Entranced by Iowa Hawkeyes

Gabbie Marshall

Is there a positive distraction on this Easter weekend of 2024? Something that would blot out the endless stream of news/commentary on the Donald Trump legal matters? But Trump has thrust himself into our religious matters as well. Can we get some relief? 

Our best hope for relief may come from college women's basketball. I don't think anyone associated with Iowa women's basketball has made a foray into politics with comments. Iowa women's basketball? Who could have foreseen that this would become such a magnet for national attention? Only in America? Where freedom always encourages the best to rise to the surface? 

I wonder how the Iowa men's team feels about this. I couldn't tell you how the Hawkeye men did this season. I looked up how the U of Minnesota women did but I only did that because of my interest in the Iowa women. 

I was able to find livestream of the Iowa women's game yesterday (Saturday). Yes, the Saturday of Easter weekend, when the Hawkeyes took to the court to play Colorado. Could they give us their particular magic again? Such a sensitive thing, to try to make those long 3-pointers. Imagine being under pressure to make such shots. And could the Iowa women sustain their incredible talents while being in focus for such growing nationwide attention? 

Could they keep their cool, their humility and just take care of business again? Their uniforms look so terrific with just the four letters on the front: "Iowa." And how dramatic, when one considers that this is a pretty obscure state in our union. We have heard of Iowa natives breaking into the big-time before. But not actual Iowa teams so much. Alas, no big league teams in the corn state, at all. 

Culturally it is an extension of our Minnesota, wouldn't you say? I guess it does not have the economic "juice" to support big-time teams. U of Iowa being in the Big 10 isn't bad of course. They have had some football teams come through pretty well. But starting last year, my what an emergence by an unlikely athletic program: women's basketball. 

Surely you'd concede that the women have historically been second-fiddle to the men. To say otherwise would have been an attempt to just be polite. I have done that myself, as someone who was skeptical way back when the 3-point line was created, about whether girls and women could even make the shot. I am being honest by confessing. 

My eyes were opened as I saw our UMM women begin to make those shots. And then of course the high school girls showed they were up to the task too. 

I was a junior in high school when interscholastic girls basketball got started. How amazing to think back to when such things were not offered to girls. Just think of the girls who would have had potential for major impact: How did they develop instead? 

Look at the sheer fame of the Iowa women's players now. Doesn't it almost make you want to cry with joy? And so Caitlin Clark leads the way of course. We might expect one primary catalyst for this and it's Caitlin. But now I'm getting familiar with other members of the roster. I have become rather a Kate Martin fan. 

Kate Martin

There is no sense of "novelty" left in girls/women's sports. Those days are over. The Iowa women carry themselves in press conferences and interviews as well as any men. So mature and steady. And the challenge grows for them as their fame gets magnified. I'm sure there is a circle of people around them advising them on dealing with fame. The players I'm sure have gotten the sound advice on how so many interests, some unscrupulous, are going to descend on them. 

The players are holding up 100 percent up to now. They need to be advised that no matter what doors of opportunity are going to open up for them, "it doesn't get any better than this." 

We hope no internal jealousies start developing. Jealousy of Caitlin Clark? One might think there's potential for that, the potential for a teammate like Gabbie Marshall to maybe think "I can make 3's just as good as Caitlin." 

Well, Gabbie was quite proficient Saturday when the Hawkeyes got past Colorado 89-68 in the Sweet 16. The team has to know that Clark has been the undisputed "money player" when a last-second success is needed. So please Hawkeyes, continue to be the cohesive unit that you've been. The party will end soon. Maybe it will be as national champion but I think that will be a tough mountain to climb. They've done enough up until bow. If only we could put it in a bottle. 

But the end will arrive and then we'll have video highlights. 

Iowa women's basketball? Who would have thunk it? This team absolutely, totally obliterated our U of Minnesota Gophers this past season. Iowa over Minnesota? Well of course it can happen. We are the state of the Minnesota Twins. Iowa? Well, their Hawkeyes are tops on the marquee now. 

And on Easter weekend of 2024, as Donald Trump hawks his Bible and compares himself to Jesus, it appears the Hawkeyes are "America's team." Only in America? I guess so. 

God bless and I am invoking the God of Abraham, not the God of Donald Trump. 

 

Hmmm. . .

I had an interesting thought last night: look for a senior on the Iowa roster, someone set to complete her studies soon, and get that person to come to Morris to coach our MACA girls basketball team! The Tigers failed to win a game in the post-season tournament. I thought we had more talent than that. 

That kind of comment has gotten me in trouble through the years. We in Morris are not supposed to make judgments on wins and losses. But I guess I do. Seems to me the whole nature of sports is to acknowledge the winners. 

The Iowa women will play LSU next on Monday. The end could well come. There were times in the Hawkeyes' first three games when they looked beatable. But they have summoned what it takes. 

Hail to the 2023-24 Iowa women's basketball team, the "Hawkeyes." They've helped me forget to a certain extent anyway the nightmare of the Trump continued popularity, his potential still to become an autocratic leader. I won't use the word "dictator" because some people might think I'm being drastic. 

I wonder if there are any suckers in our Stevens County for buying the "Trump Bible." Could well be.

 

Faith Lutheran Church, Morris

Addendum: Just got home from Easter morning doings, attending the wonderful 7 a.m. service at Faith Lutheran, having breakfast there and later going to the DeToy's buffet. 

I heard some talk there was a buffet somewhere this morning that cost $55. Very discouraging to hear that. Such prices, I fear, might stoke some class divisions or consciousness locally. Up to now we've been pretty passive with this. 

