Losing faith in the U of M for good reasons

(B.W. photo)

The season of autumn beckons. The first taste of below-freezing temperature will knock out my zinnia flowers, overnight. Thus a signal of the cold weather season to come. 

One has to shudder because the memory of last year's seemingly endless winter ought to be indelible. At the present time, mid-September, one can still enjoy a walk or bike ride on the trail system east of town. What an asset that is for Morris. 

We just got through UMM Homecoming 2023. I did not attend anything. My enthusiasm wanes about the U. Or maybe the loss of enthusiasm has a broader element connected to what's happening with colleges in general. 

My priority over the last ten years has been to try to assist UMM music. I was discouraged prior to fall classes, hearing that students would not be a part of the Homecoming concert. Powers-that-be at UMM would of course have excuses for this. What would you expect? I felt disconsolate in a similar way last  spring when I slipped in for the start of UMM graduation. Over the long stretch of time we have assumed that UMM band and choir would perform for graduation. My friends and I might exchange notes on how well these groups performed. But it was a given that they would simply be there. 

My late father lost enthusiasm about attending graduation because he was discouraged that his "UMM Hymn" was not being performed. Perhaps it would cheer him up to know that at present, there is no band or choir presence for graduation. Thus there's no issue with the Hymn. But there is an overriding issue with the scaling-back of the graduation ceremony. 

I never could have foreseen this. The discouragement doesn't end with music. Perhaps an even bigger issue was the lack of printed graduation programs. This rather screams that UMM is watching nickels and dimes. Which would lead to what in the long-term future? Closure of the institution? Colleges in general are certainly not on an upswing. Anything but. 

It doesn't help either that our football team has given up over 40 points in each of its first two games, both losses of course. You would think the mighty U of M could see to it we got just a few more resources to be more competitive at our admittedly modest level of play. But no. 

 

Where there's a will. . .

If the problem with Homecoming was that it was scheduled early, well then why was it scheduled this way? Too early? If UMM still has a decent stable of talented music students, could not the students be self-starters and make sure something dynamic was done? Aren't we supposed to be special here at UMM? That's always been the talk. 

But higher education faces continuing headwinds. I guess the primary reason is cost, the kind of debt that gets rung up. Should we as a nation try to reduce the burden somehow? Have costs shot up precisely because of government efforts to "help" in the first place? That's a scenario I have read about. Any time the government subsidizes something, the cost of that thing goes up. Try to "help" colleges and they raise tuition. For a long time they were in an "arms race" with amenities to offer students. 

 

Not a bellwether but. . .

I realize that St. Cloud State ought not be viewed as an example for what is likely to happen here, but let's not rule out extrapolating some. SCSU built a new football stadium in 2004. SCSU decided a few years later to cut football. Curiouser and curiouser. That kind of cut might be suggested here, not only because of UMM's trouble showing competitiveness but with the overarching concern about the safety of the players everywhere. 

SCSU has gotten big headlines over its cuts. A banner headline on the Star Tribune's front page in fact. But now the SCSU theater program is falling victim to the ax. Can we envision any kind of reversal in such a trend? UMM's retrenchment is evident in how it handled graduation. Oh my, a "recording" of "Pomp and Circumstance." You've got to be (expletive) me. I mean, really. Again, people at the top of UMM would have a way to "spin" this. That is what they do. 

I inquired about a program at the entrance to the P.E. Center or whatever it's called now. I wasn't prepared to be told there were no programs. The attendant at the door said people were supposed to "use their smartphones" to access a program. I am not at all illiterate with new tech - I have a YouTube channel, four email accounts and two blogs. I am not clueless but I have no clue when it comes to using a smartphone for accessing a graduation program. So I went without. 

I'm sure many people like to have the program as a souvenir. Think of the many grandparents coming from near and far who'd like to rely on the simple paper program. Plus they would love to hear the robust sound of the student musicians, just like what was the norm for so long. The norm. 

What's next for getting the ax? Get ready. 

Maybe we'll end up with a music program like at Crookston: a music minor only and with ensembles composed of a combo of students and community persons. Not to say they don't all have a good time with this, up in the desolate region where Crookston is located. Wait a minute, that's the way a lot of people describe Morris. 

 

An HFA scene from winter (B.W. photo)

Aha, "existential"

Whither our music department? The choir not to perform my father's UMM Hymn looks like total small potatoes now. To use a popular word, UMM music may face an "existential" dilemma. When I was a young person, the word "existential" was considered the ultimate "50-cent word." Best not to use it. 

