"CC" facing vicissitudes of big-time sports

No introduction needed (rolling stone image)

A comment that I posted to a Yahoo! News article on May 16:

For those new fans of the WNBA who are watching just because they want to see CC continue to be a superstar, I don't think this is the best path. Maybe she will be, but I think it's best for the new fans to pick a team and root for it.

 

"Dominator Dog" responded:

Continue to be what? She has been shut down the first two games with more shutdowns to come.

 

Sports fancies

Nothing like a Thursday night where the sports world is nearly consumed with WNBA enthusiasm. That was the state of affairs last night, May 16. The WNBA has been plodding along in obscurity. Maybe unfair but that's the way it is with sports entertainment. 

People all over were aware of the Thursday game that would of course have "CC" in action again. The former Iowa Hawkeye. So sad: people want CC's pro career to be a reprise of the fairy tale-like story from when she was at Iowa. We would all be so thrilled to see it happen. 

What was I expecting? You can never know in sports, but I had a feeling she might stumble a notch or two. She has had her moments thus far. She is so sharp with her passing that sometimes her teammates aren't expecting it. The Indiana coach is taking quite a bit of heat. Indiana got absolutely trampled Thursday night at Indianapolis. 

I wonder what the controversial sportswriter there will say. Doyel? That's his last name and why doesn't he spell it "Doyle?" He appears to have violated his own temporary "gag order" with his paper. "Gag order" has appeared throughout the media in connection with the hugely depressing Trump trial. One thing about the "CC mania" is that it takes our attention away from the surreal trial scenes in New York City. 

So Judge Merchan is biased? His daughter somehow figures into that. Doesn't his daughter have a right to be active with a political organization? Surely the Republicans won't object if there's a background of supporting Republicans or MAGA or any other entities within that smelly swill of the American public. 

We'll have a test out here with our congressperson being primaried from the right. Amazing. The incumbent did not even want to accept the election results in 2020. And now she's not good enough or loyal enough. 

 

Just do this

Right now the priority everywhere should be just to make sure that voting is open to everyone - no unreasonable roadblocks or intimidation. Republicans are talking like they'll be having poll-watchers everywhere. Have you ever seen this in Stevens County? Is it ever likely to happen here? Heavy-handed intimidation just by virtue of their presence? 

Hancock went wild voting for Trump in 2016. Will it happen again? Will they even vote for Michelle Fischbach? 

What about Judge Merchan being biased? Well, in the news this morning we learn that Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito had our American flag flying upside down with a "stop the steal" message exactly like Trump's. Our cherished American flag flying upside down? Isn't that sort of treasonous? I mean being done by a U.S. Supreme Court justice? Do they take an oath of being loyal to America? 

Do Alito and others like him, e.g. Clarence Thomas' wife, really want to see a total overthrow of the American government? To be replaced by what? A sheer autocracy? Maybe so. 

 

Escape into hoops

Well, for the time being we can feel some enthusiasm following the WNBA which historically gets so little notice. So here we are early in the season, heading toward June and we're fixated on basketball. 

The Timberwolves get a fair amount of attention and enthusiasm. But the women's basketball thing has become a phenomenon. If it were not for Caitlin Clark, I would not even know who Katie Lou Samuelson is. 

The Indiana "Fever" have lost twice with the second game being the ballyhooed home opener. I found a livestream video by someone using his phone at the arena. He could not show the actual game. It was a crude presentation but I didn't care. I felt like I was there at the Indianapolis arena. The enthusiasm just gripped me. 

"CC" is the only reason I went searching for any such video. I would be oblivious otherwise. And that is sad - I'm not proud to say it. 

None of us should feel any natural or moral obligation to follow a pro sports league. Circumstances have to build up for earning this. So, the memories are so fresh of Clark's Iowa experience which seems in looking back like a blessed fantasy. Really truly. The video highlights are going to seem stored in amber. 

We cannot rule out anything for Clark's pro career. Athletics is by its nature (pretty much) unpredictable. Right now on this late May day of 2024, Clark's image has fallen some. If you were expecting the girl to give a repeat performance of her other-worldly accomplishments with the Hawkeyes, you are going to be disappointed and deflated, at least over the near-term future. 

Can you hang in there? I am trying to show the proper attitude of appreciating all of women's basketball. Clark has clearly been the catalyst for all this. So I'm familiar with Katie Lou Samuelson and others. I also remind myself that our University of Minnesota women's basketball program ought to work harder to elevate itself. I'm happy for Iowa, a state with no big league teams, but Minnesota ought never accept a back seat to Iowa. 

I can't name one player with the Gophers, unfortunately. Didn't the Hawkeyes rather dismantle us? 

