the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942. They were ordered to surrender by General King. The men of the 194th were ordered on the infamous Bataan Death March. They began marching north on April 10, 1942. They lacked food and water and were subjected to cruelty and atrocities. Many died as they tried to cover the 60 miles.
The horror story continued in various phases, details of which I do not wish to continue with. Of the original 64 National Guardsmen, only 32 survived to return to Brainerd after the end of the war.
Mom was a 1942 graduate of Brainerd High School and enjoyed attending reunions through the years. I think she especially enjoyed the 1972 reunion because she could tell all her friends that I was on a European musical tour! I'm sure just a mere handful of those grads are alive today. Mom will be 94 in June. It looks like she's going to make it. She is designated hospice now but is getting by day to day quite satisfactorily. Knock on wood. Thanks to Knute Nelson for the various services they provide us.
 
Connection to the movies
I remember when my family went to Brainerd for a big community celebration - the Centennial? - in the early 1970s. One of the events was the rare showing of some old film footage that featured Tommy "Fatty" Wood. He was a silent film actor. Not much can be found about him online today. We learn he is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Brainerd, the same cemetery as my grandparents on my mother's side.
"Fatty" obviously wasn't a major performer. This film was actually shot in Brainerd and appeared to be a gesture of tribute to the community, as I recall. Today such old delicate film would be "digitized" in a heartbeat. Shall I assume this was eventually done? It isn't possible that Brainerd historians have forgotten about this, have they? The reason I wonder is that I cannot find this gem on YouTube. I should contact the historical society to satisfy my curiosity.
More sadness: "Fatty" died young at age 38.
Mom has a couple old items like a junior high yearbook that might be of interest to Crow Wing County historians.
 
Continuing on somber note
Ruth had a sister Gloria who had a son "Dicky" who was killed by friendly fire in Vietnam in 1966. We attended the funeral. I was shocked because the body was not particularly well preserved. The skin was purple-ish. I remember Ruth standing behind me as we observed the body, her hand on my shoulder and trembling badly. Already skeptical, I had nothing but resentment toward our "war effort" from then on. Does "friendly fire" mean Dicky may have been "fragged?" I cannot rule that out, sadly. The man's full name was Richard Ungerecht. He was very well-liked. I wrote a post about Dicky and the background relative to his death, on my companion blog site "Morris of Course." You may click to read:

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2015/07/richard-ungerecht-brainerd-died-too.html
 

Ruth, Gloria and their brother Frank ("Sparky") were children of Art and Myrt Schiel. These were all salt of the Earth people. I played many "31" card games with Art and Myrt.
In sum: Brainerd MN surely has a rich history even if marked by tragedy, and by today's economic challenges. The old spirit of this railroading town will never disappear into the ether. I can close my eyes and imagine the loon sounds around Pelican Lake. "I can almost smell the air," as the old song lyrics about Minnesota went.
May Brainerd be blessed by brighter times ahead.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

My writing is not in the rear view mirror

I hope that my occasional writing about local sports has some value. The endeavor is much different from what it used to be. It wouldn't surprise me if some people said my writing is better now than it was before. "Before" would be the 27 years when I wrote for the Morris newspaper. Back then I had a "job" and would put in well over 40 hours a week.
A job! We no longer judge self-worth by having a full-time job. When I left the Morris paper, my family decided to have its Sunday afternoon buffet meal in Cyrus, so as to be lower profile than otherwise. I was sort of drifting in the world. I wanted to avoid conversations about what my status was. The nature of mass communications was changing. Really the whole world around us was changing. The steadily advancing digital world was an inexorable force. It cannot be resisted. You are left behind if you do not adjust.
Many people have been challenged trying to keep up. The newspaper industry has been subjected to much duress. It has not vanished but it has been thrown into spasms of change. Who would have thought the Hancock paper would just disappear? Am I right to be shocked by that? I was surprised to talk to a few Hancock people who seemed not to be distressed. One of them more or less shrugged about having the Morris (or "Stevens County") paper mailed to them instead. It seemed the old parochialism was gone! No fierce defensiveness on behalf of Hancock vs. Morris.
I saw much of that parochialism through my life. I saw it emanating from Cyrus. Today Cyrus is transformed into what I would consider a very nice little placid community, perfect for retirees and commuters. Do the people of Starbuck even care anymore that they no longer have "their own" high school? Are Starbuck people concerned that they send their kids to a school somewhat out of town, there to share with the Glenwood kids? Do we still note the parochialism of Starbuck vs. Glenwood? Is there still a residence in Starbuck that flies a Confederate flag out front? OK I digress with that last question.
The Minnewaska school is of the "cornfield" type ("in the middle of nowhere") that the state has reportedly said will never again be built. Ditto Lac qui Parle. I enjoyed writing about the Minnewaska Area basketball team this past winter. I hope more than a few 'Waska area people were able to find my material. They can come back and read that stuff at any time in the future. Keep in mind I have two websites (or blogs): the one you're reading now, and my "Morris of Course" site. I created the second site so that no one site would ever get crowded with sports posts during hectic sports times. It is not my purpose to get immersed in sports.
While I enjoy the sports writing, I am always aware that the audience for this is limited. It is intense with its interest but limited, more limited than what the fans at any time would want to believe. People might ask: in a hypothetical, would I enjoy grabbing my old seat and writing for the Morris paper again? It is an impossible hypothetical to weigh, because the paper has downsized so incredibly. Of course, much of my work over 15 years was for the Hancock paper. That paper is virtually gone, gone with the wind. I consider the cancellation to have been premature. Hancock can still support its own K-12 school system with confidence high. Any town with such a thorough school system should still have its own paper, for a decade longer maybe. Eventually the digital inroads in our habits will be just too much. That's the conventional wisdom.
But school news has made a very slow and grudging migration to the online world. So as newspapers dry up and disappear, will people really accept the limited attention being afforded by online? Maybe the parents/fans don't really demand as much as we think. Maybe their actual need for the coverage isn't that great, but what they really want is political, i.e.they want their local paper to pay attention to the local sports teams just to affirm they care. In the purely online world, maybe it's enough to have access to score/schedule information and little else. We can get that from the Pheasant Country Sports website.
In the meantime I'm happy to be writing about local sports here and there. With the newspaper I'd face the very impractical expectation of covering every area team all the time, every team that might conceivably expect coverage. Again much of this seemed political: "pay attention to us." I wouldn't attempt to do this today because it's an unrealistic proposition. In the past when newspapers had rather a monopoly, people seemed more easy-going with expectations. It was enough to just do my best. Today I might be hanged from the highest rafter if I were to make a typo. So I'm out of that racket now. I cover the teams I feel like covering, when I want to cover them. No one ought to care. You don't have to pay to consume my work. It's easily ignored if that's what you want to do.
The retrenchment in Morris commercial media has been shocking. The Hancock Record is gone and so is the free circulation Ad-Viser. I used to pick up the Ad-Viser in Lowry on Friday and fill the van so full with bundles, I'd get teased about whether there was room for me in the van! Now it's simply gone.
The Morris paper made the big switch from twice weekly to once. I remember when Mike Martin was downright emotional about games getting covered in the very next issue of the paper. So a Tuesday game would have to get covered in Thursday's issue and if it wasn't, it was cause for all-out hair-pulling. Certain people had anger management issues. Now the paper is once a week and it's not even that big much of the time. It shriveled up to just ten pages in one issue following the Christmas/New Year's holiday.
 
