Eagles aim to continue surge into playoffs

The above photo shows Jamie Van Kempen of the Eagles in an all-out bid to score against the Appleton A's at Chizek Field. Photo by B.W.

Bring on the playoffs! The Morris Eagles have the top seed as they embark on post-season play which will feature two games Saturday at Chizek Field. The games will start at 3 and 6 p.m.
The Eagles will vie with Appleton in the 6 p.m. game, and Benson will play Montevideo at 3 p.m.
The Morris bats are healthy entering this phase. Those bats resonated for 21 hits in the 19-2 win over Montevideo on July 16, here.
On the next day, the Eagles won 6-4 at Clinton to end the regular season. They own 13 wins on the season against five losses.

Morris 19, Montevideo 2
Morris Eagles baseball built its win skein to six with this offense-flavored triumph at the home diamond. The offense flowered with six runs in the second inning, nine in the fourth and four in the sixth.
Montevideo misplayed some fly balls which helped in the Eagles' fourth inning success. But the Eagles also pounded out ten hits in that fourth inning.
The ten-run rule limited the game to seven innings. Adam Torkelson pitched all seven for the win, his sixth of the summer against one loss. He sported a shimmering 1.88 ERA coming out of this game. He fanned four Monte batters and walked just one. Neither of the two Monte runs was earned.
Morris committed three errors to Monte's one, but defense wasn't going to be the deciding factor in this game. Hitting was, and the 21 Morris hits were the story of the day. Matthew Carrington hit a frozen rope bases-clearing double. "Skip" drove in three runs and scored two.
Kirby Marquart had a hit, scored two runs and drove in two. Cory Marquart's bat was sizzling to the tune of four-for-five numbers, and this Eagle scored four runs. Ross Haugen, the capable No. 3 batter in the order, had his hitting eye focused as he went three-for-four with two runs scored and three ribbies.
Eric Asche was a perfect three-for-three with two runs scored and three RBIs. Craig Knochenmus had three hits in five at-bats, scored a run and drove in three. Adam Torkelson complemented his winning pitching night with a two-for-four showing at bat, along with two runs and an RBI.
Dusty Sauter, having his stamina tested by playing in both the Eagles and Legion post-season games, was most sharp with three-for-four numbers at bat, two runs scored and one RBI. Jamie Van Kempen went one-for-three with two runs and two RBIs.
Asche was the recipient of two walks and Van Kempen received one. Asche doubled along with Carrington.

Morris 6, Clinton 4
Morris Eagles baseball had to contend with a thunderstorm along with their diamond foe on Saturday. The clouds opened up which forced a one-hour delay at the Clinton diamond.
The delay came after three and a half innings had been played. The teams eventually took the field again, and when the full nine innings were done, the Eagles were the 6-4 victor for win #13 of the season. That's the win total they'll take into the post-season which begins this Saturday, here.
Ross Haugen had the kind of hot bat that he hopes to brandish again Saturday. Haugen blasted two doubles as part of going three-for-three, plus he had a sacrifice fly in the first inning. He drove in the winning runs in the top of the ninth (thanks to one of his doubles), and finished the game with three RBIs. Ross carries a .477 average into the playoffs. Five of his hits have been doubles, and his RBI total is 16.
Matthew Carrington kept his pitching arm limber through the rain delay and he ended up working eight innings for the win. "Skip" scattered ten hits and gave up four runs (three earned). He struck out five batters and walked three.
Craig Knochenmus polished things off by pitching the ninth to get the save (his fourth of the season). Knochenmus pitched efficiently, setting the Clinton batters down 1-2-3, striking out one along the way.
Dusty Sauter built his average up to .408 as he went three-for-four. Dusty has five doubles on the season, and his 18 RBIs are the team-leading total.
Morris Eagles baseball scored one run each in the first and third innings and two runs in the fifth. Clinton plated one run each in the first, fourth, sixth and seventh innings.
Kirby Marquart manned the top of the batting order capably, scoring three runs and rapping a hit. Cory Marquart scored two runs and had a hit. Craig Knochenmus had a hit and an RBI. Andy Lembcke contributed a hit to the mix.
Walk recipients were Kirby Marquart (2), Ross Haugen (2) and Dusty Sauter. Van Kempen reached on a hit-by-pitch.
Morris Eagles baseball aims to parlay the significant late-season success and momentum into the post-season.
-Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Dusty Sauter's 3-for-3 helps propel Post #29

