Truman Carlson, fixture for school history, is 95

Man of the hour in 1960

A friend emailed Wednesday evening to say Truman Carlson had marked his 95th birthday that day. Well, that's quite the milestone. We can be confident there is more fuel left in the tank. Generations come and go, and so I suppose few current school parents are familiar with the name. 

The photo above makes abundantly clear that Truman was once a high-profile fixture. It doesn't get more high-profile than a basketball championship. How many of us are blessed by being the focus of such a triumphant scene, as what you see above? Words cannot describe the satisfaction that accrues. 

The photo was taken in 1960. How many of us have personal memories of the basketball venue in use by the Tigers at that time? A dwindling circle to be sure. It was at the place that came to be known, in its declining years, as the "elementary auditorium." I always had some trouble with the term because I remembered the place in its heyday when grades K-12 were handled in one place. An asterisk there, because Longfellow Elementary School in west Morris was a supplementary resource. 

The old auditorium or auditorium/gym was art deco in its design. Therefore it had distinction, was a shame it had to come under the wrecking ball. We were told it could not be maintained all by itself. It was part of a complex that had been expanded upon in erector set style. Not the most ideal way to develop a place. Some people in the community held out hope for "re-use." I thought those people were seeing unicorns. 

It was sad to see the place go to ruin rather than to be torn down expeditiously. I was in there once when the deterioration was quite advanced. A Morris police officer opened the doors one day for yours truly and some friends from out of town, one of whom was a high-ranking law enforcement person. Ah, "connections." But it was a depressing little visit. 

Local authorities I'm sure would not have been pleased about me visiting, what with my reputation of being a journalist. But there I was watching the pigeons flap around inside the old auditorium. A place where so many unique memories had been made. You could close your eyes and imagine Truman Carlson's basketball team bringing waves of cheers back around 1960. The year was a turning point one for this community, as the longstanding WCSA was being phased out. We would welcome the University of  Minnesota as a real miracle for keeping the community viable. 

In 1960 we also saw the presidential race between JFK and Richard Nixon. Within a couple years we had to lose sleep over the Cuban missile crisis, part of the Cold War that really colored our whole culture. The notion became pervasive that we had to "beat the Russians." Were we really justified in having such a sense of conflict? Or was it a case of the military industrial complex? 

The military industrial complex is a beast that demands we be ever-vigilant against new enemies or boogeymen. Such as, the feared "domino effect" of communism in Southeast Asia. What a price we paid for that. 

Such "macro" distractions were worrisome. The "micro" life here in Morris could be quite joyous. You might need reminding that the old basketball gym was rather like what you saw in the movie "Hoosiers." People sat in the auditorium seats to watch, as well as from bleachers on the opposite side of the gym, remember? Harriet Stevenson told me the bleachers weren't even there when she was in high school. She said "there was just a wall." The band room was down the hall from the gym - just go down some steps. Steps/stairs were all over the place.

Basketball and wrestling were the winter sports and basketball was boys-only until, I believe, 1972. The '72-73 year was when I was a senior. 

It was in 1968 that basketball found its new home in the present-day school complex. Strange how that gym seemed like a quantum leap when it opened, yet today it seems essentially forgotten. We have the much newer, far more spacious varsity gym which is a part of what is basically the elementary school. We voted for the "new elementary school" but heavens to Betsy, we got a whole lot more than that. 

I remember the late Tony O'Keefe being puzzled about what we ended up getting, because it seemed like "a new high school too." I mean, with new band and choir rooms. Was there even a pressing need for the new band and choir rooms? I remember taking photos there when the place opened, to impress on the public just how far-reaching the new resources were going to be. The public seemed quite happy with it all. 

But gone are the days when the '68 gym would be "the place to be" on Friday night in winter, the ear-popping strains of a pep band tune coming forth. And hey, Truman Carlson was so often the one helping make sure a rope was put up right after game's end to ensure people would not walk on the gym floor. A little assistance from Wally Behm. 

Behm was a cornerstone for the growing-up experiences of the Morris baby boom population. He had a rather ignoble exit and that was unfortunate. Education eras come and go and they can present adjustment challenges for administrators. What a different world we had then with girls sports in their awkward fledgling state. It had to be that way because the girls had no prior background for development. I remember Dave Leuthard the ref saying "you have to call traveling every time or they'll never learn." 

Oh, forget hockey as a prep sport, it was a ragtag "sandlot" type of sport for years. I covered it for the paper at that level. Then the sea change came with the indoor arena. Do we all take this for granted now?

No high school swimming or gymnastics. Advocates for these programs forged ahead. We congratulate them but with a big note of caution too: sports is not everything. A little pushback has to come with advocacy for music and theater. It's a battle sometimes I'm sure. Is there any sort of organized music program for high school age kids in summer? We sure have sports and sports camps.

I drop a comment occasionally on behalf of music but I get the typical Morris response, which amounts to a shrug of shoulders. The sports advocates sure aren't shrugging shoulders. 

Truman Carlson was also the one on whose shoulders it fell to inform fans at the 1968 gym that they could not leave to use the bathroom until halftime! Can you believe it? You know, that gym should have been designed just a few feet wider. I once heard that the bleachers in the '68 gym were the cheapest available. This ought to register. 

So, a belated happy birthday to Truman Carlson. I'm quite sure I know who he voted for in 1960. And in all subsequent elections! I have had a few conversations with him. 

We got JFK in '60. He lasted only three years as president. I was a third grade student at Longfellow School when word of the assassination came out. My teacher, Lillian Pederson (later Ehlers, who lived to over 100) was called into the commons area, then she returned with a grave demeanor and informed us what had happened in Dallas TX. I can't remember if we were excused early. What an unforgettable day. And then we watched continuously on TV. I remember where Dad and I were sitting when we watched live as Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed. 

