MACA volleyball ends season 11-10

The nice weather hangs on as we follow the prep sports teams in post-season. Let's thank the good Lord for every pleasant day we get. When things change, we have to basically hunker down for a quite long time. Unfortunately for the MACA volleyball team and its fans, the post-season was limited to one match. That's the way it goes sometimes. 

The Tigers were seeded a relatively low No. 7. That put them in position to start things off vs. the No. 2. Plus we'd be on the road. So the orange and black took the court Friday to face New London-Spicer. The match lasted four games. We took the second to even things up 1-1. Then things went downhill. A review of the scores: 22-25, 28-26, 23-25 and 22-25. 

Brianna Marty gave spark with her 13 kills and six digs. Maddy Grove and Kaylee Harstad supplied eight and six kills respectively. Lauren Hottovy performed ten digs, and Whitney Bruns came through with 22 assists. 

Our kmrs-kkok website cited two Wildcats as standouts: Kendra Gerhardson with 13 kills, Ava Hauer with 15 assists. BTW the kmrs site has been spelling a name "Briana Marty" and I do believe it is "Brianna." You might say "Brianna" is the female variant of my name!

The "Minnesota Scores" site tells us the final MACA W/L record is 11-10. All in all lots of good memories.

 

Jim Carlson

Bittersweet day today

Was at Don's Cafe this morning, and the kibitzing behind me included the name "Dave Stahl." That pricked my ears up. Not a name you typically hear dropped at a main street diner. Stahl is known among the slice of jazz aficionados who are oriented to the trumpet. Hearing the name from behind me this morning indicated that these dudes were here for the Carlson concert tonight (Saturday). 

Stahl was a visiting clinician for Jim Carlson's Jazz Fest once. Legend has it Stahl was sullen when here. If I remember correctly, he wanted to cancel out because of a gig offer he had gotten from. . .Oprah Winfrey? This was too late to be accommodated. You might say Jim put his foot down and required that Mr. Stahl come. But I heard the guy was sullen about it. 

The visiting clinicians through the years were a tapestry of interesting personalities. Talented artists can have their idiosyncratic ways, n'est-ce pas? Some were a joy, others a bit of a challenge. But the show always went on with total success. 

The historical record will show that yours truly was a member of the first-ever "All-Stars" band of non-students. I'm pretty sure the year was 1979. There were no jazz alumni yet to have an alumni band. I'm proud that I could be a part of it. I was in the All-Stars for 2-3 years, as I recall, before departing because I felt my more suitable role was in the media. 

Fewer people all the time are going to remember me as a newspaper journalist. Just as, the passage of time will inevitably dim the memory of Carlson himself. 

Tonight's concert is totally bittersweet. UMM acts today like it cherishes the memory so much of "Doc" Carlson. Truth be told, the institution allowed circumstances to develop toward the end of his tenure that made him frustrated and bitter. We can presume his tenure ended prematurely. 

I had heard vague rumors about this through the years, but within the last year I've gotten total verification. The bad guy in these stories always winds up the same: Martin Seggelke. 

So if UMM top administration had really wanted Jim to keep performing as the gem he was, not only for music but for the whole school, strings could have been pulled. But they were not. If UMM cared about numbers, PR and vitality, more would have been done. Alas, UMM does not operate as a private business. A private business faces natural pressures for accountability. Not so with taxpayer-supported stuff. 

Academics can be a steaming mess with back-biting etc. 

I guess there's a black mark with enrollment at UMM now. And am I really using the correct term anymore when I type "UMM?" So it's "UMN?" I suppose the full reference would be "UMN-Morris" so as to specify location. "UMM" was short and sweet. 

Someone suggested I attend the concert tonight. My presence will not be necessary. Opinions about me varied during the years of Jim's heyday. I guess keeping him here would have made too much sense. Someone wanted to turn UMM music into a "conservatory" instead? Or, to just wipe out the department? Well, I heard recently that the current choir has but 30 members. 

My father always wanted UMM music to be a jewel of campus pride. It didn't need to be real artsy or pretentious. But maybe his attitude made too much sense too. You get these little self-serving fiefdoms in academic institutions. Maybe Steve Sviggum should have talked about that instead of the other direction in which he went. 

I am sure tonight's concert will be a delight. Good luck all. There will be people there who would like to see me. But it's best I not be there. I'm thinking of someone in Jim's immediate family. That person had such a positive opinion of my mom. I by comparison did not measure up. Such is life. 

Legend has it that Seggelke once said to Jim "why do you spend so much time here?"

I know what it's like to be in an untenable position at work, just like Jim did.

Jim Carlson in his element at the U of M-Morris. A recognized jazz educator, nationwide. He passed away last Christmas. Jim Carlson RIP. (Del Sarlette photo)
 

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

MACA football rolls through 6AAA game

Nice night for a football game in late October. It was Tuesday night on a wind-free day. The temperature was pleasant enough that the pep band could have played. Looked like it did not. 

I arrived at Big Cat too early because the kmrs-kkok sports site announced the start time as 6 p.m. I reported that in a blog post. Not to point fingers, but it was wrong. 

6 p.m. made sense to me because it was a weekday. The visiting team was from Montevideo. Morris hosted because we were the higher seed for 6AAA play. The Monte people would have to travel home fairly late. 

I sometimes think this is an issue in connection to post-season high school sports: long travel distances at a time that gets pretty late for the visitor. But that's the way it is. Those fans need well-rested drivers. I remember the year when Morris football played its first-round playoff game at Fairmont, down by the Iowa border. 