Is it possible to hold Dustin Sauter hitless? The prolific Morris batter who swings the lumber for both the Morris Legion and Eagles was perfect at bat Tuesday. It was a Legion game. It was a high-level playoff game with lots at stake.
"Dusty" delivered a hit in each of his three at-bats. These contributions were part of a 4-2 win by Morris Legion baseball over Sacred Heart. The site was the Montevideo diamond. Morris met Sacred Heart in this District 7, Division II contest.
By winning, the Post #29 squad earned the right to play BOLD tomorrow (Thursday). BOLD climbed with a 4-3 win over Glenwood, also at Montevideo.
Game-time will be 7:45 p.m. Sacred Heart and Glenwood aren't done as they'll vie in a losers bracket game at 5:15 p.m. Thursday.
Hits did not come frequently in the Morris win over Sacred Heart. Both teams finished with six hits, meaning that Sauter accounted for half of the Morris total.
The telling number in the line scores was the four errors by Sacred Heart. Morris had just one fielding miscue.
Sacred Heart had zeroes on the scoreboard until the seventh (and final) inning when they finally got to Morris pitcher Alex Erickson for the two runs. But Morris had scored one run in the first inning, two in the third and one in the sixth.
One of Sauter's hits was a double and he drove in a run. Nate Gades drove in a run with a double. Tyler Hansen scored two runs and went one-for-two. Mitch Kill contributed the other Morris hit.
Alex Erickson pitched the whole way despite being roughed up a bit in the seventh. Alex still finished with a nifty six-hitter. His sharpness was further underscored by zero walks and eight strikeouts.
The losing pitcher was Dakota Freiborg. At bat, Freiborg connected for a solo home run. Trent Novotny went two-for-three for Sacred Heart.
Erickson had a two-hitter going until the seventh inning, when Freiborg homered and Ryan Fransen singled to drive in a run. Freiborg pitched the distance for Sacred Heart and fanned six batters.
The BOLD Legion baseball team had a big three-run rally in the fourth inning vs. Glenwood, lifting them to the 4-3 win. The score was tied 1-1 when BOLD got untracked for that rally. Glenwood answered with a two-run burst in the fifth but their efforts came up just shy.
BOLD goes by the nickname "Mudhens."
Glenwood threatened with baserunners at second and third in the seventh, with one out, but the momentum fizzled against BOLD pitcher Kyle Krause who got the save.
Tate Neubauer was a key contributor for BOLD even though the boxscore shows him with no hits. Tate's groundouts were well-timed and accounted for two BOLD runs coming across home plate.
Taylor Kollman of Glenwood Legion baseball had a double as part of a two-for-three showing. Jake Stevens was the winning pitcher for the Mudhens while Cory Holten was tagged with the loss for Glenwood.
All eyes will be on the Monte diamond again tomorrow (Thursday) for the climactic phase of the 7-II "Final Four."
The Post #29 boys of Morris will strive for a peak performance, whether they are led by Sauter or anyone else. Morris Legion baseball has given fans a treasure of memories in the summer of 2010.
-Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Morris Legion boys eyeing 7-II championship

Wow! The Morris Legion Nine disposed of two opponents in weekend post-season play, and the young men are infused with a strong sense of "mo" to be sure. They'll take to the diamond again, hopefully buoyed by that optimistic feeling, today (Tuesday) at Montevideo.
The weekend success came at the expense of Wheaton and Madison. The reward was the garnering of the Northwest Division title. Morris Legion baseball (Post #29) came out of the weekend with a 15-7 season mark. Lots of special memories are being made along this win-filled road, which over the weekend was blessed by classic July sunshine at the local Chizek Field.
Now the Post #29 boys are vying for the District 7-II title.