Morris newspaper circulation plummets
That one 10-pager itself may have expedited the process of decline. But let's get into circulation figures. A friend who pays more attention than me, recently emailed me on the topic. So interested was he, he photographed the report that appears annually in the Minnesota Newspaper Association directory. The report published in 2017 showed a circulation of 2800 for the "Stevens County Times." And then we look at the photo of the fresh 2018 report showing circulation of 2186.
I forwarded the email to a local acquaintance with strong interest in how the Morris paper fares, and he responded: "Wow! A 22 percent drop in one year. Amazing."
What does it mean? Normally such figures would suggest that a management change is needed at the paper, immediately if not sooner. Not only do I not sense that, I sense the Morris paper manager is showing the kind of arrogance that has become her trait. Does she answer to Jody Hanson in Alexandria? I had some contact with Jody, enough to conclude she's too nice a person to be in Forum Communications management.
I'm certain that Jody knows what's happening in Morris so what's the deal? Expectations are obviously low for the Morris paper. Is this setting the stage for something drastic like what we saw in Hancock? We have to wonder, based on the prevalence of Alexandria-based advertising circulars in that pile of weekly circulars. Doesn't it seem like pollution anyway? But maybe what's coming is this: Forum Communications is preparing to establish an area-wide paper based in Alexandria. There would be no more Morris paper.
Forum would just start mailing the new area paper to those on the Morris subscriber list. This is how they phased out Hancock. I wonder if the subscribers to the old Hancock paper had the option of getting a refund if they pressed the issue. They could easily argue that they chose to buy a "Hancock" paper.
By the time the Morris paper gets nixed, maybe no one will care anymore. I thought maybe that's what happened with the cancellation of Hancock. The decline of newspapers was once considered pretty big news. Well, it's big news if people react with a feeling of shock. Maybe that's no more. By the time newspapers truly fade into obsolescence, no one will care because we will all have moved on to something else. That's how our economy works.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Lakers succumb to "crazy athletic" Caledonia

The Minnewaska Area boys had their post-season momentum interrupted Wednesday night in state.
'Waska could no longer continue its pattern of coming from behind to win. Coming from behind is how those Lakers defeated our MACA Tigers. On Wednesday night in the big bright show of state, the Lakers were dealt defeat by Caledonia, 80-41.
Mention of Caledonia brings to mind the sport of football primarily. Caledonia has won three straight state titles in the fall sport. Now with March Madness accelerating, Caledonia is showing it has what it takes in hoops. Caledonia really turned on the jets in the second half against Minnewaska. The halftime situation still had 'Waska in the game. 'Waska trailed by just eleven, 37-26. But whoa, look what happened in the second half: Caledonia crushed the Lakers 43-15.
Caledonia owns the No. 3 state ranking. They have the pretty generic nickname "Warriors." They can be considered the king in football, and "King" is in fact the last name of top players: Owen, Noah and Eli. The King boys combined their talents for 30 points and 13 steals to help sink the Lakers. Now we'll see if those Warriors will be the "king" in basketball too.
Impactful as the Kings were, it was Marten Morem who supplied the main offensive punch for the victor. Morem made all eight of his field goal attempts and totaled 18 points. Minnewaska didn't have much to answer, but Garrett Jensen broke through to score 13 points and Jackson Johnsrud scored nine. This pair had their share of struggles though as they combined for 8-for-23 shooting numbers.
Even though 'Waska got buried in the second half, they appeared to handle the ball better. They had 28 total turnovers of which just ten were in the second half.
The game was in Class AA and was in the state quarter-finals. It was played at the storied floor of Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.
At one point early-on, the Lakers had the score tied at eleven-all but just couldn't sustain the competitiveness. 'Waska's shooting touch deserted them.
'Waska appeared to get a break due to unfortunate circumstances befalling Owen King of the Warriors. The problem was the famous elevated floor at Williams Arena. Owen is an SDSU Jackrabbit recruit. Against 'Waska he suffered a fall off that elevated floor. He was taken to the locker room for a time in the first half. He seemed never really in the groove as he could only get three of eleven shots to fall. His point total was a modest eight.
Caledonia tapped its depth on the roster to compensate. The Warriors also summoned a top-notch defense, coming at the Lakers in the form of a half-court trap. The Lakers found their passing options limited. All in all the Caledonia tactics led to an overwhelming advantage for them in the second half. Caledonia carved out a big advantage in fast-break points. Also they were dominating in the paint.
 
Lakers now in consolation round
Wait! The Lakers are not done. They have a consolation bracket challenge set for tonight (Thursday, 3/22) against a fellow Western Minnesota team, Breckenridge. Tipoff-time is 8 p.m.
The Lakers own a 21-7 record as they ready for the new challenge. Caledonia advances with a 26-4 record.
A great many Caledonia Warriors scored on Wednesday. Two were in double figures: Marten Morem with 18 points and Noah King with 14. Here's the rest of the list: Eli King (8), Andrew Goergen (2), Owen King (8), Riley Gavin (6), Jordan Burg (3), Eric Augedahl (2), Austin Heim (1), Noah Kearney (4), Sam Barthel (9), Riley Augedahl (3) and Walker Spier (2).
Morem and Owen King each made two 3-pointers while Noah King, Jordan Burg and Riley Augedahl each made one. Noah King with his five rebounds led in that category. Noah had seven assists to stand out there. He and Eli King were steal leaders with five and seven, respectively.
 
Garrett Jensen leads Lakers
Let's look at the Lakers - here we have just the one double figures scorer, Garrett Jensen with his 13 points followed by Jackson Johnsrud with nine. Matt Gruber put in seven points. Three other Lakers scored: Grant Jensen (6), Jack Blevins (4) and Shawn Carsten (2). Johnsrud and Garrett Jensen each made one 3-pointer.
Grant Jensen led in rebounds with six while these three Lakers each had four: Carsten, Gruber and Johnsrud. Garrett Jensen dished out two assists. Johnsrud, Carsten and Joe Piekarski each had one steal.
The Willmar paper sort of screws us over because if you go online today, you'll notice much of the text is blocked out, meaning of course you have to be some sort of paying subscriber. The online world is pretty vast, though, so we can find some fine coverage from the Post-Bulletin. On their site, we read that Caledonia, loaded with many of the same athletes who propelled the Warriors in football, "beat Minnewaska Area up pretty good."
The Post-Bulletin tells us that Caledonia (southeast Minnesota) "used its speed, quickness and got physical as well to thump unseeded Minnewaska."
'Waska coach Phil Johnsrud is quoted saying "(Caledonia) just wore us down. Our kids aren't used to that speed and athleticism. And I thought it was extremely physical."
And Caledonia coach Brad King - yes, another of the Kings - was quoted saying "I think when you get up to the state tournament it turns into a little more of a physical game. We're fine with that. We're a pretty strong team."
Caledonia had just seven turnovers. Let's note that player Eli King looks to be a king for a long time as he's only an eighth-grader. I remember when our Morris school had a policy of not even playing sophomores at varsity (around 1980). Eli had seven steals and eight points with all these stats coming in the first half.
Owen King said his injury from falling from the elevated floor did affect his subsequent play. He described a "cement floor." Ouch. He's a six feet-three guard. He said he landed on his chest first.
Coach King said "I'll put our bench up against anybody. We can go all the way up to ten to the 12th spot." Just look at their scoring list.
Marten Morem is a six feet-six senior forward. His matchup was with the Lakers' Shawn Carsten who stands six feet-eight. Moren overcame Carsten with his 8-for-8 field goal numbers. The Warriors began separating themselves from the Lakers as the second half unfolded, as they went on a 9-4 run. Garrett Jensen of the Lakers noted that his team's loss "wasn't for a lack of effort." He described the Warriors as "crazy athletic."
As the second half developed, the Warriors really blew things open with a 15-0 run over three minutes. The score was 59-30 with 9:56 left. Noah King really set the pace in the overwhelming run. Coach King pulled his starters with over seven minutes left. The final minutes were played in running time. Caledonia is in its fourth state tournament in five years. They'll taken on Brooklyn Park, the No. 2 seed, in the state semis at 8 p.m. Friday at Target Center.
Thanks to the Post-Bulletin. We'll be cheering for the 'Waska Lakers as they strive to re-group for tonight (Thursday). It'll be fun to see Caledonia resume play too. Long live the King(s)?
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

