Drew Nelson's PAT kick sinks our Tigers, 7-6

Maybe we need to pass the football a little more. In a game devoid of much scoring, the Tigers lost for Homecoming 2018. I wasn't there but I gather it wasn't terribly exciting. There was no scoring in the second and third quarters. We got a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. After that it was goose eggs for the orange and black, while Minnewaska Area scored one touchdown.
'Waska's fourth quarter score was accompanied by a most critical PAT play. Drew Nelson focused to attempt the point-after kick. It was good! That point made the difference as 'Waska won 7-6.
Focus on the passing game: Ryan Amundson passed for 108 yards for the Lakers, on eight of 18 in completions/attempts. He had one picked off. The orange and black was limited to 17 yards passing on two of six. As with 'Waska we had one picked off. Jaret Johnson did our passing. The two receptions were made by Mace Yellow and Colten Scheldorf.
Our scoring was limited but Camden Arndt was not held back. This Tiger raced 62 yards in the opening quarter to score our lone TD. He ended the night with 26 carries for 127 yards. Matt McNeill had eleven carries for 36 yards. Scheldorf had four carries good for 14 yards, and Johnson had four carries that produced eight.
Little did our fans expect that our missed PAT kick in the first quarter would be costly.
Jack Riley made our interception. We had ten first downs while the Lakers chalked up 13. Luke Barkeim of the Lakers had three pass receptions for 36 yards. Jack Blevins made two catches for the victor, picking up 33 yards. Grant Jensen clutched the ball for two catches good for 26 yards, and Joe Piekarski had one catch for 13.
Carrying the football, Blevins rumbled for 24 yards on six carries. Amundson had 22 yards on 16 carries. Barkeim's contribution: 21 yards on four carries. Other contributors were Tyson Meyer and Cade Fish. Amundson made the interception. The Lakers' fourth quarter score was by Amundson, and most critical was that PAT kick by Drew Nelson.
'Waska climbed above .500 to 3-2 with this win. Our record is a still-sterling 4-1. I'm sure the halftime presentation of royalty was wonderful. Better luck next week with our gridiron exploits.
 
Volleyball: Tigers 3, Benson 0
Homecoming week included a quite satisfying sweep win by the Tigers over Benson. We got our ninth win with these scores: 25-15, 25-10 and 25-11.
The hitting department saw Kenzie Hockel at the fore on this night. Hockel produced ten kills. Lexi Pew and Bailey Marty each came at the Braves with seven. Jen Solvie contributed three kills, and these three Tigers each had two: Sophie Carlsen, Emma Berlinger and LaRae Kram.
Riley Decker batted five serving aces at the Braves. Bailey Marty had four serving aces, while Kenzie Stahman and Kram each had one. The setting department saw Kram set the pace in assists with 16. Liz Dietz had eight assists and Decker had two. Three Tigers each performed one ace block: Hockel, Berlinger and Solvie. Decker was tops in digs with eleven, followed by Marty with eight.
Two Benson players each had a serving ace: Zoe Doscher and Ellie Moesenthin. Mariah Ahrndt led the Braves in set assists with 12. Claire Ricard was the top kill producer with nine. Ahrndt had an ace block. Abbie Mitteness had the team-best eleven digs.
The match was played on Thursday, Sept. 27, in front of the home orange and black fans.
 
Tennis: Tigers 4, YME 3
Tuesday was a most upbeat day for Tiger tennis. The tennis Tigers marked Homecoming week 2018 with a 4-3 win over the YME Sting. We dominated the doubles category. First doubles saw Abbigail Athey and Greta Hentges prevail over Cherish Hammer and Ashley Nienmeyer, 6-0 and 6-3. At second doubles it was Lakia Manska and Hannah Watzke getting the upper hand over Emilee Speh and Allie Virnig, 7-6 and 6-4. Then at third doubles, our team of Ireland Winter and Kassidy Girard downed the YME tandem of Brynn Cherveny and Tiana Rupp, 2-6, 6-2 and 6-3.
We got one win in the singles division and it was at No. 3 where Katelyn Wehking defeated Chelsea Hoernemann 4-6, 6-4 and 6-4.
At first singles,  Sting player Whitney Tennis defeated Lea Asmus 6-4 and 6-3. At second singles, Sting player Emily Johnson beat Ryanne Long 6-0 and 6-3. The No. 4 YME singles player, Macie Sik, beat Katie Messner 2-6, 6-3 and 6-4. Congrats to the tennis Tigers.

Volleyball: Montevideo 3, Tigers 2
The Tigers settled for a split in Homecoming week as they were edged Tuesday at the hands of the Montevideo Thunder Hawks, 3-2.  A big force for the victor was Jasmyn Kronback: 19 kills. Cali Christianson pounded 16 kills for the Thunder Hawks who were the night's host. Sydney Zindel had seven kills and Madalyn Kilibarda had six.
Noelle Sulflow added to their winning mix with three serving aces. Sulflow scurried all over the court to produce 38 set assists. Zindel went up to produce three ace blocks. Christianson was most busy in digs, producing the team-high figure of 30.
On to the Tigers' stats: It was Alexis Pew getting the team-best kill figure of 13. Bailey Marty produced ten kills. The list continues with Mackenzie Hockel (8), Sophie Carlsen (4), Jen Solvie (3) and Emma Berlinger (1). Hockel led in ace blocks with two while Berlinger and Pew each had one.
I see a new name in the Tigers' stat report: Macee Libbesmeier who had 12 digs. Marty and Hockel each dug up the ball 12 times. But it was Decker coming through as she often does with the team-best stat in digs: 24. Dietz had eight digs and Kram had five.
Game scores were 23-25, 25-19, 25-17, 14-25 and 11-15.
 
Final thought:
Is it biased for me to start this post with the football review as if football should be prioritized for Homecoming week? Our traditional attitude in America is that football rules with Homecoming week, right off a Saturday Evening Post cover (a la Norman Rockwell).
Let's just say I arranged the teams arbitrarily for this post. It's all here. I am aware of the issues involved.
Did you know that Ridgewater football suspended the whole rest of their schedule? That's pretty drastic. It must be sort of a scandal on campus. It affects opposing teams on the schedule who'll have an open date. Anyone know the back story? Right now I'm assuming it's the normal mess of conflict and issues with the coaching staff, but for this to get bad enough to cancel remaining games? That's astounding. Administration must be held to account.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Jacob Wetterling closure: unsettling for law enf.

Don  Gudmundson, hero

The lull before the storm has ended as we're now getting the finger-pointing one might have expected after such a long cold case. Stearns County Sheriff Don Gudmundson has valiantly cut through the fog to present the truth even if it might step on toes. The marathon drag through the Jacob Wetterling abduction/murder investigation has ended. All the rabbit trails are left for us to inspect and feel regret over. Below is a post I wrote shortly after the resolution that had the Heinrich fellow come forward as guilty party. My post which was on my "Morris of Course" site had the headline "Law enforcement nervous about Wetterling resolution?" I'm re-publishing it here because I consider it prescient, an indicator of how some cages were bound to get rattled. Gudmundson's wisdom is the guiding light, belatedly of course. The post you see below was first published on November 28, 2016.
 
