MACA girls take charge vs. Montevideo

MACA asserted itself early and kept on with this tone in the Friday home success. The opponent was Montevideo for this February 15 GBB action.

The Tigers assumed a 27-17 lead in the first half. They wrapped things up with a 24-11 scoring advantage in the second half. So the final score was 51-28.
It was win No. 15 for the MACA crew against seven losses.

The team is adjusting to the unfortunate loss of Tracy Meichsner who experienced a practice injury. She's no-go for the rest of the season. It's an ACL (knee) problem.

Katie Holzheimer is ascending in Morris Area Chokio Alberta career annals. She's having special impact with her long-range shooting. On Friday she was in the kind of groove that is typical for her, making three 3-pointers. Courtney Gades made a '3' also.

Holzheimer's successes from beyond that stripe tied her with Allison Donovan for career-best. Donovan set the standard in 2000. Coming out of Friday, Holzheimer and Donovan both owned the career stat of 109 in 3's.

Holzheimer is a senior guard and on Friday her 13 points were team-best, edging Beth Holland who had 12. MaKenzie Smith was the other double figures scorer with ten. Abby Olson contributed eight points to the winning cause, while Gades and Kaitlin Vogel each put in four.

The Tigers were four of 16 in three-point shooting, 22 of 52 in total field goals and three of six in freethrows.

Smith led in rebounds with eight followed by Nicole Strobel with seven and Holzheimer with six. Gades and Strobel were tops in assists with four and three respectively. Three Tigers each stole the ball twice: Holzheimer, Beth Holland and Smith.

Monte's top scorers were Tia Diggins and Ashley Hoehne each with nine points. Monte made no 3's.

MACA coach Dale Henrich had to feel mighty pleased with his team's defense. This point gets special accent for the second half in which Monte was limited to eleven points!

Tiger basketball has an upbeat look with the post-season drawing near. (Let's see an elevated temperature outside too.)

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

Ralph E. Williams RIP - father, music man

Ralph Williams with "Sandy"

We have been hearing for a long time that "the World War II generation is leaving us." And then I'd think "oh yes, but we still have Dad."

That was going to have to change sometime. We lost my father, Ralph E. Williams, on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013. Destiny had taken its course. We all have to die sometime.

My father Ralph served in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Eventually these veterans will dwindle in number just as we saw with the World War I veterans, to where their presence will be a novelty.

We all wish these wars hadn't been necessary. My generation was scarred by the Viet Nam War. Last year I lost a cousin, Norman Ohlson of Grass Valley, CA, who was a decorated Viet Nam War veteran.

World War II was the so-called "good war." It's an unfortunate term of course. War is the worst of man's failings. The Allies had to straighten out a world seemingly gone mad. Just think of all those servicemen who didn't survive and weren't able to resume normal life back home. Let's think of them and pray often.

Click on the permalink below to read Dad's obituary from Pedersen Funeral Home, Morris.

http://www.pedersenfh.com/obituary/Ralph-Edwin-Williams/Morris-MN/1171579

Click on the permalink below to read a profile of my dad written in 2000 by Liz Morrison.

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2012/06/profile-of-ralph-e-williams-choral.html

Click on the permalink below to read about Dad taking the UMM men's chorus to the Seattle World's Fair in 1962.

http://ilovemorris73.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-seattle-worlds-fair-umms.html

Click on the permalink below to read about Dad taking the UMM men's chorus to the New York World's Fair in 1964.

http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-grand-new-york-worlds-fair-umms.html

 

My father was fortunate to survive the war and to later survive and thrive after major heart surgery in the Twin Cities. He had a five-vessel heart bypass operation. I remember taking my mom to go get him, and seeing him lying fully clothed on a bed, all set to go and with his usual energy. God bless Dr. John Stock for guiding him through all that.

My father was in pretty urgent need of the procedure. I later learned he was in some fear about not making it to the operation. Not only did he make it, he went on to live nearly 30 years more.

Toward the end he was struggling in many of the ways associated with advanced age. His communication skills became limited. But as someone who was around him a lot, I can say he was aware.

I have felt somewhat lost and disoriented since he left us. A caregiver is aware of a pretty extensive "checklist" each day. By habit I'm accustomed to doing certain things at certain times. There's emptiness now. Tonight (Wednesday, Feb. 6) is the visitation.

My mother and I have stayed pretty composed up until now. I think this is due to our realization that "Dad's time had come." I remember Jesse Ventura once saying that God has a plan for everyone to die at a certain time, and there's nothing you can do about it.

It seems so long ago we first came to Morris. The first thing I remember about UMM is the "circle drive." The campus was phasing out of its WCSA chapter. We were coming on board with the prestigious University of Minnesota, which my father had already been serving on the St. Paul campus. So he was already a University veteran.