Final notes: The friend who emailed me about Truman's birthday also informed that Truman lives at Legacy in Morris now. There he joins Helen Jane Morrison who has reached her 100th birthday. What a treasure trove of background these two individuals have in connection to Morris! Helen Jane's passion is the U of M-Morris. Did I mention that Truman's academic teaching area was biology? He was athletic director for a time. So much ground to cover here. Because of him, I know what a "Rhesus monkey" is! 

We miss Truman's late wife Edna. I knew his son Dave fairly well, trombone player, Class of '71. I remember him playing trombone on "El Cumbanchero!"

 

Two posts today (Friday)

I am also posting on my companion blog site, "Morris of Course," on this very lousy weather day (Friday). So this is politics: a critical appraisal of our congressperson Michelle Fischbach. She has been an affront to good sense on at least two fronts. I don't think Truman Carlson would agree with me, but I do invite you to read my post. Thanks a lot. Here's the permalink:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/11/representative-fischbach-defies-our.html 

   

The Pylin! What a gem of a memory from back when the high school was at its former location. The Pylin was your classic drive-in restaurant. Complete with car-hops. Right out of "American Graffiti." It was along East 7th Street, as was the Dairy Queen and Stark's Grocery. I bought my baseball cards at Stark's, nickel a pack!

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

Teachers union costs the Dems in Virginia

Have you ever known anyone with the last name "McAuliffe?" You might remember the crew member of the ill-fated "Challenger," the shuttle that had its disaster on my birthday, January 28. She was Christa.

The surname has been in the news recently with the Democratic Party struggles in Virginia. Terry McAuliffe let down the Democratic Party with his stumbles. He was a political veteran and should have known better. 

Politicians can develop a blind spot with their special allegiances. McAuliffe "stepped in it" with a bond that was much too close with the teachers union, of course. Teachers don't like the term, as they would prefer "professional association." 

Terry McAuliffe is seasoned enough as a politician that he once wrote a book, "What a Party!" about his Democratic Party. Any politician can get stale by "being at the dance" too long. Experience in government should not be a detriment. Our leaders simply need wisdom. 

McAuliffe might have felt he was picking up strength by being bonded with the unions or professional associations or whatever you want to call them. I'll call them "professional associations" if that's really what the teachers want. I believe in showing some courtesy to my adversaries. 

I believe in a two-party political system in which there is some mutual respect. No party needs to undertake "scorched earth." Would anyone dispute me, seriously, if I were to suggest that Republicans of our current times are "scorched earth" with their approach? 

We expect politically attuned people to be passionate. The passion for Barry Goldwater never bothered me. Everyone knew he would lose from the get-go. But he soldiered on in the political arena with a healthy zeal. 

Stephanie Miller

Goldwater ran with William Miller whose memory is being kept alive by his lively daughter Stephanie Miller who has a radio show/podcast that is very progressive. The show is entertaining too, because the nice thing about progressives is that we have a sense of humor. It is being tested. 

The laser focus of the GOP on establishing something like an oligarchy - Fascism? - might change the very nature of political discussions in America. Everyone knows this is happening. Maybe in the back of our minds, we see it but don't want to believe it. 

The GOP assertiveness now feeds the news cycle with mountains of preposterous stuff every day. It is an embarrassment of riches for the commercial media, which at one time was highly concentrated, today has fragmented like the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. Maybe the problem is that we have not fully seen the consequences of this. Where would Stephanie Miller be without the absurdities, growing to a comic level, not only of the Trump presidency but the aftermath of the Trump presidency. Amazingly, the latter has been just as bountiful for the news and entertainment media as the former. 

"SNL" cannot lift its focus from Trump. The danger is when this mother lode for media/entertainment spills over into a real threat to the future of our nation. Or of the world? We laugh. But we fail to seriously reckon with our president from 2016-2020 who pondered: "We have all these nuclear weapons, why don't we use them?" And then our top military people had to deal with the real prospect of this happening. And we countenanced this with our votes in the 2016 election. Oh wait, the Democrat was the winner of the popular vote in 2016. 

If we were to be coming to our senses, we would insist that more Democrats be elected just for the sake of checks and balances. The filibuster in the U.S. Senate prevents the Democrats from exercising their majority. A bipartisan committee on the January 6 disorder was called for. Instead we see the Republican Party get to assert itself way too much. 

And now we see the failure of the Democrats to win a governorship that should have been theirs, in Virginia. The Republican Party had not won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009. 

I remember a letter writer in the Star Tribune expressing exasperation about what the writer felt was one pressing problem within each of the parties. For the Republicans, it was opposing gay rights. For the Democrats, it was too much closeness with teachers unions. I remember the letter because it was so spot-on. The writer was not transfixed by either political party. It was a woman, I recall, and she was not blinded by political allegiance either way. (I must point that out in this age of blinders being so common.) 

A progressive today, I feel the need regularly to remind that I have no problem appreciating the essence of conservative political ideology. I understand its merits at many junctures of our political development. So I seek to weigh in a dispassionate way, the ebb and flow of politics with unreasonableness on both sides sometimes. 

And with the Democrats, this business of being bonded with teachers unions is hair-pulling. 

Do you ever notice re. well-known people, "household names" as it were, as they make missteps, the irony of how you yourself would never make certain missteps? So there's gubernatorial aspirant Terry McAuliffe on his final day of campaigning, and by his side is Randi Weingarten. She's famous too: president of the American Federation of Teachers. 

Ronna McDaniel, once known as Ronna Romney-McDaniel, accused McAuliffe of "wanting parents to shut up and stay at home." And in this case, McDaniel, who "The Onion" humor site has suggested is a "prissy s--thead," is right, in my view. Oh, she excised the Romney part of her name because Mitt Romney had not gone in with full loyalty to Trump. I thought blood was thicker than water. Not for the GOP today. 

And to think that Mitt Romney was actually the GOP nominee for president once. Oh, and John McCain! Can you believe it? 

