alexandriacardinals

http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=58671&SPID=6403&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=205085728

On the OMG side, Angela Christianson, according to the following report, is OK after being hit by a car on her way home from basketball practice at Drake. She is having a terrific freshman year, and we hope she’s back on the court soon:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110203/SPORTS020404/110203039/Drake-women-s-basketball-Angela-Christianson-hit-by-car

So, what’s the deal with this basketball team?  I don’t think anyone saw this coming – except Wendy.  We saw her during the summer, and she said we’d be good.  But this?  I thought last year’s team was one of those once in a generation teams that was surely our best chance to make the state tournament.  And we were the best team in the section, but stuff happens.

All we had to do this year was replace both starting guards from last year as well as a Division 1 player who averaged over 25 points per game.  We had two 6’1” athletes coming back, Sam and Alli, so I knew we’d have a good base.  Last year Lauren was the “6^th-man,” and Joie and Cara got some playing time.  Well, my biggest surprise is how good Lauren and Cara have turned out to be.  They are both 5’9” – that’s big in high school ball – and replaced guards who were 5’3” and 5’5”.  Lauren seems to be able to score at will within the flow of the game without ever taking a shot from farther out than 10 feet.  Cara seems to have the perfect mentality for a point guard – she may be the best shooter on the team but seems disinterested in scoring herself.  And they both play defense and rebound.  I could tell last year that Joie was a good athlete – this year she has become a basketball player.

[Pardon the interruption.  We went to the Central Lakes Concert Association concert (surprise?) by River City 6.  They are from Pittsburgh.  The Super Bowl is today.  Pittsburgh is in the Super Bowl.  The concert was moved up.  We didn’t know it.  We got there just as it started.  Had to sit in the bleachers rather than on the floor.  We actually liked it better in the bleachers – better sight lines.  They were very good.  Then we went to Mom’s.  I had gone earlier to check on the house but the garage door opener didn’t work.  I took the garage door opener home and put in a new battery.  The light indicator came on.  But when we got to Mom’s again after the concert, it still didn’t work.  Went to the neighbor’s and got a key.  Ran water in sinks, flushed toilets, all else seemed fine in the house.]

So, one year after I thought we had a once in a generation team for a town this size, we have a team that I think is even better.  Go figure.  Now I know the season is a long way from being over, but this is the kind of thing one writes about when one has no interest in watching the Stupor Bowl.  I’ve seen the competition – and, like last year, we’re the best.  But again, stuff can happen.  If you live within hollering distance of this missive and haven’t seen the team play yet, I heartily recommend that you do.  They are great fun to watch.

And next year?  (Aren’t we getting a little ahead of ourselves?)  Well, we lose the whole front line, so obviously we’ll be . . . shorter, for sure.  But Lauren and Cara are back at guard, and you can always build around good guards.  Whitney will be the size, Amanda (Angela’s little sister) will be a sophomore ready to roll, there are some girls now on the JV who can really motor up and down the floor.  Hmmmmm.

More from the Trumm files – the Brainerd, Tech, and/or Sauk Rapids games:

[The 1-3-1.  The constant double-team.  The Storm is overwhelmed.  Everybody gets PT.]

[Varsity “backs up” the JV in Brainerd.]

[Mo Eigen v. Sauk Rapids.]

[Brianna Ebert, 5’9″ senior, player-of-the-game v. Sauk Rapids.]

[Emily Peck, 5’9″ junior v. Sauk Rapids.]

A very sad week. The Cardinal hockey community was shocked by the death of Verd Anez. Verd was an assistant coach for the girls’ team during the four years his daughter, Michelle, starred, including the state championship year of ’07-08. And for the members of the Alexandria Golf Club, we lost Don Carlson, a great guy who for many years oversaw, supervised, planned, coordinated, and babysat the Tuesday morning senior men’s league.  We’ll miss him.

[Michelle and Verd Anez, Parent’s Night, December 2007.]

http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/82002/

[Don and Mary Ann Carlson, August 2010.]