Morris 5, Madison 1
Eric Riley was a key contributor in the contest to determine the Northwest Division title. The foe was Madison, and Riley was sent out to the pitching mound to throttle the Madison bats. Throttle them he did, as Eric allowed just five hits and struck out ten in a route-going performance (seven innings). The one run he allowed was unearned. He issued just one walk.
Complementing Riley's heroics on the offensive end was Ryan Beyer. Beyer knocked in a run with a single in the first inning. He worked the pitcher for a walk with the bases loaded in the second. He came through with another RBI base rap in the fourth.
In the boxscore, Ryan sported two-for-three numbers with three RBIs.
Tyler Hansen and Dustin Sauter both went one-for-three, and Sauter turned on the jets to steal two bases. Brad Valnes had a nifty one-for-two showing.
For Madison, Ryan Hoium was the only multiple-hit achiever at two-for-four. Scott Borman pitched for Madison and impressed with a five-hitter, albeit in a losing cause.
Morris scored one run in the first inning and then enjoyed a big three-run second, before finishing things off with a single run in the fourth.
The line scores showed Post #29 with five runs, five hits and three errors, and Madison with 1-5-3 numbers. Madison's lone run came home in the fourth.

Morris 3, Wheaton 2
Morris needed each of its three runs to get past a stubborn Wheaton team in the game leading up to the championship. A Ryan Beyer home run with the bases empty put Post #29 up 2-0. Brady Valnes drove in the doubling Eric Riley to give Morris Legion baseball the 3-0 advantage which proved to be enough.
Wheaton threatened with its two runs scored in the seventh, but Morris and pitcher Alex Erickson were able to put out the fire.
Wheaton's Kevin Coffman and Mason Lampe got to Erickson for RBI hits in that suspenseful seventh. Erickson bore down to finish the job. He ended up with a five-hitter and the "W" in the pitching summary, plus he impressed with his eleven strikeouts (while walking only one).
The losing pitcher was Zach Fridgen.
Morris played an errorless brand of ball while Wheaton committed one error in this crisply played game. Morris scored its three runs on nine hits, and pitcher Erickson had a role at bat with a double and RBI.
Tyler Hansen had a hit in his four at-bats. Beyer's solo home run stood out in his day's stats. Eric Riley pounded a double to highlight his two-for-three showing.
Brady Valnes went one-for-three with an RBI. Cole Riley finished at one-for-three and Mitch Kill at two-for-two.
Madison looked menacing as it marched to the final Northwest Division showdown with our gallant Post #29. The Madison boys beat Clinton 13-5 and Wheaton 11-3 before being humbled by Morris Legion baseball - a winning group.
Good luck to the Post #29 squad as it confidently takes to the diamond again today (Tuesday).
-Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