He established the music program at the University of Minnesota-Morris. He did more than was technically required of him. He had me hang around rehearsals a lot which maybe wasn't the best thing. I'm not sure how a babysitter would have handled me. I probably had some ADHD issues.

I remember going downstairs at Edson Hall with a stick that had a little magnet attached to the end, and "fishing out" some Coke bottle caps with pictures of Minnesota Vikings players on them, from the pop machine.

I was imbued with the idea that the liberal arts, UMM's stock in trade, were the most special academic calling. Unfortunately I never really had the tools to go through that kind of academic program. My talents were "spotty." Because of my own limitations I developed conflicted feelings about UMM. That's unfortunate.

I have decided that the best way to get along with the UMM community is to just "do your own thing" well, and they'll respect you. You needn't try to show you can function on their turf or speak their language. Just be yourself.

It seems long ago that my father retired. Everyone should have such a long and rich retirement.

Little by little he had to make concessions to age. He finally had to stop driving. But we kept his beloved Lincoln Town Car. Kudos to the gang at Heartland Motor Company in Morris. My father enjoyed having morning coffee there and chatting with friends such as Jack Brown.

We can all chuckle as we recall when a certain family member began requiring Depend underwear. With Dad, it was after the memorial program for Ray Lammers at the UMM HFA. He had difficulty making it all the way through. We all probably feel a little self-conscious when first purchasing a package of Depends. But we get over that quickly.

One by one we make these adjustments as age advances. Some we fail to make quite as soon as we should. There is no clear line to be drawn on some of these matters.

I remember when we first purchased a walker and later a "transport" (a wheelchair with small wheels). We're thankful our transport was handy at church one Sunday when Tommy Tomlin had to be escorted out on an emergency basis. Tommy later told us he was in need of a pacemaker. It's nice to see him looking so stable now.

My father remained stable for a very long time. I guess my mom and I felt that if we just took one day at a time, maybe our status quo would just go on forever. Of course it never does.

The funeral is tomorrow (Thursday). Then we'll embark on that flurry of affairs closing out my father's mortal life.

My father will be in heaven having coffee, I suspect, with old neighbor Les Lindor with whom he'd go to Willie's with their official Willie's coffee cups.

Les died just a few months ago. We visited him regularly when he was at Skyview, then the Courage Cottage and finally West Wind Village. I remember Les talking about WWV like he would dread going there, which is understandable, but there always seems to be acceptance when the time comes. Les ended up liking his home at WWV.

My father and Les struggled with limitations of advancing age. As my mother would say, they're "in a better place" now.

My mom and I attended church the morning after Dad died. Pastor Paul Erdal was a little surprised seeing us there because I'm sure he felt we'd be exhausted and drained. But we couldn't just sit at home alone. It was nice having the company of our church brethren at the service and at coffee hour.

Perhaps my father Ralph is in heaven waving his musical baton and with an assemblage of talented musicians in front of him. That was his second favorite "home." His favorite was "home" home. God bless his memory. Thanks Dad.

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

Holzheimer knocks down six 3's in victory

Girls basketball: Tigers 53, 'Waska 37

It was showtime with Katie Holzheimer making 3's in the MACA hoops win over Minnewaska Area Friday (2/1).

The 'Waska gym provided comfortable surroundings for the sharpshooting Holzheimer. Coach Dale Henrich's Tigers picked up their 12th win partly on the strength of Holzheimer's six successful 3's in ten attempts.

Another strong suit was freethrows. Coach Henrich had to smile as his team made 13 of 17 tries at the line. Comfortable surroundings indeed!

The scoreboard showed a 53-37 winning outcome for Morris Area Chokio Alberta at game's end.

Holzheimer had all of the team's three-point makes. The team had 14 tries total. In total field goals the Tigers made 17 of 46 attempts.

Nicole Strobel grabbed four rebounds followed by Abbie Olson, Kaitlin Vogel and MaKenzie Smith each with three.

Holzheimer's long-range shooting sharpness lifted her to 24 total points scored. Beth Holland put in seven points followed by Smith and Vogel each with six. Strobel and Becca Holland each added four points to the mix, and Courtney Gades added two.

The Tigers worked to a 28-20 lead at halftime. They entered the weekend with a 10-2 mark in conference play.

Minnewaska came out of the night at 5-15 in overall, 3-9 in conference. Their top scorer was Sydney Joos with 14 points, and Bayley Pooler added ten. Pooler made two 3-point shots. Joos was the top Laker rebounder with seven.

 

Girls: Tigers 53, Lac qui Parle 33

The MACA girls took charge in their road game vs. Lac qui Parle on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

MACA applied a clear winning stamp by halftime, which arrived with the score 31-17. The momentum continued into the second half. The visiting team was in the driver's seat, carving out a 20-point advantage by game's end. The final horn sounded with the Tigers up 53-33.

