MACA girls resume winning ways w/ a sweep

MACA softball excelled at the Minnewaska Area diamond on Friday. The success came after the Tigers were dealt a couple of rare regular season losses. Their record stands at 10-2 with May action developing. The month of May is the home stretch for the school calendar. Lots of excitement on many fronts, in many programs. Always so invigorating of course. 

The softball team's 10-2 mark indicates we are not world-beaters. I get repetitive on this but the key is whether we can put up a good challenge in sections. I'll repeat that the southern Minnesota teams like Jackson County Central can be a real roadblock. 

The Tigers have shown through most of this regular season that they have state-caliber skills. We are a perfect 8-0 in conference. Of course the CW is that our conference is not particularly tough. Don't know why that is. We are 4-1 in section, 5-1 away from the home diamond and 5-1 at home also. Obviously a lot of encouraging signs. 

But signs of some vulnerability too like with these recent losses: 7-3 to Dassel-Cokato and 3-0 to Hawley. Ouch, a shutout! But on Friday the fans' spirits picked up as the Tigers swept a doubleheader. Scores were 9-2 and 11-8 at the 'Waska diamond. The success did not come easily or routinely! That was especially true with Game 2. But let's start with Game 1 here.

 

Win by seven

Haley Kill was in charge from the pitching circle in the 9-2 Game 1 success. Haley allowed just four hits and fanned six 'Waska batters in her full seven-inning stretch. Offensively we came on strong late with three runs in the sixth and four in the seventh. Some breathing room finally opened up. 'Waska scored its two runs in the first. 

Looks like fielding was a factor as 'Waska had four errors, the Tigers none. 

Ryla Koehler had a productive bat with a three-for-four line in the boxscore. She stole two bases, drove in four runs and scored two. Samantha Konz socked a double. She scored a run and drove in one. 

Aina Rose was aggressive on the basepaths with three steals, plus she walked and scored two runs. Harmony Coverdale had a hit, a stolen base and a run scored. My neighbor Addison Cihak hit safely and drew a walk. Miu Lu Asche walked three times, stole a base and scored three runs. 

Haley Kill had a hit, stole a base, drew a walk and drove in a run. Nora Boyle was one-for-four with an RBI. 

'Waska's Ella Roering had two hits including a double. Norah Van Zee pitched for the Lakers.

 

Coming through in Game 2

The second game of this twin bill had more drama. Neal Hofland filled me in at DeToy's this morning. MACA had to come on strong with six runs between the fifth and sixth innings to get the advantage over a stubborn 'Waska team. Our line score was eleven runs, eleven hits and one error. 'Waska's was 8-16-1. Yes we were out-hit.

Nora Boyle and Haley Kill worked in tandem in the pitching circle with Kill getting the 'W'. Kill fanned four batters, Boyle one. No walks issued. 

Samantha Konz delivered a home run for the Tigers. She was one-for-three with a run scored and two ribbies. Harmony Coverdale was all over the basepaths as her showing included two doubles, three stolen bases, a walk received, two RBIs and two runs scored. 

Aina Rose had a hit, drew a walk, stole a base and drove in a run. Mia Lu Asche walked, reached on HBP and scored a run. Ryla Koehler stayed in the groove hitting with a three-for-four showing. She crossed home plate once. 

Haley Kill hit safely, drew two walks and scored twice. Nora Boyle doubled, scored two runs, drove in a run, got on via HBP and walked. Brenna Jergenson worked the pitcher for three walks. Her bat produced two hits. She drove in three runs and scored one. Jade Marty walked and scored a run. 

Two 'Waska Lakers each had three hits: Avery Lewison and Emma Poegel. The losing pitcher was Kendyll Jenson.

 

Too darn cold

Today's the day for activating my lawn mowing equipment for the new "warm" season. I put "warm" in quotes. I grabbed my winter coat once again when leaving the house for breakfast at DeToy's. This morning, softball athlete Addie Cihak was one of the servers. 

Will my walk-behind mower start on the first pull? Suspense. I am actually confident that it will. I have learned a fair amount through the years. Well it's about time, I'm 71 years old. I sat next to Larry Anderson who has even more experience in life than I do. 

One of the DeToy's servers will be graduating from UMM in a few days. I told her where I always position myself for the processional: in between Oyate and the circle drive. 

I was present on the mall for UMM's very first graduation in 1964, proud to say. It was a big deal that the U of M president was here. I remember the guy's name without having to consult Google. It was O. Meredith Wilson. UMM was coming out of its early stresses of development. My father's men's chorus gave the place a helpful high profile. 

