Taylor Draeger of Litch tosses shutout vs. Tigers

More sports on Wednesday: The MACA softball Tigers took on Litchfield on Wednesday, here at the new field. The Tigers got another reminder that they had better not take a lot for granted in the post-season. As in the game vs. Browerville, the orange and black got humbled in the Wednesday affair. 

A faculty/coach person who was watching the game informed me the Wednesday scheduling was due to the expected rain today (Thursday). Wednesdays are normally kept quite open. Church night? I guess that's the deal, even though churches in general are in decline everywhere. The Star Tribune recently continued its series of articles on the trend. The CW is that the young generation cannot be interested much. They are not hypnotized or mesmerized by Donald Trump and his legions. 

Anyway, fans gathered as best they could Wednesday at the new softball facilities in Morris. It's every man for himself when it comes to parking. Cars park on the grass or the dirt (mud). I've seem them parked to the north of the road that goes out to the bypass. 

Fans sat in their own lawn chairs out behind the outfield fence. Was this really their preferred vantage point? Or did they bail on trying to get behind home plate where the space is limited and the viewing lines are blocked by the dugouts? The dugouts are an issue. The standing room behind home plate is limited. It looked like fans had to jockey for viewing angles. So some of the fans headed to the outfield fence. 

Fans saw a shutout performance by the visiting Litchfield Dragons. The Section 3AA rivalry ended with a 6-0 score and the Dragons breathing fire. When the Tigers are skunked like this, you can assume the opposing pitcher was boffo. Pitchers can dominate in this sport. So let's applaud Taylor Draeger of the Dragons. Draeger tossed a two-hitter and struck out three batters, walked two. 

The MACA pitcher of record was Brienna Dybdahl who had no walks or strikeouts and allowed seven hits. Three of the runs she allowed were unearned. Yasmine Westerman pitched for one inning, struck out a batter and walked one while allowing one hit. She allowed one run which was unearned. 

MACA had uncharacteristic lapses in the field with three errors. Litch meanwhile played errorless ball and pounded out eight hits. Litch owns a 14-6 record. The regular season is now done. 

Wednesday's downbeat outcome for the Tigers shouldn't dampen optimism a whole lot, as our record is 18-2! We're 5-1 in 3AA play. LaRae Kram and Katelyn Wehking had our hits. Wehking turned on the jets to steal three bases. 

Liv Holmgren of the Dragons was effective with her two-for-three line that included a double. She scored two runs, drove in one, stole a base and drew a walk. Sydney McCann had a hit, two RBIs and a sacrifice fly. Avery Stilwell had a hit and a run-batted-in. Emma DeWolf added to the mix with a hit. Janessa Olson went one-for-three with two runs scored and a stolen base. Ryanna Steinhaus had a hit, a stolen base and a sacrifice. Britney Prahl had a one-for-three outing with a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI. 

Now we're awaiting the playoffs.

 

Track and field: "True team"

The Tigers made the long trip to East Grand Forks for the "true team" phase. We're in Section 5A for this chapter of the season. The idea is to test team depth. 

Our boys team passed the test to garner No. 1. Monte Fehr threw the discus the furthest. Evan Oberg threw the shot put the furthest. Kenny Soderberg was #1 in the 110m and 300m hurdles. Ethan Lebrija turned on the jets to win the 100m and 200m. Top honors were also taken by our 4x100m relay unit composed of Soderberg, Lebrija, Trey Hunt and Derek Waldbeser. 

The orange and black girls were No. 3 among teams. Minnewaska Area took team champion. Isabel Guerra was champ in the 400 meters. Kaylie Raths was #1 in the 300m hurdles. The 4x200m relay team of Raths, Guerra, Caryn Marty and Olivia Lebrija took No. 1. 

The competition was on Monday. I assume the team bus took the route up I-29. One can feel peace along that route.

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

Bruns and Jergenson pitch in 5-0 triumph

More good news in MACA spring sports: Tuesday wins in baseball and softball. We'd sure like to see the weather get more settled down. It would be nice to have a week with "no weather": just stillness, pleasant temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Maybe in July? And then in August, signs of fall start emerging. Sigh. 

Anyway, Tiger baseball was quite focused for its shutout win over the Paynesville Bulldogs at home. The score was 5-0. The superb pitching was handled by Zach Bruns and Brandon Jergenson. They put up the zeroes over the seven innings at Chizek Field. 

Riley Reimers as he has done in the past delivered the key hit: a single that cleared the bases. Prior to that, a Sam Kleinwolterink RBI single in the first frame got us the early lead. The score remained close until the fifth. The radio station informs us that the wind came into play to aid our hits! We'll take the breaks any way they come. We added four runs in the fifth. 

Bruns started on the hill and worked for four innings. He gave up four hits. Then Jergenson came on with his pitching arm and handled the last three innings. His hits allowed: three. Ross Marty posted an RBI in the boxscore. 

The game marked the end of regular season play. Our W/L numbers are most encouraging at 12-8. The Bulldogs too sit with a quite fine W/L of 14-6. Their Tuesday pitcher was Tori Olmscheid. 

Softball sure went well for the Motown nine on Tuesday. Unfortunately I cannot find game details online on this Wednesday morning. I have plenty of energy thanks to the weekly biscuits and gravy morning special at DeToy's Restaurant. Unfortunately I can only report the softball score: 17-7 over Lac qui Parle Valley. 

All good things must come to an end? Just now for the first time, I discovered that the "incognito" trick for getting past the West Central Tribune paywall no longer works. At least it didn't work just now. When I cannot access game info that way, I then turn to the radio station site. While our Morris radio station does a pretty fine job, often the material is capsulized, maybe a little too much, and stat details for opponents are not included. I like to include that if available. 

I do not pay to read anything online. IMHO high school sports info should be free-flowing on the worldwide web with no paywall restrictions. These are publicly-supported programs. Also, they benefit from PR and reporting. Heaven knows the Morris softball program could use any and all promo now, what with the considerable fund-raising task that remains with the softball fields project. 

Sub-varsity action was featured at the new field Tuesday. I happened by, as I often do because my daily walking route goes right past there. I had the good fortune of engaging a faculty/coach person for several minutes in conversation. I think highly of this person, who told me that my skeptical thoughts on the whole softball project are not out of bounds, certainly not prima facie. I was assured that other people have had thoughts similar to mine, like how the fan viewing opportunities are so greatly limited. 

High fences and long dugouts are an impediment. The bleachers behind home plate do not do the job as well as you might think. In roughly 2/3 of that space, fans do not get a 100 percent view of the field. 

