MACA boys own 10-6 record

The MACA boys' four-game win streak got snapped on Tuesday. The opponent was Dawson-Boyd and the site was Tiger Center here in Morris. The final score was 68-52. 

MACA was left with a won-lost mark of 10-6, 6-1 in section, 4-3 in conference. We're 6-2 on the home court, 3-3 away, oh and 1-1 neutral. Maybe the Tuesday loss was just a bump in the road. 

I love the D-B nickname: "Blackjacks." Not sure what the background was when coining it. But we should appreciate the more unconventional names like "Silverstreaks" for Osakis. A neat trivia game is to recall nicknames of the old, now-defunct high schools out here. For example, Appleton "Aces" and Graceville "Shamrocks." 

I believe Campbell was the "Camels." Cyrus and Herman had the "Panthers" name. Every small town out here once had their own football and basketball teams. Then the birth control pill came along I guess. 

Dawson-Boyd took control through the early stages Tuesday. The halftime score was 39-19. The Tigers did outscore the Blackjacks in second half play 33-29. 

I am very happy on this Thursday morning to report stat details for MACA. I don't get to do that very often unfortunately. Two of the orange and black members scored in double figures: Alex Asmus with 16 points, Tyson Grove with eleven. Then we see Jack Kehoe 9, Drew Huebner 8, Charlie Hanson 4, Ben Tiernan 2 and Jonah Huebner 2. 

Asmus built his team-best total with four 3-pointers. Grove and Kehoe each made one from long-range. Kehoe topped rebounds with six. Oops! the West Central Tribune has "Huebner" with one assist. Which one? Actually this is a fairly easy oversight for a sportswriter. "Huebner" and Tyler Friesen each had one assist. If you write about a particular team very regularly, you stay aware of the name distinctions. 

Asmus had two steals. Looks like there was only one "Asmus" involved in this game. Friesen blocked a shot. It is very common for siblings to be on a team. 

Dawson-Boyd had four players make double figures. Brayson Boike led the charge with 17 points. Gunner Liebl and Drew Hjelmeland each scored 14. Carson Stratmoen put in eleven. For good measure, Beau Johnson scored seven points and Haxton Hastad five. 

Is Gunner a "gunner?" Well it was Stratmoen who was the sharpshooter from long-range: three 3's. Johnson, Boike and Hjelmeland each made one '3'. Boike attacked the boards for the team-best 13 rebounds. Hjelmeland pulled down nine. Liebl and Hjelmeland each delivered five assists. Liebl and Stratmoen each had three steals. And Boike blocked three shots.

Girls: Tigers 54, Monte 45

The GBB Tigers must have really felt lifted with their  Tuesday win. It was by a score of 54-45 over Montevideo. The West Central Tribune has "stats not available" for our Tigers. However - Eureka! - I can report three individual scoring totals that were on the radio station website. Ryla Koehler with 12 points, Chloe Fehr with eleven and Samantha Konz with ten. I wish that the full scoring list could have been shared. Hey guys, it's not too much to ask, is it? 

A girls win feels almost historic now. Remember how Brett Miller used to give us so much quality text reviews of Tiger sports on the radio station site? It's gone with the wind. The station must feel this kind of effort is not needed from a business standpoint. I was held to such incredibly high standards at the end of my newspaper tenure, so high I had to leave under great duress. Honestly, it was almost laughable. 

Ah, the things people have to do to impress their bosses sometimes. Glory hounds. 

Adding to the satisfaction of the girls' Tuesday win was that it was at home. Wait a minute, were the boys and girls both playing at home on Tuesday? I just double-checked with the "Minnesota Scores" site and it looks like they were. Staggered start times I assume. 

Here's a one-finger salute to the West Central Tribune for not having the MACA stats. And they refuse to even call us "MACA." It's a Forum-owned newspaper. They owned the Morris paper once and then they bailed out of here. 

The Tigers led Monte at halftime 28-25. We outscored the T-Hawks in second half play 26-20. Teagan Epema led Monte's scoring with 20 points. She made three 3-pointers. Hallie Helgeson led rebounds with five. Epema with her seven assists led there. She also stole the ball three times.

 

 

Sophie Hart

The U of M women

The University of Minnesota women's basketball team has some heavy-lifting to do today (Thursday). They are way out west. So there's a late starting time of 9 p.m. The assignment in that fire-devastated part of the country is to play USC. The Trojans are ranked fourth nationally. They own an 18-1 record. 

But don't count out our U of M women. We are 18-3 and have been ranked in the top 25. I think there's a good chance we'll have a decent run in the NCAA tournament. We could really get on a roll, and that could make the team a true marquee attraction for this state. The potential is there. 

"Coach Dawn" has the team humming. (I have a hard time with her last name.) 

Us fans sure got encouragement from the Wisconsin game. The Gophs beat the Badgers 71-50 on Sunday. The first half was a stalemate and then our rodents really took over in the second. The game was at home. Grace Grocholski had another super game, this time scoring 17 points. Sophie Hart was right behind with 16. Mallory Heyer got her second double-double of the season: 15 points, 11 rebounds.

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

Age 70 and I don't need a walker

A very early birthday celebration for yours truly. One candle! 69 since then. Williams family lived in St. Paul. My preschool years were a precious chapter of my life. I was far too young here to know anything about the vicissitudes that awaited me. My father Ralph came to Morris to help launch UMM. Mom Martha managed the campus post office for many years. I try to keep memories of my parents alive. Was I close to my father? No. I wasn't because we were a "generation gap" family. That's just how it was.

