The watershed of 50 years ago

My generation of Morris school alumni has memories of marching band tucked away as among the richest memories. Times can change in all sorts of ways. New programs can come along for our youth. There is no shortage of options for our kids. Marching band is no longer among them. 

A sad thing? Different points of view can be entertained. Some people in the academic side of music are not enthused about the institution. I imagine a key argument is that the kids play the same tune or tunes repetitively. So if you're looking for real musical development, marching band is not going to be high on the list. 

So maybe let's map out an argument like for football. The self-evident benefits of football would appear to be nil. Indeed, it's easy to see huge negatives with the sport. But the sheer idea of group participation with the attendant responsibilities would appear to bear fruit. I would assert that the negatives would still hover for football. This is to assume the head injuries and overall punishment of the human body. Interesting how I and others often have to make that argument. Talk about self-evident. 

The awareness grows about football and yet the institution most certainly survives. 

Marching band is literally extinct in Morris. I would not be in league with academics who pooh-pooh the activity. It is a vibrant group activity like football but without the hazards. My generation plied it when girls had far less options for group activities. It seems astonishing to note that serious sports for girls in high school didn't begin until 1971. Pretty sure I have the year right. I'm relying on memory. 

Girls of course took to sports. Once invested in that, they looked around for summer camps for sharpening their performance. Marching band looked to be less of an attraction. Marching band was likely at its peak here as I finished high school. The boomers were reaching a peak with numbers. 

Looking back, so much around us was in flux. What all happened 50 years ago? The ground was shifting with our society. So girls got into serious sports: hard to imagine a more fundamental change than that. The Supreme Court established the Roe vs. Wade precedent, affording women basic rights with its protection. Maybe we assumed that would be a permanent thing. For 50 years, it appeared to be a welcome undergirding for women. 

Odd how the ground shifted with that. Not that abortion is an issue to be celebrated either way. Uncomfortable as it was, it kept the female sex, which has a monopoly for carrying babies, from being a political football with the attendant emotions. It was something we could just live with, hopefully with everyone trying to show the best judgment. It would not be so much of a flashpoint. 

The contentiousness put women on the defensive - they did not need that. Watch men get pregnant and see what their attitudes would be. Without Roe, a certain element of men is going to try to lord over women. We have seen political types refuse to accept abortion even for generally accepted exceptions. A test was the Minnesota campaign for governor: the Republican on his high horse, apparently with anti-abortion steam coming from his ears. Then maybe this Jensen fellow - "Doctor?" - noticed he started out 18 points down in the polls. 

Seems reasonable to argue that the GOP would have captured the governor's office if abortion had just been kept where it was: the Roe standard. So the GOP likely suffered because of their president from 2016 to 2020 nominating three extreme Federalist Society types to the Supreme Court. 

People who make their bed can sleep in it. 

"There you go again," some of my critics will say, as they sense I'm starting the Trump skepticism argument over again. You think I'm the one who gets carried away on that? People with no inhibitions talk up the orange man quite readily. Like yesterday, I saw a pickup at Casey's in Morris with a big message on the rear window: "We miss you Trump." Drive around with a pro-Biden or pro-Democrat message in this county, maybe you'll have your vehicle vandalized or be done personal violence. 

I used gray tape to cover my very small "Kamala" sticker that I had on the back of my Malibu. Not wise to park downtown with this message. 

The precedent of Roe vs. Wade now gone, the door is opened for the emotion-laden arguments about abortion. The very existence of the discord is discouraging for women. They are the ones bearing the responsibility for carrying children. Men like Torrey Westrom are nothing but onlookers. Easy to be a know-it-all from the sideline. 

So I'm accused of "dwelling" on Trump. While all around me I see and hear messages propping him and his bedfellows up. And if you're on the other side of the aisle, be prepared to be taunted. Trump's bedfellows include white nationalists and anti-Semites. OK, you don't care. I know you don't. I'll still have a word or two to say about it. 

Now that the Republicans have control of the U.S. House of Representatives, what is their plan for tackling inflation? Can you articulate that for me? 

 

Delight of music

Getting back to music, the holiday concert of our Morris school bands is December 12. I'm lucky to bump into a director in the program, Ms. DeNardo, at Caribou Coffee now and then. She personally informed me of the date. We have female directors in our band program. "Symphonic winds" is the term often used. I don't recall hearing it when I was in high school. 

We also did not use the term "jazz band." Oh my, "jazz" might have been a contentious word, suggesting a sort of underclass. Our director promoted what he called "stage band." Our society got over its inhibitions about "jazz," hence the freely-flowing "jazz band" term of today. Amazing the changes that roll by. 

And continuing with that theme, let me point out that women were not allowed in the U of M marching band until 50 years ago. Think again what it was like 50 years ago to be witnessing such fundamental shifts. At what point did our society reach a true consensus against the Vietnam war? Sorry, my memory is not wholly lucid. I'm pretty sure it was by 1973, my year of high school graduation. Morris had its Centennial in 1971. In 1972 I had the good fortune to be able to tour Europe. 

We learn from the "Legalectric" blog that "50 years ago, women were admitted into the University of Minnesota marching band, but not without a fight." Wow, "not without a fight?" My late father had photos from when he was in the U of M marching band in the late 1930s. He took many photos of the band's trip to Ann Arbor MI in 1937. 