It's most encouraging to see MACA come on strong with three-point shooting in recent play. On Tuesday the long-range shooting story was five makes in 12 attempts. Katie Holzheimer had four of the makes and MaKenzie Smith the other. This strong suit would continue into the Tigers' Friday win vs. Minnewaska. Holzheimer has been at the fore.

The Tigers made 23 total field goals against LQPV in 54 attempts. The freethrows were scant: two of four.

Two double figures scorers emerge in the stats: Smith with 13 points and Holzheimer with 12. Beth Holland scored nine points, Abbie Olson eight and Kaitlin Vogel 5, followed by three Tigers who each had two points: Courtney Gades, Becca Holland and Moira McNally.

Gades attacked the boards for five rebounds and she was closely followed by Olson and Vogel each with four. Smith had seven assists and Strobel four. The Holland sisters each had two steals as did Vogel and Cassey Hickman.

The Eagles were an anemic one-for-nine in three-pointers. They were much better in freethrows, sinking 14 of 19 attempts, and in total field goals the host Eagles were nine of 44.

Alaysia Freetly was the Eagles' top scorer with 15 points. MaKenzie Clark had the only LQPV three-pointer.

 

Boys hoops: Tigers 61, Milbank (SD) 49

The Tigers reached lucky number 13 in the win column on Tuesday, Jan. 29, playing across the border in Milbank, SD. The game had a different look because quarters were in effect, not halves. Halves are the standard in Minnesota.

The Tigers charged out in front 16-8 in the first quarter but slowed some in the second, getting outscored 11-6. Some sputtering was evident into the third quarter, in which Milbank outscored MACA 18-13.

It would all come down to the fourth quarter. When it counted most, coach Mark Torgerson's boys truly excelled. They pummeled Milbank with a 26-12 scoring advantage in the fourth. So the final horn sounded with the Tigers of MACA on top 61-49, upping their season mark to 13-3.

The Tigers were three of eight in three-point shooting with Jacob Torgerson having two of the makes and Chandler Erickson the other. In total field goals the Tigers were 23 of 39. The freethrow story was 50 per cent: 12 of 24.

Austin Dierks was the rebound wizard with six. Erickson stood out in assists with seven and he also led in steals with two.

Let's roll up our sleeves for the scoring list. Here it was Dierks leading with 15 points and he was joined in double figures by Logan Manska with 12 and Erickson with ten. Nic Vipond contributed to the attack with nine points. Jacob Torgerson put in six points, John Tiernan five and Lincoln Berget four.

Milbank looked cold shooting 3's on their home floor: one-for-eight stats. Milbank was 20-for-48 in total field goals. Isaac Lindquist was Milbank's top scorer with 19 points.

 

Boys hockey: Marshall 5, Storm 4

Normally when our athletes play Marshall it's a clash of "Tigers": Morris and Marshall. But in hockey our athletes go by the "Storm" nickname.

The Lee Center was the site for an MBA vs. Marshall boys hockey clash on Tuesday, Jan. 29. It was a heartbreaker for the home team.

Hopes were bright indeed early in the third period. Tanner Picht scored his third goal of the night, giving MBA a most hopeful 4-2 lead. The rest was downhill. The Tigers of Marshall summoned the momentum to catch up and then surpass MBA on the scoreboard. The game's final was 5-4 with Marshall the victor in this Southwest Conference game.

The first period ended with a 1-1 stalemate. Picht scored the MBA goal with an assist from Mac Beyer at 1:47. MBA had the 2-1 scoring advantage in the second period. Picht scored with assists by Brody Gimberlin and Beyer at 3:00. Following a Marshall goal it was Brody Gimberlin getting the puck in the net, assisted by Picht at 8:48. Picht scored the goal that gave MBA that 4-2 lead at :12 of the third, assisted by Beyer and Gimberlin.

The Marshall Tigers roared back with goals by Derek Rasmussen and Quinn Horvath (two by Horvath).

Kyle Kennedy was the MBA goalie and he had 27 saves. Mason Campion guarded the goal for Marshall.

Viva MBA Storm hockey and Morris Area Chokio Alberta basketball for the winter of 2012-13!

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

Storm and Tigers wind down January

Boys hockey: Storm 4, Luverne 2

MBA shone in Saturday (1/26) boys hockey action at the Benson Civic Center, led by Tanner Picht. Picht performed a hat trick in the Storm's 4-2 win over Luverne.

Picht's three goals were complemented by one goal by Brody Gimberlin. The 4-2 win kept the feeling of momentum building for the rapid-skating crew. It ended Luverne's win skein of nine. Meanwhile the Storm could savor having won seven of their last eight games - quite the surge. Their stock is rising in the Southwest Conference. Marshall is a high-flying team in that conference.