"Fit to Print" explores a crumbling industry

A while back I wrote about "The Imperfectionists," a novel that encapsulates (memorializes?) the newspaper industry as we once knew it. Consider it a time capsule. The ink-on-paper media are racing into obsolescence.
It won't disappear, and people will always have an appetite for journalism, but that's not the point. The business model is dying.
Now there's a documentary in the works on the topic. It's called "Fit to Print" and it's being put together by two young filmmakers: Adam Chadwick and Bill Loerch. The documentary is being assembled through the course of this year.
Chadwick and Loerch have identified three perspectives, that of a publisher (presumably an autonomous publisher and not just manager of a branch), a reporter, and a journalism school graduate. A website detailing the Chadwick/Loerch project gives all the background on the tumbling fortunes of the "dead tree" media.
News on paper will never disappear. As one media writer put it: "The print media will survive for as long as there's a 'print' button on your computer."
But what is rapidly dying is the monopolistic print media that was once infused with such a sense of entitlement.
The erosion began slowly and with the inhabitants of the old system in denial. Much has been written about that. Eventually the numbers ruled. The online world advanced first with a crawl. Then, with the advent of Web 2.0, it was an invigorated sprint..
It has been good news for society as a whole. But as with any industry forced into rapid retrenchment, there is a painful human toll, because the old system did support a lot of people.
It's that human toll that "Fit to Print" will largely focus on. The title of the documentary is a takeoff on the New York Times slogan "All the news that's fit to print."
The slogan has been a target for parody through the years, such as what a college instructor of mine shared: "All the news that fits."
The instructor, J. Brent Norlem - a real character in the tradition of newspapering - was just looking for a little humor. But of course the finite space in any newspaper is an issue that doesn't really show them in a good light.
Norlem taught at St. Cloud State University. One of my classmates went on to become publisher of "Minnesota Moments" magazine. Another is now publisher of the Western Guard newspaper in Madison, MN.
I'm sure others went on to find considerable success and/or fame. Me? I was privileged to have a 26-year career in the community press. It was right here in Motown, during what I would call the heyday of our Morris newspaper.
Back when our Morris paper was twice a week, I would estimate the average number of pages of newspaper product they gave us per week was 38. Now as a weekly, it seems to hover around 22. I'm not including special sections.
The page size has gone through creeping reductions ever since the paper was acquired by non-local interests. Sources tell me the page width was shaved again recently. I don't bother to document all that because I have better things to do with my time, like being a new media writer.
You can still slap a paper together no matter how big (or small) it is. The owners really don't care about the "news." What they get on their knees and pray over is whether the advertising revenue will keep rolling in.
They don't even care that much if you plunk down your dollar and buy a paper. The cost of printing and distribution is substantial. The fixed costs are becoming a millstone around their neck. Their obsession is over advertising revenue and how it can be maximized, or preserved, or whether the retreat can just be slowed down.
Advertisers aren't motivated by wanting to subsidize newspapers. They'll buy ads for as long as it serves their interests. Businesses of all stripes have seized the amazing frontier of the Internet - who hasn't? - to target their message in more precise and economical ways.
They should be jumping up and clicking their heels (and probably are).
But for the people who once gravitated to the newspaper industry as a means of employment, this transformation in our culture has been harrowing.
At one point us print types (my former identity) felt stunned and then defensive. But the numbers rule. And ultimately we had to concede to that massive wave of change.
Thousands of jobs have been wiped out. Over 100 newspapers shut down in 2009. The newspaper business lost $7.5 billion in ad revenues in 2008.
At the same time, the industry has reduced spending on journalism by $1.6 billion per year over the past several years.
The background being cited here is from the "Fit to Print" website. There are many other web sources from which to learn this.
The "Fit to Print" site asks: "What does this mean for the individuals whose lives have been turned upside down by the crisis?"
Continuing: "Decline has spurred debate about what comes next and how to adapt journalism to a world in which the digital world is replacing the printed word. But such stories are usually abstractions.
"Newspapers are a business, they are crucial to the functioning of a democratic society, but they are often more than that. They are a way of life for those who are a part of them - ordinary individuals contending with turbulent times."
I think most of us don't pause to think how much our whole culture has changed since online came along. It's human nature to focus on the present. That's understandable. But to get perspective, try to remember when simply "typing" was considered a godawful chore by nearly everyone.
First there were manual typewriters and then electric ones, but the latter weren't that much of an improvement.
We saw the invention of "white out." Hey, wasn't Michael Nesmith's mother the inventor of that? (Nesmith was one of "The Monkees" on TV in the 1960s.)
No amount of innovation or tweaks could make the old method of typing pleasant.
The old newsrooms were filled with the piercing clatter of typewriters which created a real air of "something important" happening - news being generated. It was a frenetic atmosphere.
I entered the newspaper business right at the end of the manual typewriter era. You didn't make changes in copy by "selecting" something and typing something new in (as with our computers now).
Typically a story would get ripped out of the typewriter and then the writer or editor would whip out a good ol' ballpoint pen. By the time the process was done, in many cases you might as well have just started out with the pen!
The story on paper as ripped out of the typewriter could turn out looking like the quintessential mess. There was no better way. I think we took a perverse sort of pride in that.
"Hey, look what we go through to get the story out." (Implied: Who else in their right mind would do this?)
Newspaper writing was like an odd stepchild within the writing craft. But it was a craft that fit the work to be done. It definitely got done, with a typo here and there and perhaps a brewsky hoisted up at the end of the day.
"Fit to Print" will seek to capture the craft as it was. "The Imperfectionists" novel already has.
I remember the first time seeing a users' manual for a Macintosh (word processor) and right away reading: "The Macintosh is not a typewriter." How absolutely true.
I felt like I was looking at a robot from "Star Wars."
The typewriter can be filed away with horse and buggy travel.
But the speed of change began overwhelming a lot of us. Negative scanners (for photographic negatives) meant negatives could go through a new tech process, and no prints needed to be made. Darkrooms were nixed.
But in a flash even that new system became obsolete! Digital cameras came along and improved by leaps and bounds. Faxing, which once seemed almost like magic (as in the movie "Almost Famous" when it was very primitive), was pushed aside by electronic mail..
I remember making frequent trips to the fax machine at the Morris newspaper office and finding a pile of travel deals to the Bahamas. Spam of the fax world! It seemed like 90 percent of the faxes we received were unnecessary or superfluous. It certainly wasn't a step toward "paperless."
Digital cameras seem like a godsend but I became worried that they weren't really a boon for the newspaper industry. But how could they not be? Let me elaborate: Their very ease of operation and economy just made them more accessible for the broad public (what that BP Amoco official would call "the small people").
Taken together, all the tech inroads which seemed to make our lives easier at the paper, were really just empowering people on the outside who could ultimately do an end run around newspapers! Got it?
That's exactly what is happening. Newspapers should have been thankful when they were dependent on costly and cumbersome processes that no one in his right mind would want to employ on an amateur basis.
Just like typing was once anything but "fun."
Now all these communications tasks are fun and economical (free in many cases). I remember telling a former Morris mayor that local government could end up putting all its legal notices online and it wouldn't cost anything - a real boon compared to the cost of paying the newspaper to publish it.
He realized it would be cheaper but he said "oh, it would cost something."
Oh no it wouldn't.
Finding an audience is child's play. And you're not limited by a finite number of pages to fill.
"All the news that's fit to print" is such a quaint slogan.
The "Fit to Print" documentary is another step in making sure we realize the magnitude of the changes and the huge effect on people who once made a living in the old model, like me.
-Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Legion boys defeat Clinton twice, advance

