Storm and Tigers ensure holiday-time thrills

First, a note about the news: We got word this morning of the death of Pope Benedict. The man joined the Hitler Youth as a 14-year-old and went on to serve in the German military. The silence of Pope Pius XII while millions were sent to the gas chambers is another issue. I'm sure Pope Benedict (Joseph Ratzinger) was not a cheerleader for Nazi-ism after WWII. But is that because the Germans lost? What if they had won?

 

Boys hockey: Storm 7, Prairie Centre 6

The Lee Community Center was buzzing at holiday-time. It doesn't get more exciting than a 7-6 overtime MBA win on the home ice! Charlie Goff was the star player who scored the game-winner. He was a standout all game: four goals. His dramatic OT shot was at 1:16. 

The Storm skated against Prairie Centre. The game was for the championship in the Storm Holiday Classic. 

Earlier in the game it appeared we might cruise. Brett Miller of kmrs reports that we were up 6-2 late in the second period. 

Prairie Centre has the "North Stars" name just like Minnesota's old NHL franchise. Remember the days of the Met Sports Center? 

The Stars of Prairie Centre added a goal before the second period ended, then they really came on strong for a time. They got the puck in the net three times in the first 5:14 of period No. 3. Tie score! Brett tells us that the Storm started OT with an advantage due to penalties on the Stars. So it was 5-on-3. Goff came on strong to give his Storm the win. The goal was his second of the power play kind. 

Ryan Tolifson made his mark with two goals and four assists. Brady Pederson and Cole Blume each came through with a goal and an assist. Goff had an assist to go with his more pronounced contributions on the ice. Bryce Lehman and Kaleb Breuer each supplied an assist. In the net we had Chris Danielson whose save total was 20. 

The North Stars had Zack Bick score twice. Their goalkeeper was Carter Holman who had 18 saves. 

The MBA W/L at the end of the day: 3-6. And Prairie Centre's: 3-5.

 

Boys hoops: Tigers 56, Proctor 27

Just like the Storm, MACA boys hoops gave some excitement to the normally dull week in between Christmas and New Year's. The Tigers were in Fergus Falls for the Holiday Tournament. The highlight was their second game in which they took care of business versus Proctor. MACA outscored Proctor 32-15 in the first half en route to a 56-27 triumph. 

Four Tigers scored in double figures: Tyler Berlinger 14, Drew Huebner 13, Riley Asmus 10 and Drew Storck 10. Four other Tigers entered the scoring column: Derek Waldbeser 3, Charlie Hanson 3, Kyle Fehr 2 and Matthew Giese 1. 

The Tigers shot 19 of 51 for 37 percent. These three Tigers each made a 3-pointer: Berlinger, Asmus and Storck. We were 3 of 13 in 3's. Then in freethrows our stats were 15 of 29, 52 percent. Berlinger made five of eight. 

We attacked the boards to get 38 rebounds, 11 offensive, led by Asmus and his seven. Three Tigers each came up with two assists: Owen Anderson, Asmus and Huebner. Asmus and Jack Tollefson each had two steals. Dan Travis blocked two shots. Asmus blocked one.

 

Worthington 52, Tigers 51

Our other game on the Fergus Falls floor was a narrow loss. Worthington of southern Minnesota worked to a 52-51 win over the Tigers. Very evenly-matched teams with a tied halftime score of 26-all. 

Asmus put in 18 points to lead. Storck was second-high with twelve, and Berlinger scored ten. Huebner supplied seven points and Owen Anderson four. 

We made 17 of 40 field goal tries, 43 percent. Asmus made both of our 3-pointers, a department where we were two of eight. Three Tigers each made four freethrows: Berlinger, Asmus and Storck. We were 15 of 21 in that department. Asmus with his seven rebounds led there. Our offensive rebounds numbered seven, our defensive 15. 

Asmus dished out three assists followed by Berlinger and Anderson each with two. In steals we see Berlinger setting the pace with his five. Storck had all four of our blocked shots. 

Miller of kmrs-kkok shared on some of the game's dramatics: "A running bank shot in the lane gave Worthington the lead with just seconds remaining, and the Tigers weren't able to get off a good look as the buzzer sounded in a 52-51 loss to the Trojans from the Fergus Falls Holiday Invite." 

The MACA won-lost mark: 3-4. Bring on the new year!

 

Girls hoops: Eden Valley Tournament

The MACA girls added to the mix of holiday-time sports entertainment. The Tigers played in the third place game of the Eden Valley holiday affair and were bested by the host EV-W team, 63-47. We trailed at halftime by 16. 

Our top point-scorers were Brianna Marty with 13, Lauren Hottovy with ten and Hanna Schutz with seven. 

Our first game in the EV-W affair matched us against Upsala and the outcome was a 55-39 defeat. Our attack was without Maddy Grove, typically a pace-setter in scoring. Absent her, Kaylee Harstad worked to pick up the slack with 22 points and 18 rebounds. Turnovers hurt - our total was 23. 

Our won-lost record is 1-5. Coach Dale Henrich wants to smile a little more in the next year! 

 

Helen Jane Morrison

Helen Jane Morrison, RIP

I remember when Chris Matthews reported the death of John Glenn, using the word "tragedy" and then sort of corrected himself: given astronaut Glenn's very advanced age, maybe the word was not needed. 

Well it was certainly tragic that Helen Jane Morrison left us recently. She was 101. 

Sometimes very old people have so many issues with health and stability, we shed few tears at their passing. But we can all feel profoundly saddened at Helen Jane's passing. She was out and around this past year, sometimes strolling on her own, as she was at the fairgrounds during a PRCA event. Her son Jim was close by of course. 