The cacophony of media voices will keep "mining" the dysfunction of today's GOP to get eyeballs. This will maybe keep you amused a while longer. You'll pay attention to it like you'd pay attention to a crazy uncle. Then you'll move on to your own affairs. And this will continue until, maybe, we have a full-fledged Fascist government instituted in 2025. With a president who seriously considers using nuclear weapons. 

The German people as a whole are not stupid. I do not believe them as a whole to be evil. But look what happened in Germany in the mid-20th Century. Sinclair Lewis wrote a book, "It Can't Happen Here," his point being that it can. He was from Sauk Centre in case you need reminding of that. 

So Terry McAuliffe fell on his face. The Republican resurgence has begun, not that they ever lost much traction. The filibuster in the U.S. Senate has guaranteed that, along with recalcitrant Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Synema who have the reactionary Kool-Aid in their system. 

We have churches all over our Stevens County where people drink the Kool-Aid. Be careful what you wish for? 

Dick McAuliffe

So I ask: Have you ever known anyone with the "McAuliffe" last name? I grew up following the Detroit Tigers who had Dick McAuliffe as an infielder for many years. He was one of those players with an unusual batting stance. Batting stances are actually just cosmetic, maybe even reflecting superstition. Because when a pitch arrives at the plate, proper technique has to take over for all batters. 

Remember how our Tony Oliva would sweep the bat down low just before the pitch was delivered? He learned that "trick" from Vic Power. The idea was to get the pitcher thinking that the batter wanted the pitch down low. Of course the batter didn't want it there at all! They wanted it in their sweet spot for hitting! 

A large majority of churches in Stevens County have congregations that I'm sure voted 100 percent for Donald Trump. Heaven help us all. Some of these people seem to want to put Trump at a level with God and Jesus. Didn't Pat Robertson talk in that vein once? My ELCA is an outlier. It is hard to keep the faith.

 

Addendum: It was a WWII general with last name of McAuliffe who gave the famous reply "Nuts" to a German demand for surrender during the Battle of the Bulge. It was Gen. Anthony McAuliffe. Today as we hear speeches for Veterans Day and likewise for Memorial Day in May, we might forget that WWII had its controversies for Americans. A big one was how we fell into the defensive for the Battle of the Bulge which cost many lives. The Germans surprised us at a time when it seemed they should be on their heels. Today we can be led into the illusion that WWII was all about glory and success, the triumph over evil, those "evil" Germans etc. War is really hell, as General Sherman said.

 

Addendum No. 2: Make no mistake, the Democrats didn't lose in Virginia because of being too "liberal." They lost because of closeness to the teacher unions. That's it - game, set, match. Don't misinterpret the results. 

So, the Dems' proposals are too "expensive?" Really? Well, what did the 20-year war in Afghanistan cost, the war undertaken by Republican president George W. Bush? And if Trump is so smart, why couldn't he hire a general who could win in Afghanistan? He had four years. We lost the war just like we lost in Vietnam. And, the USA used chemical weapons in Vietnam. Today we are friendly with the very people we fought in Vietnam. 

A sensible person might ask: was "winning" ever possible in either Afghanistan or Vietnam? Or was it a case of "let Daddy do his work," the line from "Austin Powers?" In other words, the U.S. must simply undertake a war every so often. We always need a new generation of men who can give sanctimonious speeches at school auditoriums on Veterans Day or Memorial Day.

 

Final addendum: Remember the tasteless "Christa McAuliffe jokes" that made the rounds? "Where did Christa McAuliffe spend her vacation?" Answer: "All over Florida."

 

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

Negligible progress with softball complex

A friend gave me a heads-up yesterday (Wednesday) that there was in fact some activity at the softball complex on east edge of town. The friend had probably read some recent new thoughts I shared online. He pointed out that some tree removal had very recently been done. 

I walked out there. The complex is on my regular walking and bicycling route. I can't help but notice stuff going on there. Or the lack of stuff going on there. 

Sure enough, my friend who is a member of my church, was correct: there was an assortment of tree stumps left over. A major task probably awaits for getting rid of the stumps. 

My friend wondered if the area would be developed for parking. Silly rabbit, the area has already been used for parking. Parking has been like the elephant in the room for this project. Our activities director at the public school, Mark Ekren, has made a statement in a public meeting about this. 

No one should have been surprised that parking was going to be a flashpoint. On the day of the dedication of the place, no one should have been surprised by the spectacle: cars parked in rows along Prairie Lane going way out. Vehicles were parked in a congested way in the notorious grassy area between ball fields. That's where the tree removal was recently done. However, this is not the area that was designated for parking in the map/diagram that was originally drawn up to promote the complex. 

I wince as I think of the motivations vs. reality. This is not a drastic conclusion. Project promoters of course wanted to "sell" the place. It's human behavior 101. They were, after all, seeking financial donations. But then the rubber has to hit the road. In a nice honest world, the complex would have been a sparkling place by now, living up to original effusive projections. Government spokespeople have been involved in this. 

How wonderful if everything could have followed the rose-colored script. We never want to rule that out. 

I am sometimes accused of being too skeptical. Jim Morrison had me in his office once and said it's part of the nature of news people to become skeptical, as a fundamental outlook. 

So, how can we demonstrate that promoters of the project are being disingenuous? Let's take a look at a top page available to read on the world wide web. It's part of the UMM athletics website. Maybe it's called "UMN" now. I struggle to keep up with everything. Here is a quote you will find:

 

Completed in the summer of 2021, the Morris Softball Complex will be the new home of Minnesota Morris softball starting with the 2022 season. The complex features four fields and a press box that serves as a hub in the middle of all four, allowing for multiple games to be played and followed simultaneously. The main field that the Cougars will play on -- Holmberg Field -- measures 200 feet down the foul lines and 220 feet to straightaway center.

 

It's all presented as fact. We of course are well past the "summer of 2021." We are on the verge of winter! We all know that winter could descend on us any time now. It is a largely unspoken realization. 

Shouldn't we have assumed that this past fall would have been the ideal time to make strides with the softball thing? I saw no progress outside of some piles of dirt that were dug up for some reason. Nothing. 