Morris 6, Clinton 2
Morris got a quick rematch with Clinton as the District 7-II NW playoffs got going Thursday. The rematch ended up quite similar to the previous game, as Morris won 6-2 to advance. The score in the previous game, which is summarized further down in this post, was 5-3.
Morris Legion baseball pounded out ten hits in the Thursday success while Clinton was anemic in the hitting department (two hits, thanks in large part to Tyler Hansen's pitching).
Playoff action is continuing for the Post #29 boys this current weekend.
Morris shot out to a 6-1 lead Thursday, buoyed by a big five-run second. Hansen gave the first big push in that rally with a single that drove in two runs. Travis Rinkenberger came through with an RBI single.
Other ingredients in that decisive burst were an Ethan Bruer run-scoring double and Ryan Beyer's sacrifice fly.
Hansen's pitching arm was good for the full seven innings. He set down five batters on strikes and walked three. One of the two runs he allowed was unearned, and he gave up just two hits.
The losing pitcher was Jesse Weick (four innings of work), and Anthony Satran also pitched for Clinton (two innings).
The Morris line score showed six runs on ten hits and just one error, while Clinton posted 2-2-2 numbers.
Clinton scored one run each in the first and sixth innings.
Alex Erickson contributed to the offensive mix for Morris with two-for-four numbers including a double. Hansen also went two-for-four with two runs scored and a pair of ribbies.
Dustin Sauter socked a double as did Ryan Beyer, and Beyer drove in two runs.
The following Post #29 batters all went one-for-three: Brady Valnes, Cole Riley, Travis Rinkenberger and Ethan Bruer. Rinkenberger drove in a run. Bruer's hit was a double and he drove in a run.
Morris Legion baseball is squaring off against Wheaton at 11 a.m. today (Saturday) at home. Wheaton advanced by beating Madison 9-2 Thursday at Wheaton. Saturday started off as an ideal summer day but some ominous clouds loomed overhead as of about 12:30 a.m.