Let's focus on the present and what is likely to happen with Clark and the Fever. Will the bottom drop out for home attendance? That would be unfortunate. How will our "Lynx" do against the Fever? Sorry but I cannot name one player with the Lynx. I can name a player with Las Vegas and that's Kate Martin. Kate played side-by-side with Caitlin at Iowa. Maybe I'll start rooting just as much for Kate as for Caitlin. Kate can definitely pull her weight with the pros. 

Here I am writing at length with my wellspring being the WNBA. Isn't that terrific? I think so.

 

The biggest accomplishment? Here's Katie Lou

Be like Katie Lou?

Maybe Clark should actually sit out this pro season, the idea being she needed a rest from the rush of reaching the heights of college Division I play. Seriously, maybe she should have considered getting pregnant and having a child. Take a year off, have the child and then suit up again with the idea that she'll accept whatever role her coach wants. Katie Lou took off a season for this reason! Katie Lou looked pretty good Thursday for the Fever. 

Photo at right is from "Indy Star."

Clark and the fans could float back down to earth. We'd all realize that we cannot see a total reprise of the lighting-in-a-bottle magic of Clark's Iowa career. Call up the videos, those beautiful videos of the Hawkeyes with the short and sweet "Iowa" name on the front of uniforms. As I have written before, "it doesn't get any better than this." 

But "go Fever!" Oh, and "go Lynx!"

 

Addendum: Remember the song "All I Owe Ioway" from the 1945 movie "State Fair?" It was a Rodgers and Hammerstein composition.

 

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

Doubleheader sweep on the baseball diamond

We're in a time for giving considerable thought to our local public school. The big graduation day '24 is coming up. There's the referendum where I suppose we cannot assume anything as far as the outcome. Can we? My recent memory tells me the referendum (referenda?) are slam-dunk for passage in this community. I must say it seems surreal for someone like me, age 69, who remembers from the '60s when it was like pulling teeth to try to get a referendum passed. That is no understatement. 

Our school thoughts are always close to what is going on with co-curricular. Since the kids are what it's always all about, I'll place my focus now on Thursday baseball results. Wonderful to get the opportunity to type some kids' names. It has become much harder to find timely update info online. Today I am in luck, so I can report on a doubleheader sweep on Thursday in Tiger baseball. 

The action was here in Motown. A friend tells me this a.m. that the Tigers are "still in the hunt" for the conference title. An interesting expression: "in the hunt." Well we're in contention. Now I have to look up if it's "referendums" or "referenda." 

"You say potato" etc.

 

Game 1: Tigers 6, BOLD 1

The Tigers worked to a 2-0 lead by the end of three innings. We went on to score one in the fifth and three in the sixth. The lone BOLD run came home in the fourth. Our line score was six runs, eight hits and two errors. BOLD's numbers were 1-3-3. 

Drew Huebner was our winning pitcher. Wow, he fanned 13 batters! And he walked just one in his six innings. He allowed the one run but it was unearned. Looks like we might be relying on Drew in post-season. Jackson Hallman had his arm called on to pitch one inning. He set down two batters on strikes. 

Let's look over the offense, so here we see Andrew Marty with a walk received and a stolen base. Riley Asmus walked twice, stole a base and scored a run. Ozzy Jerome socked a double, drew a walk, drove in a run and scored two. 

Kaleb Breuer had a two-for-four line including a double. Kaleb stole a base, scored a run and drove in two. Owen Anderson came through at two-for-four with both his hits doubles. His bat made noise! Owen drove in a run. 

Alex Asmus joined the parade with two hits in three at-bats, plus he walked and drove in two runs. Johnny Kleindl added to the mix with a hit. Hallman worked the pitcher for two walks, plus he stole a base and scored a run. Ashdon Hacker stole a base, drew a walk and scored a run. 

The losing pitcher was Hayden Edwards. BOLD's hits were by Tate Sheehan, Max Benson and Emmitt Flann.

Game 2: Tigers 10, BOLD 3

Our offense really got unleashed! Ten runs on eleven hits in this 10-3 triumph to complete the sweep. The orange and black shot out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Then we came through with a big inning in the fifth: seven runs. BOLD was held scoreless until the fifth. 

We committed two errors while BOLD had four. The Asmus boys did our pitching. Riley was the pitcher of record. He worked five innings and gave up four hits while striking out seven and walking three. The one run he allowed was unearned. Alex Asmus hurled for two innings. He fanned a batter and walked two. 

The losing pitcher was Max Benson. 

We had a number of offensive contributions again. I am pleased to be able to share here. Andrew Marty went two-for-four including a double. He was also hit-by-pitch. Andrew stole a base, drove in three runs and scored one. 

