"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

The late Ralph E. Williams with "Heidi" - morris mn

The late Ralph E. Williams with "Heidi" - morris mn
Click on the image to read Williams family reflections w/ emphasis on UMM.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Full parity with the men's game

Caitlin Clark
Have trouble going "cold turkey" from basketball this time of year? I mean, after the area high school teams are all done? Have trouble floating back down to earth, to the real world of the usual mundane stuff? Time seems to move slower, doesn't it. 
There's no real need for the "cold turkey" experience. Fans can cling to the hoops sport thanks to the collegians. For many years we have largely paid lip service to the women's game, as we sought to demonstrate that it was on par with the men's. The admiring comments might have seemed condescending. The men's game still attracted the more serious attention. 
A fascinating op-ed appeared in the days since University of Iowa notched its latest NCAA tournament win. Commentary about officiating. Nothing unusual about such a dust-up. The point being made, though, was that the protests over the Iowa game were issued with the same level of seriousness and emotion as for a comparable men's game. 
The writer asserted this as good news, signaling that at long last the women's game had arrived. The writer used the same word as I just did - condescending - to reflect on how an officiating matter might be broached in the past. Well, the women's game was merely complementary to the men's game, right? We wouldn't admit that. But it was rather the status quo for a long time. 
Caitlin Clark is just the catalyst for what is going on. A superior talent, most obviously. But college women's basketball has been established all over for a very long time. The op-ed writer noted that the present phenomenon of Clark and Iowa is like a turning point. And it made an impression on me because I could certainly sense the truth.
A part of us is charmed by Iowa because it has no big league sports. A complementary state to Minnesota? Do Iowans cheer for Minnesota teams in large numbers? I have never known the answer to that. 
Iowa most certainly has its Hawkeyes. Their women's basketball team blew our Gophers right off the court. Should fans rise up and demand remedial action for our U of MN women's program? Wasn't Lindsay Whalen shown the door not that long ago? Silly rabbit, former stars do not necessarily make great coaches. The truism gets ignored so often. Ahem, it has even been ignored at our Morris High School. 
The MACA boys team gave us a pretty exciting ride this past season. The girls? Not really. They lost to begin the tournament. Fans are entitled to their opinions: mine is that the Tigers should have gone further. Kaylee Harstad is sometimes my weekend server at DeToy's. Addison Cihak is my neighbor. 
And now the excitement of Iowa women's basketball makes us realize how truly captivating the women's game can be. Not at all "complementary" to the men's/boys game. Of course that should have been realized all along. 
Now that the college women's game has 100 percent "arrived," we can expect officiating controversies to arise with the same level of seriousness as in the men's game. This is now clearly demonstrated in the days since Iowa defeated West Virginia. 
I don't care so much about details of the controversy. Favoritism toward Clark? Is that it? Let others hash that over, as I am simply enthralled by the Clark-led Hawkeyes. Clark is the complete package and that includes how she carries herself off the court. Not to be minimized here, in my mind, is that she has no tattoos. I am simply annoyed by tattoos, find them totally unnecessary and lacking taste. Are tattoos a way for people to compensate for a lack of positive self-image? I'm just asking the question. 
Clark is definitely heterosexual. While I may embrace all people, I do have some inclinations on this. So, Clark complements her other-worldly talents with traits that I find quite appealing. And I am prepared for her to lose. While Iowa may have blown away our U of M Gophers - ugh - they did not have a cakewalk through their first two tournament games. It took them time to get going in game 1 vs. Holy Cross. They did look pretty in command by the end.  But beatable too, and in round 2 the beatable aspect was most evident. Clark definitely showed her talents. But a blow-out this was not, versus West Virginia. 
 
Clark scored 32 points and added eight rebounds and three assists as her Iowa team defeated West Virginia 64-54. Now it's on to Albany NY for the Hawkeyes, there to face the Colorado Buffaloes. Yours truly just put up a post on my companion blog, "Morris of Course," with the headline "Easter approaches and we cheer for Hawkeyes." You may click to read. Thanks.
https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/03/easter-approaches-and-we-cheer-for.html
 
So now it's on to face Colorado in the "Sweet 16." It's an Easter weekend game. I'll be searching for livestream, will probably have to settle for audio-only. For the West Virginia game I found a dude doing a live video podcast. An African-American young man, lively and fun-loving and with his emotions invested some. Perfect. So at one point he described Iowa on offense when Clark let fly with a long one. Instead of saying "she made it" or "good," he uttered an impulsive profanity - "J.C." - in the context of him just being amazed at what he just saw! So I was not offended. 
This is the kind of reaction that Clark inspires. Some people might criticize me for being so late in finding true excitement and entertainment in the women's game. Well I'm sorry, a mea culpa from yours truly. But I am finding it, accomplishing this while not taking our Lord's name in vain. Especially leading up to Easter. 
How do y'all feel about Easter this year? I mean, with Donald Trump hinting that he is to be likened to Christ, and with his big "Bible sales" of this week? 
So Christianity is truly on a plane with MAGA now. Do you buy that? My concern is that this equivalency of Christianity with MAGA will seriously begin to erode the foundation of Christianity in America. Don't say I did not warn you. 
I'll stick it out and go to church this year. I'll go to a church in the ELCA which has kept its distance from Trump and everything he represents. Our "liberalism" has hurt us. Is it really "liberalism?" Or is it just good sense? Rhetorical question. But my, my church of First Lutheran once had three services on Easter Sunday. And now it's down to just one. How the mighty have fallen. 
But actually I'm planning to attend Faith Lutheran in Morris for their 7 a.m. service, and then to have breakfast there afterwards. Faith has two services planned for Sunday. At present it is the stronger of the two ELCA churches in Morris. 
I think you can count on Good Shepherd Church just outside of town being quite supportive of Trump, no matter what he does.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Monday, March 25, 2024