Morris 5, Clinton 3
Tyler Hansen excelled with his bat and patching arm, supplying key ingredients in Post #29's 5-3 win over Clinton Monday on the road. The Morris Legion baseball team maintained its perfect record in District 7 play, upping its mark to 9-0. It was the 12th win overall for the surging squad.
Hansen's hitting eye was focused as he connected for three hits. He was also handed the ball for starting pitching duties and excelled in this department too. He may not have been the pitcher of record - that honor was carved out by Travis Rinkenberger - but he set down four Clinton batters on strikes and allowed zero hits.
Hansen did struggle some with control, issuing four walks, but Clinton failed to push any runs across against him. He pitched three innings before yielding to successor Rinkenberger who got the "W" next to his name in the boxscore.
Rinkenberger pitched three innings too and was roughed up a little as he allowed five hits and two runs (both earned) while walking two and fanning two.
The "S" in the pitching summary of the boxscore ended up going next to Nate Gades' name. "S" is of course "save," and Gades pitched one inning to pick up that stat. He allowed one run, walked none and struck out two.
The losing pitcher was Tanner Taffe who pitched the distance for host Clinton.
The curtain opened for the Morris scoring with Dustin Sauter, always with a reliable stick, doubling in the first frame. Post #29 scored one run each in the first through third innings while holding Clinton scoreless over that span. Eric Riley pushed in the third inning run with a single. The other two Morris runs came home in the fifth.
Clinton scored one run each in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings.
Morris played a clean brand of ball in the field with just one error, but Clinton had no errors. Clinton's problem was that their pitching allowed eleven Morris hits. Clinton's hit total was eight.
Hansen had a memorable day at bat with three-for-four numbers including a double. Dustin Sauter also had a double and posted two-for-four stats with an RBI. Ryan Beyer crossed home plate twice and finished at two-for-four. Eric Riley sported two-for-four numbers also and he drove in a run.
Nate Gades socked a double. Cole Riley picked up two ribbies as part of going one-for-three.
For Clinton, Justin Seifert stood out at two-for-four.
In other Monday Legion action, Glenwood sneaked past Benson 11-9 and Litchfield downed BOLD 7-3.
-Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Oddball spelling, political views can be kin