Oh my, Riley Asmus got hit by pitch three times! That's amazing. Just accidents? Hmmm. Riley was able to hit when the ball came in normal: his boxscore line included a hit. He scored two runs. 

Ozzy Jerome had a hit, scored twice, drove in a run, drew a walk and stole a base. Kaleb Breuer had a hit and drew two walks. Kaleb also drove in two runs. 

Owen Anderson scored a run and stole a base. Alex Asmus had a hit, a run scored and an RBI. Johnny Kleindl had a hit and a run scored. Jonah Huebner went one-for-one with his hit a double. He drove in two runs. Ashdon Hacker was also a perfect one-for-one. Jack Kehoe had a hit and drew a walk. 

Landen Gibson worked the pitcher for a walk. And Jackson Hallman had a hit, a run scored and a walk. 

Three players each had two hits for BOLD: Hunter Malvin, Jack Kaiser and Emmitt Flann. Flann had a double.

 

Sharon Martin

Say it ain't so!

Visited Caribou Coffee this morning as I often do. Was pleased of course to see Sharon Martin in the parking lot. She has an ankle support these days but that's temporary. We need Sharon in good shape for walking her charming dog "Goldy." 

My encounter with Sharon brought me some shocking news. "Say it ain't so" but Sharon is resigning as a teacher! She'll be manager of the Willie's bakery dept. I told her how much I liked the fresh-baked muffins from there in the morning. Problem is, I have to have one every time I'm there in the morning! 

Leaving teaching! I could not imagine it, as I thought she really took to it. And that the kids took to her. However, sounds like the stresses of the occupation are catching up to her. How could any student or any student's parent possibly give Sharon a hard time? If you can't see eye-to-eye with her, you have problems. 

I went to high school with Sharon's older sister Edith. Was pleased to see Edith back in Motown for a visit recently. Edith and I graduated from Morris High in 1973. In those days I was a "stringer" for the Morris Sun Tribune newspaper under Arnold Thompson. I am a true old-timer having done work for Arnold. 

I wrote about Sharon and her twin sister Sheila when they played softball under coach Mary Holmberg. Sharon has a teasing way of referring to her twin sister as "my evil twin sister!" I am an only child and I try to understand such things. 

Will the upcoming school referendum pass? Is there really any suspense with these things any more? I doubt it. Everyone just has a ton of money I guess. I have Gossamer wings when I pay my property taxes (or maybe not).

Sharon Martin in the winter with "Goldy" in background.

 

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

Bruininks was here for sunny graduation

Our surroundings have sure been "wet" lately. Well, moisture promotes life, right? And surely things will dry out some as temperatures make their eventual creep upward for this time of year. It's the time of year when we can focus on graduations. I think it would be good for everyone's morale if we could have an outdoor UMM graduation. Weather has been a hindrance in too many years. 

We have been blessed in some years like when Bob Bruininks came here to speak. I remember that one especially well. Ah Bruininks whose last name required some acclimation for typing properly! It was easy after just a few times, at least for me. I did suggest the alternative phonetic spelling of "Brunix." 

Bob Bruininks of the U

You might remember Bruininks as the U president with the background of really loving our UMM Jazz Festival. The Festival equates with memories of the late Jim Carlson. Jacqueline Johnson spoke about how all college programs and the colleges themselves have built-in permanence and when someone exits, someone else simply steps in. She said the principle applied to herself obviously. She shared her remarks at the time Jim exited UMM. 

I know Carlson did not feel good about all the circumstances surrounding him at the time of his leaving. Many of us have to adjust to such things even if we have a hard time understanding them. Even if we see very little logic to it. Sometimes the world just changes too. There has been a drop-off in the number of college-age kids. We could once count on a flood of such kids to arrive on campuses in the fall. 

We could count on kids partying like crazy for Homecoming at a place like St. Cloud State. At present I feel the college and its community have succeeded in slaying the dragon of that image. I really do. So today if you mention "St. Cloud State" you are not guaranteed to arouse a smile based on the old image. And of course there were many students whose conduct was not consistent with that image anyway. 

I hear that the UMM Jazz Festival this year was quite fine. It may no longer follow the mold that Jim set up, but hey, there was a time when the institution had to end its "UMM men's chorus." Ahem, that just happened to be the ensemble that was closely associated with my late father. I cannot tell you in what year it ended. And I don't know for a fact that it ended because of the political issues with having such a gender-specific group. Would it have been OK if there was a female-only equivalent? 