Remember that character in the movie "Rambo II" who was in a command position but did not seem sympathetic? He wasn't overjoyed when hearing that rescued POWs were on their way back. His character represented a microcosm of the Viet Nam war, of course. The meme built up through the years is that we didn't really want to win the war. The pressures of the Cold War held us back: politics, expediency and the like. So, this commander at the U.S. base didn't share the elation of the others, when word came of this obviously good news that POWs were rescued and en route.

Plausible? Someone must have thought so. So, I'm connecting this subject to the resolution of the Jacob Wetterling investigation. Solving the case would seem obviously good news.
I wrote a long time ago that authorities might show hesitance pushing this matter to conclusion. The conclusion would be coming 27 years into this high-profile investigation. People (like me) turned gray wondering if there might ever be a ray of hope. That little boy seemed suspended in time: eleven years old. The investigation also seemed suspended, hopeless. And yet the wheels were turning feverishly.
Why might key public servants hold back on pushing this investigation to its end? Just like that fictional commander from "Rambo II," extraneous considerations could hover and cause hesitance. I have written before that resolution could open the door to lawsuits from people who were interrogated in a heavy-handed way. Law enforcement was under intense pressure to show it was making progress.
How do we define "progress?" Do we define it as actually leading to what the public obviously wanted: pinning down the guilty party, charging him etc.? But law enforcement might have a different attitude, one of just pushing certain buttons to follow procedures that might seem headed in the right direction, even though skepticism was called for.
Think of that wanted poster that was distributed all over. Every day when I'm at McDonald's, I'll probably see at least one guy come in the door that bears some resemblance to one of those drawings. They were like comic book drawings. I had a college art instructor who would describe it as "visual shorthand." People got paid to develop that poster and distribute it, complete with the hyperbolic words "we MUST FIND these men." Turns out one of the two drawings did look like the guilty party. But what about the other? Who was the origin of that? It was based upon an innocent party. Innocent parties were regularly dredged up in the investigation.

John Sanner, not a hero

The sheer horror of this crime made wrongful accusations especially toxic. Law enforcement went so far as to declare a "person of interest," equated in the public's mind with "suspect," who was innocent. And now just as I predicted, there is a lawsuit that will cause sleepless nights for certain people, maybe including Sheriff John Sanner. 

  

So many futile leads

The Wetterling investigation has been called "massive and flailing." I have to wonder if, at a certain point, people in law enforcement approached it like they just appreciated being able to put in their eight-hour days and make a nice living. Were they privately convinced that countless of their leads or tips were pointless? Such a strange crime: a child just vanishes. Miraculously, the offender spent those 27 years relatively free of law enforcement contact. He was a suspect early-on. He covered his tracks well enough.
So law enforcement went on this massive search, certainly costing a great deal. Law enforcement had its agenda and obligations. Book authors and bloggers had no such blinders. John Walsh used the power of his nationally broadcast show to steer us in the right direction. The FBI was involved in this case. Nevertheless, it came down to a particular blogger and the attention she received on Walsh's show. Neither is compensated for law enforcement services. Yet they became the heroes. 

 

The Rassier matter, in court
Now the Stearns County Sheriff's Department has to defend against the predicted lawsuit from this gentleman named Dan Rassier. 

Law enforcement now has the huge embarrassment of revealing to the public, pursuant to law, just how extensive its investigation was, how many tips had to be filed etc.
This new fuss is caused by the resolution of the case, the desired goal all along. And yet, to use the words of John Mitchell of Watergate, law enforcement has its "tit in a wringer" and instead of feeling euphoric, is scared (s--tless) and on the defensive. Oh they'll deny that. It's no picnic having lawyers swarm around, like that Anfinson guy of the Minnesota Newspaper Association who has worked to try to get a 9-1-1 recording released. And then there's the attorney for Rassier with whom I share best wishes and good luck.
Sheriff Sanner is on the hot seat. Is it true that Patty Wetterling, allegedly coached by the sheriff's department, wrote a letter to Rassier asking him to confess? To a crime of this magnitude of evil? Has she since apologized to Rassier, the elementary music teacher? Patty wore a wire at one point to accost Rassier.
Investigators got a search warrant in 2010 to dig on the Rassiers' property. I remember checking an online comment board at the time. There was a picture showing all the heavy equipment at the scene, all the commotion. Yes, all of this cost taxpayers' money. Someone wrote: "They had better be sure this is the guy." Hmmm.
Rassier was "guilty" of being an adult living with his parents, and that was the whole problem. It's a more commonly seen living arrangement today. Amazingly, Sanner was quoted in a September 24 news article saying he had no regrets about the investigative efforts toward Rassier. As a public servant, he should always regret when an innocent private citizen is hassled or abused. Sanner argued that suspicion vs. Rassier was justified based on "the way he answered questions." He would not elaborate, which would have been a nice favor for readers who had no knowledge of the background. So he just sort of smears Rassier with this ad hominem statement.
Rassier must have just "seemed guilty," in Sanner's view. But now that we know of the man's total innocence, isn't it time to stop talking like that? Isn't it in fact time to be generous and gentle with the innocent elementary music teacher? Sanner further justified the suspicion on the basis that Rassier was "there alone that night." Really? Is Rassier to be faulted for those two facts? Being at that location and being alone? He was on his own property. Does he not have the right to be on his own property and to be home alone? And yet Sanner cites this as a basis for suspicion.
"Shame on us if we don't do what we did," the sheriff was quoted saying.
No, shame on you anyway, Mr. Sanner. I'm sure you are justifiably embarrassed over how the whole Wetterling matter deteriorated into a whole bunch of people technically fulfilling their obligations, until eventually a couple parties motivated by pure zeal got involved and pushed the case to resolution. Sheriff Sanner, you are stupid and cold-hearted.
 

What attitude to take re. the guilty party?

We have read some scorn directed at the guilty person, Danny Heinrich. People are incensed that he won't say why he did it. Well, isn't it obvious? Heinrich had compulsions that an ordinary person would not understand, like that Sandusky guy out in Pennsylvania. There is no point venting scorn at these people. They simply must be segregated off so they don't harm anyone. They are pathetic, misdirected souls, created by God for unfathomable reasons. But scorn?
Let me elaborate this way: let's say a person steals $1,000 and gets away with it. That person can at least gain pleasure from spending the $1,000. In cases like Heinrich and Sandusky, normal people cannot conceive of any pleasure gained from the crime - it wouldn't cross our minds to commit it. We would obviously be revulsed at the thought. So we're punishing someone for doing something that normal people would not even conceive of? Heinrich must simply be put away. Condemning him is pointless.
What if Heinrich hadn't been into child porn? He might never have been arrested. His punishment won't even be for the Wetterling crime. It will be for the child porn. After 20 years he'll stay confined but it will be in a situation that is not defined as punishment - it's defined as treatment. I hope the treatment helps him - he had a very troubled background.
 