Witt-coached Cardinals fourth in MN

Coach Forrest Witt (kxra image)
Once again the Alexandria boys basketball team has brought home elite-level hardware at season's end. Alex has a habit of taking their fans on an excitement-filled ride for the post-season. The season gets quite long. Everyone associated with the Cardinals loves it. For the third time in a span of four years, Alex collected top-level state hardware. 
Yes it was bittersweet at the end. That's the way it is when you finish fourth in state! So many programs around the state would love to finish at such a level. Finishing fourth has one little problem: it means you lost your last two games. The air comes out of the bubble in the semi-final game. In that game you're still in the running for No. 1 which is the goal that most players say is the only thing they care about. Is that really true? Or, is it more of a learned behavior that they speak that way?
So the air comes out of the bubble and then to add "insult to injury," so to speak, you play your next game at a second-tier facility. Most likely it won't be Williams Arena. The Alex boys with coach Forrest Witt took the court at Gangelhoff Center in St, Paul. The name bugs me: sure it's coincidence but this name is the same as for the central figure in a long-ago academic cheating scandal at the U of M. Let's see, Jan Gangelhoff. Can't help but share a little trivia now and then. 
Alex plays in AAA which means it's a pretty big school. We should not assume that all AAA teams are awesome with competitiveness. They are not. We often see one-sided scores in state games involving these schools. The best of them are surely elite. And the Alexandria Cardinals are No. 4 in the 2024 tournament. 
Here's a toast to the fourth place in state Alex boys and Morris native Forrest Witt, their coach. I'm sure a certain father of the coach is exuding considerable pride. That would be Jerry, long-time football coach here in Motown. Forrest is one of the three Witt boys who played quarterback for the Tiger football team, going back to when our home field was Coombe field. 
I remember Taylor being involved in a game at Big Cat where both teams scored over 40 points. Donnie Eich had a fun little reflection on that wild affair, calling it a "sandlot" type of game. I do believe Morris won. Coombe Field fades into the recesses of our memory. (I'm old enough to have had Bill Coombe as a teacher.) 
  
DeLaSalle 58, Cardinals 53
Alexandria was defeated by the Islanders of DeLaSalle in the state third place game. The score was 58-53. Alex could taste potential victory through the first half, to be sure. Alex led the whole half, was up by five at the halftime buzzer 25-20. 
The game became very tight as the second half unfolded. With six minutes remaining, the score was tied 41-41. And it was the Islanders who found the "mo" the rest of the way. They outscored Alex 17-12. They got up by seven within the last minute. 
Hmmm, "DeLaSalle," sounds like a private school. We always hear voices about how private schools have an edge. When I was a kid, the public schools were all together and then we heard about the Minnesota "independent state basketball tournament." Funny thing is, the independent thing got negligible attention compared to the public school affair - it was like an afterthought. Eventually I think the private schools lobbied to get out of their obscure situation. Don't ever bet against Catholics! 
The game-high scorer was Ray James Jr. of DeLaSalle with 16 points. Alexandria was led by Chase Thompson, junior forward, 13 points. 
Two losses at the end remove just a wee bit of luster for Alex, as take a look at their final won-lost of 25-7. They've been in the state's top four in three of the last four seasons. 
Four seniors depart from this year's roster: Grayson Grove, Bralyn Steffensmeier, Dawson Roderick and Evan Moore. Grove is headed to the U of M. 
 
A real family affair
Sometimes my info sources for blogging are limited. That's an understatement, unfortunately, when it comes to Morris Area Chokio Alberta basketball. As for Alex, just now am I getting the background of two young Witts being on the Alex Cardinals roster. I could have written about this before. I see that Mason Witt is a sophomore point guard. And, that Talan Witt is a sophomore point guard too. 
Both sophomores? Must be twins! I read the rest of the roster from "Maxpreps" just to see if there's a third! Looks like two. Lots more excitement lying ahead for the Witts and Alex Cardinals basketball. 
Oh my! There's a "Scholl" on this roster too! I wrote last week about Chloe Scholl and her third-in-state Cardinal girls. Now I see Blake Scholl on the boys roster. Certainly he's the son of the former Heather Lucken, Morris native. 
Maybe next year I'll try to post regularly on Alex basketball. And maybe even to drive over to Alex a time or two. I'll contend with the "roundabout" if I use the Glenwood route. My car is getting old but it seems to be humming fine now. I can't buy a new car because at any time, I could fail the vision test at the DMV. Someday I'll be relying on public transportation.
A photo posted March 15 on "X" formerly Twitter. The Alexandria Cardinals are bound for state!
A fun-loving group: The Alexandria Cardinals of boys basketball!
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Chloe Scholl on third place MN team