I was at Big Cat ten minutes before game-time and did not see any sign of pep band. I hung around only briefly. Fan turnout did not look good. Football playoffs can be dicey because of the nature of the weather this time of year. 

The playoffs did not exist when I was in high school. Back then the idea was to just play for the conference championship. That's the way our former coach Stan Kent liked it, he told me once. "The conference championship really means something," he said. But today there is a different approach. 

So we're into the playoffs and we're 1-0. The third-seeded Tigers took care of business as they prevailed over No. 6 Montevideo, the Thunder Hawks, 50-20. (It's hard for me to remember if "Thunder Hawks" is one word or two, so I always look it up.) 

I remember when Monte was the Mohawks and they had a mural in their gym of a Native American silhouetted against the sky. Has an Indian ever really said "white man speak with forked tongue?" I digress. 

Oh my, so many real high-scoring games in prep football now. What's up? Is it because of rules being tweaked to help the offense? Less contact in practices to help ensure player safety and health? It's nice to see that safety and health are worthy objectives. I once interviewed a coach who sometimes talked about "smash-mouth football." I doubt many coaches would speak this way now. 

So, 70 points scored at Big Cat on Tuesday. Some of the game scores out and around have been going higher than that. There's a risk of offense being cheapened. ACGC defeated Benson 68-32 on October 19. That's too much. As a newspaper person I wouldn't even want to get into the scoring summary. Just condense. 

There was a time when points were much harder to come by, and frankly, games could be boring. The High School League has to market these activities. 

There sure was no suspense Tuesday - the Tigers shot out to a 36-7 halftime lead. 

So, the quarter-final round is history. Next is a Saturday game versus Albany on the road. Albany sits at No. 2. 

Our quarterback Drew Huebner rebounded well from his lackluster showing in the regular season finale. He got back in the groove quickly, connecting twice for touchdown passes in the first quarter. First the fans were treated to a 15-yard scoring hookup that had Andrew Marty catching. Then it was Riley Asmus with a 21-yard scoring catch. Owen Anderson ran for two after the Asmus TD.

So we're up 14-0 after one quarter. Our momentum carried into the second quarter. Hunter Gibson ran the ball in from the two. Owen Anderson carried in from the three. The Anderson score was followed by a two-point conversion pass from Huebner to Berlinger. 

Monte got on the board with a Cooper Dack one-yard run. Hensel Andino kicked the PAT. 

MACA kept pouring it on as Huebner passed 30 yards to Owen Anderson. The conversion was good on a Huebner-to-Berlinger pass. 

Tyler Berlinger ("hudl")

Next: a spectacular 70-yard play that had Huebner throwing and Asmus catching. Asmus kicked the point-after. Dack of the T-Hawks broke loose on a 41-yard scoring run. Andino added the PAT. 

Huebner kept the ball and ran it in from 14. Asmus kicked the PAT. 

Monte got the night's final score: a one-yard run that had Jaxon Wagner carrying. 

The Tigers had 26 total first downs. Our top ballcarriers were Mitchell Moser (eight carries, 53 yards), Huebner (6-44), Logan Anderson (5-30) and Owen Anderson (5-22). 

Huebner can forget his passing struggles from the Sauk Centre game. Against Monte the super soph completed 17 of 28 passes for 320 yards, four TDs, one INT. My, what receiving stats for Asmus: five catches, 132 yards! Other pass catchers were Berlinger (two catches, 47 yards), Owen Anderson (2-39), Derek Waldbeser (2-38), Marty (3-36) and Moser (3-28). 

The defensive unit had quite the impact with these four Tigers each having an interception: Berlinger, Anderson (first name N/A from WCT coverage), Marty and Waldbeser. Caden Rose had a quarterback sack. Monte completed just three of 13 passes. 

Albany crushed Minnewaska 59-12. It was a long season for the Lakers.

 

When will our Stevens County Times give us some highlights of the MACA win?

 

Steve Sviggum

More on Sviggum matter

Here it is 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, and a check of the headlines shows Steve Sviggum resigning. Did a quick web search with his name, as has been my habit the last couple days. But wait a minute: "resigning" does not tell the whole story. 

Most of us expected he would resign as a Regent. Not so. The gentleman is resigning only as vice chair of the board. 

The Star Tribune reminds us that Sviggum "faced increasing criticism for asking whether Morris campus is 'too diverse.' " 

Poor Mr. Sviggum. He presents himself as a decent sort of guy. On the whole he is probably quite decent. He slipped, though, when revealing that he's one of those older white folks who feel entitled to set the standards for us all. Seems like he said in effect "I don't dislike people of color, I just think we have too many of them on the Morris U campus." 

It is nice to see the name "Morris" in news coverage, because the U has shifted its preferred terminology from UMM to "UMN." I gather the latter is short for "University of Minnesota." There's no place name there. 

The Strib headline on this early Wednesday begins "Steve Sviggum steps down." But he did not, really. 

None of us should take pleasure venting hatred at Sviggum. He has devoted so much to "public service." I put that in quotes. Sviggum is of course a Republican. Their sense of "service" clashes with a great many of us. Eliminate the state income tax? Have you weighed all the consequences? Like for public education? Like for the U?

Rep. Paul Anderson fits the same mold as Sviggun: decent, dignified etc., but this guy has a grade of "F" from Pro-Choice Minnesota. He can't get pregnant but he wants to weigh-in with women who do. There is a referendum coming up on this: the mid-term election. You should vote for Edie Barrett and Kari Dorry. Dammit! I have to confirm spelling of Kari Dorry's name every time.

