Grades 5-8 band concert terrific, free!

People who arrived at the Morris school for the band concert Thursday night were greeted with a surprise. No admission payment was required! A nice surprise. People just streamed right in. And it was a fine turnout. 

I left my residence at 7:05, figuring I'd be an early arriver, but no. Plenty of people seated already for this grades 5-8 concert. I might offer the term "junior high." That's from my background from when our school had a true junior high, which was grades 7-9. Those kids were in the old building which has now been retired to our memories. Nothing stands in that spot now. 

The community went through an ordeal getting a new high school built. We're talking failed referendums and yes, some hard feelings. The new building finally went up and it housed grades 10-12. The new gym for varsity sports seemed like quite the upgrade. It seemed historic when the first games were played there. Let's see, 1968? 

Today we have a still-newer gymnasium. The new place has so much breathing room. I notice that, because the 1968 gym seemed not quite big enough, I mean for fans to come and go from their seats while the action was on. That was actually prohibited. At game's end a couple guys (like Truman Carlson) would hold a rope to keep people from walking on the playing court. I wondered why the place couldn't have been built a few feet wider, just a few feet. 

So, look at the luxury of space we have now. At the time I left the newspaper, varsity wrestling was still being held at the 1968 gym. It has been 16 years since I left the paper. I like to stay attuned to school stuff. So I enjoyed being present for the Thursday night grades 5-8 concert which I'd describe as "junior high." The very large audience had so much to appreciate. 

Only a week ago was I made aware that music faculty member Andrea Denardo was the daughter of former State Representative Jay McNamar. I feel tempted to call Andrea the "junior high" director, as I fumble with the terminology. But then I realize that the eighth graders are directed by Wanda Dagen who is the "chief" in the program. Dagen and Denardo were in charge of the Thrusday night performance at the concert hall. 

I arrived expecting a basic junior high concert which might be expected to be less exciting than a high school concert (up through grade 12). But I was wrong, in that I felt the excitement generated from the stage was the equal of a "high school" concert. I was particularly struck by the "full" sound of the eighth grade group which was limited in numbers. This tight little ensemble did the "1812 Overture" in a striking way! Are you familiar with PDQ Bach's "1712 Overture?" OK that's for humorous purposes. 

The night concluded with the seventh and eighth grade combined band. It was quite the full sound as Dagen showed great physical prowess in her directing. 

I do wish that the music program had submitted review material on their Texas trip to the newspaper. Man, if I were at the paper I'd be champing at the bit to collect this and to publish it. If sports was slow, I'd have extra space to run it. Maybe even a full page or page and a half! We published twice a week in those days. Our pages were bigger. It was before the retrenchment process set in with newspapers. 

But today we have the world-wide web with its infinite possibilities. Everything continues to evolve. 

I started at the paper when our school used the term "middle school." "Junior high" had been retired. Years later I was informed by a school board friend that legally speaking, we never had a middle school. I guess it was a term just used for convenience. My friend had been a teacher. She also told me that in formal, legal terms, the school district was never "Morris-Donnelly." So I guess that was more of a gentlemen's agreement? 

"Morris-Donnelly" appeared on the side of school buses. Which brings to mind an anecdote I found amusing. One of our orange school buses had "Donnelly" spelled wrong. I should emphasize that it was the newspaper editor who alerted me to this and suggested I photograph the bus. I got the job done without announcing my intentions. I believe this was at the parking lot next to the old auditorium. I confess I "pushed" the photo to be run on the front page. And that happened. Yes, I did it with my little hatchet, to quote the Father of our Country. 

The superintendent got riled up and addressed the matter in a memo to the school board, which I was shown. Our editor was amused. The superintendent said he "had some theories" on how the photo ended up on the front page. 

Today everything is so serious. Back then things were looser, we could laugh about things. Back then you could misbehave according to the standards of #MeToo and it would not be a career-ender. In fact, you could drive with too much alcohol and the consequences would not be devastating. A different world. I marvel how today, it's like everyone has their cheeks sucked in - it's tight. 

The landscape was changing when I left the paper in 2006. Newspapers were coming under special pressure at the time, pressure caused by the Internet. Today the Morris paper is a mere weekly. I am disappointed in their website. Aren't you? I mean, it really has no value. It's just a "contact point" for the business. And the paper did not appear to show any initiative for collecting info and photos on the very fun and exciting band/choir trip to Texas. 

I personally acquired a terrific photo that someone forwarded me from a Facebook page. Facebook is public domain. I was happy to run the photo with a post on my "Morris of Course" blog. That's my companion blog which I started in order to have an alternate place to put stuff when sports got hectic. 

The paper certainly had no trouble showering attention on the Hancock and MACA basketball teams. It is so tempting or knee-jerk for a paper to fall all over themselves covering sports. Isn't that something? I was aware of this even while I was guilty of it. 

Again, kudos to the grades 5-8 musicians of Morris Area School, what I might call "junior high," on the wonderful Thursday night performance. The audience was wowed. We are blessed having such a dynamic band program. The late Willie Martin would say "super dynamic" of course. Our grocery store is named for him. 

I am hearing that the UMM band may not play for graduation. What's going on out there?