I hate using the term "softball complex" because this is a gross oversell. It insulted our intelligence. For one thing, the long-established UMM field is obviously not new. It sits there like before, actually a superior place for affording fan viewing opportunities. It has been quite the suitable home for UMM softball.

What about the field to the south of that? It seems little more than playground quality now, and the fences seem a joke, located way too far out. Go take a look. 

It's sad to see how vehicles get parked in such a haphazard way all around the facility, even to the north of the road leading to the bypass. The grass will get worn. Mud will develop much more readily. 

 

Let's be real

You know what? If we really needed new softball facilities we should have worked to sell the state on this and just had the state with its considerable resources take over. Isn't that how Big Cat Stadium got built? 

We don't see all those ticky-tack signs acknowledging "donors" all over Big Cat, do we? This sort of cheapens the new softball facility. Why? Because it was built to serve the whole community. The individual donors do not need so much attention. As for the large corporate donors, that is more understandable. But families and individuals? I suggest not. These people will pass from the scene someday, as we all do. 

I joked with a project promoter yesterday that maybe I could sponsor second base at one of the fields. That was just a joke. 

Yes, get the state in here with its deep pockets, get going with the parking lots and let's see the whole thing get done. 

But what about the design problems that hinder the fans? Are we stuck with that drawback forever? I would suggest we ought to have a public hearing on this. We need the whole story about how and why the place was designed the way it was. I continue to have a bad taste in my mouth from the way this "complex" was announced in the beginning, in way too grandiose terms. It was a misleading "sell." A whole row of people for a "groundbreaking." Rather kitschy. 

I expected the place to look rather spectacular by now, based on all the early talk. In reality it's a misfire. The city has announced it is contributing no more money. I wonder why the city contributed money in the first place ($150,000).

 

The Friday MACA success

The MACA softball Tigers defeated Melrose 15-1 at Melrose Friday. The baseball Tigers enjoyed success too, 3-1 over Lac qui Parle. My reporting on the games is on my companion blog, "Morris of Course." Here's the permalink and God bless:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/05/maca-girls-dominate-in-i-94-game-down.html 

 

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

High school sports build morale amid angst

The recent past has accented the value of prep sports as a means of lifting up community morale. Morale has been tested by the pandemic. How to get a taste of the "normal life" that we'd like to count on? Simply seeing media reports about youth sports helps. 

We want so much to see signs that we can progress back to normal life. Headlines about ballgames are a great source. 

Some will say that sports is a misplaced priority. They'll say we're moving mountains to help sports activities while not being so committed to the other aspects of school. Should a new softball field be such a celebrated thing? Like "the big bus" in the Stockard Channing movie of the same name (1976)?

There is probably some truth behind the assertion that sports gets a special push. As a matter a pure principle, the assertion has merit. We can understand better if we realize the intangibles of sports activity. It's camaraderie and a sense of wheels turning toward our regular routine. When are the next games? What is the won-lost of a particular team? When does the post-season start? How will our favorite team be seeded? Who is the "team to beat?" You know the routine. 

Absent these thoughts flitting through our mind, time would drag and the toll of the pandemic would feel greater. 

The vaccines have brought such great advancement and hope. We feel concern about an element of the population holding back on vaccine enthusiasm, thus hurting the overall progress. That element is "evangelical Christians." Secondarily, people with Republican political affiliation, primarily men, are showing themselves to be an obstacle. Have we seen any progress with our state representative, Jeff Backer? Has he adjusted his attitude on getting the shot? Sure hope he has, but would not bet on it. 

An unlikely hero through all this is The Reverend Franklin Graham. He has broken from the evangelical flock to a degree and has gotten some pushback from his normal brethren. We must hold on to hope with the most obstinate Republicans or conservatives or evangelicals. These terms are shorthand which the media likes. You can't blame the media, really, because society is complex and we need to distill sometimes. 

Many of the regressive folks have at least latent intelligence. So with time, maybe they can withdraw from the likes of Fox News or Newsmax and see the light. 

So, we're seeing plenty of high school softball, baseball and track and field activity here in Motown. The routine might make us think we're experiencing a normal spring. It's an illusion in the sense that the pandemic's shadow remains. But the activities surely lift our spirits and promote hope. So bless all the athletes and the people leading them. Here in Motown the kids wear orange and black. 

Music is so important too. It gets hardly a fraction of the attention of sports. Music fulfills every bit as much. It was wonderful to see a live audience for the MAHS band concert on Monday, May 17. Audience members had to sign up in advance. There was a little box to fill in where it said "name of pupil." I got permission to write in the name of our band director, the brilliant Wanda Dagen. She was rebounding from some health travail. 

Normally the May concert would include ice cream treats in the cafeteria beforehand. Soloists and ensembles would perform in an informal way, quite delightful. We're not yet back to normality in a way that allows for that. So it was just the concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. and it was terrific. Students made gestures of appreciation toward their director at the end. 

The concert included a little nostalgia connected to Lawrence Welk. The memories of Welk are receding. He was a symbol of the older end of the "generation gap" in a bygone time. The memories are really not pleasant. The generation gap presented a rift on such subjects as Vietnam, where the older folks were too slow to recognize the folly of the war, the absolute need to just get out. John Wayne was astride Lawrence Welk in reflecting the older folks. 

The younger folks were frustrated with their elders, so many of whom just wanted to continue their normal lives and affairs instead of scrutinizing certain pressing issues. Today we understand the hard work of just maintaining one's normal life. But a little glance at the "macro" picture helps too. In the case of the Vietnam war, the U.S. countenanced a prolonged tragedy. 

Our May 17 concert at the concert hall included concert band and wind ensemble. In the old days we'd just talk about "band." The great music satirist Peter Schickele had a work that he wrote for "banned instruments." Schickele was the genius behind the fictional "PDQ Bach." 

Let's all pray that Dagen proceeds back to totally normal health. These are trying times. A retired Morris teacher has passed away. 

We should pray for the conservative political types, the "evangelicals" and lots of Republicans, and isn't that ironic? To pray for evangelicals? There is a very real danger that the evangelicals are inflicting permanent damage on the Christian faith itself. They bury heads in sand and pay little heed to facts or science. Rev. Graham has his "toe in the water," as it were, seeking to nudge his brethren toward more reasonableness. 

Will he prevail? Would be so nice to assume "yes" but there's truly doubt. 

