The MACA Tigers' wild ride to victory the previous week was not to be repeated. The Tigers took the home field Friday amidst gloomy and wet conditions to play Perham. I did not feel up to even stopping by, sorry.
I cannot write the kind of upbeat review post as for the previous week. The previous week saw our Tigers accomplish perhaps the most dramatic win in program history. There may be rivals for that distinction. I remember a dramatic come-from-behind win at Paynesville in the Witt years. This was after I left the Morris paper but I did blog about it.
I had to revise my initial post on that game because I used info from a disastrous review in the West Central Tribune. The Paynesville coach would have called in the info. Or maybe he had the team manager call it in. Thanks to our Lyle Rambow for taking the trouble to email me and alert me to the wayward WC Trib review. I was able to make some corrections like to get the name right of the MACA Tiger who caught the game-winning pass. Seems to me it's essential to get that right.
Today MACA athletics is no longer in the official coverage territory for the WC Tribune. However, I get the impression they'd be willing to accept calls from our coaches.
Perham 21, Tigers 6
Perham came here at .500 with 3-3 W/L numbers. They left here having climbed over .500. This was with the defense-heavy 21-6 win over the orange and black. Their coach, Jesse Hein, said he prepared his team for a cold weather game.
The coach has to be quite satisfied with his team's defense. In back-to-back weeks the Yellowjackets have allowed just one TD. He wanted his team to pressure the QB and it did. Perham's offensive line was up to the task. It lunged forward to help runningback Hudson Hackel gain 115 yards on 18 carries. He scored a touchdown.
Perham took the 7-0 lead on a big 59-yard run by Hackel. The Tigers struck in the second quarter with a seven-yard run by our signal-caller Drew Huebner. Our extra-point try was blocked.
Our satisfaction wore off quickly as on the ensuing kickoff, Mason Happel went off to the races for 91 yards and a signal of "TD" by the refs. Perham got its third touchdown on a drive of 13 plays. The QB Blaiz Schmidt scored on a run from the two.
So the score is 21-6 which stood up as the final.
The Tigers have one game left in the regular season: what we used to call "the MEA week game." So it's on Wednesday. It will be at home. What kind of coverage of the MACA/Perham game do you see on the Morris newspaper website? Or the kmrs-kkok site?
UMM football
I am profoundly puzzled by something. A check of the UMM football schedule shows we defeated Westminster College on Saturday. I personally stopped by the field while on my afternoon walk on a nice day to be outside. But I am puzzled: the online schedule for UMM shows we'll be playing Westminster again this next Saturday.
Can't acceptable opponents be found that are closer? And who the heck has ever heard of "Westminster" before? What kind of school is it? They sure do not appear to have anything close to a competitive football team.
Such long travel for a mismatch. For both of us I guess. The Cougars won 45-0 on Saturday.
We're not talking two different "Westminsters," are we? One cannot rule that out. I still miss the days when UMM played the well-established state colleges of Minnesota like Winona and Moorhead. These opponents were known quantities. But this coming Saturday we're headed to Fulton MO. Never heard of it.
I'm pleased to share below another update on my views with certain relevant matters for us in Morris and connected to UMM. Over the past five years I have gone "against type" and tried to maintain a nice warm positive relationship with UMM. But darn, I come up against headwinds. My cross to bear. Below is an email I sent Saturday evening to my fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson, the lawyer. Nice to have friends who are lawyers.
I begin with an aside about Rudy Giuliani who is putting a stain on the legal profession. Then I launch into areas germane with the U of M. I should say "our beloved U of M" although they do test us often. Thanks for reading.
Hello Warrenn - Well is Rudy Giuliani setting a nice example for your legal profession? You couldn't get any higher than him: lawyer to the president of the U.S. And it's not that he's just absent-minded now, he seems to have corrupt intent - that's the most surprising thing. The way he attacked those two poor women in Georgia. If George W. Bush had a top lawyer who got in this much trouble post-presidency, Bush would issue an apology to the public for the lawyer's behavior. It looks like the Apostolics will vote for Trump again.