Through the years when looking at the photos, I just never made the impression that there were no women. I don't think I consciously thought about it. It wasn't subconscious sexism, I just didn't notice. Reminds me of the famous baseball documentary "When It Was a Game," where one of the narrators said he apparently "just didn't notice" that there were no players of color. He didn't think it was conscious or sub-conscious prejudice either. I believe his words were like "I'm angered that I didn't notice, I didn't object." 

He said the segregation extended all the way down to the ticket-sellers. Of course this had to change. It just had to, just like when the doors were opened for women in the U of M marching band. And for girls in serious school sports. 

We might have assumed that the "Roe" decision would be similarly cemented. But we allowed a man to become president in 2016 who lost the popular vote. What hath God wrought? 

On the U of M marching band thing, Del Sarlette shared this very interesting background. Thanks Del.

 

At first I was puzzled by this as I remember Adair Horgen talking about her being in the U of M marching band in the 40s. But then I read the fine print in that little story which said that women were “temporarily allowed” into the band during WWII as a lot of the men were serving in the armed forces. One of those was Keith (Davison), who went overseas in the Army so had to interrupt his time at the U by a couple of years. Adair had told me once that she was in the U marching band at the same time as Keith, but she was in that group when he was in the army so they weren’t concurrent.

This kmrs-kkok photo by Marshall Hoffman shows Adair Horgen at left, MAHS band director Wanda Dagen at right. Photo was taken to promote the 95th birthday concert honoring Adair.
 

Reminder re. holiday concert

Remember, MAHS band holiday concert on December 12! Come one, come all to the concert hall. 

The YouTube geniuses help but there's nothing like "being there."

 

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

The frivolousness of college

Maybe you heard about the recent incident in Tennessee with fans "taking down the goalposts." How is this behavior at all connected with receiving a college education? Seems more like "Lord of the Flies." 

Why do we keep indulging such foolishness, football itself being foolish? We might think college athletic rivalries are amusing. Are we charmed by the thought of crazed fans, some with face painting, many presumably with excess alcohol in their system, invading the end zone and "taking down goalposts." 

The story strikes a nerve here in Morris MN. I guess a few years have passed since our infamous incident. UMM students indeed assaulted the goalposts, brought them down with the terrible consequence of a student losing his life. Perhaps this was too long ago to be recalled in the NPR article about the Tennessee episode. I saw no note about it there. 

The 2005 UMM Homecoming football game was my last for being involved with the Morris newspaper. I got up that morning feeling zero special anticipation about the football game. The Cougars play on a very small-college level. I was present in the first half to shoot some photos. I returned to campus later for the volleyball match, was struck by how parking lots were still full due to the game not being over yet. I'm sure many fans lingered as gawkers. 

It was an immensely sad spectacle on the south end of the old UMM field. Crime scene tape was there the next day. But we all knew what happened. 

The chancellor talked about how some students had "decided to do something foolish." I definitely remember the "foolish" word. 

So instead of continuing a historical account of that day, I'd like to expand on the subject of how we expect college students to behave. I really believe we have seen some steps forward. But too much of the "foolishness" remains. So this thought flickers in my head as I ponder again the horrific murders in the college town of Moscow, Idaho. 

Upon learning the news, I remembered an old acquaintance from that town or city who played the bassoon. Is it true we can all readily remember the bassoon players from our high school band? The instrument can be the subject of good-natured derision. Is the sound of this double-reed instrument really so essential? I'd venture to say the typical high school bassoon player is pretty refined, academically advanced. I digress obviously. 

We enter Thanksgiving weekend 2022 with the distraction of the Idaho murders, wondering how in hell this could happen. Let's take a look at the article from "The Guardian." Might we learn anything from here about foolish college student behavior? And if we do, is it enough to make you more concerned than before about the irresponsible behavior of so many students? 

There's a long background of considering such behavior a rite of passage. Talk about St. Cloud State and you might arouse smiles from people who peg that place a "party school." Now in the year 2022, has that reputation really faded? I mean, I hope it has, I suspect it has, but I cannot be sure. How on Earth is this reputation to be countenanced at the place itself? 

SCSU had a president last name of Potter, may he rest in peace, who saw the time was ripe for attacking the reputation. It was a belated effort, still necessary, still commendable. Incredibly, Homecoming itself had to be put into hiatus (or mothballs) for a few years. Alas, the very announcement of that seemed to reinforce the problem - man, it's this bad! Potter did not make himself available for quotes in the Star Tribune article. 

I sure wish SCSU well in its efforts at righting the ship, image-wise. We cannot proclaim success on this until mention of "St. Cloud State" is not met with a smile. My goodness, the State of Minnesota has an investment in this college and others around the state. Heaven help us if we cannot take seriously the mission of preparing young people for responsible adult life. 

There ought to be a concerted push to get 18-year-olds to really truly think they have entered adulthood. You smile at that? Well then, that's part of the problem. Maybe colleges actually like "grooming" themselves as places for 18 to 22-year-olds to blow off steam as a rite of passage - adulthood can wait. 