The Donald Trump phenomenon may be far from over. So, where would all of this lead us? Day by day we follow the news and wonder. Whole news networks of the positive bent spend whole days telling us about the wayward nature of the "conservatives" or Trumpists. A cottage industry, sort of? Are we paying attention or is it just turning into a background chorus? A chorus of reason, yes, but if it does not lead to constructive acts, then what? 

Music is alive in Morris. So why can't we get some sort of regular summer concert series at East Side Park where we have the performance stage? The stage has been a big nothing for a long time. So unfortunate. Skip Killoran has tried to revive something there, and we wish him luck.

 

MACA softball, baseball, track/field

My "Morris of Course" blog has an update on the Tiger baseball, softball and track events of Thursday. Here's the permalink and God bless.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/05/dylan-rose-drives-in-brendan-hardy-for.html 

 

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

MACA softball rules at home field vs. Benson

MACA softball improved to 16-0 with a commanding win over visitor Benson on Wednesday. Prep contests are rare on Wednesday so this was a re-schedule. Again there was a one-sided tone to this contest. The score: 11-4. The Tigers surged in the second inning with a seven-run rally. 

This was West Central Conference softball at the new Morris field. All the diamonds in that spot were in use Wednesday. Parked vehicles were abundant in the area. For the first time I saw vehicles parked to the north of the road that goes out to the bypass. 

Following our seven-run second inning, we proceeded to score one in the third, two in the fifth and one in the sixth. Game's start certainly had an upbeat tone for the visiting Braves: a three-run first. They were well contained after that. Their fourth run came in the fourth. 

The eleven MACA runs came on eleven hits. Just as upbeat was our error total: zero. Benson's line score was four runs, ten hits and one error. Our pitcher the whole way was Brienna Dybdahl who fanned five batters and walked one. Benson had the OK hit total of ten vs. her. The four runs she allowed were earned. 

The MACA bats teed off pretty well vs. Benson's Bella Wolter. Wolter's complete game covered six innings and she allowed the eleven MACA hits. One of the eleven runs she allowed was unearned. She struck out two batters and walked five. 

A great many Tigers had input with the robust offense. So we see Hannah Fischer with a double as part of going two-for-three. She scored a run, drove in two and earned a walk. Dybdahl went two-for-three and crossed home plate three times. She socked a double, stole two bases, drew a walk and drove in a run. 

Brianna Marty doubled, walked, drove in two runs and scored a run. LaRae Kram doubled, stole a base, drove in two runs and scored one. Makenna Hufford had a hit and two ribbies. Sydney Dietz added a hit to the mix. Shannon Dougherty stole a base and scored a run while going one-for-four. Katelyn Wehking went one-for-two with her hit a double. She stole a base, walked twice and scored three runs. 

Yasmine Westerman had a hit in her only at-bat. She stole a base and drove in a run. Cortney Lehman scored a run. 

Seeing the "Berens" name is a signal we're talking about Benson. I typed the name often in my community newspaper career. Rachel Berens was one of three Benson Braves getting two hits. Sarah Brandt supplied a game highlight with a home run. She was two-for-three and had four RBIs. Adysen Himley had a double as part of her two-for-four line. Other Braves to hit safely were Ellie Moesenthin, Marissa Connelly, Zoe Doscher and Leah Thompson. 

The loss for Benson was a rare blemish on their record - they came out of Wednesday at 12-5.

 

Note to readers: My original post on this game had our W/L at 15-0 based on information from the West Central Tribune. The WC Trib's headline read "Prep softball: Morris/Chokio-Alberta improves to 15-0." Our Morris radio station site had the numbers 16-0 and this matched the info on the "Minnesota Scores" site. BTW why can't the WC Trib learn to correctly refer to our teams as "Morris Area Chokio Alberta" or MACA?

 

Loss in a no-hitter?

Well, it was quite the unusual situation Tuesday for the MACA baseball Tigers: a losing outcome despite two of their pitchers combining for a no-hitter! Those two Tigers were Zach Bruns and Durgin Decker. Bruns was the pitcher of record. 

The Tigers scored one run in the first and managed no more against 'Waska hurler Darion Alexander. Alexander fanned eight Tiger batters in his route-going performance. 

How could the Lakers climb to this 3-1 victory? It can be done. Like, with a bases-loaded walk. Aaron VerSteeg coaxed the pitcher for the walk. It was also VerSteeg who delivered a sacrifice fly for a run. An error came into play also for giving the Lakers a run. 

The bats were truly cold in this game, or you might say the pitching was stellar. The Tigers had just one hit and it was by Sam Kleinwolterink. Kleinwolterink had a one-for-three line and picked up an RBI as Brandon Jergenson scored. 

Alexander scored two of 'Waska's runs. VerSteeg had a stolen base to go with his other contributions. Jacob Blair scored a run. 

Bruns in his pitching struck out two batters and walked four in his three innings. Neither of the runs he allowed was earned. Decker in his three innings of pitching struck out one batter and walked one. The one run he allowed was unearned. The game was played at Minnewaska Area.

 

Track and field

I could write briefly about MACA Tiger track and field but we need to get more thorough and specific summaries from online news sources. At present it's way too capsulized. Track has been getting so upstaged by softball in Morris this spring. Track and field deserves generous attention. Attention coaches: consider typing up some paragraphs providing nice details after a meet and just clicking on "send" so that commercial media outlets can get it! Please.

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

MACA boys overcome by Redwood's 10 runs

The MACA baseball team outhit Redwood Valley Friday but it was little consolation. Playing at the Redwood diamond, the Tigers were outscored in the 10-5 score. 

Carter Peterson highlighted the Redwood offense with a home run. The Tigers managed just one run over the first five innings, then scored two each in the sixth and seventh. Redwood came out of the starting gate with three each in the first and second. They followed that up with two each in the fifth and sixth. 

Brady Backman had a rough outing on the hill for Motown, however he was hurt by unearned runs. In fact, four of the six runs he allowed in his one inning were unearned. So we're looking at errors maybe being a factor? The line score shows we committed three. Our five runs were scored on eight hits. Redwood Valley had a line score of ten runs, seven hits and one error. 

Backman struck out two batters in his one inning. But he walked two and gave up two hits. So, on came Dylan Rose to show his pitching stuff. Rose had a stint of four innings in which he gave up two hits and two runs, struck out two and walked three. We called on a third pitcher, Brett Hansen, who gave up three hits and two runs in one inning. He had no walks or strikeouts. 