 

Significant day for yours truly this past Sunday as I covered my full walking route east of town, for the first time in quite a while. Weather has been too unpleasant: cold, wind, gray skies, just yuk. 

Nice to see the usual surroundings out there. Especially nice to see a fellow walker and especially her dog who recognized me. So I shouted the dog's name "Reese" and he bounded toward me. Supreme source of joy in an otherwise bitter time of year, when we are forced to spend so much time indoors. 

It's important for me to exercise for health reasons. 

So Sunday was upbeat and then came Monday which was the birthday of my childhood next-door neighbor. She no longer resides locally. Her dad was chairman of the Morris school board. I try to remember each year to communicate with her at birthday time. I whiffed one year and I felt that was because of our routines being disrupted by covid. 

And might today, Jan. 28, be special too? Well it's special for me because it's my own birthday. Yes my old neighbor and I have birthdays on back-to-back days and not only that, we're the same age! We are now age 70. It's an accomplishment to make it to 70. I also considered it a milestone accomplishment to make it to my 50-year high school reunion which was two years ago. 

As a kid I would consider people at these milestones to be so very old, doddering some perhaps. And maybe some of us are. Me? I feel fine as I sit here at my residence along beautiful Northridge Drive. I'm writing the first draft on Monday. So on Tuesday all I need to do is click on "publish." Then I'll kick back and with any luck can take my long walk again. We'll see. 

I said I feel fine, but I'm on hold for finding out if I have any issues to deal with. I have to submit a new "blood draw" in about a week. Hoping for the best of course but cannot rule out complications of some kind. 

Since qualifying for Medicare I have found that frankly I don't have much confidence in the concept of "primary care physicians." I have come to believe that if you feel you might have a concerning medical condition, identify the proper specialist and go straight to that person. What a difference this would have made in my life. 

Why might the other system be a problem? Well, I think I heard some light shed on this by Tim Conway Jr. on his L.A.-based radio show on KFI. He was talking about our broader culture and how "there's just no follow-through." I have noticed more than one example of that apparent shortcoming. Sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised. 

If my health falls through, I can take satisfaction in making it to age 70 and having been at my 50-year reunion. I grew up when we consumed the daily news reporting of countless young men getting killed violently in the Vietnam war. Young men only around the age of 20. All this happened in a war that the U.S. lost. 

I am wondering if we are entering a new dark time with DJT being president again. If you disagree with me that there is cause for concern, then you're a hopeless moron. So that means there are so many hopeless morons in the church pews of the various conservative churches around Stevens County. It is hard to continue calling oneself a Christian. 

I attend the "progressive" church of First Lutheran in Morris, a church that may be fading away because of the prevailing attitudes/temperament. 

DJT is showing 100 percent signs of wanting to be an autocrat. America could end up as a smoldering ash pile. Not sure what will arise to replace it but I presume there will be human beings here. 

I have lost friends because of the political climate. But I can count on getting one birthday card. That would be from the U of M Foundation. And of course that happens because I give them money. Today (Tuesday) is my birthday so it's possible there could be another card in mailbox. We'll see. 

It is hard being someone who is known to say positive things about the Democratic Party. I do wish the Dem Party would knock it off with things like "trans." I have no time for that. The huge shift rightward in rural outstate Minnesota got started with the push for gay rights. 

Again I'll say that it was perfectly legitimate to ensure there are fair legal guarantees for our gay brothers and sisters. What we did not need was all the open gay rights crusading as with allowing "gay pride" floats in high school homecoming parades. Don't even talk to me about that. 

So now we have the political right being in almost complete control. It certainly is in control out here in windswept rural western Minnesota. So ironic we have UMM out here, an institution which historically has been known to be so left-leaning. But that might just be an old stereotype now. If so, I'm tremendously glad. 

I'm not sure I should be happy about supporting UMM now. The idea was to help the UMM music department. My how that department has cratered. The evidence is that the music ensembles will henceforth be a combo of what few students we have, and community people. 

My opinion is that community people can have their own community groups. I don't think state taxpayers need to support the new arrangement. The community people who will be in these groups I'm sure are from well-to-do families. They can open their own checkbooks. I feel rather silly continuing to write checks to support this. 

I'm trying to prop myself up in this community by supporting at least one or two proper things, which I have always had a hard time doing. I have gone against the grain horribly in this community. So is there any hope now? 

I support UMM music even though it appears to be dying, and I support First Lutheran Church even though the ELCA is in constant decline and the Trump-supporting churches expand constantly. Is it just bad luck or what? Is this all because of a player on the San Jose State volleyball team? 

Thanks to UMM for the birthday card I got. I need to try to find a ray of hope. And as I do each year, I encourage you to acknowledge my birthday by listening to Elvis Presley sing "Funny How Time Slips Away." You can do so with YouTube link below. God bless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZcnT5gqRXk 

 

Dad and I at Disneyland, a good guess would be 1958. We traveled out there to visit my uncle Edwin, his wife Doris and their identical twin sons Allan and Norman. Edwin was Mom's brother. They grew up in Brainerd. Mom and Edwin had a sister Mildred. Oh, Doris was Homecoming queen for Brainerd High School in 1942! Her name was Doris Alexander then.
 

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

Significant road victory over Montevideo

Tigers 56, Monte 45

The MACA boys finished the week on an encouraging roll. They now have a win skein of four. They have dispatched Paynesville, Sauk Centre, Osakis and Montevideo. The Monte game was last night (Friday) and had a low-scoring complexion. So it might not have been the most crowd-pleasing. MACA took advantage of this game complexion which was slow and half-court. 