 

Addendum: Jay McNamar sat behind me at the concert. I had not seen him in a long time. IMHO he was a much more classy state representative than the person who defeated him and who we have now. It is tough sledding for Democrats in outstate Minnesota today.

 

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

Time for holistic examination of spring sports

These are the times that try men's souls? I saw a track/field parent at DeToy's this morning and he informed me the day's scheduled meet was already called off. My thermometer was just below freezing when I awoke. High school sports has unfortunately been handicapped this spring. The weather has been so unpleasant. 

I figure our April has been like a "Missouri winter." I have told friends I'd really prefer being transferred back to January or February. We are way behind in getting a "real" spring. Is this because of climate change? I'd say yes, at risk of alienating the local conservatives and Republicans. It's too bad politics has become so "tribal." 

For the sake of self-preservation, if you are inclined to think like a Democrat, it is probably best to shut up. Your opponents have won. They "own" government in the Dakotas. Minnesota may be leaning that way too. The outstate portion is pretty well aligned with the Trump fanatics now, the evangelical Christians. Hope you all enjoyed Easter, you bastards. 

Maybe climate change will finally force the people in charge of high school sports to make permanent changes. I began suggesting this several years ago, actually, but my words find few eyeballs. I repeated my thoughts in the congratulatory email I sent to Mark Ekren. He is retiring and getting significant honors at the same time. I suggested to "Ek" that softball and baseball begin on May 1 and continue through the first week of August. 

Obviously there are logistical challenges there, as high schools would have to work with other organizations. School pretty well shuts down after the graduations. We already have American Legion baseball well-established. The schools could work something out with the Legion and maybe other organizations. Softball would be organized the same way. 

I told Ekren there would probably be roster turnover with this system. To that I added "so what?" 

Is it necessary to have such an extended post-season? Why can't teams just play for a district or league title? I wondered after this past winter sports season if this idea would fly: just play for the section and conference titles, leave it at that. 

One problem with the current system, as Morris and C-A realized so vividly, is that when you get to the climax of the tournament, you have outstate kids from their white bread communities going down to the Cities and getting exposed to different cultural elements. Hell, I do not see why this would be a problem. But that's just me. We learned it is a problem. It might be one of those "teachable moments" but the extent of friction and embarrassment became just too great. 

It might have been best for MACA not to make the state boys tournament. Or, as per my recommendation, let's not have a state tournament. A section trophy is a mighty fine accomplishment. 

But what about spring sports? I have raised the question of whether the MACA softball team has access to Big Cat Stadium. (Initially I wrote "UMM's" Big Cat Stadium and then I struck that.) 

Even though Big Cat feels like part of the UMM campus, it is 50-50 between the college and high school. The other day when checking the public school calendar, I noticed a softball game announced for "U of M-Morris." So, the plan must have been to employ the wonderful facility of Big Cat? Even though the stadium accommodates softball well when conditions aren't great, the conditions were just too bad for softball that day. 

Winter sports is nothing like this. The schedule is permanent. I am distressed by how tentative the spring schedule has to be. There has to be a better way. Repeatedly I have floated this thought - fat chance it gets heeded in the right places. 

We can continue speaking out, just like Trump supporters keep speaking out about how the 2020 election was "stolen" from him. These are the people who I am forced to mix with each and every day. They are becoming more than just a nuisance.

On the question of the Tigers having access to Big Cat Stadium, I actually communicated with an informed "insider" at UMM. So don't accuse me of not asking questions in the right places. I greatly appreciate this person's response to my query. Here is the response (sent on April 20):

 

Glad you saw the Cougar softball getting creative to compete at Big Cat Stadium. It is far from perfect, but it allows the games to be played. The college athletic spring calendar can be a challenge with our weather, especially since the season concludes in early May. The High school continues to be an equal partner at Big Cat, so they also can play there. However the Tigers team can compete into early June, so they have some additional flexibility to compete and reschedule games. They have not played on the turf, but it is always an option!

 

So, UMM has greater urgency in getting its games in? That's the explanation. Fine, I appreciate the background, but I wonder if your average high school athletic director feels pretty great urgency now too. 

Another argument can be made: Big Cat is such a "cool," beautiful place for softball to be played. The high school should have access for that reason alone. 

I think it is getting too late in the spring to really "right the ship" for high school sports. So this is a clarion call for getting something done to remedy the situation. From my email to Mark Ekren (April 6):

 

Hi Mark - Well you're a newsmaker this week. Congrats on the honors and your career.

I have big picture windows out here on Northridge Drive so I can see the weather's havoc right now: snow, wind, cold. And here the spring sports were supposed to be underway. Looks like bad weather continuing into tomorrow. I have had this idea for a long time that kids could play a one-month indoor intramural season before starting the regular spring season: sports like volleyball. No one listens to me of course. Baseball and softball could start on May 1 and continue through first week of August, with high schools working with American Legion and maybe other organizations. Would be some roster turnover but so what?

 

Static weather, alas

I'm writing this post on Tuesday morning when the weather is again gray and very cold. Climate change. It's a fact, and surely I cannot do anything about it. I cannot compete with all the evangelical Christians and their support for Trump, who has proclaimed that climate change is a "hoax." Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.

I am concerned about future generations.