Redwood Valley had Cade Schiller on the mound for the win. Schiller was pretty sharp with his nine strikeouts. But he could be wild too: six walks. He gave up three hits and one run (earned). 

Two other pitchers put their arms to work in RV's winning cause. Carter Johnson got roughed up in a one-inning stint: five hits, four runs all earned, two walks, no strikeouts. Austin Christensen pitched for one frame and fanned two Tiger batters, walked none. 

The MACA offense had Ross Marty going two-for-four with a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI. Brandon Jergenson had a hit, a stolen base and an RBI. Zach Bruns went wild on the basepaths with his four stolen bases! He was one-for-three with a walk received and an RBI. 

Sam Kleinwolterink had a one-for-four line. Rose socked a double, plus he stole a base, walked twice and scored two runs. Riley Reimers had a hit in his only at-bat: a double. He drew a walk and drove in a run. Hansen doubled, stole a base, walked, drove in a run and scored a run. Durgin Decker worked the pitcher for a walk. Flynn McNally earned two walks. Branden Hardy crossed home plate once. 

So, the game was not without highlights for coach Kirby Sayles' crew. I recently asked Dan Sayles if he'd be following Donald Trump's recommendation to boycott major league baseball. "I think I'll still watch," Dan said with a smile. 

The Redwood Valley hits were by Peterson with his round-tripper, Schiller, Riley Dikken, Brock Famsyn, Nick Schlacher and Brandon Lang. Alex Lang scored three runs. Johnson got on base twice by hit-by-pitch.

 

Varsity softball this Wednesday

The unusual occurrence of a varsity sports event on Wednesday is on this week's slate. The softball Tigers will host Benson at the new field. So, this will be another test for how the new field is working out. 

Are people expressing honest opinions about this? The local commercial media appear to have blinders on, only dispensing the most institutionally approved language about it. The UMM athletic director likes using the word "amazing." IMHO it is not amazing. 

It's crude for so many vehicles to go down the little slope to park between fields, chewing up the ground and grass and steadily making the place more untidy. I thought the slope would only be accessed by construction vehicles. 

It's a madhouse for getting parking out there, but maybe these demands will diminish as fans find that the game viewing experience has too many obstacles. I emailed a UMM-oriented friend yesterday with the message that "whoever designed this place didn't have the fans' interests in mind at all." The vantage points for watching the games are too limited and have issues. 

I told my friend that UMM fans will quickly decide they preferred their established field with the brick dugouts that have "Cougars" painted on the backs. I have visited the established field three times this spring to observe, and find that the fans are 100 percent happy there. It's a festive atmosphere. Why on earth do so many important people always think something "new" is needed? 

I walked past the "complex," if you really want to call it that, on Sunday and noticed that sprinklers were going full-bore on the secondary field. Yes, anything big and new like this will have a cost for maintenance and management. So easy for us to initially overlook that. 

For the City of Morris to have dispensed of $150,000 for this project, means the city must be absolutely swimming in money - they don't know what to do with it all. 

I observed the Friday evening Tiger varsity game at the new place, for a short time anyway, then I walked home suspecting the game would be called because of rain. But I checked YouTube and discovered it was not called. I could not find game details anywhere the next day except for the score from the "Minnesota Scores" site: 16-1 win for Motown. I guess we should celebrate that, but such one-sided games and kind of a downer. 

On the opposite side of "downer" was the fantastic rainbow I saw on my YouTube screen! You can call that "amazing," Mr. Johnson. It made my weekend. It also was inspiration for my new post on my companion blog, "Morris of Course." I invite you to read with this permalink and God bless:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/05/beautiful-rainbow-blesses-maca-softball.html 

 

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

Makenna Hufford homers twice in 11-4 win

MACA bats made noise as our softball fortunes continued in a most upbeat way. The success was on Thursday at Benson. The MACA bats carved out an 11-4 win over the Braves. 

Makenna Hufford showed a supreme power bat with her two home runs and a double. She drove in three runs and scored three. 

Shannon Dougherty connected for a home run and had two hits. She drove in a run and scored two. Emma Bowman joined the top tier of contributors with her two-for-four line including a double. Her RBI total was three and she scored a run. LaRae Kram had a hit, a stolen base, two RBIs and a run scored. 

Sydney Dietz turned on the jets to steal two bases, plus she had a hit and drew two walks. Katelyn Wehking and Hannah Fischer each had a hit and a run scored. Brianna Marty drew two walks and scored two runs. 

Two Benson Braves had two hits: Marissa Connelly and Sarah Brandt. One of Sarah's hits was a double. 

The Tigers played flawless ball in the field. Our eleven runs came on eleven total hits. Benson had a line score of 4-8-3. On to pitching: Brienna Dybdahl picked up our win with the full seven innings. Her sharpness was underscored by nine strikeouts and no walks issued. Benson had fair success vs. her with eight hits. The losing pitcher was Bella Wolter who walked four batters and had no strikeouts. 

The Tigers' big inning was the fourth with eight runs streaming home. Benson scored one run each in the second through fifth innings. The MACA win was coach Mary Holmberg's 600th. It's awe-inspiring. I remember working with Benson coach Barb Schwarz when I wrote sports for the Hancock paper and Barb coached the Benson-Hancock kids in summer. B-H had a formal partnership in the sport for a long time. Ken Grunig was coach. His main gig was as Hancock band director. The Hancock Record is defunct.

 

Baseball: Melrose 8, Tigers 5

Thursday was not so upbeat for the MACA boys of the diamond. It was a day of home action at Chizek Field. Visiting team Melrose, the Dutchmen, prevailed by an 8-5 score. Melrose seized the upper hand early. 

A bright spot was Zach Bruns' three-for-three line. Riley Reimers' bat produced two RBIs. Pitcher Brandon Jergenson had a rough outing but four of the eight runs he allowed were unearned. The winning pitcher was Tyler Rademacher. 

Gabe Schwieters knocked in two runs for Melrose who improved to 8-5. Meanwhile the Tigers came out of Thursday at 9-6.

 

The Tuesday Tiger win

Please click on permalink below to read my summary of the Tuesday 9-4 baseball win over BOLD. Riley Reimers had the key hit: a double. This post is on my companion blog, "Morris of Course," and it also includes a review of the softball team's big 14-3 win over Minnewaska. Thanks.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/05/reimers-double-puts-maca-boys-in.html 

 

Softball at home today

I'm posting this on Friday where the schedule shows a home game for the MACA softball Tigers, "home" being the new place out east of town. It's our second game at the new facility. We'll see how it works out on days when there is a generous fan turnout, which of course is something we should all hope for. "The more the merrier." 

