Air comes out for Tiger softball in the end

The upbeat memories certainly outnumber the downbeat ones from the 2021 MACA softball season, to be sure. I attended one of the last games to be played at Wells Park, west Morris, and had a terrific time. I got to see an over-the-fence home run by a Tiger player. 

Maybe the Tigers should have played at Wells again this past Saturday. The program had a long background at the venue. I mean, going back to its inception. Eagles Park has been a comfortable home too. Suppose I should call it "Eagles Park complex" but I'm down on the word "complex." The word was used as part of an oversell for a new construction project on the east end of town. Surely you're familiar. Maybe you've seen the sea of cars parked every which way. 

Nice to see such interest in a high school sports program. So it's a little unfortunate - oh, more than a little - to see that the new high school field was designed in such a way as to hose the fans. Just this morning I received a communication from a school faculty/coach person who assured me I am not the only one reaching this conclusion. Not that I'm looking for strength in numbers. I'll assert my views on principle, something I've never had a problem doing. 

I see fans seated along the outfield fence of the new place - bring your own lawn chairs - and I must wonder: is this really the viewing position these people prefer? If not, why can't their interests be accommodated a little better? The dugouts were designed long so as to include storage room. Which is nice, but maybe the fans' interests could have been weighed better. 

Fans watched two MACA losses Saturday. It's kind of a bitter pill after a season with hype about new facilities. Oh, and the coach's career milestone of wins. 

At this point I wish to indict the local commercial media. I'd like to stretch a little and give the benefit of the doubt some, but it's hard, no impossible. There were times when the media fell all over themselves giving attention to the new field, the fact it was named for the coach, and then to heap praise based on the coach's milestone of wins. 

Credit is due, no doubt. But the current team, the roster of 2021 student athletes, was focused on their own competitive objectives. The primary attention should always have been placed on them. 

If I were the coach, I might have foregone the field-naming gesture along with the milestone hype in favor of just setting the highest possible competitive goals. The team is more important than the new field. 

One could easily suggest that the whole Tiger sports crowd would have had more fun at the facilities that were available before this spring. Or, even at the UMM field where the fence is low enough that fans could ring the field, with many getting a crystal clear view of the game. I just feel that's important. Does the new field have higher fences because of the "r" word - regulations - designed to "protect fans?" Yes indeed, we live in a time when fans might be looking down at their iPhones! At least one major league baseball fan injury incident has been connected to that. Very sad. Ideally we should put aside our gadgets. 

I doubt there is a single person who would say the fan experience is any better at the new facility, compared to before. So in light of that, what of the government money that has been poured into the new place? I won't call it a "complex." Too much of it was pre-existing. 

I indict our local commercial news media for rolling over and letting the new field promoters dispense marketing language for their cause. Such language took over news articles that purported to inform the public. 

People in the media aren't stupid but they fear being put down if they pour cold water on a public project. Now we're talking about the "n" word - no, not that one - but "negative." I once had the curse of seeming less than ebullient about certain issues when I wrote for the paper. I learned to be skeptical by growing up during Vietnam and Watergate. All that has gotten retired into history but there are lessons still to be heeded. A skeptic tries seeing through pretense and self-interest. We understand self-interest as it manifests itself all around us. 

All I have ever suggested in connection to the softball field project is to ask a few questions that might not be welcomed by the promoters. I wouldn't want to be "mean." That isn't the point. Nor do I truly wish to seem negative although that's not a problem if the facts are assessed accordingly. 

Oh, but I might end up a "voice in the wilderness." The political pressures are such in a small town, pressure builds to get on board with a certain meme sometimes. To read the coverage from the newspaper and radio station, the "softball complex" was nothing but a plan of genius from the get-go, yielding nothing but bountiful rewards for the community for all time. When you "smell" a suggestion like this, try to peel below the surface quickly. You'll find a great deal more. 

The coverage identifies Matt Johnson's roles as school board member and UMM athletic director as if these are co-equal. OK I disagree - I think his AD role should command nearly all of his attention as a priority. 

The new facility will require $ for upkeep, obviously. There will have to be a parking lot. Any timeline for developing that? Oh, and it's paid for, right? It looks like more work needs to be done on the place. Well, we have a long time to wait to see the next MACA softball game there, like next April, if the weather is good enough. The 2021 Tigers are done. We lost to Litchfield and Dassel-Cokato on Saturday. We were the No. 1 seed. 

My faculty/coach acquaintance suggested the Tigers are hurt by not being in the best conference. We would benefit from being tested by a higher caliber. Not sure why our conference has to be a weakling. That's unfortunate. I covered the Tiger softball team in years when the air seemed to go out during post-season. Well, so much for the theory that our new field was going to help. 

Losing to Litch may not have been a surprise. But going 0-2 on the day had to be a downer. 

Based on what I know about our current commercial news media, I wouldn't look to Katie Erdman to write anything that would offer a kernel of skepticism. However, I would expect Mr. Reed Anfinson, if he were to roll up his sleeves, to do something like that. He talks regularly about the press' vital watchdog role. Well, he certainly exudes wisdom with that. 

It's risky because you can disturb the tranquil waters of a small town. You have to see the big, long picture: the need for the citizenry to be truly informed and not to be "sold" something. 

I have further reflections on my "Morris of Course" blog from Sunday:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/06/hot-day-and-cold-results-for-maca.html 

 

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