Winning was not going to be easy against the Thunder Hawks at their gym. I'll never forget the days when they had a big mural painting there that featured a Native American. Their nickname was "Mohawks" in those days. 

Monte moved away from the Native American images, a long time ago in fact, and now they're the "Thunder Hawks." Darn, I always have to check if that's one word or two. Same with "Silverstreaks" of Osakis. 

A check with the "Minnesota Scores" site on this Saturday morning shows that Monte has won a lot this season. That is almost understatement. My what a string of "W's". But hey, for Friday, Jan. 24, we see the "L". That's because the Tigers of MACA had the winning formula. We handed the T-Hawks one of their rare losses with a score of 56-45. 

Monte was left with a record of 13-2 with their only other loss being against Jackson County Central 63-55. Looks like a similarly slow game to Friday's. Is that the key against Monte? 

Our Tigers own a 10-5 record as we get set for February. We hope that the new month will bring some milder weather like somewhat higher temperatures. This morning as I write this, it is windy. That's what happens so often when the temperature goes up some. 

Somehow the weather is just gnawing at me. Or maybe I'm a little bummed seeing what is happening now just days into the new Donald Trump term. Things have gotten so extreme, you should realize that this type of political leadership would never have passed Title IX for girls athletics, what paved the way for what we see today. Not a snowball's chance in heck. 

And we certainly would not see the MLK holiday created, mercy! 

But how regressive could this nation become? A comeback of Jim Crow laws in the South? Lynchings? And as for girls sports being on equal footing with males, look at the joy this has brought for our whole culture. Just think if we had never allowed it to develop. We'd have a situation like when I was young and "girls sports" was represented by the "G.A.A." page in the high school yearbook. 

Jim Thoreen recalled for me his hometown where the G.A.A. girls would put on a "tumbling" demonstration at halftime of a basketball game. It wasn't "boys basketball" then, it was "basketball." Girls were cheerleaders. The really "cute" girls had the advantage. I'm just describing the reality we had. 

Caitlin Clark today might be a mere store clerk. But I love what women's liberation has given us in sports. 

We learn this morning that Pete Hegseth has in fact been confirmed as defense secretary. According to an affadavit he once asserted that women should not be able to vote or to work. Well, there goes Clark's store clerk job I guess. But this guy now passes muster with our elected leaders. Don't complain to me about it. 

How did John Thune and Mike Rounds vote? We're pretty close to South Dakota here in Morris. 

 

Big second half

The MACA boys trailed by one at halftime last night. We surged after that on the strength of our shooting. Boy, our girls basketball team could sure use a dose of that! The girls BTW sure could have used a win on Thursday - an understatement. And we came close. The team has been steam-rolled at times this season with the analysis always being the same: "We weren't hitting our shots." On Thursday the Tigers did quite fine against Melrose but were on the short end by one, 62-61. 

Some of us have been worried about whether the MACA girls would even be able to finish the season. I think we can relax now. However, we will have to play Minnewaska one more time, Feb. 18 at home. 

The MACA boys have the rather so-so record of 4-3 in conference. Meanwhile the Thunder Hawks roll forward at 6-1. It was a real feather in our cap to win last night. Our pure shooting was reflected in 3-pointers where we made eight. Monte made four. The Tigers outscored Monte 32-20 in the second half. 

I was almost startled this morning to see that the MACA success is the lead story in the West Central Tribune's "boys basketball roundup" online. MACA isn't even in the coverage territory of the Willmar paper. But I think Montevideo is. 

Why are we not? You'll have to ask them. 

So often we see "stats not available" for MACA after a game. Today we see our individual scoring totals along with 3-pointer data but no other stat categories. Monte meanwhile has all stat categories reported. So we're still being slighted some by the Willmar paper. Good grief, I've seen coverage of Brainerd in the Willmar paper. 

Tyson Grove made three of our 3-pointers. Tyler Friesen made two, and Ben Tiernan, Alex Asmus and Charlie Hanson one each. Alex with his 15 points topped our scoring. But it was really a balanced look as Grove scored 13 and Drew Huebner 12. I don't see the Riley Asmus name. Friesen scored six, Jack Kehoe four, Hanson three and  Tiernan three. 

The game-high scorer was Monte's Gannon Reidinger, 19 points. Brody Dick scored eleven.

As they have done for years, the WC Trib does not refer to us as "MACA" or "Morris Area Chokio Alberta." They think they have better ideas.

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

Att'n Fischbach, take lesson from the "Eloi"

I'm wondering what I was doing at this time last year. The weather did not have me so down last year. Yes it was a snowless winter. And that's not necessarily a joy. But this winter has not brought a great deal of snow either. We see patches of snow out and about. And it has become much like "snirt" which we usually see in early spring. 

We have been absolutely blasted by cold temperatures. The wind leading up to Christmas was heartless. That feature has not gone away. Taking walks has seemed off the table. Maybe in the coming days it will become doable. We all need fresh air now and then. We're inside listening to the wind howl and rumble on this Friday, while overhead the sky is gray. So I have to work at keeping my mood bright. 

Maybe it's the national news adding to the despondent frame of mind? There's no point in anyone writing a "News of the Weird" column because the standard front page news suffices for that. 