I walked home from the library today and passed by Big Cat Field. Cougars were leading 38-0 when I got there and 45-0 when I left. My goodness, who were they playing today? Amazing to note the contrasts between UMM athletics of the 1970s and 1980s with today. Back then we really wanted lots of big fast and talented athletes, whereas the idea today is just to stay in this very weak conference with weak opponents and then feel good whenever we win.
Saw in Star Tribune state news section today, page 1 of section, article re. U of M. If you read between the lines, you'll note there is pretty substantial tension between the U and legislature now. Both political parties are alienated. Lack of trust is evident. That's not good. So UMM needs $ to update the multi-ethnic building? That building is just a square box type of design and it goes way back in time. It has not been worth the trouble maintaining it, and the "sentiment" isn't worth it, the history. Not worth it. Forget about that. There could be a commemorative sign there.
The Homecoming music concert has always been a pretty big deal. I have enjoyed it greatly on many occasions. Well, this year there was a $10 admission charge. Outrageous, and I don't think this is a minor matter. I wasn't there but a friend told me about it. I got back to that friend later and asked, "was it really a $10 charge or was it a suggested free-will donation?" I was told in no certain terms it was the charge. He reported that others were upset also. The excuse: The music dept. needed some $ for something. Well of course it did, it always needs money just like the whole U is that way now. It seeks money so relentlessly while appearing to scale back programs and activities as much as possible. Every time the U does something, it costs money.
Two years ago I was irate that the big spring band/choir concert was in Alexandria with no repeat performance here. That was "Alice Through the Looking Glass," jaw-dropping.
When UMM started, music was in the present-day multi-ethnic building and all concerts were at Edson. Theater was there too, and from my perspective all of that was quite good.
I noticed today that UMM football still has the "University Rouser" song playing after touchdowns. I noticed a bunch of cheerleaders but they were not wearing uniforms. I wonder if this was an informally organized group or if it had an imprimatur. When was the last time we had a pep band? Again, we have a music major offered here. I'm sure in a past time, the effete "academia" element of UMM rejected traditional things like cheerleaders and pep band, because that's just how they were - I think you understand. But that has changed. Also, I am positive that the kids who show up for games are totally respectful toward anyone. I have the impression that UMM would not tolerate foolishness on that front. Man, when Imholte was here, there was all kinds of foolishness and arrogance and I think Imholte actually liked it.
If you were to hear a straight instrumental version of the original UMM "fight song" written by my father, I think you'd like it. It was very mainstream-sounding. I'm one of those people who actually remembers the UMM pep band playing this under my father at the "P.E. Annex." We are a shrinking circle. I'm just out to defend my father? No not at all, because I will point out that the fight song had a flaw with the second line of lyrics. Also, I think Dad was a little archaic with his approach to lyric writing. He wrote stuff that might have been "cool" in the 1930s. Brad Miller did not direct the "UMM Hymn" once the whole time he was here, even though that's the time when Mom and I were shoveling so much money to the U. But as I have said to friends, I wouldn't want UMM to perform anything by my father where they have artistic issues. They'd need to have their heart in it.
Let's see, Gophers not playing today. Schizophrenic Tigers lost last night in a yawner with terrible weather. It's a great day today to be out for a walk.
Remember how aggressive Mark Yudof was in asking the state for money? Perturbed the heck out of Jesse Ventura. Ventura gave a famous quote: "For all the money that the U is asking, maybe I should run it."
A good comment online recently: "Maybe the U should just hire a Paul Giel type and let the University run itself."
It is interesting how even the Democrats are getting nervous about the U now. Usually Democrats can live with some largesse in public education. Looks like the board of regents has been through an upheaval. Again you'd have to read between the lines from the Star Tribune. House-cleaning? Powell was done in as chairman when he did not have an immediate appropriate response to Sviggum. I think Sviggum had an appropriate comment he wanted to make, then stumbled ridiculously with his word choice. Are the regents simply overrated? It has been a "landing strip" for political VIPs who have gotten in trouble, like Wendell Anderson and Dean Johnson. Poor Dean Johnson, got in trouble because of a minister with a secret tape recorder!!! Wendell has left this life due to mental collapse, and I wonder if his extensive hockey playing background caught up to him (head injuries).
Remember when Charlie Berg talked about the Native Americans "sending smoke signals?"
- BW
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