"Indivisible Morris" gentle but determined

Some have called it a "blue wave." Others call it a "tea party from the left." We see the new political sentiment reflected in a letter to the editor in the March 17 Morris newspaper. The letter expresses disappointment that a community organization isn't going to have a column published in the paper. This new organization is called "Indivisible Morris."
The letter pats the newspaper on the back in many respects. The letter writer is pleased that organizations like the American Legion Auxiliary get reviewed in print. After various compliments, the writer, Vern Simula, is disappointed that the newspaper won't accommodate "Indivisible Morris." BTW the paper made a bad typo in the headline for the letter, butchering "indivisible." Thus I think the paper has an obligation to re-run the letter.
Maybe the paper can also change its mind about not publishing updates from the group.
Now we get into politics. While apparently not being told there was a political aspect to the paper's refusal decision, the letter writer mind-reads and suspects there is. Vern suggests with the typical defensiveness of a political progressive that his group "may be viewed as perhaps too liberal." In parenthesis he translates "too liberal" as "not sufficiently conservative."
"Sufficiently conservative" means the prevailing sentiment in society in recent years has been heavily weighted toward conservative. Yes it has. The new organization should know that the paper's owner is Forum Communications which has a long background of being Republican or conservative-oriented. The Morris paper was once owned from within the community but no more - it's another of these businesses where the strings are pulled in a corporate office far away. The owners tend to be Scrooge McDuck types who like Republicans. So good luck in dealing with that.
But Forum Communications (of Fargo) is a media company. It must have its ear to the ground to understand and be sensitive to political trends. The enterprising Mr. Simula found the mission statement of the American Legion which states a political objective. And you can bet that a veterans service organization is not going to come out as being left-leaning. The mission statement says the Legion has "great political influence perpetuated by its grass-roots in the legislative process."
People such as the corporate bigshots with Forum do not see the Legion objectives as being truly political, because Forum's objectives, we can assume, tend toward the conservative.
Progressives in the meantime have been so left on their heels and feeling stigmatized, Donald Trump thinks he can get by with smearing this McCabe fellow by saying his "wife is a Democrat." Heaven forbid that the FBI have a high-ranking person whose wife would run for public office as a Democrat. But this is changing. The popular view is changing. Democrats are starting to do better.
We saw a Democrat win in Pennsylvania despite the fact Republicans were crying out that "you hate God if you vote Democratic." People are seeing through the smokescreen, really? At its core, it's more a matter of people in their desperation looking to the political system for a little more help, and this help is more likely to come from the Democratic side of the aisle.
Local conservatives are going to read this and gnash their teeth. Increasingly they are going to find their attitude to be futile. More and more people are going to calmly find wisdom in this new organization called "Indivisible Morris," despite the paper's decision to slam the door on them. "Too liberal (inferred)." What a farce.
Simula says the group prioritizes true humanistic aims: local school safety, health care, jobs, and wealth inequality for example.
Oh my God, wealth inequality! Those are code words in the minds of the right wing for socialism. You know, socialism, that principle that gives us Social Security and Medicare. Of course, all advanced industrial nations are a combination of free enterprise and socialism. In America we have developed this weird aversion to progressive principles despite the fact we're crying out for help because of the forces of globalization and automation. Polls show that the idea of "universal basic income" is getting more popular. Why? It's because it's increasingly a struggle to go out and pursue the American dream like in the old days. Being a young adult nowadays is downright scary.
We must make adjustments with our political system, despite what the Farm Bureau types among us might scream about it. The 3/17 Morris newspaper includes photos of Farm Bureau people rubbing shoulders with legislators at some event. The Farm Bureau people look just like how I'd expect them to look. They are no doubt blessed in their material possessions. Many of them go to a church where I'm quite certain it's 100 percent Republican.
But be cautious, you people, about the solidity of your political position now, because "Indivisible Morris" is bubbling up. "Indivisible" isn't concerned with hurting or humiliating anyone. It's much more gentle than its counterparts on the right, to be sure. It seeks to uplift and provide comfort and basic economic security to all people. Damn the newspaper for turning them away. Consider not buying the "Stevens County Times" anymore.
"A strong democracy needs well-informed citizens," Mr. Simula says.
Amen and hallelujah.
To read my "Morris of Course" post on the Trump vs. Stormy Daniels thing, please click on the permalink below.

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/03/maybe-most-evangelicals-are-charlatans.html

 

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

More thoughts from Hancock van accident

("fox9" image)

The recent school van-semi accident is, I think, a flashpoint for all of us. Many of us I'm sure think to ourselves "there but for the grace of God go I," and this is in connection with the driver of the van, whose life will surely never be the same. An objective review will show the driver to be negligent. The consequences were so horrific.
And because this driver was working on behalf of the school, the school is surely drawn into the whole thing. The "deep pockets" principle will take over. The accident is surely a reminder of the frailty of our mortal existence. It is a reminder that at any moment, disaster can befall us. It is a reminder of the inherent extreme danger of our motorized transportation. The young generation even has some reservations about adopting the habit of driving a vehicle.
There was a time when transportation and its unbounded nature, lifted by Eisenhower's Interstate Highway project, was as American as apple pie. It seemed synonymous with the very freedom that defines us.
The driver of the van in the accident is 68 years old. I'm 63. A problem with us people is that for most of our lives, seat belt use was not mandatory. Today the police watch us very carefully to make sure belts are on. I'm not sure why this kind of monitoring wasn't done in past times. Did we just accept the risk? You know who feels uncomfortable with that risk? Insurance companies. Pressure from the insurance industry can explain many shifts in public policy and the law.
I'm not Mr. Insurance but let me speculate a little: there is no doubt there was negligence in the case of the horrific accident. The kids needed to be belted in and they weren't. The driver was of my generation which has needed prodding to realize the essential nature of seat belt use. I don't think I ever once used seat belts in my glorious 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado. Today the cops will descend on you unhesitatingly.
Have you wondered that it must be difficult to even determine whether a motorist is belted? Some vehicles have tinted windows, presumably within the law, that appear to make it impossible to see if people are belted. Why should such motorists be insulated from the law better than other people? Driving after dusk is an issue unto itself. The Swift County sheriff was initially unsure whether the kids in that van were legally required to be belted in. I chided him for that in my previous post on the subject. I suggested that he just "pick up the phone" to find out.
Furthermore, does his uncertainty mean that if he were patrolling himself, and observed a school van with kids not belted in, he would refrain from pulling that van over because of his clouded judgment? Look at the consequences of those kids not being belted in. Because of the negligence, I wonder how the insurance issues will be affected. It was a Hancock school van. I imagine Supt. Loren Hacker experienced tremendous stress both because of those poor kids being hurt so badly, and the possible monetary ramifications for the school.
Would a school's liability policy be activated? I imagine the cost of treatment for those kids will be substantial. Even if the school's insurance comes into play, which surely it must, the school would probably be looking at higher premiums in the future, n'est-ce pas? I have heard someone say the accident and its consequences could endanger the school's ambitious upgrade plans. I just have to ask: could the accident force the school into bankruptcy? If the answer is an incredulous "no," then I'd have to compliment the U.S. insurance industry for being so accommodating. I guess it would be proof that insurance surely works.
We must ask if Hancock administrators had knowledge of whether or not it was the practice of van drivers not to make sure kids were belted in. Was a van of this type ever observed by law enforcement with the usual attention to whether or not belts were used, the same kind of attention they'd apply if they saw me out and about sans belt? I have been pulled over twice for no seat belt. I got a ticket the first time and a warning the second. When I got the ticket, the Morris Police Department made a clerical error that made it difficult to pay the fine. I wrote a whole blog post about this, and you may read via this link:

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2012/08/seat-belt-enforcement-grates-on-great.html
  