The Storm limited the Luverne Cardinals to one goal each in the first and third periods. MBA took off with one goal in the first, then added two in the second and one in the third.

Picht began his hat trick by scoring MBA's first goal at 12:06 of the first period, with assists from Mac Beyer and Brody Gimberlin. Picht scored the second MBA goal at 4:31 of the second, assisted by Andrew Rentz. Brody Gimberlin then got his goal scored at 4:58 and with assists by Jordan Staples and Taner Gimberlin.

Picht completed his hat trick at 16:44 of the third in shorthanded style. Staples and Beyer assisted.

Hats off to our winning Storm!

The goalie work was done by stalwart Kyle Kennedy who picked up 19 saves. Kendall Meyer was the Luverne goalie.

 

Boys basketball: Sauk Centre 60, Tigers 52

The tide turned at halftime in the MACA vs. Sauk Centre boys basketball game on Friday, Jan. 25, at Streeter country of Sauk.

The trip home must have seemed long for coach Mark Torgerson's boys. They led at halftime by a margin of ten points, 33-23. The score ended up not representative of the game as a whole. Because, Sauk Centre turned on the jets to outscore the orange and black 37-19 in the second half.

The Tigers were stunned. Whatever seemed to have gone right in the first half dissipated. Still they came out of the night quite fine in terms of won-lost at 12-3 (2-1 in conference). Sauk Centre's record: 9-4 overall, 4-1 conference.

The final horn sounded with the score 60-52.

Are we in the North half of the WCC? We used to be in the South. And is it true there were no divisions in volleyball? I can't keep up with all this. Too many changes. I'll try to refrain from using conference terminology.

Nick Adams helped Sauk Centre surge to the win as he put in 20 points. His team made five of 16 three-point attempts.

The Tigers meanwhile were cool with three of 15 stats from three-point range. Chandler Erickson had two of the makes and Jacob Torgerson the other.

Lincoln Berget led the team in rebounds with five followed by Nic Vipond and Austin Dierks each with three. Torgerson had two assists and Erickson one. Erickson and Dierks each stole the ball three times while Logan Manska had two steals.

On to scoring: Here, Erickson and Dierks each scored 12 points and Nic Vipond had ten. Joining these double figures scorers were: Berget 8, Manska 5, Torgerson 3 and John Tiernan 2.

 

Boys hockey: Storm 6, Northern Lakes 5

The Lee Center was abuzz with overtime hockey action on Thursday, Jan. 24. Our MBA Storm athletes were flying up and down the ice against Northern Lakes.

It was a non-conference battle in which the victor was crowned in that OT extension of play. And it turned out to be MBA!

Fans watched anxiously as the athletes battled around the puck as the first few ticks of overtime elapsed. A total of 17 seconds went by before the decisive moment occurred. Brody Gimberlin scored for the Storm! The MBA fans were ecstatic, savoring this hard-earned tenth win of the season (against seven losses). Northern Lakes came out of the day at 7-10.

Actually the Storm came close to winning this game in regulation. They led 5-4 during the third period before Aspen Florey of Northern Lakes got the puck in the net. The Storm were going to have to work a little harder. Work harder they did, and Gimberlin's goal had assists from Tanner Picht and Jordan Staples.

Kyle Kennedy was the goalie and he accumulated 23 saves on the day. Mitch Stangel guarded the Northern Lakes goal.

Each team scored two goals in the first period. Picht made the score 1-0 in favor of MBA. He scored with an assist from Gimberlin at 3:28. Northern Lakes scored the next two goals. Then it was Mac Beyer scoring with an assist from Picht at 9:27.

The second period was a standoff like the first with each team adding a goal to its total. First it was Jake Hyytinen scoring for the visitor. Picht answered with the MBA goal at 16:58 which had assists from Gimberlin and Staples.

On to the third period: Northern Lakes scored first, then Beyer scored for MBA assisted by Eric Johnson at 4:51. It was Beyer scoring again at 8:46, assisted by Gimberlin and Staples. But Florey got that complicating goal at 12:21 with assists from two of his mates, so MBA was going to have to win this game in overtime. MBA took care of business.

The 6-5 win was savory for the energized Storm.

 

Girls basketball: Sauk Centre 53, Tigers 22

Sauk Centre put on an exhibition with depth at the expense of our Morris Area Chokio Alberta girls hoops squad Thursday (1/24).

There were few highlights for our fans at the home facility to savor. Instead it was the solid Mainstreeter squad from Sauk Centre providing an abundance of highlights, this en route to their 53-22 win over MACA.

How much depth? Twelve players put in points for the smoothly-humming visitor.