Absolute poppycock. I'll quote Peter Schiff the economist: "Isn't a high school diploma supposed to mean something?" Kids spend countless hours through the years in high school classes, yet we feel it's essential for them to hopscotch into "college." If your aim is to be a doctor, lawyer or other such thing, understandable. For so many others, maybe not so much. 

The foolish behavior of college has true dangers. Were there kids around the goalpost here who had consumed alcohol? Or in Tennessee after their football win over Alabama? Who cares who wins a stupid football game? 

Let's see what the Guardian article has to say about the four Idaho victims' behavior prior to the horrific event. Let's start here: "Mogen and Goncalves were at a downtown bar called the Corner Club between 10 p.m. and 1:30 a.m." Get the drift? The two then drifted to that notorious late-night food truck. What's the old saying about "nothing good happens after (fill in late-night time)?" 

Again from the article: "During the same time frame, Chapin and Kernodle were at a party at Sigma Chi, a fraternity house on the University of Idaho campus, until approximately 1:45 a.m." 

We can all easily see college students behaving as such. But is it time to really clamp down on such distractions, such pointless behavior? Is it time to reconstruct the proper life for young people between the ages of 18 and 22? Could those young people just join the rest of us and not be bored doing so? What would it take? 

Our culture can in fact change. Look what MADD did to turn the screws on impaired driving. 

I have a vision of college life in the future. I see campuses that are wholly utilitarian. A collection of buildings with classrooms, dormitories with rules and quiet hours that are truly enforced. No need for superfluous amenities, my favorite example to cite being the "climbing walls." 

Let's try to kill "college football game day" as a time for rambunctious behavior. Let's kill the notion of alcohol consumption being expected. Screw the face or body painting, and for sure screw "taking down the goalposts." Are these expectations of mine so extreme? Are they not in fact doable? 

One more thing in today's thoughts: I am modifying what I wrote yesterday (Wednesday) in connection to the Idaho murders. I wrote extensively yesterday, posting on both my blog sites, before I had taken enough time to really settle on a primary conclusion. I feel that I in fact missed the primary conclusion. 

With each passing day in which there are no suspects, we should conclude that these were skilled killers. Had to be. A foolish kid who just felt jealousy or whatever would have been caught by now. With each passing day, the very future of the college in Moscow is in jeopardy. Parents will want to pull their kids from the community. Let the chips fall where they may, but the kids will just have to leave. So authorities must in fact be feeling suffocating pressure. And they can't really come up with anything? 

So today I'll just share my revised thought, a very simple one, and that is that it was a "drug kill." Maybe one or more of the kids got involved in the underground illicit drug business. Remember the famous scene in the movie "Pulp Fiction?" Too unpleasant for me to describe. 

And maybe my new theory is too unpleasant for many of the high-profile commentators we are hearing from now. And yet we all need to share our honest observations. Is it possible that any of the girls was a "sugar baby" for someone? Why would the kids gravitate to such behavior? The answer is simple: money. College is hugely expensive today. Kids would consider many options to try to avoid suffocating debt for the rest of their lives. 

So, maybe that's the problem we really have to clamp down on.

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

"True crime" gets back into cable news

Idaho town of tragedy (kxly image)

The whopper of a "true crime" story out of Idaho is having an interesting effect. So sensational is this story, so compelling with its mystery, it has penetrated an element of the news media that has been obsessed with something else. That "something else" has been partisan political conflict. The conflict has gone so much further than what would be considered reasonable. 

Politics is always important. We ought to have policy-based discussion and this should be done on a civilized basis. But then you know what happened. The Trump obsession was born. It grew. 

Reasonable people among us thought at certain points that the phenomenon had "crossed a line." Rational thought would have told us to discard this flim-flam man. 

There were not enough reasonable people among us. The fever did not break. Remember that in our still-new Internet age, competition for eyeballs, for attention, is, well, staggering. So you must realize that people who wish to get in front of the public will find their grist accordingly. You might say Trump became a magnet. And he knew it all along. 

Sad to say, our society has been mostly like lemmings in dealing with this. You might say we have acquiesced. Or we have allowed ourselves to be played like a fiddle by Trump and his circle of sycophants. Remember that there are many people out there who simply want to be close to power. If Trump continues to be seen as a viable political presence, within reach of the most powerful office in the world, believe me he'll be surrounded by enthused enablers. 

It does not matter that some of his earlier sycophants finally were gripped by reason and conscience - not enough of them, certainly. Jeff Sessions was a key early supporter of Trump from within D.C.'s power structure. Sessions exercised his conscience and "recused" himself, remember? And what happened to him? Absolutely crushed underfoot by Trump. He was insulted on personal terms by Trump. 

In the old days a preponderance of the public would at least be aroused to think such behavior was unbecoming of a national leader. We had our basic civil impulses. The "kooks" could be off in their corner. Since 2017 when Trump assumed office, it's like this sea change has occurred. I have become uncomfortable even talking with some of my "conservative" friends about this. They will concede there might be some personal issues with Trump. But "the fever has not broken" with them yet. 

Most damaging of all, they have been sort of hypnotized into thinking that compromise is unacceptable. They are led around by Trump's talk about "RINO" Republicans, i.e. Republicans who are capable of having mutual respect with Democrats and working with them occasionally on key issues. I know Arnold Schwarzenegger has been very concerned about this aspect of what's going on. 