Chloe Scholl (from "X")
Interesting thing to note about state is that a lot of the games are really pretty one-sided. You might say this is "counter-intuitive." So again I think of this as I note that the Alexandria girls won pretty handily in their first state tournament game. The score was 67-50 as the Cardinals with Chloe Scholl got past Rock Ridge. 
Chloe is the daughter of former MACA Tiger Heather Lucken. I actually can't remember if we were "MACA" then, maybe we were "MAHS." It gets hard to remember details like this as the years go by. Time marches on. 
It was a treat to see Heather at the wake for Myron Syverson this past week at the funeral home. Honestly, I don't think I had seen her since she graduated from high school. She looked young and fresh. Me? Not so much. Also at the wake I was able to see Jodi, daughter of the late Myron. She was probably in school in the same general time period as Heather. Jodi had one clear forte athletically: gymnastics. She too looked young and fresh. 
Well, Heather has had a lot on her plate as a high school sports parent. She is in the wave of proud parents getting caught up in the best of "March Madness." Getting to state is reaching the summit. Wouldn't it be wonderful to speak in terms of the MACA girls program reaching state? One can never feel sure if the limitations on this are due to "talent" or program quality. It can be like arguing chicken or the egg. Heh heh. 
Heather was in sports in Morris when the school was trying to come out of a prolonged phase of chronic problems with programs. The progress was halting at times. Things did get better. But look at this past season: our girls lost their first game in post-season. I personally think we had more "talent" than that. Chicken or the egg? Now we can think about "next year." 
The Alexandria Cardinals defeated Rock Ridge at Maturi Pavilion. They encountered an obstacle in round 2. It was DeLaSalle which prevailed 82-69 over the Cardinals at Williams Arena. Two days later, the spirited Cards took to the court to play their last game. At stake was third in state. One nice thing about being in the third place game: You have a chance to end your season with a win. 
And that's exactly what Chloe Scholl and her Cardinal mates did on Saturday, March 16. They defeated Stewartville 69-55 at Concordia-St. Paul. I happen to know that Concordia is home of the "Comets." UMM teams once played them regularly. 
The Cardinals finished the season with a 26-5 record, a perfect 12-0 in section, a perfect 14-0 in conference, and 10-2 at the home court. Chloe's grandmother Bev Kieffer surely has to be smiling ear to ear. I still well remember when Heather played basketball. Alex is among the larger schools in the Minnesota "AAA" category.
(Obviously I initially typed Bev's name "Bev Lucken." Good thing I proofread.)
 
Alexandria 69, Stewartville 55
Alexandria hardly owned the third place game throughout. Trouble seemed to be spelled in the first half, partly due to foul trouble. Stewartville took advantage and assumed a 32-26 lead toward the end of the half. Alex bore down to make things closer. Alex in fact crept out to the lead by one point at halftime, 34-33. An 8-1 run supplied fuel. 
Alex showed a winning caliber in second half play as they entertained their fans at Gangelhoff Center. 
The Alex coach is Wendy Kohler. 
The key run toward the end of the first half had MaCee Linow at the fore with two 3-pointers. In all this Cardinal had four 3's in the first half. Her point total for the game would be 17. 
Alex had just a modest lead through the first eight minutes of the second half. Alex produced the decisive spark: a 10-3 run over a span of four minutes, thus a lead of 56-45 with 6:45 left to play. They led by at least nine the rest of the way. 
Alex worked to hold down Stewartville's Taylor Klement. Klement was a force in first half play with 16 points. She went quiet in the game's last 18 minutes: just two points. 
Alex was in the third place game in 2023 as well as this year. Maybe this year's success erased some of the disappointment from 2023, when Alex was stopped by a last-second buzzer-beater by the foe. That score was 57-56. 
Alex can keep its goals set high, indeed, as 16 players are juniors or younger. Chloe Scholl scored four points vs. Stewartville. Hadley Thul was team-best with 25 points. She was followed by MaCee Linow 17, Allie Haabala 16, Lauaren Beyer 5, Scholl 4 and Kate Hennessy 2. 
I'm old enough to remember when Bev Lucken (nee Clausen) was Morris High School Homecoming queen. I believe that was in '65 for a '66 grad. Days of the Morris "Pylin" restaurant across from the school! Maybe even Heather doesn't remember that! It was an "American Graffiti" type of place. I digress for sure.
Most of my youth was spent when high school girls basketball did not exist! Doesn't that blow your mind? Girls were supposed to take home ec. and be in FHA. Well, different times to be sure. 
Today our eyes are focused on Caitlin Clark and her Iowa team, set to play in the afternoon when I'm writing this post. It's 9:30 as I complete the first draft. Good luck to Ms. Clark who has done so much for women's basketball. 
Congrats to Chloe Scholl and the Cardinals on giving fans such thrills. Chloe is a junior, according to "Maxpreps." Let us never forget Chloe's grandfather Rick Lucken. Rick was a Vietnam veteran and one of a kind.
Quite the coach and leader for Alexandria: Wendy Kohler. The banner speaks for itself.
Summer success by the Cardinals
 

