Boys win nail-biter at Montevideo

Christmas is the season for miracles, right? So on this Friday morning with such Godawful weather, I see a miracle worker has been at work. This I realize as I check for information on last night's MACA boys basketball game. We see that the West Central Tribune website has full details on the Tigers. This is amazing. 

We normally see "stats not available" for MACA in the West Central Trib online reporting. We often play schools that are within the paper's coverage territory. Very often in fact. So we are frustrated seeing "stats not available" so regularly. Well, I am frustrated anyway. Morris is an awfully sleepy community so maybe my observations are not shared by many others. 

And whenever I try waking people up, I often get insulted, even in purely personal terms. And the language can be raw, even coming from people in upper-tier professions. 

How did the WC Trib come upon this info from the Thursday game? We can't rule out that the Montevideo coach provided it. If that's the story, a big thank you to the Monte coach. Occasionally we'll see on the WC Trib's site a list of the scoring totals for MACA but no other categories. This is rare but it does happen. The most recent time that I can recall seemed like a blessing until I added up the individual totals and came up four points shy of the team total. So something got left out, probably an individual player who scored four points. And that's a glitch. 

It's good as a matter of course when proofreading to add up the individual totals. And do it before your coach source gets off the phone. Give them a chance to correct things. I'll quote my old Detroit Lakes friend Monte here: "Brian, there's a right way and a wrong way to do things." (Yes, that's his name, Monte.)

The WC Trib is owned by Forum Communications which had a shot at owning the Morris paper. It failed here. They didn't do enough things right. A very well-placed source told me that the Forum was going to close the Morris paper. Our paper of course got rescued. It's only once a week now. It was twice all the years I worked there. 

 

Tigers 68, Montevideo 66

Our MACA boys basketball Tigers prevailed in the Thursday action at Montevideo. This isn't a good time to be taking a lengthy trip. Look at the weather outside. I would shake my head about any fans making the trip to Montevideo. The ones who did saw a nail-biter of a game. We won 68-66. 

Monte's Griffin Epema got the score deadlocked 65-all with a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left. The Tigers misfired on a 3-point attempt. But Jack Kehoe snared the rebound. He passed to Alex Asmus. Alex nailed his 3-point shot and so now the scoreboard shows 68-65 with just over six seconds left. 

Epema then made a freethrow for the Thunder Hawks. He deliberately missed his second attempt. This set up Brody Dick for his last-gasp shot try. It missed! So it's all over with MACA savoring this win by two points. Thus the ride home in such unpleasant weather was made less arduous. The win was our third. How significant was it? Monte came into the night with the No. 2 ranking in Minnesota Class AA! 

Did the MACA coach supply his team's stats to the West Central Trib which does not normally solicit info on MACA? If this is what happened, it means at least that the WC Trib people do not hang up the phone on the MACA coaches. Again, if it was the Monte coach supplying all the info, we just have to say a big "thanks." 

Do Morris people ever try to put pressure on the WC Trib about the paper's stance relative to MACA? What do they say? 

There was a time when Brett Miller was at the Morris radio station and he did a good job reporting about MACA on the station's website. That ended a long time ago. 

 

Alex Asmus, top scorer

Six players scored for the Tigers led by Alex Asmus with 22 points. Tyson Grove put in 14 and Benjamin Tiernan 12. Then we see Riley Asmus with 11, Jack Kehoe with 7 and Jonah Huebner with two. Does this add up to 68 points? It does! It does! Sometimes things do go right. 

Alex Asmus made three 3-pointers while Tiernan and Grove each made two. Kehoe with his seven rebounds led there. In assists it was Alex leading with three. Grove had a steal and Riley Asmus had a blocked shot. 

The "Thunder Hawks"

Brody Dick led Monte's scoring with 22 points. He made three 3-pointers. But it was Jackson Koenen leading in 3's with a total of four. Koenen scored 16 points. Adam Van Binsbergen made two 3-pointers for the T-Hawks. 

There's more than one Koenen with Monte. So we see Caleb Koenen leading in rebounds with six. Epema was tops in assists with eight. Van Binsbergen and Jackson Koenen each had two steals. Dack and Epema each blocked a shot.

 

At D-B Saturday (weather permitting)

The Tigers will take their 3-0 record to Dawson-Boyd on Saturday, provided weather is deemed cooperative. Well it will certainly be cold. Next Tuesday will find the Tigers hosting Melrose. Things don't slow down a whole lot for the holidays. 

Speaking of the holidays, just a couple hours ago I had the pleasure of receiving a poinsettia display from the U of M Foundation. I have probably written more about UMN-Morris lately than the powers-that-be would like. I'm not talking basketball, I'm talking overall institutional issues. It's a trying time. Don't blame me for that. "Mongo just pawn in game of life."

 

Carvin Fish

UMM hoops 

I have had the pleasure of attending several UMM basketball games of late, men's and women's. Will we ever see the bleachers pulled out on both sides of the gym again? Or are we stuck playing so many "weird" schools. It's nice to see the Cougars win as the men did on Dec. 8 over. . .Trinity Bible College. We won 96-64. Four scorers stood out, led by Carvin Fish with 29 points. Kaden Pieper scored 23, Matt Thompson 15 and Thomas Tiernan 13.

The team is done until after the holidays. On Tuesday I sent an email to my fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson about various things pertaining to UMM and a litltle outside that sphere. Moi? I share it here:

 

Hello Warrenn - I'm dealing with the blahs of the winter weather by going to an occasional UMM basketball game. So I went last night, walked to campus in fact. It was a win but oh no, we were playing "Trinity Bible." Imagine Perry Ford accepting this situation. The P.E.Center has a pretty empty feel to it. Looks like bleachers on one side will be pulled in forever. People accept this as status quo now. You and I remember when the place could really be hopping for basketball. 

One positive thing I can say: there is an announcement just prior to game about expected fan behavior and how people could get kicked out if they violate. Boy we sure could have used this in past times. I'd look at Charlie and wonder "Charlie, why don't you do something?" But he had his instructions I'm sure. And I always noticed how Imholte LIKED how the UMM crowd showed "swagger" in connection to UMM's "superiority." Well, maybe we're paying a price for all that now.