Holding law enforcement accountable
I'm not sure I'd want to be Rassier's lawyer because it's rather an uphill battle going after law enforcement. Efforts at holding law enforcement accountable seem to be breaking through and making progress. A police officer in the Twin Cities has been charged with a needless death.
We pray that this type of aggressive law enforcement will not come to Morris MN. But you never know. Us U.S. citizens have elected an all-out bully as president.

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

MACA girls sweep Minnewaska Area at home

The Tigers treated home fans to this win by sweep on Thursday.
Yours truly was pleased to post a review of the football win over Benson on my "Morris of Course" site. Lots of offense: we won 48-14. I put up this post Saturday afternoon so it was a timely effort on my part, eh? Here's the link:

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/09/three-touchdowns-in-2nd-quarter-fuel-48.html

  

And, here's a reminder that my review of the football win over ACGC is on "Morris of Course" also. I put this up on the morning after the game. This post also reviews the cross country meet at LPGE where Noah Stewart was No. 1, the tennis meet vs. LQPV/DB, the cross country meet at New London-Spicer, and the volleyball match vs. Melrose. Here's the link and thanks so much for reading. - B.W.

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/09/tigers-climb-to-3-0-with-20-13-football.html

 

Tigers 3, Minnewaska 0
Kenzie Hockel and Kenzie Stahman each batted two serving aces at the Lakers. Bailey Marty, Larae Kram and Riley Decker each had one ace. The twosome of Liz Dietz and Kram was busy in setting, Dietz picking up 14 assists and Kram getting 12.
The crowd-pleasing hitting department saw Marty produce ten kills, helping seal the sweep outcome. Three Tigers each had five kills: Hockel, Lexi Pew and Sophie Carlsen. Jen Solvie had three kills and Emma Berlinger had two. Carlsen executed two ace blocks and Pew had one. Decker was active in digging like always, posting the team-best total of 17 digs. Hockel had seven digs.
Emma Thorfinnson had a serving ace for the visiting Lakers. Sara Geiser was the prime Laker setter with 16 assists. Ellie Danielson pounded nine kills for the visitor. Alexis Piekarski had seven. Danielson went up to perform three ace blocks. The top 'Waska performer in digs was Thorfinnson with 12. Avery Hoeper had ten digs. Game scores were 25-18, 25-15 and 25-17.
 
Sauk Centre 3, Tigers 2
Yes it was a loss, but coming so close meant something on this night (Tuesday, Sept. 18). Sauk Centre rolled here with just one loss on its record. Sauk Centre got the win but the full five games were needed. The Streeters escaped with a 13-1 record. They are ranked seventh in Minnesota Class AA.
Four Tigers each had one serving ace: Bailey Marty, Liz Dietz, Riley Decker and LeAndra Hormann. The setting tandem of Dietz and Larae Kram was busy, Dietz getting 19 assists and Kram producing 16. Lexi Pew added an assist.
Three Tigers had double figures in kills: Pew (13), Kenzie Hockel (12) and Sophie Carlsen (11). These Tigers added to the total: Marty (5), Emma Berlinger (2), Decker (1), Jen Solvie (1) and Kram (1). Carlsen had two ace blocks and Pew had one. Once again Decker was at the fore in digging, on this night leading the Tigers in digs with 28. She was complemented by Hockel (24), Marty (22), Kram (10) and Dietz (7).
Game scores were 25-20, 17-25, 21-25, 25-18 and 8-15.
 
ICE detention facility for Appleton?
Heard the rumor Saturday that the abandoned Appleton prison could find new life as an ICE detention center. I truly hope this does not happen.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Memories are golden of MN Twin Vic Power

Jim McRoberts of this community well remembers seeing Vic Power play for the Minnesota Twins in the early 1960s. Power was the Twins' first major acquisition through a trade. Old-timers might lump him in with the original Minnesota Twins, but technically he came along for our second year.
We were privileged in Minnesota to be able to root for such an interesting player. He was a black-skinned Puerto Rico native. I mention race only because race friction was most evident when Power broke into the majors. The friction was not eradicated swiftly. Power's promotion to the majors should have happened sooner and it should have happened with the New York Yankees. He built a reputation as a blue-chip prospect when he was in the minors.
It sounds quaint and depressing to review now, but the Yankees were under pressure to add a black player. New York's other teams of the time, the Dodgers and Giants, had accomplished this. The storied Yankees just sat there and went 'Hmmm." Actually they said more than that. We always see stumbling dinosaurs during periods of cultural enlightenment, as we are seeing now with old white male Republicans and the Kavanaugh confirmation. There are quotes that live in infamy. We hear the joke about RBG and Abraham Lincoln.
Assessing Power when he was clearly ready for promotion, Yankees General Manager George Weiss said (ahem): "Maybe (Power) can play, but not for us. He's impudent and he goes for white women. Power is not the Yankee type. The truth is that our box-seat customers from Westchester County don't want to sit with a lot of colored fans from Harlem."
A dinosaur not from the Jurassic Period but Triassic.
Let's note that Power grew up in Puerto Rico where the races mixed freely. He said of his native island: "Here we were all together."
Power made his inevitable jump to the majors but not with the Yankees. We were privileged here in Minnesota seeing the great first baseman during a chunk of his prime. Power was at his best as a Twin in 1962. I gather McRoberts was in the stands to see him play firsthand. My parents didn't take me to a game at Metropolitan Stadium until a couple years later.
I remember being most familiar with Power when he wore the "TC" cap. Power was one of the best fielding first basemen in baseball history. He was effective and also flashy with his fielding style, although he denied being flashy just for the sake of it. Power was so good, he got a "5" fielder's rating as first baseman, almost unheard-of, in the APBA baseball simulation game. He made one-handed grabs and often made a sweeping motion with his glove. The fact he was black compounded the issue with his alleged "showboating" style.
It's hard to talk about today: the race questions. Race issues in sports have basically disappeared, haven't they? Will there be a time in the future when women never have to feel defensive, never have to feel on the ropes as it were (in the face of "Abe Lincoln" jokes), about coming forward with sex harassment claims? Will many of the Republicans of today come across as George Weiss types?
The Twins liked getting Power because we had a young and raw infield where throws could be a little errant. Our original third baseman, Rich Rollins, told Power at season's end: "You must have saved me 25 errors."
McRoberts and other enthused Twins fans of that era had lots to celebrate in 1962. So impressive was Vic Power, he was voted team MVP. We were second place in a time when there were no wild cards advancing into post-season. We won 91 games and lost 71. Yet there was no post-season for us. The Yankees were still in the prime of their dynasty of that era. The Yanks took the flag.
Our Harmon Killebrew hit 48 home runs and drove in 126 runs. Curveball specialist Camilo Pascual was a 20-game winner and led the A.L. in strikeouts with 206. Unfortunately Power was not an all-star game selection. Rollins and Pascual made that circle along with Earl Battey and Jim Kaat. Jack Kralick threw a no-hitter. Power won the Gold Glove for his unique first base prowess. Battey and Kaat also won Gold Gloves as catcher and pitcher, respectively.
It is a shame that Power wasn't still around in Minnesota when we won the pennant in 1965. The '65 team stood out for that decade in our collective memory. But in '62 with Minnesota in just its second year in the bigs, we made significant waves. McRoberts and yours truly remember fondly.
Here I share some song lyrics I wrote about the great Vic Power. The melody for this is the AABB type, the first such melody I have written. Please enjoy these story-telling lyrics about the pioneering Puerto Rico native:

