MACA baseball gets complete game pitching

High school sports stays pretty vibrant over Memorial Day weekend. So on Saturday, the Section 3AA-North playoffs got into high gear. Some of the action was here in Morris. So the Tigers displayed a winning flourish. This was done twice. Each time there was a complete game pitching performance. 

Riley Asmus showed prowess on the pitching mound as MACA got past the West Central Area Knights. He was complemented by ten hits off the bats of orange and black batters. Our fielding was clean: just one error. The pluses added up to a 6-2 win. The WCA line score was 2-6-3. 

Asmus got all the backing he would need in the second inning: three runs. The Tigers went on to plate one run each in the third, fourth and fifth. WCA pushed across one run each in the first and second, then was stymied by Asmus and his mates.

The Asmus pitching story in the boxscore was: seven innings, six hits, two runs (earned), three walks, seven strikeouts. WCA pitching was done by Camden Anderson (the loser) and Colten Lindquist.

Brandon Jergenson was adept and fast on the basepaths with his five stolen bases. Wow! With the bat he had a two-for-three boxscore line. He also drew a walk. Ross Marty doubled as part of a two-for-four showing. He crossed home plate once. Sam Kleinwolterink went two-for-four with a run scored. 

Kyle Fehr stood out with his two-for-three line, two RBIs and a run scored. Brett Hansen doubled, scored a run and drove in one. Dylan Rose also socked a two-bagger, plus he scored a run. Asmus stole two bases, walked and scored a run. 

The WCA hits were by Cole Anderson, Bryce Kjesbo, Dane Anderson and Colton Lindquist.

 

Success again

Brandon Jergenson was up to the task of a complete game victory over ACGC. We are seeded No. 2. A close game had Jergenson and his mates edging the Falcons 4-3. Coach Kirby Sayles was smiling.

ACGC was the No. 3 seed. The Falcons are not eliminated. They will continue with a game against Minnewaska Area. Baseball and softball have the feature of double-elimination in the post-season. Double-elimination can make things a little complicated for the fans. 

The Tigers advanced to face Fairmont in Marshall. 

Jergenson overcame a pair of solo home runs with his Saturday work. These were off the bats of Logan Straumann and Jack Peterson. The Tigers led 2-1 after two innings. The teams exchanged runs in the third. The Tigers proceeded to score one run in the fourth, the run that made the difference. Our line score was 4-8-0 compared to 3-4-0 for ACGC. 

Jergenson in his full seven innings struck out six batters and walked one. He allowed four hits and the three runs that were earned. ACGC had two pitchers share the work: Jaxon Behm and Connor Barker. 

The hitting story for Motown had Kyle Fehr rapping two hits in as many at-bats. He scored two runs and drove in one. Sam Kleinwolterink also had the perfect two-for-two line. He drew a walk and scored a run. Jergenson hit safely and drew a walk. He also stole a base and scored a run. 

Brett Hansen was one-for-one with an RBI. Kaleb Breuer's bat produced a hit and he drove in a run. Riley Asmus added to the mix with a hit. 

Falcons who hit safely were Straumann, Peterson and Zach Bagley. The Falcons had advanced earlier in the day 2-1 over Montevideo. The game-winner came on a hit-by-pitch. The score was 1-1 in the seventh when Terrell Renne was HBP with the bases loaded.

Softball: post-season

Pipestone 14, Tigers 7

The Tigers of softball got on the ropes early in their Saturday game against Pipestone. The site was the Marshall diamond. It would be a long day of softball and unfortunately for the Tigers and their fans, a disappointing one. Our team got bested 14-7 in the day's first game. 

We got on the ropes early when the Arrows plated four runs in the first inning. Kyla Hubbing's single drove in two runs. The Tigers showed signs of life in the early stages with two runs in their half of the first. The Pipestone pitcher was wild. Our batters were patient and were rewarded with walks. 

Meanwhile our pitching was not fooling the Pipestone batters. The Arrows had 17 hits as they rolled up their 14 total runs. They got up 12-2 before MACA showed renewed energy, as we put four runs on the board in the fifth. With the score 12-6, an uphill battle certainly presented itself. We could not surmount. 

Sydney Dietz was a standout for the orange and black with a double and two hits total. She drove in two runs. Brianna Marty got a run across with a double. 

Pitching: Four players total were called on to pitch for MACA. Brienna Dybdahl had a three-inning stint. Coach Holmberg employed two eighth graders who got some nice seasoning - these were Haley Kill and Nora Boyle. The pair was touched for one earned run in three innings. This was the varsity debut for both.

Litchfield 3, Tigers 0

The green-themed Litchfield Dragons were next as the opponent for the proud Tigers. This time our defensive efforts were more solid: a mere three runs for Litch. But the Tigers got blanked. We fell 3-0 in the game that proved to be our season-ender. 