Sauk Centre is building a juggernaut reputation. They came out of this late January action with a 14-1 overall record, 6-0 in conference. They took advantage of a somewhat depleted Tiger squad that was without post player MaKenzie Smith. Smith was no-go due to illness. Her height and her basic court presence were missed.

It was a special night for Mainstreeter Macy Weller. She scored just ten points but vaulted past a coveted career plateau: 1000 points. Ali Peterson scored ten points for Sauk Centre and Jena Klaphake eight.

The Streeters were pretty steady, scoring 27 points in the first half and 26 in the second.

Becca Holland made the only three-point shot for MACA. As a team the Tigers were a cold one of six in that category.

Total field goals saw the Tigers cold too: seven of 36. The freethrow stats were seven of nine.

None of the Tigers scored in double figures. Kaitlin Vogel gave some stability with her seven points, a modest total with which to lead the team. Credit the Streeters' defense. Becca Holland's three-pointer was part of five total points scored. Beth Holland put in four points followed by Katie Holzheimer, Tracy Meichsner and Abbie Olson each with two.

Vogel's eight rebounds put her on top of that list. Meichsner collected five boards. Becca Holland came through with an assist. And it was Beth Holland leading in steals with two.

The Streeters made five shots from three-point range. Klaphake and Peterson each had two of those bombs, and Jordan Gamradt had one.
Bring on February! The Tigers and Storm are primed.

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

Relishing memories of Maynard Ferguson

Maynard had a sense of humor

"How's your embouchure?" Jimmy Stewart asked the young trumpet-playing character standing next to him. I can't remember the movie.

"Embouchure" is a term that circulates among brass players. You somehow press your lips up against a "mouthpiece," get them to "buzz" and make music.

Many brass players probably learn the word "diaphragm" as they take lessons. You have to produce wind to make those lips buzz right. Of course, the instructors who give these lessons seem to get too analytical about this process. It can screw up your head. Just make music, man!

Maynard Ferguson dropped out of high school at age 15. So it's perfectly logical, I guess, that in his long musical touring heyday he played countless college campuses. He and his band visited UMM twice. The first was in the mid-1980s. The second was after 2000 and he was in his performing twilight. Both times this powerful jazz-infused music was at the P.E. Center. It was on the floor now named after James Gremmels.

Maynard left us in 2006. I doubt he's interested in playing the harp up in heaven. But if anyone could incorporate the harp for playing jazz, Maynard could. He crossed boundaries in his career. He defied easy categorization.

Jazz purists and jazz writers were always hesitant about putting him in any pantheon of jazz icons. Yet, when you listen to an album like "Six by Six" (the Maynard Ferguson Sextet), it seems he's right in league with the pure jazz icons of the '50s and '60s. Surely he had a jazz mind equal to anyone's.

But Maynard clearly wanted to "do his own thing." To the extent he got commercial at times, was it due to simply wanting to make more money? Or did he just "dig it?" Or did he just want to see a few more seats filled at his concerts? Touring was his life. Such a lifestyle might have had appeal for young musicians in a bygone time like in the so-called "big band era." Finding excitement was harder back then.

By the time Maynard was done, touring was equated with drudgery to a large degree. A tribute DVD to Maynard captures the road lifestyle. It was a "home movies" approach and it showed with no doubt that Maynard loved getting out and around in the world, seeing any little hamlet that might want to host him. He played at Minnewaska Area High School once.

The last time I saw Maynard was at Dawson High School. Yes, Dawson, MN. It was about a year before his death. Playing Dawson (or Minnewaska) didn't mean he had gone "small time." He didn't have the stature of when he had his Columbia Records contract, naturally. But he still played the most prestigious jazz nightclubs in America's cultural hubs.

The band he had at Dawson was as good as any he ever had. Once again I felt that jolt of a thrill as his name was announced at the start of the concert, and there was Maynard, coming out from the side of the stage with that same genuine twinkle in his eye as always. We never could have predicted back in "the day" that he'd still be performing at this pretty advanced age. But his "embouchure" was just fine.

He played the usual mixture of pure jazz charts (e.g. "Frame for the Blues") and arrangements of pop tunes ("Rocky"). Members of the Dawson High School jazz band came onstage at concert's end to join the Maynard band on "Rocky" - something I'm sure those young musicians will never forget.

I first became familiar with Maynard Ferguson because of our high school band director. He brought a Ferguson vinyl record to school. Was this a good thing or not? You see, despite Maynard's fame and his status as idol among many, he didn't play the trumpet as would be recommended for young people learning the instrument.

Maynard's "brand" as a musician was to play high notes. If you remembered nothing else about him, that's what would stand out. So our band director played a selection from the record and then anxiously looked at us to gauge our reaction. A trumpet player hearing Maynard for the first time is supposed to practically faint.