Gender acknowledgment seemed essential back then. So, I remember the term "mixed chorus." Mixed with boys and girls of course. It's understood that my father wanted to establish the men's group, as one of his biggest claims to fame was having conducted the Apollo Male Chorus of Minneapolis. Back to the '50s! 

UMM has gone through changes like all higher ed institutions. Part of that, though far from being the only part, is the diminished number of college-age kids out there. Just as significant are the changes to our whole culture in the digital age of communications. We must hope UMM can adjust. I have opened my big mouth too much saying that UMM might have to adjust its fundamental mission, that fundamental mission having always been "liberal arts." Unfortunately, I guess, I expressed this viewpoint some even back in the pre-digital days. 

Of course we all endorse what the liberal arts basically represent. The question is whether such formal institutions need to be devoted to them, institutions with their instructors who can spin things in ways we sometimes find objectionable. And in the Internet age we have direct access to all the knowledge we might find useful in understanding our world. 

 

Illness report

We got sad news this week, as a UMM music event at our Morris Public Library had to be canceled. I saw the poster at the library with the handwritten "canceled due to illness" on it. So I inquired. Our friendly librarian Anne informed me: the illness was of the director Simon Tillier. I later heard he had to go to the hospital and was then sent to St. Cloud. 

Simon Tillier

It's Thursday afternoon as I write this, dearly hope that everything is panning out for director Tillier, he of the British sound to his voice. Mom and I might have started talking that way ourselves. You may be even more familiar with another trait of Simon's. Being all over on his bicycle! And this seems to cover every month of the year. A real intrepid soul. 

Simon is master of the clarinet. I hear this is the instrument of specialty for our high school band director too, Wanda Dagen. Wanda has some important concerts coming up. Check these out, put them on your calendar. 

The public library is where I check out the newspapers: Morris and Minneapolis. Anne told me "I never see kids with the newspapers." Ah, a signal for where society is headed with the media! Who could have predicted that Litchfield and Hutchinson would be literally losing their newspapers? Apparently no new buyers could be found. 

So what's up with the future of our newspaper here? It has been through substantial downsizing since the days I worked there. Sue Dieter reportedly told the staff how much better things would be with me gone. It sure didn't turn out that way. Signs of downsizing in various ways began cropping up not long after I left. UMM has chosen to have Dieter on its payroll. I view it as a bureaucratic position. Why didn't she stay with the paper? Was she given the option to stay? I mean, when the new ownership took over? 

I find it hard to root for Reed, sorry, because of his repeated points where he seems to imply the government ought to help newspapers. Or facilitate them or whatever. A partnering of government with newspapers is just folly IMHO. I think as inflation gets worse, as it almost surely will, more people will cut out the local newspaper from their expenses. 

Don't you think it's strange that the paper has this nice "sports" link on its website and this is almost 100 percent UMM Cougar news? That has baffled me for some time. I like seeing local sports news when it's fresh.

 

I observed this week's Stevens County Times at library, then sent this email to a friend:

 

WHAT GIVES? I looked at photo at bottom-left of front page. Take a look yourself. Four individuals in photo. Looks like Mr. K at right. Are these individuals identified in caption? As in "left to right," so we know who the heck the honored kids are? The paper has committed this type of oversight repeatedly. I would be called dumb in all sorts of creative ways if I did it. Dumb and lazy and whatever. I'd risk being shouted at.

Why can't the paper straighten this out?

Just went to Casey's for a snack, I came right out and told them right away I'm not in their rewards program.

- BW

 

I shared further with my friend about the paper's error and other things:

 

It pains me to realize how routine it was for me to "make my rounds" and take photos and jot down notes so everything was clear for a photo caption. It doesn't even take any special training. I would never have committed an oversight like you see in the new paper, and if I had, my God the insults I'd have to take from all over.

I am quite certain that life in Litchfield and Hutchinson will proceed quite fine when they have no paper. The fact that the papers are closing means that no new owners could be found. I don't like seeing Reed's opinion pieces about how the government needs to help newspapers. I can't think of a worse idea. But of course everyone wants government money.

The thing about covering local schools that about drives you nuts, is that they never can get enough money and the teachers can never get enough money. And the Morris teachers look so upset now, we all have to fear it will affect their performance and enthusiasm just like it did in the 1980s. The football coach is one of the leading complainers.

Harold LeVander

Minnesota had a governor once, Harold LeVander, Republican, who couldn't believe that the education establishment was never satisfied. He thought the state had done some good things for education. But no.

The newspaper will run a "correction" by simply running a thorough caption on their WEBSITE. Neat trick, they've done it several times. Maybe one of the people in the photo will write the caption for the paper, since the paper has trouble doing it.

- BW

 

My learned friend responded with this observation: 

Levander backwards is "Rednavel."

 

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