"Ballad of Vic Power"
by Brian Williams
 
Master with his baseball glove
Holding forth at first
He could rule around that bag
Best on Planet Earth

He came from an island land
Where his race meant naught
Would that this reality
Could come right along

No it was a daunting time
In the USA
Blacks were making halting steps
In the grand old game

Victor stepped up to the plate
Philly was his team
Not the Phillies but the A's
When they played out East

Then the team got restless feet
Moving to K.C.
In the heartland Vic was true
planting down his cleats

Next the Indians were his team
Hats off to the Tribe
Victor hit his frozen ropes
Giving fans good vibes

He was the flamboyant sort
With his glove and bat
Some disliked the flashy style
'Cause his skin was black

Yes it was a different time
Norman Rockwell ruled
With an image of our land
And its all-white schools

'62 was when Vic joined
Minnesota Twins
Cold War reared its ugly head
Could the good guys win?

No the missiles never fell
Hallelujah all
Victor made the fans feel good
Answering the call

Twins were in their second year
Second place they were
Nipping at the Yankees' heels
Coming close for sure

Victor was the MVP
Of that fledgling team
Formerly the Senators
Now they had a gleam

Gold Gloves were his stock in trade
Seven on his shelf
He was first base royalty
Matched by no one else

Twice he had a steal of home
Sliding in for keeps
He could keep fans mesmerized
In the summer heat

In the annals of the Twins
He commands a place
Up where we see Killebrew
In his home run race

With the "TC" on his cap
Victor sure came through
In his prime and with a smile
There at first he ruled

Stellar fielding stabilized
In the infield scheme
He brought out the best for sure
On this climbing team

Rich and Zoilo, Bernie too
Joined Vic in the cast
Of the infield for the Twins
As fans had a blast

Victor would not be around
For the pennant year
That was 1965
Rousing cheers to hear

Victor left a legacy
There in Twinkie Town
Catching throws of every kind
Earning his renown

We loved Hrbek playing first
Years on down the road
Still there was no duplicate
In Vic Power's mold

Catching errant throws he did
In one-handed style
Back when it was not the norm
But it made fans smile

Power did his island proud
Ruben Gomez too
Then Clemente came along
Smacking hits straight through

There's Vic Power in my dreams
Like it's '62
Somehow we did not get nuked
By the Soviet crew

So we cherish memories
From the northern sun
When Vic Power showed his flair
With his bat and glove


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

Grand dedication of Morrison facility Friday

This week is a sentimental journey for UMM. We are reminded of the historical importance of Edson Auditorium on our revered campus. All of the musical events were held there in UMM's early days. Eventually we got the HFA building. Edson will henceforth be part of an entity that has the Morrison name. Yes it's a little opaque.
The HFA is a curious building because of its design. It's a case of misplaced priorities. You enter the building and are struck by the huge, cavernous nature of the hallway, which simply must be bad news from the standpoint of energy consumption. And yet, the hallway is merely a functional place, a means of getting from one point to another. At  the same time, the UMM recital hall is clearly too small. It has adequate seating for many of the events held there, granted. Perhaps events are planned with the knowledge that seating is limited. I am told there have been times when people have had to be turned away.
Consider that our public school has the grand concert hall. Last spring I attended a grades 7-12 choir concert there and it was filled close to capacity.
Edson Auditorium has not seemed to be an extension of the humanities department at UMM. A big exception has been the jazz festival. The jazz fest does not seem as grand as it once was. It's "hanging in there." I'm told it has had some financial challenges. I'm putting it gently as I have heard it has lost money. Not to say that it isn't still mighty enriching. Jim Carlson set up the great UMM jazz fest which grew to have a stature so impressive, it might have even engendered some jealousy on campus. Jealousy in academia? Come on, let's not be Pollyannish.
I gave the jazz fest lots of publicity when it was in its infancy and I was at the Morris paper. I interviewed the likes of Lin Biviano and Bobby Militello. I remember asking Militello about the controversy involving Stan Kenton and Charlie Daniels. He was not enthused about talking about that, but said he would never disagree with anything that Stan Kenton said. (Kenton was alleging disingenuousness in the country music world, stars singing about poverty who outwardly showed lots of bling.) Let's just acknowledge that music is sort of a fantasy world.
I had lunch with Biviano and he insisted on picking up the tab. Thanks Lin. He was probably flattered to hear I had heard him playing at the St. Paul Prom Ballroom when he was with Maynard Ferguson.
 
Applying a more critical eye
Those heady early days of the jazz fest were not perfect, I would assert. I found the combo portion of those concerts to be underwhelming much of the time. They were "nondescript," to use a term I learned from John Woell, our high school band director. The tunes were banal, with a group establishing a melody and then members taking turns with improvisation, far short of brilliant most of the time. But then the audience would invariably respond with robust applause as if following some understood cue.
You know who agrees with me on this? Jim Morrison. He told me once he stopped attending the jazz fest because he thought the combo portion was too blah. Toward the end of Carlson's tenure I returned to the jazz fest and took some photos which Del Sarlette was kind enough to post online. This was when I was just putting my toe in the water in terms of getting online. Thanks Del. The great Byron Stripling was guest clinician. And to my surprise, the combo portion of the concert was far better than how I remembered it from before. Each combo was set up to have a distinct identity or style, for example dixieland. So, I found that concert to be wholly satisfying.
I don't know how the jazz fest has done the last few years. It seems to be considerably shorter in duration. I thought Carlson was too lax with a dress code for his jazz groups. Let me re-word that: It appeared there was no dress code, at least no standards for looking formal.
My generation of the boomers created "casual Friday." We didn't believe much in formal attire, just as we were not enthralled about going to church. I discussed the latter with Jim Morrison once, how people our age detached from organized religion once we got old enough to do so. Many of us have reversed ourselves and now follow convention more. I think back in the day, we were so royally pissed about the Vietnam war, we said to hell with convention, if that's where convention got us.
 
Waltz across Texas?
A very good source told me once that our HFA building was originally designed for a college in Texas. It got nixed there and was then transplanted to UMM. Perhaps the building would have been more practical for Texas where winter heating costs would not exist or be negligible. I'm not an engineer. I have never lived in the South so I don't know if Trump is spot-on when he described southerners as "dumb." The president was commenting on Jeff Sessions from Alabama.
 