But Helen Jane projected an independent air - amazing given her age. Matthews would have no problem saying that Helen Jane's death was tragic. 

Final rites were Thursday at the funeral home. I did not attend. I did think about Helen Jane during the day, and a few days earlier I put up a remembrance blog post. I think the post served as my little sympathy card. I used an image that was from our Williams family collection. The family may have gotten a little surprise from that. 

I was concerned that the funeral attendees might include some people who I'm not fond of being around. I mean, people like Rich Moen and Anne Erickson, maybe Sue Dieter. To hell with that. Too many people there IMHO to project certain "airs" of being important.

I am also not fond of visiting the funeral home. It reminds of death too much. I think the time is coming to say goodbye to the traditional funeral. Maybe we have gone beyond cremation, for which the funeral home charges a fortune anyway, to the concept known as "natural burial." 

Funerals do not bring the deceased back to life. Our loved ones have gone on to the next life. 

People who attend funerals might be suspected of just being there for the "free meal." That's not me.

Helen Jane is gone. She'll be spry again in the next life. Hope I can break bread with her.

 

Suspense ends in Idaho

Was applying the roof rake yesterday at my home, descended down the ladder - speaking of "spry," that is a needed quality - then went inside to discover the headline that the murderer of the "Idaho four" had been caught. What a strange story we have all been through with this. I had a draft blog post ready to go before the news. With some alterations, I think this post is pretty acceptable now. So I invite you to click on link below. Thanks.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/12/cut-down-by-guy-from-enchanted-citadel.html 

 

Tomorrow is Sunday

The rise of Christian nationalism prompts more thoughts from yours truly, now to the point where I'm questioning if it's time to reject the Christian faith. Seriously. So I invite you to click on this link to get my updated thoughts on this troubling matter.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/12/many-christians-feel-emboldened-again-w.html 

 

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

Boys hoops 2-3 as of Christmas

First I wish to share with y'all a letter I received a few days ago:

  

"Thank you for your gift of $1,000.00 in memory of Ralph and Martha Williams, which we received on 12/20/2022. We appreciate your generosity and as you have requested, the above amount has been designated for the Morris Area Public School Foundation."

 

So I ask you not to dismiss yours truly as some sort of Ebenezer Scrooge who lives alone out on Northridge Drive. Heaven forbid. 

I don't know if West Central Initiative listens to priority recommendations for a $ gesture like this. I specified two, for what it is worth. You can easily guess one: music. Maybe you could guess the other too, because media has essentially been my life. No. 2 is the "YouTube geniuses." So I don't know if these suggestions carry weight and I told WCI that I wasn't going to be following up. So I just wish a hearty "good luck" to those who will apply this. 

I wrote a total of four charity gift checks and this is how I mark Christmas. I have no family. 

I write this as we're in the strange netherworld of between Christmas and New Year's. It's a little window of time where we might forget who we are, what day it is or what we're supposed to do. I made two trips into town Monday to no avail and I discovered various institutions were closed: that's their observance of Christmas when the 25th falls on a weekend. 

So I guess the Meals on Wheels recipients are just not supposed to eat! I know the people at the kitchen and I think if it were up to them, they would have been "at it" on Monday. That's because they care. I remember when Barry Goldwater spoke out in opposition to the proposed MLK holiday: "It's just another day when the mail doesn't get delivered." 

I hope we all come out of this peculiar annual funk soon. Next week? Will this be like a holiday again? Be prepared if you can take it anymore. 

Good therapy for yours truly will be to write about the last two MACA boys basketball games. The game dates were December 19 and 20 so I'm a little late. But writing about basketball gives me a sense of normalcy. Normality? 

The BBB Tigers played at 'Waska on Monday, December 19. We crushed the Lakers 69-31. On Tuesday we were not so fortunate: a home loss by three, 57-54, to those Silver Streaks of Osakis. Damn, I can never remember if "Silver Streaks" is one word or two. Just like "Thunder Hawks" of Montevideo. I'm not taking the time to look it up again. 

We are learning that the sports team nickname in Moscow, Idaho, is "Vandals." That's for the University of Idaho. Damn, I thought for a while that the Moscow college was a branch of the main U, like what we have in Morris with UMM. Wait a minute: the big city of Boise is not home to U of Idaho, it's "Boise State." So I scratch my head. 

Looks like Moscow is THE home to University of Idaho whose sports nickname is the "Vandals." The "Vandals?" You've got to be kidding me. I did research to see if there was some sort of alternative definition of the term. But no, it's all about being destructive. Good grief, come up with a new name. Law enforcement can't even solve crime out there, the way it looks.

Tigers 69, Minnewaska 31

Thanks to the Tiger coaching staff for continuing to post stats on the "Maxpreps" site. Great service. We see that the roof fell in on 'Waska in the first half. MACA took command 40-16. We mopped things up in second half, up 29-15. 

The Tigers shot 55 percent on 27 of 49. Three on our orange and black squad scored in double figures: Riley Asmus (17 points), Tyler Berlinger (11) and Drew Huebner (10). Owen Anderson contributed eight points. Drew Storck and Jack Tollefson each added six to the mix. Then we see Kyle Fehr 4, Cowan Mortenson 3, Derek Waldbeser 2 and Max Lietz 2. 

Our 3-point numbers were quite acceptable: eight of 17 for 47 percent. Asmus made three of his six long-range tries. Anderson made both of his. Other 3's came from Berlinger, Fehr and Mortenson. 

Our freethrow numbers were seven of 13, 54 percent. Huebner was a perfect four of four in this department. Storck was two of four and Fehr one of two. Rebounding! We snared 40 total, 10 offensive. Three Tigers led the way, each with six boards: Berlinger, Asmus and Storck. 