The second time I was pulled over, I veered into the Thrifty White parking lot to avoid stopping on the shoulder of the highway, and the Morris officer was at least friendly this time. I appreciated that greatly. If it's so important for me to be belted in all the time, I would think that kids in a school van would be similarly watched over. Instead we have a sheriff, John Holtz, who wasn't even sure at first if they were required to be belted. Maybe he should resign over this shortcoming.
I think we all feel for the driver of the van because the error happened in a mere instant - who knows why? A briefly inattentive mind? Such caprice we can be subjected to. Surely it shows the great danger we face every time going out on the roads.
A car-free lifestyle is more practical today than in the past. In fact, it has been said that we can, if we choose, live our whole life without even leaving the house. The communications revolution has enabled this. Young people thus do not view auto transportation as a defining feature of the American life. It's another departure from the world that the immediate post-WWII generation knew. That beloved generation was "joiners." They joined all sorts of clubs and activities where there was face-to-face contact with others. They bowled on teams! The later drift away from bowling was noted in the famous sociological book "Bowling Alone."
Today we use electronic communications to build social contacts with people who might live anywhere. . .on the globe! We live in communities of people with shared interests. Home schooling is an interesting principle but it has gotten cloaked in political and religious overtones. It's also clearly not practical for everyone. So we continue this practice of sending out buses or vans to get kids to "school" even though all the information they might need to enrich themselves is available on the Internet.
The Morris school reportedly contracts with a security firm, something that would have been unimaginable in my days in the Morris school. I must have grown up in profoundly more innocent times. Why the difference?
All the contemporary tech tools (fun gadgets) have created a distracted driving menace that may be worse than drunk driving. And BTW, drunk driving was considered rather innocent, just an annoyance, when I was young. We'd surely chuckle about many such instances. Humor based on being inebriated was once common in our mass culture. Watch re-runs of the old Match Game (with Gene Rayburn) and you'll catch this.
I find the world of today to be foreboding in many ways. We have a clearly dangerous president of the U.S. We vote Republican because we want lower taxes, but what if the deficit explodes, inflation heats up and interest rates jump up? Maybe we've forgotten how scary inflation is. Michael Kinsley once wrote that inflation comes along once every generation. We get scared by it, go through the painstaking process of curing it (as with Paul Volcker raising interest rates one whole point at  a time) and then resolve "never again," only to have the next generation come along clueless.
Are we clueless at present? We have a president who is an embarrassment in the eyes of the whole world. How did Stormy Daniels bring him to ejaculation? I guess inquiring minds want to know. Heaven help us all.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Minnewaska Area ascends to state tournament!

The Minnewaska Area Lakers are in a pattern of coming from behind. They exhibited the pattern again Thursday night (3/15). We're at a high level of post-season play now. Minnewaska's success on Thursday elevated the BBB squad to state. March Madness truly takes hold in Glenwood and Starbuck now.
'Waska has its first state berth since 2001. This is the third state tournament appearance as the combined Minnewaska entity. Glenwood High School made the climb in 1956 and 1985. I remember watching the Lakers in state when they had coach Starns.
Maybe the Lakers can catch a break and coast with a lead for a while. It would help their fans relax a little. But those fans are now accustomed to being on edge of seats, watching as their team escapes deficits in a dramatic way. The team certainly did that against Morris Area Chokio Alberta. We've seen second half comebacks in three straight games now. The Lakers did it to New London-Spicer as well as our Tigers, and now we can add Pipestone to the list of the vanquished.
The Lakers defeated Pipestone 56-54 at Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall. My goodness, the Lakers trailed nearly the entire game. I remember listening to the radio for a short time in the second half of the game vs. Morris, and I thought Morris had things pretty well in hand. I shut off the radio and attended to other matters. And then the next morning, making my usual arrival at DeToy's Restaurant, Tom Carrington just made a discouraged expression when I asked him how the game turned out. The message was that things went south for our Tigers. No team can feel confident when owning the lead on the scoreboard vs. the Lakers. Tom Carrington's granddaughter is Maddie Carrington who is a 3-point shooting whiz for the MACA girls team.
Three minutes were left to play in the 'Waska vs. Pipestone game when Shawn Carsten scored for 'Waska to get the score tied. It was 49-all. 'Waska now sought its first lead since the scoreboard showed 9-8 numbers early-on. Garrett Jensen gave 'Waska their much-sought late lead. Garrett was composed at the freethrow line to make two shots. The time remaining is just over two minutes. Matt Gruber and Jackson Johnsrud pushed the lead to 55-51. Now only 19 seconds are left and you can imagine the exhilarated atmosphere among the large Minnewaska fan turnout.
'Waska's Thursday success was in the section finals. The climb to the top of 3AA is done, so now all eyes turn to the prestigious state level. We learn that prior to Thursday's game, the Lakers led for fewer than ten minutes throughout the playoffs. Let's note that Jackson Johnsrud was at the fore keeping 'Waska's attack stable in the first half, in which he scored 14 points. 'Waska trailed Pipestone by four at halftime, 29-25.
The Lakers now own an overall season record of 21-7. Pipestone ends its season with a 19-11 mark.
Johnsrud topped the scoring vs. Pipestone with his 25 total points. The other double figures achiever was Matt Gruber with ten. Here's the rest of the list: Shawn Carsten (7), Garrett Jensen (6), Grant Jensen (4) and Luke Barkeim (4). 'Waska needed every point, so it was important that Johnsrud connected three times from 3-point range. Gruber made two 3's and Grant Jensen made one.
The rebound leaders were Garrett Jensen (8), Gruber (7) and Johnsrud (5). The assist leaders were Gruber and Garrett Jensen with five and four respectively. Grant Jensen and Gruber each had two steals.
My friend Randy Olson typed some informative paragraphs about the game on his blog which emphasizes BBE sports. Randy covers a wider geographic area for post-season, just like my blog does. Randy is the enterprising owner of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper in Brooten. He's a very fired-up newspaper operator in outstate Minnesota. He definitely is doing more than just "holding on" in this age of general newspaper decline (according to popular perception). Our Morris newspaper is 100 percent in the "holding on" mode.
We have a chain paper here in Morris. We'd be fortunate having someone like Randy or the Elbow Lake newspaper people. But we don't. Things don't always go our way, just like they didn't go our way in the MACA vs. 'Waska basketball game. Nor did things go our way when Maddie Carrington and her Tiger mates lost in the first round of post-season.
I'm pleased to share what Randy wrote on his "Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Jaguar sports" blog:
 
In the Section 3AA boys basketball championship game in Marshall, the Minnewaska Area Lakers trailed 29-25 to Pipestone Area at halftime. . .but late in the final minute the Lakers pulled ahead 51-49. Senior Matt Gruber was fouled with about 45 seconds left for a bonus opportunity. He made the first one, then made the bonus to make it a 53-49 game. The Arrows actually fouled him seven seconds earlier, but the referees didn't call it right away.
Pipestone Area then went to the freethrow line with 38.8 seconds left and got a bonus opportunity. They made both, making it a 53-51 game.
Then with 36.2 seconds left, senior Jackson Johnsrud was fouled and hit the front end of a bonus opportunity. He made the second one for a 55-51 lead. The Arrows missed on their next possession, but then with 19.6 seconds left, the Lakers threw the ball away. Pipestone Area then dilly-dallied after a timeout! Crazy! They literally walked the ball up the court, trailing by four points. . .and with five seconds left after missing on a shot, they fouled Grant Jensen. He made the front end of a bonus shot for a five-point lead. Jensen's second freethrow was no good, and the Arrows called their last remaining timeout with 4.2 seconds left. 
The Arrows made a three-point shot as the final seconds ticked off. . .it was meaningless! (Nice effort, but it didn't matter!) 
Minnewaska Area (21-7 overall) advances to the Class 2A state tournament, which opens next Wednesday in Minneapolis. I believe that Minnewaska Area hasn't played in the state tournament since 2001. In 2003, they lost 63-37 to Pipestone Area in the Section 3AA championship game. They went 15 years without playing in a section title game.  
Final score: Minnewaska Area 56, Pipestone Area 54. The Lakers went 12-of-18 at the freethrow line in the game and overcame 14 turnovers. A fun sidebar: the Lakers are also the Section 3AA academic champions.  
Fun fact: Grant Jensen's dad is Eric Jensen, a 1987 graduate of Brooten who played for the Buccaneers boys basketball team. As a senior in the 1986-87 season, Eric's Buccaneers team went 12-1 in the Prairie Conference to win the title under the head coaching of Brad Goodwin. 
 