Our band director, initials J.W., had a twinkle in his eye. Maynard's notes cascaded upward as the record played. How could you not be enthralled? Well, let me put in this way: Young male trumpet players were definitely enthralled.
Now that I'm older and wiser, and trumpet playing has been behind me for decades, I'm not so sure it's a thrill. What saved Maynard's playing is that he was always trying to play music.

Us young trumpet players who were so giddy learned that our perception wasn't always shared by others, like our parents. To this day, a friend of mine talks about whether a particular Maynard souvenir DVD can be enjoyed in "mixed company." That says it all, as it implies a sort of cult category for Maynard fans. We collected his vinyl records and found it frustrating that his style wasn't embraced by everyone, that his name never quite became a household word.

Critics could be harsh. Critics who were focused on jazz got frustrated by Maynard doing a disco version of the operatic "Pagliacci."

I remember a critic after Maynard's "Hot" album came out, saying Maynard's trumpet sound was "irritating." OK, kudos for frankness. I would attribute the problem on the "Hot" album to less than stellar engineering. Don't underestimate engineering on those albums. Buddy Rich had a longstanding problem with his powerful band not coming through well on albums. A rumor was that Buddy himself would go in the booth and screw things up.

Maynard put out an absolute stream of albums. His career was already very mature when he put out his "breakthrough" album. On it, he departed from the more pure jazz of previous years to lead his band through some very tight arrangements. The album was "M.F. Horn" which later came to be known as "M.F. Horn 1." That's because the albums that followed were called "M.F. Horn 2, 3 and then 4-5."

The "4-5" release was a live recording from a New York City nightclub. Many years later I was discouraged to hear it wasn't really a pure live recording. A cynic can handle such news as with Beyonce at the inauguration. Maynard over-dubbed his part. Great as Maynard was, he couldn't always be counted on to hit the notes with total precision. His "fluffs" in this regard were always easier to take in person (in the audience) than when listening to a recording.

As he grew older, his issues with consistency became a little more pronounced. Like Frank Sinatra, Maynard had some difficulty staying on top of his game in his later years.
I read a fan saying once that when he brought someone to a concert with him, he'd always say "no matter what you think of Maynard tonight, keep in mind he's a legend."

Maynard's long-time fans never got bothered too much by their idol's drop-off from his highest standards. This is probably a tribute to his true greatness. His fans stayed loyal and interested even when his hair had become quite white, post-70 years of age.

Another tribute, one that can be overlooked, I feel, is that even his "worst" albums drew considerable discussion and scrutiny. Would we bother discussing a lesser artist's "worst" recordings? Maynard put out an album called "Ridin' High" when he was floundering in the late 1960s.

For the record, the 1960s were terrible for big bands. Maynard left the USA for a while. He put out "Ridin' High" on sort of an experimental basis as he was heading in a more pop-oriented direction. During his later heyday, that album would be painful to listen to. But fans hardly ignore it today.

Fans have also been known to put down his "Hollywood" album from about 1980. This was his last Columbia album. I always felt the criticism of "Hollywood" was overblown.

I would rate that seminal "M.F. Horn" (or "M.F. Horn 1") as his most solid overall recording. "M.F. Horn 2" which came on its heels had its merits. Not so with the odd "M.F. Horn 3" which seemed to have completely different creative minds behind it. The "3" recording got lost in the dustbin. (The jacket design was nice though.)

"Alive and Well in London" (although that title didn't appear on my jacket) was as solid as any of Maynard's recordings - a bit more commercial than "M.F. Horn."

The "4-5" live release from "Jimmy's" nightclub was just fine, then came a departure in Maynard's career into quite unabashed commercial music. We got "Chameleon," an album I felt was overrated. Then came disco. Our nation was immersed in disco for a while. Maynard was on board fully, first with his "Primal Scream" album (a title you know was coming eventually, using the "scream trumpet" theme).

Maynard's fans had no trouble living with his disco phase. There was still artistry interwoven. The band's powerful sound attracted legions of young people.

The decline of disco corresponded to the decline of Maynard's commercial heyday. He kept right on going, incorporating more pure jazz, "going back to his roots" as it were. He seemed to be happy and fulfilled throughout.

Today we hear that his daughters are trying to organize a new tribute DVD, to be called "Get on the Bus." I hope it's a blast. We can be reminded of Maynard's "embouchure" when it thrilled us all.

Maynard Ferguson RIP.

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

MACA boys overcome Falcons with freethrows

The Tigers were dead-on with their freethrow shooting eye in a Tuesday (1/22) home win. They gained their 12th win with spectacular freethrow shooting numbers of 24-for-27, 89 per cent (wow). ACGC couldn't overcome such a potent weapon.