Maybe the excuse has to do with the supply chain disruptions/labor shortage that have gotten lots of ink. Well, maybe the Morris school board could have put its financial commitment on hold. Back in June these school board geniuses set aside an additional $223,000 for the effort. The City of Morris had been approached for a new contribution too. The city said "no," although it seemed at a subsequent public meeting that promoters hadn't gotten word about that yet. Perhaps there was a feeling that the city might be shamed into capitulating, to disgorge the money? That hasn't happened, has it? 

The school board vote was not unanimous. It is sometimes risky to take on the local jockocracy. I have heard a belittling, disrespectful comment about the dissenter on the school board - the "no" vote. The tone of the comment had a personal ring which I took as reference to the person's religious affiliation. 

I have seen the jockocracy at work in this community for a long time. It has sometimes seemed schizophrenic - while these people incessantly push on sports issues, they have sometimes reached mystifying conclusions when it comes to coaching appointments. From my perspective it gets down to the interests of a "good old boy network" a lot. Need I elaborate? It comes down to "who is friends with who." 

What? In Morris, MN? Naw. And these people can be ruthless. It's "Walking Tall" (the movie) without the violence. Remember the Joe Dan Baker character? 

I lasted a full 27 years as full-time employee, not only of the Morris paper but the Hancock Record. Forum Communications finally axed the Hancock paper and they made substantial cuts at the Morris paper. Morris is just a weekly now, not good for sharing on sports in a timely way, to be sure. The Morris paper today packs its sports website with UMM, to the point that I actually find it insulting. Don't you? C'mon. 

The newspaper should enthusiastically report on sports in a timely way through its website, user-friendly and free all the time. Should just be a matter of principle. And don't give me this business that "the paper has to make money." No business is simply entitled to make money. A business makes money if it provides a needed service. 

The paper had a far more important and entitled position in pre-digital times. Problem is, those old times have been completely wiped away. We are reminded of this on a number of fronts. Federated Telephone cancels its TV service. Can you imagine it? Adapt or die. My generation could not have imagined anything like high school sports on "YouTube." It would have seemed out of the "Jetsons" cartoon show. But here we are in the year 2021. 

I am not just speculating when I say the softball complex is being scaled back. Supt. Ferguson before he left the role did an interview with Marshall of the radio station. It became perfectly clear there was going to be a "re-design," as Marshall paraphrased it, and that this re-design was simply a subtraction from original plans. "Do we really need so much parking?" I remember Ferguson saying. Well the answer to that is YES. 

I came away suspecting there will be no new paved parking whatsoever out there. Do we have to wait for some sort of traffic congestion tragedy to happen? What about when night softball starts there? I mean, the funeral home has gotten big splashes in the media for paying for lights. So when you pay for a funeral, you're supporting local sports, I guess. I did not see lights surrounding either of the new fields yet. There's a whole lot I don't see yet. Take a look at the diagram below:

Addendum: I feel sorry for someone like Fred Switzer who gave generously for this project. He's our former school supt. from the "boomer" generation time. What would he think if he were to observe that the project has fallen short of the original vision? Might some donors begin to think of taking legal action?

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

MACA football finishes season 6-4

Photo from "Audioboom" of MACA vs. Pierz football action from Saturday in Pierz.

 

The MACA football Tigers are done with the 2021 season. They traveled to Pierz on Saturday for their second playoff contest. It did not go as well as the first. They were stopped by the Pierz Pioneers, score of 29-6, in evening football. 

The crowd at Pierz cheered their team's balanced rushing attack: three ballcarriers with over 100 yards. They cheered lustily for their team's kicker too, an exchange student from Germany. 

Pierz was the No. 2 seed in Section 6AAA while our Tigers were No. 3. So on paper it looked to be a close game. But we succumbed to the three-pronged rushing attack of the Pioneers: Trevor Radunz (15 carries, 119 yards), Reese Young (15-114) and Jacob LeBlanc (14-100). Zac Jones and Derek Stangl carried for a few extra yards. 

The Tigers had to watch the ball sail through the uprights as Pierz kicker Linus Heidemann excelled. The assortment of weapons was too much. And Pierz emerged from the night with its seventh win against three losses. Now their playoff task will be to play New London-Spicer, the No. 4 seed, on Friday. MACA has a final won-lost of 6-4. 

Pierz rushed for 351 yards on 51 carries, compared to the MACA numbers of 166 yards, 33 carries. We put the ball in the air more often: 20 times of which there were seven completions, no INTs, for 80 yards. I have scant individual stat info for MACA because my main info source is the Brainerd Dispatch. Our kmrs-kkok site reports that Durgin Decker rushed for 94 yards and a TD on 15 carries, and Brandon Jergenson completed eleven of 18 passes for 78 yards. 

The two completed passes by Pierz were caught by Isaac Walcheski and Kirby Fischer. 

The lone MACA touchdown came in the first quarter. Decker carried the ball into the end zone from the ten. The conversion run try failed. 

Yes, the passing game was minimal for Pierz, but it was a five-yard pass that netted the Pioneers' first score: Winschler to Walcheski. Also in the first quarter, Pierz struck for six on a Radunz one-yard run. Bring on the kicker! Linus Heidemann kicked the point-after. 

That's sort of cute: a player named "Linus" kicking the ball through the uprights on Halloween weekend! Remember ""Linus" and the "Great Pumpkin?" 

Saturday was overall a time to shine for this young man from Germany. He kicked three field goals which is a rarity for a high school game. His reliable toe also generated two extra points. His toe generated eleven points in all, a stat that broke the school record for most points in a game by a kicker. The previous mark of ten was set in 2003. It isn't often we see a kicker with a major presence in a prep game. It's exciting to see IMHO. I remember a Morris kicker whose last name was Schaefer who kicked soccer-style. 