 

A heads-up

Friends, Sunday was the fourth anniversary of the passing of my mother Martha. After breakfast, instead of going to church - I attend a "liberal" church - I went home and wrote a blog post reflecting on Mom, the trials of her final years in particular, the sense of family those trials hardened. 

I invite you to read my commemorative post which is on my companion blog "Morris of Course." Oh, look at the top photo that shows Mom crossing the UMM campus, making her reliable rounds for the campus post office. She was manager. Here's the permalink:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/04/four-years-since-my-mother-passed-on.html

 

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

Music alerts us to climate change

Ann DuHamel

I attended the Ann DuHamel concert at the UMM HFA yesterday (Thursday). Such wonderful artistry on display. 

You accept the premise of climate change in attending this series of performances. I think that is totally reasonable. Should be incontrovertible. Oh but it can be "controvertible" in our present day. 

The reactionary political forces hover out there. They were led for a long time by a man who proclaimed climate change theory to be a "hoax." Is this man still leading them? He leads his flock as Jesus Christ once did. All the way down to the local level, hardly anyone who is affiliated with the GOP questions Trump. It is a drumbeat. It's like hypnosis. And I am getting profoundly tired of following all of this in the daily news. 

Sometimes I wonder if it's exaggeration, as if the problem cannot really be that bad. 

 

UMM and a buzzword

I'll grab a word out of the Fox News lexicon - "woke" - and use it, only because you'll know what I'm talking about. The concert series at UMM definitely reflects "woke-ism." So I wonder seriously how much longer UMM can stay under the radar, as it were, with the boisterous right wing political crowd. 

We have one-party rule in the Dakotas. That of course is right next to us. Tom Emmer came dangerously close to defeating Mark Dayton for MN governor a few years ago. Not that Dayton was a total saint, but he was a caring and humanistic person. 

But let's focus on climate change, since the wonderful DuHamel performance at the keyboard accented that. The awareness began taking hold with the term "global warming." This allowed the Republicans to really yuk it up when we got a cold spell. They could not even approach the subject seriously. Their arguments would often devolve into ad hominem attacks. If you try to assert yourself as someone on the left side of the political spectrum today, you face risk. Republicans, led by Fox News, have strategies for trying to make you look foolish.

The sense of tribalism among them is so strong, look what has happened in our neighbor to the west, South Dakota, with the Ravnsborg matter. You're probably aware he's the attorney general who is now suspended. He's been impeached. But holy cow, why such a dragged-out process? Why the hesitance to call a spade a spade? A very tight vote in the SD House. 

It's tribalism. Now we see the Republican Party having become so strong in the Dakotas, "internecine" conflict has developed. Because, conflict in one way or another is always inevitable in politics. Rather than two wings of the Republican Party, I'd rather see the normal Democrats vs. Republicans arrangement. 

But the Republicans have come to demonize the Democrats so much. Can the worm turn with this? One never knows, however the prospects look bleak. 

Easter weekend was harder on me than ever in 2022. Do not fret because it is not clinical depression, just a general sort of down mood. By the end of April we will have had a good half-year of really being forced to stay inside. Why am I talking about that here? Because the theme of this post is climate change and political resistance to it. Climate change is "extreme weather." Certainly not just "warming." 

So, consider the prolonged nature of our cold months, and consider too the prevalent winds. It is not your imagination that the wind has been especially severe. It has kept me confined indoors even more than the cold. I can often live with the cold just fine. But the wind? 

 

High school spring sports

It is not your imagination that high school sports has had an awful time getting going this spring. Following the DuHamel concert at the HFA, I crossed paths with a sports parent who informed me that the softball Tigers were in fact playing that day. He was headed to the field shortly. I believe this would be just the team's second game. 

So the weather conditions were going to be cooperative, but not completely. The fan/parent informed me that the game's location had to be changed. He cited the "mushy ground" at the original location, the "softball complex." Have I written enough about the softball complex? Maybe not. I drove past there the other day and I thought for the first time that it actually looks "blighted." It looks like it might even be an embarrassment for the community. 

Look at all the tree stumps. No effort to remove them yet. In fact, I think it's a shame that a whole bunch of trees had to be removed. Is there a risk of vehicles driving other them? Parking was mayhem at the place last spring, and that's not even funny. I guarantee you it will not be funny if someone gets hurt out there. Mark Ekren has publicly warned us about this. 

So, my friend at the concert told me that the Thursday softball game would be played up on the public school grounds. Yes, "up" because it's higher elevation, less likely to have moisture problems. A friend said to me a couple years ago "why don't they play there all the time?" He was reacting to proposals for the complex. The complex rolled along with a feeling of inevitability. You know how it goes. An exception to that was when the public rose up in opposition to the proposed county jail. No such thing happened with the softball complex. So now we have the complex with its tree stumps, mushy ground and worst of all, horrible/abysmal fan accommodations for viewing. 

Fans are an important part of the mix for school sports, n'est-ce pas? I would certainly assert that. Couldn't some people have gotten suspicious when looking at the early blueprints? Ask questions? I will dread seeing those long rows of parked cars along Prairie Lane again. 