This morning I got an update from a friend on how UMM fared with the Homecoming concert. Like me this person did not attend but he was filled in. First of all, this friend told me that a promo poster in a downtown business window did not announce the time of the concert. 

This individual said the quality of the concert was actually good. But it did not involve "current students." Well, that negates everything, doesn't it? I mean, really. Students are where it's at. So what really was the point? 

No doubt certain faculty members can perform boffo. Students should always be the main showcase. My friend said the musical fare was by "all faculty and a couple alumnae." 

"The new choir director sang a South American folk song."

A major black mark that was reported to me, was that the admission price for the concert was ten bucks! And this with students not involved in the performing. Outrageous. My memory tells me that UMM Homecoming concerts have been typically if not exclusively free admission. My father had a nit-pick one year: the band performed "dissonant" (modern) music. He felt the program for the Homecoming concert should have crowd-pleasers. What would Dad think about this year's arrangement? Well he grew up in the Great Depression, youngest of five boys, high school graduate of 1934, so he learned to watch his wallet pretty closely. 

Ten dollars? Oh of course the spin would be that a "fundraiser" needed an infusion. Schools of all kinds are always looking for money. The campus ought to be user-friendly for an occasion like Homecoming weekend, minimal and maybe no charge for everything. Be thankful people want to show up and show support. 

The U of M Foundation gets plenty of dollars from the Scrooge McDuck types. I know, I have hung around these events some, have learned to act like a big shot myself. Actually I'm pretty humble. 

 

Not  heartening

All the current trends have me feeling far less enthusiastic for supporting the U here. And then the crowning blow came a few days ago when I received a critical email from Sue Dieter, who has some sort of job at the Welcome Center. Well, it appears things did not work out for her at the local newspaper and then she parachuted to Collin Peterson's office for a time, but Peterson was not long for this world as congressperson. Republicans have seized total control of rural western Minnesota. 

My theory is that the usual suspects with the local "women's lib" crowd worked on UMM administration to hire Sue because she was one of them. That's how these things work. I have spent most of my life being trampled upon by "liberated" women who feel part of their mission is to humiliate men. I could give you the names of three women, Sue being one, who rode herd over me to make sure I'd never feel any self-esteem in the workplace. 

I worked under a female editor once who took an off-the-street rumor from a known eccentric and put it on Page 1. The paper quickly had to run a "correction and apology" on Page 1. The editor was propped up by the local feminists. She was untouchable. I would have had sheer hell to pay if I had shown the same kind of dereliction in judgment, so bad I hate to even write about it. But here I am, drowning in my sorrows as it were. 

Our custodian said to me "people would be laughing at you if you did that." 

Drifting away

My experiment of trying to get in the flow with U of M interests is over. I am switching to the Morris Area School Foundation. And if people alienate me there, I will be cast totally adrift. I sort of feel that way anyway. My critics would say "no one cares what you think." Well, Mongo just pawn in game of life. And could the UMM football defense get just a wee bit stabilized?

 

On a happier note, I quote the joy about early fall weather from this email from Patty Wetterling this morning (Wednesday): 

The sharing of support is strengthening. Words matter. Kindness matters. Yesterday I received an amazing note in the mail and it made me smile. I went for a walk just before sunset and watched as an eagle soared high above me, circling our road as the sky turned glorious colors.

“Thank you, God.”

May you and your family enjoy this very special time of year. Soak in the glorious colors and don’t miss an opportunity to share love and gratitude each and every day.

A nice fall photo that I took around Morris.

 - Bran Williams - morris mn minnesoita - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Church picnic today will salve some worries

East Side Park, Morris MN (B.W. photo)

My church of First Lutheran is having a picnic at East Side Park this afternoon (Sunday). We're not even having a regular Sunday service. Fine. The event will be fun for sure. Word is, Faith Lutheran people are welcome also. 

The ELCA continues trying to support two separate churches within our community of Morris. Is this sustainable? First Lutheran has been in steady decline with its numbers. This is easily supported by noting that through most of its history, the church had two Sunday services. The realization sank in this wasn't going to fly any more. We are forced to capitulate to reality, ultimately. 

I realized the same thing last night in relation to my college alma mater. Imagine a major state institution, or at least what formerly stood as a major state institution, watching its theater program die out. It's a fact: this is happening at St. Cloud State University. I read about it last night. The place has practically become a poster child for the stresses that have set in with public institutions for higher learning. 

What a pretentious-sounding term: "institution for higher earning." These places have become vacuum cleaners for sucking the money out of young people and their families. Should we maybe listen to Bernie Sanders more? 

