Kehoe, Bowman hit 3's in Tigers' upset win

Tigers 53, Eagles 40

The high school hoops playoffs are proceeding during these Covid times. They proceed with an asterisk: Paynesville vs. Minnewaska of our sub-section had a "double forfeit." Huh? 

Our MACA girls team was the on-paper underdog Tuesday. I suppose it's not a huge upset for No. 6 to defeat No. 3. That's what happened. The Tigers beat the Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles 53-40 at Eden Valley. 

It was thrilling to hear from the public access TV channel how Cate Kehoe put up her 3's and succeeded. Maybe this is a suggested strategy for the next game which I hear will be in Litchfield. Set up a screen for Kehoe. She made four 3's. Her long-range shooting work was complemented by Emma Bowman. Bowman succeeded three times from 3-point range and led the Tigers in scoring with 23 points. 

I'm sure Cate's success thrilled fans like Janet Kehoe, Tom Carrington, Matt Carrington and Neal Hofland among others. I see Tom nearly every morning around 6:30 a.m. at DeToy's Restaurant. This morning he asserted that Cate more or less used her own initiative in launching her 3's. He's not sure the coach shared the enthusiasm about this. But it sure worked, at least on this night. 

Maybe this is a strategy that works when seeking an upset: sink or swim with 3's. When these are hitting, it sure supplies lots of fuel. 

Is it possible that only four Tigers scored Tuesday? Looks that way. Bowman and Kehoe had 23 and 14 points respectively. Maddy Grove supplied nine points and Meredith Carrington seven. Bowman led in rebounds as well as scoring. In rebounds her stat was seven. 

Grove topped assists with four. Bowman and Carrington each had three steals. Kehoe and Grove each blocked two shots. We shot with 48 percent success while holding the host team to 35 percent. We also pressured the Eagles into 20 turnovers. The orange and black was in good shape at halftime, up 31-20. 

Our overall W/L record is 6-13. EV-W closes out its season at 9-8. Whitney Jansen was EV-W's top scorer with 12 points. Brielle Kuechle put in nine.

Will the Tigers keep surprising in 3AA-North? Here's a bulletin: The Tigers' next game is Friday, 7 p.m. at Litchfield against the No. 2 Dragons of Litch. This foe is green! The green-themed Dragons climbed with a 48-18 thumping of Benson. Also in 3AA-North, No. 1 New London-Spicer (no surprise) dominated ACGC 69-21. What's in the drinking water at NL-S? 

I'll assume Covid-related factors caused the odd double-forfeit involving 'Waska and Paynesville.

 

State of UMM, 2021

Well, this is a little disturbing. How could it not be? UMM items "in the news" that are about people leaving the campus either by retirement or simply leaving. In the case of the high-profile choir director, he's making a lateral move. How is this not concerning? Not only that, he's leaving the prestige of our U of M for a private school. 

Private schools have their place but the U is supposed to be special. That's my understanding. Choir director Brad Miller has announced he's going to St. John's to occupy the same position. What gives? Obviously this was done for a reason. What all played into it? Inquiring minds want to know. 

We will miss the whole Miller family here in Morris. They will be greatly missed at First Lutheran Church where there is a need for young and vigorous families. Ana Miller is a virtuoso singer. 

We'll even miss their dog, a cute white little house dog.

But all this being said, we need to move on from the subject and focus on UMM's present and future. A representative of UMM informs me that Miller is replaceable. Well I should hope so. As far as his departure being "in the news," it looks like this has happened in just one place thus far: my own online writing. 

I have some justification for writing about UMM because I am a benefactor. My family's Fund on behalf of the school will be adjusted this spring so that it is neutral in connection with the various ensembles in the music department. Up to now, choir has been the priority. 

My late father directed orchestra and he was also the only music faculty in the institution's first year, so he directed band! He obtained some second-hand uniforms from the Twin Cities campus. I have found some people assuming he only directed the men's chorus when it came to choir. No, he also directed "mixed chorus" on many occasions. That's the equivalent to today's UMM concert choir. 

Gender-related terms are probably phased out now. As anachronistic? Well yes. Times change. My father could have directed jazz in UMM's early years, but it would not have fit in with cultural norms at the time. "Jazz" had non-sophisticated connotations. Oh, so quaint to look back on. Maybe part of that attitude was racial. My father was simply color-blind. He had a background of playing in a jazz-oriented dance group when he was on the U of M campus in the 1930s. I have published a photo of that group twice on my blogs. (I have seen racial enlightenment in my lifetime but now we have Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.) 