We always acknowledge of course that there are haves and have-nots. A given part of life in America, n'est-ce pas? 

I don't exactly have holes in my shoes but I wouldn't pay $55 for a buffet. Many people would consider it simply out of their reach. We read about food inflation being so bad. Hearing about a local $55 buffet ought to make worse our fears about what might be coming. 

I am so happy for Faith Lutheran Church now. Their minister Emmy is a real gem, hope she can stay here a long time. First Lutheran is totally adrift by comparison. That hits me hard: my parents began taking me to services at First Lutheran in 1960. So now I'm at the church "on the other side of the tracks." Well, that would seem to mean nothing.

 

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

Perusing Morris newspaper at library

March going out like lion?

(Some people pronounce it "libery" instead of "library.")

 

Man, 20 degrees in late March is more piercing, more uncomfortable than subzero in mid-winter, I swear. Also, I look to my back yard on Northridge Drive and see about as much snow as I would expect in a normal winter. The conclusion: weather in Minnesota has its irregularities. But you know that. 

I kept my substantial winter outerwear on for walking downtown yesterday (Wednesday). The best place to acquire such outerwear, I have found, is the hunting department of big box stores. I even have some "camo" which has become a "cool" thing. Actually there is "real" camo and "cool" camo. 

So in the process of making my rounds yesterday, I stopped in at our public library, always a pleasure. We are fortunate in Morris having escaped the controversy that has come to public libraries in certain states of our nation. Of course this involves cultural flashpoint issues. Libraries in certain places face the storm cloud of actual closure. Well, these are publicly-supported places, I mean with tax dollars - a quite wise expenditure - and one of our two major political parties in America tries to cast skepticism on all such institutions. 

These people are probably regretting how they made anti-abortion such a big part of their agenda. If they do not regret that, this nation is in for more big problems. 

I always take a look at the Morris newspaper when at the library. Of course the Morris paper came out twice a week in all the years I was involved there. This county also had a Hancock paper which I was closely involved with for about 15 years. 

I noticed a couple weeks ago at the library that someone had walked off with part of the 'B' section. The 'B' section includes sports. So I mentioned to the librarian that maybe a kid had his name in there and wanted a souvenir. The librarian immediately responded "I never see kids with the newspapers." Very interesting. Change of habits with time. 

I find these days when I want to look at papers at the library, I almost never have to compete with anyone else, to wait for someone to put a copy back. Certainly we see news articles regularly about the "decline of print." It's a very real thing but as with so much change, it gets dragged out so we are less likely to notice it as much. It's the "boiling frog" thing. 

Yesterday I did find the Morris paper (fishwrap) to be intact. Man, if you still look at the Morris paper, does it distress you to see such a space-consuming "district court news?" Man, I told a friend it's enough to make me not want to step outside my house. Are there really so many local citizens who are neglectful of the law? 

My fear in leaving the house might actually be based on my sense of over-aggressive law enforcement. Might these people swoop down on you at any time? And if you get a citation of any kind, good luck if you want to be like Donald Trump and "appeal/delay" until hell won't have it. File motions and appeals. 

We awaken each morning to a whole new batch of headlines about the Trump legal misadventures/embarrassments. Hell's bells, Trump's voice is on tape in the George matter. But you know how it is, how rich and influential people can get lawyers with their suits and ties to try to shoot down anything. Win by delay, win by obfuscation. The "little man" can't do that. 

My, all the seat belt infractions. People my age can have a tough time with this, as we spent most of our adult lives with seat belt use voluntary. Were Americans so much more stupid then, not to impose a stiff requirement? Culture and norms shift. We did not see basic misogyny as a cardinal sin and we permitted smoking just about anywhere. 

All cultural changes take time to become the norm. Again, the 'boiling frog." I just happen to be the type of person who thinks it's good to remember. 

If you really want to see a time capsule type of video, call up scenes on YouTube from the movie "All the President's Men." Land line phones, people answering their phones just automatically. Telemarketing hadn't come at us yet. People were so willing to talk to a newspaper reporter. Reporters commanded respect and even a little awe. Man, to have the power to type paragraphs and put them in front of a mass audience! It was awesome power at the time, even at the local level. Hey kids, I assure you this is true.

 

In the Morris paper

Hey, this is a really big deal: soccer for boys at our high school! That's a news nugget with potential for reading, quite good consequences for our youth. I don't think the article said it would be a fall sport, but I believe it would be. Someone on the staff should have written a positive editorial about this, about how this development will advance the decline of football. 

Talk about "boiling frog": we began learning of the terrible health consequences of football years ago. But of course, letting go of football is an excruciating thing for the masses of Americans to do. I knew it would be like this. 

Cross country has been the longstanding alternative to football for boys. Cross country is super but is designed for lightweight kids to excel in, the truly "wispy" ones. Football linemen need not apply. Soccer presents so much potential as the alternative. 

Maybe within a few years, high school football will have died and been replaced by the "club" concept, because I don't think football will ever die completely. Morris may be in good shape under the "club" concept because we have Big Cat Stadium. In my view, the No. 1 highlight all year for Big Cat is when (or if) the Irondale marching band of the Twin Cities comes here to practice. 

When it comes to football, my only hope is that none of the boys experience life-altering injuries. Brain injuries can take time to reveal their effects. The boys themselves are going to be hesitant to walk away from football. They will need intervention by their parents, and I think this is exactly what will happen. The kids themselves feel the "invulnerability of youth." Let's protect them from that. And I'm saying this as someone who has never been a parent. 

