"Smoke gets in your eyes" for football opener

Passing on football to stay healthy

Will the new high school sports season help us forget about the smoke we continue to see hovering in the air in the morning? Today (Thursday) was another such morning. We have been through a "false fall" of late. But today promises to be most summer-like. Can't really get enough of that. We all know that when the cold sets in, it seems interminable. 

I shall cover the maximum distance with my walk this afternoon east of town. Some people think it strange that I walk along the bypass. I hear an occasional horn honk and this has to puzzle me: is that motorist saying a friendly hello with the honk or shaking his first at me? "You don't belong here." Really? 

You should know that between 1982 and 1992, I would run out along these places. And to make it even more strange or anomalous, I sometimes ran at night. Sometimes around midnight even. I thought it was a good way to find peace. Maybe that was the case then. Our world is different today. More dangerous. People do not accept oddball behavior as much either. 

Today I would be accosted by the cops even if the cops knew who I was. Arrested for something. Acting ridiculous? 

Well I do cherish the memories of when my body was resilient enough to go out running. I did the Twin Cities Marathon three times in the 1980s. First time around was the best: time of three hours, one minute, 11 seconds. Once I started running that day I didn't stop. A guy at the finish line said I "looked a little dry." I remedied that in short order. The year was 1984. 

My next two experiences there were in 1987 and 1988. By then my body had worn down some. I stopped the pastime in '92 because of chronic pain in my right foot. I don't feel it now, but I would after a couple weeks of jogging again. I sometimes try to break into a jogging gait when I'm out walking. I can develop no enthusiasm for it. 

Walking is good for me for health reasons. Not sure if all the smoke in the air from Canadian wildfires is such a harmless thing. 

On the subject of staying healthy, a top athlete with the MACA Tigrs has sure made a decision in this direction. This is Mr. Riley Asmus. Yes and some people feel disturbed by this. I guess I can see both sides. This community made a push once to get our old Coombe Field replaced with a most top-notch artificial turf field. Upon making this significant move, we might have assumed it was a privilege for our young athletes to be able to play football at such a place. Certainly the fans had to like it. 

 

Then and now

Don't you have to smile as you recall the adjustment from the old field to the new? I mean, just from the basic standpoint of atmosphere and fan deportment? I think it was rather like night and day. The old Coombe Field, named for a teacher that I personally had, was like a "town square." That's how Lory Lemke described it to me - the term stuck in my head. You might recall that most people there seemed more interested in socializing and hanging around, and their attention was not firmly focused on football like it is now. 

For this transition to happen, the powers-that-be with Minnesota prep football had to adjust the game so that there was more scoring and more passing. We see many more high-scoring games now. Whereas in the Coombe Field days, there were games that were just play after play with a handoff and then a run into the line of maybe two yards. Maybe none. 

I remember when 'Waska was here for a game and I swore 'Waska wasn't going to score unless a ball came loose in the end zone and they just had to fall on it! And even then, would have expected the ball to just "squib" out of the end zone! 

In those earlier times, relief was supplied by nine-man football where scores were higher and certain superstar players could really break loose and entertain us. We appreciated this at Chokio-Alberta where coach Neal Hofland ran his vaunted "toss sweep" play so much. I remind him of that to this day when I see him at DeToy's Restaurant. Jon Hallman was one of his superstar backs. 

C-A had an ordinary field but then in post-season they'd play at the Metrodome in Minneapolis! And today the C-A kids blend in with Morris. The C-A people finally had to realize the practicality of that. Like all small communities they resisted for a long time. Once reality sets in, you had better have a positive attitude about it. 

So high school sports is underway for 2025-26. And it's nice to see that the volleyball Tigers won their opener on the road vs. Melrose. A thrilling match with a 3-2 outcome. Now the question is, when can we read some details about the match like stat leaders? Looks like we'll have to wait all the way to next Tuesday when we'll have to PURCHASE the Morris paper. 

I find this unacceptable. I know two players on the team: Cihak and Harstad. It would be nice to see more timely reporting. I checked the radio station website this morning and it looks like the tennis coach is emailing match details which are then copied onto the radio station site. That's super. The tennis coach is a neighbor of mine, as is Addie Cihak of the volleyball team. I know Morgan Harstad from DeToy's Restaurant. 

As for Riley Asmus, he has played enough football to know quite well what the injury risks are. We cannot blame him for protecting his baseball scholarship. But I'm sure some fans feel unsettled about this. I hope they leave the kid alone. Our football home opener is Sept. 5 against Montevideo. Will the smoke in the air subside?

You might know that "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is an old popular song. "The Platters!"

 

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