Berlinger supplied five of the team-total 16 assists. And Berlinger was a terror in picking up steals as his total was seven! Asmus blocked a shot. The Tiger had ten turnovers.

 

Osakis 57 Tigers 54

Truly a tale of two halves with this game. The Silver Streaks got going very strong: a lead of 36-21 at the half. The Tigers recovered but not enough. We must have made adjustments because we outscored Osakis in second half play, 33-21. The final horn sounded with Osakis on top 57-54. Our W/L record was left at 2-3. 

Our shooting performance was 24 for 58, 41 percent. Again Riley Asmus set the pace in scoring with 21 points. Berlinger came through with 13 and Huebner with 12. Then we see Storck with four, and Anderson and Waldbeser each with two. 

Asmus made three of ten tries from 3-point range. Freethrows were pretty minimal: three of eight, 38 percent. Huebner was two of six. Rebounding! We collected 22 of which nine were on the 'O' boards. Tops in this department were Huebner and Storck each with five. 

Berlinger had three of the team total nine assists. Again he made hay with steals, accomplishing the team-best five. He also had our only blocked shot.

The year 2023 is beckoning!

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

My original song for the 2022 holidays

The sun is up for Christmas Day 2022, diminished winds thank the Lord but cold as hell temp, at least so far today. 

I really truly sense a diminished Christmas spirit. "Speak for yourself," you might say. And I am. I try to hang in there. Maybe it's harder in light of how I live alone. 

These days my acknowledgment of Christmas is expressed almost 100 percent with my annual original song. This is my ninth year doing that. Where in heck does the time go? My songs are recorded at a Nashville TN "demo" studio. Wonderful community, Nashville. 

My song this year is about Santa Lucia or "St. Lucy." It's a major observance during Advent. Many of my friends are aware of the song and have listened to it. Thanks. This blog post will hopefully reach out to a few more people. You can listen to my stuff for free! The songs are on YouTube. So I invite you all to take a listen to my 2022 Christmas-themed song, "Ballad of St. Lucy." Here is the link. God bless and Merry Christmas.

https://youtu.be/HObvM-RYh3Q 

 

Don't call me a Scrooge or Grinch because last night at 9 p.m. when weather conditions were hellish, I went to my church for an Eve service. My church had services at 5 and 9. I caught part of the 5 o'clock service on YouTube, so that reminded me I ought to attend the later one. I sit alone obviously.

My parents have gone on to the next life. I am still in this one, the one in which we have Donald Trump in our face from the media every day, as the orange man begins his quest to re-take the presidency. The big question is if he'll have the U.S. evangelical Christian community behind him this time around. Such an exemplary Christian, this man Trump who is a master of "mob boss" tactics. 

All the facts are in front of us now, due to the Jan. 6 committee. Still, we cannot properly resolve or dispense of this man like we ought to. I'd have no problem with him being put away in some incarceration facility somewhere. I wouldn't even mind if it was one of those "country club prisons." He needs the stigma of being put away. 

Still, he would have so many sympathizers across the U.S. Trump support is huge in our Stevens County. We helped elect a new congressperson, Michelle Fischbach, who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. It should be viewed as a scandal. Because it is not viewed as such, we have some real problems within our zeitgeist. We need a full-scale retreat from the pathological traits. 

How do you think Jesus Christ would look upon Donald Trump? Maybe you're one of those who spends more time thinking about Trump than of Christ. My church is of the ELCA which has faced headwinds because it has not joined the Trump train. We are considered "liberal." Not sure how we're going to come out of all this. 

I fear how Christianity will become diminished because of its political element: hard right, perhaps even sympathetic to dictatorial rule. Be careful what you wish for. Beware false prophets. Oh heck, you will not heed that admonition. The Apostolic Christians will not, IMHO. I am prepared to once again see those folks drive around with their Trump flags - not one but two - flapping from in back of their pickups. "Keep America great." Whatever. 

The percentage of "nones" in America - people with no religious affiliation - grows steadily. Stop and wonder why. Should businesses even be closed on Christmas Day? Why? It's a hardship for people who live alone. 

Click on the link below to read the post I wrote yesterday on Christmas Eve Day. This post is on my "Morris of Course" companion blog. Mine may be a voice in the wilderness but I'll share a hearty "Merry Christmas." My critics in this community might say "who gives a s--t?" That's the way a lot of them talk. Let's keep the faith because, after all, the name of this blog is "I Love Morris." Please click:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/12/nasty-weather-upon-us-for-christmas-2022.html 

 

Addendum: My song "Ballad of St. Lucy" was recorded at the Frank Michels studio, Nashville. The singer is the wonderful Debra Gordon. I hope she approves of my material. My songs are put on YouTube by Gulsvig Productions of Starbuck. They live along the mill dam road. If you have media transfer work needing to be done, contact the Gulsvigs.

The wondrous, moving "St. Lucia" observance. This image is from Facebook.

 

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

Helen Jane Morrison, part of UMM's bedrock

Christmas cheer from the Morrisons of Morris - Ed, Helen Jane and son Jim - from days when UMM was young.

The time comes for all of us. God probably has this ordained and then we must accept. We care for our loved ones as best we can. But a human life is a finite thing. So the time comes when we must step aside from this life and let our successors carry on. 

The successors will not see everything from the same perspective. Our contemporary perspective is that UMM carries on from year to year. It's a given. We may have opinions on how this is done, but the institution is like a piece of foundation for this community. 