Arianna Huffington

Look at the phenomenon of "sugar babies." Arianna Huffington led the way several years ago in bringing this phenomenon to our attention. Then the topic got quiet, I'm sure because Americans did not want to admit we were tempting our young people to go in this direction. You could call it prostitution - how can that be considered an exaggeration? 

I weave this topic in because it relates directly to the $ pressure felt by young people and their families. So girls will consider hooking up with older men who have money. 

Unsavory? It's hard passing judgment in such matters now. People who believe totally in the liberation of women will say it's a woman's choice. That continues being the direction of our society despite what has happened with our U.S. Supreme Court, which incidentally has turned into a cesspool of corruption. Led of course by Alito and Thomas and maybe even Kavanaugh, the latter having misrepresented himself on Roe vs. Wade in his confirmation. You'll remember another element of that confirmation, hoo boy. 

But we in America have chosen to just step aside on a range of matters where we once had a common sense consensus. We would never allow a clear power-hungry autocrat to try to seize control of our national government with a "coup," would we? We would never elect someone who had sex outside of marriage with an actual porn star and then tried to pay her off for her silence, would we? Well of course not. Well, not in a previous time we wouldn't. 

The ethical lapses at the Supreme Court level would not have been tolerated in an earlier time. Why? Because we simply had principles, principles which a child could grasp. The political right wing in America has gone beyond the standard political mix of right versus left, Republican versus Democrat. The latter arrangement looks quaint in retrospect now: the "two sides" both representing America, wanting the best for America, but having different views on how to get there. 

The politics right now was represented in the attempted overthrow of the U.S. government in 2021. Our own elected congressperson was openly sympathetic to the insurrection efforts, with her vote against certifying the election results. But are we in West Central Minnesota of a mood to even "throw her out" now? Well no. I would even bet she'd be re-elected. This is the America of today. 

First Lutheran Church, Morris (B.W. photo)

So I consider going to today's church picnic in a happy mood, this despite the fact my First Lutheran Church of the "liberal" ELCA has been in such a downslide. 

Oh my, the "L" word. This all started with gay rights but it has come to encompass more. 

I of course can't do anything about it. I can share these thoughts online. The "thought police" have not come along yet. But the continued hard edge of the political right wing might change that. It is trying to burst past all legal barriers or checks that our justice system is set up in theory to provide. Can the theory hang in there a while longer - I mean the Judeo-Christian ethic of knowing right from wrong? If one's spiritual life does not reflect that, then my God, what is the point of belonging to a church? 

 

Whither the faith?

Is Christianity becoming totally bastardized? Well I really think it is. Pastors are now reporting that parishioners have complained to them - actually complained, if you can believe it - about Christ's own words being quoted. In church. 

I smile as I consider that Our Savior, who I am really trying to stick with, could sound a little Bernie Sanders-ish. Can't you all just smile a little about that? Well, maybe not. I have actually lost friends because of the concerns I am trying to point out here. 

Today at least, First Lutheran Church of Morris is still a "thing," it is an entity. So I'll see a few people I know, share some friendliness. We are not the kind of people who would support the impeachment effort of the newly-elected Wisconsin Supreme Court member. The Republicans have massed like howling rabid dogs over there, frothing at the mouth. Such people speak for an apparently wide swath of the U.S. people now. 

And we have a U.S. congressperson who fits right in. Unless you want to vote her out. But we will not. 

Previous congressperson Collin Peterson made the mistake of posing for a photo with Nancy Pelosi, both smiling nicely. The Republicans seized on this and went into their rabid dog routine. Peterson got feet of clay and started behaving like he wasn't even proud to be a Democrat. I could be as upset with him as with the other side. How about "courage of your convictions?" Well, he got his rear end handed to him. 

So now we have the insurrectionist sympathizer. I can only observe, I cannot effect change. 

 

Moving on

Do you think I should look for my own "sugar baby?" Money talks, you know. It means more than Jesus Christ, that's for sure. I cannot get a female friend the standard way, and if I even hint in that direction, it's like I get a pie in the face. People react like they're offended. 

I am struck by a point George Will makes about our colleges in America. He says that society insists we keep them, the reason being that colleges are needed so young people around the age of 20 can go someplace among peers of the same socioeconomic stripe and find their future marital partner. 

So is this really the primary reason for the existence of "institutions of higher learning?"

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

Fischbach got on board with the worst forces

Congressperson Michelle Fischbach

Someday we may all be talking about how America was a great country while it lasted. Surely it was. Even though our politics came across as something like sausage-making sometimes. 

Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan could still have amicable relations at the end of the day. Judge Chutkan when she was confirmed got a unanimous vote. Republicans and Democrats together. 