This week's Morris paper is a downer in that we have to read some more about our public school teachers complaining. I have been around this phenomenon all my adult life, of public school teachers being so profoundly discontented. The teachers will stop at nothing to get their way. They will resort to just about anything even if it negatively affects the kids - oh yes they will. 

Maybe the problem isn't as bad now as it was say 40 years ago. But I see worrying signs. Health care? Man, my only health insurance is Medicare. And I finally disconnected my phone because I was sick of all the marketing phone calls from outfits selling "Medicare supplement insurance." We are paying marketing costs for all of that, whereas with pure Medicare this would not be a cost input. 

Listen to Bernie Sanders. Many of you I'm sure choose to listen to Donald Trump. You might have your "Trump Bible" for the Easter weekend. Money to be used for Trump's legal fees. You are all such incredible fools.

 

"Music in Our Schools Month"

Here's part of an email I sent to the local music store owner yesterday:

 

Just got back from libery, looked at Morris fishwrap. I didn't see you listed in the sucker ad for "Music in Our Schools Month," and before you get mad, I'll let you know that I think I know the explanation: you had to buy a big "package deal" to get in on something like this. Am I right Grasshopper? You might get a hard time about this. Of all businesses not to be in there! Why don't you give the newspaper a piece of your mind.

Boy the district court news is so extensive, what is the explanation for that? Does it cover a wider area now or are more people just screwing up? It's enough to make me not want to leave the house.

I saw photo of band from New Orleans, so that's nice. Ideally there should have been a little article too. But I don't think anything appeared for the Texas trip. Newspaper exposure isn't as important as it used to be. Another round of inflation and people will be cutting out expenses like this.

Wow, yet another school board meeting where teachers show up to make a big demonstration of complaining. I was reminded of Arne Carlson's little letter to the editor recently. He's concerned about the huge salaries for college presidents. The presidents say it just has to be this way because of "market competition" and Carlson is blowing the whistle on that, suggesting it's really a racket. Same with the teacher unions - they always say they have to keep up with other schools. I say it's "whack-a-mole." Someone is always going to be at the bottom. They sob about their health insurance. I'll bet their insurance package is really pretty good.

Boys soccer added. Wouldn't they have to add a girls sport too? I didn't notice if boys soccer would be fall or spring sport. If it's fall, it will draw away from football. Football will continue to fade. Parents will see to that.

Maybe someone hinted to the newspaper to quit giving big headlines to the teacher complaining stuff.

 

The music store owner responded with typical insightfulness. I seek to communicate with people who show evidence of being sentient. I taught him the term "sucker ad" which is a newspaper industry term for the kind of ad where a list of businesses appears under a benevolent message. He and I also talk about the imaginary "shoeshine guy" as a source for background "on the street" as it were.

 

Yes, you are correct in your assumption about businesses having to buy a package deal to get in the sucker ads. Yes, we are conspicuously absent. Seems to me that happened last year as well, and I did complain about it, I can’t remember their excuse. But I see there is yet another new woman running the ad department. The rep from the Chokio paper calls me every year to specifically ask if we want an ad for Music in Our Schools Month, which I gladly approve of. We’ll see if I get any complaints from anyone about not being listed, or if anyone actually notices or even looks at the ad.

I was surprised to see yet more teacher whining at the recent board meeting, as the shoeshine guy told me that the contract issue had been resolved as of last Friday, and a new contract approved by both sides. But apparently all the t’s hadn’t yet been dotted, nor the i’s crossed by the Monday board meeting. I can’t remember the exact number, but one teacher that spoke at the meeting said his pay worked out to something like 84¢ an hour. I’d like to see his math on that.

The court news was so extensive maybe because of few of the perps were charged with multiple offenses, and said offenses seemed to all carry different punishments and/or guidelines. There are some real messed up people out there roaming our streets. Yep, stay inside and lock the doors.

 

The music store owner is being humorous where he talks about dotting the t's and crossing the i's.

 

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

Full parity with the men's game

Caitlin Clark

Have trouble going "cold turkey" from basketball this time of year? I mean, after the area high school teams are all done? Have trouble floating back down to earth, to the real world of the usual mundane stuff? Time seems to move slower, doesn't it. 

There's no real need for the "cold turkey" experience. Fans can cling to the hoops sport thanks to the collegians. For many years we have largely paid lip service to the women's game, as we sought to demonstrate that it was on par with the men's. The admiring comments might have seemed condescending. The men's game still attracted the more serious attention. 

A fascinating op-ed appeared in the days since University of Iowa notched its latest NCAA tournament win. Commentary about officiating. Nothing unusual about such a dust-up. The point being made, though, was that the protests over the Iowa game were issued with the same level of seriousness and emotion as for a comparable men's game. 

The writer asserted this as good news, signaling that at long last the women's game had arrived. The writer used the same word as I just did - condescending - to reflect on how an officiating matter might be broached in the past. Well, the women's game was merely complementary to the men's game, right? We wouldn't admit that. But it was rather the status quo for a long time. 

Caitlin Clark is just the catalyst for what is going on. A superior talent, most obviously. But college women's basketball has been established all over for a very long time. The op-ed writer noted that the present phenomenon of Clark and Iowa is like a turning point. And it made an impression on me because I could certainly sense the truth.

A part of us is charmed by Iowa because it has no big league sports. A complementary state to Minnesota? Do Iowans cheer for Minnesota teams in large numbers? I have never known the answer to that. 