Names get layered, sort of
This Friday we will be celebrating the re-dedication of Edson Auditorium. OK that's not the official terminology. I'm not bound by the official terminology because I'm not employed by UMM. I can use the old "jewel in the crown" phrase.
Isn't there a current UMM promo phrase "In the middle of somewhere?" Isn't that a little defensive, because it's a takeoff on "in the middle of nowhere" which people might have been tempted to use in connection to UMM? I'm reminded of the old sign at the Metrodome: "We like it here." Remember that? The great baseball stat man Bill James commented with amusement about that, saying it was defensive, as if we were saying "we don't care what everyone else thinks."
If I were employed by UMM, I'd probably get in trouble even writing this. I'm an independent journalist and songwriter, praise the Lord!
I am told that current UMM staff has because nervous and maybe even unnerved by lots of "legal" issues or requirements, basically like dotting all i's and crossing t's, as with gender references! You know, the English language has a fundamental problem with pronouns.
This Friday, Sept. 21, we will celebrate the "new Edward J. and Helen Jane Morrison Performing Arts Center." That's a mouthful, eh? This center includes the old Edson Auditorium. In fact, it would appear rather hard to even differentiate between the two - the auditorium and the center. Maybe I'll be persuaded there is a significant distinction.
Ed is no longer with us in this life. Neither is my father Ralph, the founder of UMM music, which you will be reminded of, if you visit our family monument at Summit Cemetery. It's a bench, and feel free to use it as such when visiting.
The program for this Friday is set for 3 p.m. The reception will be at 4.
Gee, 3 p.m. on a Friday? Technically speaking, wouldn't we need a permit to park in a UMM lot? I suspect very strongly that word will go out for campus security not to make a check Friday afternoon, not with all the Scrooge McDucks coming to town to celebrate the event. I plan on riding my bike to campus, just to stay on the safe side. I will have to ride bike wearing my "cocktail attire." My invitation suggests we wear "cocktail attire." I have had a few laughs about that with friends. I have suggested it is an outdated term. We should no longer promote any terminology that suggests that social drinking is something to be approved, n'est-ce pas?
We will all wax nostalgic come Friday, whatever it is that "wax" means.
 
Addendum: The UMM jazz combos were at their most pedestrian when one played for a fete many years ago for the Morrisons at Sunwood Inn (today known as Motel 200 or Hotel 2000 or whatever). I thought it was terrible. I looked at faces around the room and wondered what everyone was thinking. Then at the end everyone applauded lustily. And Ed during his remarks said that performance was really the highlight of the night. The students deserved credit for showing up and doing their thing. Once when I was at a nightclub in Nashville TN, the regular house singer took a break and a member of the audience offered to perform, name of Pauline as I recall. Well, she was awful. When mentioning this to the house singer, name of Del Gray, he told us "if you don't like it, don't applaud." Nashville words of wisdom. People there will be very direct and honest with you.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

3 serving aces each by Marty & Decker in win

MACA volleyball took care of business in the minimum three games Tuesday night. Playing on the road, coach Caleb Greene's Tigers had the upper hand vs. the Falcons of ACGC. We won by scores of 25-15, 25-11 and 25-14.
Larea Kram performed 16 set assists. Maybe that really is the correct spelling of her first name. It's spelled "Larae" on the Maxpreps roster page. The Willmar paper persistently spells it "Larea." So I'll shrug and go with it. Liz Dietz had nine set assists.
Two Tigers each chalked up three serving aces: Bailey Marty and Riley Decker. Kenzie Stahlman batted two serving aces. Here's another spelling issue. On Maxpreps this Tiger's last name is spelled "Stahman." But repeatedly it has been spelled "Stahlman" after both home and away matches. I am tired of writing "corrections" about this. I'll go with how the local press handles it. Dietz achieved two serving aces in the Tuesday win. Kenzie Hockel and LeAndra Horman each had one serving ace.
The "Horman" name is spelled "Hormann" on Maxpreps. But again, I have seen the one "n" version repeatedly in the area's print media. I have seen the Willmar paper spelling carry over to the Morris paper's website. I assume the Morris paper just "pirates" the Willmar material much of the time. It's not really piracy because the two papers have the same owner. When I was at the Morris paper, we always had an exclusive with my coverage. I'd like to think that coverage was more dynamic. Times change though.
 
Yes, looking back
I did lots of writing with a promotional flair for the "new" Prairie Pioneer Days many years ago. I interviewed Catherine Huebner in that process. We thought it was such a big deal for Morris to get its own bona fide summer community festival. Prairie Pioneer Days carried on from the previous Fall Festival which had a limited scope - a fall event by necessity is going to be smaller because we cannot count on ideal weather.
So what has happened now? I guess the longstanding PPD is gone with the wind. Is our community experiencing spasms of decline? We all must wonder. I talked with a city council person who is especially concerned about how the Chamber of Commerce is going to be perceived after all this. It's the Chamber's decision to abandon summer, apparently on the belief that too many people are "gone" to places like the lake. But this is nothing new, is it?
In fact, if there's a perception of Morris being too "slow" in summer, what better reason to have a festival like PPD to liven things up? That's exactly the reasoning of my city council friend. I suggested that other interests might step forward to fill the summer void now. I have heard the suggestion for a bluegrass music fest. Nice idea, but my friend is concerned about interests other than the Chamber being in charge. He feels it's important for the Chamber per se to make a statement about this. It represents the Morris business community after all.
I hope Morris is not passive in accepting this new decision, that voices will be heard to put the brakes on it. Alas, there tends to be too much apathy in Morris for people to really dig in, eh?
 
Spikes add to winning mix
Lexi Pew pounded nine kills in the sweep of ACGC. Hockel had seven kills and Sophie Carlson had six. The Maxpreps roster has Sophie's last name spelled as "Carlsen." Is it possible that the Maxpreps spellings are all cockeyed? I'm puzzled. I do know that sports parents considered proper spelling important when I was at the Morris Sun Tribune. The paper of today is hardly a shadow of what it was when I was there. Does this decline parallel the situation we're seeing with Prairie Pioneer Days? Are we becoming a whistle stop type of town? Does anyone care?
Marty pounded five kills at the Falcons and Jen Solvie had three. Hockel, Pew and Carlson each had one ace block. The digs category saw Marty and Decker each with eleven. Kram had seven digs while Dietz and Hockel each had six.
You know what? Even with pretty powerful reading glasses, I sometimes have trouble reading the fine print stats/boxscore material in the Willmar paper. One of these years I might not be able to handle it any more, sorry. The type is small because of the limited space available in the print product. There is no such limitation online. I was amused in the early days of the Internet reading a commentary about how some newspapers continued using some awkward abbreviations even when putting material online!
ACGC's Shayna Hobson had two serving aces against the Tigers. Rachel Wilner had eleven set assists. Lindsey Minnick led the Falcons in kills with five. Hobson went up to perform three ace blocks. Jeana Denton performed nine digs.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Jose Feliciano and the National Anthem, 1968