We had a Voting Rights Act still in effect. Today we read of Denny's Restaurants that simply refuse to serve black people. That's even in South Dakota. The black people come in, sit down and are simply ignored. And if they don't leave to the satisfaction of management, cops are called. The cops are trained not to make a judgment in situations like this. They do what management has requested. 

So my point is that America has been rapidly devolving. 

Mike Pence can be seen as confused in some pretty significant ways. I mean, to consider throwing deference to MAGA even after his own life and that of his family were threatened on January 6. To the point where those protecting them felt they had to call their own families in order to say "goodbye." Might we have seen a full-fledged beheading, or more than one? You think world history does not have examples of this? 

And so in the wake of all that, was America shaken out of its mind, to the point where our legal system had to do something immediate and dramatic? Throw people in prison after an expedited legal process? Yes there would still be a legal process, because the forces for good would always subscribe to that. That's unlike the forces for the other side. That's the side that wants autocracy in a thinly-veiled way. Of course it does. 

So why hasn't America risen up in a more outraged way? Why hasn't a consensus been reached long before now? Why isn't all that unpleasantness behind us? 

Pence is not stark-raving stupid. He has now given a speech where he feels that his Republican Party must stick to conservative principles. As opposed to what? He cited "populism" which is a term that rather bounces around. So in what context does Pence apply it here? He cited "personal grievances and performative outrage" that Donald Trump projects. 

Mike Pence

Joe Scarborough of MSNBC discussed Pence's speech this morning (Thursday). Former Republican Scarborough listed incidents where his old party sought rule changes or tried to have public officials removed, "just to fail." 

And why is the American public as a whole choosing to basically countenance the bad stuff? Why can't we reject it out of hand? 

 

Our local sentiment

I am certain that a majority of church-going Republicans in Stevens County MN still have basic sympathy for MAGA. They would tie their own church-going to what MAGA represents. The reverence is the kind that I feel is discouraging a whole young generation from subscribing to Christianity. 

My own church of First Lutheran of Morris, of the "liberal" ELCA, may have lost critical mass for even surviving. The majority of our local churches would appear to subscribe to Pence's version of "populist" forces: "performative outrage." So they might absolutely demand that Hunter Biden be locked up. They are of a completely different mind for judging Trump, Clarence Thomas, his wife Ginny, Samuel Alito and others on "their side." 

And now Mike Huckabee has gotten more dramatic, suggesting that if Trump is denied the presidency because of legal obstacles, MAGA will take to violence. They've tried that once. Would the forces for good have to resort to violence also? 

So you all think Trump has helped your own life that much? Really? Could I ask you to devote a second or third thought to that? Are you sure you really want democracy to become endangered if not wiped out? Stop and think: when democracy fades away, no one can be certain of what exactly will replace it. And when you all start waking up, it will be too late. The shooting war might begin. I personally do not want to see that happen. 

I am a mere one person. I live in a deep red county here in western Minnesota. Rural western Minnesota has gone extreme Republican. Our stripes now would appear to reflect Pence's version of "populism." I overhear this at a local restaurant in the morning: Republicans totally good, Democrats evil, Hunter Biden the issue, not the dodgy ones on the other side. 

 

Our voice in U.S. Congress

We have a congressperson who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Perfect. Was she really that naive or was she just trying to satisfy her constituency of know-nothings out here? This matter has gravitas. Did congressperson Fischbach directly contribute to the incitement that led to the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. capitol? Maybe this was to the pleasure of the group of older guys who gather in the middle section of DeToy's Restaurant in early morning. 

Some of us would simply be amused by such talk. People talking about politics, you might say a national pastime. But the situation of the past few years has gotten potentially dangerous. This wasn't seen previously. You'd side with O'Neill or Reagan but we could all continue being friends and Americans at the end of the day. Now, so many of us would listen to the likes of Huckabee. Take up arms? It sort of happened already at the U.S. capitol. 

And our Michelle Fischbach sided with the likes of Ted Cruz on the catastrophic day, Jan. 6. Even the rock-ribbed conservative Tom Emmer from Central Minnesota did not vote to deny certification. So are we just dumber out here in the sticks with our "conservative" churches? Well, it appears so. The Apostolic Christians have disappointed me.

Trump's orchestrated mob sought to disrupt one of our democracy's most sacred ceremonies: the counting of the electoral votes. The capitol was breached for the first time since the War of 1812. 

Why couldn't Americans demand expedited reaction? Too many of us watching Fox News? Seriously maybe that's it. And the network caters to the kind of "populism" that Pence cites. 