I have had an inside joke with Sharon Martin through the years about the spelling of her first name. That spelling really should be as obvious as the nose on your face. Our banter may not seem terribly funny but it carries a lesson on how we ought not assume things like spelling.
This story goes all the way back to when - gasp - Sharon, who today is a Morris Area High teacher, was a student there herself. No, there were no I-pads then.
She was getting her photo taken with some classmates, perhaps for Homecoming or maybe class officers. As was common when I made these rounds (for the local media), I made certain my spelling was "just so."
I had to carefully clarify name spelling for at least one student in the "lineup" on this day, perhaps by making sure a vowel was correct. As the group broke up, Sharon made sure there was clarity with her first name, saying "that's Sharon with an 'o'."
It's funny because, how else could you spell Sharon?
Well, I got a lesson last week. I was referring to the Republican U.S. Senatorial candidate in Nevada - the challenger to Harry Reid. It's a woman and I was certain of the spelling of her last name: "Angle." But despite my years of journalistic background, I made the mistake of assuming the spelling of her first name. I spelled it "Sharon."
After all, any dispute over how to spell that common name would be unheard of, and perhaps only undertaken for purposes of levity as with me and the extroverted Ms. Martin.
Crusty old journalists know anything is possible. But I was still taken aback, with wrinkled forehead, when discovering a day or two after I posted about Ms. Angle, that this upstart politician is named "Sharron Angle."
It's her right to spell her name any way she wants. But it almost seems like she's trying to irritate people, like she does most assuredly with her extreme tea-partyish political ideas. What possible purpose could the addition of the superfluous "r" accomplish?
Her parents had something to do with this. I wonder what they were thinking when they arrived at the "Sharron" spelling, which would require their daughter to explain and clarify the spelling all through school and probably the rest of her life..
I'll be politically incorrect and describe the spelling as "retarded." Funny, but Angle's political views would seem to call for the same description (in my view).
It's scary that she's actually a viable candidate. Our best hope for understanding this is that Angle comes from the very idiosyncratic state of Nevada.
The late political humor columnist Art Buchwald was gauging public sentiment on an issue once and decided to visit "a typical American city" and its "local hangout." That city was Las Vegas and its hangout was Caesar's Palace.
Humor was Buchwald's stock and trade. He is missed among the punditry. He taped a news report about his own death when his health was failing.
Art's heyday was during more moderate, thoughtful and temperate times for political discourse (i.e. pre-cable TV news). I have to wonder if he could adapt to the environment of today, where views that were once on the margins can seep into the foreground. Like the tea party views. And libertarianism.
Pundit Michael Gerson (Washington Post) had a firm warning for Republicans in an op-ed that appeared Saturday in the Star Tribune: "Don't hitch your wagon to these people."
He did spell Angle's first name right. Kudos on that.
I'm not sure we need to worry so much about what happens in Nevada though. Las Vegas promotes itself with the saying "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."
We should be so lucky with Angle's tea party refrains emanating from Nevada. But such talk is gaining some currency and the polls show she's viable, at least now.
Angle is certainly diametrically opposed to President Barack Obama.
I think we need to look back to when Obama made comments about conventions in Las Vegas and how this location might not represent putting your best image forward. At the time I thought "oh no, you're going to be raising some hackles."
I have visited Las Vegas several times through the years and I know what makes that city tick. Obama would become persona non grata there, and fellow Democrat Reid would get pushed into a defensive corner. But what could Obama say to backtrack?
"I guess gambling isn't so bad after all?"
No. Because once this issue is out in the open, certain realities have to be acknowledged. Gambling is dangerous and corrosive for an appreciable percentage of our population.
I actually thought it was refreshing to see President Obama bring the issue into the open. It's rarely done anymore, as we are today surrounded with state-sponsored gambling in the form of lotteries, along with pull-tabs and God knows how many other gambling distractions in a society no longer encumbered by any moral restraint about this.
But Obama implied that there are image-related issues connected with conventioneering in America's gambling mecca.
Ironically many skeptics about gambling argue that the vice is best kept out in the desert in a destination setting. Quarantined? You can visit there as a deliberate and defined action and then withdraw.
Fat chance for some people. But the hope was that the vice could find some acceptable boundaries.
The fundamental moral question of gambling seems so quaint now. Minnesota's late Governor Rudy Perpich kicked the can and kept his own hands clean by saying "let the people decide," regarding having a lottery.
The door was open and it wasn't going to get closed again. In these recessionary times, gambling looms as a more dangerous distraction than it otherwise might be. Maybe the moral question should be introduced back into the equation.
In the meantime, we have the oddball Senatorial candidate from Nevada, Angle, venting in a way that ought to push her to the margins quickly. Is her venting a form of pushback from Las Vegas and the gambling-oriented state as a whole? Who knows, but between this situation and the Arizona immigration imbroglio, we are looking at potentially serious cracks in the solidarity of our Federal Union.
Maybe the Vermont secessionist movement has it right. That movement asserts that the U.S. has become too big and complicated to be managed out of Washington D.C. Can the American Southwest stay in the fold, or will it start to crumble away? If Senator Reid fades and Angle climbs, those dark clouds will be accentuated.
Angle has uttered quotes beyond belief. She sees the Second Amendment as a license to contemplate violent response to "a tyrannical government."
This would be a French Revolution type of response. Fun, right? Palatable?
Angle is scrambling to try to re-state, clarify or sanitize her blunt positions. It's uncertain whether she or the idiosyncratic wave of libertarian politicians like Rand Paul (Kentucky) can be dragged kicking and screaming closer to the mainstream. Because surely they can't hold firm to their positions, not if America is to stay on its steady course with certain fundamental understandings like the 1964 Civil Rights Act (representing a totally settled matter).
It isn't? Ask Mr. Paul about that. Or ask Angle about Social Security. There was a time when questioning any aspect of Social Security would immediately sink you as a politician.
Apparently not now. You can't assume anything anymore, not even the spelling of "Sharon."
It's 2010 and where are we headed?
-Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Eagles stay on roll, beat Appleton, Benson

The above photo shows Ross Haugen focusing in the on-deck area at Chizek Field prior to an at-bat. Photo by B.W.