How much of an outlier am I with all this? The school sports crowd typically reaches consensus and then it's hazardous to voice views that might contradict some of that. I will voice my views. The UMM Cougars have been playing some of their games at Big Cat Stadium. That is so cool! I have finally gotten some resolution on whether the Tigers could do this too. The answer is "yes!" So I might ask: has the option been explored by the public school? It would be totally cool to see the Tigers play softball at Big Cat. 

Oh but better yet, let's see high school spring sports fundamentally altered. Looks like climate change with the more extreme weather is making the standard high school spring sports impracticable. Worse yet, I hate being cooped up for six months out of the year, such is the lousy state with the weather. 

So congrats to Ann DuHamel of the UMM faculty, as she helps raise awareness, even if it might mean the institution is stepping on toes with the political right wingers. We have Republicans representing us in the legislature. Their tribe follows this man named Donald Trump, a climate change denier. 

Republicans in the old days were temperate people, listened to reason. This is no longer the case. Look how they attacked that poor Supreme Court nominee - they were like comic book characters with their posturing and pure farce. We should be able to see through them. Too many of us cannot. 

Just look at all the "conservative" churches in Stevens County. These people cannot even think for themselves any more. And they might be poised to come after "woke" UMM. I'm just trying to warn you all. 

I'm warning you about the anti-"CRT" forces too. So bizarre. So sad. So I'm ready to just walk away from Easter in the future. See you in hell, I guess. 

Memo to Kevin McCarthy: Honesty is the best policy, you dumb s--t.

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

Searching for nourishment on Easter

There is a movement called "done with church." I would like to suggest being done with holidays like Easter and Christmas. And I would emphasize, this is not just to recognize the growing number of non-Christians: people of other faiths or with no faith at all. I invoke demographics. Holidays are disconcerting for the growing number of singles and seniors in our population. 

The way so much of our normal business gets shut down for holidays, can be inconveniencing and even depressing for the people just cited. 

So Easter Sunday comes along. I was skeptical that the best local restaurant would be open. This restaurant is closed for Thanksgiving. So I find out after the fact that the restaurant was open, and not only that had a buffet. Why for Easter but closed for Thanksgiving? See the kind of confusion that happens? 

I'll plug the place: DeToy's. It's the last true restaurant we have locally. "True" means it reaches out to middle class customers and does not serve alcohol. But it appears they will never again be open in the evening. 

Figuring my options were limited on Easter, I went and got a couple donuts and coffee at Casey's for breakfast. We appreciate Casey's - nice to get there without waiting for a train roaring by. 

My church of First Lutheran has in past years had a meal between Easter services. Not this year: just the usual snacks for "coffee hour." There were two services - we used to have three - and I had no problem finding my usual place to sit toward the front in the sanctuary. I realize that contradicts Scandinavian habits - sitting toward the front - but I have a friend who likes to spot me on YouTube. He keeps an eye on me to see if I stand when I'm supposed to. 

So I went downstairs afterward and found it was just snacks. I did stay there to socialize some. Now what? I drove to McDonald's which has really been an issue recently. Have you noticed? They have often had a big homemade sign at the counter: "kiosk only." The fact that it's homemade makes me wonder if it's company policy to do this. 

I went to the counter and an employee did come out to meet me. I asked if they were taking orders at the counter and she said "no." She acted like she'd be willing to make an exception. That was nice but I did not want to be treated like a special case. I left. 

So I was drastically under-fed on Sunday, and I felt the effects for the next couple days. It really helped last night that I got a four-piece chicken strip basket at the Dairy Queen. God bless the DQ: unlike McDonald's, they are willing to always take orders at the counter. I will be shifting my business to them. It's also nice they have house newspapers: the Minneapolis and Morris papers. There is no TV. I once got upset because they had Fox News on there. 

So, a tip of the hat to our Morris Dairy Queen. 

I did seek more clarity at McDonald's yesterday (Tuesday). I sought the moral support of a friend: the two of us went there together. We submitted our orders at the counter. Before I left I asked an employee about the policy. The employee said "we can wait on you if we're not too busy." 

Well, screw McDonald's. I walk in there with my debit card and they might be too busy. Have you noticed the steady price inflation at McDonald's? Can you all sustain this much longer? 

I was very pleased with my meal last night at the DQ. So I opened up the Morris newspaper. I assumed this would be the issue where they'd have a nice spread about the MAHS band/choir trip to Texas. Coverage like this would have been right in my wheelhouse when I was with the Morris paper. I paged through twice and didn't see anything. Meanwhile the paper is under pressure to not miss even one game when it comes to sports. 

All through the years, there has been a lot of understated annoyance in the public about the local news media's emphasis on sports. As someone with tons of experience, let me try to capsulize this matter for you: while sports work at the paper is not "easy," it is easy in the sense that you set up systems and then just plow through it. It is easy compared to churning out non-sports coverage, where no two articles are alike and you have to sort out often-confusing and complicated information. I mean, to sit at a city council meeting? Lordy. 

I wonder what Morris newspaper management says to critics who claim there is too much Hancock stuff. This must happen often. For sure the paper's management has talking points. I wonder what they are. I was the sportswriter for the stand-alone Hancock newspaper - the "Record" - for 15 years. I was so committed. But no one seems to care about that or remember that. 