I remember Imholte submitting a letter to the U newspaper once during football when he finally had to plead with the students. I remember he wrote "keep in mind that (the visitor) is our guests." UMM should have simply had some policies. But no.

On the way home last night I grabbed a copy of the U student newspaper. So there was an interview with Rodriguez. It surprised me. I thought he was going to be so totally diplomatic with everybody. But he was quoted saying that Sviggum was unrepentant in his visit here. That set up some more conflict IMHO. Even if what Rodriguez said was true, I think he could have let sleeping dogs lie.

Hey, the Gophers are playing on day after Christmas in bowl game vs. New Mexico! Season will have to be considered a success. Another season where we figure "if we could only have gotten one more win, we'd be in a higher-tier game."

Man, some big-time programs are now saying "no" to a bowl game!!! Incredible. I remember when the Gophers under Cal Stoll qualified for the first bowl game in many years. We were so excited. I refreshed my memory and this was in 1977 and it was the Hall of Fame Classic. I think the Gophers were held back for many years by the "academic" people of the U, and finally the people in charge realized we couldn't let this happen any more. Academics and sports are separate and I don't care if the athletes take "basket-weaving classes," to cite the old cliche. My father agreed with me. The Gangelhoff thing was ridiculous. All those years when we suffered while Nebraska was a kingpin! Today Nebraska has fallen way down to mere mortal level. I guess they weren't winning because of the uniforms! We should have known better. Minnesota is more prosperous than Nebraska! Poor Joe Salem.

I called up some old video of Mike Hohensee and now I can see why he was never an NFL prospect: he had a "wind-up" to throw a little like a baseball pitcher. Not that some QBs haven't made it with this trait, like Byron Leftwich.

A pizza slice at the P.E. Center concession stand costs $4, Back in the Perry Ford years I'd have my "evening meal" of two slices at the P.E. Center for TOTAL cost of $3.

One of the blog posts I wrote about the UMM chancellor changeover really got traction - "viral." I probably said some things that did not please certain people.

- BW

Poinsettias for the season!

 

Cougars brighten dismal winter night

The image shows Gianna Klarenbeek of the Cougars who made two 3-pointers in the Monday night win at Cougar Sports Center. Gianna comes to UMM from Iowa, the state that has really lifted up girls and women's basketball!

  

Taking in UMN-Morris basketball is a nice way to spend time in this awful weather December of 2025. I take a look out the window in the morning and I think "Siberia." Not just cold but dreary. There's a haze. It's all supposed to be overcome by the Christmas holiday season, right? I'm not sure I sense as much of that as usual. I try to take the proper steps including putting out Christmas lights at my place on Northridge Drive. 

Is the mood held down by stuff that is going on with Donald Trump? He is addicted to attention and so he calculates what to do and say each day so he will dominate the news. The president of the U.S. does not have to be so dominant. We in theory have co-equal branches of government. Our congressperson out here in coyote country acts like she supports Trump each and every day. 

Last night (Monday) I was not about to be distracted by the disturbing stuff in the news. I made the excellent choice of attending a UMM basketball game. The women's team played at 5:30. I was present throughout. Then at the end we saw the men's team warming up and so it looked like a doubleheader. I did not stick around but I congratulate the fans who did. 

Quite the way to get your mind off the macro news and the frightful weather outside. 

 

Intrepid?

Here I'll brag that I walked to campus and back home again! I'm amazed at how 50-degtee weather in late fall feels uncomfortable and discourages me from walking. I think once the frigid stuff really sets in, we develop a mindset to deal with it. Plus I have the ideal outerwear. 

I enjoyed watching the women's basketball game. However I cannot be impressed by a win over this outfit called "Trinity Bible College." Such is the way of UMM sports now: playing obscure and almost cult-like schools that don't necessarily present challenging competition. 

Cult-like? I don't think that's an exaggeration or a "rip." Nice kids maybe but I'm looking at what their institutions stand for. I wrote about the recent men's win over "Martin Luther." 

You might think Martin Luther merely presents a bunch of nice Lutheran kids. The kids may be nice but the institution is sketchy. Can I elaborate? Well yes and I already did so in a whole post on my companion blog of "Morris of Course." "Martin Luther" is not so innocent as you might think. Here is the link to what I wrote:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/11/cougars-defeat-martin-luther-of.html 

 

The UMM women won Monday night by a score of 80-48. It was the last home game of this calendar year. Alas we have a losing record of 3-8. The game had an unusual start. In fact I've never seen this before and I've been to countless games. There was a technical freethrow shot awarded to Trinity Bible before the action even started. 

My, what was the story? Well at halftime as I walked along the concourse, someone elucidated. If I understood correctly it had something to do with a scoreboard malfunction. Maybe a shot clock gone errant? This was good news because it meant that the technical was not because of a UMM player saying something inappropriate! 

Last night was the first time in ages that I watched an entire UMM hoops game. So I was seated for a preliminary announcement that made clear fans have to behave properly. I wonder how long it has been policy for this statement to be shared. I was tremendously cheered to hear it. Because, I remember in UMM's long-ago past there was some quite inappropriate behavior and language coming from the UMM student-fans. 

To be blunt, UMM fans often showed arrogance in those days. UMM athletics had a "swagger" that did not sit well with me, although I hesitated to say much. Some of this "swagger" appeared to come from the students' perception of themselves as intellectually superior. Well we were UMM. We were the great liberal arts bastion, the "jewel in the crown." 

We can toss the crown aside now as we hope and pray that the sudden appointment of a new chancellor can help save the place. We're on our heels. Maybe it's good to be humbled. Again let me congratulate UMM on having the pre-game announcement on standards for fan conduct. We can't be too arrogant anyway when we play the likes of Trinity Bible College. 

 

Leading the Cougars 

Our top scorer was Maddy Grove with 21 points. Shelby Mortenson was next with 14, and Anna Myers scored 11. Brooke Ver Steeg scored nine while Gianna Klarenbeek and Reece Wassink each had eight. Klarenbeek made two of four on 3-pointers. Congrats to the Cougars who showed winning form. 

I purchased my normal Snickers bar for $2 at the concessions counter. Then I examined their whole menu. Pizza slice for $4. I remember all the years I regularly showed up at the P.E. Center and had my "evening meal" - no kidding - of two pizza slices for three dollars total. But I'm not shocked at present because inflation is such a given. Tariffs and trade wars. 