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

Friday, March 22, 2024

Cardinals keep their "Witts" about them

Forrest Witt, Alex coach (kxra)
Alexandria has experienced a wild ride with basketball suceess this winter. On this Friday, March 22, the Cardinals sport a 25-6 record. In section: 13-1. Conference: 15-1! And at the friendly home court, sterling 14-1 numbers. 
Holding the reins from the head coaching position is a most familiar name and face for those of us in Morris. It's one of "the Witt boys." Most of you would need no introduction. 
It has been some time since the boys graced our local athletic scene with their talents. Oh, and even longer since father Jerry showed his heroics as UMM student-athlete. Yes, a family with athletic genes, congratulations. 
The mom is Holly. You'll recall there were three boys. The oldest was Zachary, the youngest Taylor, and then the "one in the middle," Forrest. There is probably a psychological profile for people who grew up "in the middle." I know there are conceptions about the "only child" which happens to be my category! 
Forrest is the Alexandria Cardinals coach.
The Witt boys developed into football quarterbacks. As I recall they all got into the varsity scene when relatively young. If my memory is correct after all this time, Zach and Forrest threw lefthanded while "the young one" Taylor threw from the other side. I might write "tail ender" but that's generally a term for a kid that comes along quite long after his siblings. Correct? 
Neal Hofland has described his youngest child as a "tail ender."
I'm old enough to have done press interviews with Jerry when Holly was "expecting." I remember they kept their thermostat low in the cold weather months - at least that was my perception. But hospitable people they were. 
Jerry was a runningback in college. Actually his playing days as a Cougar were during the "black hole" in my life when I wasn't in Morris that much. Spent a lot of time in St. Cloud. Jerry would occasionally tease me with the negative stereotype of St. Cloud State students. Back when SCSU had the "riots" for Homecoming, he teased me with the claim that he thought he saw me in one of the photos. Students did things like set dumpsters on fire. 
Actually the administration liked to claim it was a lot of non-student troublemakers who showed up that weekend. The community or the state clamped down on that behavior eventually. It really is nothing to smile about in reflection. For a long time we did. Higher ed is totally serious and focused now which it has to be, given the expense for the young people. 
Aw, I can still smile a little about the SCSU Homecomings. Homecoming has come back there after a hiatus required by the notorious reputation. 
 
Winning handily
The proud Alexandria Cardinals are in Class AAA. So we're talking fairly big schools. The caliber of talent ought to be high but let's not assume these teams are awesome. I mean, take a look at the game scores for Alex's first three games in the state tournament. Holy mackerel, 86-33 over Willmar - Willmar? - 89-49 over Fergus Falls and 91-46 over St. Cloud Tech. 
I would assume all three of these foes to be on a comparable level to Alexandria. Is Forrest's coaching that good? Let's assume that! 
Alex is a place that has attracted so many "migrants" or "refugees" from Morris. "Expatriots?" Isn't that the impression? A bigger city that has lakes recreation and more amenities of the larger communities. You don't disagree, do you? 
There's something else: a "roundabout" that you have to navigate if you're going from Glenwood to Alexandria. The first time I saw that, my heart could have skipped a beat. 
So many changes we all have to adapt to, all the time. Should my next car be electric? Will the law require it? What about the negatives we read about in connection to electric cars? Won't start in extreme cold? 
I might have suspected that a lot of people get shook when they come to a roundabout. Usually we're correct with such assumptions. And so sure enough, there is a well-known "stealth camper" who spent overnight in one of these things, concealed by vegetation, and he noted many people driving off to the side as they were disoriented. 
I have dealt with the Alexandria area roundabout maybe 5-6 times, have learned that when all else fails, just respect any "yield" signs. Do that and you're OK. Fail to do that and it could be "whoa Nellie." Jerry would laugh. 
 
Finally an obstacle
Alexandria waltzed through its first three games in state, burying foes from familiar cities out here in outstate. Alex was a buzz saw. Eventually things straightened out. Alex won its fourth game but this was a close one, 72-70 over the big city boys of Minneapolis South. But then a loss occurred, 65-62 at the hands of Mankato East. 
They're not done.  Coach Witt and his boys will play DeLaSalle tomorrow (Saturday, March 23) at Concordia-St. Paul. What an exciting ride the Cardinals have been through. Congrats to the red crew. 
Congrats on representing a city that has more going for it than Morris, I guess. Can't you all list former acquaintances who have gone there? Are we holding our own here in Motown? Has the new U of M president come out here to speak and meet people yet? I mean, to give the obligatory flowery speech about how incredibly awesome UMM is with its "liberal arts" purpose? Let me say this: If she does not come out here to the windswept prairie and do this, it could be a sign of trouble for us. 
 