There's a headline on "Mediaite" this morning: "Trump attacks 'weak RINO Bill Barr' in brutal rant." 

If anything, Barr while serving under Trump bent over backwards on behalf of MAGA interests. Remember how he wasn't sure what the word "suggest" meant? Hell, I think the questioner Kamala Harris should have called a recess and then come back to spend the rest of the day focused on the definition of "suggest," complete with overhead displays from various dictionaries. 

Trump is an amoral menace to America who looks around to blame others for anything that might seem to be wrong. And yet a person of this character continues to hover over us like a dark cloud. It just doesn't go away. I don't dare even assume that the fever might be breaking. It has been easy to hope for that in the past. Is there just a glimmer of hope that it might be happening now? 

Don't bet on it, though it's nice to hope the glass can be half-full. 

Yesterday I had occasion to check a discussion on the Fox News show "The 5." Why would I come upon this? I don't have TV these days but I consume cable news from YouTube. The algorithm suggested a snippet from "The 5" because the discussion focused on the Idaho murder topic. I had been searching for background on this. 

There was a time when "true crime" was an important part of cable news. Think Natalee Holloway. The Holloway story was another step forward in Greta Van Susteren's career. She got well-known from the O.J. Simpson true crime mega-story. Greta has been on an up-and-down path but she's settled in with Newsmax now. And let's emphasize that she is a break from the standard fare of Newsmax which is MAGA-heavy. It's like Newsmax decided to have a little break in the day, probably at a slow time for getting viewers, 5 p.m. our time. 

Greta was actually willing to be confrontational with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin after Youngkin's distasteful joke after the Pelosi assault incident. Greta tried unsuccessfully to get Youngkin to apologize. However, the interview might have upped the pressure on the governor to do so, because within days we learned that Youngkin sent a handwritten apology to Nancy Pelosi. Youngkin got shaken up after he realized the MAGA-heavy influence on him had gotten too heavy. 

In war the combatants "de-humanize" the enemy - makes it easier to kill them. Trump has led his political party down a path of thinking much the same way. It is hard getting some people woken up from this. But it can happen, grudgingly, to make people take a new look at their leader who has talked about "grabbing women by the pussy" and who has paid off porn stars/Playboy models to try to keep them quiet after trysts. (They bring him to orgasm I'm sure.) 

My "conservative" friends would mostly just laugh at me as I seek to point these things out. The fever isn't breaking all that much. But are there signs? 

 

Jeanine Pirro (twitter)

Snapping out of it

So I watched a little discussion on the Fox News program "The 5" because there was a segment about the Moscow, Idaho, murders. I was absolutely astonished. Although, I should not have been surprised. 

There was Jeanine Pirro of all people, talking like the astute legal mind that she assuredly is. She'd have to be, unless "the bottle" has taken over her life. 

It's as if the panelists on this show had "snapped" away from their cult devotion (with MAGA) and could speak like reasonable human beings. There they were dissecting a true crime story on perfectly reasonable terms. What a sigh of relief I could have issued. These people can be agreeable and rational, even "Judge Jeanine," whose extremism with Trump has been such, she has been parodied on "Saturday Night Live." 

Of course she's an intelligent person. Now I just hope she can stay that way. What about Rudy Giuliani?

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

Remember the "wit and wisdom" books?

Sonny Liston

Sometimes I bring my Lutheran magazine to the diner with me. I dine alone so I feel it's good to have something to occupy my attention while I'm waiting for my order. The October issue was the newest one I could locate. Oh, here's an item about suggested reading: "The Wit of Martin Luther." 

Instantly I remembered a Mad Magazine satirical item from my youth. At the time of the satire, the "wit and wisdom" theme for biographies had probably been a little overdone. "The Wit and Wisdom of. . ." 

Whenever something became a little, well, hackneyed, that's where Mad Magazine could enter the picture. It was the magazine for the indulged baby boom generation that decided to poke fun at the many symbols of affluence and comfort that our parents had given us. 

Mad's parody of the "wit/wisdom" theme had inappropriate choices. "Funny Sonny," a book about the wit of Sonny Liston the boxer. "Wit and wisdom" was in the subtitle. In reality this fellow was a bad dude - not just a matter of image. Howard Cosell talked about that, referring to the boxer as a "bad apple." 

Did Liston throw his famous fight with Cassius Clay? I remember as that fight approached, it was a major topic on the school bus I rode. I'm sure you know that Clay later became Muhammad Ali. 

Clay/Ali of course won. Liston? The Mad Magazine piece showed Liston with his handler standing a few feet away from one of the boxer's defeated opponents, a guy who looked all beat up but was smiling, because of course, Liston projected his wit. 

Another subject for the faux biography was Robert Shelton, Imperial Wizard of the KKK. And so the book title referred to his "discriminating" humor! You get the idea. 

Many years have passed, so maybe "wit and wisdom" has lost its cliche-ish effect. It's fresh again? So maybe it is, and now we see the little puff piece for the book by the late scholar Eric W. Gritsch: "The Wit of Martin Luther." It grabbed my attention. That's because a part of me has felt uncomfortable with the "Lutherans" term for a rather long time. 

There are several Lutheran churches in and around Morris. Don't young people get a little alienated seeing such divisions within a faith that ought to be bonding? I mean, divisions within the Lutheran Church itself? 