Thanks Randy for the interesting background.
Fans might be tempted to think that 'Waska is "lucky" getting so far, as if the prospects might not be good for state. Hooey. Often we see teams dodge bullets as the season progresses and the caliber of their play actually seems to get better. The message here is: don't bet against the Lakers against anyone!
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Re. school bus crash: can kids stay at home?

I just recently wrote about how maybe kids 15 and older could stay at home and develop their school studies using the Internet. This was in response to the school shooting in Florida. Maybe kids younger than 15 could do this too.
Now, we here in Stevens County are reminded of an additional danger when getting kids to school: having them out on the road. School attendance is compulsory. Kids have to be transported to school. We are now reminded of the basic risk of being out on the roads in a motorized vehicle. We learn of the serious accident involving a school bus or van.
Kids weren't seat-belted in? And it's a gray area whether that was legally required? I actually doubt if it is a gray area. Perhaps some powers that be are hesitant to proclaim that the school bus service was negligent. Maybe some sort of insurance settlement is at stake with this. I know that my family members must be buckled in at all times. I felt startled the first time I was pulled over for no other reason than no seat belt. I figured this was during one of those enforcement crackdowns, you know, where you see PSAs on TV warning "click it or ticket" etc.
I got pulled over a second time when I figured there was no such crackdown in effect, so lesson learned: just put on the (expletive) belt and don't give it a second thought. (BTW I got a ticket the first time, a warning the second.)
If any of the overweight and bald-headed local law enforcement people are reading this - some of you look like neo-Nazi skinheads - you needn't stare to see if my family have our seat belts on - we do.
The driver of the semi in the crash said it appeared the van was going to yield. This brought back a memory for me. This was from the days when I hopped around town on my bicycle a lot. It was at night. Yes, a time to be extra careful. I was heading south on the street next to the (old) Sun Tribune building and First Lutheran Church. A car was stopped at the intersection and remained there long enough that I assumed the driver saw me. So I proceeded without hesitation. Then he applied the accelerator.
I tried making a sudden turn to avoid the car but the car did make contact with the rear of my bike, and I ended up on the pavement. The driver stopped upon making contact. You'll laugh at this as I share with you that I was actually more worried about my camera being damaged, than about my body. Joyce Van Eps was in a car behind the one that struck me, and I was pleased that she was concerned about my welfare. Of course my bike was totaled. These days I only see Joyce at Thrifty White Dug occasionally. I am concerned about her welfare too: I hope she has quit smoking.
Two interesting things about "the old days": We tolerated smoking everywhere, and we weren't required to wear seat belts. A theory on the seat belt crackdown: it may have grown from our tech-filled society wherein all our gadgets are disrupting our normal attention span. Our brain gets filled with lots of data, much of it probably of questionable value. Do you really need to be reading this blog? Just kidding. We can forget where we put our keys. Just think, in the old days we lived our lives without Instagram.
Seriously, think about how different life was in pre-digital. Can you imagine yourself living that way? People my age did. And we had to combat boredom and ennui in our lives. The digital world has not only conquered boredom, it has gone beyond to where we are surely over-stimulated. I have my laptop on in front of me. I can check the stock market futures any time I want.
 
A need to drive, really?
I have read that young people approach adulthood with some skeptical thoughts about whether a car is even necessary. They view cars as dangerous. The school bus accident locally reminds us vividly of that. We should be especially upset that these kids had no choice but to be on that trip. They are required to go to school. Why hasn't our education developed more to being independent of the old school building model, a model that can seem almost like prison? All the information in the world is online.
Everyone has easy access to the Internet and if certain people don't, the government should help them. Staying at home protects kids from bus crashes and school shootings. Yes there's an issue of proper supervision. But we can progress toward a more sensible model. Home schooling is already pretty well established. When I was in high school, there'd be hell to pay if you were even caught in the hallway without a "pass." How draconian. I must have had a much stronger bladder back then. A loud bell or buzzer would be heard to signal us to change classrooms. No freedom or discretion.
Does anyone realistically worry about a school shooting? Even though these horrible events are reported on the news from time to time, in a sensational manner, we all know the odds of such a thing happening in your town are very remote.
When a shooting happens, the stage is set for lots of hindsight. So, we think that having an armed teacher is the answer? Intelligent and thoughtful people feel this is no answer. These are people not influenced by NRA money. Wherever there is a gun, there is potential for trouble. Suicides are more likely to happen in households that have guns.
"Have gun, will teach?" Can we trust the armed teachers to always show the best judgment? Can we be certain they won't pull out their firearm if there is a simple disturbance in school, not involving a firearm? How can the teacher be certain that an actual shooting event is underway? Is a loud popping noise good enough? What if such a sound occurs minus a gun?
These teachers are going to know that if a shooting in fact happens, they will be obligated to run directly toward the shooter to neutralize him, whereupon the risk of the teacher getting killed will be very high. What will this do to the state of mind of the teacher? Hardly anyone can be a match for an assault rifle. We should ban such rifles. The biggest impediment is campaign money from the NRA for politicians, nearly all Republicans.
I wait nervously to see if the Democrats can get some standing back, to win one of the two houses of Congress at least. The special election in Pennsylvania had the Republican candidate saying that you "hate God" if you vote Democratic. Such pronouncements can put Democrats on the defensive. We need to get over this mindset of Democrats feeling they have to be on the defensive. One-party rule by the Republicans could virtually destroy America.
Previously in this post I noted that so many law enforcement people have shaved heads - I should allow for the possibility that these people simply have a medical condition. But a lot of them ought to lose weight.
 
A little head-scratching
A news report on the accident says the students "were apparently not wearing seat belts." I'm amused by the word "apparently." Oh I think we can be certain they weren't. If they were, that sentence wouldn't be in there. The Swift County sheriff is quoted saying it was "uncertain if it was illegal to not wear seat belts in school vans equipped with them." I chuckle a little because I'm certain the facts about that were probably gained pretty quickly.
If a bozo like me gets pulled over for no seat belt, I'm quite certain that students en route from school in a van would be too. Again, maybe there's fear of an insurance judgment or fear of real legal consequences - just a theory.
If the sheriff (John Holtz) is unsure about the legality, he could certainly pick up the phone. People in this community screamed at me about how I should have "picked up the phone" after the UMM goalpost incident, to talk to the coach about some things. I was supposed to find out the meaning of a certain hammer. I just think the sport of football is more trouble than it's worth. I should have just left town, the family with me, on the weekend of the goalpost incident. Fundamentally it was UMM's problem, not mine.
The Hancock superintendent gave a quote that disturbs me. Loren Hacker said "We have a really strong faith-based community here." "Faith-based?" Is this in a religious context? The quote echoes all the sermonizing Republicans telling us we "hate God" if we vote Democratic. I don't see why religion needs to be invoked at all, certainly not by a public school superintendent. He further says "I really believe this will draw us closer together."
And all I'd like to say is: let the kids stay at home. There's a quote about how the Hancock school is "the heart of the community." Maybe it should not be.
And it's not as if Republicans love God, they really love tax cuts for the very wealthy.