Could Fox News have saved Richard Nixon? Nixon really did not govern all that much as a conservative. He was really just interested in power. Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency. Could you imagine Trump doing that? But that was then, this is now. 

Apostolic Christian Church

And we are still stuck with Michelle Fischbach as our congressperson. I wouldn't even bet against her winning re-election. What are the odds that even one of the local Apostolic Christians would vote for Fischbach's opponent? Throw in the Good Shepherd Church parishioners. Christianity was a nice faith while it lasted.

 

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

No current newspaper coverage of 'Waska game

My DeToy's server confirms that the new school year is on. Remember that it's Tuesday even though it feels like Monday. So tomorrow (Wednesday) is time for the biscuits and gravy at DeToy's. 

School is on! We can check to see how the various sports teams are doing. That's the reason for outstate towns having to continue with their schools, right? Sports? Not much of an exaggeration. I have been around sports emotions a lot in my life. I emailed a friend with a question this morning:

 

Does the new Morris paper come out today? I wonder if the Minnewaska football game will be in it, or if the holiday caused a printing plant complication. If the game isn't covered, the paper really ought to use its website to handle this, but it won't.

 

I got a prompt response:

 

A Morris paper came in the mail on Saturday, which puzzled me, but then with no mail yesterday I suppose they wanted it to get out. There was no mention of the MAHS/Waska game, but lots of coverage of Hancock sports.

 

Is it even worth the trouble to check the newspaper's website? If the 'Waska game cannot be covered in print this week, couldn't the newspaper be considerate enough of its community to slap some coverage on its website? I mean, their site is perfectly set up to handle this. Why not follow simple reasoning? 

We see pieces on the editorial page all the time about how newspapers are so essential to our rural towns' vitality. For democracy. But one of our political parties - the Republicans - do not care about democracy. Our congressperson voted against certifying the 2020 election results. 

But my primary thoughts here are about sports. Jim Morrison got weary of even dealing with sports issues. It's easy to develop that kind of attitude. But the Tigers had an exciting season-opening win on Thursday at Minnewaska, 40-20. Must have been lots of highlights. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see a reasonably thorough review with players' names on the paper's website? Just click on "sports" and the appropriate headline ought to greet you. Should be totally user-friendly. The newspaper can go on selling its print product. 

I am sure that a full week from today, we will see the obligatory summary on the newspaper's pages. But that is ridiculously too late. Anyone disagree with me? 

It's not as if the paper does not have this resource called a "website" with its sports link. I click on the link and what do I find? This is insulting to us all: it's all UMM Cougar stuff, as if these are the only teams we should care about. I shake my head. My attitude is formed mainly on the idea that UMM takes care of its own reporting and outreach on its own website. The coverage on UMM's website is as thorough and dynamic as you would want. 

So heck, why do our local legacy media companies - newspaper and radio - feel they need to bend over backward for UMM? Let's give credit to Deb and Brett at the radio station for making a far superior effort with its website relative to the newspaper. The newspaper? I might suggest that some harsh words are called for. 

I know of one former MAHS administrator who would be emotional over these issues. He would argue that for the paper not to have full coverage of Tuesday night games in Thursday's paper would be so unforgivable, something like the death penalty should be called for. Some of the critics including people in high-status professions could use foul language when assailing the paper and yours truly on such matters. This was when the paper published twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday. 

Today it's once a week and the paper is typically smaller than it ever was when we were twice. We sort of sleepwalked through that adjustment as if we didn't really notice. But now? There's a holiday like Labor Day and everything just goes to hell? 

I was hard-pressed up until today finding any media coverage of Tiger volleyball that had individual stats. Maybe the current paper has some. But the timeliness issue rears its head for all teams. I just don't think it's asking too much. I know, I know: the Anfinsons don't want to give "content" away. 

The radio station has lately made us jump through hoops getting access to content on its site. You must realize that these legacy media businesses desperately try to keep systems going where they make money. 

So the paper deprives us of MACA coverage on its website while inundating us with UMM Cougar coverage. Do you suppose they just take the Cougar coverage off the UMM site? I have been too lazy to confirm that. Whether they do or don't, all that Cougar coverage is not needed for the community's benefit. The UMM fans need only go to UMM's site to be satisfied fully. Which is wonderful. We want UMM and its constituents to be happy about everything. 

What a shame the newspaper can't make the very simple effort of slapping a football game summary, a 40-20 win, on its website. The website is dormant, lifeless. 

My friend Del Sarlette says he emailed Deb at the radio station about some of the new funky stuff on the radio station site, set up I'm sure to get a trickle of revenue for the station. 