I have doubts that a large fan turnout will be entirely satisfied there. This is speculation of course. Either the fans can find ways to see the game in an enjoyable way, or they'll just be happy to be there. If everyone's happy, there's no basis to complain. 

I can't help but think we were all misled by the early reports on the project out there. I'd argue the term "softball complex" was misleading. It got us thinking that something pretty spectacular would be seen by now. As the weeks passed, I noticed this was not happening. 

In its essence, this project was about one new varsity field. Everything else is quite modest or secondary, and the pre-existing UMM field appears to be unchanged. UMM fans have been very happy there. I'll suggest they will find the new field less accommodating. But time will tell. 

I don't know about all the signs acknowledging sponsors. It gets to the point where it seems a little tacky. Will these names be there forever? A suggestion: Whenever an opposing team comes with a substantial number of fans, Morris fans should stay out of the limited bleachers behind home plate and be cordial hosts: allow the visiting fans to sit there. Seating is so limited. I actually find this to be unbelievable. Who planned all this? 

The dugouts are too long and large and this impedes fan viewing. I guess the new Hancock softball field has dugouts where some fans can sit on top! Seems strange but it might work fine. It shows that the Hancock planners were sensitive to fans' needs. So the Morris dugouts include storage space? Why couldn't a separate little storage building be built off to the side? 

I'll bet the area around the field will be muddy today. Well, good luck anyway, but I just don't see how the City of Morris could justify contributing $150,000 for this. There are any number of ball fields around Morris. Are baseball and softball the only way for our young people to get healthy fair weather exercise? Well, I don't think so. When I was a kid we'd play sandlot baseball where we'd be self-starters. I guess that's out of an old Norman Rockwell painting. You'll say "who is Norman Rockwell?"

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

Do clothes make the man? Or woman?

Hardly anyone is uptight about fashion anymore. Today there is a very simple and universal standard: just wear clothes that are comfortable and reasonably clean. 

We don't circulate in public much because of the pandemic these days. Someday we'll all remember Willie's Super Valu as a bastion for being in some proximity to our fellow man in these trying times. And as I go through the door there these days, as I observe my fellow man, I'm struck by how fashion is irrelevant. This is a positive observation to make. Why would we want to live any other way? Today it's about comfort and practicality. 

Comfort generally means clothes that are loose-fitting. Of course, loose-fitting has taken over as such the norm, people don't even look at it that way any more. It's like the fish swimming along, seeing some younger fish and saying to them "nice water here." And the little fish respond: "what's water?" 

We live in times when "unisex" is quite acceptable. It's acceptable to the point where it's like water to the fish - nothing distinctive to point out. It's quite notable how fashion standards have disappeared for church. Your average Willie's shopper could sidle over for church on Sunday and be totally accepted. Sweat shirt or sweat pants? No sweat. 

I remember when "relaxed fit" pants first started getting marketed. Ah, but then it wasn't long before still another iteration came along: "loose fit." So you'd be shopping at J.C. Penney and see such labels. But would we even shop at J.C. Penney anymore? Is it a dinosaur? Is it extinct yet? We gained the habit of making clothes purchases at "big box" stores with the huge benefit of not having a store clerk wait on you. "Can I help you?" 

Well, these people were on hand as employees and just followed their instinct for wanting to seem busy. And they probably didn't realize how so many customers just wanted to be left alone. I do not wish to consider a purchase of underwear with a clerk's eyes fixated on me. So I became much more comfortable spending my money at a place where I could "free graze." 

Tight shorts of "Magnum P.I."

What about pants that were neither "relaxed" nor "loose" fit? We got a category called "classic fit." There are always those whose physique is trim or athletic enough that they still find practical the "Starsky and Hutch" look. That's where your pants look like they are painted on. I could grimace as I think back to the '70s when this kind of appearance was considered desirable. 

We'd look at pictures of men from the 1940s with very loose pants hitched up high on the waist and think "boy, that's dated!" I remember a photo of the big band leader Artie Shaw who reflected this. 

Fashion is strange: our norm at a particular time invites not a shrug. When it ceases being the norm and a few years pass, we look at the photos and are almost inclined to laugh. We're tempted to do that now when remembering dance floor attire of the disco age. Platform shoes, wild colors. A young man could be a "stud" then, a clown now. 

Remember when "Austin Powers" made the "peace" sign and got immediately mocked by some people at a nearby table? Convention gives way to obsolescence. 

But my overriding point as I pen these thoughts, is that today there is little if any sense of "fashion" in the historic context. To repeat: clothing is simply about comfort and practicality, and it has gotten to the point where gender doesn't matter anymore. A person my age can be rather shocked by this. But is there any reason to object? 

We are liberated from the old gender stereotypes and expectations, step by step. We learn that the California legislature is considering a bill that would ban larger department stores from having separate "boys" and "girls" sections for clothing. Oh, and for toys too. We might be skeptical that the hard hand of the state needs to get involved in such things. But the news item shows just how powerful the force of evolution is in our culture. 

I assure you that even with "unisex" clothing, heterosexual boys will have absolutely no trouble being attracted to certain females. 

So why jump through hoops setting fashion expectations according to gender? The California bill would prohibit the use of signage within each undivided area indicating that particular items are for either girls or for boys. 

The Target chain began eliminating gender-based signage in toy sections starting in 2015. Girls should not have to feel awkward or stigmatized choosing toy items that may for some reason have been associated with boys. Example from my youth: Lincoln Logs.

I personally welcome all the new trends. And I observe this as a 66-year-old with memories of a gender-conscious culture where norms and boundaries were most definitely encouraged. 

Do male varsity athletes in school still dress up in suits and ties on a day when a game is scheduled in the evening? I was troubled by this because it put such athletes on a pedestal compared to the rest of us. I didn't mind that we cheered for them. Their athletic talents were worthy of notice. But the suits-and-ties thing during the day seemed rather pointless, as if a caste system was being recognized. 

Boomers like me most certainly remember how "blue jeans" were once considered so edgy. Or dangerous? They were a violation of dress code in many schools. So puzzling. Isn't the purpose of a pair of pants to just cover your legs? I mean, just utilitarian? They should be clean and not real worn-looking, perhaps. 

Some kids did find it fashionable to have the worn look, maybe even with a well-placed hole like in the knee. For what purpose? At that age, did we really need a rhyme or reason? Some jeans were sold "pre-washed" - remember? So they wouldn't look "new," because your peers might sniff at a "new" look. Again, why? 