I would have done a super job seeing to it that band and choir got its due in the press after the Texas trip. As things stand now, I ran a super photo from the trip on my "Morris of Course" blog. I wrote a post to go with that, but it was not trip-specific, as I had no access to the needed information. I'd love to interview the music directors. I have a bias toward the band director. I wouldn't dare confess that when I was with the paper. I can do that now. 

When Hancock had its own paper, the Morris paper wasn't under so much pressure to accommodate Hancock. I was once accused of hyping Hancock interests myself, but mainly that was because Hancock often had teams out-performing Morris in the sports post-seasons. I always had a big sports section to fill, and that was when we published twice a week. Ah, salad days. 

So I began speaking out about why we in Morris should not tolerate the often-seen disparity in sports accomplishment between Morris and Hancock. (Other small schools could also out-perform Morris.) 

Morris was held back by philosophy and by a parochial teachers union. And by speaking out against that, I gained scars and baggage that I could never overcome. That was incredibly sad. You don't hear anyone nowadays saying "academics is more important than sports," as a way to rationalize under-achieving in sports. We needn't compare the two. If the school spends money to sponsor something, it should be worthy of totally high standards and pride. 

It wasn't always the way it is now? Well I'm 67 and increasingly I appreciate the broad perspective with my memories. 

 

Diminished Easter?

I think Easter, Christmas and some other occasions were embraced more when there were more younger and larger families around. Today I think people just want to attend to their affairs without having to "move over" so much when those dates arrive. I sense diminished enthusiasm with Easter anyway. 

A lot of people like me are getting increasingly alienated by the big push of Christianity behind right wing political causes. With each day it worries me more. Christianity was nothing like this when I was young. It was wholesome and mainstream. Now it kow-tows to this mortal person named Donald Trump. Trump of course surrounds himself with minions, just like any political leader would. Let those people back into power, and the existence of Social Security could be threatened. They will strike down Obamacare. They will attack Medicare. 

And so much of this empowerment comes from Christianity. 

The Willie's store in Morris was closed for Easter. But DeToy's was open. So hard to figure all this out.

 

Addendum: So the Greeley's building is for sale? And the Chamber of Commerce is located there? Such a brand-new building out along the new service road. A change of plans for some reason? The only thing I've heard "in the wind" is that a family member has decided that Morris is a lousy place. 

 

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

April snow coincides with Easter

April showers bring May flowers. What about April snow? 

It is not your imagination, if you think the wind has been especially harsh over the recent past. Like even during winter. What saves us from climbing the walls is our electronic gadgets for entertainment. So engrossing is all of that, if you're the attorney general of South Dakota, you can end up in a mess of trouble. Amazing how people forget how much power they are wielding when they're at the wheel of a motor vehicle. Distracted driving ranks right up there with excess alcohol now. 

When I was young, entertainers steered us toward being amused by people who had "one too many." A cop might come up to the window of your vehicle, late on a Friday or Saturday night, and say "are you sure you're in good enough shape to get home?" Delivered with a smile actually. 

Do people still use their left foot to change their headlights from "bright" to "dim?" I almost never drive at night any more. 

So we're in mid-April and what the heck is going on? Fresh snow arriving, and patches of snow all around on the Saturday of Easter weekend. Schools are very clever as they became closed for Friday but do not say it's because of "Good Friday." They call it "spring break." They aren't fooling anyone. We know what's going on. 

Oh my God, schools must be becoming desperate to try to work in "makeup games" for spring sports. The delays must be worse than usual this year. But it always happens. "Postponed" is a common refrain. There has to be a solution for this. Why not give all the students a break from sports? How about just an intramural season? Could be indoors. But this listing of postponements gets discouraging. 

And then when games start, weather is still uncomfortable for the fans, who show up often in small numbers, can look a little rag-tag. We can assume it's almost all parents in many cases. They are showing the proper dedication, to be sure. But isn't there a better way? 

Can anyone please inform me: does MACA softball have access to Big Cat Stadium in spring? It ought to. If not, then I'd say the powers-that-be with the public school screwed up. I have written recently about this - someone could clarify for me. 

Big Cat is fantastic for the fans for softball. I have been there. Should I even mention the "softball complex" again? Why do I repeatedly do this? The people who run this town are going to do what they're going to do. In the case of the City of Morris, it's just to shed money to the softball interests without any input into how the project is planned or carried out. A city councilperson has himself made this clear to me. "Our only involvement is monetary." So (my words) "Don't blame us for anything." 

Pushing blame elsewhere is a political instinct. So I admire our U.S. president of the 1950s for being a contrarian on this. "Ike" said he would always accept blame while giving credit elsewhere. He had the balls to command the Allies at Normandy, so I defer to him. He's the polar opposite of our president from 2016 to 2020. 

Speaking of whom, I find it tragic how he has affected the Christian faith in America. Can the faith recover from this? Our former president tried riding piggy-back on the Christian faith, when I doubt he has had a serious religious thought all his life. He is nothing more than a "transactional" person, being obsessed with himself. But he has transformed Christianity in America. 

For that I think we need to blame the bulk of Christian parishioners who took his lead, bought what he had to sell. So now we see a totally crazed "Christian right" in America, drawing so much of our attention all the time. And this disturbing wave seems to be growing. At some point, our public institutions like our schools need to separate themselves from everything "Christian." 