The pandemic loomed. People donned masks. UMM has worked to get back to some normality, as we all have. A challenge, yes. But surely the doors of the institution will stay open. The occasional controversy comes and goes. What else would you expect in such a "marketplace of ideas" place?

Helen Jane Morrison's perspective was one of appreciating the very existence of our U of M institution. She would never have taken it for granted. It was something to savor in ways that words could hardly describe. But hers was a family that embraced words and communication. It was their raison d'etre, a term which I'm careful to spell correctly so I don't confuse it with a breakfast cereal. So, it's "raison" and not "raisin." I had to correct a headline for a blog post once because of the distinction. 

The Morrison family business was the newspaper, the Morris newspaper. The newspaper threw its weight behind the drive to ensure that the U of M would come to Morris and stay in Morris. That whole challenge may be fading into the mists of history. Fewer people are around with first-hand recollections. I was about kindergarten age when it all happened.

I gathered in my own household that UMM might not have the most firm foundation. We did our part to keep the "experimental" endeavor going once the seeds were planted. But the Morrisons were involved well before that. They were here when the West Central School of Agriculture was nearing its end, as such schools were entering obsolescence. The writing was on the wall for them. 

Whither our campus after that? 

Visionaries like the Morrisons knew how to advocate. It wasn't easy to be sure. The Morrisons were part of the regional group known as the West Central Educational Association. The group advocated for the public liberal arts college that would develop here. It would be the fledgling U of M-Morris. "Affordable and accessible." 

The advocates pooled their talents and resources. They had competition from the south of here. Who'd be the winner? It's not fun thinking of winners and losers but Morris did indeed become home to the vibrant new University of Minnesota-Morris. "The rest is history," eh? 

Southern Minnesota eventually got consolation with the state college called Southwest in Marshall, what my father always called "Little Marshall" (not in an admiring way). We're all encouraged to get along nowadays, as part of the contemporary zeitgeist. The potshots we once took at St. Cloud State being the "party college" aren't cool now. Education institutions simply must serve their respective missions. We can all be happy if this is realized. 

UMM certainly has its challenges, perhaps to a degree that the general public here may not realize. It's not a secret that the liberal arts has gotten a gut check in the recent past. We hope that UMM can adjust in a fluid way, keeping its robust student body. A tiny family secret to be revealed here: my late father always had a little skepticism about the laser focus of UMM on "liberal arts." It was wise in the past to keep such thoughts to yourself in these parts. 

I developed the same feelings as my father. Maybe we were wrong and maybe the liberal arts is fully sustainable as UMM's long-term focus. OK "raison d'etre." And if that is the case, wonderful! Maybe I have some personal jealousy because I was always a "problem student" in math and science! 

Helen Jane's husband Edward wrote to the U of M board of regents in 1959: "You know the facilities are available. You know the students are available. You have the unquestioned authority to conduct such a pilot study. We urge you to take definite action now." 

Back in those days, Minnesotans did not even have the Twins or Vikings to cheer on. Hard to imagine such times. 

UMM welcomed its first students in September of 1960. There was a gender disparity: 64 women and 174 men! Hmmm. There was no women's varsity athletics in those days. Most students were 17 and 18 years old. Oh, and 92 percent of the first-year students were from within 35 miles of Morris. Many students commuted to school. Actually there were two sets of students, some still studying with the West Central School or Agriculture. My father Ralph directed music groups that combined both. 

An historical account maintains that "academic standards were very high." I think my father felt the standards might have been a little too high. For me growing up, hearing about the super high standards and super intelligence of UMM students, it was not healthy, fed an inferiority complex. Oh, seriously. Have I recovered yet? 

The Morrison family could reflect on their profound influence. It was a legacy for the Morris community that can hardly be acknowledged in words, so profound it was. And now Helen Jane has joined her husband Ed in the next life. My late mother would say "they're in a better place now." But Morris became a much better place thanks to the Morrisons of Morris. 

Their mission is continued by son Jim and his wife Elizabeth, the former Elizabeth Martin. Jim is Class of '70 Morris High School, Liz Class of '71. Oh, yours truly is '73! Helen Jane Morrison, RIP. What a long and blessed life.

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

Some verses about the Idaho tragedy

The days ripple on and there's still a shroud of mystery with the Idaho murders. Four college students dead. How could that act happen with no clearly revealing clues left behind? The focus of national attention right now, looks to be maybe devolving in a way like JonBenet and Wetterling. Which means pure speculation will continue to swirl. In the age of the Internet we can monitor that oh so easily. 

A cloud hangs over Christmas in Idaho, particularly the college town of Moscow. Pronounce it MOSS-ko. I'm amused by how some in the national media refer to the place as a small town, even invoking the "Mayberry" comparison. Really truly I heard that! 

The characterization of a community as being big, small or metro is hugely subjective. It depends on your point of reference or maybe your own personal background. If Moscow were a 45-minute drive from Morris we'd consider it a quite vibrant "hub." In Mayberry terms, that would be "Mount Pilot!" 

I have been fairly exhaustive in writing about the Moscow murder case. A murder case for the ages. The more time plods on, the more I am inclined to view the killings as "professional" as in a mob hit. The neighborhood where the kids lived was known as a place to get drugs. 

Does sex play in? The most attractive of the three deceased girls, all of whom were attractive, posed for a bikini photo when she was 14, I have learned. Who knows what all goes on within the dark side of human nature? Was Kaylee someone's "sugar baby?" Is it disturbing to have such thoughts float through your head? Of course it is, but we are talking an unsolved quadruple murder of four zest-filled young college kids. Heaven help us if we cannot get to the bottom of it. 

This could not have been some peer of theirs who got discontented for some petty reason. That's my opinion at this point. 