 

Re. the U Regents controversy, below is an email I sent to a friend Tuesday, as I was in the process of checking headlines for developments in this story.

 

Hello (name withheld) - I check every few hours online to see if there's a headline announcing Sviggum's resignation. Well, no. There is only one interpretation of his comments and that is the racist interpretation. So we're all OK with someone on the Regents talking like this.

Maybe the fault was Joan Gabel's: If Morris enrollment is such a big issue, maybe she should have come out with a pre-emptive comment sharing her own analysis and suggestions. Instead, Sviggum felt moved to do this, and he "stepped in it." He won't be able to live it down. But he's still on the Regents.

If people statewide did not have an impression of UMM being an "Indian school," they have it now. Realistically, some parents might be a little averse to the place because of this. I'm just talking about the perceptions that most likely exist out there.

(Name withheld) told me at church coffee Sunday that the UMM choir has but 30 members. Choir gave concert Saturday but it was almost kept a complete secret. I guess some fliers were posted around town, but outside of that I saw no announcement. I didn't go because of that. The signs for music certainly do not appear good. 

I am hearing more about how Jim Carlson felt seriously hurt when he left here. The guy was responsible for recruiting about a third of UMM's whole student body, according to background I gleaned. He traveled around. Such infectious enthusiasm. But the chancellor did not protect him from petty forces at the end - typical of academia, yes, but the chancellor could have done something about it. The villain in these stories always comes out as Martin Seggelke.

Beyond these various issues I touch on here, we have the prospect of Jensen and Republicans doing well in mid-terms. I still think there's a chance for Democrats to "surprise." Realistically I doubt it. Jensen was toast for as long as he was defined as pro-life, but then he did a turnaround and became pro-choice, so now he could be the favorite. He and Republicans want to ERASE the state income tax. What would that mean for public education including UMM? Isn't the U still in a world of hurt with a deficit?

Republicans always talk up the sales tax, which screws the less-well-off.

- BW

 

And, I share here too an email I sent to Jim Morrison early Wednesday morning.

 

Jim - Early this a.m. I saw headline about Sviggum "resigning" but it was not from the board, just resigning as vice chair. This will tick off a lot of people. So Sviggum is admitting he did something wrong, but he's not leaving the board. If pressure grows and Sviggum does leave board, maybe Liz could put herself forward to replace him. Based on what has happened recently, the U might like a Morris-centered person on board now.

We now have reputation as an Indian school - not sure that will help us.

Remember the Indians on "F-Troop?" The actors were Jewish guys.

 

- BW

 

And, I can refer you to my current post on my "Morris of Course" companion blog, which explores these matters further. Thanks for reading. The link:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/10/whither-direction-of-umm-whole-usa.html

 

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

MACA girls readying for 3AA-North play

The MACA volleyball team ended the regular season above .500 at 11-9. The ninth loss came in their last regular season match. The opponent that night was Minnewaska Area. The date: Oct. 18, Tuesday. So thoughts are focused now on the "whole new season," the post-season. Can the Tigers parlay their over-.500 status to post-season success? 

We are seeded a modest No. 7 in Section 3AA-North. So as you might assume, we're up against the No. 2. New London-Spicer always spells competitiveness in girls athletics. That's who we'll face on Friday, Oct. 28. This quarter-finals affair has a start time of 7 p.m. The higher seed hosts obviously. 

'Waska sits at No. 6 and they'll play Eden Valley-Watkins, No. 3. The top seed is Paynesville Area with an 18-5 record. The semis date is Nov. 1. Title night for the North is Nov. 3. 

We're inching closer to winter, don't you know? 

Looking way ahead to the section championship night, it's Nov. 5 with action to unfold at Southwest State of Marshall. I wonder if the day will come when more of this action could happen here at the UMM P.E. Center. We used to have that, quite a nice arrangement for Motown fans.

Tigers 1, Minnewaska 3

The Tigers entered their Oct. 18 match having won three straight. Those successes were over Osakis, Montevideo and Melrose. The home gym was not enough to help build the win skein to four, so it was 'Waska prevailing 3-1. 

The disappointment was despite Maddy Grove and Brianna Marty each slamming down 14 kills. Fans cheered these at our Tiger Center. Other upbeat moments included Kaylee Harstad's eight kills and four blocks. Lauren Hottovy dug up the ball 12 times, plus she performed two serving aces. The competitive mix included Ashlyn Hintz with nine digs, Whitney Bruns with her 30 assists and Grove's six digs. 

The stats here weren't enough to overcome the Lakers as the scores were 25-22, 22-25, 16-25 and 20-25.  The Lakers came out of the night at 9-12. They got a head of steam from Dacia Fleury with her 16 kills. Dreya Barsness was just as imposing at the net with her 15 kills, plus this Laker had eight digs and three aces. Further punch came from Avery Fier (eight kills, 12 digs) and Haley Shea (36 assists).

 

Football: Tigers 16, Sauk Centre 36

People my age still use the language "MEA week game." Not sure that's so current anymore. But that's the event that unfolded for the Tigers last Wednesday. It was destination Sauk Centre, home of the Streeters. 

Sauk Centre must have zeroed in on our quarterback for scouting purposes. Indeed, they seemed to have Drew Huebner all figured out, if that was the explanation. So Drew had just one passing completion on the night in 15 attempts. Ouch. Yes, his one completion was thrilling, for 73 yards and a touchdown to Tyler Berlinger. Huebner turned on the jets for a 45-yard scoring run. 