Addendum: I'm told that the van driver in the accident is Judy Van Eps, formerly the UMM music department secretary. We learn that she's 68 years old, getting me to think immediately: might this be too old for such a job? I'm 63 now and I'm not sure my reflexes are going to be the same five years from now.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Minnewaska reaches 3AA championship contest

March Madness continues without the MACA Tigers. On Saturday the Minnewaska Area Lakers, fresh from eliminating our Tigers, won again at Southwest State University, Marshall. Us orange and black fans are left pondering the "might have beens." We led 'Waska much of the way in our game vs. the Lakers. We faded in overtime.
The rejuvenated Lakers rose to the occasion Saturday at SSU. They defeated New London-Spicer 68-66. So congratulations to the Lakers. Again they overcame a deficit. All that matters is the final score of course.
Jackson Johnsrud made a layup to give 'Waska the initial lead. The Wildcats promptly snatched the momentum, good enough to hold the lead for over 30 minutes. Brandon Adelman was in top offensive form for the Wildcats. But Adelman's 35 points wasn't enough to put his Wildcats on top at the end. No, it was 'Waska ultimately showing the winning form. Thus they have the opportunity now to play Pipestone for all the Section 3AA marbles.
The Willmar paper reported that Adelman "found stretches of metaphorical unconsciousness with a combination of impressive three-point shooting and efficient floaters in the lane."
"Metaphorical unconsciousness?" As someone who has been judged to be a little unconventional in word choice through my career, I must say this description is quite weird. I wouldn't gravitate to such words.
'Waska coach Phil Johnsrud observed that his team had gotten away from its desired offensive philosophy of late. It certainly didn't hurt them when they defeated our Tigers. Against NL-Spicer the Lakers got back more to their comfortable groove with what the coach called "a lot of dribble-drive and kicking (the ball) out." The coach also credited his team's sheer drive and determination.
Indeed there was potential for the Lakers to fold when they sagged to a 26-9 deficit. At halftime the Lakers had righted themselves some as they trailed 31-25. Adelman kept the wind in the Wildcats' sails through much of the second half. He got help from Ander Arnold who scored in double figures.
But on the Lakers' side, Jackson Johnsrud and sophomore Grant Jensen gave fuel for what would prove to be a winning effort. This they did with 3's and with effective penetration. Jensen exceled in the paint and put in 21 points. Johnsrud was a cog with his outside shooting. Coach Johnsrud said of Jensen that he had a "monster game."
The coach was delighted with Jackson Johnsrud's clutch second half showing. The ingredients were in place to delight the devoted Minnewaska fan following.
 
Host school has name tweak
I refer to Southwest as "SSU" from the old days but I guess it's "Southwest Minnesota State University." I don't like this "Minnesota State" stuff. Mostly it reminds me of the old Jerry Van Dyke TV sitcom. Did you know that Jerry was considered for the role of "Gilligan" in "Gilligan's Island?" That TV show is often cited as an example of trashy TV from the '60s, devoid of substance or artistic merit. Criticizing the old TV is like criticizing country music: it may seem shallow but it takes genius to create. So it really is art, high art actually.
"Gilligan's Island" as art? I would argue yes, because the show had a message of how we're all really kin in our diverse American society: though we seem different, we can easily bond in situations where we have to. Here's this disparate group of tourists on a cruise, they get stranded and they end up with endearing bonds. I think it's very moving. Years later when a show was done showing the group escaping the island, they had adjustment problems. They missed each other.
 
You gotta believe (in the Lakers)
Coach Johnsrud said "everybody believes in this team." The Lakers crept up on New London-Spicer and took a much-sought lead with 3:33 left. Ryan Christianson showed deft form to sneak in for a layup, so the score is now 60-59 with 'Waska tasting victory. It seemed like a repeat of the Morris game where the final score was 58-51 as Morris scored zero points in overtime.
The Lakers applied the defensive clamps after Christianson's layup. The Lakers scored again and now they seemed within easy reach of victory. Coach Johnsrud loved his team's defense and rebounding in the second half. All that defense still couldn't contain Adelman very well. The Lakers simply had to survive Adelman's onslaught. The clock ended up working against the Wildcats. Coach Johnsrud could not fault his team's defense vs. scoring terror Adelman. Adelman just showed he was a monster player.
Pipestone owned the No. 2 seed in the South Sub-Section. Pipestone beat Windom 78-53 in the game preceding 'Waska vs. NL-Spicer. The Lakers and Pipestone will clash beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday in Marshall (at SSU or whatever it's called).
 
Almost an "iron man" effort
Just six players scored for Minnewaska on Saturday, led by the 1-2 punch of Grant Jensen (21 points) and Jackson Johnsrud (20). The other four point-scorers were Matthew Gruber (12), Garrett Jensen (8), Ryan Christianson (5) and Luke Barkeim (2). Johnsrud made three 3-pointers while Christianson and Gruber each made one. Garrett Jensen attacked the boards to collect 13 rebounds. The assist leaders were Johnsrud with four and Gruber with three.
The only other scorer of note besides Adelman (35) for NL-Spicer was Ander Arnold with 14 points. Here's the rest of their list: Tristan Thompson (4), Brandyn Harlow (4), Ryan Wyganowski (3), Jonathan Kaelke (2), Jake Schmidt (2) and Caleb Maxwell (2).
Adelman with his three 3-pointers topped that list. His mates Wyganowski and Arnold each made one '3'. The NL-Spicer rebound leaders were Adelman and Thompson with eight and six respectively. Three Wildcats each executed three assists: Adelman, Wyganowski and Thompson. Kaelke and Arnold each stole the ball twice.
Maybe us Tiger fans could pretend this week like we're on the Minnewaska Area bandwagon.
 
On the structure of post-season now
I'd like to comment on how the post-season structure can be confusing to the average fan. Even when I was a press writer I could feel confusion sometimes. For much of my life we had the district/region format which was easy to understand. In my elementary school years we'd get excused to go to the cafeteria and watch the state tournament when it really was a statewide focus for all! It was the days of the storied one-class format, which today inspires nostalgia just like when we watch Gene Hackman in the movie "Hoosiers." Nostalgia yes, drippingly so.
Of course those were not the good old days. The one-class system was ridiculously unfair. We later learned that even the two-class format was unfair, so a complete egalitarian mentality took over. It's a good thing but on the other side of the coin, the new system does not appeal to the broad public. There is complexity.
The current Morris newspaper has a headline saying the Tigers lost in the "semis." But, the semis of what? The reference is to the sub-section semis. Problem is, the sub-section finals are effectively the section semi-finals. The "sections" are really just one game. The headline in the Monday Willmar paper says the Lakers won in the "3AA semis." But it really was the sub-section championship game. We can scratch our heads.
 
Some get out "talking points"
I find that the usual suspects in Morris who try to give cover for our coaches all the time, are eager to use the "semis" language for our loss - the paper echoes that. We in fact hear "talking points" about this, so to pull the wool over numerous eyes. Hey, we lost in the "semis." Just look at the headline in the Morris paper. But what does it mean to lose in the sub-section semis? All it means is that you won one game - in our case, over ACGC - and then we lost.
We did not reach a high level at all. I am accustomed to coming up against "talking points" in this community. But the irritation remains. Coach Torgerson has gotten through his whole lengthy career with this kind of "cover."
A former school board member tells me that the sports constituency of our school is pretty assertive these days when it comes to facilities and resources. I wonder how all those people feel about our basketball teams combining for one win in the post-season this year. I have always tried to be an advocate for Tiger athletics but too often I'm perceived as "the bad guy." Well, you all made your bed, now you can sleep in it. Go Lakers! My late father was a 1934 graduate of Glenwood High School. Those were the days of John Dillinger.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tigers wilt and die in OT against Minnewaska