Morris 8, Appleton 2
Morris Eagles baseball pushed its win streak to five with an 8-2 win over the Appleton A's on Friday, July 9. The game was played on a typically hot midsummer evening at our Chizek Field. It was the Friday of Prairie Pioneer Days weekend.
The Eagles needed some time to get untracked, but they got some early help from Appleton errors and a wild pitch. Those Appleton lapses accounted for three of the Eagles' first five runs coming in.
Kirby Marquart had an RBI single in the Eagles' four-run fourth. Former UMM Cougar Bobby Culbertson drove in a run with a base rap in the seventh. Dusty Sauter delivered a run-scoring double in the eighth, and scored himself when Craig Knochenmus singled.
Knochenmus was a key pitcher, appearing in relief and helping the Eagles escape a bases-loaded threat. Knochenmus set down the Appleton batters with strikeout form, recording seven outs this way over his stint of two and two-thirds innings. He relieved Ross Haugen who is normally a hitting standout but not associated with pitching.
Haugen's appearance on the hill Friday was actually his first in his Eagles tenure - a long tenure. It was a brief fling in which he struck out one batter but otherwise struggled. A little like Dan Gladden being called on to pitch.
Knochenmus picked up his third save.
It was Andy Lembcke getting the pitching win. Andy pitched six innings, giving up three hits and one run (earned) while striking out four batters and walking two.
The visiting A's scored one run each in the sixth and seventh innings.
The winning Eagles played an errorless brand of ball. Their hit total for the night was twelve.
Kirby Marquart, manning the leadoff spot, had two hits in four at-bats and drove in a run. Jamie Van Kempen was busy on the basepaths and scored three runs even while getting thrown out at home once. Jamie also drove in a run.
Ross Haugen may have to dream of pitching another day, but at bat he was in his usual groove, finishing two-for-five. Dusty Sauter went one-for-two with a run scored and an RBI. Craig Knochenmus had a hit and an RBI. Matthew Carrington added a hit to the mix.
Adam Torkelson had a two-for-four evening with two runs scored. Andy Lembcke's bat came through at two-for-three and this Eagle scored a run. Bobby Culbertson went one-for-three with a run scored and an RBI.
Walks were issued to Marquart, Van Kempen, Asche and Culbertson. Doubles resounded off the bats of Sauter and Lembcke. Stolen bases were recorded by Van Kempen, Carrington and Lembcke. Asche reached on a hit-by-pitch.
The winning habits of late have elevated the Eagles' stock, as shown by the No. 1 seeding position they've earned for the Canvas Division playoffs (Land O' Ducks League). The Eagles could celebrate Prairie Pioneer Days in Morris with an overall won-lost mark of 11-5. In league: 10-2.
Now they're getting ready for another home game this Friday, July 16, against Montevideo (a 7:30 p.m. start).

Morris 10, Benson 2
Morris Eagles baseball visited Benson on Friday, July 2, to take on the rival Chiefs. A productive third inning set the tone as the Eagles cruised to a satisfying 10-2 win. Big blows in that four-run third were a two-run double off Chase Rambow's bat, and Matthew Carrington's RBI base rap.
"Skip" Carrington is excelling as a graybeard veteran and he should maybe do a commercial for the Regional Fitness Center in Morris. He put an exclamation point on the July 2 win with a majestic home run that landed beyond the left field fence in the ninth inning. This was Skip's second round-tripper of the campaign and 50th of his storied amateur ball career.
That homer was just part of the fireworks in the ninth, as Eric Asche and Chase Rambow connected for successive RBI doubles. Carrington complemented his homer bat with a nifty two-inning stint on the mound. He allowed one hit and no runs and fanned three batters.
It was Adm Torkelson getting the pitching win, working seven innings and fanning seven Chief batters. Adam gave up four hits and two runs (unearned) while walking just one.
Each team had three errors. The Morris hit total was a robust 14.
Leadoff man Kirby Marquart contributed an RBI. Cory Marquart rapped two hits in five at-bats and crossed home plate twice. Ross Haugen was productive from his No. 3 spot in the order, finishing at two-for-five with three runs scored.
Eric Asche's bat was sizzling with three-for-five numbers with two runs and a ribbie. Chase Rambow attacked Chiefs' pitching with three-for-five numbers with one run and an RBI harvest of four.
Matthew Carrington's bat sizzled at three-for-four with a run scored and two RBIs. Bobby Culbertson had a one-for-four showing with a run scored.
Rambow had two doubles on the day while Asche and Culbertson each had one.
Benson's two runs both came home in the second inning.

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