And now farmers are having a bunch of money dropped on their laps by the Feds. In the media we hear this described as "a boost for the farmers." Well of course it is. Wouldn't you appreciate getting a bunch of government money handed to you too? And so now I suppose the farmers will vote Republican again. They'll probably vote for Trump again or maybe Don Jr. The father might find a way to get on the ballot. You know how he gets his way with help from the Supreme Court. 

 

All the news 

On my way home last night I stopped by Oyate to pick up the University Register newspaper. An interview with the new chancellor! I got home and scanned through most of it. I was prepared to be bored by a lot of safe and comfortable statements. However, this Mr. Rodriguez did appear to stick his neck out. I was surprised. 

Instead of tamping down the conflict with state legislative big shot Steve Sviggum, Rodriguez spoke in a way that continued the discomfort. He recalled Sviggum's visit to our campus in the wake of Sviggum's controversial comments. Rodriguez described the visit in a way that suggested that the GOP luminary was not trying to be conciliatory. 

Rodriguez's description may have been accurate - may have - but I'm surprised he'd put it out through the media. 

I would have expected Sviggum to be in a fence-mending mood when he came here. Well I guess not. 

 

More on sports

Lately I have put forth the opinion in my online writing that UMM ought to do whatever it takes to get our Cougars in the Northern Sun Conference again. So much time has passed since we departed. I have a long memory of when UMM was in with the likes of Moorhead State. I expanded more on my thoughts in an email to friend Dan Sayles yesterday. Here's what I sent to good ol' Dan:

 

Hello again Dan - I have been trying to point out how UMM would benefit if we could somehow get our athletic teams in the Northern Sun Conference again. We were once quite at home in that conference, we even had outstanding teams at that level. I know, I know, people point out "it can't be done" because of scholarships/money and all that jazz. But I guess money dictates everything now. So what befuddles me is that it's a money issue even though UMM is part of the wealthy and powerful U of M. In fact, I was told for a long time that the MIAC would never accept us because those schools were afraid of us - they were afraid of the resources we'd have due to being with the U of M. Where are those resources now? 

I have attended about three UMM basketball games lately. The bleachers are now pulled out on only one side of the gym. This looks permanent. There are decorations on the other side. You and I remember when it was routine to have both sides pulled out. And back in those days we played the state universities. We have lost considerable prestige now and this hurts the visibility of the whole institution, and heaven knows UMM has overall problems now - look at the emergency change at the chancellor position. The change became necessary after the big Star Tribune article that embarrassed us. It embarrassed UMM and by extension the people at the central administration too. So now heads will roll and people will have their positions cut. I have faith in the new guy because he is totally beholden to President Cunningham and she sees UMM as a 5-alarm fire.

I listen to WDAY radio a lot and they have discussion shows where they get into the fine details of the small college athletic teams. This includes Northern Sun but I don't notice talk about UMAC. Aren't people a little embarrassed about UMAC? I am. Some of these schools seem "wacko." The UMM men recently defeated Martin Luther. So you might say "what's the big deal about beating a bunch of Lutherans?" Well, that school represents a fringe synod of the Lutheran church and that's the Wisconsin Synod. That synod believes the Pope is the antichrist. That's what we're dealing with now.

Trinity Bible College? WTF.

Oak Hills Christian may not be in the UMAC but we play them every year. Oak Hills Christian has the reputation of being the most anti-gay college in the whole U.S. And they come here to play UMM? UMM is famous for pushing gay activism and this has hurt our enrollment. There was a time when the UMM faculty would have risen up to protest Oak Hills Christian even coming here. That won't happen now because the faculty has to be thankful for every day that UMM even survives!

Look at our Big Cat Field and the Cougar Sports Center: such fantastic facilities but these are for the UMAC level? It is simply not right. Let's get the Moorhead State "Dragons" coming here to play again.

MACA girls had a great week last week. The big test will come when we play Minnewaska. I hope we can stay within 50 points! 'Waska  cannot pass a school referendum!

The MACA boys obviously doing well.

Say, there are coyotes out and around. I saw some to the north of my place about a week ago, at 7:30 in the morning.

- Brian W.

 

Girls nudge forward to 2-1 record

The home teams are winning in basketball. Deck the halls! We see the MACA girls basketball Tigers on top of Melrose in a game that must surely have been thrilling. The winning margin was just two points, 58-56. The Tigers made the trip up I-94 for this game in Melrose. 

Earlier in the week, the Tigers prevailed over Litchfield by a healthy margin, 72-50.. That too was a road game. The Tigers stand at 2-1 with the lone loss coming against New London-Spicer. 

Well, almost anyone could lose to New London-Spicer. Hasn't this been the norm for years and years? The key for understanding that? A well-known Morris community leader told me at church coffee one morning, "They have a good coach." The comment was kind of a faux pas by Morris community standards, because we've been encouraged to think that we don't judge coaches by wins and losses. 

Maybe my grasp of this is dated. I can't help but be reminded of old community politics. It was once a very serious matter in our community, I assure you. I have lived through boycotts of businesses. All in the name of high school sports? And the irony is that the people pushing the boycotts - specifically a problem faction of the Morris teachers - actually felt that wins and losses should not be weighed highly. Or at least they claimed to think that. I should add that several of the "bad apples" - they came in pairs as married couples - have left Morris and re-settled elsewhere for retirement. Meanwhile yours truly has been quite happy to stay in Morris. 

Believe me, I was once in the crosshairs of a fair number of people. Over high school sports? Well I guess so. Morris was seriously underperforming in sports in the early in mid-1980s and I could see exactly what the problem was. But you were treading rough water if you dared say anything about it. Let me just add that I came to hate public school teacher unions more than anything in the whole world.

 

It's 2025

We all roll forward in life. Live and learn. And doesn't it seem as though there are disproportionate deaths among people we know and love this time of year? Yesterday I wrote a post for my companion blog "Morris of Course" memorializing Pat Tanner and Arden Granger. Previous to these two we lost Lucy Imholte. Absolutely iconic names from UMM's past. So I wrote the post and perhaps I went afield with my thoughts a little. I am now over age 70 and I recently tweaked my medications a little, so maybe my focus isn't ideal right now. I apologize for that. 