May God guide the investigators and even the maligned "online sleuths." I think that secretly, some official investigators are in a room poring over what the online sleuths have to offer. Some is junk. Put that aside. Some of these people are online computer geniuses, able to really get into the weeds. Our best hope may lie there. 

Our retired librarian of Morris, Melissa Yauk, has made Boise ID her home for several years now. I wonder what she makes of all of this. Each year I send her a link to my new original Christmas-themed song. This week I will share a link from a blog post here, as per tradition. 

I try to be innovative in how I share Christmas. This is necessary lest I be seen as some old solitary lonely guy just living out on Northridge Drive, Scrooge-like. I am not Scrooge. More on that later. 

Here now I share some poetic verses inspired by the Idaho subject. I get into a commentary on college life. All my poetry is composed with a musical melody in back of my head, so all this stuff could be sung. It's not practical to have this Idaho piece recorded because there could be a breakthrough in the case at any time. I'm not betting on it but it could happen obviously. 

I can imagine a "disco" rhythm with my melody! That would be different. Did you know that one song by itself caused the '70s wave of disco to fade fast? That song was "Disco Duck." 

A final nugget: do not allow your daughters to pose in a "Penthouse" sort of way when they are in their mid-teens. Or maybe not even in their late teens. I'm not a father but I think this reflects wisdom. 

Here is my poetry/lyrics with the title "The Idaho Four." Thanks for reading. - BW

 

"The Idaho Four"

by Brian Williams

 

Respects to the Idaho Four

Alas they are with us no more

It dominates news on the web

So Nancy Grace builds on her cred

The faces will stay in our minds

Though they have departed this life

In college they burnished their flame

We'll always remember their names

They set out one evening for fun

To circulate with everyone

In college there is no restraint

So do not regard that it's late

With Xana the smile stays true

With Kaylee the glamour accrues

With Madison everything's cool

And Ethan just stays in the groove

The four were all victims of fate

The worst you can have on your plate

So what on Earth came 'round the bend

The night when they all met their end?

The food truck is now in the lore

As we all remember once more

The kids as they just milled around

A typical night on the town

The darkness of night was intense

As they made their way to their beds

They may have been drunk as a skunk

But sleep would smooth over the funk

And surely the sun would then rise

The sunlight invading their eyes

To welcome them to a new day

And move them along on their way

A night that would get lost in time

Just memories all left behind

Frivolity, yes it was true

So what were they trying to prove?

The questions just swarm in our heads

How kids could get murdered in bed

The scene was too ghastly to grasp

And yet we seek answers and fast

The world affixes its glare

The Idaho sleuths are aware

They comb through the myriad clues

To find one that would go and prove

We wonder if they're even close

The sound and the fury just floats

Will this end up like JonBenet?

We wonder with each passing day

We hear of the dudes name of "Jack"

All three of them, it's just a fact

We wonder if guilt is assessed

Or should we just give it a rest?

If you had been present up close

You might be a suspect like those

With questions unleashed in your face

Now would that not be a disgrace?

The flailing away plunges on

We wish the whole matter was gone

The truth is out there in the weeds

So let's get command of it please

 

In Moscow the college means much

A place that the denizens love

So much of a virtuous place

At least that's the way it should rate

We'll let the police do their thing

It's justice we hope they will bring

While always we keep in our hearts

The love that we strive to impart

So Xana and Kaylee stay rich

In images shared bit by bit

With Madison right by their side

The girls are vivacious and smile

There was just one boy in the bunch

His legacy gives us a rush

The four of them will not depart

From memories close to our hearts

We must contemplate what they did

The college kids with how they lived

Too wild and stupid or worse

So much, it became a big curse

And while they are not ones to blame

They should have been living more tame

To be in the swing as adults

Would prop up their welfare so much

So is there a big wakeup call

For parents to maybe install

A better sense of how to live

To stop all the foolishness, kids?

I just thought I'd mention this point

That no one need smoke any joints

Or drink to excess on and on

It's painfully stupid and wrong

When kids get their high school degree

Is it so essential to leave?

To leave the affection of home

Before they are ready to roam?

It is not required to bolt

To make an escape from your folks

You still can find ways to advance

With time you will join the big dance

If only the Idaho Four

Had heeded my words to their core

They might not have gone so astray

And they'd be alive to this day

I'd like to implore them with verve

How "Greek life" is crude and absurd

How it can be "Lord of the Flies"

Now why can't this just up and die?

Respects to the Idaho Four

Alas they are with us no more

It dominates news on the web

So Nancy Grace builds on her cred

 

"I thought I was drunk when the Vikings tied the score."

(from twitter)

 

 

 

"We like it here," don't we?

Remember the sign at the old HHH Metrodome? First of all, imagine a big league sports facility that does not have corporate naming rights. Boggles the mind. And to think, a stadium named for a politician? And heavens to Betsy, a Democratic politician? 

I bring up the sign in light of the weather we're having right at the present, mid-December of 2022. "We like it here." That was the sign, so often in the background as we watched sports on TV. I repeat: "We like it here." 

So how is that thought going over in your mind now? No, we are not having the classic Minnesota blizzard with near-white outs, a northwest wind and drifts building up super-high. Or so much snow that intersections in town become dangerous for dealing with. But the current storm simply builds a godawful bleak atmosphere. The atmosphere hangs over us in such a prolonged way. Day after day. 