The orange and black was held to 197 yards of offense. Meanwhile our defense allowed 390 by the host team. The Tigers and Streeters both sit with a 5-3 record. 

Sauk's Matthew Warring was pretty pinpoint in his passing, with eleven completions in 17 attempts, 141 yards and a TD. He ran for two other scores. 

The Tigers really got buried in this game before showing signs of life. Like, to the tune of 36-0. Ouch again. How could this happen after our most thrilling win vs. Pierz? Well, such are the ups and downs of high school sports. MACA did did not score until under ten minutes were left. A long night for the Tigers and their loyal fans. 

Everyone was reminded of how the drive from Glenwood to Sauk Centre can seem to take forever, n'est-ce pas? 

All right, let's roll up our sleeves for following the playoffs. That's the upcoming chapter. At 5-3, our team has been given the No. 3 seed. We're in 6AAA. All this can get pretty complicated, especially for the casual fan. Our assignment is to play 1-7 Montevideo. We have the privilege of hosting. Kickoff time is 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25. 

The top seed is New London-Spicer with a record of 6-2. The Wildcats will open with a bye. Minnewaska Area is having a rough go of it: they're 0-8 and have the No. 8 seed. Pierz is in 6AAA also. They're seeded fourth with a 5-3 mark. 

The semis date is Oct. 29. Championship night is Nov. 4 with the site to be St. Cloud State University (my alma mater). My goodness, SCSU cancelled its own football program several years ago. Strange.

 

Cross country: WCC meet

Hailey Werk added to her string of significant cross country successes on Monday, Oct. 17. The site: Olivia. The event: the West Central Conference meet. Werk covered the route in 19:59 which was tops. She was a half-minute ahead of the runner-up, Laura Ankeny of Minnewaska. Fifth place was achieved by Kendal Fischer, an up-and-coming eighth grader. 

The MACA girls were fifth in team standings. The top team was 'Waska which had Ankeny in the ranks. Ankeny along with teammates Kierra Wilmes and Elsey Hagen were in the top ten. 

West Central Area had a good showing led by Kyra Beyer. WCA had five in the top 20. The Knights were the No. 4 team. 

The story for the MACA boys: sixth place. Gavin Stallman placed 16th, Jacob Buhl 19th. Top boys team was Sauk Centre. Sauk's Brandon Kampsen was champion. Kampsen separated himself from the field as he was 1:30 ahead of the next-best. The next-best was 'Waska's Maeson Tank. 'Waska was team runner-up. The No. 3 runner was WCA's Roman Mihailovschi. 

Let's all try to enjoy fall while it lasts. It gives say to you-know-what.

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

Image of grandparents, today & yesteryear

Red Skelton

Each generation goes through phases, no matter how they seek to deny it. My "boomer" generation was incredulous about ever getting "old" in the way they remembered their grandparents. 

Ever see an old movie where the "parents" seemed more like grandparents? Or an old game show from around 1960? People looked older than they should have looked.

Fewer of us remember Red Skelton. He had a little portion of his variety show devoted to "honoring" grandparents once. His perception of grandparents was probably dated even at the time. Conjured up visions of doddering people with white hair. We "honored" them while at the same time feeling rather sad. 

I remember my father commenting on the Skelton skit, how it seemed a little out of whack. 

Recently I reviewed the classic movie "The Best Years of Our Lives." The parents of the "Homer" character spring out of the house to greet their son, back from war. Looking at them today, they strike me as seeming more like grandparents than parents. 

The grandparents of today, most of the time project vitality no less than what they had when younger. So the upshot is? People take better care of themselves now, better nutrition etc. Man, the days before central heating and refrigerators/freezers must have brought adversity. Premature aging as a consequence?

And typical of the human species, we focus on the present and forget about past hardships. I suppose we can get reminded of the past hardships in sort of an academic, abstract sort of way. 

The "ice" industry did not become extinct until the mid-1960s. You know how they kept ice from melting? Sawdust! Far out. The miracle of frozen foods entered our lives. Today we can be less than wowed about the frozen food section of the grocery store. 

So people used to age at a faster rate? Seems like a logical conclusion. "Grandma" and "grandpa" do not conjure up images like in past times. 

Remember the Andy Williams Christmas TV specials of the 1960s? How absolutely. . .heartwarming? (Liz Morrison once advised me to avoid the word "heartwarming!") Well get out your thesaurus, then. Let's say it's a nostalgic trip today. 

A "charming" part of it was Andy's regular "cast" that gave him such a firm identity. Here comes Andy with 1) his brothers, 2) his parents, 3) his wife "Claudine" and 4) the Osmonds! And I bring this up because Andy's "parents" projected the image more of grandparents, from today's perspective. OK they looked "old," totally charming but old. Andy was not so old at the time to have parents looking this way. 

We love our elders through any stage of our history. But the popularly accepted image changes, evolves.

Man, I know people of my generation around town who have been grandparents for a long time, and they have little if anything in common with the grandparents of an earlier epoch. Today's grandparents hardly seem distinguished much from their younger selves. They dress in the same way. They move around just as gingerly. Oh, and some play in senior hockey leagues. Hockey! Doesn't raise an eyebrow now. 

Compare these elder people to the typical types in the mid and late 20th Century. Red Skelton read a maudlin verse as he paid homage to the "grandparents." Generous with its loving attitude, without a doubt, also a little sad and condescending. Can't blame Mr. Skelton, as he grew up in different times. Even in the '60s, the attitude could strike many as dated, hence my father's concerned reaction as we watched the tube that evening. 