The girls’ hockey team, all of whom played for Coach Anez, then had to go on the road twice during the week to play two big city schools – they lost 6-1 at Hopkins and 3-1 at St. Cloud. They have one more game – at Moorhead next Tuesday – before the sections begin. The boys’ hockey team was also on the road this week and picked up a nice win at St. Cloud Apollo, 4-3.

We missed the boys’ basketball game this week. A home victory, 61-42, over Brainerd that evened their overall record to 7-7. It was in competition with our usual Thursday entertainment at SAWA, and the supervisor was up for an evening with the Salty Dogs. Erik Schultz, Tom Mulder, and Bill Riggs were at the top of their game, and a lovely evening was had by all.

Last night was my lone venture into live sports coverage for the week. The Cardinal girls’ basketball team was hosting their fellow Cardinals from Willmar. Willmar had recently ended Sartell’s undefeated season, so we were expecting a tough match up. The game induced such anticipation that Walleye Willie (see video) made his first appearance at a game this year. I saw Bill arrive and sit courtside with Martin Haar; so I left my usual nosebleed seat and went down to join them – Dusty joined us by game time. We also noticed Super Fans, the Hoymes and the Halversons, had their usual seats above us.

[“Capturing” the staff photographer “capturing” me.]

It was a unique game. Unbelievably, Willmar did not make a basket until there were 5 minutes left in the 1st half – a two-point basket, that is. And they only had two such in the entire half, and six for the entire game. They did, however, make 6 of 7 threes in the half, and I think at one point were 9 for 11 in the game, until they had to start firing them up from all over later in the game. The reason for that again was the Cards athleticism was dominant – the game was in hand early on. Our Cards led 43-29 at the half and cruised to a 70-49 win.

[My attempt to catch Sam winning the opening tip.]

[Lauren and Cara at the line; post-game.]

Alli Haar returned to action after missing two games with an ankle sprain. We were concerned she might be coming back too soon, but she looked fine. It was great to have her defense, passing, and rebounding back on the floor. The Trumm sisters, with their incredible quickness, led in scoring again. Lauren had 24 and Sam had 18. Lauren had 18 in the first half, almost all on lay-ups by blowing by her defender or in transition. And when Sam gets the ball in the post, she just spins by her defender for lay-ups. The Cards’ bigs – Sam, Alli, and Whitney – dominated the boards for a 53-23 rebound advantage.

[Alli in her moral support role in the previous game.]

The team’s record is now 16-2. With 5 of their remaining 6 games at home, they should be able to wrap up a great season. Their last two games – at Fergus and hosting Sartell – will be “revenge” games.

The band, Walleye Willie, and 2nd half warm-ups:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthobert#p/a/u/0/jqc0bMj6bRM

Yesterday, while places such as Houston and Tucson were enduring temperatures in the teens, the ole car thermometer was registering 35 here in Alex. Puddles and slush everywhere – the joys of a mid-winter thaw(?). [Can the golf season be far behind? Dusty said he saw Warren Gibson yesterday, and Warren said he won’t be golfing this year because of Rose’s health.] Next week, the temperatures will be seasonally back in the teens below zero making driving much easier!

And finally, for fellow U of M alums, last week saw the last days of Harvard Market – a place noted for providing easy access for dorm rats to stock up on such nutritional food items as 6-packs of Cokes, chocolate eclaires, and large bags of chips!

[This started as an e-mail to his burgeoning legion of fans – but the scope grew too large. For the complete story visit “Basketball Dan” elsewhere in this site.]

This is beyond stupifying. I can’t believe there’s anybody else even close to this “level of achievement.” Of every major sports venue in the country, Basketball Dan has now seen a game EVERYWHERE, except for Division 1 basketball at Mississippi Valley State, where his effort at completing such was snowed out in January. The attachment is his complete list! Long live the King! All I can say is . . . well, I don’t think he’s seen a girls’ hockey game in Fergus yet!