The pitcher getting kudos for Litch was Taylor Draeger. She allowed but one hit in her route-going performance. She walked just one batter. She set down six Tiger batters on strikes. 

Litch's offensive story is highlighted by one player: Izzy Pennertz. This Dragon singled to drive in a run in the first. Then she drove in two with a double in the second. So she drove in all of Litch's runs. 

Yasmine Westerman was in the pitching circle when the Dragons scored. Dybdahl came in to pitch and fared better, allowing zero runs in 4 2/3 innings. Our only hit was off the bat of Kortney Sanasack: a double in the third. 

Two losses in a day had to hurt, but consider the final W/L of the Tiger crew: 20-3.

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

Tigers seize on passed ball to win at Melrose

We're coasting into the end of another school year. Today (Thursday) the weather is most pleasant with not a hint of wind. It lifts people's spirits, but we have had to wait so long for this. We plodded through dreary March and April and then dealt with the day out of hell for weather recently: a soaker in the morning, a wind straight out of hell later. 

So the weather is nice now, but for how long can we appreciate such conditions? 

High school sports faced adversity through the spring. Far more than usual, I would suggest, and the usual is challenging. This current week has been cooperative. Well it's about time. So prep teams have been busy. On Monday (5/23) the baseball Tigers visited Melrose. It was a hard-fought game that was captured by the Tigers, score of 3-2. 

The Dutchmen struck first with two runs in the first inning. We answered in the third with a two-run rally. Ross Marty came home on a Riley Asmus base rap. Brandon Jergenson scored on a misplay by the right fielder. Our run in the sixth proved to be the game-winner. A passed ball opened the door. It allowed Dylan Rose to scamper across home plate. 

The Tigers' line score was three runs, eleven hits and four errors. Yes, we had to survive some bumpy fielding. The Melrose line was 2-8-1. 

Brett Hansen pitched six innings to get the win. He struck out six batters and walked none. Melrose touched him for eight hits and he gave up two runs, earned. Drew Huebner pitched one inning in which he got two of the three outs by strikeout. He walked two and allowed no hits. 

The pitcher of record for Melrose was Devin Orbeck: six innings, six strikeouts, three walks, eight hits allowed, three runs (two earned). Max Wehlage pitched an inning and was touched for three hits.

OK let's look at the hitting. Here we have Kaleb Breuer with two hits, one of them a double, and he stole a base. Asmus went two-for-four, drove in a run and stole a base. Marty had a hit, a run scored and a walk. Jergenson had a hit and a run. 

Sam Kleinwolterink socked a double. Kyle Fehr had a hit plus he reached on hit-by-pitch. Trevor Buss added to the mix with a hit. Hansen had a one-for-three line, and Rose had a hit in his only at-bat while drawing two walks and scoring a run. So all in all, a day of positive highlights for coach Kirby Sayles' crew. 

The Melrose batters with hits were Orbeck, Connor Anderson, Ethan Frieler, Isaac Rosenberger, Wehlage and Breydon Dobmeyer. The Tigers came out of the day 15-3. At present we're all getting focused for the post-season.

 

True team track

One can get confused with the late-season track and field terminology. You might hear the term "state meet" but it's not the "real" state meet. Well, in a way it is because it's the Class A True Team State Meet. It's an alternative way of judging team strength. The idea is to accentuate team balance, quality across the board. And our boys team took ninth by this standard. Action was Saturday in Stillwater. 

Ethan Lebrija was No. 1 in the long jump. He was No. 2 in both the 100m and 200m dashes. Trey Hunt had impact in the dashes too: 10th in the 100m, eighth in the 200m. The shot put saw Evan Oberg in second and Monte Fehr in tenth. Oberg threw the discus to sixth place. Fehr was the No. 11 discus thrower. 

The exciting pole vault event had Kaden Bruns in third. Max Lietz took fourth in the triple jump. Blake Bruns was ninth in the 400 meters. The 4x800m relay team took eighth. 

Perhaps none of our girls finished high enough to be reported, unfortunately. I found no details.

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

Softball concludes regular season 18-1

The regular season wrapped up for MACA softball on Thursday. The Tigers won yet again to continue their habit. Optimism has to be high as the Tiers will embark on sub-section with a record of 18-1. Their last regular season game was against a winning Browerville-Eagle Valley team. We notched the win 6-5 and left Browerville with an 11-4 record. 

Our two mainstays in pitching - Yasmine Westerman and Brienna Dybdahl - both saw action from the pitching circle. Westerman had the starting nod and worked 4 1/3 innings. Dybdahl pitched for 2 2/3 innings and got the win. 

Offensively, Cate Kehoe has been wielding a hot bat of late. Early in the week, Cate clouted two home runs in the doubleheader win at Benson. Against Browerville she had two hits, an RBI and a run scored. Brianna Marty drove in a run. 