People long familiar with my writing will know that I occasionally go afield. Regardless of this, I think anyone who knew Pat or Arden will enjoy looking at the post. I include their pictures! 

I knew Pat and her family better so I had more to share on her. Here is the link and I do thank you. It goes without saying "Merry Christmas."

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/12/reminders-of-umms-heady-early-days.html 

 

Dean Monson

Another shock

More holidaytime bad news: I got word Friday night of the passing of Dean Monson. I wasn't prepared for this. God determines when our time will come. I heard Jesse Ventura speak on this once: "There is nothing we can do" to change God's arrangements in this regard. 

Dean was known to be quite committed in his political thoughts! I sometimes got concerned that his loud talk about this might alienate customers at DeToy's Restaurant. What political party was he? If you don't know, then you didn't know Dean at all. 

I talked to him very recently when I passed on news about the coyote advisory coming out of Breckenridge. Lots of coyotes around and they aren't bashful. Dangerous? We cannot be 100 percent sure that they are not. If a prime food source becomes scarce, who knows what such animals might do? 

I never got around to telling Dean that I did vote Republican in an earlier phase of my life. Right now I am hugely concerned about what Republicans may be doing to America. I'm hugely concerned about Donald Trump's personal nature and character. And yet our "Christian churches" fight for him. I will try to mark Christmas appropriately anyway. If there is no hope with Christianity, then there is no hope. 

I just wouldn't want to go to a church and be surrounded by Trump supporters. I'd have to walk out. 

Dean Monson RIP. Pat Tanner RIP. Arden Granger RIP. Lucy Imholte RIP.

 

So the girls won

Obviously I'd love to be writing with some details this Saturday morning about the MACA girls win. Or, about the boys' win over Osakis last night, 65-55. As of 9 a.m. Saturday I can't find any game details. I think this is very unfortunate. 

Why can't the newspaper collect some details and get them on their website? Is it such a heavy lift? The paper pulls out all stops to try to get us to "buy" their weekly print product, the old "dead tree" product. All I can do is observe, I guess. 

I am embarrassed to look at the Stevens County Times website. 

My next-door neighbor is a key player on the MACA girls team, Addie Cihak. She might wait on me tomorrow at DeToy's. We no longer have Brett Miller at the radio station. I have never met him. I have been crushed in trying to get timely information about MACA teams.

Lucy Imholte RIP

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

Alex Asmus makes five 3's, Tiernan four

Basketball is fully underway for this suddenly bitter winter season. Late fall was marked by unseasonably pleasant temps. Minnesotans know you can knock on wood about that. There are always quirks in the Minnesota weather. Surprises come in any number of ways. The distinguishing feature of late was the very rapid transition from fall to winter. Heavens! 

But the "lifers" here are easily adaptable to full-fledged winter. This is what we most certainly have now. And we have basketball to help get us through it all. We juggle that interest with football. I'll be rooting for the SDSU Jackrabbits in football this coming Saturday. They're in the playoffs and they'll be taking on the Montana Grizzlies in big sky country of Montana. Jackrabbits against Grizzlies? Sounds like a mismatch. Just kidding. 

Love those "Jacks"

I confess that when I first heard the "Jackrabbits" nickname on my car radio a long time ago, I wanted to chuckle. Not a real intimidating symbol. Except the "jacks" can run real fast. 

Do we have any real jackrabbits here in western Minnesota? I would guess they're a favored prey of coyotes. We have gotten alerts of late about coyotes in western Minnesota. And about a week ago I saw two or three of these animals walking along just behind the trees at the rear of my property. Word is, they don't attack people. But the word out of Breckenridge is that they aren't bashful at present. Is this why the City of Morris has been widening the open space on both sides of our biking/walking trail? To give you a head start in case you have to run? Am I kidding? Just to a degree maybe. 

 

Tigers 83, NL-Spicer 51 

Basketball is underway with the Tigers of MACA looking very impressive. "Tigers" is a properly intimidating nickname! Our opponents had a similar moniker: "Wildcats." So this was a matchup of the MACA Tigers and New London-Spicer Wildcats. The game was Tuesday night at New London. There we kept the home crowd subdued as we worked to an 83-51 victory. 

Wow, more than just a win, a real "statement" win. Will this typify our 2025-26 season? I think that's the first time I have typed "26." I have to check to see if my hair is getting whiter. 

What a twosome our Alex Asmus and Tyson Grove were. Asmus was in the zone offensively and was most "on" with his long-range shooting. Asmus and Grove are both guards who stand 6 feet-3. Ben Tiernan was a long-range shooting whiz also. 

 

A miracle perhaps?

We might consider the following a miracle: the West Central Tribune has individual stats on the Tigers! I guess the odds are high for this when we play NL-Spicer. I wonder if the NL-Spicer coach supplied the information. If it was the MACA coach, it at least shows that the WC Trib is taking calls from MACA coaches. 

Over the past few years we have been outside the WC Trib's coverage territory. I hope some Morris people have been confronting the Forum-owned WC Trib about this. I'd like to know the response they get. The Forum failed when it owned the Morris paper. A little sour grapes maybe? Don't you think Schweiter Chevrolet would like to get some eyeballs from Morris? 

As of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday I see no updates on MACA sports on the radio station's website. 

 

A big threesome

We see Alex Asmus with 28 points in the Tuesday win. Tyson Grove put in 18 points and Ben Tiernan 14. The other totals are more modest: Riley Asmus 5, Jonah Huebner 4, Jack Kehoe 4, Drake Asmus 2, Tanner Friesen 2 and Ian Grove 2. 

Wait a minute! The individual totals as reported by the WC Trib add up to 79 points, not 83. Erratum. Maybe we should restrain our appreciation for the WC Trib at this point. It was a nice try. The bar was set high when I worked for the Morris newspaper, especially toward the end.

Alex attacked the Wildcats with five 3-pointers. Tiernan attacked with four. Tyson Grove had our other long-range make. 

We missed seeing Riley's name in football! Well as everyone knows, this Tiger bypassed football in order to ensure he'd stay healthy for baseball where he has a scholarship. Can't fault the guy. Cross fingers, though, because injuries happen in basketball too! Riley pulled down four rebounds as did Huebner. Riley had two steals as did Huebner. Friesen and Huebner each blocked a shot. 