The old football field
I remember the Witt boys playing quarterback at the old Coombe Field. That location is not even recognizable as a former football field now. The museum should probably put together a display. Such a different place from Big Cat. It was more like a "town square" where people gathered and socialized, only partly interested in the football. Big Cat was put up on the assumption that the football games would be everything. 
I think the High School League began tweaking the rules to promote more passing and scoring. This appears to be well-accomplished. I remember many games at Coombe like during the '80s that were just boring. They were boring in comparison to so many of the 9-man games. As a writer in the press, I appreciated more scores to write about. Man, anyone would. 
Memories of the Witts as athletes themselves have faded, although they are indelibly in my own mind. Then again, I remember more than most people. Like of the St. Cloud State Homecoming foolishness. Is a little foolishness healthy now and then?

Cardinals 72, Minneapolis South 70
The high-flying Cardinals with coach Witt met Minneapolis South in the state quarter-finals at Williams Arena on the U of M campus. Alex came at the big city boys with premier "big men" at the forward slots: Chase Thompson and Grayson Grove. They both stand around 6-9. The Tigers of Minneapolis South were undersized by comparison. 
Not that the Tigers couldn't put up a scrap, indeed. 
Grove is committed to the U of M. He scored 26 points and collected 15 rebounds in Alex's 72-70 win. Thompson's output included 18 points, 12 boards. The Cardinals were up big in rebounding, 39-21. The Tigers fared OK despite that height disparity - consider the 40-40 halftime score. 
Witt recalled that the scrappy Tigers "had us out of rhythm" some. The Cards appeared to be seizing the momentum in the second half of play. However, the Tigers went on an 11-2 run. The scoreboard difference was a mere one point with a minute left. 
Minneapolis South had the ball with seven seconds left, trailing by a point. Stewart Scott drove inside and shot. Thompson blocked it! Moments later the celebration could begin for the gallant Cardinals.
 
Addendum: Morrissites often hear someone saying they're "going to Alec." So why is it "Alec" and not "Alex?"  People my age remember the KCMT-TV station out of Alex that was our only station for a time. They gave us "Bud and Natalie" as the afternoon talk show!
Forrest Witt, coach of the Alexandria boys, addresses some young athletes. ("precision basketball" image)

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

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Sadness or inspiration at funerals?

Two funerals on my calendar over the last few days. What can I share here to make clear I have the proper feelings for such times? Probably best not to try. People can feel self-conscious about this. Am I behaving properly? Speaking properly to the survivors? 
I found a very old Bible in my house that had my grandfather Martin's obituary preserved in it. There was another newspaper clipping there. Someone in my family thought it important to preserve that auxiliary little piece. We're talking the year 1933 when funerals had a different sense about them. In a word: sadness. 
You might wonder: Is it so surprising that sadness/grief is a prevailing emotion? Well it has to be, to a certain extent, but today we see funeral businesses describe what they do as a "celebration of life." You no doubt sense that their efforts are concentrated on positive feelings about the deceased, to the extent we can suppress the sheer grief of the loss. 
Maybe it's a trait of my boomer generation that we wanted to avoid the downer of just crying all over the place. It's so depressing, so what exactly are we accomplishing? 
I once bought a book of regional history interest for my mom. The author was from Pierz. He was impassioned about preserving for posterity the customs of living in outstate Minnesota in the period of mainly the 1930s. And he explained how funerals were different. They were meant to be sad. Profoundly sad. So I guess people had no inhibitions about the crying. 
My oft-foolish generation thought it uncool, I guess. 
Let's be in denial? And let's rationalize this on the basis that it's more constructive to remember the positive and use it as a guidepost for the future? Mere rationalization, or is it good sense, good logic? With boomers there's always a sense of being on the right track. We were on the right track resisting the war in Vietnam. Think of the approximately 58,000 memorial services that were required for the poor young men who had their lives snuffed out as a direct result of the war. 
Reflecting on this makes me really feel grief. Young men around the age of 20, just gone. Including our family friend from Brainerd "Dicky" Ungerecht, a war casualty in 1966. "Friendly fire" BTW. We attended his funeral in Brainerd, Mom's hometown. Quite a bit of sadness to be felt at this funeral. 
Maybe the less-sad funerals have come about because people live so much longer today. Yes, they live so long that they are in a very challenged condition at the end. Death can bring some sense of relief in these cases. "He/she is in a better place now." I remember Mom saying that about our 16-plus-year-old Lhasa Apso dog. "In a better place." In a place where age does not begin to afflict your body. God created us with sort of an expiration date. 
My grandfather Martin is buried at Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. Morris does not have a designated Lutheran resting place. Would I care about such a distinction? No. Morris has a Catholic cemetery. You might ask Ted Storck about that. He's a very interesting person and I'd normally feel some affinity with him, given his journalistic-punditry trait, but I was disappointed that he dragged the community through the "chimes" thing. Just plain unnecessary. He could have chosen a better-received gesture. Should not have been hard to do. Why annoy so many people? 
Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery is one part of the overall cemetery there. Not a real easy place to find. I thought I had the directions straight after a cursory check on the Internet. Was not good enough. So I called Glenwood Lutheran Church. Friendly person assisted me. I went out there on Christmas Eve Day at the time of my first Christmas after Mom's passing. It was late-afternoon, still light out. And Glenwood Lutheran Church was about to have its first Christmas Eve service of the day. Was happy to attend, will never forget it. 
 