Senator Rick Scott, FL

If you're a Christian, must you follow the lead of Republicans like Rick Scott of Florida who is suggesting that Social Security be "sunsetted?" What does that have to do with religious faith? Worship the Republican Party? Worship Trump? Republicans are calculating to get "Christians" behind them. It has worked surprisingly well so far. How much further can the trend continue? 

Christianity in the past was, if nothing else, a sort of benign home base for everything that was considered good or proper. Care for the poor. "I am my brother's keeper." Now you're called a socialist or communist if you talk like that. 

People who get Social Security had better start thinking about how they'll get along without it. 

Have a chocolate bunny for Easter. Go to YouTube and call up the concluding scene from the movie "Life of Brian."

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

Ravnsborg and the impeachment saga

(CNN image)

Look at the guy's eyes. Looks like maybe he doesn't see very well?

 

What a tangled web is being woven in South Dakota. We're talking the state's attorney general and impeachment. Impeachment has happened but the matter is ongoing. I address the matter on my "Morris Mojo" podcast. What a mess for all concerned. It was more than a mess for the family of Joe Boever, the victim in the traffic collision. Here is the permalink for my podcast episode:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Ravnsborg--impeachment-e1h5jgn

 

Moving on to another matter, I can share about area newspaper circulation for you. This is from an email I sent to a friend from church the other day:

 

Randy Olson of "Bonanza Valley" writes about Morris newspaper:

What's so sad about that is that their newspaper covers 2 school districts and just cannot be doing a good job of it, when you're constantly dividing up your pages to serve two separate and distinct communities. So their circulation is about 1,800 each week. This figure was over 3,000 with the combined totals for the Hancock Record and Morris Sun Tribune in the year 2015 according to my records. Their circulation has plummeted!!

In a follow-up email from Randy:

After the (Morris-Hancock) merger they stood at the 2,186 figure I found for October 2018.

Some time after that 2018 audit, the sale to the Anfinsons took place.

They've struggled in the last 3 years and fallen to a circulation of 1,807.

In defense of the Anfinsons, the environment for newspapers has been utterly brutal in 2020 and 2021.

Re. the Willmar newspaper, from Randy:

Their circulation figures have dropped by a shocking amount.

In October 2018 their circulation was 9,132.

Three years later, that figure dropped to 5,055 !!!!!!  Let that sink in for a moment.

NOTE FROM YOURS TRULY, BRIAN WILLIAMS:

My blogging about Tiger sports may be nearing an end. My information sources are drying up. The Willmar paper has been a primary one. But of course they have withdrawn almost completely from Morris. Sometimes if a team in their territory plays Morris, we might see individual game stats, but it's very hit-and-miss. Imagine, Jackson Loge not on All-Area Team! Mark Torgerson put his individual stats on Maxpreps after each game, but when he's gone I doubt very much the new person will do that. Most likely I put Mark on to Maxpreps several years ago. Those stats aided me a lot. So, what's left now? Well, the radio station website. And that's very helpful but the game summaries tend to be very brief. But that website is the best local source now. The newspaper website is a "teaser" site, little current value on anything, almost none. Click on sports and you'll see about 90 percent UMM. And UMM has its own thorough sports website. Of course the "print" Morris paper only comes out once a week - obvious timeliness problems. (Name of former Morris school administrator, withheld) would have a cow about that, would use foul language.

Remember, people will have to pay $2 for the Morris paper at the stores, starting May 1. People will have to start adjusting their behavior due to inflation, at some point. So many people are screaming now for the Fed to raise interest rates. Even Jamie Dimon! But the Fed just sits there.

Hop-scotching to another topic

Whither the economy? Whither our investments? Whither banks? I invite you to read a portion of the email I sent to Jim Morrison the other day. Hey, how about inflation?

 

Jim - So inflation is now 8.5 percent as of this morning. But market is going up because of belief that "inflation has peaked." Like you once said: good news is good news and bad news is good news. There is always an up side for market-watchers. The quarter-point interest rate increase has meant nothing. CD interest rates haven't budged. Some articles online are trying to interpret why. Are we forever past the times when you could really get paid interest on savings, even a passbook account? A one-year CD? Why would anyone even inquire about that now?

One by one these Fed officials are becoming household names. Started with Powell and now it's Bullard and Brainard. Plus Janet Yellin has the grandma image with her white hair. But when I was young, I couldn't have told you anything about the Fed. And now, they appear to govern our prosperity 100 percent. But aren't people going to start getting scared of inflation? When people can't get interest on savings accounts, might that push them to personal bankruptcy sooner? Along with the higher prices we are all having to pay? And then, more people will have to apply to the government for help, right? You have to pay your bills.

But the Fed has to "keep the punch bowl out," and "stay accommodative." Wouldn't it be mean to stop doing those things. The Fed knew they were wrong when they used the word "transitory." So why did they do it?

Why don't more people speak out about property taxes? We have this infernal "softball complex" on east edge of Morris which we don't even need. The sports monster rules, cannot be stopped.

 

Hop-scotching to music

I wrote song lyrics about Donald Trump a while back, will not have song recorded, will share lyrics as poetry here. It does have a melody. My feelings about Trump have grown more harsh since. Not sure if I could write a "light" song about him now. But I invite you to read, and thanks. 