The DeToy's server is "Addie" just like Ms. Cihak. And on Sunday I'll probably see Addison Blume working at the restaurant. Addison was Herman's Homecoming queen. She would have been queen even with a substantially bigger enrollment there IMHO. I remember the photo in the paper of Addison and the king: this is how a homecoming royal couple is supposed to look, not how they've done it at UMM. Tradition should be respected just for the sake of the alumni IMHO. 

Will we be hearing about major cuts at UMM after the graduation? There is reason to feel concerned. All of higher education is approaching the "demographic cliff."

UMM grad-to-be Addie says that if you're at DeToy's and need service, just say "Addie!" 

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com 

Two churches, shells of their former selves

Does it really matter what First Lutheran and Federated Churches of Morris do? They have been straining to keep some relevance. Obviously they have fallen into hard times. A friend explained to me that the older people of Federated have been dying and they are not being replaced. Actuarial tables do not lie. 

I attended a funeral at Federated just a couple weeks ago. A pretty nice building right across from the public school in fact. I noticed on the day of the funeral that the fellowship area was way too small. As the deceased's family came back from the cemetery, people felt they had to leave to make room. That's discouraging. Someone told me the kitchen there is not efficiently organized either. 

Theology? Does that even matter now? The big conflict in the faith now is between the hardcore Trump supporters and those who would like to moderate from that some, "cooI it" as it were. Federated and First have never been on board with Trump-ism but some individual members are comfortable being MAGA, such as the Hecks of First Lutheran. It's getting harder for me to spend time around people like that. 

I don't think Jesus Christ would want to get anywhere near Donald Trump. But that's just me. Some will say I'll burn in hell. 

Well, enjoy eating some good food while you can still afford it. The Iran war is accelerating inflation and it's already showing up in the official numbers. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow, everything is going to hell. In the future we may all have to depend on trucks from the government delivering rice to our neighborhoods for sustenance. We're already having to depend on "synthetic food." "Frankenfood." 

Well, what about First Lutheran, my old church? Why has everything gone to hell there? I have a long memory and can remember when it was such a viable place. A community leader in fact, many "important persons" in the ranks. Well, you all know what the "dagger" was. Go back to 2009. Certain actions taken at the national ELCA level. 

And because of that we've had to accept the death or near-death of our once precious First Lutheran Church in Morris. My second-guessing would be as follows: At the national level, go ahead and pass reasonable accommodations for gay people in a non-emotional way. But the church bureaucracy became known to have people who were more committed to "LGBTQ" than anything else. 

At the local level, I never felt it was necessary for pastors to give sermons on the new gay rights policy. As a matter of policy, fine. We want our gay brothers and sisters to feel accepted. But as a matter for crusading, no. The crusading became an irritant. 

And so in Morris we saw the creation of a whole new Lutheran church out in the windswept countryside. I can assure you that the location of Good Shepherd Church, not far from where I live, is very windswept. Listen for coyotes. And so a whole lot of people with their $ left the established Lutheran churches of the area. 

 

The latest 

The votes are in, regarding the combined status of First Lutheran (FLC) and Federated. The arrangement has been going on a while. The same type of people belong to both churches. Why the separation? The two are not even in the same denomination. What's a Methodist? I don't really know or care. What the heck is "UCC?" 

And there sits Faith Lutheran in west Morris with its reputation at least for the present of being a viable ELCA stand-alone church. There's no way Morris should have two ELCA churches. If you belong to one and switch to the other, people will talk. My route is the safest: become non-churchgoing. 

Well, shall we talk about the vote? Someone reported the numbers to me yesterday. Well, the joint venture will continue or let's say limp along. The greatest dissent to this was from among FLC members. There was just one "nay" vote - one - from the Federated flock. 

I wonder how many of the "no" voting families at FLC will even continue their membership now, or (more importantly) continue giving $. I felt I was betrayed the last time I wrote a check to FLC. It was shortly after that, that the new partnership was announced. 

First Lutheran Church

I wrote here that it seemed like a "bait and switch." I wrote the check with the understanding that things would continue pretty much as normal at FLC, even if downsized. But no, we can't even do that. 

Look how happy the Apostolics are. What do they know that we don't? I enjoy having my Sunday morning breakfast every week with some of the Apostolic men. One of them complained recently about all the excessive government spending "under Biden." These guys do read out of that playbook. But I saw a headline on "Drudge" just recently: "Federal spending higher now than under Biden." 

What would Jesus say? He'd probably say don't get buried in politics so much. There seems no hope when it comes to that. The government in our name has its military destroy an Iranian girls school with a Tomahawk missile. Our Navy sinks a ship and doesn't rescue the survivors. And this is the heavenly-blessed government regime of Donald Trump? So Trump walks hand-in-hand with Jesus? Not in my mind he doesn't. But I have always been an outlier in the Morris community. Very sad.

Is it time to abandon Christianity? The "nones" already have.

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com