Martin Luther lived in such long-ago times, maybe we should depart from giving so much attention to him. He dealt with issues we cannot relate to now. The whole context of life was different then. Throw off the shackles of the Catholic Church? Maybe that was a good idea at the time. But if we are to equate tyranny with the Catholic Church, how do we reconcile this with the continued existence of both Catholic and Lutheran churches in our communities? 

Are Lutherans supposed to resent Catholics? I doubt that young people would want to think a whole lot about that. It's an incentive, perhaps, for joining the ranks of the "nones." Those are the people with no religious association. Maybe they have reached some spiritual conclusions in their own minds. Way to go. It's the "organized" thing that becomes contentious. And religion is a place where one ought to find solitude. If not, what then is the point? 

I would like not to see another picture of Martin Luther in his brown robe the rest of my life. His anti-semitism was so intense, his language contributed to the holocaust of the mid-20th century. 

I have been around. I have in fact been around the world. I attended college. I have never seen, nor have I ever had it explained to me, why I should hate Jewish people. Oh, maybe they "stick with each other" too much? That's a trait that might be shown by many groups within the population. 

Jews have a trait of valuing education, then they work hard to advance themselves. And this is a sin in America? Don't the local Apostolics believe in hard work to advance themselves? And yes, to be rewarded financially - a goal that is pretty universal, isn't it? 

My mother told me Jews were a "pure" race and this contributed to their intelligence. And they are to be faulted for that?

My late first cousin Paul converted to Judaism near the end of his life. He had a Jewish funeral. It made me reflect on these matters more. Nothing would please me more than to get in a conversation with some "Jewish intellectuals" and hold my own! 

I'm quite sure it was Jewish intellectuals who were the bedrock for Mad Magazine. Jews are masters of parody humor. They have a way of interpreting things that is incisive, to the extent it can bother non-intellectuals. 

That type of resentment was crystallized in a taped conversation between Billy Graham and Richard Nixon. I don't see why these two and their whole ilk should have been distressed by Jewish creators having out-sized influence in our popular entertainment culture. My generation when young ate up so much of that fare, thought it was great. So I am effusive complimenting the minds behind that. Kids were sharper than their elders in "seeing through" everything, of understanding the parody or subtle suggestions. We were the ones who consumed Mad Magazine (with our parents' money of course). 

Even the cartoon "Bullwinkle" reflected the Jewish intellectuals' perceptiveness. Oh yes it did. "Bullwinkle is a dope," remember? So until I am shown otherwise, I will be admiring of the Jewish people as a whole. Enough to become like my cousin Paul? Probably not. I'd be more likely to join the "nones." 

Sticking with the "Lutheran" tag? You might say I do so "under protest." The Internet allows us to easily research Luther's anti-semitism. Years ago I heard vague comments about this. Then, after having a Martin Luther "impersonator" appear at my church one Sunday (complete with the damn brown robe and funny hat), I realized I might tap the world wide web to get some clarity. I had no idea about the horrors that awaited me. 

I checked further and found that Lutheran scholars of today try to dismiss this as Martin Luther getting "old and grouchy." I find that a total reach. 

As a logistical matter, it would be tough to erase the "Lutheran" name from a whole major denomination of Christianity. Think of the letterheads that would have to be changed and all that stuff. 

When you consider how "liberal" the ELCA has become, there's a chance that a prominent conservative politician or two could give a major address laying bare the severity of Luther's anti-semitism. Donald Trump is the one who brags about how "good he was to Israel." If anything, I side with the Palestinians. 

Trump is back to where he was at the start of the 2016 campaign. He is now being rejected by so many conservatives, just like he was then. But here's the deal: once his name starts appearing on GOP primary ballots, who is going to beat him? Give me a name. Of course Trump would win. And how in hell is America going to extricate itself from this endless nightmare?

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

Jaguars of volleyball finish fourth in state

The BBE Jaguars were up against Mabel-Canton Saturday in the match to determine third in state Class A. The state's best in volleyball were showcased at the place they call "the X." That's Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. 

What a long and exciting road the Jaguars were down. They valiantly battled Mabel-Canton in the season's final match for the squads. The match stretched to the maximum five games. The Jags just could not eke out Game 5. So BBE can relish being Class A's fourth best team, still a thrill to achieve. Mabel-Canton achieved its 36th win of the season. BBE finishes with a 26-8 record. 

The Cougars of Mabel-Canton were "pushed to the limit," stated the Post Bulletin website article. (No paywall.) Here's a review of the scores with BBE numbers first: 20-25, 25-16, 26-24, 25-27 and 11-15. You can imagine how long this match lasted. BBE was seeded No. 5, M-C No. 3. 

M-C presented some very effective young talent. Consider the sophomore setter, all-stater Sahara Morken. Morken's proficiency was with 49 assists, 13 digs, five ace serves. Then there's the freshman middle hitter, Kinley Soiney, who achieved 28 kills, two digs and two blocks. 

The coach of the M-C Cougars is Lonnie Morken who's been at it a long time. Getting the Jaguars fired-up was coach Alanna Hunter. Mabel-Canton might be more of a juggernaut next season, as only two seniors are departing, and there were no juniors this year! 

The five-game marathon affair saw the Jaguars produce lots of impressive stats. Harley Roering performed 26 digs. Brooklyn Fischer pounded 13 kills and complemented that with 22 digs. Adley Hagen came on strong with 11 kills and 22 digs. Then we see Abby Berge with nine kills, 28 digs. Allison Dingmann came through with four kills and two digs. 

Ava Mueller was a force with 25 kills and 26 digs. A five-game match is a stamina test for the setter, so we see Kylie Weller respond with 54 assists and 26 digs. 

Let's acknowledge the players who produced the winning chemistry for the Cougars. The setter was Sahara Morken with 49 assists, 13 digs and five ace serves. That's a neat name, "Sahara." Makenzie Kelly dug up the ball 13 times. Kailey Ingvalson had seven kills, 13 digs and two aces. Sophie Morken produced six kills and 21 digs. Lydia Vatland added two digs to the mix. 

Saijal Slafter's impact was with 12 kills, seven digs and two aces. Then we see Hope Erickson with eight digs and one block. Kinley Soiney had 28 kills, two digs and two blocks. 

So many rich memories tucked away for the fans of both teams. M-C's previous state appearance was in 2001. Based on the underclassmen, surely they'll make a strong bid to return next year and henceforth. BBE has a long history of volleyball excellence going back to the mid-'80s when Belgrade made state on its own. 

It's crazy to remember this, but I remember writing an article on BBE long ago in which I erred by referring to the school as "B-E-B." Name must have been new at the time. I suppose the error is stupid but sportswriters have to process so much data all the time. Often as you're typing along, you'll pull a fact or two from your memory bank. Not infallible, to be sure. You have to give us guys a break. 

Randy Olson is the indefatigable newspaper sports guy on behalf of the Jaguars. He goes well beyond the newspaper realm now. He is quite into the new media, does not feel threatened by it at all. His attitude contrasts with the Morris newspaper management: website here appears to be token, vestigial, whatever. That's a shame. 

Randy shoots video and has even done video podcasts. I'd like to see the vaunted MAHS "YouTube geniuses" get into video podcasting. Have a "news anchor" sit there for sports. C'mon guys. The new media forges ahead and waits for no one. 

I have personally enjoyed writing about BBE volleyball the last couple weeks. I suppose my friendship with Randy was a factor. Hopefully, at least a handful of BBE-oriented folks have discovered one or two of my posts, or all of them! If not, I at least put them out there. It is in my DNA to do this. 

The state tournament gets to be a frenetic experience for all, including the media folks. My current experience brought back memories from when I was in the corporate media. So I shared on this in an email with a friend yesterday. Here it is:

 

Writing about a team that gets high in state tournament makes me stressed and nervous, and there is no logical reason for that, because as a blogger absolutely nothing is expected of me. These teams play game after game, day after day sometimes, and as a writer I get this panicky feeling that nothing I do is good enough to satisfy the core of parents and other fans. I give 100 percent but I feel uncomfortable. I blog about the BBE volleyball team, and they just finished fourth in state. You give 100 percent to write a particular piece, and then they play again the very next day. The fans become like a pack of hyenas. I have a theory that the parents expect the media to fill an emotional need that the media cannot fill. I have long asserted this.

Economists are saying that the public will start panicking about inflation in January and February. So, Trump is announcing for president on Tuesday.

- BW

 

Ava Mueller was named to the Wells Fargo All-Tournament team. "This is a terrific honor for the senior who is signed with Jamestown College in North Dakota," Randy writes.

(image from facebook)

Again, a hearty congratulations to the BBE student-athletes. I told Randy in an email that "I will never forget this team."

From Randy's blog about the Saturday match:

 

This match started at 12:38 p.m. and by the time the fourth set was complete it was 2:28 p.m.

A tough start in game five was difficult for the Jaguars to overcome. After falling behind by scores of 4-1 and 6-2, the Jaguars scored two straight to make it a two-point game. Later trailing 11-5, the Jaguars again rallied with a streak of two straight points and then three straight points to narrow it to a 13-10 deficit. The Cougars then closed out the win by earning 2 of the next 3 points scored. Final: #5 Mabel-Canton 15, #11 B-B-E 11. The match lasted a full 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Quite the high-achieving group

 

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

BBE falters in semis, now plays for third

Wow! It isn't long before the BBE Jaguars play again. Maybe I'll get this post up before the first serve is delivered. The starting time today (Saturday) is 12:30 at Xcel Energy, St. Paul. The Jags will be playing for third place in state. On the other side of the net: Mabel-Canton from Section 1A. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa is 6A. 

What an exciting road coach Alanna Hunter's team has been down. Getting to this level demands a lot of the fans. After today the BBE fans finally can get caught up on their rest. I can well remember how a high-climbing prep team can derail your normal routine. I worked in the media. We all love the "rush," of course. 

The Jags won in the state quarter-finals before being turned back in the semis by Minneota.

 

The quarters success

My coverage of BBE's quarter-final success, 3-1 over Badger/Greenbush-Middle River, is on my "Morris of Course" companion blog. Here is the link:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/11/bbe-rolls-along-wins-in-state-quarter.html 

 

The Jags most certainly had their competitive moments in the semis but they were swept by the Vikings. 