 

A 1946 movie

The character "Homer" from "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) was disabled, with hooks having replaced his hands. A wartime accident. He offered to pick up his own luggage as they went into the house. This prompted an outbreak of sobbing from his mother. This was a hugely sentimental movie - I will not say "heartwarming." I have long figured that the sentiment delivered a subtle political message. 

You may remember the three principal male characters. The movie was their story as they re-adjusted to civilian life. People should have been advised before the movie's release: "If you lost a son in WWII, do not attend!" The three men, regardless of all they went through or the disability that resulted, were at least alive! Even the young man with the "hooks" seemed overall content. 

Consider this and then consider all the young men who never made it back. So Homer's mother broke out crying because of the hooks? She should have been joyous without reservation. His parents knew in advance about the disability - we learned this as Homer conversed with his two new buddies in the plane ride back to the fictional "Boone City." So it was a "triumvirate." 

Hollywood knows that the number 3 has a magical quality. Hence The Three Stooges. 

The subtle message of the movie was this: WWII had a profound effect on the lives of the three men. And the effect was positive. It gave them a sense of pride and self-esteem that would have been denied them otherwise. So they ventured into "The Best Years of Our Lives" - the movie title. 

So we're left imagining the routine, mundane, probably boring type of lives they would have had otherwise. All the ennui.

All hail war? Is that the thought that dances through our heads? To be part of this grand victorious military enterprise? 

Consider how people so often preach about how a military background is such a wonderful thing, inculcating discipline mostly. Learn to follow your son-of-a-bitch sergeant - that's how my father would have put it. 

We absolutely must temper such thoughts. I don't care that WWII spawned "the great American middle class." If that's such a great thing, why could not it have been achieved without such a massively tragic event like WWII? How can we look upon the immense loss of life and suffering in anything but a profoundly sad way? Countless lives of young men just erased, retired to memories. 

The movie focused on the living, on the survivors, and suggested these three men had their pride grow by leaps and bounds, just by having been in the service during WWII. 

The war may have been necessary. But a pox on anyone who tries to rationalize that it was somehow "good" for the survivors. Think of all the young men not only dying, but dying in a miserable, unthinkable way. By "hitting the beach" etc. 

 

He knew war

"Ike" Eisenhower was no promoter of the military after WWII and when he got into politics. He's the one who warned us about the "military industrial complex." He had seen what war really was. Surely not as a stepping stone to "the best years of our lives." 

Maybe Hollywood sent messages about WWII that made Americans more sympathetic than they should have been, to subsequent military ventures. We achieved total "success" in WWII. But could the world's leaders have done more to prevent the circumstances leading up to war? I remember the National Guard commander character from the movie "Taps," trying to get the petulant young naive cadet (Timothy Hutton) straightened out: "War is just one thing, and that's bad." 

We reserve our sympathy for the living. So we're transfixed by the three guys in the "Best Years" movie. Think of all the young men whose lives were erased. They could not live to be grandparents.

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

My goodness, Motown is in the news

(B.W. photo from Flickr)

Remember when the movie crew came to Mayberry? Such a thrill any time a town gets this kind of attention. I remember a character saying "don't look into the tomato can." That must have been the term for the camera. 

Sometimes it's a mixed blessing to be in the news on a statewide or even national basis. So yesterday (Monday) I did a double-take when receiving a link from a friend on the Sviggum thing. Oh, Steve Sviggum. I remember him, had not come across his name much in the recent past. He's a politico from the Republican side. More low-profile now, maybe, but in a position of real influence with the University of Minnesota. 

I have to admit, I did not know he was on the U Board of Regents. Not only that, he's vice chair. The regents are a place where former heavy-hitters in the political world have been known to "parachute." I'm thinking of Wendell Anderson and Dean Johnson. Both had skidded into some tough times in the political thicket. I do not wish to get into all that here. 

Whether Sviggum is in the "washed-up" category too, I'm not real certain. But he has views on race and ethnicity, it appears. The question is, do we take his comments at face value? If we do, then the man has to be in a world of hurt. He'll probably try to get out of this with one of those "what I really meant" explanations. Do we give him a pass on that? Like him or not, the man obviously has considerable power in the University. 

We of course have our U of M-Morris here in Mayberry, I mean Morris. And now there's concern about enrollment. Let's say the concern is bubbling up now. The topic has been bandied about among local advocates of the institution. So Sviggum thinks there's too much diversity on our campus. Not articulated in the most artful way. 

To give the guy a break, I know what he's getting at. It's not diversity itself, it's the conscious acknowledgment of all that diversity in a formal way within the institution, an example being a whole building called "multi-ethnic." BTW that was the music building when UMM first opened - concerts were at Edson Auditorium. UMM music was a wonderful experience in those seminal days, really did not need to be improved upon. Really truly. 

Surely I digress here. I communicated with two well-known Morris people, advocates of UMM, yesterday on the little controversy. Regarding the "diversity" question, here's what Blaine Hill our city manager said: "I know Steve Sviggum. Not a good question to be asking in this day and age. I've actually been involved with the University and I believe it is one of the strengths of the campus." 

Totally laudable thoughts, Blaine - hooray - but the elephant in the room may still be enrollment. If Sviggum failed to hit the nail on the head with his thoughts, the nail remains there. So easy to come across feel-good thoughts like Blaine's right now, and in this category would also be comments from our interim chancellor. She said "the right things" also in defense of the campus. 