We are in the age of the world wide web, so we needn't be dependent on the legacy media businesses. They have a right to try to survive in the new economic climate. But the school sports constituents deserve to be served in the best way possible. 

Change has been happening. We have had our eyes opened big-time by the "YouTube geniuses." Oh my. But more work remains to be done. 

The people involved with the Morris paper would be incensed reading what I have to share today. Why?

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

Prep tennis: Tigers bow to Minnewaska Area

MACA/WCA was on the short end against Minnewaska Area in tennis action, 2-5. Our No. 1 singles player Cate Kehoe bowed vs. Alia Randt 1-6, 2-6. Then at No. 2 singles it was Chloe Zimmel handling the racket for the Tigers. She was outdone by Avarie Uhde of the Lakers, 3-6, 4-6. 

Our struggles in singles play continued at No. 3 with our Lilia Asmus getting beaten by Rachel Rankin, 0-6, 0-6. Alas, victory was elusive at fourth singles too. Here, Ava Breuer was on the short end against Addy Heid, 0-6, 2-6. 

On to doubles: Our No. 1 team of Ashley Koehl and Nora Meek prevailed over Megan Thorfinnson and Olivia Danielson 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Our No. 2 doubles team of Izabell Hoffman and Grace Hauglie was defeated by Katy Vold and Brianna Erickson of the Lakers, 7-6, 5-7 and 7-10. The third doubles story had our Heidi Seales and Ellen Reed winning vs. Mckenna Uhde and Katie Sorenson, 6-3, 6-7 (3) and 6-2.

Cross country at Appleton

Looks like our boys cross country season will be a little deflating, what with "inc." results so far. Yes, incomplete, meaning we don't qualify for team scoring. Nevertheless the orange and black is represented by runners in both genders. 

Boys to report are Truett Richardson (15th place) and Grady Stallman (18th). This is from the Lac qui Parle/Dawson-Boyd Invitational. 

Our girls story has Hailey Werk as the champion. Werk's time on the Appleton course was 17:01. The runner-up was Chloe Gloege of the host team, 30 seconds behind Werk. The MACA girls have a more robust roster than the boys now. We can report Kendal Fischer in fifth, Anna Backman in 11th and Hanna Schutz in 15th. The MACA girls were second to the host team.

Volleyball info?

It has been nigh impossible to find individual data on the MACA volleyball team thus far, unfortunately. Match details have been scant in the media that I personally check. Hope this situation can improve soon. I don't really consider the Morris newspaper because there is so much of a lack of timeliness with that product. I don't see why a few stats can't be reported sooner. 

On the radio station website I see where the Tigers fell to West Central Area 1-3 in the second match of the season. Let's look at the scores with the MACA numbers first: 24-26, 25-23, 23-25 and 17-25. 

The kmrs site coverage did report stat highlights for the West Central Area Knights. Here they are: Mary Grosz with 45 assists, Madelyn Westrom with 27 digs and Mya Foslien with 19 kills and 21 digs. 

The Tigers came out of the night at 0-2. I would enjoy being able to type some of the MACA names. The newspaper website is of course dormant.

 

Football: Tigers 40, Minnewaska 20

Thursday was debut night for MACA football, 2023. It was a road game versus the Minnewaska Area Lakers. "Veterans Field" is the name of the venue close to Lake Minnewaska. There, after a somewhat sluggish start, the Tigers took over to notch the win 40-20.

Owen Anderson scored three of our touchdowns. 

The Tigers fell into an early hole due to a fumble in the end zone, recovered by the Lakers. So the host is up 8-0. This would not be a prelude of things to come. Anderson asserted himself with a "pick six" that covered 35 yards, exciting. He proceeded to score our next two touchdowns on short runs. The passing game then asserted itself. Drew Huebner passed to Jackson Hallman for 47 yards and a score. This was just before halftime, and halftime showed the orange and black clearly in command, up 27-8. 

Derek Waldbeser came to the fore with his scoring flair in the second half. He crossed the end zone stripe on runs on 15 and 19 yards. Our opener win was in the books. 

Huebner's passing stats were 9 of 15, 146 yards. He also rushed for 62. Mitch Moser advanced the ball 114 yards on the ground. The defensive story had Hallman with an interception and Zach Dietz with seven tackles. 

Minnewaska's Levi Johnson completed five passes in 16 attempts for 81 yards. He had a touchdown hookup to Luke Danielson of 25 yards. Carter Meyer carried the ball for 69 yards, and Asante Adams ran for a TD from 31 yards. Optimism is high among Tiger backers going into Game 2.

