Speculation that Covid and its associated disruptions would dissipate with the warm weather was premature. Make that inaccurate too. The local word on the health situation is not heartening.
A friend of mine predicted a while back that by midsummer, not only would Covid be marginalized in its effects, we would have basically forgotten about it. Granted we're a ways away from summer still. The temperature has remained cold in a stubborn way of late. We Minnesotans are supposed to be resilient with this. But doggone it, we'd like a feeling of summer to lift our spirits.
Another friend who happens to be an attorney says, "I hear Stevens County has a serious increase in Covid cases." The top headline in today's Star Tribune is grim. (I see it under the window at vending machines.)
High school sports has gone on with a tentative air through much of this academic year. Look around and you still see a halting pace. Look not far away to KMS, the Saints of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. The Saints played just their first two games of the season on Thursday. The twin bill was against Dawson-Boyd.
Coach Eileen Suter said "we were down to ten players. Considering we had three JVers out there it was very good."
Final scores of games ought to get the least of our attention now. But the KMS crowd certainly went home happy as the greatly depleted roster sure didn't hurt their team's fortunes. For the record, coach Suter's Saints won 21-1 and 19-0.
Games with such scores might not be good for anyone, wouldn't you say? Obviously both games were just five innings. The site was the Murdock diamond. That's the hometown of our MACA coach Mary Holmberg.
We're all wondering here in Motown when the new softball facility will be used for games. Or if? I wonder if anything is officially set for there yet. Sure looks like a lot of work remains to be done on the whole place. Is there enough money socked away to do all this? If the whole thing comes up short, maybe our local government should launch an inquiry. Government is heavily into this: three entities.
I still wonder how the main high school field is going to accommodate fans properly. Looks to me like the secondary field might actually have a better viewing opportunity for fans. Obviously I am sharing these comments early-on in the process. Or is it so early? Didn't promoters announce that the facility would be in use for this spring?
The UMM diamond is in use like always with no noticeable improvements or embellishments. To the casual observer the UMM field looks inferior to the new "Holmberg Field," and that should be an issue for UMM in case UMM cares. While Holmberg Field looks sharper, there remains the issue there of fan accommodations. I'm just not seeing it. And be aware of mud these days. I thought there would be at least one sidewalk.
Will fans park along the road leading out to the bypass? Various questions hover indeed.
So KMS was reduced to its skeletal roster of ten in the face of pandemic protocols. The protocols meant that all the other players had to sit out because of potential exposure. Suter said "we had to borrow some seventh graders so we could have a JV."
She further explained (to the West Central Tribune) that 18 of the 39 players in the program practiced Wednesday. The rest were all quarantined. Remember the basketball post-season where 'Waska and Paynesville had to forfeit their scheduled game vs. each other? Does anyone have any idea how the next academic year is going to go?
But for sure we're not on the downside of the pandemic at present, and my friend's rosy prediction for midsummer seems at present, wildly over-optimistic.
We have to face facts. The U.S. could have been like Australia and taken on this menace more aggressively from early-on. That's what a Democratic Party president, whether Hillary or anyone else, would have done here. That individual would have required that Americans, to use the words of Obama from during his presidency, "eat their peas." Some real wisdom here: the most successful and wealthy people in our society get that way because they are willing to "defer gratification." Take that to the bank.
We chose another course with our choice of Donald Trump for president. He used the Defense Production Act not to mandate manufacture of the most effective masks, but to order meat processing plants to stay in operation. Our media respectfully reported this without seizing on it for ridicule. The media might have a guest or two slamming this, but otherwise they stayed passive for fear of angering Republicans, Republicans like the person or persons in Morris who insist on keeping the big "Trump-Pence" sign on the north edge.
We've made our bed. Now you know what we can do.
An important Morris school faculty member stalled on getting the vaccine, reportedly because this individual "wanted to get more answers about the J&J." That person ended up in the ER with Covid and is missing classes. Maybe teachers should have been mandated by law to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
A popular local restaurant waitress has gotten ill and reportedly had to go to St. Cloud with clots. Our state representative has said he is not getting the shot. He's a Republican which most likely explains it. These are life and death decisions. Forget about Donald Trump and/or Fox News. Jeff Backer could listen to The Reverend Franklin Graham who recommends the shot. I would guess his mind is closed.
Speaking of one-sided games - ahem - there's the Tiger game of Thursday as an exhibit. Holy cow, the MACA girls plated 23 runs while slamming the door on the BOLD Warriors at Olivia. Yasmine Westerman was the pitcher who slammed the door. She allowed not one hit.
Emma Bowman and Shannon Dougherty were the big bats generating RBIs. Dougherty's bat resonated with a home run. She had an RBI total of four. Bowman rapped three hits in five at-bats, and included in the hits were a double and triple. Her RBI total: five.
Adding to the barrage were LaRae Kram and Brianna Marty, each with three hits. Reilly Gibson scored a run, Katelyn Wehking stole a base and crossed home plate twice. Sophia Carlsen had a hit in her only at-bat. Sydney Dietz had a hit, a stolen base, two runs scored and an RBI. Makenna Hufford had two hits, three runs and two RBIs.
Hannah Fischer stole a base and scored twice, Bailey Hottovy scored a run. Cortney Lehman drove in a run. Brienna Dybdahl picked up an RBI. Brianna Marty had a hit and three runs scored. Our biggest inning was the third with 12 runs scored.
Pitcher Westerman fanned nine BOLD batters and walked three as she threw a total of 66 pitches. BOLD struggled mightily in the field. MACA remains undefeated at 4-0.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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