B-EV put up a pretty tough battle. Down 4-1, they surged to seize the lead at 5-4. The Tigers had the poise to score a run in each of the last two innings, with the last run coming on a throwing error. Dybdahl crossed home plate in the bottom of the seventh.

 

Baseball: NL-Spicer 6, Tigers 3

New London-Spicer came at the Tigers with a four-run rally in the sixth to put the home team Tigers on the ropes. The Tigers answered with three runs in the seventh but it wasn't enough. MACA was on the short end of the 6-3 score. Thus ended the 12-game win streak for the orange and black. Let's note this was a non-conference game. 

Three pitchers worked for MACA in the Friday affair. Riley Asmus with his 4 1/3 innings was tagged with the loss. He struck out three batters, walked three and gave up four hits and two runs, earned. Brandon Jergenson had a mound appearance of 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two batters, walked two and allowed three hits and four runs, earned. Brenden Hardy pitched one inning, walked a batter and allowed no hits. 

New London-Spicer had Grant Paffrath pitching the whole way. He struck out three batters, walked one and allowed nine hits and three runs, two earned. 

NL-Spicer overcame four errors to win. They were also out-hit by the Tigers 9-7. Two Wildcats each had two hits: Aedan Andresen (with a double) and Gavin Degner. Also hitting safely were Luke Knudsen, Luke Ruter and Brody Lien. 

On the MACA side of things, Ross Marty had two hits and a run scored. Kaleb Breuer rapped two hits and drove in two runs. Brandon Jergenson had a hit, a run and an RBI. Sam Kleinwolterink came through with a one-for-three line and drew a walk. Trevor Buss went one-for-three. Brett Hansen had a hit in his two at-bats, and Dylan Rose had a hit and run scored. 

NL-Spicer had a 2-0 lead after five innings. Their rally in the sixth ended up making the difference. They improved to 10-9 with the success.

 

Track and field: conference meet

Ethan Lebrija took three first place finishes among the four total for boys track and field. This was the West Central Conference meet. Lebrija was tops in the long jump, 100m dash and 200m dash. Our other first was by Derek Waldbeser in the high jump. The MACA boys took the conference title. The site was 'Waska. 

Trey Hunt took second behind Lebrija in the 100m and 200m. Hunt was No. 3 in the high jump. Kade Burns was second in the pole vault. Evan Oberg was second in the shot put. The discus throw saw Monte Fehr and Oberg finish third and fourth respectively. 

Max Lietz was No. 3 in the triple jump. Jack Tollefson was No. 3 in the 400 meters. A relay highlight was the team of Lebrija, Waldbeser, Hunt and Lewis Nohl taking second in the 4x100. 

The MACA boys won the conference meet. 

Our girls team achieved three firsts: Lydia Fynboh in the 100 meters, Olivia Lebrija in the 100m hurdles and Hailey Werk in the 3200m. Lebrija was runner-up in the 100m dash. Alexis Motz was fourth in the 100m hurdles. The 4x100m relay unit of Lebrija, Fynboh, Caryn Marty and Ruby Swenson took runner-up. 

Host Minnewaska Area had the champion girls team. 'Waska swept the relay events. Mackenzie Luetmer won the 400m for the Lakers. Let's note West Central Area's Lexi Bright having a memorable day with her No. 1 showing in the distance-oriented 800m and 1600m. Lexi also took second in the long jump.

 

My downed trees (Art Cruze photo)

Aftermath of big storm

We have been busy with dealing with after-effects of the storm. Was it officially a "derecho" here? Had to be close. I have also seen the term "haboob." 

My property up on Northridge Drive has considerable trees. I'd frankly like to thin it out a little. First I must get essential work done following the storm. The storm was a real doozy. I was watching out my picture windows facing south when two of my large evergreens blew over. I was not shocked, as I could easily see the wind was overpowering. 

The weather was like a 1-2 punch that day. First came the "soaker" of a rainfall in the morning. As is common I got up on ladder during rainfall to make sure the drainage system around my house was open. Leaves and stuff come down from the trees. A huge maple is right next to the southeast corner. Frankly I could live without that. The only trees I really feel I need are the ones on the north side, giving protection from the notorious wind we can get here. The wind can roar down from the farm field that rises to the north. With a good windbreak, I can prevent snowdrifts from getting too massive. 

The heavy rainfall softened the ground, making it more likely trees would go over.

My, there are lots of tree problems out and around. Makes me wonder how long it will take for the various services to get around. I'm already on the list for one of them. I imagine we're in a normally slow time of year for them. Property owners would want to avoid scheduling this work when the ground is wet. The heavy equipment can be hard on lawns. Right now I wouldn't care about lawn damage. 

The tree services are getting booked heavily now, I'm sure. I have also wondered: could local government take charge with some sort of coordinated area effort, maybe invoking sovereignty to just see to it that the essential tree work gets done, partly out of safety considerations? 

Maybe some property owners would hold back because of concern about cost. You know how it is with getting any contractor to show up these days. I'm not criticizing them. I'm sure they have to buy lots of insurance. Their work can be challenging. Patience is needed. 

Might government just move in and pay some of the cost? We hear news about FEMA at times. Would be nice to just tell the tree services like Craig Beyer to just roll up their sleeves and fix any problems they notice, anywhere. But maybe it will all come down to one-on-one relationships between the services and customers. 

As for customers reluctant to pay, might we look at downed trees on their property for a long time? Indefinitely? Hope not. 

So I spent several hours over the weekend picking up branches and assembling them in a long pile. Good exercise for me? But then I had to get up on the roof too, and this I do not enjoy. A few branches were up there including one that appeared wedged under a metal thing - I had to check that out. I survived getting up on the roof and down again, so I can be writing this. 

Another poorly-timed chore arose: a skunk was in one of my window wells. What a picnic. It was a rather feeble animal, maybe very old. It was passive as I wedged a shovel underneath it, then I hoisted it out and in short order dispatched it with the shovel. Only a faint skunk odor throughout. 

We are semi-rural along Northridge Drive. We do get exposed to nature. But it's a wonderful place to live. I enjoy seeing the rabbits in the back yard. When Mom was alive, I'd see one in the morning and say "look Mom, it's Mr. Rabbit." 

As for Mr. Skunk, those creatures can stay away. They are nocturnal animals. This is the month when they have their babies ("kits"). Take care to block off any potential entries on your property. You deal with this once, and you'll never forget. Skunks are actually known to have a gentle disposition. But if your dog accosts them, barking furiously? Then it's Katy bar the door.

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

MACA baseball turns back Minnewaska, Melrose

MACA baseball entered the new week with winning form. The Tuesday story was a 6-5 win over Minnewaska Area at home. The weather hinted in late afternoon that this game might be no-go. But the teams took the field at the local diamond, albeit under gray skies. 

Early-on the situation was not rosy for our Tigers. We got behind in the 4-2 score. But the fifth inning brought a reversal in fortunes. The Tigers put on a surge that led to the eventual win. The final score was 6-5 over the Lakers. 

Our fifth inning rally netted four runs. Our line score was six runs, seven hits and one error. The Lakers' numbers were 5-9-3. The "Minnesota Scores" site tells us the orange and black has a 13-2 record, 10-1 conference. 

Seven Tigers had one hit each. My rundown starts with Drew Storck who had a hit in his only at-bat. It was a double. He scored a run and drove in a run. Then we see Dylan Rose with a one-for-two line along with a walk received and run scored. Kyle Fehr was one-for-two. 

Durgin Decker had a hit in his three at-bats and drove in a run. Kaleb Breuer was 1/3 with a stolen base, a run and an RBI. Brandon Jergenson had a hit, scored two runs and drove in two. Ross Marty had a hit and a run scored. 

Two Lakers each had two hits: Jacob Blair and Dylan Alexander. These Lakers each had one: Torii Johnson, Jack Larson, P.J. Johnson, Hunter Johnson and Nathan Dell. 

Our pitching duties were shared by two: Brett Hansen and Drew Huebner. Hansen worked for five innings and was the pitcher of record. He struck out three batters, walked none and allowed seven hits and four runs. Huebner set down four batters on strikes and walked one in his two-inning stint. He allowed two hits and one unearned run.

 

Tigers 5, Melrose 3

OK, the Monday story: it was a 5-3 win by the orange and black over Melrose, here also. As in the 'Waska game, we overcame an initial deficit. We surged to this 5-3 win over the Dutchmen. 

The first inning saw the Dutchmen plate three runs. We matched that in the fourth to create a tie score. Then we vaulted forward with a two-run push in the sixth. 

RBIs were picked up by Durgin Decker, Kaleb Breuer and Trevor Buss. Our hitting attack was modest - just four hits - and Breuer had two. Plus he scored two runs. Let's look at pitching where Brandon Jergenson worked the whole way. He fanned eight batters and walked one while allowing three runs and six hits. Errors by Melrose fueled the Tiger cause. Melrose pitcher Devin Orbeck allowed just one earned run. The Dutchmen are having a .500 campaign.

 

Music-less UMM graduation

Yes I'm disheartened there was no band or choir for UMM's graduation. I wasn't there - no coincidence - but I assume my well-placed info sources were correct on this. My online comments on the subject got a response from an alum. From his email:

 

On another note, I am deeply troubled by hearing that UMM has no band or choir performing at graduation. I don't know what to say. That's beyond unacceptable. Absolutely 100% unacceptable from my view point as an alumnus and someone who bled UMM Cougars back in the day - but now find myself not being as proud as I once was of my alma mater.