So, blue jeans were viewed with suspicion, which should make us ask "why?" Well, those were times when kids could be restless, wanting to shake off the shackles of adult standards like how we had to fight a big foreign war every few years, like it was a rite of passage. My generation got turned inside out by the Vietnam war. Man, did I ever soak in the zeitgeist of that time for the youth. 

Blue jeans could be seen as a sign of rebellion. One theory is that this grew out of motorcycle movies. Kids wore jeans as a badge of restlessness and non-conformity. This assumes that all jeans-wearers were so motivated - stupid of course. A neat-looking pair of jeans simply means you're "dressed." Why couldn't I have been left alone? 

Church on Sunday! Holy cow, let's consider that, consider how men wore suits, ties and dress slacks. And, if you as a kid decided to put on your dress slacks on a school day, you ran the risk of being teased for being "dressed up." Strange how our minds can meander with such judgments. 

A breakthrough came with the advent of "Dockers," a true revolution because these pants could be accepted anywhere. So OK, but why did we need a transformational development like this? It's just clothing, man. 

So today we are out of our confused and uptight abyss and simply wear clothing that feels comfortable, no arbitrary male/female fashion statements. And to repeat: heterosexual males need no help identifying women that interest them, n'est-ce pas?

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

Trying to stay abreast of sports

It's 9:30 a.m. as I get started writing this, and I cannot find even the scores of yesterday's Tiger softball/baseball action. Even the usually reliable "Minnesota Scores" has "report score" next to the games. The radio station website which gets a high grade for its performance has nothing regarding yesterday's action. 

It's ditto with the West Central Tribune which generally is spotty, and is an annoyance mainly with its paywall and/or registration requirements. I use the "incognito" system with that site, so I at least don't have to pay. I don't pay to read anything online. 

So the WC Trib site whiffs on Friday's Tiger action also. We can assume the fault for all these deficiencies lies in the sports programs themselves which are expected to submit the info in some way. 

I could toss and turn at night thinking of these issues from when I was with the Morris newspaper. We published twice a week throughout my tenure. If I had been a coach, it would be a no-brainer to realize that to the extent I could make the media people's work easier, it would benefit my own program. 

I grew up in a time when very few people were interested in writing. Still fewer were interested in typing. The old "typewriter" had nothing in common with today's high-tech systems for information processing. My point is: today any coach ought to find it easy and convenient to simply write an article on a particular game, thorough and accurate, then click on "submit" to a particular media entity. That media entity would then perform at least cursory editing but maybe not even that. Who cares? 

Coaches are well educated people and they can handle the English language. Publish the material and satisfy the fans. 

My generation thought it important to follow myriad rules for writing and editing, e.g. the "AP Stylebook." Today's young generation has a much looser understanding of things. I'll bet teachers of English have had to adjust in a difficult way. The English language is fluid, so it evolves. Check out the original Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" from our library, as I did, and you'll feel like you're dealing with a foreign language. 

At present, our younger people are barely interested in capitalization. Should the word "midwest" be capitalized? Technically yes. But many of today's younger people will write emails that are completely lower case. Does it matter? And what about the myriad abbreviations to make our communication quicker? They began as cute novelties as all such transformation does. With time, the new approaches or tweaks become standard. 

When the Morris American Legion baseball team took second in state a few years back, their final game was on a Saturday. This has often spelled trouble for the West Central Tribune. We still have a culture where we're expected to slow down for the "weekend," especially on Sunday. Sunday is the sacred "Sabbath" where we attend institutions showing reverence to Donald Trump. Well, many churches appear to do this, mine doesn't. Mine still puts God and Jesus first. 

Mine is composed of people who do not watch Fox News, hence they are much more receptive to getting the Covid vaccine. I hear we recently lost a well-known local person to Covid who had resisted the vaccine. 

Don't trust the vaccine? Listen to Tucker Carlson of Fox News? For my part, I don't trust the Covid. I want no part of it. I got the vaccine as soon as I got a heads-up it was available locally. I even went to a different clinic other than my usual one. So, go ahead and call me "woke." It's the oft-used putdown word used by Carlson and his ilk from the TV screen. I'm woke but I'm alive and totally healthy. Others have died or become gravely ill, and I mean locally. 

So the Morris Legion baseball team had a phenomenal accomplishment that summer of a few years back. And the Monday West Central Tribune came out with very brief and shoddy coverage, I'm sure attributable to the game having been on Saturday. The name of a prominent Morris player was butchered. So my point is: the Morris coach could have used email - a child's task - to type some paragraphs and "send" to the WC Trib to ensure proper acknowledgment of the team's accomplishment. I believe our coach was Kyle Berget, a school teacher by profession and obviously very literate. So, this would have been my constructive suggestion. 

Our radio station in Morris has developed nicely to where we can reasonably count on good text reviews on the website. Today, Saturday, is an exception to that, and I can hardly blame the station because I'm sure that just like when I was at the paper, they rely on coaches. It's very irregular to not even find the Friday scores on "Minnesota Scores" at 9:30 a.m. 

It's highly strange because Friday was a super historic day for the MACA softball program. This program is still trying to generate money for development of this "complex" thing on east edge of town. When you're in a position like that, you should take advantage of any and all media opportunities as much as possible. This costs you nothing! Just get on your computer and see to it the media entities get what they need and want. Yes, they want it! Can't you see the forest for the trees? Or something like that. 

My intent this morning was to write some of my own coverage of Tiger sports from Friday, using info from other media sources. It's no-go. So, here I go on Saturday morning, sort of "vamping." Isn't it fun? Now I'll continue on the subject of the Friday dedication of the softball complex. I have a theory that there are tense back room discussions in Morris about how this project has gone, if it was needed in the first place, if it now disappoints for various reasons, etc. 

The same people in these tense discussions would publicly go out and be dripping with positiveness about it. Matt Johnson of UMM is hooked on the word "amazing." He used it yesterday. I could make it out even though the P.A. system was abysmal. Ask anyone who was there. 

"Amazing." No, the new field or complex or whatever is not "amazing." It's a new field with dugouts and fences. As I expected, fans are having a hard time getting a comfortable vantage point to watch the action. My concern with this was not relieved yesterday. It's too hard to see through the fence on the first and third base sides. Behind home plate there are three small sections of aluminum bleachers. On the ends, fans don't get to see the whole field. The people seated there create a problem for people who might want to stand and watch. 