Iowa most certainly has its Hawkeyes. Their women's basketball team blew our Gophers right off the court. Should fans rise up and demand remedial action for our U of MN women's program? Wasn't Lindsay Whalen shown the door not that long ago? Silly rabbit, former stars do not necessarily make great coaches. The truism gets ignored so often. Ahem, it has even been ignored at our Morris High School. 

The MACA boys team gave us a pretty exciting ride this past season. The girls? Not really. They lost to begin the tournament. Fans are entitled to their opinions: mine is that the Tigers should have gone further. Kaylee Harstad is sometimes my weekend server at DeToy's. Addison Cihak is my neighbor. 

And now the excitement of Iowa women's basketball makes us realize how truly captivating the women's game can be. Not at all "complementary" to the men's/boys game. Of course that should have been realized all along. 

Now that the college women's game has 100 percent "arrived," we can expect officiating controversies to arise with the same level of seriousness as in the men's game. This is now clearly demonstrated in the days since Iowa defeated West Virginia. 

I don't care so much about details of the controversy. Favoritism toward Clark? Is that it? Let others hash that over, as I am simply enthralled by the Clark-led Hawkeyes. Clark is the complete package and that includes how she carries herself off the court. Not to be minimized here, in my mind, is that she has no tattoos. I am simply annoyed by tattoos, find them totally unnecessary and lacking taste. Are tattoos a way for people to compensate for a lack of positive self-image? I'm just asking the question. 

Clark is definitely heterosexual. While I may embrace all people, I do have some inclinations on this. So, Clark complements her other-worldly talents with traits that I find quite appealing. And I am prepared for her to lose. While Iowa may have blown away our U of M Gophers - ugh - they did not have a cakewalk through their first two tournament games. It took them time to get going in game 1 vs. Holy Cross. They did look pretty in command by the end.  But beatable too, and in round 2 the beatable aspect was most evident. Clark definitely showed her talents. But a blow-out this was not, versus West Virginia. 

 

Clark scored 32 points and added eight rebounds and three assists as her Iowa team defeated West Virginia 64-54. Now it's on to Albany NY for the Hawkeyes, there to face the Colorado Buffaloes. Yours truly just put up a post on my companion blog, "Morris of Course," with the headline "Easter approaches and we cheer for Hawkeyes." You may click to read. Thanks.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/03/easter-approaches-and-we-cheer-for.html

 

So now it's on to face Colorado in the "Sweet 16." It's an Easter weekend game. I'll be searching for livestream, will probably have to settle for audio-only. For the West Virginia game I found a dude doing a live video podcast. An African-American young man, lively and fun-loving and with his emotions invested some. Perfect. So at one point he described Iowa on offense when Clark let fly with a long one. Instead of saying "she made it" or "good," he uttered an impulsive profanity - "J.C." - in the context of him just being amazed at what he just saw! So I was not offended. 

This is the kind of reaction that Clark inspires. Some people might criticize me for being so late in finding true excitement and entertainment in the women's game. Well I'm sorry, a mea culpa from yours truly. But I am finding it, accomplishing this while not taking our Lord's name in vain. Especially leading up to Easter. 

How do y'all feel about Easter this year? I mean, with Donald Trump hinting that he is to be likened to Christ, and with his big "Bible sales" of this week? 

So Christianity is truly on a plane with MAGA now. Do you buy that? My concern is that this equivalency of Christianity with MAGA will seriously begin to erode the foundation of Christianity in America. Don't say I did not warn you. 

I'll stick it out and go to church this year. I'll go to a church in the ELCA which has kept its distance from Trump and everything he represents. Our "liberalism" has hurt us. Is it really "liberalism?" Or is it just good sense? Rhetorical question. But my, my church of First Lutheran once had three services on Easter Sunday. And now it's down to just one. How the mighty have fallen. 

But actually I'm planning to attend Faith Lutheran in Morris for their 7 a.m. service, and then to have breakfast there afterwards. Faith has two services planned for Sunday. At present it is the stronger of the two ELCA churches in Morris. 

I think you can count on Good Shepherd Church just outside of town being quite supportive of Trump, no matter what he does.

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

Witt-coached Cardinals fourth in MN

Coach Forrest Witt (kxra image)

Once again the Alexandria boys basketball team has brought home elite-level hardware at season's end. Alex has a habit of taking their fans on an excitement-filled ride for the post-season. The season gets quite long. Everyone associated with the Cardinals loves it. For the third time in a span of four years, Alex collected top-level state hardware. 

Yes it was bittersweet at the end. That's the way it is when you finish fourth in state! So many programs around the state would love to finish at such a level. Finishing fourth has one little problem: it means you lost your last two games. The air comes out of the bubble in the semi-final game. In that game you're still in the running for No. 1 which is the goal that most players say is the only thing they care about. Is that really true? Or, is it more of a learned behavior that they speak that way?

So the air comes out of the bubble and then to add "insult to injury," so to speak, you play your next game at a second-tier facility. Most likely it won't be Williams Arena. The Alex boys with coach Forrest Witt took the court at Gangelhoff Center in St, Paul. The name bugs me: sure it's coincidence but this name is the same as for the central figure in a long-ago academic cheating scandal at the U of M. Let's see, Jan Gangelhoff. Can't help but share a little trivia now and then. 

Alex plays in AAA which means it's a pretty big school. We should not assume that all AAA teams are awesome with competitiveness. They are not. We often see one-sided scores in state games involving these schools. The best of them are surely elite. And the Alexandria Cardinals are No. 4 in the 2024 tournament. 