 

I shared this with one of my well-placed sources who sought to explain the music-less situation:

 

I think that there was no band at graduation because of the fact that Simon's (Tillier) student numbers were down considerably second semester, so he wasn’t comfortable performing at such a public venue. That would be compounded by the fact that graduation is after “get out of your dorm room day," so even more students would be gone. One would assume that the choir was in the same boat.

 

I thank both these individuals for their input. I might seek now to lecture the younger generations about commitment. So, my little screed on this would include the following: If you have the privilege of being in UMM band or choir, you should just put the graduation date on your calendar and plan to be there even if there's no other pressing reason for you to be there. It is important and it is fun. 

I personally played in the UMM band back around 1969 and I could not have imagined the commencement ceremony without it. We set the atmosphere with "Procession of the Nobles." I'll never forget it. My "ax" was French horn.

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

We hold breath to see if mowers start

An MTD mower, my brand. I got mine at Eul's.

The weather is smiling on us, finally. This isn't to say we won't have some more of the unpleasant stuff: wind, cool temps and gray skies. Have you ever felt more annoyed by persistent winds? 

Our mowing can be delayed. All over America, people are getting ready to pull their mowers out of the garage or wherever they've been kept. And then, to find they won't start! 

I generally have good luck with this, have had years when my MTD mower starts on the first pull in fact. "Eureka," one might proclaim. 

Can tech come to the rescue, as it has on so many fronts, to alleviate the worry about mowers? There are troubleshooting videos of course. But you'd better have an array of tools for disassembly. 

Are you ready to take the plunge into battery power? Would probably be less hassle than what I've described here. Surely a cleaner process.

I have the gas-powered: both a rider and the MTD push kind. 

It is 8:30 a.m. Wednesday as I share these thoughts: biscuits and gravy morning at DeToy's. That's a nice anchor for getting through the day. And the day looks to be pleasant enough. Yesterday (Tuesday) was quite pleasant. For the first time this year I bicycled the whole circle of the biking/talking trail. That's 4 1/2 miles. I thought of the very long winter when everything was desolate out there. Hellscape? Well, on some days - make that many days. 

The "overlook" is along bike trail.

The nice weather is too belated in arriving this year. Can't get that thought out of my head. En route to the river I pass by the softball complex. Whether biking or walking, I always pass by the place. Work is surely continuing there. It's not cheap, that's for sure. So the long-established UMM softball field with its distinctive brick dugouts ("Cougars" emblazoned) is completely torn up. Heavy equipment and trucks were rumbling out there Tuesday, coming and going. So I'm not sure it was safe to actually have an MACA softball game on the grounds. 

The danger is compounded by vehicles continuing to be parked on both sides of Prairie Lane. This despite new signs which prohibit parking on the north side. There are three such signs: "No parking this side." Am I interpreting the signs correctly? If I am, scofflaws abound. No one is paying attention to the signs, it appears. So, these people run the risk of getting a ticket from law enforcement? Will we see such efforts start? 

 

Tigers host Lakers

The MACA softball team hosted Minnewaska yesterday at the new varsity field. It's a stone's throw from where the very intensive work is being done. And the work accomplishes what, exactly? The long-established UMM field was a wonderful home for the Cougars. It was right across the street from the east UMM parking lot. At present the idea is to get the diamond established on the opposite side from where it was. So it will be next to the pressbox - I suppose that's the aim. 

The idea is for diamonds to be in a narrow circumference around the pressbox. So the pressbox people can monitor everything better? But what about this question: Will batters be facing the sun in an undesirable way? As I proceeded home yesterday, I noticed the sun getting lower in the sky (to the west of course). I then noticed where the new diamond would be, and I wondered: Will batters be looking into the sun too much in late afternoon or early evening? When else do the games get played? Let's keep an eye on this. 

Whatever, it is FAR more trouble than it's worth to have destroyed the former UMM field. As construction proceeds at present, and as people continue to park in a madhouse way, maybe the MACA games should be moved temporarily to the familiar old location of Wells Park. Wells has everything, even some off-street parking on the south end. 

The Cougars have played games at Big Cat Stadium, a real spectacle to enjoy. Big Cat is a dream for the fans. The new Holmberg Field is a nightmare for the fans. The fans' interests count. The people behind the complex planning appear to think not. I greatly disagree on this. 

 

How about more PR?

As of Wednesday morning I cannot find even the score of the MACA softball game vs. Minnewaska. That's a shame. I have checked in all the usual sources, even the "Minnesota Scores" site which has become the go-to place for score/schedule information. Nothing. I'd like to suggest to coach Mary Holmberg that she become more pro-active on this. Just use email and get the essential game info to the local news sources, ASAP. It's not too much to ask IMHO. 