I concluded that the best place from where to watch is just outside the outfield fence. So, I compliment the Jay Nelson gang on getting comfortable out there. Oh, bring your own lawn chair. 

Parking? Well, that's quite the subject. I arrived on bike and as expected, saw cars lining both sides of the road that leads out to the bypass. Will local authorities decide this is an unsafe situation? They ought to, if they're being objective about it. Cars proceed along that road a little faster than in town. 

Worse yet, people drove down the little slope to park in the grassy area between the new field and the UMM field. And by the way, I think the fans of UMM softball will end up missing the current UMM field. It affords better fan viewing opportunities. Who ever concluded that UMM needed a new softball field? It's crazy. People involved with education institutions can get so carried away with these ideas. It's up to us, the public, to keep an eye on these people and restrain their zeal. 

The City of Morris, which has been the most questionable partner in the "complex" - it ought to focus on our roads and sidewalks etc. - declined to make a second financial contribution to the complex, beyond the $150,000 that it has already kissed goodbye to. Not only that, the city found it necessary to announce this "nay" decision through the radio station (at least its website). 

Now, why the effort to make such a "negative" announcement? Perhaps the city is hearing from skeptics and is seeking to be attentive? 

For cars to be parked on the grass between two of the fields is "bush league." It does not befit a new facility that was promoted in such grandiose terms. 

I will repeat that windy days are going to be a problem out there. Spring winds can be annoying, n'est-ce pas? 

I tuned in yesterday's game on YouTube for a couple minutes after I got home. Sound quality was poor and there were no graphics on the screen. I hate to apply pressure on people, but a lot of public money has gotten poured into this project. I'm sure the Tuesday Morris paper will come out with hyperbolic language about the wonderfulness of the "complex." That's what the newspaper will be expected to do. 

The real truth might lie in the back room discussions which I will assert or suggest have taken place. 

Seemed like a no-brainer to name the field for the coach. Did the promoters put the naming rights out for bids? Just asking. 

To remind, softball is not the only fair weather sport for girls. It does not have a monopoly despite what softball coaches might say. I have made the futile effort of trying to prop up soccer. Of course there's track and field. The bottom line the way I see it, is that the planners of the new complex failed to appreciate the interests of fans. We will bemoan this shortcoming IMHO. (Actually this whole blog post is IMHO.) 

Cheers.

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

8-run first inning sets tone for MACA girls

MACA softball rolled forward with continued success Tuesday, with a decisive home triumph. The score: 16-2. The location: here in Morris. The temperature remains unseasonably cool as I write this, Wednesday a.m. It's biscuits and gravy day for breakfast at DeToy's Restaurant. Breakfast of champions. 

So it's a pleasure writing about another resounding win for coach Mary Holmberg's nine. Our offense erupted for eight runs in the first inning. We only had to bat in four innings and we scored in each of them. 

The success comes in the same week as when the dedication of the new softball facility is set. It's set this Friday at 5:15 p.m. Any chance the temperature will show a little uptick? It's May for crying out loud. 

Will there be any pompous speeches? This writer continues to feel there are problems with this project. I have tried to get the fan seating question answered with a source who is at or near the top of it all. No success. Obviously I would be happy to be pleasantly surprised on this matter. Success is all we want. Hope someone is monitoring all that is going on with a keen eye. We are talking public money. 

The Tigers amassed their 16 runs on eight hits and had a mere one error. Our opponent was the BOLD Warriors who struggled badly in the field. They managed only three hits off our pitcher Brienna Dybdahl. Dybdahl was mighty sharp as she fanned six batters and walked none. One of the runs she allowed was unearned. 

The losing pitcher was Caylee Weber. 

Our offense saw LaRae Kram triple and score three runs. She had two hits, drove in a run and stole a base. Sydney Dietz was a force at bat with a 3-for-4 line. She scored a run, drove in two and stole two bases. Katelyn Wehking had a hit, three RBIs, one run scored and a stolen base. 

Cortney Lehman had a hit, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base. Hannah Fischer doubled, scored two runs and drove in three. Emma Bowman was fleet on the basepaths with three stolen bases, plus she scored two runs. Makenna Hufford stole a base and scored a run. 

Sophia Carlsen crossed home plate twice and stole a base. Yasmine Westerman added a run scored to the mix. 

BOLD's hits were by Delaney Tersteeg, Kendra Nolting and Shayleen Skold. The Warriors scored both their runs in the first inning.

This was West Central Conference softball.

 

Baseball: YouTube viewing terrific

Typical of human nature, we take all the amazing tech inroads for granted, don't we? I seek to have a better memory than most people. A good trait to have? Others can judge. When I was a kid, Twins games on TV very often had a camera position behind home plate the whole way. Fans kept their interest but the setup was not as desirable as the now-ubiquitous center field camera position. And yes, we take it for granted. 

But my point is this, relative to our local MACA Tigers baseball: as fantastic as it is to see the team on YouTube - it's something we could never have dreamt of when Don Chizek coached - maybe we could set standards even higher. The tech revolution has been so overwhelming, I think it could be in reach. 

Let me explain: Might we get the center field camera position for our high school games? (It actually would be left-center.) 

We'd need a zoom lens, perhaps a quite powerful one, and yes this would have a pricetag. But look at the money we're pumping into high school softball in Morris. And would the center field camera position be practical for softball too? It is the desired format for fans who watch on TV. The camera would be on a tripod on a platform. 

A second camera operator could be positioned midway down the foul line to follow the ball when it's hit. All this would be roughly a re-creation of what we see for big league ball. But would it be prohibitive for the local level? I suggest maybe not. Seems like a miracle we can even watch Tiger sports live, in effect "on TV" because YouTube is essentially the same. 

I'm sure our local promoters would always want to consider big goals for the future. Sure seems like the sky is the limit for softball, although I have reservations about the effectiveness of the current project. 

Compare baseball's Chizek Field or the whole Eagles complex to what was there when I was a kid, not that the place hasn't always served baseball well. Ah, progress! I remember Don Goracke pitching from bygone days. Mike Dingman and yours truly retrieved bats sometimes. I seem to recall retrieving pop bottles too and returning them to the Fougerons. It's important to remember the past in this, Morris' Sesquicentennial year!

 

Baseball: Tigers 11, Sauk Centre 1

The MACA diamond boys thumped the Sauk Centre Streeters with a barrage of 12 hits in game 1 of the Tuesday home twin bill. Zach Bruns continued with his heroics of late. His talent was exhibited on the pitching mound as well as at bat. Pitching, Bruns slammed the door on Sauk over the last four innings. For the game he allowed two hits and one run. 