A Williams place
Martin and Carrie Williams
This was the church of my grandparents Martin and Carrie Williams and the five sons they raised. Dad was the youngest. When I visited the cemetery at Christmas, I could not recall ever having been there before. My uncle Howard and his wife Vi lived in Glenwood through the end of their lives. I was always tickled by my uncle being a big shot banker! Howard and Vi left us long ago. 
My mother may not have wanted to accompany Dad out to the cemetery because Dad may have been troubled being reminded of his father's death. Goodness, Dad was just a junior in high school when his father died a painful death from cancer. The Great Depression was on. Martin died before his time. He was in an occupation that may have exposed him to materials putting him at risk. 
There are small markers for Martin and Carrie at Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. There is a master slab of stone that just has "Williams" on it. Good chance you'll see it as you drive into the place - I'm proud of that. Howard and Vi are buried on the side opposite Martin and Carrie. I wonder if I should have my own ashes placed there someday. 
How to behave at a funeral? The afore-mentioned newspaper clipping was by Emily Post. Her writing hearkens to a time when everyone felt disrupted and sad at a funeral, so people might well worry about saying the wrong thing. Oh, looks quaint now. 
Today, like when I attended Myron Syverson's reviewal (wake?) Tuesday night, I had positive feelings rather than negative, as I would connect with the family including people I hadn't seen in a long time. 
 
Myron Syverson
A suggestion
In my opinion, if there's any doubt about what to say at an occasion like this, think of a little story, just a tiny tidbit of a memory, something plucked from the past to show that the deceased made an impression on you. Not a major event but just a recollection of something that made the deceased special on a personal level. 
So I told Myron's daughter Jodi about how I'd periodically see Myron on his blue-colored bicycle just east of Morris. It was a light blue color, powder blue! Thin tires on Myron's bike which meant he was a serious bicyclist! The thin tires help you go faster, the wider tires give more stability. These new E-bikes are just beyond my understanding. I'll be left behind on that. 
Jodi Syverson was/is synonymous with "gymnastics." Her mom Marilyn had/has her trademark too: "Sons of Norway." I just happen to be the kind of person with Scandinavian lineage who doesn't get into all that - I'm just "American," sorry. 
Myron was such a dashing gentleman - handsome, strapping. He was synonymous with "men's clothing" in Morris through "Palmer's." We had the dueling men's clothing stores: Palmer's and Wayne's! Main street men's clothing stores, once a staple, became dinosaurs. I never took to them and that was my fault or my hardship. 
The Internet instructs me that I grew up with "social anxiety disorder." I always hated it when the clerk in any store walked up to me and said "can I help you?" Shoe stores were terrible with this, plus getting a haircut from a gentleman like Bob Reese. I wish I could have been prescribed pills or something. There probably are pills available today. I needed pills that would have sort of a tranquilizer effect. 
I had no need to be scared of any such people. No logic to it. It was just a tic. I wish I had just introduced myself to Myron in a relaxed way and said with a smile, "Myron, I have some money to spend on clothes but I'm a little hard to fit." 
You see, I grew up when tight-fitting clothes were the preferred fashion for young men/boys. That was not suited for me. Many years later we got the "relaxed fit" and then "loose fit" pants. Suddenly this was acceptable, probably because the average American was getting heavier in weight. So, a matter of practicality. 
My clothes-buying became easier, finally. In high school I didn't have a chance. No chance of asking any girl to Prom. I'd certainly need pills for that too! I'd be lucky to find someone as attractive as Myron's daughter Jodi - effervescent nature too.
Myron Syverson RIP.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Monday, March 18, 2024

A truism borne out again: money

It's Monday morning here in March 2024 as the more typical temperatures have set in. I talked to someone who just got back from Florida and had to remind him that the weather has been overall so mild. Of course weather is fickle in Minnesota. 
One thing that seems a constant is how MAGA stays in our faces. The new thing to hash over on this Monday is the "bloodbath" comment. Once again there are so many apologists out there for what the orange man says. These people know full well there is a scary aspect to Trump when he speaks this way. If society could just settle into a consensus over how the orange man is a truly bad person, we'd all be fine. We could move on. Wouldn't that be a tremendous blessing?
Of course it does not happen. 
 