We remove snow and then must repeat the effort in pretty short order. People in town, so I hear, have to be careful as heck following the snow removal policies. Vehicles get towed, quite no-nonsense. People appeared before the city council last winter to complain about what they felt was the onerous nature of it all. "Tell it to the judge," I guess was the rejoinder. We heard the discussion about whether the City of Morris should use its official website or its "Facebook page." I would never presume that a Facebook page has the final, official word, but maybe I just have to get in the year 2022. 

I live semi-rural and have my own garage. No issue with where to deposit my vehicle. I guess I have to be careful if I park in town. 

Sunlight is at a minimum this time of year regardless of any other circumstances. We're just past the Solstice. We have observed St. Lucia Day which coincides with the Solstice. St. Lucia is also the subject for my annual original Christmas song. I have sent links to a number of people. I can't remember everyone of course. The song is a good opportunity for me to touch base with old acquaintances who I don't see regularly any more. 

Don't accuse me of being a Scrooge. Continuing with that thought, this is the time of year when we might make a last-minute decision on charitable contributions. The idea is to get a tax break for next year. Wait a minute, the idea is to actually have your money do some good! We must try to be like the Ebeneezer Scrooge who woke up on Christmas morning. 

Amazing that Charles Dickens could write such a classic that starts out "Marley was dead." Probably goes against the recommended form for novel writing. Dickens sure hit upon something with that story. The book elevated Christmas as a holiday, so that someday we in America could watch Andy Williams and Dean Martin on TV! Oh, those classic annual Christmas TV specials from the days of the Big 3 TV networks. Quite fading into the past now. Boomers like me will remember. 

The "Mr. Magoo" version of "A Christmas Carol" was my favorite for most of my life. It's still terrific. But I have come to greatly like the Jim Carrey version. 

Charitable gifts: I'm thinking of sending off a check to the West Central Initiative this afternoon. I'll have to call to make sure I touch all bases properly. I need to ask them if I can support priorities if my check is for the Morris Area Public School Foundation. It is presumed that with yours truly, music is at the top. 

I also have a clear No. 2: the "YouTube geniuses" of the school, now an official school activity. Blows my mind, what these young people can do when harnessing the web. Hey kids, I grew up before the web existed. We didn't even have "VHS tapes" when I was in high school. Wasn't the photographer Gary Bentz a pioneer with having VHS tapes available to check out here in Morris? 

People might laugh at the concept of those tapes now. My generation would have considered them a miracle when young. Hey kids, don't take all this new stuff for granted. My parents grew up without TV. 

So maybe I'll send off the check to West Central Initiative today, along with maybe a gesture in my late parents' name to the University of Minnesota Foundation: focus music again. Let us never forget Ralph and Martha Williams. My father Ralph formed the music department at our UMM (or UMN). He was the only music faculty in the institution's first year. I suppose I could say "seminal year." 

Is UMM at a crossroads as I write this? It is entirely possible that the wheels are turning for something drastic to happen with our campus. It's just that the powers-that-be would not want to be speaking openly about it. 

I have said for several months that this appointment of the Crookston person to be executive chancellor of UMM for two years has meaning. I cannot accept the explanation that she is just backup. You know me, I am never snowed by the "party line." I am a Watergate era journalist. 

Substantial change at UMM? Would that be a bad thing? It might be 100 percent good, might get the numbers going up. Who is to say the downward trend over the recent past would not continue, if intervention of some kind is not made? We all love the "liberal arts" so that is not even the question. The question is whether we need to depend on the old bricks and mortar model in dispensing such learning. Perhaps formal education needs to focus more on practical stuff. 

I am simply trying to state reality. Reality shall set us all free. 

All of us across America need to start taking a hard look at the typical college student lifestyle. And it is about time. This issue ought to be forced into the forefront by the Idaho murders. Should "Greek life" be prohibited? Consider that depressing video from outside the "food truck" after "closing time." Why do we countenance such frivolity and actual danger as part of this rite of passage we call "college." To heck with this "passage" if it involves such absolute foolishness, self-destructive behavior in fact. 

How about climbing into a warm bed at about 10 p.m. We should encourage our young adults of ages 18-22 to shape up and start behaving like true adults at the age of 18. 

I dropped off a check at church two days ago. I'll be putting a check in the mail for the West Central Horticulture Garden today too. That check goes to the U of M Foundation just like the $ for my family's music fund at UMM (or UMN). 

"We like it here," don't we? I remember watching Steve Carlton pitch for the Twins with that message in the background. The good ol' Metrodome. Carlton was well past his prime but he was on the roster for the 1987 World Series champion Twins. At his prime he was nicknamed "Lefty." Bill Madlock said of him in later years: "I faced Lefty when Lefty was Lefty, and Lefty isn't Lefty anymore." 

But we loved all those 1987 Twins. I feel for all pro athletes, the physical trials and hurdles they go through. I realize that more than ever.

(image from twitter)

 

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

A Friday of setbacks for MACA hoops

IMHO this community's quality of life dropped a notch when Don's Cafe went from opening at 6 a.m. to opening at 8 a.m.

 

Girls: West Central Area 69, Tigers 59

WCA picked up steam in the late stages of the game to prevail over the MACA girls. Action was on Friday, here. The girls and boys hoops squads of MACA both hosted the Knights. Unfortunately for our fans, we could not celebrate victory. It was a day for West Central Area to have the winning edge. In the girls game the WCA winning advantage was by ten points, 69-59. 

I invite you to click on link below to read about the Tiger hoops action on December 6. Boys and girls played Melrose, girls winning, boys getting defeated. This post is on my "Morris of Course" companion blog. Also included: the MBA girls hockey 6-5 win over Detroit Lakes on the same date. Thanks and Merry Christmas. - BW 

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/12/tigers-bested-by-melrose-in-low-scoring.html 

 

The WCA girls assumed their first lead at 12:30, the kmrs site tells us. The Knights had a feeling of command the rest of the way. 