But she'd probably get mad at me for any suggestions I'd make. The late Laura Carrington, school board member, once said to me: "Brian, I think you should know you're not the only person who Mary has yelled at."

Why is it necessary for the National Anthem to be played before game's start? It's a recorded version of course. But why? It just makes me (and others I'm sure) think of "Make America Great Again." I would type "MAGA" but it could get confused with "MACA." 

Holmberg no doubt gets game info to the Morris newspaper. But hell, the next print edition of the paper doesn't come out until next Tuesday. This is not acceptable! Would Mary yell at me about that? Former MAHS administrator Mike Martin considered timely coverage to be very important. Sometimes I thought he got a little carried away.

 

Seed vision for bike trail

Back in 2010 I wrote a post on "I Love Morris" about how Cary Birch of the well-known Birch family here was the early visionary for the biking/walking trail. He developed the idea in a Boy Scout project. Cary's brother Craig was in my high school graduating class (1973). Their dad was Morris mayor. You may click on permalink below to read my 2010 blog post. Putting up this link reminds me that I now have a very long history of writing online.

http://ilovemorris73.blogspot.com/2010/04/bike-trail-fulfills-dream-of-old-scout.html

 

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

Can parking be controlled by new softball facility?

The authorities allowed parking to become a spectacle at the softball complex last spring. The biggest madhouse was for the first-ever game, the dedication game. None of this surprised yours truly. 

Now, belatedly, the authorities are trying to do something about the parking. I was taking a walk last week along Prairie Lane which has long been part of my favored walking route. In the old days I would have said "running" and not "walking." I make concessions to age. Could I run again? Like Kevin Wohlers does? Doubtful. My experiments go nowhere. 

But let's get back to the story of last week. I was just out walking for the usual reason. Then I stumbled on sort of a news scoop: There are now signs along the north shoulder of Prairie Lane. Do not park on that shoulder, we are told. I wonder what regulatory agency is responsible. The city? The University? 

Certainly I applaud this effort to try to protect safety. A year ago we learned of the estimable Mark Ekren advising the community about safety issues with parking at the softball complex. Once the advisory was issued, the proper authorities were on notice that maybe something should be done. My view is that the present actions would have been advisable at the start, the very start. 

People piled into the place for the first-ever game. Parking had to be described as an adventure. Perhaps

Keep an eye on development, please

"Ek" was mainly talking about parking in the grassy area to the west of the varsity field. People improvised to find parking spaces there. There was no real layout. Maybe people should have been assigned to guide vehicles into suggested parking spots. But it all struck me as haphazard and I could have seen it coming. 

I got around the congestion issues that day by riding bike! Allen Anderson arrived on his riding lawn mower. It was noisy while people were speaking. I recall the P.A. system being lousy. Poor Allen - he was not going to be alive much longer. He passed in summer. 

At present we see the "no parking this side" signs along the north shoulder of Prairie Lane. I compliment the entity that has taken action with that. The next question becomes: will the fans/public respect these signs? High school sports fans are respectful and orderly people, aren't they? Well, a measured response to that question. 

On Friday night I departed from my house for my favored supper at Stone's Throw. I swung out to the softball complex first. I knew the Tigers were playing a 5 p.m. game. Sure enough, there was the expected activity there. And what about the parking there? Well my goodness, it was no change from last spring. Did people not see the multiple signs? Did they see the signs but think to themselves "the hell with it?" I'm thinking maybe the latter. 

Will any new steps be taken? Will there be an "information campaign" to get people to respect the good-faith restriction? Will people be positioned out there to advise motorists? And if all else fails, will we start seeing vehicles ticketed? A whole lot of vehicles? If it's a city rule, then we might expect a whole lot of people to maybe show up at a council meeting? They'll express dismay. High school sports fans always expect to be catered to. They are such emotional people. 

If the signs are there but there's no discernible enforcement, then what? Would a certain entity be liable for lawsuit if someone gets hurt? You see, vehicles normally travel along Prairie Lane at a speed higher than in town. Kids or other people could dart out from in between parked vehicles. This is not a marginal danger. If someone gets hurt, I will not be considered a pest with my observations. But none of us wants to see anyone get hurt. 

 

Other activity

There is new work going on at the softball complex, where I've been a skeptic for a long time. The former UMM field has now been torn up, with the brick dugouts having been removed. Is it so essential to have the diamond moved way to the other side? The old UMM field was a wonderful facility as home for the Cougars. I passed by on several occasions when games were being played there. Everyone had such great fun. Fences were short enough for most people to see over. This isn't true with the new varsity field. 

I recently observed a game at Holmberg Field where not a single fan was even trying to view from the third base side. That would be a natural vantage point. I saw some fans sitting out by the outfield fence. Is that where they would really choose to sit? I don't think so. It's too hard to watch from the third base side. You're too far down the foul line and it's hard looking through the fence at that angle. The ground is susceptible to getting muddy and it's uneven. 