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

Volleyball Tigers debut with 1-3 loss at Olivia

Nice to report some high school sports news even before the Labor Day weekend. We're all comforted seeing the Tigers in action. So the new volleyball season is underway. Thanks to my Central Minnesota newspaper friend for checking the West Central Tribune website for a report. And there is one: MACA versus BOLD. 

Unfortunately the match did not have a winning end. Our lone success was in Game 3, a 25-16 advantage over the Warriors. Alas, the other three games had a down note for the orange and black. Here's a complete review of the night's scores with the MACA numbers first: 18-25, 10-25, 25-16 and 13-25. 

So, some work to do in order to find a more authoritative style. BOLD upped its mark to 2-0. The Tigers were in their season-opening match. 

My old newspaper comrade gleaned some BOLD individual highlights and shared with me. As for MACA, the WC Trib had the line "stats not available." Last I checked, MACA was not in the official coverage territory of the WC Trib. We got taken off, so our kids are not in for things like "All Area." Not even Jackson Loge. I should check on how this young man is doing in college hoops. 

"Stats not available" is probably not accurate if the WC Trib does not solicit this info from the Morris coaches. I suspect that if a coach were to attempt to call them in, the Trib would accommodate. I'm only operating on theories. When I worked in the Morris media myself, I knew everything! 

The WC Trib tells us that Layla Pfarr performed 31 set assists for the victorious Warriors. In the kill department it was Addy Knakes standing out with her 25. And Grace Tersteeg had five ace blocks. The match was played in Olivia. 

My newspaper friend works out of Bonanza Valley. In his email to me, he relates how the WC Trib just won't back off from calling us "Morris/CA." I have inserted comments on this error several times in my online writing. Either I'm ignored or my clarification falls on deaf ears. We are of course "MACA." This is not a quibble. 

WC Trib owner Forum Communications can obviously be stubborn. They were in Morris for a few years and then left us. It's my belief that they came close to shuttering the Morris paper. My Bonanza Valley friend is in good position to know this and he asserted what Forum's intentions were: to close the Morris paper. Maybe word got around here and people went to work making sure our paper could be salvaged. The paper went to once weekly under the Forum's austere leadership. It was not a worker-friendly place. 

The paper has survived but unfortunately its website can barely be called token. You all should know that many newspapers choose to have a fairly dynamic website, a site worth visiting. I wonder if some locals might agitate the paper's current ownership to make the site more fluid, current and helpful. Giving content away? Maybe yes to a degree but it's great public relations. 

At present with the mere once-weekly print product, the timeliness of sports coverage suffers way too much. You might say it's inexcusable. But it could be worse: What if Forum Communications had succeeded in canceling the Morris paper? Well, I suppose a lot of local businesses could be spared the expense of advertising! Don't we all just use the web anyway? Speaking for myself, I do. 

The West Central Tribune should refer to our team as "Morris Area Chokio Alberta" because that is what is officially recognized, not "Morris/CA." Shout from the rooftop. Initials can be confusing, as shown by "MBA" standing for both "Morris Baseball Association" and "Morris Benson Area" (youth hockey). 

One last point about the Morris paper these days: These pieces by Mr. Anfinson on Page 4 seem to be getting awfully redundant.

Cross country action too

Morris has long been proud to be the site for start-of-season cross country. The Morris golf course becomes the focus of attention. It's a longstanding tradition in this time of year when summer-like temperatures can most certainly be felt. For sure it can be tough on the runners who may not be in the best of shape yet. It's a wake-up call. Cool fall weather is the best. 

The 2023 early-bird meet from Pomme de Terre Golf Course is now history. And we saw Hailey Werk of the Tigers place third in the girls running. Thirteen teams assembled to vie. Kendal Fischer arrived at the finish chute 19th while MACA as a team took seventh. Top individual was Madi Wendlandt of Paynesville. Top team was New London-Spicer. 

Alas our boys team had an "inc." showing (incomplete). That's kind of a downer. Our top performers were Grady Stallman (44th) and Ethan Koehler (49th). Kudos to these two for helping keep the program going. It's a rewarding sport. Coach Dale Henrich keeps watch on it all from his trusty bicycle. You might encounter them all along the biking/walking trail. 

The boys race winner was Ethan Drevlow of Sauk Centre. And Sauk Centre had the top boys team.

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

MACA/WCA tennis edged by Wadena-DC

The MACA/WCA tennis Tigers were edged 4-3 at the hands of Wadena-Deer Creek. It is Saturday morning as I write this, and my breakfast server at DeToy's was Chloe Zimmel who played second singles for the Tigers. She was a winner! Zimmel won in a close match vs. Charlie Snyder, 6-4, 6-4. 