Click on the permalink below to read about some other Tiger hoops and Storm hockey athletic contests of late. Included in this post, on "Morris of Course" (my companion site) are: the 57-39 win by the MACA boys vs. Ortonville, the 10-4 win by the MBA Storm boys over Worthington, the heartbreaking 48-47 loss experienced by the MACA hoops girls vs. Milbank SD, and the 60-35 girls hoops loss vs. BOLD. Thanks for reading - B.W.

http://www.morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2013/01/just-one-3-but-romp-by-maca-boys-on-road.html

 

Home hoops success

The Tigers of Morris Area Chokio Alberta turned back the Falcons of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 64-57. Coach Mark Torgerson's squad owned a shimmering 12-2 mark at night's end. ACGC was quite the worthy opponent and ended the night at 11-5.

Sizzling as the Tigers were at the freethrow stripe, the same couldn't be said of the three-point shooting performance. In 3's the Tigers languished with two-of-19 stats. Jacob Torgerson had both of the makes.

Logan Manska shot in a way that reflected the team's fortunes on this "paradoxical" night. Manska, who often is a long-range shooting force, made just one field goal in eleven tries but was a sizzling 10-for-10 at the freethrow line. Austin Dierks batted a thousand in freethrows too, six-for-six, and had a point harvest of 14.

The dynamite freethrow performance hardly kept this game from being suspenseful toward the end. My goodness, the Tigers had to actually surge from behind! ACGC was on top by a margin of six, eyeing victory, with four minutes left to play. Nic Vipond applied the spurs for MACA, achieving a three-point play. Vipond had a harvest of 19 points on the night.

Jake Torgerson then sent the ball through the twine from three-point range, creating a whole new ballgame with a tied score. Torgerson's two 3-pointers on the night represented his only scoring, but at least one of those was "clutch" to the max.

MACA pulled away from that tied score with - you guessed it - that freethrow-shooting weapon.

The Tigers led 23-22 at halftime. They outscored ACGC 41-35 in the second half.

The Tigers made 19 of 60 shots in total field goals. Vipond with his 19 points, Dierks with his 14 and Manska with 12 were followed in scoring by: Chandler Erickson (7), Torgerson (6), John Tiernan (4) and Lincoln Berget (2).

Vipond led in rebounds as well as in scoring, collecting nine rebounds followed by Torgerson and Berget each with eight. Erickson led in assists with five and Manska was tops in steals with four.

Taylor Larson topped the ACGC scoring list with 22 points. He built that total with the help of four 3-pointers. Dylan Hoerchler scored 16 points and made a pair of 3's. Jacob Belgum put in 12 points including one three-pointer.

Viva MACA basketball for the (chilly) winter of 2012-13!

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

St. Francis school board creating spectacle

Maybe cigarettes served a purpose we didn't all understand. An op-ed writer opined this once, wondering if cigarettes as a sedative helped keep us more relaxed than we seem to be today. People have trouble overlooking the slightest oversights or flaws in human nature.

So we have that minister in Rochester shooting and injuring his granddaughter who he thought might be a burglar outside the house. He's charged with a felony. Police are busy not with basic issues of the public staying safe and property being secure, but with giving citations on matters where no immediate dangers can be perceived.

All this is a prelude to the main topic I'm addressing in this post: the St. Francis school board. I have no connection to that Minnesota community. I have written about that board once previously. I could have sworn that would be the only time.

But oddly, that school board is in the news again on the same matter that brought it notoriety not that long ago. Maybe if this board met in a smoke-filled room, they'd all get along a little better. Remember how the World War II generation smoked? And drank? They were also very good at keeping matters in their proper perspective. Having dealt with the Depression and WWII, they knew what real problems were.

Today we have kids suspended from school for playing "cops and robbers" in which they merely point fingers as simulated "guns." Such playing has been common from time immemorial.

Maybe it would be good for all of us to have a super-duper depression again.

The St. Francis school board burst into the news initially by ousting a member. This wasn't a recall election, it was an ouster. An election I would respect.

Board members there have the obligation or "chore" of submitting columns for a newsletter. Board member Matt Rustad got the heave-ho for lifting some paragraphs from a blog, or I guess it was a "comment on a blog," and he had fingers pointed at him for the "p" word: "plagiarism."

Oh, and it seems he wasn't totally forthcoming about this act when confronted with the accusation.

There are certain questions I wouldn't care to be forthcoming about. "Have you ever taken a pee along the side of a road?"

I hope some legal wheels are still turning on behalf of Mr. Rustad, and that this isn't a completely settled matter now. David Lindberg, the St. Francis district's human resources director, makes the pronouncement about why exactly Rustad had to be excised. Lindberg proclaims that the accused party "lied" about his actions.