So the first quarter ended with the Pioneers up 13-6. We'd be outscored 16-0 the rest of the way. Nine of the 16 points came from Heidemann and his kicking. His three field goals were from 36, 26 and 22 yards. There was also a fourth quarter rushing touchdown by LeBlanc, eleven yards. And yes, Heidemann kicked the conversion to wrap the night's scoring. 

The total offense numbers: 356 yards for Pierz, 246 for MACA. 

Heidemann is from Ofen, Germany. A headline from October 23: "German exchange student in Pierz turns heads with impressive football kicking skills." His host family is Zak and Sara Otremba. Linus has an older brother, Hannes, who was an exchange student in Ohio a few years ago. 

Linus was discouraged he wasn't going to be able to play soccer, he was quoted saying in the "Hometown Source" article by Sheila Bergren. No soccer, maybe, but a golden opportunity to showcase an effective kicking toe in football! We hope he has continued success as play continues vs. New London-Spicer, 7 p.m. Friday. 

Remember the charming story line of "Linus" and the "Great Pumpkin?" "The Great Pumpkin" is an unseen character in the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles Schulz. According to Linus Van Pelt, the Great Pumpkin is a supernatural figure who rises from the pumpkin patch on Halloween evening and flies around bringing toys to sincere and believing children. The Great Pumpkin was first mentioned in the strip on October 26, 1959.

Linus Heidemann with his host family, Zak and Sara Otremba and dog "Neeko." Photo by Sheila Bergren of "Hometown Source." The Otrembas have no children of their own. 

 

Cross country

MACA cross country runners placed fifth in the girls division of the Section 6A meet, held Friday at Minnewaska Golf Club. The MACA boys placed eighth. Our Hailey Werk was the No. 10 female runner. Meredith Carrington placed 17th and Kendal Fischer 33rd. 

For the boys, we saw Gavin Stallman in 25th, Matt Giese 42nd and Charlie Hanson 53rd. 

Staples-Motley topped the team standings in both gender divisions. Also advancing to state: the West Central Area boys and Minnewaska Area girls. The individual section champs were Landon Kampsen of Sauk Centre and Caroline Kehne of LP-GE.

 

Swimming/diving

Our "Gators" of the pool world took third place in the conference meet. Making all-conference were three swimmers and one diver. Congrats to Shannon Dougherty (second in 100 free and 50 free), Audrey Dorweiler (second in 100 butterfly) and McKenzie Luetmer (second in 200 free), along with Clare Barnstuble who was second in diving.

 

The softball complex

The softball complex on east edge of town is on my regular walking/bicycling route. So I can't help notice the progress or lack of same, on developing the place. I have been highly critical in the past. Well so what? The developers could step in and do something super-special at any time. But it just isn't happening. 

How long ago was it, when the school board voted in less-than-unanimous fashion to release an additional $220,000 toward this undertaking? Several months ago? When will we see some tangible steps forward? Even one or two? How about one? I have noticed no new work. 

I realize that Morris has a long-time reputation for apathy, but don't you all even care about your money? A long winter is upcoming. Then what? Softball action begins as soon as conditions are barely adequate. So, will construction efforts get going at that time, in early spring? Wouldn't fall have been a much more opportune time? I mean, when the place isn't even being used? 

Many of us are assuming that the severe parking issues are going to be addressed somehow. Somehow. . . Mark Ekren has made a public statement about this. I believe he said "someone's gonna get run over." Pretty direct words. What has been done to ease the safety concerns? I thought I saw barricades on one day, and then no more, so vehicles got back to flooding the grassy area in a haphazard way. 

And my God, the rows of parked vehicles on both sides of Prairie Lane, going out toward the bypass. And if this situation is seen again with night games being undertaken at the new fields, the dangers will be greatly increased. 

My opinions started out with focus on the horribly poor fan seating provisions at the new varsity field. What are visiting fans going to think when they come here for games? 

So, I shared some of my concerns about the non-progress with a well-known community leader with whom I often break bread. I won't publicly name him, but I don't see why I shouldn't. I suppose I'd be getting him associated with my pronouncements, but I'm just sharing frank opinions. I'm not just kow-towing to the community's intelligentsia or whatever you want to call it. 

My friend stated the following: "I am told there may yet be some fall action on the new softball fields. We shall see."

 

Addendum: At one time I was assured during an informal contact with Marshall Hoffman (or "Marshall Tucker" as a friend and I refer to him) that "we'll keep reporting on this." Yes, the softball complex. I took that to mean the radio station might pin people down more on what will happen there. That was just my interpretation, but I haven't seen what I was coming to expect. 

Remember when Marshall interviewed Jeff Backer and Backer announced he wasn't getting the vaccine? Backer gave some lame background where he argued that maybe he had natural immunity, based on being "tired" for a short time, as I recall. Had I been the interviewer, I would have pressed him to the point I would have seemed argumentative. That would have been the logical and courageous thing to do. But sometimes you're walking on eggshells in small town media. 

I might make assertions like "you don't get vaccinated just for yourself, you do it for the people around you." People have died locally from covid, so it's a supremely serious matter. 

Had Marshall (Tucker) did what I would have wanted him to do, Backer would have courteously finished the interview and then he would have contacted the station manager to say he would never do an interview with that person again. The manager's stance would then be, to put the heat on Marshall rather than on the pain-in-the-butt interviewee. Because that's just the way life is sometimes. Marshall might get marginalized. He might have to mosey on. 

Backer speaks for local Republicans who don't like having their ideas challenged for any reason. Yours truly has been marginalized. I deal with that every day, even in the low-profile lifestyle I have now. I once had to fight a local union (the teachers). Certain people will read this and laugh at me. Just keep following the script.

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

MACA volleyball nearly knocks off NL-Spicer

We're into the post-season for fall sports, even though the weather today (Saturday) is so pleasant, it could be early fall! 

Tiger football plays today but it's hard to be sure of game-time. The radio station site reported 2 p.m. which would be great: sun shining, chance for MACA fans to drive home in sunlight. I'm sure the radio station got its info from somewhere, at some time. 