Here's a toast to the fourth place in state Alex boys and Morris native Forrest Witt, their coach. I'm sure a certain father of the coach is exuding considerable pride. That would be Jerry, long-time football coach here in Motown. Forrest is one of the three Witt boys who played quarterback for the Tiger football team, going back to when our home field was Coombe field. 

I remember Taylor being involved in a game at Big Cat where both teams scored over 40 points. Donnie Eich had a fun little reflection on that wild affair, calling it a "sandlot" type of game. I do believe Morris won. Coombe Field fades into the recesses of our memory. (I'm old enough to have had Bill Coombe as a teacher.) 

  

DeLaSalle 58, Cardinals 53

Alexandria was defeated by the Islanders of DeLaSalle in the state third place game. The score was 58-53. Alex could taste potential victory through the first half, to be sure. Alex led the whole half, was up by five at the halftime buzzer 25-20. 

The game became very tight as the second half unfolded. With six minutes remaining, the score was tied 41-41. And it was the Islanders who found the "mo" the rest of the way. They outscored Alex 17-12. They got up by seven within the last minute. 

Hmmm, "DeLaSalle," sounds like a private school. We always hear voices about how private schools have an edge. When I was a kid, the public schools were all together and then we heard about the Minnesota "independent state basketball tournament." Funny thing is, the independent thing got negligible attention compared to the public school affair - it was like an afterthought. Eventually I think the private schools lobbied to get out of their obscure situation. Don't ever bet against Catholics! 

The game-high scorer was Ray James Jr. of DeLaSalle with 16 points. Alexandria was led by Chase Thompson, junior forward, 13 points. 

Two losses at the end remove just a wee bit of luster for Alex, as take a look at their final won-lost of 25-7. They've been in the state's top four in three of the last four seasons. 

Four seniors depart from this year's roster: Grayson Grove, Bralyn Steffensmeier, Dawson Roderick and Evan Moore. Grove is headed to the U of M. 

 

A real family affair

Sometimes my info sources for blogging are limited. That's an understatement, unfortunately, when it comes to Morris Area Chokio Alberta basketball. As for Alex, just now am I getting the background of two young Witts being on the Alex Cardinals roster. I could have written about this before. I see that Mason Witt is a sophomore point guard. And, that Talan Witt is a sophomore point guard too. 

Both sophomores? Must be twins! I read the rest of the roster from "Maxpreps" just to see if there's a third! Looks like two. Lots more excitement lying ahead for the Witts and Alex Cardinals basketball. 

Oh my! There's a "Scholl" on this roster too! I wrote last week about Chloe Scholl and her third-in-state Cardinal girls. Now I see Blake Scholl on the boys roster. Certainly he's the son of the former Heather Lucken, Morris native. 

Maybe next year I'll try to post regularly on Alex basketball. And maybe even to drive over to Alex a time or two. I'll contend with the "roundabout" if I use the Glenwood route. My car is getting old but it seems to be humming fine now. I can't buy a new car because at any time, I could fail the vision test at the DMV. Someday I'll be relying on public transportation.

A photo posted March 15 on "X" formerly Twitter. The Alexandria Cardinals are bound for state!

A fun-loving group: The Alexandria Cardinals of boys basketball!
 

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

Chloe Scholl on third place MN team

Chloe Scholl (from "X")

Interesting thing to note about state is that a lot of the games are really pretty one-sided. You might say this is "counter-intuitive." So again I think of this as I note that the Alexandria girls won pretty handily in their first state tournament game. The score was 67-50 as the Cardinals with Chloe Scholl got past Rock Ridge. 

Chloe is the daughter of former MACA Tiger Heather Lucken. I actually can't remember if we were "MACA" then, maybe we were "MAHS." It gets hard to remember details like this as the years go by. Time marches on. 

It was a treat to see Heather at the wake for Myron Syverson this past week at the funeral home. Honestly, I don't think I had seen her since she graduated from high school. She looked young and fresh. Me? Not so much. Also at the wake I was able to see Jodi, daughter of the late Myron. She was probably in school in the same general time period as Heather. Jodi had one clear forte athletically: gymnastics. She too looked young and fresh. 

Well, Heather has had a lot on her plate as a high school sports parent. She is in the wave of proud parents getting caught up in the best of "March Madness." Getting to state is reaching the summit. Wouldn't it be wonderful to speak in terms of the MACA girls program reaching state? One can never feel sure if the limitations on this are due to "talent" or program quality. It can be like arguing chicken or the egg. Heh heh. 

Heather was in sports in Morris when the school was trying to come out of a prolonged phase of chronic problems with programs. The progress was halting at times. Things did get better. But look at this past season: our girls lost their first game in post-season. I personally think we had more "talent" than that. Chicken or the egg? Now we can think about "next year." 

The Alexandria Cardinals defeated Rock Ridge at Maturi Pavilion. They encountered an obstacle in round 2. It was DeLaSalle which prevailed 82-69 over the Cardinals at Williams Arena. Two days later, the spirited Cards took to the court to play their last game. At stake was third in state. One nice thing about being in the third place game: You have a chance to end your season with a win. 

And that's exactly what Chloe Scholl and her Cardinal mates did on Saturday, March 16. They defeated Stewartville 69-55 at Concordia-St. Paul. I happen to know that Concordia is home of the "Comets." UMM teams once played them regularly. 