I do not understand these people who call themselves "Republicans" now. This isn't a standard partisan statement from me because through my life, I have been able to criticize Republicans while still respecting their underlying philosophy. In other words, conservatism once meant something. I could echo Lawrence O'Donnell of the left-leaning MSNBC who has said "conservatives play an important role in our political process." 

We mean it, those of us who tend toward the other side, at least we used to mean it. "Conservatism" has become bastardized now, has been turned on its head. I dare say it's meaningless. There has been a virtual parade of headlines in the past few days affirming nothing short of astonishment at what the Republican Party has devolved into. 

Remember when Mitt Romney ran for president? Remember the dignified race between him and Barack Obama? The Jimmy Carter funeral reminded us of when he and Gerald Ford ran the most dignified political race. 

Is there anything more disgusting than the headlines we're seeing right now? I could have asked this question on the day after inauguration, the inauguration of the notorious soul who is president. It is worse today, Friday. Can we expect our congressperson, a woman, to speak out about this? Of course not. Our congressperson is all-in with the DJT cult. They spin anything to try to make their party look heroic. It's just like listening to talk radio and all the callers-in to those shows that just drone on and on. 

Michelle Fischbach

Were Fischbach really weighing things in the normal rational way, like any college graduate would be expected to do, she as a woman would have to be revulsed by a top news story. Can't she just say it? Or couldn't she react to the story of a couple days ago about the Pentagon chief nominee reportedly having once said that women should not be allowed to vote or even to work? And yet the nominee's standing appears solid because he has the know-nothing party behind him, the spineless party shaped like silly putty by Donald Trump. 

After all these years, the orange man mesmerizes so many of us. Tune in talk radio. For sure they are gushing in the usual way, reciting from the common playbook, demonizing anything seen as left-of-center because that's all that matters. Be like Scott Jennings of CNN and construct any argument you can to cloak DJT in heroic stature. 

It is the Christian faith that has lifted up this whole movement across America. So powerful, though I'm sure many adherents privately think a lot of it is crazy. Because I'm sure so many of these people, like some personal friends of mine, have the intelligence to feel real concern about what is happening. They'd have to. 

Scott Jennings deep in his soul must wonder "what the heck is going on, this is crazy." But he's hired in a commentary role to play a part as if he's on some TV drama. So how else could he comment on this Cassidy Hutchinson matter? Hutchinson is at center for a story on this Friday that stretches what we already know about the totally disgusting nature of the Trump cult and Republican Party. 

I have a hard time getting that out, I really do, because for most of my life I have had a basic respect for conservatism. I really discovered the conservative philosophy by reading a paperback by William F. Buckley not long after college. I attended a state college in the 1970s when we were guaranteed to be bowled over by the liberal side. That really was the nature of college, state colleges especially I've been told, in the '70s. That's when Carter ran against Ford. 

The "fall of Saigon" happened in 1975. Please check that out through archived news reports on YouTube, so you might understand why my generation became hardened with cynicism. I studied mass communications in the '70s. So I became a Watergate era journalist, instinctively skeptical of the party line. I must admit, that outlook did not apply well to the "micro" world as with the community press. But I forged ahead. 

So today I bring my cynical mindset to the clown show of our national politics in which the Republicans are the clowns. These are not the amusing type of clowns. Let me know if Fischbach says anything to show that she is breaking away from her shackles. Well, I'm not holding my breath. But I would love to be pleasantly surprised. 

I'll use again my analogy from the 1960 movie "The Time Machine." It's based on where the "Eloi" finally learns to fight back against the "Morlocks." So he clenches his fist. Then he lets fly against the stunned Morlock. That would be Fischbach condemning her Republican Party and Donald Trump. What do you suppose the odds are of that happening? Again I'd love to be surprised. 

So today's shocker in the news? It's almost painful to write about. Is it worse than learning of Pete Hegseth's belief that women should not be allowed to vote or to work? What's next? Lynchings coming back in the Deep South? Jim Crow's return? Would Fischbach be good with that? This is the way in which "conservatives" lean now, to my incredulous response. 

 

Cassidy Hutchinson

Hard to report this

So what's today's story? Well. . . "Mike Johnson's office urged Republicans against subpoenaing a key Jan. 6 Committee witness so 'sexually explicit' texts GOP lawmakers sent her would remain under wrap." 

Congressmen are older men. So they're drooling over this woman in her late 20s as if they're feeling an erection in their pants? And wouldn't these gestures be intended as transactional? And we cannot summon immediate moral outrage over this? Sheer incredulity? 

I am a normal person, not a member of any cult, and I am disgusted. Fischbach as a woman should speak out openly. If she does, let me know. In the meantime we have so much on our plate with DJT in power again, and I haven't even gotten to the subject of Trump wanting to take over the Federal Reserve to push interest rates way down to help make billionaires far richer. The rest of us? Do we matter? Rhetorical question. 

We have such lecherous, disgusting male congresspeople. As for Jan. 6, wasn't it all on TV in real time?

 

Addendum: Re. the movie "The Time Machine," I was a little kid susceptible to having to keep the light on in the bedroom after seeing scenes like with the "Morlocks."

 

Here's a comment I posted to Yahoo! News yesterday:

Yesterday we got word that Hegseth reportedly once said women shouldn't have the right to vote. Can it get any worse than that? Should we just start making this stuff up?