Maddy Grove (twitter)

MACA lost despite a monster game from Maddy Grove. Grove poured in 27 points. She was forced to exit with foul woes with five minutes left. Kaylee Harstad had impact with her 13 points plus 17 rebounds. Brianna Marty added six points to the mix along with six rebounds and four assists. 

Let's look at the WCA standouts as reported by Brett at kmrs-kkok. BTW Brett, I'll bet Brianna has the two n's. Mya Foslien put in 18 points for the victorious Knights. Jayden Styba scored 15 points and collected nine rebounds in a reserve role. Macy Grosz scored eleven points. Clair Stark posted a double-double with 12 points/11 rebounds. 

The Tigers and Knights both came out of the day at 1-3.

 

Boys: WCA 53, Tigers 48

The final score was close but the Tigers never owned a lead in this game. The curtain came down with the visiting Knights of WCA owning victory, 53-48. The fans at Tiger Center saw our Drew Storck score 16 points and collect six rebounds. Tyler Berlinger and Riley Asmus scored nine and eight points, respectively. That's the radio station report. Asmus made his contributions off the bench. 

I thank the MACA coaching staff for having extensive game stats on the "Maxpreps" site. This continues the policy of Mark Torgerson, the now-retired coach. But our coach is still a Torgerson! So it's Jacob now. The Torgerson name may continue with the program long past my lifetime! 

WCA had the halftime lead at 33-27. The Tigers outscored the Knights by one the rest of the way, 21-20. 

Think back to when yours truly covered these events for the Morris newspaper. Precision could sometimes be very hard to achieve. So while the kmrs-kkok site reports Berlinger with nine points, I see in the Maxpreps review that this Tiger scored eleven. I implore you all to realize: any time you check game info from more than one source, or if you talk to more than one coach, it's amazing how often the information will not match. The odds actually seem high there will be inconsistencies. 

I remember interviewing both the Morris and CAHN softball coaches after a game. I wrote two separate little reviews, each one catering to the fan base of that team. I walked into the office the morning after the paper came out - the editor who was no fan of mine had fine-tooth combed the articles. There was a discrepancy in the team error totals. 

My first response would be that there is no official source for error numbers, because these stats are judgment calls by the coaches. There is no "official scorer" like in big-time sports. You'd have to pay that person. So I told the editor that I had interviewed two different coaches. I immediately walked over to Jim Morrison's office to try to allay any concern he had, but I'd expect him to have zero concern. He'd get annoyed with the complex and often petty expectations of the sports-oriented crowd. 

I survived the editor I was dealing with, initials S.K., and went on to work years longer until the situation caved in around me in 2006, probably due to fallout from the UMM goalpost incident in the fall of 2005. 

The torpedo that sank me was most likely a letter to the editor from Dr. Busian. As a result I spent the next 14 years not working (except to be a family caregiver) and with zippo health insurance. That was very risky. I landed on my feet in January of 2020 when I qualified for Medicare! Happy ending? In a sense most definitely. 

I greatly miss all the contacts I had around town through my newspaper years. Today I remember many of these contacts around Christmas when I email them the link to my annual original Christmas song. 

If I had the weekend of the goalpost incident to live over again, I would have put Mom and Dad in the car and we would have checked into a motel in Alexandria. Oh, but I'd still have to get the sports section out in some way. Life can be a bitch. 

Back to the game: Kudos to Drew Storck whose mother was once a co-worker of mine. Where does the time go? Drew made eight of eleven field goal tries and posted his team-best 16 points. Berlinger made three of seven shots and had, according to Maxpreps, 11 points. Riley Asmus was good on three of seven also with his point total of eight. Drew Huebner's shooting stats matched - three of seven - and this Tiger scored six points. 

Kyle Fehr scored four points and Owen Anderson three. Our team shooting was 18-for-47, 38 percent. Berlinger and Asmus each made a three-pointer. It was not a strong department for us: two of ten. Our freethrow numbers were 10 of 21. Berlinger and Fehr each made four shots from the gift line. 

The team's rebound story was 35 total, ten offensive. Storck was tops here too with seven. We had ten assists of which Berllinger had four. The steals department showed Berlinger and Asmus each with two. Asmus stood out in blocked shots with three. Again, thanks to the MACA coaches on the cooperation with Maxpreps. 

Thanks too to the kmrs people who at least are informing us in a timely way, unlike the Morris newspaper. Well, it's just a fact, I am not "ripping" anyone. Reed Anfinson says "say it in print." Problem is, the paper needs to say some things a little faster. If it fails to, other efforts are going to take over, just like with the "YouTube geniuses." 

Me? I'm just on the sideline. But you don't have to pay to read my stuff, or jump through any hoops whatsoever! I'm not trying to sell you anything. Maybe just my zest for life and school activities.

 

Milestone for wrestler

Congrats to MAHACA wrestler Davin Rose on reaching 100 career pins. This is a school record. The accomplishment came in the Grant County Tournament held Saturday in Barrett. Rose was the number one 145-pounder. His father Kyle held the previous record. Also on Saturday, Hunter Gibson was first at 195 pounds. Grayson Gibson was second at 126. Brock Marty was the No. 3 performer at 220. The Tigers were fifth in team standings, among nine teams.

 

An editorial P.S.: I am sick of checking the newspaper website and seeing all the links about the "Cougars." No question, we all love our University of Minnesota-Morris and its Cougars. Thing is, the fans can go to UMM's actual website and get all the Cougar coverage they could possibly want from every conceivable angle. The "townie" media businesses need to focus on high schools IMHO. That might mean more work for them.