Another current news item from UMM is the retirement of the chancellor. That shocked me. It's a position that sets the tone for the whole campus. One source tells me that Michelle Behr has been "working remotely from the mountains of Colorado." I sought some additional background and was informed that Colorado is where she will retire. This is all fine, I guess, or maybe not so fine. 

My source observed: "Is this going to be the future? Sure hope not. People need to see the eyeballs." 

My bottom line: We should not be talking so much about people leaving UMM or retiring from UMM. IMHO we should put these people in the background of our thoughts or excise them altogether, because our emphasis should be on the present and future. We should be recognizing the people who really want to be here, who really want to be invested in things, who don't mind living in this little prairie outpost called Morris, Minnesota. 

It sure doesn't bother me to live here. The name of the blog is "I Love Morris." UMM has a theme of "In the middle of somewhere" which I disapprove of, because it plays on the derisive comment about how we're in the middle of (something else.) A lot of people actually believe the latter.

A very credible source tells me there are issues with morale on the UMM campus, conflicts between departments etc. I didn't come into town on a turnip truck and I know how these things can happen in an academic institution. It is dealt with from the top and by that I mean, by the overall U of M president who is Joan Gabel. I'd like to invite Ms. Gabel to come out for a visit again.

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

Be honest about the pandemic

A friend predicted to me that by midsummer, not only will "normal life" have returned, we will "forget" what we had been through. Struck me as an interesting thought. 

Right now people are buzzing about whether they've received the vaccine yet. Such a perplexing pandemic: we are supposed to treat it as if we're all potential victims, yet we know that very elderly people were the prime targets. Of course they were not the exclusive targets, just the prime targets. 

Unspoken in all this was the thought that nursing home deaths need not be grieved as much as for younger people. Nobody wants to see anyone die. However, it was legitimate to weigh the fact that young and middle age people of basically normal health, non-overweight people, had substantially less to worry about. 

And yet this was not the truth that was conveyed by the media. The notorious media - never mind that it is not a monolith - processes things through a propriety filter - a more raw term is political correctness. 

I remember Bernard Goldberg from the one good book he wrote, "Bias," writing about the AIDS crisis from the same viewpoint. The media like "Oprah" felt it had to convey that AIDS was a danger lurking around the corner for all of us. Which would be fine if it was true. The media succumbs to the bias of making us all seem equal. 

It's taboo at present to suggest that overweight people are more vulnerable to a pandemic. We are not supposed to be judgmental in this way, just like we were not supposed to be judgmental vs. gay people during the AIDS outbreak. Goldberg pointed out with sincerity, the fact that death among gay people was a horrible tragedy. It was self-evident. But the media was defensive so as not to be perceived as being hard on the gay element of the population, an element that had striven over time to escape the shackles of discrimination. 

Goldberg pointed out a danger in the media's coverage, that people not at risk could become petrified by fear. The media, because it wants to reach the masses for commercial purposes, wanted us to think we were all equal. The media fails whenever it shies away from facts for reasons of self-interest. 

I got to thinking about the overweight thing a couple days ago when a TV news channel showed pictures of numerous pandemic victims. So many were overweight, many in a way that I do not recall from when I was young. They looked overweight in a truly bloated way. 

People are very guarded in the comments they might want to make about this. 

Body image bias is something we are constantly trying to avoid in this age of being so non-judgmental. But if you think someone is overweight, "bloated" in a way that doesn't seem healthy, why blot that out of your thoughts? Well, men nowadays are supposed to erase from their thoughts any notion that a woman is "good looking." The push is toward the non-objectification of women. Seems to have merit, right? And it's right in line with the meme of how "we're all equal." 

I think it's fine if men modify their thoughts so that the "ideal" is no longer the "36-24-36" women. (Later it got modified to 38-24-36.) Didn't Jesse Ventura get laughs by referring to a certain bra size? 

Banter along these lines was once common, now it's pretty much discouraged. But can you believe that men are not still forming judgments about women in the more, shall we say Neanderthal way? And let's not be judgmental about Neanderthals. (Just kidding on that one, but we need a way to describe Republicans these days.) 

Sometimes we'd be sitting at McDonald's and notice quite rotund people ambling in. But we are less likely to even notice that aspect of people now. I'm 66 years old and remember a time when a "fat person" entering an establishment would invite a stare and some whispers perhaps. Hardly ever happens now, either because of the "non-judgmental" meme out in society, or the scary fact that there are so many rotund or "fat" people. 

My language might strike you as Neanderthal at times. I grew up in times when crass objectification of women was standard. Women should have protested but they probably thought it'd be fruitless. The forces of change and evolution need time to build up, get momentum. Of course, maybe we should not accept the normalization of being overweight. Obviously there are health issues, as we seem to be reminded during Covid. 

I personally have not felt scared during Covid. Even though I'm 66, I am not overweight, and outside of taking Lipitor every day I seem fully stable. I have had my first vaccination shot for Covid. 

Maybe it's actually good that I spent about ten years of my life with a distance running hobby that I'm sure convinced many people I was nuts. I was actually underweight during that period, got comments about it even. But maybe the pastime served to add some years to my life. That time period, incidentally, was 1982-92. I had to phase it out because of chronic soreness in my right foot. Yes it was a real problem, not like Donald Trump's bone spurs. 

And speaking of the overweight former president, he of the junk food preference, why is there still a Trump campaign sign near where people turn off the highway onto Columbia Avenue? It's in such a conspicuous spot. Increasingly I find this sight offensive, especially in light of what happened on January 6. Who is behind this sign? What are they trying to tell us? Who owns the land? It is becoming a public relations issue for the Morris community. I know we have a disproportionate number of Trump supporters here - heaven help us - but why allow this to be advertised to the world?

 

My podcast for March 14

My, we're two days away from the most revered "St. Urho's Day!" I won't fool you here: it is a faux holiday but one that is enjoyed by many. We need some excuses for reverie now. The question is: do you have enough energy left over for St. Patrick's Day? I invite you to listen on my "Morris Mojo" podcast:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/St--Urhos-Day-on-Tuesday-esicd0

 

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

Prelude to post-season? MACA girls win

Tigers 63, Benson 28

The MACA girls came down the home stretch of the regular season with a 63-28 home win. Success was over Benson at Tiger Center. The win ended a four-game loss streak for coach Dale Henrich's crew. Tonight (Friday) brings the curtain down for regular season play: the Tigers will play Sauk Centre at Tiger Center. After that: playoffs. Where will the Tigers be seeded? 

"Share the wealth": that was the rosy story for the orange and black on Thursday. Ten players appear in the scoring column from the success vs. Benson. The pace was set by Meredith Carrington and Maddy Grove, each with eleven points. Then we see a duo of Tigers each with ten: Cate Kehoe and LaRae Kram. Kaylie Raths scored six followed by Emma Bowman (5), Sydney Dietz (4), Lakia Manska (3), Shannon Dougherty (2) and Cortney Hickman (1). 

The rebound leader was Grove with five. The assist leader was Carrington with five. Carrington and Kram each stole the ball six times, while Kehoe performed four thefts. Hickman blocked a shot. 

The Tigers built their impressive margin on the scoreboard with a 48 percent shooting stat. In 3's: five of ten. This overdue win brought our win total to five. Our loss total: 12. Benson owns 4-12 W/L numbers. We were quite in command at halftime, up 37-19.

 

'Waska 57, Paynesville 28

The Lakers of Minnewaska savored success also on Thursday. They took charge in a 57-28 win over Paynesville as Maddie Thorfinnson fueled the attack with 18 points. The Lakers' other double figures scorer was Annika Randt, 12. Brooke Kolstoe put in seven while Addy Randt and Addy Kath each contributed six. Other contributors: Makena Panitzke (4), Emma Kovarik (3) and Isabella Ortendahl (1). 

The Lakers came at the Bulldogs with eight 3-pointers in 19 attempts. The Randt girls led in this department, Annika with three long-rangers and Addy with two. Three Lakers each made one '3': Thorfinnson, Kovarik and Kath. Thorfinnson and Ortendahl each grabbed seven rebounds followed by Panitzke with six. 

Four Lakers including the Randt girls each had two assists. Panitzke and Kath were the other two. Oh, look at steals where we also see four Lakers each with two, and again the Randts are there. So are Panitzke and Kath. Four Lakers each had one blocked shot. 

The Lakers were up 35-14 at halftime. Their win was No. 6 on the season next to eleven losses. The Paynesville numbers: 5-11. 

The West Central Tribune of Willmar is having problems. Missing first names is one. I consulted with Maxpreps to get two blanks filled in, and I'm not even paid to do this. Another problem is "N/A" for "not available" with some stat categories. Sometimes only the stats of one team are reported. 

The WC Trib reported that Minnewaska shot 52 percent on eight of 19 numbers. Something is off there. Their review of the Morris game was screwed up with the absence of individual 3-point shooting. The stat category is designated but the data isn't there. 

The paper tries getting money from people for online subscriptions, so they ought to set standards higher. And of course, sometimes entire games go unreported. I assume it's because coaches sometimes don't call the info in. Still it's a liability. 

No Paynesville Bulldogs scored in double figures vs. Minnewaska. Here's their list: Kaitlyn Uhlenkamp (8), Madison Hentges (6), Emma Flanders (5), Brynn Johnson (4), Natalie Lieser (3) and Mikayla Roberg (2). Hentges nailed two 3-pointers while Lieser and Flanders each made one.

 

Too many changes

Yes we're in a society now that is so fluid, I mean with all the systems we use. Changes, changes, changes. The Morris MN "senior center" is no more. I hope the senior citizens facility and its organization gets well-remembered in history. We took it for granted for so long: "the Morris senior citizens center and the senior organization," such wonderful and charming people. 

I suppose we assumed it would last forever. We can't assume any such thing about anything these days, it seems. The "seniors" are retired to historical annals now. The signage has been changed on the building. No more vestiges of the seniors, as now the building is simply a City of Morris building. Will it be a hospitality facility? To what extent might it compete, unfairly, with the private hospitality businesses? Remains to be seen. 

"Meals on wheels" will continue operating out of the kitchen. But this whole place will just not be the same. At the time the pandemic struck, there was a "Gideon's band" keeping the place going. Keith Kirwin would pull up in his pickup where dog "Joe" would hold forth from in back. I'd go out and pet Joe nearly every day. He's friendlier than at least one of Keith's previous dogs! 

Several card players would assemble on many days, like Bob Kleespie. A few "hardcore" senior patrons of the meal would show up. I guess that group included me. Plus, Keith Davison and Florence Kjenstad along with "Bryce," a Native American whose last name I did not learn. It was a shock for me not to see all these souls on a daily basis. The pandemic forced change. 

And now the "senior center" is the stuff of history books. More change: the impending end to Federated Telephone cable TV service. What a shocker! I'm a customer. Still don't know what I'll do to adjust. Go back to Mediacom? I liked Federated because they had a local in-person presence: people who spoke good English! Oh, and friendly too. Why do all these changes have to happen? Why?

 

More re. Federated: I got an email this a.m. from a friend who updates on Federated's decision: 

  

On the KMRS news this AM, Marshall had talked to the Federated general mgr about the cable TV thing, and reported that apparently the main reason was that Federated’s hardware, wiring, etc. had become obsolete and not supportable, and as their TV service was more of a “loss leader” they couldn’t afford to upgrade, especially considering the escalating prices some channels and networks are charging. The TV service will start to be phased out this coming August. Federated will inform its cable customers of other options for TV.

 

My podcast for March 12 

Opinions on religion? Why not? So today I talk about the ELCA of the Lutheran Faith and how it is confronting concerns about "evangelical" in its title. The issue: political connotations.

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/ELCA-seeks-clarification-esde8r 

 

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

Toby Gonnerman scores at buzzer for win

Tigers 69, Paynesville 68

First the MACA girls played an overtime game Friday, at Osakis, then it was the boys' turn for a barnburner of this type Monday. The MACA boys began the new week with a win by one, 69-68, when the overtime session was completed. 

Action was here at Tiger Center. The Tigers outscored the green-themed Paynesville  Bulldogs 10-9 in OT. A hero at the end was Toby Gonnerman. Benson's loss was our gain as Toby succeeded on a layup at the buzzer to provide the margin of victory. What a game! 

And even though we're not in a typical March due to the pandemic, emotions can rocket high anyway, right? I'm not at the games but I'm just deducing. 

Just imagine the suspense in the game's final moments. Paynesville crept ahead on a freethrow with 5.6 seconds left. Gonnerman clutches the ball and throws the inbounds to Brandon Jergenson. Jergenson proceeded to get the ball up the court to Thomas Tiernan. No room for error. Tiernan had visions of victory but was thwarted when the ball got knocked away. 

But Gonnerman was able to retrieve it. Gonnerman proceeded to make the winning close-in shot. Ecstasy for MACA hoops fans at Tiger Center, score of 69-68! The orange and black prevailed over the green. It was our 14th triumph against two losses. 

Paynesville had the 32-31 lead at halftime. MACA had the one-point edge in second half play, 28-27. So the stage was set for overtime.

Paynesville came out of Monday with a 9-7 record. The Tigers will take their turn playing at Osakis Friday. The girls were defeated there in OT Friday.

Gonnerman was a perfect 4-for-4 in field goals and scored eleven points. Jergenson put up 16 points on seven of 11 in field goals. Tiernan had a 4-for-8 night for ten points. Our No. 1 scorer was Jackson Loge who put up 25 points on 10 of 20. Also scoring were Durgin Decker (5) and Cole Wente (2). Wente made his only shot. 

The Tigers were good on 55 percent in shooting, 28 of 51. Our numbers in 3-point shooting were seven of 16 where we had three players make two each: Jergenson, Tiernan and Loge. Each of the three was two of four. Decker had our other '3'. 

Loge and Gonnerman each made three freethrows. Loge grabbed 12 of our 25 total rebounds. Four of his boards were offensive. Decker had four rebounds and Jergenson three. Reimers led us in assists with five. Three Tigers each had two steals: Jergenson, Tiernan and Reimers. Loge blocked three shots.

 

Boys hockey: Storm 5, Prairie Centre 2

Zach Bruns was sharp with his play once again as his Storm prevailed Monday. Bruns scored a goal and provided three assists as MBA won at Long Prairie. MBA took command with the first four goals scored in the game. In the end the score was 5-2 as MBA upped its record to 11-4. 

The Long Prairie team is called Prairie Centre. Their won-lost coming out of Monday was 2-11. Another trip is on tap for Thursday for our Storm. Destination Redwood Falls. 

Let's take a look at those first four goals from Monday. It was Bruns getting the first with an assist from Hunter Blume. Brett Hanson scored the second with a Bruns assist at 4:24 of the second. Then it was Tim Blume getting the puck in the net at 6:59, assists from Bruns and Brady Goff. Trevor Buss made the score 4-0 with a goal that had Brady Loge assisting. 

Prairie Centre got on the scoreboard with a goal by Ethan Hoffman, assisted by Brady Cline. Our Tim Blume got the puck in the net at 14:17 with assists from Bruns and Brady DeHaan. Prairie Centre's Cline scored with assists by Derick Sorenson and Hoffman at 15:32. The third period was scoreless. MBA came home the 5-2 winner. 

Peyton LeClair worked in goal and had eleven saves in 13 attempts. The Prairie Centre goalie was Joe Nedoroscik (32-37).

 

Girls hockey: Windom 4, Storm 2

An update on the MBA girls shows them getting defeated on their home ice in Morris Monday. Windom was the 4-2 victor. MBA has had a languishing type of season unfortunately: just one win. Windom too is below .500 at 6-10. 

Windom got the 2-0 lead in the first period. Presley Dockter scored both these goals. Ella Dockter assisted on the first. Ella and Meakin Bang assisted on the second. It was Ella doing the scoring work for Windom in the second period: a goal at 4:15 assisted by Presley Dockter and Elly Bang. 

MBA's Kortney Sanasack would have two unassisted goals on the night. The first of these was at 9:35 of period No. 2. The second was at 11:43 of the same period. Sanasack's flair was a bright spot in the loss. 

Elly Bang ended the night's scoring with a bang - sorry about that - as she got the puck in the net at 4:43 of the third. Presley Dockter assisted. 

Leah Thompson was our goalie and she stopped 44 of 48 shots. Kaylie Baerg worked in goal for Windom (21-23).

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

OT results in loss for MACA at Osakis

The MACA girls made the trip to Osakis Friday hoping to end a three-game loss skid. They were coming off a Thursday home loss to the Hancock Owls. On Friday the turnaround nearly happened. The score was tied at the end of regulation vs. those Silverstreaks. (I've always loved the nickname.) 

But it was the Silverstreaks prevailing at the end. The score was 48-46. 

The Tigers are preparing for their final two regular season games which will be at home, the Tiger Center. Thursday, March 11, will have a matchup with Benson. Then on Friday the foe will be Sauk Centre. 

Our won-lost mark is a disappointing 4-12. In conference: 4-6. Against section foes: 2-5. So the post-season is likely to present an uphill challenge. Coach Dale Henrich will be pushing his squad to surprise their fans. 

Player grandparent Tom Carrington was disappointed that the Tigers could not get off a final shot in regulation. 

The Silverstreaks are a team headed in the right direction, owner of a four-game win streak coming out of Friday. They led for much of the night but never in a commanding way. Their coach Pat Kalpin commented on the end of regulation when MACA was stymied: "We were able to get a defensive stop to get the game to overtime." 

Kalpin talked about the defense, but I think astute fan Carrington might suggest we could have executed better to get off a shot. Such commentary is the prerogative of all fans, especially grandparents, I might suggest! I covered Meredith Carrington's father Matthew for the Morris paper when he was orange and black. Oh, and Meredith's aunt too: Anna. I witnessed Matt hitting a long home run to center at Willmar in Legion baseball. 

Things went bleak for MACA at the start of overtime: Osakis scored the first five points as Grace Oeltjen hit a '3' and Hayleigh Niehoff made a 2-pointer. The Tigers were certainly in the running at the very end. We had the ball with four seconds remaining. But we had to go the length of the court. Osakis coach Kalpin explains: "We forced them into a half-court shot miss to win the game. It was a fun game for our team being it was senior and parents' night." (The quotes are from the Echo-Press.)

 

Lackluster

Either the MACA shooting was off or the Osakis defense was stiff: we shot just 27.8 percent. 

We had a hard time trying to contain Alexis Johanson who put in 19 points, plus she had seven rebounds. Tessa Stanek provided nine points and delivered four assists. Coach Kalpin said "different girls stepped up and made plays to help us get the win." 

The Tigers outscored the Silverstreaks 22-19 in second half play. Osakis had the 8-6 advantage in OT. Maddy Grove was the top orange and black scorer with 12 points, plus she grabbed six boards. LaRae Kram had impact with ten points, five rebounds and four steals. Meredith Carrington supplied nine points and stole the ball three times. Sydney Dietz was active on the boards with ten rebounds. Dietz added six points. 

MACA made 20 of 72 in total field goals. In freethrows: three of eight. We had 50 rebounds. 

Osakis was a force with 3-point shooting where their numbers were nine of 22. In total fields the Silverstreaks were 17/53. In freethrows: 5/17.

 

Spring has nearly sprung

Isn't the milder weather therapeutic now? I had an unexpected surprise over the weekend as high school classmate Art Cruze, MHS '73, stopped by to visit. He called Pizza Hut Saturday afternoon to see if they were open for dine-in. I have not considered Pizza Hut a dining option for a long time. What a pleasant surprise on Saturday as we found there was new ownership there. 

I could have fainted: we actually got enthusiastic service as dine-in customers. This has not been this restaurant's forte over the recent past, or at least when last I occasionally stopped in. I got so perturbed at one point I "flamed" the place in online customer feedback. So it has not been high on my list since. But now, based on Saturday, my assessment is totally on the opposite end. Art and I enjoyed good pizza, good and friendly service, and we got caught up on some things. 

Our 50-year class reunion is coming up in 2023. Heavens, where does the time go? Our '73 Class has gone through the phases of all classes. At the ten-year, no matter what you do for an occupation, it sounds impressive, doesn't it? The 20-year went swimmingly. I helped organize the 30-year and found the turnout to be a little disappointing. At that stage, I think many class members are focused on their own kids wrapping up high school education. 

The 40-year: I missed that one, partly because my father had just passed away. Little by little we lose our parents. We're tempted to think we're more vigorous than other high school classes but find in the end, we're all programmed the same way by our maker. 

The Class of '73 graduated during times that were not the most optimistic. The '70s became known as the Murphy's Law decade. Speaks for itself. America was still smarting from the horrendous Vietnam war. We were stunned by inflation in the economy. There are warning signs right now that inflation may be on the way again. It will be more of a shocker than you probably think. 

Society lowered the drinking age for us Class of '73 members. What a "favor." It was of course complete folly. The youth of the early '70s got dragged into dysfunction and even self-destructive behavior, all very sad. The kids of today develop such an opposite outlook, wonderful to see. However, excessive optimism can breed naivete, let me warn you. 

Art and I have the background for dealing with new bumps in the road. I encourage you all to go back to Pizza Hut, give "the Hut" a chance again!

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

"Ch-ch-changes" - oh wait, don't mock stutterers

So many things around us are changing so fast. Can we pause for just a moment? 

Out of the blue comes a letter from Federated Telephone announcing disruptive changes. I believe Federated when they say they had no choice. But now I have to scratch my head yet again, just like when the Morris city council passed its water softener law. I moved mountains trying to get that one figured out. I still don't have the lay of the land for that. 

Will the city council next pass a law requiring all residences to have energy-efficient windows? Where we'd all have to foot the bill? This law would be in the same spirit as the water thing. 

Recycling requirements affect me. I would be more inclined to prepare meals at home if I could conveniently used canned products. I'd have to deal with the recycling requirement for cans, and this involves cleaning them properly. How exactly to do that? I could stuff some paper toweling into the cans and scrub a little, but there's a risk of getting cuts. If I turn on the faucet and seek to clean this way, food substance from the inside of the can, such as chili or baked beans, would go down the drain. Then I'd have to worry about eventual drain issues: call the plumber. 

Plumbers do not recommend using products like Drano. Who to listen to? This is a common issue. 

The city council passed its law re. softeners, making it all very legal, and then what to do? Call a so-called "water quality company?" These are private businesses that seek to make money. In theory, the people with those companies should come to your house and give you the best possible professional advice, serving your interests. I don't think we can count on that. 

My own personal experience went very badly. 

Energy-efficient windows are a great idea. They are expensive. I had Western Products come to my house soon after Mom died, when I had more time to deal with such things, and I think they did a wonderful job. I give them an A-plus rating. Would that we could count on this type of relationship all the time. 