The Cardinals finished the season with a 26-5 record, a perfect 12-0 in section, a perfect 14-0 in conference, and 10-2 at the home court. Chloe's grandmother Bev Kieffer surely has to be smiling ear to ear. I still well remember when Heather played basketball. Alex is among the larger schools in the Minnesota "AAA" category.

(Obviously I initially typed Bev's name "Bev Lucken." Good thing I proofread.)

 

Alexandria 69, Stewartville 55

Alexandria hardly owned the third place game throughout. Trouble seemed to be spelled in the first half, partly due to foul trouble. Stewartville took advantage and assumed a 32-26 lead toward the end of the half. Alex bore down to make things closer. Alex in fact crept out to the lead by one point at halftime, 34-33. An 8-1 run supplied fuel. 

Alex showed a winning caliber in second half play as they entertained their fans at Gangelhoff Center. 

The Alex coach is Wendy Kohler. 

The key run toward the end of the first half had MaCee Linow at the fore with two 3-pointers. In all this Cardinal had four 3's in the first half. Her point total for the game would be 17. 

Alex had just a modest lead through the first eight minutes of the second half. Alex produced the decisive spark: a 10-3 run over a span of four minutes, thus a lead of 56-45 with 6:45 left to play. They led by at least nine the rest of the way. 

Alex worked to hold down Stewartville's Taylor Klement. Klement was a force in first half play with 16 points. She went quiet in the game's last 18 minutes: just two points. 

Alex was in the third place game in 2023 as well as this year. Maybe this year's success erased some of the disappointment from 2023, when Alex was stopped by a last-second buzzer-beater by the foe. That score was 57-56. 

Alex can keep its goals set high, indeed, as 16 players are juniors or younger. Chloe Scholl scored four points vs. Stewartville. Hadley Thul was team-best with 25 points. She was followed by MaCee Linow 17, Allie Haabala 16, Lauaren Beyer 5, Scholl 4 and Kate Hennessy 2. 

I'm old enough to remember when Bev Lucken (nee Clausen) was Morris High School Homecoming queen. I believe that was in '65 for a '66 grad. Days of the Morris "Pylin" restaurant across from the school! Maybe even Heather doesn't remember that! It was an "American Graffiti" type of place. I digress for sure.

Most of my youth was spent when high school girls basketball did not exist! Doesn't that blow your mind? Girls were supposed to take home ec. and be in FHA. Well, different times to be sure. 

Today our eyes are focused on Caitlin Clark and her Iowa team, set to play in the afternoon when I'm writing this post. It's 9:30 as I complete the first draft. Good luck to Ms. Clark who has done so much for women's basketball. 

Congrats to Chloe Scholl and the Cardinals on giving fans such thrills. Chloe is a junior, according to "Maxpreps." Let us never forget Chloe's grandfather Rick Lucken. Rick was a Vietnam veteran and one of a kind.

Quite the coach and leader for Alexandria: Wendy Kohler. The banner speaks for itself.

Summer success by the Cardinals
 

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

Cardinals keep their "Witts" about them

Forrest Witt, Alex coach (kxra)

Alexandria has experienced a wild ride with basketball suceess this winter. On this Friday, March 22, the Cardinals sport a 25-6 record. In section: 13-1. Conference: 15-1! And at the friendly home court, sterling 14-1 numbers. 

Holding the reins from the head coaching position is a most familiar name and face for those of us in Morris. It's one of "the Witt boys." Most of you would need no introduction. 

It has been some time since the boys graced our local athletic scene with their talents. Oh, and even longer since father Jerry showed his heroics as UMM student-athlete. Yes, a family with athletic genes, congratulations. 

The mom is Holly. You'll recall there were three boys. The oldest was Zachary, the youngest Taylor, and then the "one in the middle," Forrest. There is probably a psychological profile for people who grew up "in the middle." I know there are conceptions about the "only child" which happens to be my category! 

Forrest is the Alexandria Cardinals coach.

The Witt boys developed into football quarterbacks. As I recall they all got into the varsity scene when relatively young. If my memory is correct after all this time, Zach and Forrest threw lefthanded while "the young one" Taylor threw from the other side. I might write "tail ender" but that's generally a term for a kid that comes along quite long after his siblings. Correct? 

Neal Hofland has described his youngest child as a "tail ender."

I'm old enough to have done press interviews with Jerry when Holly was "expecting." I remember they kept their thermostat low in the cold weather months - at least that was my perception. But hospitable people they were. 

Jerry was a runningback in college. Actually his playing days as a Cougar were during the "black hole" in my life when I wasn't in Morris that much. Spent a lot of time in St. Cloud. Jerry would occasionally tease me with the negative stereotype of St. Cloud State students. Back when SCSU had the "riots" for Homecoming, he teased me with the claim that he thought he saw me in one of the photos. Students did things like set dumpsters on fire. 

Actually the administration liked to claim it was a lot of non-student troublemakers who showed up that weekend. The community or the state clamped down on that behavior eventually. It really is nothing to smile about in reflection. For a long time we did. Higher ed is totally serious and focused now which it has to be, given the expense for the young people. 

Aw, I can still smile a little about the SCSU Homecomings. Homecoming has come back there after a hiatus required by the notorious reputation. 

 

Winning handily

The proud Alexandria Cardinals are in Class AAA. So we're talking fairly big schools. The caliber of talent ought to be high but let's not assume these teams are awesome. I mean, take a look at the game scores for Alex's first three games in the state tournament. Holy mackerel, 86-33 over Willmar - Willmar? - 89-49 over Fergus Falls and 91-46 over St. Cloud Tech. 