The underpinning
As is always the case, big money influences the tenor of the conversation. You might say there are puppetmasters. And so we have, in my educated view, the top one percent or even a fraction of the top one percent pulling strings and for what reason? It is clear to me. 
The popular commentators are not going to come out and describe things the way they are. Glenn Beck will sit down with his microphone and spend three hours today trying to make the orange man look heroic and for his critics like Nancy Pelosi to look tremendously stupid. Stupid, vain, cowardly - I could go on about the characterizations offered by such people. It got old a long time ago. 
The people in the stratosphere with their wealth know that Trump will seek maximum power as president. A prime focus for these people is the Federal Reserve. The financial media seems literally to scream continually about how the Fed needs to take interest rates lower again and quickly. 
Background: The Internet has whittled down our attention span and made us impatient. Call it a reflection of "instant gratification." Failure to defer gratification is supposed to be a trait of poor people. But my, those in the rarefied air with their wealth simply must have rock-bottom interest rates at all times! It "juices" their short-term gains, pushes them to the next higher rung on the ladder. Which is what life has become for these people. 
"Can't get enough." 
Isn't this a defect that our Lord has instilled in us? Us sinful creatures? Does any one person really need a billion dollars? We used to think differently about these matters. Think about the days when the Peace Corps was launched. 
I have no doubt that people are incentivized by the profit motive. But my point is that it has become too much, a matter of excess which we as sinful human beings have caved to. To illustrate, just back off a little and try to sensibly characterize Donald Trump as a national leader. He most surely is a leader, what with leading in polls for being in power again. It is most surely "in the cards." 
I have friends who try to dismiss such talk. I don't know what they are really trying to tell me, that we shouldn't waste our thoughts continuing to try to react to Trump? They all smile. So if the fraction of the one percent gets its way, helps the orange man become president again, then sits back and watches as he literally seizes control of the Federal Reserve, you're OK with that?
The Fed is not a daily talk show topic. I assure you that its moves have tremendous consequences. Interest rates are the vehicle for trying to hold inflation down. Frankly we all ought to be troubled by inflation. 
 
Remember 2008?
We can think back to 2008 and realize that the proper remedies were never implemented for the so-called "financial crisis." This may underlie the adversity we are now dealing with. We allowed the financial crisis to be "papered over." A skeptical David Stockman referred to the crisis as "the Blackberry crisis." 
And where did all the free market advocates of Wall Street turn when they began panicking with their "Blackberries?" Well where do you suppose? The government? Well yes. Well, who else was going to help them? 
As a true free market advocate I would have liked to see things play out the way they should have. Put simply, let the chips fall where they may. Free market capitalism, right? But the big operators, the heavy-hitters, were not good with that. They did realize there had to be a sacrificial lamb, so it was Lehman Brothers. Related, Bernie Madoff was revealed to be a scoundrel and so the heavy-hitters trotted that all out to try to prove that Wall Street really is a wholly ethical place. 
And now the richest element is trying to get Donald Trump through the obstacle course of getting back his seat in power. They don't care if he supports Russia and Putin. Their eye is on the prize of Trump taking over "the Fed." Get the short-term heroin fix of lowest possible interest rates again. 
"QE" was seen as an aberration at the start. Holy cow, it has turned into the norm. 
Interest rates exist for a reason. 
Commentators in Trump's first term speculated on whether Trump could indeed influence or take over "the Fed." Because they went back and forth on this, we deduced that there was a possibility. Powell could be terminated "for cause." Well you know what Trump could do with that little detail. He'd say the Fed is ruining the country with its policies. Therefore, "cause." 
A dictator would want control of everything. And if there's resistance, a "bloodbath?" That is what we are all pondering this morning in America. And the Glenn Becks of the world, Fox News et al. are so predictably quick to try to turn the barge around with Trump, to make his statements look defensible. And just as important for them, to make Trump's critics look like absolute hopeless fools. On and on it goes. 
And my friends seem to think it's pointless to bring it up. Yet many of them would vote for Trump again. Our congressperson Michelle Fischbach will probably not let up in her support for the truly wannabe dictator. It appears she would be good with a violent overthrow of the U.S. government. So bizarre, because for most of my life, political conservatives had a defining quality of wanting American life to be peaceful and settled. This was even if they didn't get their way all the time. Now they're good with the "bloodbath" comment.
Isn't now the time for the likes of Fox News to start showing some intelligent reservations? The GOP had the chance to simply nominate Nikki Haley. This should have been "her time." Maybe she'd lose in the general but she'd emerge as the prime conservative spokesperson. Instead we'll have Trump who could inspire his followers to commit heaven-knows-what. 
Trump wants Liz Cheney in prison. And we have learned to never bet against Trump. The very richest Americans are working in subtle ways to bring him back, because of what a return to "QE" would mean for their fortunes. 
How much money is enough? God created us with such human limitations, vanity, short-sightedness and greed. And we all more or less follow along now. Well I'm not. But many local people would dismiss me out of hand. Hope you enjoy seeing your grocery bills doubled.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Friday, March 15, 2024