 

"Bepi" responded:

Women do have the right to the vote. However, we have never done an actual examination on the effect on our society with women voting. While I want women to vote, I will say that how they handle political power is far different than men, that their instincts are to take care of the home and the family and to share equally among family members, but family economics does not translate into defending a civilization from a crime or rewarding those who merit it versus spreading everything out. And as to ability to wield global power, as a man I'm certain you signed up for selective service and in the back of your mind is the thought that you will go to war when called, yet women do not have that in the back of their minds. And thus are incomplete in their thinking. They will choose war to prove themselves in a position where you should have nothing to prove. There are exceptions like Tulsi Gabbard.

(end of quoted response)

Well, what to you think of "Bepi's" thoughts?

 

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

Note of encouragement for MACA girls

My generation could not have envisioned anything like YouTube when we were young. Or, even into middle age for many of us. The evolution has been so rapid as with so many things in the digital age. It has become just like watching a polished TV production now. A rich blessing to be sure. 

So last night (Tuesday) I "tuned in" for a portion of the MACA girls basketball game. What I saw was heartening because our GBB program looked stable, at least able to finish out the season. How disastrous it would have to be, if we just had to "fold." Doesn't seem like any such scenario is in the works. 

We might have been in panic mode over the previous week's 'Waska game. Or the earlier game versus Mayer Lutheran. But last night we had a team on the floor that looked decent or "passable." We'll make it. The fact we lost seems like not a big deal. It was against Willmar. 

Yes, a "big town." But we must not assume that the big towns have a big natural advantage. For one thing, those schools might have more resources by which to offer kids more activity choices. So, they'd be "divided up" more. That's at least in theory. 

A friend of mine seemed to indicate over the past few days that the MACA girls program might be endangered for this year. This individual said some players were leaving the program. I envisioned a possible 5-alarm fire. 

I know nothing about our current coach, in his first year. He was standing along our bench last night in typical command pose. So we wish everyone well. 

You know, I'm noticing a fair number of one-sided scores in prep hoops out and around. Has the reaction to these changed from an earlier time? It is hard for me to keep up on everything. Maybe we all take these scores in stride, aren't as apt to get so horribly upset about alleged "running up the score." 

That charge has always bothered me some. Because, we do not want to discourage our coaches from pushing their players to play at their best. It is disturbing when there is a deliberate departure from high standards just to help a certain opponent "save face." So maybe "chill out?" to use a poplar current expression? Remember that the score is just a pair of numbers. No one ought to get hurt by that. 

And the two numbers from Tuesday night in Tiger Land were 57-23, MACA on the short end. I was actually relieved by this score. I was relieved watching YouTube and seeing everything look basically normal. Really, the sky wasn't falling. It may have been last Thursday. But not last night. Our players out on the floor looked reasonably capable. 

We might trot out the old explanation "our shots weren't falling." 

The West Central Tribune credited the Willmar Cardinals' defense. But it would seem maybe the Tigers need more drilling with shooting. That includes "bunnies" which good ol' Neal Hofland cited as a problem after a recent game. The halftime score last night was not a disaster: 25-13. But the Cardinals surged in second half play to outscore us 32-10. 

My current post on "Morris of Course" is divided between the U of M women's basketball team and the MACA girls. The girls portion focuses on what we might call the "existential" issue, of immediate concern following the two concerning losses. Also, reports I've heard of some players leaving the team. The news about our U of M Gophers is 100 percent terrific. I invite you to read:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/01/watch-those-gophers-pray-for-our-maca.html 

 

Willmar 57, Tigers 23

Oh shoot the West Central Tribune has "stats not available" for MACA. That old bugaboo. Can't some pressure be brought to bear on Forum Communications, owner of the WC Trib? They made a foray into Morris once and it did not go well for them. I sure do not respect that company. 

The problem with our Morris newspaper these days - the "elephant in the room" - is that it only comes out once a week. Let's say that MACA had an exciting win over Willmar last night - we'd have to wait until next Tuesday to see the coverage. 

This could be solved wonderfully if the paper would use its website more. Instead the SCT website just showers us with coverage of the UMM Cougars. What's the term for that? "Bizarro World?" I have been accused of misusing that term. I was with the Morris newspaper when it published twice a week. Today I don't think I would be held back with the website. But of course management sets its policy. I'm just a guy who likes writing about local sports. 

 

Molacek excels for Cards

I can report here on the Willmar Cardinals from last night. Many Cardinals scored but only one really stood out. This was Maddie Molacek with 21 points. Madison Norsten and Aliya Reiman each scored seven. 

The rest of the list: Telilie Lange 6, Brielle Ogdahl 5, Isley Ripperger 4, Lyza Gustafson 3, Madelyn Swierenga 2, Hannah Magnuson 1 and Emmy Saulsburg 1. 

Ogdahl, Reiman and Molocek each made a 3-pointer. Here's the rebound list: Molacek 7, Gustafson 7, Ripperger 5, Lange 5, Norsten 5 and Reiman 5. Ripperger, Ogdahl and Norsten each had two assists. Lange had three steals and Reiman 2. 

Molacek had four blocked shots and Ogdahl 2.

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

No sense of joy about inauguration

Stardate Jan. 20, 2025. Remember how in past times, people would talk about how a special effort was needed in "the new year" to get the year right on your checks? The talk seems to have all but disappeared: we write paper checks so rarely now. So many more systems are automated now. We do not have to think as much to stay on top of things. 

Speaking of not having to think as much, we have decided to have Trump take over for a new term as president. Do you sense any real joy in the air about this? Don't you in fact sense trepidation? Shouldn't you start asking yourself how we came to this place: a person with so many obvious liabilities being able to ascend to these heights again? 