The NL-Spicer scoring leader was a guy with a name familiar to Morrissites. That's the last name of Henjum. I don't know the exact connection if any. I went to high school with Brian Henjum. He's one of my favorite people. Grant Henjum scored 15 points on Tuesday. Zachary Lageson scored 12. 

Lageson and Beckett Newman each made a 3-pointer. Henjum swept the boards for five rebounds. He also had a shot block. In steals, these four Wildcats each had one: Lageson, Liam Macik, Newman and Brecken Westby.

 

Pete Hegseth

Feeling Christmas? 

Well we're certainly into the heart of the Christmas season. We ought to feel it regardless of what the macro picture reveals for us. The most noteworthy quote in the national news the past few days has been: "Kill everybody!" That's from our defense secretary or as he is called now: department of war secretary. Such bloodlust now. 

And Americans are approving? The Republican won in the Tennessee special election on Tuesday. And so America continues to mostly stand with Donald Trump. We're happy paying the substantially higher prices for everything thanks to the Trump tariffs. I don't sense any uproar against this. Maybe the most effective contrary gesture is the lawsuit launched by Costco. Costco is a lifesaver for the most economically challenged Americans. 

Can Costco influence America's thinking about this? Can Trump's spell be broken? It hasn't been broken up to now. So what's the basis for optimism? 

Stevens County has many churches where I'm sure the members voted 100 percent for Trump and would do so again. And these churches are supposed to represent the foundation of the Christian faith? Not for me they don't. Advent services are tonight (Wednesday). 

"Kill everybody!" Pete Hegseth - former weekend morning host on "Fox and Friends." 

How would Jesus view all this? Well maybe he'd be a "lib." How would Jesus react to Trump calling Somali immigrants "garbage?"

 

Oh it's Wednesday! Biscuits and gravy morning at DeToy's Restaurant! I'm afraid the many men who pile into the middle section of the place in the morning are not favorably disposed to the Democrats. Quite to the contrary. You'll hear no shortage of swear words among them. But the biscuits and gravy are to be recommended. - BW

Morris seems on the sleepy end again

Here we go again, with cause to wonder why Morris has trouble "cutting it" with certain things. So over the weekend with holiday spirit building at least in theory, we learned about a very thoughtful church in Herman offering a community Thanksgiving meal. Is Herman close enough for this to be considered a real option? 

Many might say so. Others would find it a burden. And it might be a burden just because of the aftermath of the recent harsh weather. Some ice on the highway perhaps. I certainly was not up for it. But we're dependent on Herman for this service and so that's the issue, or it ought to be. 

I noticed someone on the "Anonymous" Facebook site floating the question of whether there was a "community Thanksgiving meal." A lot of people really appreciate this. I live alone and it is not practical to do meal prep at home, I mean to get the basic ingredients at the store. And y'all know what's happening with the price of groceries now. 

The obvious question I'm posing here is, why can't a community meal be offered in Morris? Why can't one of our several churches get fired up enough to do this? This in a community of 5000 people. 

The churches by and large get fired up with encouraging people to push "conservative" political beliefs and to vote for the right people. You know the "right people" I'm referring to. And the list might not even include Congressperson Michelle Fischbach because some people will prefer the hardcore righty Steve Boyd. This is who we have become now. 

The churches that have tried to avoid this political trend - First Lutheran and Federated for example - have been thrown on the ropes. It's an "existential" dilemma, to use the newly popularized term. Man, when I was in college, "existential" was out there with the most obscure "50 cent words." Same with "kerfuffle." Usually this changes when a well-known person chooses to drop the word a few times. 

With "kerfuffle" it was Chris Matthews. Not sure who primarily got "existential" in front of us. 

But First Lutheran and Federated of Morris have gone into this bizarre new "pairing." People would have fainted if you had told them 50 years ago about this. First Lutheran was such a mainstream institution, it could support two services on Sunday. When the decline began setting in, I just knew it would get worse. Then sure enough, step by step the decline got exacerbated. 

Hey! There's another word that was once confined to the academic stuffed shirts: "exacerbated." Perhaps the Internet has been responsible for our vocabulary expanding. 

First Lutheran has been offering a Christmas Day meal to the public. Shall I assume it's on again? Perhaps I should stay away because I am not a church member anymore. The pairing with Federated is strange because neither building is set to close, to my knowledge. The two churches will retain their names, their identities. Two separate mailing lists. 

Normally I would have expected more controversy. Because, well we're talking about church, pilgrims! Church is all about opinion formation. And then throw in a few personality conflicts. Oh, the stories ministers could tell if they opened up about things. 

For example, the old guy at my former First Lutheran Church who went to the pastor and insisted that the American flag be displayed at the front of the sanctuary, and he was not going to take "no" for an answer! I talked with the guy about that. I said the flag may deserve reverence but that it was separate from church and the faith. Of course he was unyielding, prone to emotions! "Men died for that flag!" 

Well then how do you explain conservative judicial hero Samuel Alito flying the flag upside down at his residence? Of course this was a protest message after the 2020 election. Hey, "men died for that flag." 

I was once warned back when I was with the Morris newspaper, that I'd "get in trouble" if I published a photo I took of a kid wearing a cute little hat on Memorial Day, a hat made of images of the U.S. flag. Oh my, I could "get in trouble." And then Justice Alito goes and flies the flag upside down. Mercy. 

 

The void 

No one in Morris had the inspiration to try to plan a community Thanksgiving dinner. Del Sarlette and I have always had the idea that Morris should have an "apathy festival." 

Oh but the situation has improved here from past times. I remember back in the 1980s that Wheaton had the undisputed reputation of having the really big county fair out here. We in Morris sat back and allowed this for a long time. And if I were to start asking questions about this, I'd be attacked. 

The peak of this phenomenon came when shortcomings in our Morris public school system finally could not be ignored anymore. People finally realized that it was time to rise up, be confrontational, even at the risk of hurting their own family and business interests. And some people definitely got hurt. 