MACA boys runner-up in Section 3AA

Tigers lost 67-52
The Tigers' long trek of the 2023-24 hoops season has ended. Many wins could be savored along the way. The Tigers were a mere one win shy of making state. Still they were in rarefied air: the 3AA championship game. 
We took our 3AA-North banner into Thursday night play at Southwest State U, Marshall. I know, a long trip to make for the Tiger faithful. I shouldn't assume they minded much. Maybe at my relatively advanced age I would have minded. But I have no newspaper obligations these days. I can still practice journalism - my life's calling. But last night I could retire at my pretty standard time which was about the time the game started. 
The Tigers played the Jackson County Central Huskies at SSU's R-A Facility. 
After lying in bed for an hour I rose to catch the game's closing stages. I'm not sure about these live stream radio deals online. Seems we just get a burst of advertising/promos. So I abandoned that approach and tuned in the old terrestrial radio, KKOK. Unfortunately the Tigers were fading at the end. 
Mark Torgerson's monotone voice couldn't celebrate much. Torgerson described the game down to the end, when the scoreboard showed MACA on the short end, thus having to accept runner-up in section. The Huskies are on to state. Congrats to them. The final score was 67-52. 
Anything on the Stevens County Times website about the game? 
This is the fourth time for JCC boys hoops making state. Previous appearances were in 2016, 2017 and 2020. Asterisk: the state tournament was not played in '20 due to covid. 
Our orange and black crew got off to a nifty start Thursday: a 10-4 lead. But the Huskies fought back with an 8-0 run, good for getting the lead at 13-12. The first half had a back and forth look,. MACA held the lead at the halfway mark, 29-27. Lots of hope and confidence! 
The teams continued fighting pretty even as the second half unfolded. But a Weston Rowe score put JCC up 38-36 and they never trailed after that. JCC went up 48-39 after an 8-1 run. The Tigers, not down for the count, scored the next six points. Alas, the Huskies decisively seized the "mo" for a time: a skein of seven points to create a bulge of ten, 55-45. Just under five minutes remained. 
JCC would maintain a comfortable margin. Grant Freking gave his team an exclamation point with a dunk to end it. 
Roman Voss topped a balanced JCC scoring effort with 23 points. Rowe finished with 12, and Freking and Ben Gallagher with ten each. Others who scored were Carson Pohlman 4, Thomas Liepold 4, Thomas Sether 3 and Aiven Farmer 1. 
 
Both teams young
This is interesting: JCC had five underclassmen starters, MACA had four. The next couple years at least have a promise of great quality. Perhaps a re-match in the offing? Nice, but I hope the game time can be earlier than 8 p.m. 
I'll repeat that we had the unfortunate convergence of the basketball game and the MAHS spring band trip departure. On Thursday the musicians departed for New Orleans. I personally wrote a check to the MAHS band activity fund to help in the venture. The venture eliminated any chance that the MAHS pep band could play. I'm not sure the band would have played anyway, but I always personally recommend this sort of thing: good PR for the music program. 
Pep band is probably the only way many community residents get exposure to our music program. 
Here's a reminder that the annual May concert includes ice cream in the cafeteria! Solos and ensembles play in the cafeteria area, then everyone moves into the concert hall. 
So, the Tigers had four underclassmen starters with the one senior being Owen Anderson. There were three other seniors on the roster. 
"Coach Jacob Torgerson has a nice arsenal returning for 2024-25," my friend Randy Olson of Bonanza Valley says. 
Randy further observed: "The Tigers' 3/4 court press was chewed up by JCC's transition game down the stretch." 
The top MACA scorers were Riley Asmus (16 points), Alex Asmus (12), Drew Huebner (11) and Charlie Hanson (7). Charlie probably feels bad he's missing the band trip. His grandparents advised him this is a life's lesson: "You have to make choices." A problem for school schedule-makers is that we simply cannot know how far teams will progress in the tournament. MACA was only seeded No. 4 for sub-section. 
I wish the MACA girls team had advanced further. I thought they had the potential to do that. I'm not sure Kaylee Harstad reached her potential as a player. I wonder if the coaching situation there could use a shakeup. I'm hinting yes. 
It's great to see all the younger players in the boys program but you can never assume anything about future conquests, I assure you. Everyone wants to win. The key is keeping your focus.
 
Amazing Caitlin Clark
From an email I sent to friend Warrenn Anderson this a.m.:
 
It's amazing to watch highlight videos of Caitlin Clark. I'm more amazed than when I watched Larry Bird. She has almost other-worldly skills. She has instincts in every phase of game, but one thing I've noticed is that she has this technique for getting breathing room for taking a three-point shot. She'll sort of thrust her body forward for an instant, causing the defensive player to back off out of fear of fouling. Then a millisecond later Caitlin puts up her long-range shot. She gets just enough breathing room this way, and the defenses just can't clamp down on her. 
Her instinct with these body movements reminds me of Fran Tarkenton scrambling. He just had an innate sense. Caitlin amazes me too because she looks like a real girl. 
A neat highlight video is from when Caitlin was playing in front of an opposing team's "rat pack" that taunted her with "overrated" chant. She scored time after time and the camera kept panning over to the rat pack. I personally do not like rat packs at all, never have, and UMM had its share many years ago. I suspect that would not be tolerated today as a matter of institutional policy. I think Charlie Grussing had instructions to ignore it. I think Imholte liked it when UMM students behaved arrogant. He would not recognize the UMM of today.

I recently came across a photo of Jackson Loge but he was playing for Concordia-Moorhead. I know he originally committed to Augustana. Maybe he transferred a while ago and I am just now aware. It's harder for me to keep track of things now. Concordia would be a step down, I believe, so Jackson would be following in his father's footsteps. I actually saw a game program for Fergus Falls Comm. College that had Kevin's picture in it. Then he disappeared. I have heard different theories, but I think Kevin realized all along he wasn't going to be good enough for NCAA Div. I, and then he just wanted to withdraw. Division I players are like street fighters. I don't think Kevin fit in with that. 
Looks like the Gophers coach is getting better established now.

Tigers lost last night. Terrible for fans to drive home that far after an 8 p.m. game. The band trip is a much more worthy activity.

- BW