'Waska 58, Tigers 51
Oh no! The MACA boys have been pushed to the end of post-season play. There was no repeat of the explosive offense the Tigers exhibited against ACGC. The Tigers' second post-season game had them matched against rival Minnewaska Area. The site was an unusual one for our post-season games: Willmar.
Had we won, we would have moved on to the very familiar court at Southwest State U, Marshall. And for much of Thursday's game against the Lakers, prospects for victory looked very good. I listened to the broadcast via live stream on my new laptop. It seemed we were en route to victory in the second half. I switched away, thinking things were in hand. I knew there was an outside chance for things to go south. Upon entering DeToy's Restaurant this morning, I got the surprising news that we headed south indeed and ended up losing to the Lakers.
Oh no! The season is done prematurely, in the view I'm sure of Tiger fans, and we're on the sidelines with the girls team. The girls lost in the first round of play. One consequence of these early exits is a very long break between the winter and spring seasons. It's hard to think of spring sports now. The break will be so long, maybe the athletes will develop different habits and not see sports as being so essential. I wouldn't blame them.
Had I stuck with the Thursday radio broadcast, I would have listened into overtime. Overtime was a disaster for our Tigers as we scored zero points. We fell in the 58-51 final. This was after we'd held the lead for the vast majority of the game.
Garrett Jensen of the Lakers did much to keep his team in position to win. Jensen is one of three seniors who have been at the fore of the 'Waska effort. He's joined by Matthew Gruber and Jackson Johnsrud. Jensen was truly at the fore Thursday with 27 points, the game-high figure. His layup with 25 seconds left in regulation tied the score. "He's the type of guy you want in your foxhole," coach Phil Johnsrud was quoted saying of Jensen. (I'm not real fond of war analogies for sports.)
We need to credit the 'Waska defense in a big way. Indeed the Lakers applied the clamps, limiting the Tigers to seven points over the last 5:15 and overtime. Meanwhile the Lakers surged to score 21 points. I missed all that in my radio listening. OT saw the MACA offense virtually die.
The first half story had Camden Arndt looking good for the orange and black as he put in ten points, helping us assume a 25-22 lead. He scored ten of our first 17 points but slowed in the second half. His game total was 14. Jackson Loge came on strong for second half play, scoring ten of his team-best 18 over that period.
'Waska coach Johnsrud praised his junior guard Ryan Amundson for coming off the bench to inject some valuable sheer energy.
So now the Lakers and not the Tigers will make the trip to Marshall for the 8 p.m. game on Saturday. Again coach Johnsrud will be depending on that triumvirate of seniors in a big way. The Lakers will play New London-Spicer. Johnsrud described his team as "a big family." Based on W/L records, Thursday's outcome really was not surprising. By beating MACA, 'Waska owns a 19-7 record. And let's not forget the Lakers beat MACA twice in the regular season. The Tigers end the season with a record of 13-14.
Our three double figures scorers Thursday were Loge (18), Arndt (14) and Jaret Johnson (12). Just five Tigers scored points. Connor Koebernick scored four points and Tate Nelson three. Arndt made two 3-pointers while Nelson and Johnson each made one.
Loge was a monster for rebounding with his 16 followed by Johnson with five. Koebernick showed deft passing to get six assists. Arndt and Nelson each stole the ball twice.
Jensen's name jumps out at you from the 'Waska scoring list: 27 points. Here's the rest of the list: Matt Gruber (9), Jackson Johnsrud (7), Jaeger Jergenson (6), Grant Jensen (5) and Shawn Carsten (4). Garrett Jensen connected twice from three-point range, while Johnsrud and Gruber each connected once. Garrett Jensen snared nine rebounds. Gruber dished out five assists. Johnsrud stole the ball twice.
Tiger fans can plan different things to do in the evening now. Sigh.
 
Owls 80, Ashby 54
Section 6A play opened for the Hancock boys on a most upbeat note. How pleasing to see that the Owls' next game will be at our UMM P.E. Center. It seems so logical. So convenient for the Hancock fans. Presumably we'll see plenty of Morris fans turning out at our local facility too. The MACA teams have been eliminated from the post-season. Go Owls!
Special attention will be paid to Noah Kannegiesser, a superstar type of player for coach Cory Bedel's Owls. Kannegiesser scored 34 points and grabbed six rebounds in Thursday's 80-54 win over Ashby. It was Hancock's 23rd win of the season. The Owls raced out to a 38-29 halftime lead. The advantage was 42-25 in the second half. The Owls will play at 1 p.m. Saturday vs. Battle Lake at the UMM court.
Bennett Nienhaus scored ten points and Cole Reese put in nine. Daniel Milander and Peyton Rohloff each scored six. Jordan Peterson added five points to the mix and Connor Reese added four. The Schmidgall boys, Mason and Parker, each scored two as did Tyler Timmerman. Kannegiesser brought waves of cheers from the Hancock partisans with his seven 3-pointers! Nienhaus had two long-range makes and Cole Reese had one.
Kannegiesser and Nienhaus each collected six rebounds. Nienhaus and Connor Reese each picked up four assists. Nienhaus led in steals with three.
For Ashby, Dakota Ecker and Scott Johnson each made three 3-pointers. Johnson was team-high in scoring with 19 points. Jaden Norby was No. 2 with his 14 points, and Ecker's point total was nine. Three other Arrows scored: Jacob Rein (6), Noah Johnson (4) and Ashton Ecker (2).
Here's hoping the bleachers will be filled Saturday at our P.E. Center! I can close my eyes and still remember the electric guitar sounds from the late Roger Clarke's son for Hancock! I also remember the giant scissors brought as a prop for Hancock to taunt Morris. Did someone need a haircut? These memories need to be preserved.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Can MACA boys turn tables vs. Minnewaska?

The MACA boys are seeking to extend their campaign, having advanced quite routinely through the first round of post-season. The girls are done. So the boys carry the MACA Tiger basketball banner now, trying to advance step by step, fresh from a dominating win over Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City.
The Tigers will have their next challenge on Thursday, March 8, against Minnewaska Area. The site will be neither Morris nor 'Waska, it will be Willmar for this 6 p.m. game. We're in Section 3AA.
If we look back on regular season scores, the challenge will probably be pretty substantial for us. February 2 saw the Tigers fall to the Lakers 59-47 at home. Then on December 14, the Tigers lost to 'Waska 52-41 on the road. Can coach Mark Torgerson get the tables turned on Thursday? That's the question we're all awaiting the answers to.
The outcome of the ACGC game was heartening. Take a look at the halftime score: 53-26. And then look at the final: 89-44. What a robust offense the orange and black displayed. Our overall record is 13-13 coming out of this game. ACGC closed things out with an 11-15 mark. We had balance and quality among a number of individuals. Let's look at our top four scorers, all in double figures. Here we see Jaret Johnson leading the way with 24 points. Camden Arndt poured in 18. Tate Nelson produced 13 and Connor Koebernick 12.
This foursome was complemented by: Chandler Vogel (8), Kyle Staebler (7), Jaden Maanum (3), Mace Yellow (2) and Jackson Loge (2). The Tigers enjoyed good productivity in three-point shooting. Arndt put the ball through the twine three times from beyond that arc. Koebernick, Nelson and Johnson each had two 3-point makes. Maanum made one long-ranger. Koebernick led in rebounds with seven followed by Arndt and Loge each with six. Loge and Nelson each produced five assists, and Arndt led in steals with six.
The double figures scorers for the Falcons were Josh Kinzler (16) and Jaren Kaddatz (12). Their list continues with Kobe Holtz (5), Dawson Miller (4), Brayden Hedtke (3), Steven Lawver (2) and Michael Lambert (2). Kinzler succeeded three times from 3-point range. Holtz, Hedtke and Kaddatz each made one long-ranger. Holtz and Lambert each collected five rebounds. Kinzler and Holtz each executed two assists. Lawver stole the ball three times.
Morris Area Chokio Alberta is in the 3AA quarter-finals now. I sometimes get confused with the post-season structure and terminology. You see, the sub-section finals game is the same as the section semi-finals. I think it's hard for the casual fan to grasp the post-season organization. You really have to be a parent or a very committed fan. The destination will be Willmar on Thursday, 3/8.
 
Gage Wevley in state wrestling
MAHACA ended its season with Gage Wevley's appearance in the prestigious state tournament in St. Paul. The state's elite wrestlers assembled following tradition at Xcel Center, St. Paul. Wevley vied among the "big guys" in the 220-pound class (Class AA). He squared off against a Totino-Grace grappler, Nate Schultz. The bout didn't go well for the Tiger as he dropped a 10-1 major decision.
Wevley might have been done under these circumstances, but he was able to get another bout thanks to Schultz winning his next match. Schultz beat Reed Rasset of Annandale-Maple Lake. So Wevley bounded out onto the mat again, this time to take on Rasset on Friday evening (3/2). Again Wevley was unable to summon winning form and he fell vs. Rasset 7-2.
Wevley supplied lots of excitement with his MAHACA Tiger mates through the course of the 2017-18 winter. Fans will be ready and enthused for a new campaign next winter!
 