Christmas season entertainment by UMM faculty at City Center Mall, Dec. 10. I wasn't aware of this or most likely I would have stopped by. Promotion wasn't good, word has it. This photo is by Vicki Dalager so thanks Vicki!

  

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

In Moscow ID, law enf. seeks "monopoly"

The four ID victims (ABC)

We all know people who can plunge into the absolute minutiae of electronic communications - the Internet - in a way that suggests they have a special talent. If you are one of these souls, well congratulations. 

We wonder how they develop such refined knowledge. Well, it is most certainly a gift. 

So, this thought is prompted on this foggy December Saturday as I observe the news about law enforcement in Moscow, Idaho, "warning" the online sleuthing community. 

My immediate instinct was to be reminded how law enforcement entities are so cotton pickin' "turf conscious." Law enforcement has its way of doing things, and in some ways it seems primitive next to the very refined tools of so-called "online sleuthing." 

The turf-conscious problem was an element leading to the very belated nature of the Wetterling resolution. The guilty party ended up being an early suspect. Once the case was resolved with the sudden sensational headlines, we got the sense from various quotes that many people within LE (law enforcement) had sensed for a long time who the guilty party was. 

"We just couldn't nab him," in effect they seemed to be saying. 

So right now I think the jealousy monster is looming. LE with its limited resources has begun to resent the independent online "sleuths" who are able to really get into rarefied air with their insights. The insights can lead to plausible theories. We have to use the word plausible because we have no resolution of the case yet. 

The in-depth analysis by some does not prevent a "flailing round" feeling, where theories go in highly-contrasting directions. Well, we just don't know, so that is the whole problem. 

While I'm not surprised at the jealousy oozing from the LE folks, I resent it instantly. Because I know exactly what is going on. It is naked human nature. LE people are just as self-interested as anybody. 

On this Saturday morning with Christmas spirits building (or should be), we learn that LE has issued a "warning" to those in the online "true crime" community. LE even warns of criminal consequences! Well, f--k you. 

I should think that any remedies on this front would be civil, not criminal. In other words, a "person of interest" who turns out to be innocent could go after people who unreasonably analyzed him. I say "unreasonably," I mean with unfounded factual claims. To simply have a theory about the case that involves certain possible individuals should not be out of bounds. 

If LE gets its way, we are all going to be hamstrung. But maybe that wouldn't even bother LE. Though LE certainly wouldn't want to admit it - maybe this is subconscious - they want to maintain the primacy of their position. "They are in charge." 

But with what limitations? What about the obligation to follow up on every tip? My God, this would be suffocating. Weren't there tens of thousands of tips in the Wetterling case? And so to follow up, I suppose taxpayers had to continue ponying up a fortune to pay all the LE folks. And maybe that was part of what the LE folks liked. 

Meanwhile the online folks with their passion can hone in on any angle they want, to micro-analyze it with their savvy of harnessing electronic communications. To search through the "weeds" for info. How many standard "cops" even have the ability to do this? We might consider their methods to be old-fashioned, particularly when it comes to such a confounding case. 

What kind of proclamation is LE making to the public this morning? Well, from UPI, Dec. 10: "Police in Moscow, Idaho, are warning amateur detectives and Internet sleuths against harassing or threatening people surrounding the unsolved slayings of four college students in the city." 

Police report they are "monitoring online activity." 

Shouldn't police have their "eye on the ball" of simply trying to solve the case, instead of worrying about being "shown up" by unattached investigators with their incredible zeal and knowledge for combing through the web? 

I have had YouTube algorithms pushing all kinds of "amateur" stuff toward me, and I'm convinced that such efforts are the most effective for actually finding answers. I mean, if "finding answers" is what you're actually interested in? As opposed to the self-interest of the pro LE that wants to keep its sense of, well, monopoly? When you boil it down, that's what it is. 

The various layers of LE broke down when it came to the Wetterling case. And it was LE itself that ended up harassing and potentially ruining the life of a "person of interest" who ended up as innocent as the day is long. I actually once knew that person a little: Dan Rassier, a premier trumpet player. He might have succeeded with his lawsuit were it not for "statute of limitations." Statute of limitations only came into the picture because the case was cold for so long. 

Was it cold because of law enforcement incompetence? I suppose I don't dare say yes because of how LE could come after me. Let's leave it hanging as a quote. So we have to wonder: Will the Idaho mystery just hang out there like Wetterling? 

Consistent with the online sleuths, I am not going to be inhibited in my theorizing. Why should anyone feel constrained? I have gone from thinking the murders were a classic "drug hit," to thinking of a potential person of interest, to drifting back to my original theory. We have gotten drowned in talk about interpersonal relationships, college student psychology, male psychology, when in fact all of that could be moot.

We have all learned the term "incel," standing for "involuntary celibate." BTW I am one myself. 

Pity everyone who showed up outside the "food truck" on the fateful night. Think of how they are having to try to cover themselves. A legitimate person of interest happens to be in the food truck video. Of course we don't know all the facts and that's the friggin' problem. So I wish LE would shut up with its self-interested ominous words toward the "online sleuthing community." 

The online sleuthing community is in fact the best hope we have. The cops are still busy driving around looking for people not wearing their seat belts, you pilgrims.

 

Addendum: Look at the famous photo of the four ill-fated young people. It's at the top of this post. Someone should do a painting of this. These kids were always smiling like they had the world by the tail. The photos could begin to grate on some of us who were in the non-popular crowd. Know what I mean? Based on all the talk, I wonder if these smiles are "druggy" smiles. In a daze perhaps?

 

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