Give a person power and you'll see his true colors. As an entertainment personality, Trump could be seen as popular. He was harmless. He and his professional entertainment handlers could cook up an entertainment product and a persona that could get attention/eyeballs. Cute, yes. 

"Getting attention" for Trump has now morphed into something so totally different. 

People can be fooled by the entertainment world. You are naive if you do not see that. Consider the height of "reality TV" (when "TV" was still really a thing) and how we learned the shows were quite contrived and scripted. Well they had to be. Can't you see or understand? I guess I could. Trump's popular persona was carved out by such means. 

"Meme" coins

It wasn't enough that we elected him once, yes when he got three million fewer votes than the Democrat (in 2016). He has miraculously been able to make the ascent again. Regardless of how this turns out, he will exit from the presidency with piles and piles of money. 

There is a chance that the law will eventually catch up to him. But it seems unlikely now. He (or should I say he and his lawyers) have been breathtakingly adept at dodging all the bullets. 

And what will now be the consequences for our America? We have some answering to do out here in western Minnesota. We elect a congressperson who is absolutely joined at the hip with Trump. She is full-fledged MAGA. And her main challenger was actually someone to the right of her: Steve "Life Begins at Conception" Boyd. Well, that's who we are now. 

 

"I don't celebrate rapists" - AOC on why she isn't attending inauguration today.

 

And you wonder why my headline accents the lack of joy? Happens to be on MLK Day too.

 

Layer of "fog," cold

On this morning of the start of a new week, a thick haze was again seen over the landscape. A repeating phenomenon. Just plain ol' fog? If not, what? The government experimenting with something?

I am relieved by the extreme cold for one reason: it might cut down on the wildlife we'll see come spring. I'm thinking of one particular menace: skunks. Oh and your basic field mice too. I have contracted with Braness Pest Control and I now have peace of mind with quite the number of bait stations out and around. Should have done this a long time ago. 

Never had a problem with mice inside the home, but the basement has seen an occasional intrusion and it's just not acceptable. 

A prolonged cold snap might eradicate a lot of the unwelcome critters. 

For the first time last year in early summer, I saw skunks out by the biking/walking trail, even in daylight. A mink crossed the trail in front of me. But skunks are a unique menace. If not for the obvious problem associated with them, I think a mother with her young ones are about the cutest thing in the world. A family scampered right by me in my back yard last June. Strangely unafraid of me. 

And, I think the basic temperament of skunks is very agreeable. But you know what might happen when they get agitated. 

We romanticize the wild world too much. I think Walt Disney was responsible for that when I was young. Otters! The Walt Disney show made otters seem so lovable. You don't want to get bit by one when you're out swimming. This must happen in swimming holes that are fairly wild, best to avoid in the first place. As a rule of thumb, stay off the ice in winter. We lost a well-known former Morris pastor recently because of the peril of ice. Just don't take the chance. 

 

First Lutheran Church

Dry church stuff

Speaking of the late pastor, yesterday was Sunday and my church of First Lutheran had its "financial meeting." I had thought this was our "annual meeting" but I guess they are two separate things. So the annual meeting lies ahead for next Sunday. Kind of a trial to experience both because they are, well, boring. 

Yesterday we heard talk yet again of how First and Faith ought to consider blending more. I was surprised at one point to hear a speaker suggest there are "theological differences" between First and Faith. 

Really? My one response is that the two are both in the ELCA. Doesn't that say it all? After the meeting I talked to a long-time well-known member of our church and asked him about that. He said there might be some difference in relation to the issue of - maybe you guessed it - "gay rights." And maybe First Lutheran has at least a slight "rep" of being too receptive to it? Really? 

I know gay rights has had a cataclysmic effect on Lutheranism. BTW what is Lutheranism? I prefer to just think in terms of "Christianity." Martin Luther was a contemptible anti-Semite whose language contributed to the holocaust. And we choose to honor him? 

First Lutheran of Morris has gone from being this pillar of propriety and conformity to a stigmatized place with the "liberal" tag attached. And maybe Faith Lutheran has tried to stay a little to the "right" of us? But I don't really sense that. If you are right-leaning at all, get the heck out of the ELCA and join the MAGA herds. They are the ones who have now given us Trump again. Heaven help us all. 

My final warning about Trump: "Beware false prophets."

 

Eye to local sports

During the very cold time of mid-winter, school sports gets us through. We have to feel concern now about the MACA girls basketball program. The program has a long history with too many prolonged futile periods, I mean real futile. I almost can't believe we're back there again. Do we need to hire an outside consultant or what? If so, then our administration isn't doing the job. 

In one sense we are in much better shape than we used to be. There was a strange sort of philosophical roadblock at one time. It was a combination of the "academic"-oriented crowd and sheer social cliques. And it appears to be gone now, paving the way for the proper road to take. Alas, nothing in sports is ever guaranteed. Is our current problem in GBB "systemic?" Well if it is, we really have to hold administration to account. I know little about the coach. 

I thought under Henrich the program was stagnating. But that was nothing compared to what we've seen at times this season. The margin of defeat has extended way beyond reason. And now this morning, an "in the know" friend of mine who I see at DeToy's Restaurant says "they're losing kids too." 

I'm afraid there might have to be intervention too. There used to be a UMM-centered element in this community that would ridicule those who were bemoaning performances by sports teams. The UMM crowd or "NPR crowd" thought sports advocates were rather Neanderthals. That has died off just as UMM itself is rapidly showing signs of dying off. 