All three of our wins were in the singles category. Catherine "Cate" Kehoe was a victor at first singles. Kehoe sure found her rhythm after a poor start. My goodness, she was on the losing end of the first set 0-6! Then she picked herself up by the bootstraps and won 6-3 and 10-7. 

Congrats to Cate who is the grandchild of my former co-worker at the Morris newspaper, Janet Kehoe. I'm sure Janet is excited every time Cate succeeds. I gave Janet a personal phone call the day after Cate made four 3-pointers in a basketball game. We're all happy that Cate appears to have recovered so well from an injury. 

The other MACA winner versus WDC was Ava Breuer who played fourth singles. Ava turned back Genevieve Pinnella of WDC 6-1 and 7-5. Our Lilia Asmus at third singles was on the short end against Claire Kapphahn, 1-6 and 0-6. 

Let's look at the doubles category where we had Ashley Koehl and Nora Meek at the No. 1 position. Koehl and Meek were defeated by the Fiemeyer girls - Katie and Anna - 2-6 and 1-6. At No. 2 doubles we saw our Grace Hauglie and Izabell Hoffman defeated by Kelanie Oldakowski and Emma Weninger, 6-7 (2), 6-1 and 8-10. The No. 3 MACA doubles team of Heidi Seales and Molly Wayne fell to Ryann Schmidt and Chloe Leeseberg, 4-6, 7-5 and 5-10. 

My neighbor up on Northridge Drive is tennis coach Britney House. The zinnia flowers in front of my house still look good with fall getting closer. Come on by and look.

 

Autumn sports beckons

We are eager of course to start getting the usual diet of high school sports news. Until the sport of football disappears, we'll have to continue paying attention to it. That includes yours truly with his local journalism. I should not second-guess the school board with its desire to continue offering the sport of football to our boys. 

Why should any sport be boys-only? That seems inconsistent with our current social standards in America. Is this preferred treatment for boys? I could argue the exact opposite. We are learning more and more about the health dangers of football. Sometimes the effects take time to begin showing themselves. 

You can dismiss people like me to your own detriment. I'm sure most of you think football is an activity to be taken lightly, to prompt a smile when the subject comes up. You will go on doing this at your peril or really the peril of the high school male population. 

Boys who start playing football in the junior high grades are too young to make a responsible judgment about this. The worst thing is for young boys to "go out for football" because of peer pressure. This is such a danger, schools should put out formal advisories about this. But I'm sure they don't. 

One of the best critiques I have seen of football over the last few years was a "suggested" release form for parents to sign. Parents confronted with such blunt and honest language would be fools to allow their sons to play. In the meantime, the American public has developed such a love affair with football from watching it on "the tube," they have become to a large extent blinded about how our young people should be protected from it. 

I could be selfish here and say I am lucky: I had neither the talent nor interest to play football. At age 68 I do not have to worry about experiencing cognitive decline as a result of playing the sport. 

 

That was then

I think that in a past time, football served the purpose of preparing young men to serve in the military in a foreign war. Football was supposed to instill such discipline: do as you're told. That's what it takes in the military where you have a gun and are supposed to kill other people while they try to kill you. 

Remember when you hear the sanctimonious speeches on Memorial Day and Veterans Day: The veterans who are speaking are ones who survived. Many of them may not have been exposed to any combat risk. There is nothing good about war. Today we use economic sanctions and "special ops" in place of massive armies. Conflict is always bad. 

Don't let anyone tell you that the WWII generation of men benefited from all the discipline of military service, or that they ought to be grateful for all the "benefits" they later got from military service. We would all be better off to have foregone military conflict. 

How many of his own generals did Hitler have killed? You can look it up. Was that regime really going to stand up? The people's will can never be held down for long. I view our nation's military veterans to have largely been victims. The government leaders themselves would never put their lives on the line. Wars are not fought between people, they are fought between governments. Governments just use propaganda to get people behind them. The Japanese people were absolutely subjugated. 

How much have we learned? Sometimes I wonder. But to cut to the chase here: it is not acceptable to continue having a boys-only sport in high school. Just stop and think about it: Any sport that is too dangerous for girls is too dangerous for everyone. 

It is amazing the arc that has been followed, from a time when girls had almost zero athletic opportunities - like when UMM first started - to the present where girls have it better than boys. Girls sports are safer and more healthy than boys sports while being totally vigorous and challenging. In wrestling, boys are under too much pressure to lose weight. This can cause long-term physiological harm. Football? It should be made illegal.

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