He blazed a trail

How hard could it be to establish "America the Beautiful" as our National Anthem? It's such a gentle and moving tune. It evokes peaceful images and can almost bring a tear to your eye. At present our real National Anthem is stoking controversy in an unfortunate way.
The president has poured kerosene on this. He has resorted to the most crude language in a public pronouncement: "sons of bitches." Could you imagine Barack Obama using this kind of language in connection to anything? And if he did, the reaction? Obama and Trump are polar opposites on the "class and dignity" index. NFL players who take a knee are not dissing the United States of America. It is a reasonable protest message, which is as American as apple pie. It is about law enforcement treatment of people of color.
The race element is one reason why Trump has weighed in. He has been hesitant to condemn the Klan and he insisted that "both sides" were at fault in Charlottesville. He continues to put forward the kneeling as a deflection from issues that might cause his standing to fall further. He appeals to his base, that 30 percent or so of Americans who pine for the Norman Rockwell days that are not coming back.
There is precedent for all this. Let me take you back to 1968, a year commonly considered "watershed." In other words, cultural change was afoot. It is always a clumsy process. The "retro" voices always assert themselves but in the end it's futile - the young generation represents the future. You know who is fully aware of this? Big business. So we now have Nike with its Kaepernick theme openly defying the retro crowd. Nike knows where the future lies.
I was 13 years old in 1968. We didn't have cable news channels then, so the next best thing was NBC's Today Show where the cultural clashes of the time became evident. NBC had no aversion to covering in generous terms the message of youth. It was counter to the Lawrence Welk crowd, 180 degrees counter. Major League Baseball, a business behemoth to be sure, knew what was up too. So Major League Baseball allowed a young stylistic singer, Jose Feliciano, to sing before a World Series game. Baseball was aware of its marketing issues.
A side note here is how baseball had allowed pitching to take over the game. We remember 1968 as "the year of the pitcher" which wasn't very exciting unless 2-1 games really turned you on. The trend toward pitching dominance began with umpires deciding to call the high fastball a strike. This explains how Sandy Koufax shot quickly to the top of the baseball firmament, according to the late author David Halberstam, who I once heard speak at St. Cloud State University.
Baseball addressed matters in 1969 by lowering the pitching mound. This hindered pitchers some, but certainly didn't seem an obstacle for our own Jerry Koosman who was a prime pitching star in the '69 season with the Mets. Jerry graduated from our West Central School of Agriculture in Morris.
In 1968 the Detroit Tigers played the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The Cardinals had Lou Brock who was a past member of the St. Cloud (MN) "Rox." Out came the most agreeable young man named Jose Feliciano who wore sunglasses because he was blind. He was Puerto Rican. He performed for Game 5 of the Fall Classic. I wasn't watching at the time but my father gave me a heads-up after it happened, "it" being the controversy caused by how Feliciano interpreted the song.
My father was not negative toward Feliciano. I gathered he thought it was interesting. Music was of course my father's stock in trade. While he reflected his generation in certain ways, being temperate and overly fixated on money (due to being young during the Depression), he didn't have much aversion to the cultural changes.
Our family was a "generation gap" family to a certain extent. I saw a documentary once where a man my age said of his father: "I never knew him." That stuck in my head because I never felt I knew my father on a genuine level. Perhaps the anxiety of dealing with the Depression and WWII created defensiveness that prevented those people from really opening up and being human. My generation benefited from affluence but was also hurt by it. We weren't made to earn enough of what we had.
My father may have been temperate and conservative but he was not part of the "America, love it or leave it" crowd. Not even close. He was fundamentally gentle and accommodative. He always said around home of the Viet Nam war: "That's a bad deal." He should have written to his elected representatives.
So, my father gave me the heads-up about Feliciano's idiosyncratic rendition of that song known to be a bear to sing: the Star-Spangled Banner. It's a bear because of the very wide vocal range. Normally an octave is considered the maximum to be sung easily, maybe one note over as long as the extreme notes are not sustained. The Star Spangled Banner reaches beyond that to where you have to be very careful on what note you start, or you'll be desperate.
Feliciano already had a hit single with his cover of the Doors' "Light My Fire." To watch video of his World Series performance today, you'll easily wonder "what was the big deal?" Today we are accustomed to hearing highly stylized performances of the Anthem. The movie "Moneyball" showed a rock electric guitarist rendering his creative interpretation which would have been far more edgy - unthinkable really - than Feliciano's in 1968. "Moneyball" showed the typical old men with Legion hats unfurling a flag symbol as the guitarist did his thing, totally unfazed. That's today. In 1968 the youth culture met considerable resistance from the sector represented by John Wayne. And, Lawrence Welk. My goodness, the "Monkees" TV show was considered edgy.
Remember the problems with the Smothers Brothers? I think a reality-based movie should be made about the Smothers Brothers TV show. Such different times. Us young people were like strangers in a strange land. But the powers of Major League Baseball knew full well that the youth were the future, to be ignored at their own peril. So there's Feliciano performing the Anthem in such a sincere yet idiosyncratic way. It was a touchstone type of moment. And we know how these things turn out, with the values of youth gaining currency.
Feliciano sang with a gentle, Latin jazz-influenced feel. Some people were puzzled, others outraged. They hadn't heard the song done this way before. There were stories of war veterans taking off their shoes and throwing them at the TV. Oh, I think that's hyperbole. Some people perceived Feliciano's version as a protest. Of the war? Well, congrats. It was a war that we would go on to lose at great cost. Feliciano for his part said "I love this country." He had moved from Puerto Rico to New York City when he was a little boy.
Sadly, America was not ready yet for Feliciano's song interpretation. He got blackballed on commercial radio. He hung in there, getting bookings at colleges, jazz clubs and music festivals. I'm so happy he had great success with his Christmas song, "Feliz Navidad." He was a forerunner. His experience with all the slings and arrows in the aftermath opened the door for other artists. The National Anthem would no longer be a dull slog. Even Garth Brooks had a distinct interpretation.
Now we have the Anthem again at a flashpoint with Trump's pronouncement about the "sons of bitches." Congratulations to all you "evangelical Christians" who continue to support this most crude, amoral and offensive president, he of the porn star and Playboy centerfold payoffs to keep quiet.
Am I to assume that our local Apostolic Christians voted entirely for Trump? If I'm wrong on this, please get back to me and correct me. You can have your "ribfest."
Feliciano today supports the NFL players who at present take a knee to simply make a statement about perceived racial injustice in America.
Minnesotans might well associate "take a knee" with what Randall Cunningham did near the end of the Vikings' most infamous loss, when we should have made the Super Bowl (with Randy Moss). Why not throw the ball downfield and see if Moss could do his magic or perhaps draw a penalty? We'll never know. Brian Billick, you have some answering to do.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tigers own 2nd and 3rd quarters in 49-21 win