The school website along with "Minnesota Scores" had us playing at 7 o'clock.

Maybe post-season game times are just not etched in stone. In fact I know that for a fact, from my background with the Morris newspaper. Can you believe: I once drove over to 'Waska for a game based on the start time that our paper had published twice. (Well, we were a twice-a-week paper then.) 

I got there, noticed the place looked pretty well deserted and came back, informed Jim Morrison at the newspaper office of the obvious confusion, whereupon Jim himself picked up the phone to call the Witts. One of the Witt sons answered and informed that game-time had been changed to evening. 

Mary Holmberg later explained to me: "ACT tests." To which I would have liked to say: "sc--w the ACT tests." But that's history. 

Today we have an interim coach leading the Tiger volleyball team. Should be past tense, "led," because unfortunately our season ended Friday night in an all-out heartbreaker. The Tigers were one point away from upsetting the third-seeded New London-Spicer Wildcats, at New London. We were No. 6. 

The Tigers had an erratic season, at first struggling rather badly. Finally in the season's final phase - the last four regular season matches - we caught fire! I don't know at which point "interim" coach Fehr was installed. Back in my paper days I'd know all these details and the background behind them. Not today, so even though I've had a large cup of Caribou Coffee this morning at Willie's, I can't tell you any more. 

I remember some past times of sports controversy in our Motown, when an administrator tried to settle things down by saying it was bad form to make a coaching change at mid-season. People were scolded for even suggesting it. We're talking the late 1980s. Controversy was pretty intense and in the end, really damaged the whole community. But who wants to hear about that now? 

 

Wildcats 3, Tigers 2

I'll bet MACA volleyball fans could have just cried last night, so close was their team to a monumental upset win. A hair's breadth. 

Game 1 of the match did belong to the host Wildcats. But wow, Games 2 and 3 went into the win column for our Tigers. Our kmrs-kkok site reports that, "up two sets to one, the Tigers had match-point in set four, leading 24-22 and needing one point to pull off the upset, but the Wildcats responded by scoring four straight points to seal the set victory, then went on to dominate set five for the match win." 

I personally wonder why Kristi Fehr left the MACA volleyball coaching position she once held. She coached our Tigers to state. I worked with her when I wrote for the Hancock Record newspaper and she coached the Owls. I think she left the MACA job after her daughter Carly, the setter, graduated. I wish she had kept it all along. Will she stay now? 

Brienna Dybdahl contributed 38 assists and three aces Friday. Maddy Grove's contributions: 13 kills, 18 digs. Brianna Marty came through with ten kills and 24 digs. Then there's Cam Ostby: eight kills. 

Our final won-lost certainly does not seem reflective: 6-18. During regular season play, MACA was swept twice by the Wildcats. 

The NL-Spicer coach cited an injury on his team as forcing some adjusting for Friday. Shudder - I remember catching absolute hell from a parent once for reporting an injury and how it might affect an upcoming event. It was in cross country and the injury/illness was among the Paynesville runners. Ever since then, when I touch on something like this, I shudder. 

A review of the Friday scores with MACA numbers first: 12-25, 27-25, 25-22, 24-26 and 7-15. 

NL-Spicer will now play Eden Valley-Watkins in the sub-section quarter-finals, 7 p.m. Monday in Eden Valley. 

I have more stats available for NL-Spicer than for MACA, sorry. Kendra Gerhardson and Olivia Mages each had two serving aces, and Avery Rich had one. Nyla Johnson was the go-to setter with 38 assists. Ellary Peterson, Gerhardson and Mages each had one assist. Here's the kills department: Peterson 12, Gerhardson 11, Mages 10, Rich 8, Avery Newman 4, Grace Truscinski 2, Johnson 1. 

In ace blocks, Peterson was a dominating force with six while Gerhardson had two and Newman and Johnson one each. The digs list: Rich 27, Johnson 21, Mages 15, Gerhardson 12, Peterson 10, Newman 9, Rich 9. 

Click on the link below to read about the 37-0 win by MACA football over Montevideo. Also: the Tiger tennis team's state experience. Plus: some thoughts on local sports media, and finally some covid-related observations. This post is on my companion site, "Morris of Course." God bless you all for finding my writing. The permalink:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2021/10/decker-begins-scoring-rout-with-27-yard.html

 

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

$ hardships spurred January 6 rioters

One of my favorite economics commentators likes to talk about how Americans are turning into "debt slaves." Surely there is documentation for this suggestion. And it is brought up here as partial if not total explanation for the strange January 6 riots at the U.S. capitol. 

I mean, when news began breaking that day, were you not taken aback by it all? You all knew down deep there was no widespread voter fraud. Most likely the election was the cleanest ever. We have clean elections because there is so much scrutiny. Maybe we should look at the 1960 Kennedy vs. Nixon race in order to feel suspicious. 

So what was up last January when we got the surreal sight of a mass of outright rioters surrounding our U.S. capitol, then advancing like an army? Rioters managed to breach the place to an extent. More surreal is how Mike Pence in the aftermath would keep showing fealty to the kingpin guy, despite the kingpin guy's maniacal supporters calling for Pence's hanging. 

So what's up with all the absurd stuff? It might relate to the "debt slaves" observation offered by Gregory Mannarino. Back in February, I first became aware of the connection. Then recently, when looking further into the background of Ashli Babbitt, my senses were aroused again. 

What has become of us, as we have allowed debt and risk to encircle us so much, to devour us in the end possibly. We see an opportunity for political revolution, as outlandish as it seems from any sober analysis. But hey! What an opportunity to feel important, to rise above our pedestrian life with its risks and downfalls. You could feel like a crusader, at the tip of the sword for something possibly history-making. 

Well for sure it made history. No one can erase that. But it was a total stain on our sacred United States of America. 

What hath God wrought?