I'm not sure this is the totally productive road to take right now. Diversity is great but maybe there is a second question. And this would be: why can't we acknowledge "diversity" by simply accepting our brethren as equal? This would be minus any formal measures. An example of a formal measure would be affirmative action. So if everyone could just be treated equally - and this would include gays - is that the path to real enlightenment? Hmmm. 

Maybe it's not that simple, but just maybe UMM has taken things too far? I think UMM went too far by wading so strong into the gay rights thing - change was coming in our society anyway. 

Others may certainly assert their opinions. 

I communicated with old friend Warrenn Anderson, he of the attorney's sharp eye. He really went full-bore with glass-half-full. He is to be lauded on these thoughts: "Who knows what the result will be here. Maybe metro diverse folks will see UMN as a beacon of light and come flocking to Morris increasing enrollment wildly (or not)." 

I don't think Blaine or Warrenn would mind me dropping their names here. So Warrenn is in the habit with the "UMN" reference. Not "UMM." I stick with the latter but I'm generally slow to adjust to change. 

I share further on the whole Sviggum flap on my "Morris of Course" companion blog. I wrote this post yesterday. I get off on some tangents in there too. Who, me? Here's the link:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/10/steve-sviggum-and-his-perception-of-umm.html 

 

Here's an email I shared with Warrenn: 

Janet Schrunk-Ericksen

Do you think Janet (Schrunk Ericksen) has been careful enough in responding? For sure her impulse would be to take umbrage, but this is delicate because of Sviggum's position. He speaks for a definite constituency. They will use indelicate language like this without inhibition. People like this have been picking up steam politically. There was a time when leaders in the media would push back, but that is steadily less true. Sviggum has sheer power relative to the U and it's nothing to shake a stick at.

I think I shared with you before about how political people like Backer and Westrom - heavens, especially Backer - would advocate for UMM only because it was in their district, and privately they would have reservations about UMM's mission. They would see UMM's mission as one of nurturing future Democratic voters. I think they'd come right out and say that. Backer was one of just eight representatives, all Republicans, to vote against a resolution condemning the Jan. 6 violence. So he wants a violent overthrow of the government. Well, people keep voting for him. So this is real, just as Sviggum's thoughts are real.

So Janet has to resist her normal impulses which would be to get in Sviggum's face. She in fact has to be deferential. I have wondered if the Crookston person has a "secret agenda" affecting the Morris campus. This would come from the very top of course. Joan Gabel worked in South Carolina, home of Lindsey Graham!!!

In the long run, we might have to forget about fighting for the liberal arts. I have always felt that a fundamental re-purposing of the Morris campus could well happen. Maybe be closed for a year?

- BW

Winter is coming! (B.W. photo from Flickr)

FYI, Rep. Anderson is rigidly pro-life

Rep. Paul Anderson

Just a little speculation here, but Rep. Paul Anderson (12A) would probably want to separate himself from a lot of the talk and actions associated with national Republicans. Nationwide abortion ban? Such talk is coming from "household name" Republicans like Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell. Anderson might shake his head at that. 

I no longer have the standing to communicate directly with someone like Anderson. I left the Morris newspaper 16 years ago. I wonder if Anderson is now being challenged on the issue of abortion. Shall we use the "pretzel" expression to consider Dr. Scott Jensen? As in, "tying himself into a pretzel." Johnson is in the same political party as Anderson. 

Jensen's "brand" as he moved up the ranks politically seemed to be pro-life. Something apparently happened to him, though, when he noticed he was 18 points down in the polls. 

Republicans everywhere always need to try to "win" to achieve their real objectives which are less taxes/regulations. Abortion is basically window dressing though they'd demur on that. Jensen began running ads crowing about how abortion was a women's constitutional right in  Minnesota. So he's a pro-choice flag-waver? 

Let us be clear: Although State Representative Paul Anderson might seem like a steady and sane person by the standards of his own party - for sure he's a "nice guy" - he has total pro-life creds. It's a black and white thing. So if you vote for Mr. Anderson of Starbuck, a nice guy and not only that a UMM graduate, you are on the pro-life side. 

Anderson has a grade of "F" from Pro-Choice Minnesota. He has taken specific actions in St. Paul to try and puff up his pro-life creds. So, if you're comfortable with that, as many of you no doubt are, fine, vote for him. I take no joy in abortion but I do support women's reproductive health rights. Paul Anderson cannot get pregnant and neither can yours truly. 

Edie Barrett

So, a friend of mine who is a devoted Democrat says Anderson would be hard to beat. She and I will be voting for Edie Barrett of Ortonville. I got a chance to meet Edie recently. First we crossed paths at the PRCA event at the fairgrounds. A few days later I saw her at the Stevens County DFL pie social at East Side Park. Can't resist pie. 

For sure I would find Anderson agreeable if I were to meet him. He is a farmer. Farming today is a no-risk profession. We in Morris are weighing him as an election candidate for the first time. No longer is it Backer/Westrom. Westrom does remain on the ballot for us - not Backer, who comes off as being on the extreme end of the Republican Party. It's a relief to no longer be represented by Backer. 

Westrom like Anderson seems basically agreeable. Unfortunately we need to put aside these personal qualities somehow. 

All the cheerleaders for Trump who just seemed enthralled by him: I don't think they realized the real world consequences of having him as president. Like, watching him nominate Federalist Society members for Supreme Court and judge positions. The Supreme Court's standing with the public has gone down. Samuel Alito began giving speeches that seemed like political speeches. From the right of course. 