Hitting, Bruns connected for three hits. Dylan Rose's bat also resonated with three hits, and he drove in two runs. Brandon Jergenson and  Ross Marty each rapped two hits.

 

Tigers 12, Sauk Centre 6

Continuing the pattern, MACA scored often and eliminated any suspense in game 2. I'll refer to game 2 as the "nightcap" because the atmosphere looked dark. We came at the Streeters with 15 hits and one big inning: the second, when seven Tigers crossed home plate. So the sweep is in the books. 

Our pitcher of record appeared in relief. This was Tristan Raths. Just one of the four runs he allowed was earned. He appeared in relief for starter Brandon Jergenson, for whom one of the two runs he allowed was unearned. Jergenson struck out two and allowed one hit. With the bat, Jergenson was a force with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. 

Sam Kleinwolterink mastered the Sauk Centre pitching with his three hits in four at-bats and an RBI. Will Breuer contributed with sacrifice fly balls. The Tigers upped their W/L to 7-4 while the Streeters fell to 2-7.

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

Zach Bruns excels in sweep at Montevideo

Doubleheader success blessed the MACA baseball program Tuesday at Montevideo. The Tigers prevailed at the home of the Thunder Hawks. Monte was the "Mohawks" in my younger years. I remember a mural painting in their gym that showed the silhouette of a headdress-wearing Native American. Times change regarding our taste and sensitivity, for the better.

Game 1: Tigers 7, Montevideo 4

Zach Bruns executed smoothly at bat and on the pitching mound. His prowess would continue through game 2, but here we're focused on the first game in which he showed a homer bat and pitched nearly the whole way. His pitching was just over six innings. Just two of the four runs he allowed were earned. He struck out six batters, walked two and allowed seven hits. 

Tristan Raths mopped up for 1/3 of an inning. He got the out via strikeout. Monte's pitchers were Colby Buseman (the loser) and Kaden Boike. Buseman struck out five but was touched for six hits. Just one of the four runs he allowed was earned. Boike gave up four hits in three innings. 

Bruns thrilled fans with a home run and triple. He stole a base and scored three runs. He was just as smooth as when skating in hockey. Sam Kleinwolterink wielded a potent stick as he doubled twice. He scored a run and drove in one. 

Will Breuer tripled as part of his two-for-four line. He picked up an RBI. Dylan Rose had a hit and a stolen base. Riley Reimers was a perfect two-for-two with a run scored. Brett Hansen crossed home plate once. Ross Marty drove in a run. 

Buseman may have been the losing pitcher but his bat produced three-for-three numbers with one of his hits a double. He drove in two runs. Luke Kuno doubled. The MACA line score was seven runs, ten hits and three errors. Monte's numbers: 4-6-3. Our big inning was the sixth: three runs scored.

Game 2: Tigers 12, Monte 2

The Tigers took care of business in five innings in the second game. Bruns put on a show with the stick for the MACA nine. He clobbered two triples and a double in his three-for-three showing. He scored three runs and drove in three. Has he ever been more effective with a hockey stick? I wonder which he prefers. Think I can guess. 

The Tigers came out of the starting gate with five runs in the first inning. Our final line score was 12 runs, 12 hits and one error. Monte had 2-5-1 numbers. 

Tristan Raths went two-for-three and scored two runs. Other Tigers hitting safely: Brandon Jergenson, Sam Kleinwolterink, Will Breuer, Parker Bartels, Riley Reimers, Ross Marty and Brendan Hardy. Monte's Buseman had two hits. 

Jergenson got the pitching win with his five innings of work. He struck out five batters and walked just one. The losing pitcher was Brady Snell.

 

Softball complex dedication

Things are rolling forward with the softball complex out by the UMM campus, this despite the fact it does not appear to have the kind of luster we were originally promised. 

Mary Holmberg has indicated to an acquaintance of mine that there will be "spectator seating." I scratch my head as I wonder "where," exactly. The room behind home plate appears to be minimal. Then you have the substantial obstruction of the dugouts as you proceed away from home plate. You know, if players could just forgo the dugouts, it would sure help for fan viewing. The new dugouts seem especially obstructive. 

The current UMM field has a better vantage point behind home plate than the new field would appear to have. 

As you get further toward the outfield in the new place, the fence seems rather difficult to see through. And from the outfield? If bleachers were to be placed outside the OF fence, the view might be satisfactory, barely, but the ground slopes down a little. 

My criticism from day 1 has been focused on the interests of the fans. I think the presence of fans adds a lot to the experience for the players. Wouldn't you agree? Now, maybe parents/fans are going to "fend for themselves" in a way that ultimately satisfies them. I can only speculate at present. 

Didn't the original plan include a parking lot? Remember, the UMM softball field has been there a long time and hasn't been improved, as far as I can see. UMM and its fans seem totally happy there. They will have a further walk over to the new field. It's in a place where I'm sure the harsh springtime winds will be a factor. Don't you hate those days? 

I think I read that UMM will have access to the field starting in February. Did I read that right? I reserve the right to call the whole thing a boondoggle at present. The City of Morris needed to open its purse strings to the tune of $150,000? The City of Morris? As our water bills have increased? 

Besides the new field and the UMM field, the other facilities there appear minimal at present. All the grandiose early talk from the promoters suggested something far more eye-popping. 

So, the official dedication of the Morris Community Softball Complex is set for Friday, May 7, at 5:15 p.m. Look for a few of the community's "stuffed shirts" to be there. Pay no heed to what they say, just look around. As Rachel Maddow would say, "watch what they do, not what they say." 

And while it's a community softball complex, remember it's just fastpitch. No slow-pitch or Little League Baseball, I'm told.

Tiger track and field

Let's get a breath of fresh air by departing from the subject of the "softball complex." Real close by we find the track and field facilities. Our Tigers took first place in the boys division of the meet there on Thursday. 

Ethan Lebrija was No. 1 in the 200 meters. Kenny Soderberg was unbeatable in the 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles. Kaden Burns vaulted to No. 1 in the pole vault. Our 4x100m relay team was No. 1. The meet involved seven schools. 

The girls division saw Minnewaska at No. 1. The Tigers were No. 3. Our Hailey Werk excelled in the maximum distance of 3200 meters, placing first. Kaylie Raths was tops in the 300m hurdles. Claire Reed matched Kaden Burns' success in the pole vault: a first place finish. The MACA 4x200m relay was tops.

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