The aluminum bleachers behind home plate are only good for about 1/3 of the space. So I saw fans standing behind the bleachers trying to get a good view. This is not desirable at all. Fans who come here from other towns are going to be upset. The person charging admission for post-season games must have a terrible time trying to collect money from people who sprinkle in from all directions. The fans don't get "funneled in" at all. 

I will repeat my opinion that the MACA and UMM softball teams should play all of their games at Big Cat Stadium. Big Cat is absolutely fantastic for the fans. It has to be exciting for the players too. I think the Tigers would love it there. But this community has already made the commitment on the softball complex which is on low ground. That can be bad news in the spring. 

What does the future hold? Well, maybe the organizers can twist arms at the state level and finally get the state to move in here with its resources, construct a parking lot and other stuff. In the meantime they have tried to wring all the private money they can out of people. Maybe that's a template or strategy now: plead for private money for as long as you can, then get the state to take over. 

Of course the state could have done it from the get-go. Fred Switzer didn't have to open his checkbook. I would have opened mine if I had been approached at the start. I was not. I kept a rubber band around my checkbook. All right, I have more than one checkbook.

 

Tigers 9, Melrose 1

Now, on to my favorite kind of blogging re. softball: coverage of the Tigers. The May 5 action was in Melrose. The Tigers were in top form with a 9-1 triumph over the Dutchmen. We jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the first inning. 

Our pitcher Yasmine Westerman made sure Melrose put up a string of zeroes. The lone Melrose run came home in the sixth. The Tigers' line score was nine runs, six hits and two errors. The Melrose line was 1-3-3. Following our big four-run first, we proceeded to score one run in the second inning, four in the fourth. 

At bat, Westerman had a hit, a walk received and two runs scored. Brienna Dybdahl was a force with her two base raps, two runs and two RBIs. Then we see Cate Kehoe wielding her bat for two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Sydney Dietz entered the mix with a hit, a run and two RBIs. Bailey Hottovy walked and scored a run, and Briauna Backman earned a base on balls. 

The three Melrose hits were off the bats of Brooke Meyer, Kaydence Bertram and Jasmine Fleischhacker. 

Westerman as pitcher was overpowering much of the time: 12 strikeouts. She was also a bit wild with seven walks. So while Melrose got on base a fair amount, Westerman shut the door. She allowed three hits and one run which was earned. 

Melrose pitching was done by two: Marnie Grieve (the pitcher of record) and Ellie Grieve. Marnie pitched five innings, Ellie two. Marnie allowed nine runs but only one was earned. She struck out three batters and walked three. Ellie allowed no runs and one hit, while walking one batter and fanning one.

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

McDonald's "kiosk-only" can be insurmountable

The Morris McDonald's (tripadvisor image)

There was a time when Morris seemed too small to have a McDonald's restaurant. Willmar considered it big news when McDonald's came there in the early '70s. Morris did have the "Quik Stop" with its burgers priced at the start at 19 cents. Of course that comes across as a shocker now. 

Inflation is upon us as I write this. A well-known Morris restaurant (not McDonald's) raised prices as of Monday. But it's a phenomenon that seems all over. Surely it's in the news as we hear about an inflation rate of 8.5 percent. An awful lot of people with fine credentials look at that and say it's a low-end estimate. However, I do not sense any real inflation shock out and around. 

Restaurants attract people at the usual levels, it appears to me. I had to leave DeToy's and come back later on Sunday because of congestion. I'm told they'll have their buffet again this coming Sunday. The buffet surely helps ensure value even when prices are inching up. 

Remember the Yogi-ism? "That restaurant is so crowded, nobody goes there any more."

Let's consider our Morris McDonald's. A little sentiment comes into play for me. When I left the Morris newspaper, I began going there almost every morning to socialize with Brent Waddell and Glen Helberg, among others. It helped get me through the adjustment I was experiencing. Glen has left this life.

My last days with the Morris paper had been highly unsettling. The company in charge then has since left town, ignominiously IMHO. The manager under Forum Communications disappeared from the role when the new regime moved in. That's the current regime. I continue to feel PTSD about the idea of working for commercial media, sad because I actually lasted 27 years in that environment. It will define me to the end of my days. 

I should have written down the prices at McDonald's at the time I began my post-newspaper habit. Oh, Mike Miller was often there and was fun to engage in conversation. I should have had a notebook with me, to jot down his recollections of the UMM goalpost incident of 2005. The incident happened just a few months before I left the paper. I believe that is not a coincidence. 