I had been through several years of observing from my newspaper position how the very small schools in our region were out-performing Morris in extracurricular. I thought it was grounds for some embarrassment. And why should I care so much? I had no children in school. I deserved some credit for trying to point things out. Of course the opposite happened. I was the target for ridicule, often with a biting personal edge. 

Sometimes I'd be tempted to think: Why don't you come at me with some actual facts? The teachers union here, or at least a "rabid" faction of it, did tremendous harm. Obstructionist, political. It reminded me of the corruption in the movie "Walking Tall." It was as if only certain entitled people even had the right to express their views. 

Perhaps I was just seen as the wrong spokesman, the wrong messenger. And hey, "I knew too much." 

There was a problem element of public school teachers who actually fought the development of the sport of hockey. There is a truism at play here: People who work for the government fear change more than anything else. Sheer change. 

We in Morris have recently seen the rapid deterioration of the U of M-Morris. Finally it took people in "the press" - MY people - to come to the fore and say "the emperor has no clothes." "Houston, we have a problem." The article in the Star Tribune was the turning point. But is it too late? 

Morris develops these concerning issues and then the wheels turn so cotton pickin' slowly for corrective change. Can First Lutheran Church be saved in any form? Can Federated? Won't they have to come up with a new combined name? Consolidate into one building? Save the money of having two buildings? Would that be a bridge too far for some people? 

Can more Christians retreat from all this conservative Republican political support? Have more of a big tent? Don't worry, Kamala Harris is not going to hurt you. She might even let you keep your Obamacare subsidies and SNAP payments. 

If we lose these things, well then good luck as you desperately try to fill the gap. In the meantime, Steve Boyd will continue telling us that "life begins at conception."

   

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

A Thanksgiving greeting goes far

Nice to get a "happy Thanksgiving" greeting from my Bonanza Valley newspaper friend Randy Olson. He is quite the community press practitioner. Has high ideals and standards, as with his belief that a newspaper's website should be dynamic. 

Is this counter-intuitive? I mean, to believe that a dynamic newspaper website is not in conflict with wanting to sell lots of your paper "newspapers?" Well, Randy certainly thinks not. I think we'd all agree that the Morris newspaper is rather the opposite with their approach. There was more interesting stuff on the website when the paper was owned by Forum Communications. And I really hate to give the Forum credit. 

Local sports fans, if their brains are programmed like mine - an assumption I'm not willing to make - should want online-based reporting on the MACA Tigers that is reasonably timely. Oh my it does not have to be flawless. The paper has a person who specializes in sports, this Sam fellow. I wish he'd sit down once or twice a week and just "riff" on sports happenings and then click on :publish" for the website. 

Sue Dieter when she managed the paper for the Forum had real aspirations for the website. 

Randy did not contact me to just share a holiday greeting. I appreciated the greeting since at this stage of my life I'm alone. We hear how everyone eats so much on Thanksgiving. Well, I had two bacon bagels at Caribou Coffee in the morning and this got me through the whole day. I did drink a bottle of Glucerna in the evening. 

Glucerna is recommended for diabetics. But I'll have you know the news is good for me: I am now "pre-diabetic" according to the recent blood test. I am not a diabetic per se. And for what it's worth, I feel totally fine. 

We must thank God for every day when we feel totally fine. We are sort of marking time in America now with Donald Trump still in office and commanding our attention every day. He often spews language and invective that should cause all of us to hang our heads. For some reason we put up with it. Active "Christians" may be starting to feel ashamed that they had so much to do with Trump's rise to power. 

Two terms as president. Dragging down our culture with disgusting behavior. Using holidays as occasions to attack his perceived adversaries. I guess I'm part of the "radical left." I'm one of the "radical left lunatics." I choose not to go along with our congressperson Michelle Fischbach who is absolutely joined at the hip with Trump and his minions. Democrats are evil. Maybe it's nice to have such a simple world view. It reduces stress? 

We are headed for another interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve which is feeling enormous pressure from Trump. He'll attack Fed board members personally. I learned long ago that the Fed is independent and that the proper order of things was to have the president not even comment on it. 

When will all this misbehavior catch up to the United States? Will another blast of inflation begin to cause real unease? I think there is unease now, especially in the major population centers. Of course the political right responds to that by just attacking the people in those population centers. Hey, the big cities are where the people are! They certainly aren't out here in western Minnesota. We continue to be somewhat isolated from the national angst. Lots of older people getting generous Social Security. That of course is an entitlement. Conservatives are supposed to be skeptical about government entitlements. 

 

UMN-Morris in focus 

Randy Olson of Bonanza Valley isn't just an exemplary newspaper person, he is very attuned to how UMN-Morris is doing. He won't hold back if he notices something disturbing. So he noticed the fan turnout figure for the UMM men's basketball win over "Martin Luther." Ahem, the turnout was 73! Game was played on Nov. 24 at the Gremmels Court. 

Let's feel happy about how the Cougars came on so strong in the second half. We trailed at halftime 46-34. But then presto, we outscored the foe 54-35 the rest of the way. Coach must have discussed some adjustments. 

I wrote for the Morris newspaper back when UMM was in the Northern Sun Conference and the bleachers were pulled out on both sides of the gym. The new norm is just one side. Some decorations are on the other side. (So we won't notice?) 

Fewer people are going to remember when bleachers were out on both sides. Fewer people remember when the place got "packed" at times like for the high school tournaments. Morris had games there. My, how convenient for Tiger families. Today we'll get a home game at the high school gym if we're seeded higher. After that the fans have to go out on the road. One or two more wins and we end up playing at Southwest Sate University. 

I remember when this arrangement was first announced. The distance I'm sure discourages lots of fans from attending the games. Times surely change. 

 

Transition 

We have a new chancellor at UMM who I expect will take a close look at everything. Might it cross his mind that we have "lost something" with our departure from the Northern Sun Conference? And, into this bottom-tier UMAC thing that gets little attention from top-tier media? I mean media like WDAY Radio out of Fargo. It's another Forum company. So I hate giving the Forum credit but WDAY has extensive commentary on college sports above the UMAC level. We are backwater. 

I often think how neat it would be if we could hear references to the UMM Cougars again on WDAY as they go over the Upper Midwest college sports scene. Wouldn't it be great of we were in there with Moorhead State et al.? There is no mystery about Moorhead State. We all know what the institution does. My goodness, with some of the UMM opponents now, it's almost scary to look up online what they do and what they stand for. You best not do it, really. But I do. I will share more on this in my future writing. 