Hey! The West Central Tribune has the paywall down for its sports website! It seems to come and go. Any theories regarding this inconsistency? We assume they try to extract as much $ from people as possible - it's the Forum. 

Maybe they sense a PR issue at times. Let me explain: teams in state draw interest from players' extended families who live all over. So a player's grandma who lives elsewhere in Minnesota is excited about the team and tries to look up coverage - the West Central Tribune might be a first stop. But wait! There's a paywall! 

Grandma would not be interested in paying to read stuff from the WCT on a general basis. Why should she? It's a transitory interest: following this team that includes her family. So it would seem "rude" to have the paywall panel pop up on the screen, preventing entry. When we get back into the routine of a regular season, most likely the paywall will be up again. Unless maybe the people who run the place decide it's just too rude to have it up at all. 

We can understand paying for the print version of the WCT product - the company obviously has overhead costs for printing and distribution. The website is a completely different beast. The schools themselves need not feel obligated to continue any sort of special relationship with the WCT or any other paper. Web-based options can be considered widely. 

When I left the Morris Sun Tribune newspaper, management was buzzing about how we'd start shooting videos. Special, eh? Seemed like it might be at the time. They actually followed through some after I left. Eventually, guess what happened? The novelty of video on the paper's website disappeared, as other avenues for the public opened up. For example? The "YouTube geniuses" of Morris Area High School. Those kids are not tied to the newspaper at all. 

The newspaper is a legacy business, a dinosaur, which in past times felt so empowered and entitled. And that made sense because the paper had access to the printing plant. It was really a monopoly. Everyone was forced to respect what the newspaper did. That model recedes ever so continuously into the past. 

For the time being we can still find sports info on the West Central Tribune website. MACA was taken out of their official coverage territory last year. But it's still possible to find some MACA coverage there. The big annoyance now is the paywall. It just cuts down the number of people who can access background info on the games. 

Schools should try to encourage as much interest and consumption as possible. The YouTube geniuses have developed such an enthused following. Congrats.

Minneota 3, BBE 0

BBE is the home team for the purpose of this blog post. So it hurts a little to report on a sweep loss. The Jaguars are in the truly rarefied air of state play. Nothing comes easy, not even for Minneota, the 3-0 victor. It was not a rout from beginning to end, anything but. Here are the scores with the BBE numbers first: 21-25, 20-25 and 13-25. 

Minneota had to rally in order to put Game 1 in the win column. Then in Game 2, the fifth-seeded Jags were up 20-16 at one point. Hayley Fruin, Vikings coach, called a timeout and sought to size things up. She implored her athletes to come together as a team more. Whether this was the key - who knows? - the Vikings reeled off the last nine points of the game. The momentum had staying power. So Minneota went on to capture the third game 25-13. 

So Minneota is on to the state finals where the foe will be Mayer Lutheran, 2:30 p.m. today (Saturday). 

BBE's coach Hunter felt her team might have lost some focus. I dunno: at this level, any team can get on a roll at any time. They all have major attributes. Take a look at Minneota's record now: 33-3. Talk about attributes! The Vikings were No. 2 in state last year. We're talking Class A. 

BBE enters the third place match with a record of 26-7. 

Ava Mueller led BBE in kills in the Minneota match: 11. She was followed by: Brooklyn Fischer 6, Abby Berge 6, Adley Hagen 5, Allison Dingmann 4 and Kacey Fischer 2. In serve aces, Fischer and Mueller each had two, and Harley Roering and Berge each had one. Blocking contributors were Fischer, Berge, Dingmann and Mueller. 

Kylie Weller was go-to in setting like always: 30 assists on this day. Fischer and Mueller each added one. Roering and Weller had 14 and 13 digs respectively. Mueller dug up the ball six times, Fischer five. 

Minneota's kill leader was Ella Johnson with eleven. Four Vikings each had a serving ace: Lyzah Sussner, Ireland Stassen, Dakota Hennen and Grace Hennen. Stassen put up 24 set assists. In blocking, we see Megan Krog, Emma Brattelberghe, Naveah Hennen, Johnson and Kenado Arndt with impact. Susssner led in digs with 19. 

None of the fans ever forgets these experiences. Neither will I!

 Congratulations to the 2022 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa "Jaguars" volleyball team.

 

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

I congratulate Kevin Wohlers

Kevin Wohlers (kmrs-kkok)

A change at the city level: Kevin Wohlers coming on as mayor. I have known his family for a long time. I believe he graduated from Morris High School when the "baby boom" was fading. Yours truly was rather at the height of it. We got the "privilege" of being able to consume alcohol at age 18. Society a little off-kilter, yes. Kevin graduated at the height of "disco times" in the U.S. 

Here I share the congrats email I sent to Kevin this morning (Thursday). So gloomy outside. Had expected some snow today. Enjoyed the church supper at Faith Lutheran last night.

 

Hello Kevin - Well, congrats on success from election.

I personally have soured on the city since the episode with the water treatment plant opening, so I'll be honest and say I only vote for non-incumbents. Nothing personal. I'm having a Christmas song put on YouTube soon and I'll send link to your mom. This might be last year for me doing this, because the novelty of online music has worn off.