Hancock boys in action too
The exciting Owls of Hancock wrapped up their regular season on February 27 with a 75-50 win over Underwood at home. The home gym will be the site again when action resumes for Section 6 post-season play. Noah Kannegiesser and his high-flying Owl mates will play at the friendly Hancock gym on Thursday, March 8, against an opponent that was not yet announced as of Wednesday morning (according to the Pheasant Country Sports site). Game-time is 7 p.m.
Kannegiesser put in 21 points when the Owls took care of business against the Rockets of Underwood. The Owls had a triumvirate of high scorers. The record-setting Noah was complemented by Bennett Nienhaus with 18 points and Connor Reese with 17. Also in a complementary role were Cole Reese (9), Daniel Milander (4), Peyton Rohloff (4) and Colton Crowell (2). Kannegiesser made three shots from three-point range. Nienhaus, Connor Reese and Cole Reese each made one 3-pointer.
Rebound leaders were Connor Reese (9), Nienhaus (7) and Kannegiesser (6). The assists list was topped by Nienhaus (6), Milander (5) and Kannegiesser (4). Three Owls each had three steals: Kannegieser, Connor Reese and Cole Reese. The Owls led 36-28 halfway through. Hancock enters the post-season with a glittering 22-2 record. Underwood's record was left at 7-18.
Here's the Underwood scoring list: Camen Andrews (16), Winston Heifort (12), Levi Blaskowski (9), Canaan Kugler (8) and Nicholas Seiple (5). Andrews made three 3-point shots and Kugler made two.
 
Hancock girls end season
Unfortunately for Owl fans, their girls hoops squad had a one-and-done story for the post-season. The end came on Thursday, March 1, at the hands of Underwood in a 59-50 final at Underwood. The Rockets left the launching pad quite fine in the first half, gaining a 28-16 lead. The Owls had a slight edge in the second half but the damage had been done.
Underwood had a 1-2 punch in scoring that they applied en route to victory. Brenna Tinjum and Sydney Hovland each put in 17 points. Corina Mark scored 14, Ally Johnson eight, Kayla Rocholl two and Montana Evavold one. (You know you're covering Underwood when you type the "Evavold" name.)
Ashlyn Mattson spurred the Owls with her 20 points but it wasn't enough. Here's the rest of the HHS list: Lexi Staples (9), Katelynn Jepma (6), Tess Steiner (6), Reegan Hanson (6) and Haley Mattson (3). Ashlyn Mattson was on fire from three-point range, making five long-rangers! Staples made one '3'. Ashlyn Mattson with her seven rebounds led in that category. Haley Mattson contributed two assists and Ashlyn Mattson had two steals. Hancock finishes the season with an above-.500 record at 13-11. Underwood upped its W/L numbers to 18-7.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Misbehavior leaves Hollywood folks reeling

I always have to be reminded when it's the Oscars time of year. I remember when a character in the "Doonesbury" comic strip referred to those celebrities as "tinsel-crazed morons." The strip had a celebrity at the podium telling a lame joke. John Wayne got in a little trouble with the law, we learned. "He double-parked his horse outside," the celebrity said, drawing affected laughter. The strip was from when Doonesbury had a heady and fresh air about it, appealing to youth who didn't feel in the mainstream yet.
I remember a few years back when the strip seemed to do something provocative and someone wondered why we weren't hearing more about it. A Star Tribune letter writer said "it's because no one reads (the strip) anymore." Well, George Burns kept going until he was nearly 100.
The Biblical epics were a big deal when I was a kid. There were a number of "robes and sandals" movies. The peak of that was with Moses holding up that big staff or baton or whatever it was, and parting the sea. The good people streamed through. And then I wanted to warn the chariot drivers: "I wouldn't go in there if I were you." That line was redux for the "Rambo II" movie where we saw a bad guy commander telling his charges to go somewhere where we knew they'd be goners. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Del Sarlette thought the sequel should be called "Second Blood" (after "First Blood").
Hollywood sequels are more effective than they used to be. In a previous time, they were considered risky to do. I have read that when planning a sequel, just take whatever ingredient that made the first movie successful and overdo it. An example of that was the "Jaws" sequel. The shark attacks got so passe, I heard a smattering of laughter in the theater. As time passed, Hollywood grabbed ahold of the "franchise" concept and realized that if a particular movie grabbed the audience, like "Batman," work hard at subsequent movies to make them truly as appealing as the original. Go back and re-make the very first installment. This would have been unthinkable when I was a young adult (attending movies at the twin theaters outside Crossroads Center, St. Cloud MN).
Fast-forward to today: Hollywood is panicked and paranoid in the year 2018. We should accept all sorts of foolishness and ungainly behavior among the Hollywood crowd when it comes to seeking sex or romance (sex to be prioritized, I assume). I'm sure there were unwritten rules for years, rules calling for young attractive women to be passive in the face of drooling powerful men. The "boys will be boys" ethos has gotten wiped out quickly. There are men rising every morning worried that some past untoward behavior will come to light, to an extent their professional existence could get wiped out.
Here in Minnesota the toll has been enormous for the iconic Garrison Keillor, someone who we'd all like to be proud of for his folksy and thoughtful humor. Keillor has been thrown virtually on his heels. Unlike many others in his position, he isn't taking it sitting down. He's fighting back even though his past emails definitely leave one squirming a little.
You know, when it comes to Keillor and Hillary Clinton and others, I am amazed at the sheer quantity of emails these people leave behind to be sifted through. My God, tens of thousands of emails or hundreds of thousands? Did they just sit around all day typing emails? How did they get by in the pre-digital age? A city manager somewhere in Minnesota has been quoted saying email "is a time eater." He had concerns about the time investment. Can each email really be justified in terms of something getting accomplished?
In my early days of emailing at the Sun Tribune newspaper, I began wondering about such issues. Turns out my email quantity was dwarfed by what Clinton and other celebrities do.
Keillor may be starting a somewhat successful pushback on the sexual harassment phenomenon. There are legitimate issues to weigh here. I speak as someone who was once in a workplace where two individuals, one of them married, began one of those "lovebird" things and ended up announcing their intention to get married. It had to begin as one of the two making an advance. My own theory, just a theory, is that the woman made the primary advance. It ended up not being harassment because the male was receptive. What if he was not receptive? Is this how we define sexual harassment? By whether the target of the overture is receptive or not? Our legal system usually wouldn't follow such logic. The behavior would have to be judged by consistent standards, or ought to be. There should be no natural bias toward the woman.
We all know that workplace relationships can get well outside the bounds of "work" objectives. If I were to live my life over, I'd make a resolution to develop no personal affinity with anyone in the workplace, no matter how harmless it might seem.
Keillor warns of an overreaction to a pattern of romantic overtures that can happen in the workplace. Will people be bludgeoned into fearing any sort of scent of romance in the workplace? Will the legal repercussions be too severe? But isn't it true that numerous married couples came together because of workplace affinity? If these are to be snuffed out, what is to become of our society? Where is someone supposed to meet a prospective mate? Only at church? I don't go to bars so that's no option for me.
So Hollywood is gripped by paranoia related to the Weinstein scandal and other such dirty laundry (Charlie Rose etc.). Studios are trying to ban the press from their parties at Oscars time. Banning the press!
I remember that after the goalpost incident at UMM in 2005, certain people close to administration tried banning "the media" from even being present for the memorial program held for the deceased UMM student, Rick Rose. "No media" is how the memo came down. Once someone on our staff made an issue of this, another communications person at UMM got involved. This second person knew full well you couldn't ban the media. At the same time, she argued "we don't want any TV trucks here." Today I doubt very much that "trucks" are needed for media people to get video of something. And of course, the most problematic angle is trying to define what "the press" is. Anyone can be press or media. Aren't I showing that right now?
I have a grin a little like the cat that ate the canary as I ponder all the nuances of the sexual harassment topic. And that's because I have never even asked a woman on a date. I once queried my friend and co-worker Howard Moser how the people at DeToy's Restaurant would react if I entered the place with a female companion sometime. He said: "They all know you're too smart to do that."
Addendum re. the movie "The Ten Commandments": Us fans of Maynard Ferguson the trumpet player have read all our lives that Maynard played with the orchestra in the soundtrack of that movie. We're non-plussed as we realize we simply cannot pick out the sound of his trumpet, try as we might, repeatedly.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com