The UMM-based intelligentsia once went on a full-bore attack against yours truly. Well, yours truly is still standing. As they say, "living well is the best revenge." And my only problem now might be skunks.

 

Addendum: How about Neal Hofland as a popular and easy-going caretaker coach just like Bud Grant when Grant came back to the Vikings. Remember?

 

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

Sad for MACA, happy for Minnewaska Area!

The classic American life, RIP

I felt wet snow underfoot yesterday and today, a sign of moderation in temperature from the chilling cold. But oh my, the chilly cold is coming back. I normally dine out on Friday night but I'll keep the car in the garage tonight. Stay secure in the home. Last Friday a thick sheet of ice formed on the windshield while I was in Don's - never seen anything like it. But in Minnesota we're always ready for "firsts" with the weather. 

Nice to comment a little on the weather in starting this post, as news is grim when it comes to the MACA girls basketball team. Cut to the chase and look to the 82-25 score of Thursday night. A super letdown for Morris, yes (and Chokio-Alberta). And yet a most upbeat story for the victor, a team that I often blog about. 

I must confess it's easier to write about teams on the winning end as opposed to the other end. MACA continues to be in one of those profound funks that unfortunately has characterized much, though not all, of the program's history. Believe me I have observed all of it. When I was younger I might try to suggest an explanation. We have certainly had coaching issues - hoo boy - but I'm in no position to comment about that now. 

I have never met Mr. Daly but I sure knew his father Paul. I hope Paul still gets out ice fishing. Of course he once held the reins with the now-defunct C-A boys basketball team. He had some exciting teams over there. I remember traveling to Alexandria for a game when of course Alex played at their former school. I haven't been in the new one yet. I ought to visit in order to see the Witt boys or Chloe Scholl. Their parents were once deeply involved with Tiger sports here. Chloe's grandmother was on the school board. 

I used to be in a position to know so much about what was going on. 

I'm filibustering here before getting into a review of the Thursday GBB game between the Tigers and Lakers. As a Morris-based writer I ought to have head hanging some. MACA was beaten up by the Lakers who took a 58-4 lead by halftime. Oh my God. 

It's hard to think we must rule out finger-pointing. I would not assume that coaching is at issue, but perhaps other factors or influences are. You can't tell me Minnewaska is in some sort of superior position with assets/resources. It's a pretty comparable school to Morris, n'est-ce pas? I just think 58-4 is eye-opening. This data appears on the West Central Tribune website this morning. 

TGIF except that it's going to get darn cold again. 'Waska eased up some in the second half to outscore MACA 24-21. 

What about team morale? Is it holding up for the Tigers? You might say it adds insult to injury that the WC Trib has "stats not available" for Motown. Their old "stats not available" dismissal. Morris does not rate. The Willmar paper is owned by Forum Communications. We are out of their coverage territory even though we very often play teams that are in. Would Morris coaches cooperate if they were invited? 

The 'Waska girls have been winning convincingly in many games. For MACA, the complexion of Thursday's game was just like our loss to Mayer Lutheran. That loss was so bad, I implied in my writing here that maybe our school administration should not have put us in a situation where we'd match up vs. them. 

But hey, take a look at some other scores from last night: BOLD played a competitive game versus Mayer even though they lost. I just wish MACA could hold its own better. 

I believe Morgan Harstad has left the team. A very tall girl just like her sister Kaylee. I'm a next-door neighbor of one of the MACA players. I hope that family does not feel down, even though there would be very good reason to feel down. 

58-4 at halftime! Is there a "running clock" rule for games like this? I wonder if 'Waska sent its reserves into action for the second half. 

I remember visiting the 'Waska school just days before the whole covid thing set in. Normal life prevailed on that night. It was a post-season game for our Tigers and we were defeated. I had a great time. I mainly went to see Janet Kehoe's granddaughter play. I was hoping she'd make a 3-pointer that night. She did not. 

 

Watch Sydney Dahl

'Waska obviously had several "guns" on Thursday and a prime one was Sydney Dahl. She's a senior post player standing six feet even. Dahl scored the team-best 22 points. There were four players in double figures. Lauryn Ankeny scored 17, Addyson Kath 11 and Alia Randt 10. 

The rest of the list: Olivia Danielson 8, Megan Thorfinnson 4, Jayda Kolstoe 4, Kendall Danielson 4 and Amber Peabody 2. Kath and Randt each made two 3-pointers and Dahl made one. 

Kolstoe nabbed four rebounds. Ankeny picked up four assists. Thorfinnson with her seven steals led there. Kath and Phemie Oeltjen each blocked two shots. 

'Waska has an activities director who was previously at Morris, that Karas guy. At least I assume he's still there. I heard the rumor that Karas was going to make $40,000 more a year at 'Waska. Well, maybe they are starting to get their money's worth. 

Congrats to 'Waska. Backers of the Morris program need to get their heads together. I have a long history of speaking openly about such things. I haven't always won friends doing so, especially on school staff. 

I see the kmrs-kkok website is not exactly on the ball this morning. C'mon Morris, let's get fired up!

Iowa women looking mortal

We could have expected some dropoff in the performance of Iowa women's basketball following the departure of you-know-who. Well that's "CC." Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall were complimentary stars as well. 

This year? Iowa definitely has a competitive look and it's a very likeable bunch. They can challenge anyone on any given night, just like our U of M Gophers. But there's only one winner in a game. Lately, things have just not fallen the Hawkeyes' way. Thursday night was one of those occasions. Playing at home, the Hawks took Nebraska into overtime. Game was at Iowa's Carver place which I'm sure was loud. Alas, the hoped-for victory slipped away. The final score: 87-84. 

