Tigers fall to Monte but it's not over

School is done but high school sports certainly is not. We can say that softball is done for our MACA Tigers. Two losses in one day ended our Tigers' hopes to reach state play. That had to hurt. 

On the baseball front, the Tigers were stopped in Thursday play by Montevideo. End of the season? I might be at risk of assuming as much. Your average fan might be at risk. But you have to be aware of the double-elimination format that can emerge this time of year. It exists for some sports and not for others. I have always confessed that I can get confused by double-elimination tournaments. I'm being honest. 

Right now I can report, as I consult the "Minnesota Scores" site, that the Tigers remain very much alive in post-season. Yes we lost Thursday to Montevideo at Monte, 6-3, but look what lies ahead: a Saturday contest vs. Paynesville. We'll take on the green-clad Paynesville bulldogs at noon. The site: Richter Field in Granite Falls. Go Tigers! The team won its first post-season game on Tuesday, 1-0 over Minnewaska.

 

Montevideo 6, Tigers 3

Oh, here's the name "Griffin Epema" again. Hear that name and you think "Montevideo." With good reason, as Epema has the talent to shine with those Thunder Hawks like in this game versus our Tigers. Wow, Epema set down 15 Tiger batters on strikes. 

Monte owns the top seed in the North. MACA is No. 4. The T-Hawks move on to play Windom at noon Saturday. The site for that is Legion Field, Marshall. The Tigers' game vs. Paynesville is in the "elimination bracket." 

Griffin Epema

Monte won Thursday with a line score of six runs, seven hits and no errors. The MACA line score was 3-7-3. Epema's superb pitching was complemented by the homer bat of Isaac Albrecht. Albrecht brought cheers at the Monte diamond with his three-run round-tripper.

Monte relied on a big four-run third inning. MACA was held to one run until the sixth when their other two runs came in. 

MACA employed three pitchers on the day: Jack Kehoe, Parker Nohl and Ozzy Jerome. I got to see Ozzy get his diploma in Chokio on Sunday. Kehoe was our pitcher of record. Epema not only struck out 15 batters, he issued zero walks. He must be a top college prospect. Good luck to the young man. 

Kehoe struck out four batters in his three innings. Nohl and Jerome each fanned one batter. 

Alex Asmus

Kehoe at bat had a double and an RBI. Jonah Huebner went one-for-three. Jerome went two-for-three with a run scored and two RBIs. Alex Asmus socked a two-bagger. Riley Asmus had a double and a run scored. Riley Saito had a hit and scored a run. 

Monte's Albrecht had a two-for-two line including his big homer, plus he walked and stole a base. He drove in three runs and scored one. Ben Guglogson had a triple. 

It is sad that yours truly cannot continue writing about MACA softball.

 

Media notes

I'm delighted to share timely reports on MACA baseball and softball this time of year when frankly the local commercial media can show shortcomings IMHO. How is the newspaper doing with its website? I find it's a waste of time to even check that. The old "paper" version will (eventually) have a review of all games but how timely is this? 

I would guess that my own writing has advantages much of the time. And I do appreciate any and all who consume my writing, some of whom might "stumble upon it." Whatever it takes! It's here for the reading if you wish. And no paywall, glory hallelujah. Click, read and enjoy. 

Meanwhile I feel some fascination with what is going on with the Willmar newspaper. High school sports has long been a stock-in-trade of that paper. But they suddenly turned thumbs-down on MACA several years ago. Is this because they "fled" Morris after having owned our paper for a time? And they felt bitter? Certainly would be a valid theory. 

But in recent days a strange trend began showing itself from Willmar. They're paying some attention to MACA again or as they errantly call us, "Morris/CA." They don't listen to me - I have tried correcting this. I'd be the last person they would listen to. 

Speaking of "fleeing," that's what I did exactly 20 years ago when I walked out the back door of the Sun Trib for the last time. It was a stunning experience. I had to give up my health insurance. I "survived" for the next several years until I qualified for Medicare. Not an ideal way to live. 