What is Federated Telephone announcing? It's very drastic. I would not be a customer of Federated if it did not offer cable TV. And now the company is announcing the end of its cable TV service, effective sometime in 2022 (no exact date yet). It doesn't end there. Sooner than that, in April in fact, Federated will implement a small price increase - no big deal with this issue - and in late July will remove certain channels like the ESPNs. I'm not a sports nut but I don't mind checking in on ESPN sometimes. It has been a part of the service. 

I was quite satisfied with my Federated package: phone, home wi-fi and cable TV. Previous to Federated my family used Mediacom. I did not find out until it was too late how to do business with Mediacom. Now I know. What you do, is to call Mediacom and negotiate. You negotiate a three-year package. Three years seems pretty much written in stone. 

It's a pure negotiation: you tell Mediacom what you're willing to pay per month over a three-year period for a particular service, then they can OK it. Their part of the deal is that they cannot raise your rate over the three years. Like I said: negotiate. 

Maybe I'd consider going back to Mediacom, I don't know. Most likely I'd see if I can get all my entertainment needs met with my laptop, as I could engage YouTube with its incredible possibilities, along with "I Heart Radio" and others. Wouldn't it be ironic if a lot of us went back to terrestrial radio? 

 

History: the "able cable"

I remember when cable TV first came to Morris. My neighborhood could not get it at first. We are semi-rural. Today we are in the city limits out on (beautiful) Northridge Drive. I heard my friends talk about the "able cable" as it was called then. Our museum should preserve tidbits like that. Ah, the "able cable" so us kids could watch "Gilligan's Island" if we wanted. 

For a long time my family had just KCMT-Alexandria so we could watch NBC shows only, like "Bonanza." But not "Gunsmoke." The non-NBC shows existed in a netherworld from our perspective. It was like a scarce commodity. Carol Burnett? Walter Cronkite? We simply heard or read about these people, like the "historic" comment made by Cronkite as he finally broke a taboo and said, in effect, that the Vietnam war sort of sucked. Lyndon Johnson was influenced. 

Those were the days long before "viral" movements that germinated with the advent of digital. 

Federated Telephone gives us sort of a "sob story" of how it's forced into its drastic move. Maybe they can't help it, but now I have another wrinkle to deal with in my life, as I strive to adjust as a 66-year-old. 

 

Cultural changes too

These days I reflect back on some of the politically incorrect or sexist banter I'd engage in, much of it in the workplace like with certain irreverent employees of the printing press in Lowry. My God, I'd be fired in a heartbeat today! No exaggeration. 

I'll remind: I am the same exact age as Andrew Cuomo. I remember when my co-worker Howard Moser went into the camera room at Quinco Press and said "Brian said to tell (female employee's name withheld) to quit staring at his butt all the time." 

Come on, you can laugh at that! Or, maybe not. Maybe you'll look at the David Bowie song "Changes" in a different way, due to lyrics presented as if the guy is stuttering. I have noticed that Mel Tillis made a change some time ago: never allowing references to his speech impediment again, because those references were made in a way suggesting amusement. His impediment happens to be stuttering. It is not something to be mocked. 

While we're at it, be sure to discard your "Dr. Seuss" books. 

Mr. Potato Head

What are Republicans advising us is the biggest issue in the nation now? "Mr. Potato Head." Aren't we blessed having such beacons of wisdom in government? As always with Republicans, it's a distraction or diversion. Work on the emotions of older people to just get them to pull the lever for Republicans. 

We become aware of this through Fox News which is part of my Federated TV package. "Cutting the cord" can at least relieve us of the ungodly cesspool of Fox News, n'est-ce pas?

 

Tiger sports update

Big night in Tiger sports Thursday. Jackson Loge lit it up with 51 points in a win over Benson. The Tiger girls hosted the Hancock Owls and came out on the short end. Coverage is on my "Morris of Course" site which I invite you to visit. Here is the permalink:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/03/loge-wins-duel-with-bensons-peterson-in.html 

 

My Lenten week podcast

My late mother would be pleased I'm sharing spiritual-themed thoughts for this Lenten season of 2021. I allude to the special challenges of the mainstream Christian denominations. There is decline. Mom cherished her church which is now in the ELCA, and I compliment that synod on its inclusive and progressive attitudes. Here is the permalink to my "Morris Mojo" podcast:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Another-Lenten-week-erdhtg

 

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

Halftime lead but a loss to the Dutchmen

Melrose 66, Tigers 58

The Tuesday night home hoops contest drew lots of attention. A pair of highly-touted teams did battle at Tiger Center. On one side: the visiting Melrose Dutchmen, ranked fifth in AA. The host Tigers owned firepower also, owner of the No. 10 state position. 