Don't we all lie when we want to deny a minor infraction? A politico on TV asserted during the campaign that a politician is in fact justified in lying "if the question is unfair."

Rustad was not lifting paragraphs from a commercially published book. He saw some interesting material on a website, material he wanted to share, and apparently lifted some sentences for his newsletter submission. The Internet is all about sharing. Wikipedia entries are prepared by people not motivated by wanting to make money from such entries - how would they make money? - but by people with a passion for wanting to share information.

There needn't be an economic motive for wanting to share information. Young people understand this as they constantly broaden their grasp of new media. Older people have gotten over some of their mistrust of the new media. But only some.

It's also older people that are keeping newspapers alive for the time being. Media analyst Allan Mutter wrote recently that based on data, a trend just since 2010 has seen the average newspaper reader become markedly older. Sorry newspaper guys, we're just reciting facts.

It's a cliche that "information wants to be free." It's a cliche based entirely on truth.

The "overhead" once required in sharing information, i.e. a printing press, is out the window. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming.

I'm a former newspaper writer who has found new life online. I could hardly have predicted it. What started as a blog that I felt might just have a handful of personal friend visitors, has developed into something more. I don't make money but I don't spend any either. Such a media universe could never have been foreseen when I was a kid.

Writing was a rather narrow specialty when I was a kid. Today it's ubiquitous. Information flows all over. And while a writer would never want to steal a section of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and present it as his own, one can "share" from the endless sea of impulsive thoughts, commenting and reporting out there, and not have a Federal case made of it.

A majority of the St. Francis school board is stuck in the old days. Or, more likely, a majority is uncomfortable with this Mr. Rustad for other reasons, and is using a trumped-up charge.

Was Mr. Rustad not an elected public official? Yes or no? If he's not, if in fact he's a "school district employee," I'll eat my hat.

We want schools to be overseen by elected officials because we want the proper checks and balances. Elected officials will look after the interests of the public and their collective pocketbook. Boards have enough trouble as it is. Look at the University of Minnesota and its board of regents that can't seem to keep an eye on things.

What's with the chutzpah of the St. Francis "human resources director" making such a vicious pronouncement - "lying" - about a young man who simply wanted to serve on a small community school board for what can be presumed to be the right reasons?

This whole kerfuffle has now taken on a new wrinkle. On page 5B of the January 17 Star Tribune, via a big headline, we learn - gasp! - that a second member of this notorious school board has now been accused of plagiarizing. This individual is the board's new chairwoman, Amy Kelly.

Holy copy and paste! What's going on here?

Kelly was fulfilling her obligations for that school district newsletter, the Courier, which I would suggest is now more trouble than it's worth. This was a column  in August, 2011, which presented the story of a boy who threw a starfish into the ocean. A plagiarism-checking Internet site was used to identity this alleged ethical faux pas by Amy Kelly. It was found that Kelly's column was "67 per cent plagiarized."

Kelly is going to have to explain herself at a January 28 school board meeting. Does this board realize it's becoming kind of a laughingstock?

Kelly so far has offered a very lame defense of her actions. She asserts that she "assumes" other people had heard this story numerous times previously, i.e. that it was in popular circulation. I'm offended by that. I have a B.A. degree and consider myself to be pretty well-read and worldly, and I cannot recall ever hearing this story. If I have, I've forgotten it.

So it would have been nice for Kelly to attribute to a source. In this case the source is a book entitled "The Unexpected Universe," from 1969. So it's not like it's old folklore from The Brothers Grimm or anything like that.

The author who got ripped off here is Loren Eiseley.

Kelly could have taken the trouble to give the proper background. She had actually been critical of Rustad.

Rustad does have his defenders such as board member Marsha Van Denburgh who felt Rustad wasn't treated fairly. Another sympathetic party is Suzanne Erkel who simply felt the Rustad issue was "overblown."

The perceptive Van Denburgh isn't calling for Kelly's removal or resignation but she sees a problem with precedent, which is something that elected officials must be attuned to.

Again, are school board members elected public officials? A synonym for that is "politicians." Aren't politicians accused of "lying" all the time? Heaven help us if politicians could be removed from office simply because of a "lie."

Didn't Michele Bachmann campaign for re-election by asserting with no subtlety that her opponent, Jim Graves, had "lied" about his involvement with the United Way? If he in fact did, would he be ineligible to take office as congressman? I mean, after all, the St. Francis school board has made a determination like this.

Let the voters decide. Unless you find that to be inconvenient, St. Francis school board members.

The topic on which Rustad was sharing was "paperless schools." Maybe this represents too much of a change in our education system for many board members to comprehend or enact right now. So maybe they feel uncomfortable.

I am absolutely cheering for the continued retreat of the "paper" media. Change can be unsettling. Maybe we could all handle it a little better by just "lighting up a smoke."

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