 

"He Won the Highest Office"

by Brian Williams

We thought we knew him from TV

But don't you know it's just not real

He played the role of rich guy

So we just went along

And look how far the ruse went on

He took the escalator ride

With wife Melania at his side

So now we knew his vision

Was far beyond the tube

He must have thought we all were rubes

CHORUS:

He won the highest office

And made his home the White House

Though he did not get more votes

He still felt his oats

He won the highest office

The biggest scandals he withstood

Just look at Access Hollywood

You might say he was Teflon

'Cause nothing ever stuck

So poor ol' Jeb was out of luck

He had a Stormy dalliance

We knew it was not real romance

She had a sexy body

I guess that's what they say

And Mr. Trump would have to pay

(repeat chorus)

No matter what he said and did

He had his flock of loyalists

For every tweet at midnight

No matter how uncouth

He got applause from all his crew

He had the virus on his plate

He thought injecting bleach might rate

Or shine a little UV

It might just do the job

We could not keep a straight face long

(repeat chorus)

He did not like the Russia probe

To that he took a fire hose

But why was he so cozy

With Vladimir his bro

Will we discover why it's so?

His re-election bid was stopped

Despite his claims of voter fraud

So he enlisted Rudy

To scare up quite the fuss

We never saw the kraken once

(repeat chorus)

And then the end was getting near

Would MAGA simply disappear?

He built up their conviction

To disrupt all they could

So they tore up the neighborhood

We saw the shaman with his horns

Would it become a perfect storm?

It seemed more like a circus

Befitting Mr. Trump

We can be sure he ate it up

(repeat chorus)

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

Cougars sweep Northland at. . .Big Cat!

Would anyone think to check out Big Cat Stadium, the football hub, for springtime activity in softball or baseball? Yours truly sure got his eyes opened about that over the weekend. Not only was it a super surprise, the UMM softball Cougars swept a doubleheader! 

Two hard-fought games unfolded for fans to enjoy at Big Cat. The facility was converted to softball with what appears to be 100 percent precision. I never could have imagined. Big Cat is a solution not only for early-season softball, when the normal location is likely to be wet/muddy, but the whole darn season. You might say it makes too much sense. 

So not only was it a revelatory day for seeing the arrangements, it was a day of not one but two wins for the softball Cougars! The day was Saturday. The opponent: Northland. 

The Game 1 story was a 10-9 triumph. Northland is known as the "Lumber Jills." Is there a gender sensitivity issue there, like if you were to say "Lady Tigers?" Some people consider the latter to be benign while others might pounce on you for it. I have observed this. Anyway, "Lumber Jills" is the official nickname so we'll run with it. Those players were very much in command for a time, as they assumed an 8-0 lead. So they certainly looked "at home" at Big Cat which does not have wholly typical surroundings for softball. 

The Cougars worked to crush that Northland advantage. Errors hurt the Cougar cause early-on. 

In the bottom of the third, the wheels began turning for the home team. Two baserunners were on with two outs. Marissa Allen socked a triple that scored Olivia Diver and Tori Nichols-Kraft. The score was 8-2 after three frames. 

The Cougars summoned a two-out rally in the fourth. Sierra Stevens singled, followed by a Diver triple. Nichols-Kraft wielded her bat to single in Diver. Three bases on balls followed. The walk to Grace Penke with the bases full pushed a run in. Nichols-Kraft crossed home plate so it's an 8-5 ballgame. 

Let's turn to the fifth, and here we see Northland with an error that opened the door. A single off Nichols-Kraft's bat allowed Stevens to score to get the deficit down to two, 8-6. Northland answered with a sacrifice fly in the sixth: would prove to be their last run. 

Could the Cougars escape their three-run hole? Again the magic started with two outs. Stevens hit a ground-rule double with two runners in position to score. A Diver single to right brought Stevens in to score, so the score is now tied! Northland threatened in the top of the seventh but was denied, so UMM had the opportunity to win in the bottom half. 

We got the bases full with no outs. But Jasmine Jensen hit a liner that resulted in a double play. So there were two outs when Allison Pohlmann hit an infield single toward third. There was an errant throw to first, and Autumn Theis triumphantly crossed home plate. It's called a "walk off" win, although I never heard that term when I was a young baseball fan. 

Theis was the winning pitcher. The boxscore showed Nichols-Kraft going 4-for-5 with two RBIs. Diver wielded a 3-for-4 bat. Pohlmann had multiple hits as well. 

The second game saw Mollie Dummer pitch a complete game in the 5-4 Cougar success. She evened her record at 5-5. She set down eight Lumber Jills on strikes. She and Nichols-Kraft each had two hits. Our fifth and deciding run came home in the sixth. Anna Athey led off with a single. She stole second and was thus in position to score on Nichols-Kraft's base hit. 

Dummer bore down to extinguish a potential Northland rally in the top of the seventh. Congratulations to the Cougars! They own a 4-2 record in UMAC league play.

 

Eyes opened at Big Cat

The following is an email I shared with one of my UMM-attuned friends this morning (Tuesday). Oh, we're also quite attuned to Morris sports in general, Tigers as much as Cougars. We're one big happy family at Big Cat, right? Cougars and Tigers? 