I experienced a "toxic workplace" at the end of my Morris Sun Tribune days. Sue Dieter was not primarily to blame though she was certainly not an ally. The main problem was a different individual. And I figure that person may have gotten "marching orders" from higher up, because Forum Communications is known to have "hatchet men" in the system or hierarchy. They take care of business pretty decisively when they feel it has to be done. I was knowledgeable about this before the hammer came down on me. 

I should not have been surprised based on what all "went down" after the goalpost incident at UMM. My skeptics saw an opening for blood. I was no friend of the Morris public school teachers union. And as you ought to know, unions are all about power - it is their raison d'etre. 

As an isolated person with no one to advocate for me, I was finished. Special interest people with UMM wanted to protect the institution from any suggestion that the football team as a group was involved in the goalpost incident. But to this day I feel the team as a group was implicated. Not that I stated this as fact, because I could not have done that. Some might say it was implied. 

Someone eventually told me that the one person who was held internally responsible for the incident was the athletic director. But that former AD is today in the "UMM Hall of Fame." 

I had no force field protecting me. I was a free agent and I did appreciate the freedom of being a journalist. I was a Watergate era of journalist. I had those stripes. I hope you capture a little of my soul when you consume my writing. 

I'm delighted to follow MACA athletics and to get invited to 3-4 graduation receptions. I even attended a reception in Chokio on Sunday! I covered the old C-A Spartans for the newspaper over many years. This was when the graduation was in the Alberta building. I covered the graduations in Morris and Hancock and covered the Memorial Day program. And in the end, I believe my career got shut down because of one particularly damning letter to the editor from Mike Busian, this after the goalpost incident. 

Is it true that "Dr. Sam" didn't want to operate on anyone whose primary care physician was Busian? Dr. Sam was a lifesaver for both my mom and I. I would choose his judgment over Dr. Busian anytime. 

I shall continue here on the subject of the Willmar newspaper. This I'll do by sharing a portion of an email I sent to my Bonanza Valley friend Randy Olson on May 18. My comments are really about the WC Trib's website, if I need to make that distinction. Thanks and God bless for visiting my blog today.

 

This has been a strange spring for the West Central Tribune online. SOME Morris games are being covered there and when they are, it is with great detail like hit-by-pitch, stolen bases etc. for individuals. But other games are ignored. I can only guess what the system is now. I am sure they get complaints from parents who decide to "subscribe" and then find that a lot of games aren't covered. I wonder what they tell people. I really don't think about the Morris paper much anymore.

I blogged about being at UMM graduation and maybe you caught that. Remember that the chancellor change happened because the U president was insisting on cuts that Ericksen did not want to make. So I'm waiting now for word on what cuts are coming. I would not rule out a dramatic mission change for the place. Maybe we'll become more like NDSCS. Imholte would roll over in his grave. NDSCS really has its act together, I mean for staying viable. What else matters?

No vocal group of any kind for our graduation? Compare that to the past.

I constantly weigh whether I should take a break from blog writing. Might be good for my health. My posture isn't good when I "work" on my laptop. I'm a little concerned about "blue light" effect. I'll let you know if I decide anything. I'm already slowing down a little. My eyesight is badly strained.

I am a "marked man" for getting access to some online platforms. Don't put anything past Trump and MAGA. All my opinions these days are counter to those people. My best theory is that I have been quite critical of Israel and sympathetic to the Palestinians. I tried signing up for Facebook and was rejected on the "community standards" thing. But, I have never contributed any comments through Facebook. Mike Lindell complains how he has been "locked out" of his iCloud account. I tried sending an email to him and got a response from one of his top campaign guys who sympathized with me. I will never be able to escape my past writing. If I try posting a comment to a YouTube video, I am the only one who sees it, it does not get out there like in the past.

My God the wind has been terrible lately. Climate change I think. 

Good luck to the Jaguars.

- BW