So then we got Roe vs. Wade overturned.  

Maybe there was a time when "pro-life" seemed fairly innocuous. Women had the protection of Roe vs. Wade. "Pro-life" might have seemed defensible on simple philosophical grounds. Now? As they say, the playing field has changed. Pro-life pols need to be grilled now. 

Republicans led by Trump are losing the basic human impulse of wanting to tell the truth. Jensen the gubernatorial candidate has tried to sell himself as receptive to abortion rights, which certainly seems to contradict his longstanding image. 

What would Paul Anderson say? Is he still a total flag-waver for pro-life? It would be nice everywhere to see women get elected to more positions. Women are nurturers by nature. Men play football and get brain injuries. The men of Stevens County drive pickups with Trump stickers. Are you getting tired of all this? Are you getting tired of the daily barrage of news stories that center on Trump? This has gone on for so long, it's "Groundhog Day." 

Why do we as Americans acquiesce to this? Trump lost the popular vote back in 2016. Hillary Clinton would have been a centrist in her governing. Were the eight years of Bill Clinton so terrible? Didn't the stock market go up by leaps and bounds? Weren't those years relatively peaceful? 

Just think if January 6 had never happened. Just think how the news media would have focused on more things really germane to our lives. Merrick Garland would be on the Supreme Court. Roe vs. Wade would still be in effect. 

It is condescending toward women to even have such a high-profile discussion on abortion. The idea of Roe vs. Wade is that women with their doctors can decide. Not Lindsay Graham or Mitch McConnell. 

Oh, Paul Anderson would proclaim "I'm my own person." Sigh. Well then, Mr. Anderson, why not declare yourself an independent? Attention Republican men: the Supreme Court may soon start coming after your condoms. 

Psychologists have a popular explanation for all the over-60 white men who show fealty to Trump: They didn't get enough love when they were growing up.

 

On education

Rep. Anderson wants to "empower parents in education." Fine and dandy. So why, then, does the state legislature need to be involved? We have local school boards that listen to parents, don't we? Does the state legislature want veto power over that? Do Republicans like Anderson want that? 

Anderson says he wants to push "academic achievement." Not so simple, really. You see, our digital age has created so many shortcuts, conveniences and efficiencies, I really don't think "academic achievement" as traditionally understood is really all that important. 

Oh, and Anderson is sort of a bomb-thrower (metaphorically) when he suggests we reject "controversial, divisive materials." Hey, that's in the eye of the beholder. Shall we excise "slavery" in history studies in favor of "involuntary relocation?" That has been bandied about from Anderson's side of the political aisle. I think that has faded, but it tells you something. 

School boards with parents can show the needed wisdom without having legislators in St. Paul coming down with their heavy-handed approach. 

To hell with "rigorous academics," let's just have more fun with co-curricular! 

Anderson talks about "core curriculum." All that stuff is difficult, stressful and boring. It would just make more kids want to drop out. I would. The so-called "divisive" stuff is "soft" by comparison, gentle. Kids don't have to buy into all these ideas, just be exposed to them some, and then as adults they can decide for themselves. I just think Rep. Anderson and his ilk are scared that "divisive" materials might nudge more kids toward listening to the Democratic side of things. And that might mean a little more taxes which the GOP avoids like the plague. 

But what's worse? A plague or a violent overthrow of the U.S. government which is apparently what Backer and others like him want. Be careful what you wish for. Christian nationalism? Where would that leave the Jewish people? Pay attention to the history of Germany. Or forget it, you won't.

 

My companion blog

On the same day I'm putting up this post, I share further on these topics on "Morris of Course." That's my companion blog. I invite you to read:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/10/rep-anderson-bashful-about-being-gop.html

  

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

The throw-down tackle, issues with safety

Interesting last few days as we ponder violence in football. Issues in the NFL have sprung to the forefront. At issue: whether refs are so quick to toss flags on possibly dangerous plays, it's unduly affecting outcome of games. Outcome of games is so important to fans. Fans are totally protected from the violence as they munch snacks and watch. 

Here in Morris we got a clarion call on these questions. Let's backtrack to the closing stages of our MAHS Homecoming football game. The Tigers hosted Minnewaska Friday. Pleasant game that went well for the Tigers for the most part. I mean, we won. America gets its juice from the ethos of winning, n'est-ce pas? 

So for yours truly to be anything but exuberant about this, makes me an outlier, someone who deserves to be scorned right to his face. I have experienced a lot of that through the years. I have never been cowed by the teachers union and its friends in this community. That particular issue was at its zenith in a former time. My impression now, though I'm detached from the newspaper these days, is that the atmosphere in our public school is pretty positive, pretty idealistic. 

But I was saddened to see what happened on the football field at Big Cat with about four minutes left. I felt the game announcers glossed over the incident. A member of the Tiger defensive unit threw down the Minnewaska quarterback. It is possible to give some slack to the Morris kid, as we can suggest he was caught up in the intensity of the moment. Besides, he's just a high school kid - "some slack" always applies. 

I have never played football but I have to wonder if the Tiger player knew he was using unreasonable force. His name: Hunter Gibson. The Minnewaska QB: Paul "PJ" Johnson. I criticize the game announcers for not at least speculating on whether an unsportsmanlike penalty should have been called. 

Fast-forward to Sunday: We saw in the NFL a basically identical play. It was in the Falcons/Buccaneers game. In fact, if you compared this play to the one at our Big Cat, I would say our local incident was an even more violent smack-down. 