I did not even witness the goalpost incident. I ended up "trapped" at the Sun Tribune office the rest of that weekend, unable really to field queries about it. The queries were streaming in unabated. The Internet seemed nascent in those days, still. So there was always an assumption that the local newspaper was the go-to source for elucidation on big happenings. Today the news or gossip flows through social media so readily. In fact, social media can be a conduit for big news in lieu of the commercial media. 

Mike Miller and Glen Helberg are both deceased, RIP.

 

News via social media

When Jim Carlson died last winter, news finally flowed through social media. The news was hard to come by at first. Word is, partly that was because of Carlson's own wishes. Naturally his friends were going to try to seek it out, with tenacity. 

A celebrity who was handled like this was Tom T. Hall. Finally an op-ed got generated because of the issue of relying on social media so much. It was one of those op-eds that "had to be written."

Tom T. Hall was the great country singer/songwriter of course. His cause of death had an unfortunate stigma: he took his own life. Through eons we have seen the affected families be restrained in having such news come out. The op-ed writer theorized it was time for a re-examination. The writer felt a celebration of life was still called for, with robustness that might accompany anyone's life. 

Suicide is not uncommon. Unfortunate? Well yes, but the time comes for all of us. 

Social media! Seems such a new term. But how ubiquitous it is. "It's on Facebook" has become kind of a refrain. The City of Morris used this in "scolding" people who claimed they had trouble finding updates on the city's snow removal emergency actions. Go to the City of Morris website? What makes you think it would be there? "It's on our Facebook page."

 

Strange new world

Something else that's new: the "kiosk" ordering system at McDonald's. I'd be happy to use it if I knew how. I have tried a couple times, sans any lessons. No dice. Of course, the option remains of being able to place your order at the counter. But I discovered that McDonald's was often discouraging this, even with a large homemade sign that reads "kiosk only, sorry for any inconvenience." 

So I was being told to get lost, frankly. 

I learned that persistent customers would probably end up having their orders taken the old-fashioned way. An employee who I know personally told me "we'll take your order if we're not too busy." Clearly the priority for them now is drive-through. Drive-through did not exist for anything when I was young. How can our culture change so much? 

Can you imagine how people of the '60s would react to the prices being charged today? Can you imagine our surprise if we were transported back to the '60s and saw the sign offering Quik Stop hamburgers for 19 cents? 19 cents! 

Well, I finally got frustrated enough with the Morris McDonald's to send an email to corporate. I'm geeky enough to be able to do that, even if I cannot handle the kiosk. Here is the email I sent, on April 24:

 

Hello, I'm not in habit of making these sorts of comments. A while back, our McDonald's in Morris MN began putting up a homemade sign at counter: "kiosk only," and then "sorry about any inconvenience." It was there intermittently. The word has gotten around that essentially, the restaurant does not want in-store counter customers. To support that, I can tell you that this morning there was a bunch of guys at Caribou Coffee who used to be at McDonald's on Sunday mornings. So I asked them if they'd switched due to circumstance I just described, and they said "yes." It does appear that if you walk in and are patient and/or persistent, they will in fact take your order. One employee who I know personally said "we'll take your order if we're not too busy." That's verbatim, and I'm a little taken aback. So they clearly prioritize drive-through. Is this OK with the higher corporate people?

 

Here is the nice response I got from McDonald's corporate, on April 25: 

 

Hello Brian:
Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience at the McDonald's in Morris, MN with me. Your feedback is very important to us as it allows us to better understand how we can improve our service to you.
I am sorry for the unsatisfactory experience during your recent visit. Please be assured that we want to provide you with an exceptional experience every time you visit us. From your email, it is clear we did not meet your expectations. Again, I am truly sorry we disappointed you.
I want you to know that I have already taken action on your feedback. After reading your email, I immediately shared the information you brought to our attention with the local franchise owner of the restaurant you visited. Additionally, customer feedback is reviewed with our regional McDonald's consultants as part of our ongoing commitment to improving our restaurants' operations.
Again, Brian, we appreciate your business and thank you for sharing your feedback.

Deanniel
McDonald's U.S. Customer Care
 

What now?

I wonder about the fallout. I have told a couple friends I sent the email. So I'm cautious about going back for a while. I'd be happy to get a lesson on the kiosk. I just haven't found anyone. I need a geeky girlfriend. That could be the name of a song! I need help with ATMs too. 

I appreciate the generous response from Deanniel of McDonald's. The Internet age isn't always impersonal. I'm sure the corporate people worry about the extent to which they can raise prices. At what point will people start changing their behavior?

I wonder what my old friend Glen would think of the kiosk. Remember him from carry-out at Coborn's? Coborn's is a closed chapter of Morris history. I think the 24-hour store made Morris a better town.

And Prairie Pioneer Days is coming back? Or something like it? Sounds like it might be a private business promo, from what I've read. But the City of Morris has joined hands. We're a strange town sometimes. Is there still a Chamber of Commerce?

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