Michael Rodriguez

In the meantime, I just hope this Rodriguez fellow is paying close attention too. Remember that we are part of the University of Minnesota which has great resources. And now there is a strong push to get UMM performing better, to attract more students. Hey let's go for 2000 again! Let's somehow get back in the Northern Sun Conference. Our Cougar Sports Center is truly top-notch, too good for hosting mere UMAC teams. So let's go for it! 

My Thanksgiving was totally uneventful but don't feel sorry for me. I have the rich memories of when my whole family was still alive. We'd get together with my uncle and aunt from Glenwood. 

God bless Caribou Coffee for being open on Thanksgiving morning! It's a lifesaver.

 

Addendum: So contrary to the holidaytime spirit: Trump's response to a female reporter's question, by saying "are you stupid?" And to think the nation's Christians were responsible for getting Trump elected twice. Trump is a crude abomination of a human being. I am glad that I have severed my membership in a Christian church.

 

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

Diane Keaton acted ashamed of this one

The passing of Diane Keaton brought one memory to mind. It was instant. And this was the movie "Looking For Mr. Goodbar." It was a "hot" movie at the time it was current. The east coast-based highbrow critics anointed certain movies as such. This was long before the "democratization" of media caused by the Internet. Mostly we sat back and accepted the judgment of the east coast folks. 

The people out in Flyoverland harbored skepticism I'm sure. But the judgments seemed too difficult to resist. So "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" became a gem in the eyes of the prime critics. Looking back I have to resent that. All a movie had to do was present "conflicted characters" and "moral ambiguity" and the highbrow crowd was most approving. 

So what's my problem with "Looking for Mr. Goodbar?" It's that it has the veneer of sophistication and depth while really being little more than titillating. I'd share the same assessment of Jane Fonda's "Klute" with Donald Sutherland. "Klute" came out a few years earlier. I paid to see both movies in the theater. Was I responding to the titillating aspect? I will confess "yes." 

Males had to jump through hoops to get access to pornography back then. A male actor from the "Golden Age of Porn" said the nature of the product then was "underground." I'll be very frank here: males including the adults - maybe especially the adults - could feel starved for sexually stimulating content. Are you offended by that? Well I won't back off because I am merely stating reality.  

Fonda posed in suggestive photos to promote "Klute." The movie pushed her fame forward. I believe this was after her "Hanoi Jane" phase. Well she sure became big-time. 

It is the definition of "quaint" to describe how young males found it to be a turn-on to watch "Klute" and "Looking for Mr. Goodbar." Shall we admit that sex was the big selling point? But the powers-that-be in Hollywood would strongly avoid "selling" the movies as such. 

There had to be the pretense of art and depth. So let's present "conflicted" characters. Anyone can be made to look conflicted. Once this gets woven in, the "Oscar" hype can set in. Such was the case for both movies I'm writing about here. Hollywood can be thankful I paid to see both movies. 

Oh, but the sex as seen on the screen was so tame. I mean it's tame compared to what can be called up on the free Internet today. Some Republican politicians are fighting that, like the guy from Utah. Remains to be seen how successful they will be. Enjoy it while you can? Maybe that's the attitude. 

Once a young man consumes some of the new stuff - would be called "hardcore" in the old days - he is relaxed in knowing he isn't going to be "teased" (toyed with) anymore. Man, it's all right in front of him. 

And this gets to the point where a male gets "desensitized." The shock value is gone. The feeling of watching something "taboo" is completely gone. 

We used to hear the term "triple-X" along with "hardcore." In fact wasn't George C. Scott in a movie called "Hardcore?" All of this was discussed in restrained terms as if with a whisper. Forbidden stuff in the eyes of many. Young males would go to Hennepin Ave. in the Twin Cities to see "Deep Throat" and "Debbie Does Dallas." Wide-eyed of course. It was an "adventure." And they'd feel sexual arousal. 

The "sex" in "Klute" and "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" was not very open or revealing, as I recall. A contemporary review of "Goodbar" used the term "fake sex." 

I became somewhat wide-eyed, because what else was there to satisfy one's, well, urges? We filled in some blanks with our imagination. 

Adolescent boys went to the Annette Funicello "beach" movies of the early '60s and developed an erection. Many of them were probably mystified. "What is this thing that is happening with my body?" And I assure you this could bring feelings of discomfort, even anxiety. And my goodness, it didn't help that the moms of the time would be horrified if they knew their sons were having sexual feelings. 

I'll point to another movie: "Born on the Fourth of July" with Tom Cruise. Maybe the best movie to show the tragedy of the Vietnam war. But the subject here is sex. Crisis, as a lad in his teens experienced every boy's worst nightmare: Mom discovering a hidden-away "Playboy" magazine. I would argue that this type of thing inflicted real psychological harm. Am I a case study? Perhaps. This would make me a victim. 

I guess we were dealing with Victorian attitudes. 

Our fathers knew what was up. But they totally held back. Maybe they just assumed with a wry smile that the boys would turn out OK. In the meantime, hell had no fury like a mom "cleaning out her son's bedroom" and discovering a Playboy. I have read the old account of main street barbers having a Playboy tucked away for the pleasure of male customers when no women were around. 

My God, why all the stealth? Of course there must have been psychological reasons. It's just the way God created us. The inhibitions. The actual fear that boys could feel. The anxiety. 

I'm with those women who feel that porn has been totally liberating. 

In "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" we see Keaton "cruising the singles bars" to hook up with men, transitory of course, and then you-know-what. The critics told us it was a story about the excesses of the sexual revolution of the '70s. With a wink the critics were telling us this was a deep movie with a message about cultural change. Well I think the producers knew full well that people would come to the theaters because of the titillating aspect. Same with "Klute." 

Diane Keaton

So these movies had the blessing of the east coast intelligentsia. So then why did Diane Keaton want to distance herself from "Goodbar" in later years? I nodded my head when reading about that. She's really just a dreadful whore in the movie. And just because Fonda as "Bree Daniels" presented herself as a "high-priced call girl" doesn't mean her character wasn't also a dreadful whore. There was absolutely no example to be set by the characters played by Keaton and Fonda. 