 

Hello (name withheld) - Again yesterday I took a walk, this time observed UMM softball team practicing at Big Cat Stadium. Again it struck me as a wonderful arrangement. I could never have guessed at the outset with Big Cat that this was going to be practical. Not only is it practical, it's ideal. 

 

You can nitpick anything, so you might consider that visiting teams would be at a slight disadvantage because the setting is atypical. I'm reminded of when Dale Henrich told me our MAHS gym could present a disadvantage for visitors because of the "open" end. There's a depth perception adjustment. But I've seen this situation in fieldhouse settings for basketball too, like at NDSCS-Wahpeton. I remember Hancock coach Dave Schoeck talking about that.

Anyway, on softball at Big Cat, I'm still amazed at how this obvious option was right in front of us all along. But now I wonder: are there provisions in the joint pact for the high school to also have its teams play there in spring? We have been told all along that Big Cat is 50-50 between the U and the high school. But I think the emphasis at the start was wholly on football. Is that a correct assumption? I mean, it's a football field. All these details need to be in writing, I assume. So are softball/baseball covered? Have the Tigers already had some practices out there? I don't see everything. In the old days with the paper I would know everything! But I don't any more. 

 

I noticed yesterday that the aluminum bleachers were not even set out at the "softball complex" yet. It was still too muddy for me to cross the grounds. Too bad a whole lot of trees have been removed at the place. Now we see all those stumps. When will they be removed? 

 

Amazing if we all now realize that Big Cat was the solution all along. If I were a visiting team fan, I might overlook any adjustment disadvantage my team might have, because it's such a beautiful setting for the players and especially the fans. The fans' interests were completely overlooked at the new place. Would anyone dispute me on that? If so, anyone may contact me and break bread. Will we see the horrors of parking out there again? At Big Cat, you have parking next to the stadium as well as very close by at the public school. 

 

We are at mid-April and the weather has not yet facilitated outdoor spring sports. Snowstorm appears to be moving in now. It's crazy, as kids should be allowed to play some indoor sports until about May 1. Otherwise you're pushing your luck.

 

Big day in South Dakota

On this day when we're bracing for winter-like weather in the Upper Midwest, there are big doings in South Dakota with the embattled attorney general there. His name is Jason Ravnsborg. If you know how to pronounce his name, it's because he has been in the news for dubious tragic reasons. So today he's up for impeachment in the South Dakota legislature - should not have come so long after the fact. "The fact" was when he struck and killed a pedestrian. I'm assuming you all know the primary facts. 

The name is pronounced "Roundsborg" by the way. Doesn't the guy look kind of dopey? He is dragging South Dakota through an embarrassing spectacle now, as the governor could not get him to resign or to even take a leave of absence. The AG released another defiant statement on the eve of the proceedings. 

I sent an email to one of my journalism compatriots, a well-known guy in South Dakota, this morning. I was trying to distill the problem by commenting on the media. My typical angle. I wrote to Tom Lawrence. This is what I shared:

 

Hello Mr. Lawrence - So I just noticed Ravnsborg has come out with a fiery statement of defiance, has taken the gloves off as it were. I have continued following your writing on the matter.

With so much to take in, I have tried to synthesize my thoughts now, rather than plunging into the weeds where you can get lost. Which is part of the problem. Why has the Ravnsborg traffic matter lingered so long, getting ever more troubling? It is sad that this individual has a problem with attentiveness and simple safety consciousness when driving an automobile, but I guess us human beings can have all sorts of problems.

To distill:

I personally think the problem here was with the media, which for a long period of time reported as FACT that the attorney general "thought he hit a deer." It bothered me at the start and still gets to me as I think about it. I have not heard this word selection in more recent media updates, so sharper heads have maybe prevailed? But the problem was at the outset. I wrote a blog post at the start with the joking "oh deer" expression in the headline. But I was actually troubled from very early-on by the reporting. 

 

Ravnsborg never volunteered that he thought he hit a deer. Didn't he just say "I hit something" and then it was the dispatcher who asked if he thought it was a deer? And even then, he did not immediately say "yes," did he? Didn't he say "I have no idea - I mean, it could be." Now I look back, and consider it media malpractice that so many, like at the national level, routinely started saying that the AG "thought he hit a deer." So now it appears the media has backed off from that. In the meantime, I think the media gave the AG cover. It was such an easy deduction to make: "He thought he hit a deer," because we all know that happens in the rural Upper Midwest. 

 

Holy s--t, look at his damaged vehicle. And only now we're coming to terms with it? Impeachment proceeding will be huge embarrassment for South Dakota. It has been a huge distraction. Look for the national media to come on out to SD.

 

Mr. Lawrence responds

The SD scribe has a different interpretation from mine. I appreciate him reading my communication and responding on this Tuesday morning, a time of harried developments. Tom wrote:

 

Thanks, Brian.

Ravnsborg issued a letter and a statement last night, odd timing with the House acting today. His reticence and evasion of discussing this was a poor choice. The fact that he never appeared in court and tried to carry on with business as usual while quietly campaigning for a second term also left a bad taste.

This whole sorry episode has been very tragic. I strongly disagree that the media has been the bad guy here. We have pursued this story aggressively but fairly, I believe.

Thanks,

Tom

 

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