So many of the rioters I'm sure had spent most of their lives behaving themselves with more than a modicum of intelligence. Heck, Tucker Carlson was once a thoughtful "conservative" commentator. Like from his days on CNN's "Crossfire," sparring with the likes of Bill Press. Today? Carlson speaks like a maniac, to where "reactionary" seems a too-generous description. It's like he seeks to be absurd for its own sake. 

What has come over so many of us? A covid variant that affects the brain? If so, we have many sufferers in Stevens County here in Minnesota. The MAGA adherents who attend the many "conservative" churches. Would you all please get off this "conservative" kick? 

If this country really starts coming apart, as seems increasingly possible, it won't be because of sins of Democrats or even the Republicans. All politicians will be culpable, as they have been complicit in allowing the Federal Reserve to cheapen our money. Consequences may be already coming home to roost. The stock market has been allowed to race along on a "sugar high." 

I heard a radio show host over the weekend glibly and self-assuredly talk about how stocks have gone up about 15 percent over the last year. When everything ground to a halt due to the pandemic? Well fine, you can celebrate the stock market "highs" if you wish. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain? The Federal Reserve chairman? 

I realized the radio show host actually represented a financial services company, and this company appeared to be sponsor of the whole show. So, bathe in your 15 percent gains, you all, while we face the prospect of maybe paying $30 for a loaf of bread at the grocery store. 

Ashli Babbitt. She was shot dead by cops on January 6 at the capitol. Seemed like a nice if overzealous woman, veteran of the U.S. Air Force. What was her problem? Her problem was not the Democrats, or Joe Biden, or the voting systems. This was her problem: In 2017 she took out a costly short-term business loan. In effect, it meant her pool business would have to pay an interest rate that she later calculated in court filings to be 169 percent. The lender soon sued her. 

Were the capitol rioters seeking an escape from the dehumanizing effects of such financial travail? To feel empowered in a perverse and dangerous way? We must look for answers. 

I have written some poetry based on the January 6 riots. I have previously written song lyrics and posted them on my companion blog (Aug. 14). I would not have the song recorded and presented to the public, because I suggest in the lyrics that Donald Trump was responsible for Babbitt's death. I'm concerned that some MAGA crazies might come after me, and for sure we have more than a few such people in Stevens County. 

I'll leave the lyrics on a blog post, pretty low-profile. The poem you see below, I wrote completely independent of the song. There is no duplication. I invite you to read and reflect please.

 

"January 6 Lament"

by Brian Williams

A place where cherry blossoms

Adorn the public space

Is where we should be solemn

And not be moved by hate

The USA has meaning

From back when it began

We should not be careening

As if we're built on sand

So why should we be hearing

The call to "hang Mike Pence"

We should have been more leery

Of those devoid of sense

The new year was just dawning

A placid winter scene

We all should have been yawning

And followed our routine

But MAGA stoked the fire

Of riot and revolt

The denizens conspired

To give us all a jolt

We thought we might be dreaming

With manufactured fears

There just was no believing

A travesty so weird

But there it was before us

A crowd that wanted blood

An insurrection chorus

That moved as if a flood

The fury of the moment

Had settled in their eyes

They could not see the omen

That it was not their prize

Behind it all a grifter

Just pulling all the strings

He had his fans atwitter

To blow up everything

The siren song of Fox News

Had wafted far and wide

And Newsmax had its own views

Dispensing fear and lies

We had been teased on TV

And let it all take wing

Like football players kneeling

As if that was a thing

So many came to foment

A riot in its name

The image of one woman

Just lingers like a flame

Her name was Ashli Babbitt

So loyal to the cause

She saw her chance and grabbed it

There was no time to pause

She came from California

Traversed the USA

To show her love of MAGA

She would not be delayed

She had been in the Air Force

A patriotic stance

But something caused a new course

A QAnon romance

So Ashli had a vision

She shared with all her folks

Of going on a mission

To nullify the votes

A window had been broken

The chance to move was there

The president had spoken

He urged them all to dare

And though he said be peaceful

It would not rule the day

On top of all the evil

It was just CYA

A sea of discontented

Now why were they so mad?

Their feelings were cemented

Behind a single man

The signs were all around them

That Trump was not their friend

They could not seem to fathom

He's just about himself

So Ashli was a victim
A cop just had to act

Her family rued her mission

She should have just stayed back

We feel for Ashli Babbitt

Her soul resides in peace

Could she not understand it

The cesspool of deceit?

An epilogue is needed

Of justice breaking through

To see a man defeated

Who showed us he's a fool

The words of Sinclair Lewis

Are prescient more and more

Of how we can be clueless

With Fascists at the door

He said if you believe it

That "It can't happen here"

Then he would surely promise

The danger is quite near

So now we weigh the future

Just knocking on our door

And let us all just nurture

The virtue at our core

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

Hunters do their thing with onset of fall

The pastime of hunting bonds the two fellows at right. They are Morris High School alumni from 1972. At center is Scott Reese and at right is Peter Timmons. White hair is a nice "touch" for people of this vintage, wouldn't you say? You certainly recognize the fellow at left, 1971 MHS graduate Del Sarlette of Sarlettes Music, and of course the photo was taken at the music store. See the vintage marching band uniforms in background? Del does not share the interest in hunting. To each their own. Your blog host is Class of '73 and I retired my hunting interest long ago. Certainly these people commune with nature. Reese and Timmons have joined the growing ranks of the retired from our generation. All three of these gentlemen were very active in MHS band under director John Woell. Peter played bass clarinet in concert band and bass drum for marching. Scott, Del and I were on trumpet. My, how we traveled far and wide! Like to Winnipeg, Canada.

 

We are on the verge of another cold weather season. Cheery thought, right? It's so pleasant now with the cool and crisp air of early fall. It suggests "hunting season." I no longer am aware of when the particular hunting seasons start and end. 

My late father was a young man when hunting was a major part of the male culture. That's why we see so much attention on hunters in the story of the 1940 Armistice Day blizzard. It was horribly tragic. 