We might have expected an uphill battle - that's because on February 2 we were handed an 82-49 loss at the hands of the Dutchmen. There was some consolation coming out of Tuesday: the score was closer. Still the Dutchmen prevailed. It was a conference game. The score was 66-58. 

The Tigers had the halftime lead at 32-30. Melrose surged to outscore us by ten the rest of the way. The Dutchmen are unbeaten at 14-0. The Tigers own 12-2 numbers. I remember Melrose as a hoops juggernaut when I was a kid. They had superstar Mark Olberding, destined for the pros. 

Brandon Jergenson was an orange and black standout Tuesday as he made all three of his 3-point attempts. Jackson Loge was three of six in long-range attempts, and Thomas Tiernan two of four. Our team numbers were eight of 15, 53 percent. In total field goals we were 22 of 43, 51 percent. 

Loge topped the scoring list with 22 points on his eight of 17 field goal numbers. Durgin Decker scored eleven on five of seven. Jergenson's 3's accounted for his nine points. Tiernan's output was eight points on three of six. Riley Reimers put in four points, and Toby Gonnerman and Cole Wente two each. 

Our freethrow numbers were six of ten. Loge made three from the stripe. Loge led in rebounds with ten including one offensive. Decker snared six rebounds and Reimers four. Gonnerman and Jergenson each produced five assists. Loge stole the ball twice. He was the only Tiger with blocked shots: three. 

We had our seven-game winning streak come to an end. We led at halftime and in doing so, had to overcome the 8-0 lead Melrose carved out at the start. An 11-0 run helped put us in position to wrest the lead for halftime. But the chemistry would not continue. We actually built a lead of as many as nine in the first half. A 5-0 run by Melrose in the second half seemed instrumental for them getting the winning "mo.' 

Grant Moscho was the team-high and game-high scorer for Melrose: 24 points. Then we see Rowan Nelson with 21 along with ten boards.

 

The softball "complex" project

My favorite route for taking walks goes around the softball fields just east of the UMM campus. It's called a "complex" which is maybe some overstatement. I was expecting some pretty big developments out there. I heard of the ballyhooed improvement project. 

I was skeptical at the start of the wisdom behind this, but was ready to be surprised in a positive way. I try to be receptive to the grand schemes of government and school entities. We must have an open mind. 

I cannot help but think as I walk past the "complex" now: "What gives?" Seems so underwhelming. There's a small building at center, really shack-like, and maybe it includes bathrooms? Was it so terrible using porta potties? Give government/schools a chance and they will pick your pocket. They have a never-ending wish list for new toys. They present all this in the language of "needs." We "need" this, we "need" that. 

I remember when UMM soccer said it "needed" a pressbox. For most of my life there was no UMM soccer program. I think soccer is a nice thing and wish it would replace football. Show football the door - St. Cloud State did - and preserve young men's health. 

Didn't you all think we had perfectly wonderful softball facilities already in this community? I never would have guessed there were shortcomings. But as we peruse the media, we always learn of these grand schemes where elaborate projects get trotted out as meeting "needs." Holy s--t. 

So at present I totally turn thumbs-down on this project at the UMM softball fields. And yes, that's what most of us will continue calling it regardless of any language to suggest a "partnership." 

And why the heck is the City of Morris involved with funding? There are issues with the City of Morris performance across the board these days, and now we contemplate to what extent city coffers are opened for the softball "complex." 

The city manager is quoted: "There has been some discussion about adding another piece to it. And I can tell you that I've been asked whether or not the city would be interested in contributing more money to that project. We're waiting to find out what's going to happen with our budget."  

More money? Take your eye off government and it will fleece you. Take away the little shack-like structure and the whole place looks essentially the same as before. Seems highly dubious. But it's up to the public to hold government's feet to the fire, to be a watchdog. Or are we too complacent in Morris?

 

Surprise: Chancellor Behr retiring

Did not see this coming. Many professionals in education seem to retire prematurely. Same situation with the Post Office. Seems to happen where government money is involved, hmmm. The U has been subject to finger-pointing with regard to alleged "largesse." That Mr. Bruininks seemed to be a flashpoint. (Why doesn't he spell it "Brunix?") 

Seems to me, Michelle Behr at UMM, now retiring as per official word, is a vigorous person still with much to offer. I did not get to know her well. She seemed to have all the attributes for the position. A friend of mine with a cynical slant offered the following in reaction via email:

Why doesn’t the school hire someone younger that will actually stick around a few years instead of bringing in people that want to pad their resumes for a couple of years then retire?

 

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