Get used to the term "Mid State 2." It is within that entity that our MACA football team plays. We faced a rival at that level, Montevideo, Friday (9/7) at Monte. The first quarter was wild. The teams went back and forth. The quarter ended with the orange and black up 21-14. Suspense faded after that as Monte's offense finally got throttled. Meanwhile the Tigers maintained their scoring zip, recording 14 points each in the second and third quarters.
Monte scored seven meaningless points in the final quarter, meaning that the curtain came down with MACA enjoying this 49-21 win. So we're 2-0.
The Tigers didn't pass often but this tool was quite effective. Our first touchdown came via the pass, an 11-yard completion that had Camden Arndt throwing and Jaret Johnson catching. Eli Grove kicked the point-after. The Tigers were on their way. Monte answered with a 29-yard run by Chase Korte followed by a Selvin Hernandez kick. Then we saw the MACA passing game go to work again to net a score. Zach Bruns threw a 34-yard TD pass to Arndt. Grove kicked. Montevideo showed it still had fight as Korte carried the ball in from the two, and Hernandez's toe was true on the conversion.
MACA fans must have risen to their feet as they watched Arndt take off on a 78-yard scoring run. The PAT was good. Then it was Johnson catching the pigskin on an 18-yard scoring play. Bruns made the throw, and Grove kicked for the PAT. Arndt was at the fore as pass-catcher when next the refs signaled "touchdown." Arndt caught an 82-yard pass from Bruns, and Grove was like clockwork again on the PAT.
There were two more touchdowns left in our bag of tricks. First it was Bruns scoring on a 17-yard run. Grove added the PAT, then Matt McNeill ran in from the three, after which Grove kicked successfully again. Brady Hogrefe of Monte scored the final touchdown of the night. Hernandez booted the ball through the uprights. Whew! That's a lot of scoring.
Our orange and black had 13 first downs. Arndt racked up 113 rushing yards on the night, on just 11 carries. Bruns totaled 51 rushing yards on eight carries. Other ballcarriers were Matt McNeill (25 yards), Jack Riley (6), Kenny Soderberg (5) and Tristan Raths (3). Bruns orchestrated an efficient passing game where he had four completions in seven attempts for 143 yards and no interceptions. Arndt completed his only pass attempt. Arndt had three of the receptions for a total of 125 yards. Johnson had two catches for 29.
Monte's top ballcarrier was Chase Korte: 18 carries for 77 yards. Tyler Blue did Monte's passing and this Thunder Hawk completed four passes in ten attempts for 47 yards. The pass catchers were Trent Dreyer, Cade Weber and Jackson Snell.
 
Volleyball: Tigers 3, Benson 0
Various Tigers went up to slam kills in the 3-0 win achieved by the orange and black in Tuesday volleyball. The opponent was Benson on September 4. Scores were 25-14, 25-8 and 25-12. Nine different Tigers recorded kills led by Bailey Marty with seven and Kenzie Hockel with six. They were joined by Lexi Pew (5), Sophie Carlsen (3), Emma Berlinger (3), Jen Solvie (2), Liz Dietz (1), Larae Kram (1) and Leandra Hormann (1).
The West Central Tribune of Willmar continues to misspell several of the Tigers' names. If more people would come to my blogs, maybe the message re. this would get passed on. I thought this would be corrected this time around. Wrong-o. I was suspicious about at least one of the names which made me consult our roster on the "Maxpreps" site which I'm quite sure is accurate. The correct spelling of the four names according to that roster is: Kenzie Stahman, Larae Kram, Leandra Hormann and Sophie Carlsen. I have noticed the misspelling spilling onto the local paper's website. 
Riley Decker was authoritative at the service line, racking up four aces. Marty batted three serving aces. These Tigers each had one: Dietz, Carlsen, Hockel and Stahman. The setting work was spread among three: Kram (11 assists), Dietz (10) and Decker (8). Pew achieved two ace blocks while Carlsen and Marty each had one. The always-reliable Decker in digs had the team-best 15 on this night. Marty dug up the ball 13 times, Hockel nine and Dietz 7.
Benson's top setter was Mariah Ahrndt. The top Brave hitter was Claire Ricard. Ricard had Benson's only ace block. In digs it was Maranda Wieber leading the team with 17.
 
Cross country: Stewart wins Holdingford Invite
What a day for MACA distance runner Noah Stewart at Holdingford. The Thursday event saw Stewart reach the finish line No. 1 with his time of 16:50.20. Ben Hernandez was No. 7 to the finish chute with his 17:59.70 showing. Solomon Johnson had a time of 18:19.50, good for 13th place. Other Tigers were Bradley Rohloff (19:06.50), Jared Books (20:24.60), Thomas Tiernan (20:36.70) and Colten Wohlers (21:42.20).
Melrose had the top boys team and MACA was in fourth place among the eleven teams.
The MACA girls' effort was led by Maddie Carrington in fifth place with her time of 21:18.5. Meredith Carrington placed 14th with her time of 22:27.90. The Carrington sisters were joined in the orange and black effort by Crystal Nohl (23:45.20), Malory Anderson (23:45.50), Kylie Raths (24:00.50) and Caryn Marty (24:37.60). Albany's Kristine Kalthoff was girls champion with her time of 20:16.20. Maple Lake had the top girls team.
 
Football on the edge
You know if you have visited my blogs before - and thanks very much - that I am trying to ring warning bells about the sport of football. Ignore my views at your own peril. I am irritated by high school football parents who sniff at what I have to say because of course they enjoy going to their sons' games at present, and of course they enjoy seeing their team win. So giddy over the present, they'll diss yours truly and the fact-based information I am trying to share.
Last week we got the news about another former pro player with CTE who committed suicide. It was Jason Hairston. He was only 47 years old. He played linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos in the '90s. He revealed two years ago that he was suffering from the effects of CTE. Concussions and head injuries lead to this tragic condition.
High school parents sometimes don't want to hear about this because they feel former pros are in a separate category. The counter argument to this, is that adolescents have bodies and brains that are more tender and vulnerable. Helmets only give the illusion of security. The problem is with the head rattling around inside the helmet, Grasshopper.
I am blessed by never having had the talent to play football. Why should that happenstance be a blessing? This is a risk that needs to be removed from life.
 
Miss my opener coverage? Here is is
My coverage of the MACA football opener, the win over Holdingford, is on my companion website "Morris of Course." This post also covers early-season volleyball and cross country. I invite you to click on the link below. It's great to still feel "relevant" in terms of giving some attention to MACA school activities. It's rewarding even if a mere handful of student-athletes and parents visit, and I'm quite certain they do. Whether they admit it or not!