Hunting has not gone away. My own personal view is that it is unpleasant and depressing, I mean to kill things. The weather is so often cold. Isn't it dangerous just being out in a boat when you have heavy outerwear on? I never gave that much thought as a young person. 

My father meant well as he took me hunting. We hunted ducks right here in Stevens County. In pursuit of whitetail deer we went up around my mother's hometown of Brainerd, to those great "north woods." Such different surroundings from here in Morris. By the end of the day I felt I'd made acquaintance with the squirrel scurrying around. 

I actually never got a deer in northern Minnesota but I did succeed in Wyoming. Dad and I went there twice. I succeeded there both times, so how about that? What I remember best, though, is the uniquely savory homemade bread prepared by our hosts out by Sundance. The mother of the family gets kudos. Up north and in Wyoming, Dad and I could use standard rifles. I had a bolt-action 30/06. I heard that around Stevens County, it was necessary to use a shotgun with "slugs." Not sure of the reason for that. 

So Dad meant well as he continued a strong tradition from his younger years, pursuing game and fish. Eventually I dropped out, opting for the occasional trip to Las Vegas instead! My father's interest eventually seemed to wane also. I remember a conversation he had with someone where he reasoned "live and let live" re. hunting. 

Hunters argue of course that their pastime is an essential part of wildlife management. I won't dispute that. It's just not my cup of tea. I note that our technology age has given lots of these "sportsmen" strategies that would have been unheard of before. It's to the point where some people have made an ethical issue out of it. Tech progress parades on. It waits for no one. 

We are embarking on a new cold weather season with the pandemic still on. This is serious business: It may not be a "pandemic" at all, it's likely an "endemic." The bug (or whatever you want to call it) is here to stay. Or to quote an apparently well-backgrounded person from the radio yesterday: "We won't be able to 'booster' our way out of this." 

I mulled that over. Is there really no light at the end of the tunnel? Or maybe just a faint light? I doubt we are all ready to accept this, to deal with the many ramifications. 

I happen to be lucky, though I'll knock on wood anyway. I have only myself to take care of. I can cut corners in my life to save money fairly easily. I'm spending a fair amount right now to make my home more energy-efficient. I am having to wait an unreasonable amount of time for some window replacement. You've heard of the "labor shortages" and "supply chain disruptions." So I cannot blame the companies I am dealing with. 

Our present distress all gets back to the pandemic. And if the pandemic can't be eradicated, then what? 

Don't you all realize how distressed you ought to feel about the specter of inflation? And this time around, unlike the inflation crisis of the 1970s, you can't even go to a bank and get a CD that pays good interest. You basically get no interest at all. 

We haven't seen that much inflation yet. Or if we have, it crawls along at such a pace that we put aside our concerns for now. Keep an eye on "shrinkflation" too! I have not had a frozen pizza for a while. The last couple of times, I felt a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste, making me wonder if the pizza companies are cutting corners with ingredients. That's part of "shrinkflation." 

We used to get more value at McDonald's by being entitled to free refills of soft drinks. It's gone now. We passively accept such shortcomings for at least a while. Then it could "bite us in the butt," as it were. Gone is the advantage that comes with a restaurant salad bar. Will salad bars ever come back? Holy cow, when I was a kid, no one thought anything of taking a "used" plate back up to a smorgasbord or salad bar. Then the new rule was pushed on us. 

And it didn't end there - pretty soon restaurants were putting plastic panels over the salad bar and we'd have to reach underneath. We were all turning into germophobes. I remember a local person who didn't have the best hygiene - God rest his soul - who reportedly was told to just stay seated while buffet items were brought to him. It was justified, no doubt, but a little scary too, as we had to wonder if anyone who appears a little disheveled might get the same treatment! 

At present we are dealing with small price hikes everywhere. But what about the next round and the round after that? The alarm bells are definitely ringing. It is funny to hear someone like U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley - 88 years old - jump on Joe Biden and say Biden "isn't doing anything about inflation." Oh, Biden is a Democrat and Grassley is a Republican. But surely Grassley knows, if his 88 year old mind can process it, that there is only one way - literally only one way - to deal with inflation. The Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates. This is how the inflation of the 1970s was finally solved. Paul Volcker did that at the Fed. 

Here is the tremendously scary thing today, and I cannot emphasize this enough: Do our politicians of the year 2021, i.e. these crazy times, have the courage to see to it that the Federal Reserve undertakes the necessary action with the very real collateral damage? Volcker promised that we'd get a recession as our "medicine" for inflation. But what politician wants to countenance such a promise today? 

We have zero patience for economic "down" times. It's not like the 1970s when we could just sit back and watch "Smokey and the Bandit" movies for a few years. Or, watch "The Gong Show." Or, to follow the silliness of "Studio 54," and be amused by Euell Gibbons TV commercials. Those days are tucked into history. Today we demand instant gratification. The stock market simply must keep going up. 

The stock market would likely be a disastrous first casualty if the Federal Reserve did what might be necessary. 

Donald Trump? People were fond of saying "he's not a politician" in a giddy way. So he doesn't follow conventions, right? And you all are fond of that? Oh, so cute. One of the conventions of Washington D.C. is to "leave the Federal Reserve alone." Or more accurately: "Don't fight the Fed." Donald Trump gave quotes saying the Fed needed to seriously consider negative interest rates. All he cared about was being able to go on CNBC TV and chat with Joe Kernen about how stocks were doing boffo. 

Don't you all realize how hazardous that whole scenario would be for all of us? 

Biden has said that "unlike my predecessor, I will not pressure the Federal Reserve." Here's the problem: it might be too late. It might be "later than you think." 

Go hunting to escape it all? Not yours truly. I'm just waiting for my window replacement (Renewal by Andersen). 

How will we all "come out on the other side" in spring? Just brush ourselves off, routinely, and move on past any adversity? One of these times, maybe not. I'm reminded of the words from Custer's Indian scout just prior to the big battle: "Friend, I fear that at the end of the day, we will go home by a road we do not know."

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