Strip away the Hollywood pretension, a pretension required for marketing, and these were soft-core porn flicks, actually rather poor soft-core porn flicks. Sadly, for the young male population of the time, the movies were turn-ons. The young men just had to add their own imagination to "fill in the blanks." 

Today? Oh my Lord. A simple Internet connection is all you need to surf for the explicit stuff in the privacy of your home. Oh it is absolutely endless. Certain politicians disapprove. But I must say, males get "desensitized" and I think this is healthy for them. Hey, they are more likely to appreciate women as real people! I can't think of anything that would make "women's libbers" happier. The libbers can move on to other areas of grievance which I'm sure they'll find. 

 

Less-enlightened 

Hollywood had a way of treating prostitutes in a light way in the 1970s. An example: "The Poseidon Adventure." Remember Ernest Borgnine's squeeze? Another example: "Harry and Tonto." Remember the woman saying to Art Carney, "When was the last time you 'made it' with someone?" 

Any level of prostitution can be described with just one word: bad. It is dangerous. We were more naive in the 1970s. 

Well we lost the actress Diane Keaton recently. Talented, yes. And I can't blame her for not wanting to put forward "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" as in the forefront of her career.

 

A commenter on Reddit: "Plus it doesn’t seem like Keaton wants any involvement with this film."

 

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

Mylie Fehr scores 14 in season opener

High school hoops is underway just as we all are finishing plans for Thanksgiving weekend. The weather has stayed pretty mild. I plan to again use my standard walking route which includes a good portion of the biking/walking trail. Big doings out along the trail recently. Heavy equipment is out there to widen the open space along both sides of the trail. The nature-y feel is being reduced. Whole trees are coming down. 

The possible reason for all this? Safety? Will the new arrangement give people a better view for spotting wildlife that might not be entirely friendly to them? I can't think of any other reason. Well, it won't be quite the same, that's for sure. 

On to basketball: here we see that the MACA girls got going on a new campaign Friday night. We all knew it'd be tough: the opponent was New London-Spicer. NL-Spicer has been a top-tier team for as long as we can remember. I wasn't betting on Morris doing particularly well. We lost by 22 points and I actually thought it could have been worse. So let's anticipate some success down the 2025-26 road. 

Things were sure worse for Lac qui Parle Valley which was taken to the woodshed by those Lakers of Minnewaska Area. Minnewaska cannot pass a school referendum but they sure dominate in girls hoops. They did likewise in volleyball. 

What's the problem with referendums? Well I have had my theories. The State of Minnesota today would not even allow the school to be built as it is, as a "cornfield high school." The state put its foot down after the 'Waska and Lac qui Parle schools were built. They were built in the oddball way they were, because of such intense fear of the parochial emotions from the communities - common (and sad) in those days. The 'Waska school could not be built one foot closer to Glenwood than to Starbuck, and some people were ready to get out their rulers. 

I worked in the community press in those days and I could see the emotions at work. I remember the "Cyrus task force." It chose Hancock. Then the move got roundly stomped on and rejected. Hoo boy, what a faulty system. The state just needed to step in, assert itself and say "this is how it will be, accept it." 

Oh, here's the score of the 'Waska versus Lac qui Parle girls hoops game Friday: 90-27! Sort of the lions eating Christians. 

There is a miracle on this Saturday morning: The West Central Tribune article on the Tigers' opener actually includes some Morris names! Eureka! I could have done a double-take. Almost always the West Central Trib has "stats not available" for our Motown. Time after time I write with chagrin about this. I wonder if the Nl-Spicer coach supplied the Morris info to the WC Trib last night. Whatever, let's appreciate. 

The Tigers fell to the Wildcats 72-50. the halftime score was 40-27. I can report that Mylie Fehr led us in scoring with 14 points. I'm very pleased to report that my neighbor Addie Cihak was next-best with 13. The trio of scoring leaders is rounded out by Samantha Konz, 12 points. The trio was complemented by: Leah Berlinger 5, Ryla Koehler 4 and Olivia Huebner 2. 

The WC Trib further reports that Konz made two three-pointers and Berliner one. Wow, this is a wealth of information compared to what the WC Trib normally gives us. 

The  paper reports in more detail about the Wildcats. The big gun in scoring for the visitor was Taylor Munsch with 30 points. Ezri Boelter and Paycen Rutgers each scored eleven. Let's complete the list: Ayla Caskey 6, Katelyn Delzer 4, Roxanne Klein 4, Korbin Tanner 3, Kyla Vick 2 and Addi Peltier 1. 

Munsch was a crowd-pleaser from 3-point range with six makes at our Tiger Center. Rutgers made three long-rangers, Boelter two and Caskey one. 

Tanner was a huge presence on the boards with her 14 rebounds. Klein followed with eight. Here's the assists story: Caskey 6, Tanner 4, Munsch 3 and Rutgers 3. 

Rutgers was tops in steals with eight followed by Munsch 5 and Caskey 3. And in blocks we see Tanner as the top force with four. Klein and Caskey had two each while Munsch and Rutgers each had one. 

The Minnewaska effort over LQPV was led by Lauryn Ankeny with 29 points and ten steals. The Lakers led the Eagles 61-12 at halftime. Last year's Lakers led MACA 58-4 at halftime. I frankly think that after a game like that, the athletic director for MACA needs to call the coach into his office for a constructive discussion. It does not need to be unpleasant. 

 

What could have been 

I have long thought that a high school should be located on the outskirts of Glenwood. If Hancock can support its own high school, no reason that Glenwood could not also. I think it's hard to "sell" a referendum when the school is not directly tied to either Glenwood or Starbuck. Glenwood and Starbuck are located just a little too far apart IMHO. 

Is there still a strong sense of rivalry between Starbuck and Glenwood? Or has that become an antiquated way of thinking? I hope the latter is true. But the school was built with the idea of appeasing both towns. Appeasing? That's political. It is not inspiring. 

When you leave the Lac qui Parle school at night, the atmosphere is so desolate! Almost foreboding. There is a political reason for why the school is called Lac qui Parle "Valley." There's no valley over there. I will share the story again sometime. 

Dawson almost got sucked in to the LQPV school. Dawson ended up thankful they did not.

   

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