I would assume all three of these foes to be on a comparable level to Alexandria. Is Forrest's coaching that good? Let's assume that! 

Alex is a place that has attracted so many "migrants" or "refugees" from Morris. "Expatriots?" Isn't that the impression? A bigger city that has lakes recreation and more amenities of the larger communities. You don't disagree, do you? 

There's something else: a "roundabout" that you have to navigate if you're going from Glenwood to Alexandria. The first time I saw that, my heart could have skipped a beat. 

So many changes we all have to adapt to, all the time. Should my next car be electric? Will the law require it? What about the negatives we read about in connection to electric cars? Won't start in extreme cold? 

I might have suspected that a lot of people get shook when they come to a roundabout. Usually we're correct with such assumptions. And so sure enough, there is a well-known "stealth camper" who spent overnight in one of these things, concealed by vegetation, and he noted many people driving off to the side as they were disoriented. 

I have dealt with the Alexandria area roundabout maybe 5-6 times, have learned that when all else fails, just respect any "yield" signs. Do that and you're OK. Fail to do that and it could be "whoa Nellie." Jerry would laugh. 

 

Finally an obstacle

Alexandria waltzed through its first three games in state, burying foes from familiar cities out here in outstate. Alex was a buzz saw. Eventually things straightened out. Alex won its fourth game but this was a close one, 72-70 over the big city boys of Minneapolis South. But then a loss occurred, 65-62 at the hands of Mankato East. 

They're not done.  Coach Witt and his boys will play DeLaSalle tomorrow (Saturday, March 23) at Concordia-St. Paul. What an exciting ride the Cardinals have been through. Congrats to the red crew. 

Congrats on representing a city that has more going for it than Morris, I guess. Can't you all list former acquaintances who have gone there? Are we holding our own here in Motown? Has the new U of M president come out here to speak and meet people yet? I mean, to give the obligatory flowery speech about how incredibly awesome UMM is with its "liberal arts" purpose? Let me say this: If she does not come out here to the windswept prairie and do this, it could be a sign of trouble for us. 

 

The old football field

I remember the Witt boys playing quarterback at the old Coombe Field. That location is not even recognizable as a former football field now. The museum should probably put together a display. Such a different place from Big Cat. It was more like a "town square" where people gathered and socialized, only partly interested in the football. Big Cat was put up on the assumption that the football games would be everything. 

I think the High School League began tweaking the rules to promote more passing and scoring. This appears to be well-accomplished. I remember many games at Coombe like during the '80s that were just boring. They were boring in comparison to so many of the 9-man games. As a writer in the press, I appreciated more scores to write about. Man, anyone would. 

Memories of the Witts as athletes themselves have faded, although they are indelibly in my own mind. Then again, I remember more than most people. Like of the St. Cloud State Homecoming foolishness. Is a little foolishness healthy now and then?

Cardinals 72, Minneapolis South 70

The high-flying Cardinals with coach Witt met Minneapolis South in the state quarter-finals at Williams Arena on the U of M campus. Alex came at the big city boys with premier "big men" at the forward slots: Chase Thompson and Grayson Grove. They both stand around 6-9. The Tigers of Minneapolis South were undersized by comparison. 

Not that the Tigers couldn't put up a scrap, indeed. 

Grove is committed to the U of M. He scored 26 points and collected 15 rebounds in Alex's 72-70 win. Thompson's output included 18 points, 12 boards. The Cardinals were up big in rebounding, 39-21. The Tigers fared OK despite that height disparity - consider the 40-40 halftime score. 

Witt recalled that the scrappy Tigers "had us out of rhythm" some. The Cards appeared to be seizing the momentum in the second half of play. However, the Tigers went on an 11-2 run. The scoreboard difference was a mere one point with a minute left. 

Minneapolis South had the ball with seven seconds left, trailing by a point. Stewart Scott drove inside and shot. Thompson blocked it! Moments later the celebration could begin for the gallant Cardinals.

 

Addendum: Morrissites often hear someone saying they're "going to Alec." So why is it "Alec" and not "Alex?"  People my age remember the KCMT-TV station out of Alex that was our only station for a time. They gave us "Bud and Natalie" as the afternoon talk show!

Forrest Witt, coach of the Alexandria boys, addresses some young athletes. ("precision basketball" image)

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

Sadness or inspiration at funerals?

Two funerals on my calendar over the last few days. What can I share here to make clear I have the proper feelings for such times? Probably best not to try. People can feel self-conscious about this. Am I behaving properly? Speaking properly to the survivors? 

I found a very old Bible in my house that had my grandfather Martin's obituary preserved in it. There was another newspaper clipping there. Someone in my family thought it important to preserve that auxiliary little piece. We're talking the year 1933 when funerals had a different sense about them. In a word: sadness. 

You might wonder: Is it so surprising that sadness/grief is a prevailing emotion? Well it has to be, to a certain extent, but today we see funeral businesses describe what they do as a "celebration of life." You no doubt sense that their efforts are concentrated on positive feelings about the deceased, to the extent we can suppress the sheer grief of the loss. 

Maybe it's a trait of my boomer generation that we wanted to avoid the downer of just crying all over the place. It's so depressing, so what exactly are we accomplishing? 

I once bought a book of regional history interest for my mom. The author was from Pierz. He was impassioned about preserving for posterity the customs of living in outstate Minnesota in the period of mainly the 1930s. And he explained how funerals were different. They were meant to be sad. Profoundly sad. So I guess people had no inhibitions about the crying. 