Do you think the Morris paper is a little thin this week? And they're charging two bucks for it at the store. I looked at it at the library last night. The Morris paper seems to be a little careless and sloppy sometimes. Page 2 often includes marginal stuff that should be deeper in paper. The paper's website appears to be essentially dead. I often check the kmrs website but I now ignore the paper's site, except to check now and then to see if it's still "dead." Remember, the Forum was going to close the Morris paper. When you buy a subscription, you are "stuck" and it doesn't matter how much the paper might shrink in the next year. The newspaper business lawyers have this all figured out. Someone tried a "test" lawsuit a few years ago, after he'd sent in subscription $ and then the paper announced huge layoffs. No one expected the lawsuit to succeed, but it was viewed as "a shot across the bow." In other words, "we're paying attention."

I know you'll say the city was wise to act on the water plant when it did. But I think city was in a quandary as to what to tell people like me. I went to city hall, the person at the desk showed me to Blaine's office, and Blaine advised me "two members of the city council have disconnected their softeners." But I wasn't sure what guidance this was really supposed to provide. The paper had its notorious front page article and essentially told us we don't need softeners any more. "You are wasting money on salt." Really? If we don't need salt, we can't use softeners. But I don't think it was that simple. If the city was just trying to make the state happy, I loudly object, because your first obligation should be to city residents. Blaine himself told me he was keeping his softener but only because he was "offered a trade-in." You don't suppose that was a sweetheart deal, do you? I was not offered a trade-in. If you don't need a softener, you shouldn't have to concern yourself with a trade-in anyway.

OK, now we have the more current matter of Ms. Bezanson. Shall I assume you are aware that ADA crusaders can create absolute hell for a community? No one objects to accessibility as a basic principle. But then the law gets written a certain way, you know. I even remember the last name of one of these crusaders: Ketroser. Big article in Star Tribune once. My current post on my "Morris of Course" blog suggests that maybe we should all go back to accepting "porta-potties." Seriously. I write that any system that uses water is subject to breakdowns. So now we have restrooms at the softball complex: more risk. No one likes porta-potties but we don't need them that often, do we? You know, the perfect is the enemy of the good.

Blaine Hill (kmrs-kkok)

Blaine sounded exasperated responding to Ms. Bezanson. He broke down and said "the state doesn't expect us to drop everything (and spend a ton of money)." Lost his cool? That can happen when you are dealing with ADA advocates.

When the city passed its water softener law, I bet the idea was to just let the public know there are "standards." But I don't think this is the way the law is meant to work. If I complain about required seat belt use, people will retort "it's the law!" See what I mean? I do not think a judge in a court of law would think it reasonable for the water softener law to be enforced without a proper grace period. It's a pretty big deal to make a decision about your softener. I spent $1500. But I really got stung by the "derecho." I'm wondering if the government at some level should have helped out more with that. My homeowners insurance does not cover trees. I had two big evergreens blow over in front yard. Lots of work to be done after that, including grass re-seeding and watering etc. I guess we all need a rainy day fund.

Well, good luck. You can't fight city hall sometimes.

- Brian Williams

 

More on city, ADA

Below is the link to my current "Morris of Course" post that addresses the recent issue of facilities/repair. At focus here: the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2022/11/maybe-we-should-pine-for-porta-potties.html 

 

Our political direction, the economy, markets

Did the mid-term election seem a little anticlimactic to you? Does it make you realize that Donald Trump created much ado about nothing with his election protests? That everything is actually fine with U.S. democracy, if we work to keep protecting it? Do you feel a little embarrassed by how much attention you may have paid to Trump's complaints? Below is an email I sent this morning to an old journalism associate, our own Jim Morrison. I start out on the economy and markets, then meander as is my wont.

Jim - What did I tell you a while back? If we were to get slightly better-than-expected inflation, the market would take off like a rocket. That's exactly what appears to have happened this morning. So it's a 7.7 percent figure now? So this is "good" news on inflation? Well like you said, as far as the market is concerned, "any news is good," or "good news is good news and bad news is good news." Will this continue all the way to the end of my mortal life? After I grew up being lectured on how the stock market is a risky place? Looks like Dow could be at 40,000 soon. Jason Lina was perturbed by all this talk about "points" in the market. Frankly, I think the rank and file people on the street are getting scared about rising prices. The "boiling frog" as it were.

So DFL is in control of state government? But it's so totally hopeless for DFL out here in the hinterlands. So hopeless, we may no longer even see DFL challengers, really. Remember the days of Chuck Brown? And of course Collin Peterson, who got absolutely torpedoed because he posed side-by-side with Nancy Pelosi for a photo?

Will UMM continue to get state's blessing if it just fulfills a nice little mission with 1000 students? Or if it just serves the Native Americans, even if they don't pay tuition? Remember the Indians in "Texas Across the River?"

Isn't the new Morris paper a little thin? Am I missing something? Was there a special section or something? I didn't see one at the library. I glanced at Canary and didn't see any of the old-fashioned car dealer display ads. I think car dealers have figured out they don't need print at all. I think the Morris paper is a little lazy and careless. And they only have one issue to put out each week. Their website is dead. Sue Dieter was going nuts talking about how we'd be so dynamic with the website, felt I'd work myself into an early grave. Life is strange.

I put up two blog posts on the BBE volleyball team last weekend that are probably better than anything else in the media about that team. So I can "still do it."

- BW