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/09/maca-football-surges-to-bury.html

 

That anonymous New York Times op-ed
Bizarre: the president with all his authority and power can't seem to identify the op-ed writer who made waves with the anonymous submission to the New York Times. Why the elusiveness? OK I have a theory that I think is quite logical: several top administration officials who shared the same ideas - and who wouldn't, really? - submitted those ideas to an outside writer who then wrote the actual piece. Therefore all top administration people could "deny" writing it. Let's see if I'm right, because someday we will know the truth.
Between the president's famous amorality and the Catholic Church's continued horrible scandals, who in his right mind would want to call himself a Christian? Really.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Listen to my song about Metropolitan Stadium

I have written a song about old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington MN, original home of the Minnesota Twins. I had it recorded at Angello Sound Studio in Nashville TN. I'm fortunate working with Bob Angello. Here's a nice simple guitar and voice rendition for my creative fruits about "the Met." The stadium was a wonderful escape place for me in my adolescent and college years. It was a taste of the "macro" world in contrast with my rather mundane "micro" reality! My song is entitled "We Called It the Met." I invite you to listen with this YouTube link. Thanks and God bless. - B.W.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrUBS0coF2k

  

And the Beatles came in '65!

I'm not sure the Beatles were bigger than Jesus yet, when they played Metropolitan Stadium in August of 1965.

The Mall of America sits where "the Met" once was. "The Met" is what made the Twin Cities and Minnesota big league.

We all remember the sports - the snowmobile suits for Vikings games etc. But it was a venue useful for music too. If only the crowd at the Met on that Saturday night could have really appreciated the music.

The Beatles were true music geniuses. They were anything but "the pre-fab four" as they were dubbed in a rather childish TV satire. (That satire also referred to Shea Stadium in New York City as "Che Stadium," named for the Communist revolutionary.)
The Monkees were the "pre-fab four."

The Beatles are as significant in music history as Mozart and Beethoven. This is sinking in as time goes on. In the mid-1960s our adult culture would have slapped the "empty pop culture" stereotype on the lads from Liverpool.

I own "A Hard Day's Night" on DVD but I have a hard time watching it. I have a hard time with it because of seeing John Lennon. He was gunned down by a nutcase when he was way too young. What fascinating speculation it is, to wonder in what direction his creative energies would have taken him.

It was August 21 of 1965 - yes, the summer the Twins won the pennant - when the fab four came here. "Beatlemania" reigned around the world. But this did not translate to a sellout crowd. Can you imagine the demand for tickets if the Beatles were alive today and touring?

The people who would clamor for tickets today were young boomers in the early 1960s. Hey, they have discretionary money now. As kids those resources were far more limited, perhaps negligible. We can forget. And the parents of the boomers were by and large mystified by the Beatles and the flood of other such acts that sprouted. The parents could have hummed Glenn Miller's "Jersey Bounce." They felt unsettled by the Beatles and the kind of reaction they got from teenagers. It was alien. "The generation gap" was very real.

The Beatles performed at Met Stadium in front of a turnout of about 30,000. This was the Beatles' second American tour. By 1966 the group decided it wasn't practical to continue touring. The music seemed so secondary to the maniacal enthusiasm shown by the fans. The Beatles became sort of cloistered as a studio band, which went against the conventional thinking of the time, that you just had to tour.

But the Beatles regularly broke new ground. That's what they were all about.

Can you imagine today being able to buy a ticket as a walk-up customer to a Beatles reunion concert? But on that August night of '65, over 5,000 tickets were in fact sold that way. No "Ticketmaster" then, I'm sure. I remember once naively calling the Fargodome to ask about tickets to a George Strait concert. Silly rabbit, you don't call the venue for information like this anymore.

Rain threatened but never came on the day of the Beatles concert. The temperature was a most agreeable 68 degrees at concert time. A stage was erected over second base. John, Paul, George and Ringo emerged from the Twins dugout. It really was a significant chapter in Minnesota history. These were the real Beatles, in their prime and including John in the flesh! Right here in Minnesota. And you could buy tickets as a walk-up customer amidst no special urgency or panic. Quaint? Yes.

Some minor acts did the warm-up music. The names of these don't ring a bell.

The Beatles were a textbook example of pure fame. They were in the right place at the right time and with the right gifts and right management. It's too bad the audience of 30,000 couldn't have been a little more passive and appreciated the import of it. It's too bad the kids couldn't have just soaked in the music. Because, the Beatles were extraordinary from an artistic standpoint.

We could have given them a pleasant surprise by being more restrained and appreciative. There was no chance of that happening, though. "Beatlemania" reigned.

This meant the kids, I assume mostly the females, would scream during the music. An anthropologist should have made note of it all. The Met Stadium crowd fully followed the norm of the time. So, they screamed in a way as to obliterate the music in this 35-minute set by the fab four.

You can't blame the parents for not wanting to be there. The crowd was probably limited in size because the parents had to shoulder the chauffeuring and fork out $4.50 or $5.50 for ducats.

There were no casinos to support such acts then. Casinos have been a gold mine for retro music acts, even the small-time ones. In the '60s, any kind of gambling had strong morality issues. We barely gave a pass to church basement bingo.

Many music acts had to seek gigs at county fairs. Heck, this continued up through the early 1980s when the likes of Ronnie Milsap came to our Stevens County Fair. So did the Statler Brothers and others. Casinos changed the whole landscape. Imagine if the four Beatles were still alive and together, visiting such places as Mystic Lake.

John was shot and George died of natural causes. Ringo has happily ridden the gravy train of that early fame. Paul has remained artistically very solid and committed, for the most part.

Gosh, what would John have done? You see a certain innocence in his face in the movie "A Hard Day's Night." There's a spontaneous wellspring of creativity there. Fame would challenge him. Disregard his excesses, like saying the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, and what you have is a genius musical craftsman. This is easier to appreciate as time goes by.

Metropolitan Stadium had about 150 ushers ready to handle the concert crowd. They were prepared with smelling salts! About 150 police ensured security. No special problems developed.

Ray Colihan was the concert promoter. He never understood why the crowd was limited to 30,000. We weren't a "cold Omaha" anymore, were we? Colihan was mainly associated with Excelsior Amusement Park. There, in 1964, ol' Ray counted an audience size of 286 for an appearance by the Rolling Stones! Those were different times. There were kid-fans out there but they lacked independence.

Over time that changed, to where the Eagles drew a crowd of over 65,000 at the Met in 1978 (the year I graduated from college). Kids had become less dependent on their parents. And, "Jersey Bounce" had faded more into the background of history. But remember, there was a time when Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman music was actually edgy!

I'm not sure where these "promoters" like Colihan come from, how they become so essential. In Morris we had Rod Lindquist - remember? - from the old "Sound Idea" store. I smile writing this because he was the promoter type (no disrespect intended).

Colihan was surprised he had to work to promote the Beatles, right down to the last minute. Joe Soucheray quoted him saying "I had the hottest act in the business, and it was like people got more excited if the barn blew over in a storm."

Garrison Keillor would be amused.

I was in elementary school at the time of these Beatles tours. I wish I could go back in time and attend. And, to be there with a home movie camera!

The Beatles and the boomers were intertwined. Ironically, the Beatles were not boomers. They were too old. They got on a roller coaster of fame and got enveloped by the boomers who were a sea of precocious impulsivity. And eventually we got money. And now we go to the casinos.

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