Hannah Stuelke

Carver was sold out. Hannah Stuelke is a familiar holdover from the CC days. She's just a junior. She was a leader for the Hawks with her fifth double-double of the season: 16 points and 16 boards. 

Aaliyah Guyton scored her career-best 14 points. Lucy Olsen, the highly-touted newcomer from Villanova (via transfer) looked good with her 14 points. Kylie Feuerbach nailed two 3-pointers and totaled 13 points. She's a senior. 

In overtime, Nebraska took an early lead with freethrows and never looked back. I am greatly anticipating the matchup of our Gophers with the vaunted Hawkeyes.

  

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

Thorfinnson makes five 3's in 'Waska triumph

What a skein of success by Minnewaska Area girls basketball! It all started on December 17 with the win over Paynesville. That score was 57-17. The Lakers have done nothing but win since. Not only that, many scores have been one-sided like in the P-ville game. 

However, the most recent win was pretty hard-fought. That was the 59-54 win vs. BOLD on Tuesday at Bird Island. I remember the old bumper sticker "Where the hell is Bird Island?" It was quite a novelty at the time. And then Cyrus did a copycat and "cleaned up" the language some! "Where the HECK is Cyrus?" 1970s nostalgia. Way pre-Internet. 

Hey, there's a very big game on tap for tonight (Thursday, Jan. 16) for 'Waska. It's big in the eyes of MACA fans as it's a Lakers vs. Tigers matchup. In 'Waska overlooking beautiful (frozen) Lake Minnewaska. Can the Tigers challenge the high-flying Lakers? I am skeptical but we'll see. 

For the record, I would like to be blogging regularly about our Tigers. It's hard. I struggle to find game info on a timely basis on the Internet. I am much more able to write about the Lakers. I am most happy to do so. I have family connections to Glenwood anyway. When you enter Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery you'll see a big slab of rock with "Williams" on it. That's my family! 

My sports posts these days are sometimes on a site that I call my "companion blog." So I sometimes share a reminder of what I have there. You can click on the link below to read about the Minnewaska Area girls' win over Litchfieeld on Jan. 10, score of 55-25.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/01/waska-girls-pummel-litchfield-for-11th.html 

And for you MACA fans, I invite you to click on link below to read about our boys basketball team's game vs. Cherry last Saturday in Perham. We came up short. I found info on this game on a website called "Newsbreak."

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2025/01/was-it-flying-clipboard-cherry-turns.html 

'Waska 59, BOLD 54

Sydney Dahl and Megan Thorfinnson were key offensive contributors in this 'Waska win that lifted the team's record to 12-2. Will win No. 13 come tonight, Thursday? In front of the home fans? The West Central Tribune reported that this game will be played Friday. I think that's wrong-O. I just checked the Morris school calendar and it confirms Thursday which is what "Minnesota Scores" has. Erratum, WC Trib. 

"Minnesota Scores" is not perfect. I saw a wrong score there just recently. 

Uh-oh, the BOLD girls have a Friday game set vs. Mayer Lutheran. The MACA girls got absolutely trampled, massacred by Mayer Lutheran recently. Hang on to your hats. 

Dahl and Thorfinnson each poured in 19 points to lift 'Waska over the BOLD Warriors 59-54. Thorfinnson thrilled with her five 3-pointers. Lauryn Ankeny made one long-ranger and finished with seven points. Here's the rest of the scoring list: Addy Kath 6, Jayda Kolstoe 4, Alia Randt 2 and Olivia Danielson 2. 

BOLD's big guns were Lainey Braulick with 18 points and Ema Flann with 14. Thee two were complemented by Lilly Henrickson 8, Kenley Elfering 4, Kya Elfering 4, Zoey Lippert 2, Peyton Sander 2 and Layla Pfarr 2. Henriksen made two 3-pointers and Braulick one. Braulick with her ten rebounds led there. Flann led in assists with three. Kya Elfering had three steals. Sander blocked three shots.

Mallory Heyer

Gophers challenge Maryland

It is obvious now that the U of M women's basketball team can challenge any team in the country. We came close to victory against eighth-ranked Maryland. Our Gophers entered the game at No. 24 in the nation. We had to wait too long to get nationally ranked. 

We were stopped by Maryland, the Terrapins, in the Tuesday game at Maryland, 99-92. 

Yes, a game with an entertaining offensive flair. And we were up against a former coach of ours, Brenda Frese, whose last name was Oldfield when she had her hitch at the U of M. It was considered a major loss when she left here. She certainly has upheld the standard she has set for herself. 

Meanwhile our own coach has quite good standing now - great to see. I refer to her as "coach Dawn." I have trouble handling her last name. 

The Gophs have a 16-2 overall record, 4-2 in the Big 10. 

Four from our ranks put up double figures scoring totals. The charge was led by Amaya Battle: 19 points. Grace Grocholski put in 16 points, Mallory Heyer 15 and Sophie Hart 14. 

We impressed from long-range as we made eight 3-pointers. It just wasn't enough to overcome a team of Maryland's caliber. Frese got the upper hand on this night. So nice to see our Gophers being a factor in the national picture.

 

Addendum: You know what's crazy? How yours truly continues to feel pressure writing these blog posts! Hey, it's not like I'm writing for a newspaper any more. Old habits continue to be ingrained.
Relax, stupid, there is no "deadline" any more.

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