The NFL players are paid a lot to take punishment. Yet a flag was thrown on the NFL play. Some thought it was overreaction. But the ref made the judgment. The NFL refs are now under increased pressure to protect player safety, especially safety of the quarterbacks. So it's quite the priority at that level. A big reason is money. The marquee quarterbacks of the NFL are so important to keep healthy. 

Great. But what about the student-athletes who perform on the high school fields all across the state? The Tigers will host Paynesville on Friday. So we're supposed to be focused on that. Let's not forget the 'Waska quarterback in our prayers. He lay prostrate on the field after the jarring hit, requiring attention, then he left the game. One would have to theorize "concussion." So we pray it was not a serious one. 

No flag on the play. We used to praise young men on their "toughness" for playing football. What a tragically antiquated attitude. 

I shared further thoughts with a friend via email on Tuesday. The friend happens to be a lawyer and this is coincidence although maybe it isn't, because I'd like to think I show discretion with my friendships! Just mention a lawyer and you get people's attention. My email covers a fair amount of ground outside of football. Here's my email:

 

Hello (name withheld) - You're a personal injury lawyer so maybe you're aware of the throw-down tackle by the Tiger Friday that left the 'Waska player prostrate, very likely with a concussion. Now maybe you laugh, because we have to accept football as this "violent" sport. That observation becomes less cute as time rolls on. The Lord blessed me by not giving me any talent to play football.

One reason I'm bringing this up, is to encourage you to compare that play to the NFL game where the Atlanta Falcon got flagged for making the exact same type of play on the Tampa Bay QB. In fact, if you compare the two, the Tiger hit by Hunter Gibson looks more violent. There was no flag. The QB lay there and had to be attended to. He obviously left the game. Serious concussion? A possibility.

You'll be amused as I note that if I were still with the Morris paper, I'd probably want to acknowledge these issues, the non-call of the refs and the unreasonableness of the defensive play. And even if I walked on eggshells, I'd risk serious repercussions from writing about this. But I think I would. I probably would have left the game by then, but if I heard about it, I could call up the replay on YouTube. You and I could not have dreamt of YouTube for high school sports "back in the day." Impossible.

Parents sign release forms. The best op-ed I've ever read about football's dangers was by a guy who created his own "release form" but it was far more graphic and scary than the norm. "If your son plays football. . ."

UMM HOMECOMING

For years the UMM Homecoming concert was on Sunday but then it got moved to Saturday. I got disoriented so when I got up Sunday, I took a shower and had decided to attend. As I left Don's I saw the Homecoming schedule flier and realized I had screwed up.

Del Sarlette informed me later that the choir did not perform the UMM Hymn. As I told you before, they only performed one-half of it last year, and the whole thing only takes two minutes. It's a great sentimental piece for Homecoming-time, good for loosening purse strings of alums?

A source tells me that the Crookston campus will be transitioning to a two-year format because of the emphasis on agriculture. Let's see, their chancellor is still our executive chancellor? I don't think UMM appreciated it when I blogged about this. UMM probably didn't appreciate how I blogged about the spring band/choir concert being in Alexandria-only. I have an 18-year old car and don't like to drive out of town much, cannot get a new car because I'm concerned I could fail the vision test the next time at the DMV.

UMM probably doesn't appreciate how I have pointed out several times that the music dept. website has become so neglected. Erin told me last year this would be fixed with a new website. No dice. So, hard to know what's really going on out there. Is it possible that UMM powers-that-be are preparing for something drastic? Along the lines of Crookston? The U has been nursing this big deficit.

I think maybe I'll go out to campus before Christmas and make a good faith new $ contribution to my family's fund. No hard feelings, on the issues I address here. 

I'm signed up to purchase banners for the music stands for the MAHS jazz band, now if the people over there can get their act together and get going on it. I had wanted to purchase actual music stands but the director was concerned about storage. I just think she likes being difficult sometimes.

So the Cougars beat the team from Finland Saturday. I see where the volleyball team won twice on the weekend.

My standing at UMM may be hurt by the fact Sue Dieter works out there now. After I left the paper, she talked about how "things would be better" with me gone. A former co-worker tipped me off on that. So I wonder, why couldn't they just forget about me? Why keep talking about me? I later returned fire on my blogs, even referring to Sue's weight gain. That's the kind of personal attack Donald Trump would make.

You know, Trump keeps crossing lines and it just doesn't matter now. A couple years ago, I wondered "will we eventually see the Nazi salute at Trump rallies? Surely that would cross a line." And then it happened. It was a QAnon salute but it looked exactly the same.

So inflation rolls along at 8.3 percent. And you're lucky if you can get a bank to pay you 1.5 percent on a five-year certificate of deposit. Strange world.

Oh, dedication of the newest softball field was Saturday at 11 a.m. I assume that's the field where the old UMM field was. That's the field where I have pointed out the problem of batters facing the sun. Very clever on Saturday, with starting time of 11 a.m., no problem with sun! Sun is getting lower in sky now with winter coming, but next summer I expect problems with the sun at the new field. We'll see. The old UMM field was perfect, should have been left as is. And I'm not speaking as an old curmudgeonly type.

 

Before sending this email, I had to clarify "prostate" vs. "prostrate."

 

- BW

 

My companion blog

On Sunday I posted on my "Morris of Course" companion blog, first about the 3-1 MACA volleyball win over Benson, and then on the football violence topic. The permalink:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/10/maca-volleyball-wins-football-has-dark.html 

 

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