My oft-foolish generation thought it uncool, I guess. 

Let's be in denial? And let's rationalize this on the basis that it's more constructive to remember the positive and use it as a guidepost for the future? Mere rationalization, or is it good sense, good logic? With boomers there's always a sense of being on the right track. We were on the right track resisting the war in Vietnam. Think of the approximately 58,000 memorial services that were required for the poor young men who had their lives snuffed out as a direct result of the war. 

Reflecting on this makes me really feel grief. Young men around the age of 20, just gone. Including our family friend from Brainerd "Dicky" Ungerecht, a war casualty in 1966. "Friendly fire" BTW. We attended his funeral in Brainerd, Mom's hometown. Quite a bit of sadness to be felt at this funeral. 

Maybe the less-sad funerals have come about because people live so much longer today. Yes, they live so long that they are in a very challenged condition at the end. Death can bring some sense of relief in these cases. "He/she is in a better place now." I remember Mom saying that about our 16-plus-year-old Lhasa Apso dog. "In a better place." In a place where age does not begin to afflict your body. God created us with sort of an expiration date. 

My grandfather Martin is buried at Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. Morris does not have a designated Lutheran resting place. Would I care about such a distinction? No. Morris has a Catholic cemetery. You might ask Ted Storck about that. He's a very interesting person and I'd normally feel some affinity with him, given his journalistic-punditry trait, but I was disappointed that he dragged the community through the "chimes" thing. Just plain unnecessary. He could have chosen a better-received gesture. Should not have been hard to do. Why annoy so many people? 

Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery is one part of the overall cemetery there. Not a real easy place to find. I thought I had the directions straight after a cursory check on the Internet. Was not good enough. So I called Glenwood Lutheran Church. Friendly person assisted me. I went out there on Christmas Eve Day at the time of my first Christmas after Mom's passing. It was late-afternoon, still light out. And Glenwood Lutheran Church was about to have its first Christmas Eve service of the day. Was happy to attend, will never forget it. 

 

A Williams place

Martin and Carrie Williams

This was the church of my grandparents Martin and Carrie Williams and the five sons they raised. Dad was the youngest. When I visited the cemetery at Christmas, I could not recall ever having been there before. My uncle Howard and his wife Vi lived in Glenwood through the end of their lives. I was always tickled by my uncle being a big shot banker! Howard and Vi left us long ago. 

My mother may not have wanted to accompany Dad out to the cemetery because Dad may have been troubled being reminded of his father's death. Goodness, Dad was just a junior in high school when his father died a painful death from cancer. The Great Depression was on. Martin died before his time. He was in an occupation that may have exposed him to materials putting him at risk. 

There are small markers for Martin and Carrie at Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. There is a master slab of stone that just has "Williams" on it. Good chance you'll see it as you drive into the place - I'm proud of that. Howard and Vi are buried on the side opposite Martin and Carrie. I wonder if I should have my own ashes placed there someday. 

How to behave at a funeral? The afore-mentioned newspaper clipping was by Emily Post. Her writing hearkens to a time when everyone felt disrupted and sad at a funeral, so people might well worry about saying the wrong thing. Oh, looks quaint now. 

Today, like when I attended Myron Syverson's reviewal (wake?) Tuesday night, I had positive feelings rather than negative, as I would connect with the family including people I hadn't seen in a long time. 

 

Myron Syverson

A suggestion

In my opinion, if there's any doubt about what to say at an occasion like this, think of a little story, just a tiny tidbit of a memory, something plucked from the past to show that the deceased made an impression on you. Not a major event but just a recollection of something that made the deceased special on a personal level. 

So I told Myron's daughter Jodi about how I'd periodically see Myron on his blue-colored bicycle just east of Morris. It was a light blue color, powder blue! Thin tires on Myron's bike which meant he was a serious bicyclist! The thin tires help you go faster, the wider tires give more stability. These new E-bikes are just beyond my understanding. I'll be left behind on that. 

Jodi Syverson was/is synonymous with "gymnastics." Her mom Marilyn had/has her trademark too: "Sons of Norway." I just happen to be the kind of person with Scandinavian lineage who doesn't get into all that - I'm just "American," sorry. 

Myron was such a dashing gentleman - handsome, strapping. He was synonymous with "men's clothing" in Morris through "Palmer's." We had the dueling men's clothing stores: Palmer's and Wayne's! Main street men's clothing stores, once a staple, became dinosaurs. I never took to them and that was my fault or my hardship. 

The Internet instructs me that I grew up with "social anxiety disorder." I always hated it when the clerk in any store walked up to me and said "can I help you?" Shoe stores were terrible with this, plus getting a haircut from a gentleman like Bob Reese. I wish I could have been prescribed pills or something. There probably are pills available today. I needed pills that would have sort of a tranquilizer effect. 

I had no need to be scared of any such people. No logic to it. It was just a tic. I wish I had just introduced myself to Myron in a relaxed way and said with a smile, "Myron, I have some money to spend on clothes but I'm a little hard to fit." 

You see, I grew up when tight-fitting clothes were the preferred fashion for young men/boys. That was not suited for me. Many years later we got the "relaxed fit" and then "loose fit" pants. Suddenly this was acceptable, probably because the average American was getting heavier in weight. So, a matter of practicality. 

My clothes-buying became easier, finally. In high school I didn't have a chance. No chance of asking any girl to Prom. I'd certainly need pills for that too! I'd be lucky to find someone as attractive as Myron's daughter Jodi - effervescent nature too.

Myron Syverson RIP.

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