[Addendem II to my blog story of him, by e-mail dated February 2, 2011, from The Great One – the list is complete: I’m glad you sent the follow-up message . . . I have indeed hit a stadium for each baseball, football, and basketball pro team. However, there are a few new facilities that I haven’t been to:
Have Attended – Have Not
————————————————–
Foxboro Stadium – Gillette Stadium
Texas Stadium – Jerry Jones Palace
Shea Stadium – Citi Field (but will get at this year’s US Open Tennis)
The Met, Metrodome – Target Field

And there are a few new college basketball facilities: at Louisville, Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Oregon (I’ll get that in a couple weeks), Quinnipiac, St. Joe’s (I’ll get at end of Feb) built since I was there last and a few more under construction: Texas Arlington, Bowling Green, Troy, Nebraska, that I know of.]

Just today, a new missive: Will there be a ‘summer’?….I jokingly told someone I was hoping for “high 40’s” this weekend in Houston…but no, their forecast is for 2-5 inches of snow this afternoon through tomorrow morning, and rolling blackouts following the freezing rain. Campuses at Rice and Tx Southern have closed till Saturday noon !!

He has tried hard to maintain his anonymity, for reasons of his own.  However, through the years he has been sighted by paparazzi at various locations throughout the country.  The following are but a few examples:

[The John Hancock Building, Chicago, 1973.]

[Memorial Stadium, Gopher football, 1975.]

[Camping at Zion National Park, 1983.]

[Angels’ Landing trail, Zion National Park, 1983.]

[Bryce Canyon, 1983.]

[San Juan Islands ferry, 1984.]

[Yosemite, 1988.]

[Sequioas, 1988.  I believe he’s giving the “We’re No. 1” hand gesture.]

[Lost Lake, Oregon, 1985.]

And finally, the list: arenas&stadiums

Enjoy!

So, as the country endured the latest of the storm to end all storms, here in the Sun Belt we enjoyed another beautiful day – so beautiful, in fact, I took a stroll through the neighborhood just to prove it:

Yes, it was beautiful here – and a balmy 16 degrees below zero.  Oh, I hear you say “beautiful and balmy” at 16 below zero?  Well, compared to Fosston which was 46 below zero today.  But look – it’s a bright, sun shiny day, a beautiful fresh coat of snow from Monday, little wind.  Compared to most of the country, a quite lovely day.  There are real weather advantages to well below zero – usually sunny, little wind, air so crisp and clear you can hear normal conversations on the other side of the lake, snow packed roads at these temperatures aren’t slippery.  It’s great.  We’re warming up again to the teens and 20’s the next four days – and that means four days of predicted snow fall (warmer, more moisture in the air,  snow).  Thank goodness, by next Monday we’re suppose to be 16 below again and all will be well and tranquil.

There were games last night.  Even without Alli, the girls’ basketball team won handily as expected, 72-32, at Sauk Rapids.  Lauren had 32 points, again, with 8 steals – I’m guessing if you saw the game you would have thought she had 12.  Sam had 16 points and 8 rebounds; Cara had 10 points and 5 assists.  And everyone else also contributed to a now 15-2 team.  It’s too early for the photographic evidence, so more photos from the Trumm files from the Brainerd and St. Cloud Tech games beginning with Sam winning the opening tips:

[Lauren (above) and Joie meet and greet the Warriors.]

[Award-winning shot of Joie v. Brainerd.]

[“Beat (or words to that effect) the Warriors!!”]

[Lauren (above) and Whitney meet and greet the Tigers to JHS.]

[Whitney capably filling Alli’s slot.]

[We won!]

The girls’ hockey had another trip to the Cities again last night.  Don’t know much about the game other than we lost 6-1 to Hopkins.  The shots on goal were close, so I’m thinking it must have been a competitive game except for the part about sticking the puck in the net.  Here’s a couple of our key players, as “borrowed” from the Echo Press, who will both be back next year:

[Rachel Finley, junior forward]

[Shelby Iverson, sophomore forward]

Meanwhile, back at the weather bureau, a further report from the kids in Central Indiana:

Finally, we end again with our travel reporter, Rog, in Hawaii: