First loss of the summer

The Elrosa Saints Little Dipper baseball team suffered their first loss of the summer when Farming beat them in Elrosa by a 5-4 score on Wednesday night this week. Both the Saints and Flames were undefeated to that point in the Stearns County League. Read about the game here at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's website, including a video clip:
http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com/story/2016/06/16/sports/flames-nip-saints-with-first-loss/299.html

Tonight the B-B-E Legion baseball team plays a Melrose Sub-District contest at Sauk Centre at 6:30 p.m. Also tonight is a home fastpitch game for the B-B-E 17-U Jaguars; they host Osakis at 6 p.m. at the elementary varsity diamond.

Celebrating 100 years!

This is at what is historically known as the Christian Reformed church of Brooten.

I am scheduled to live stream the Saturday night Sing-a-Long "Hymn Sing" at 7 p.m. from the church's sanctuary.

Here's the link:

http://citylinktv.com/channel/brooten-bonanza-valley-voice

(Video) Celebrating 125 years

Here's a short video following Mass yesterday in Elrosa. Bishop Donald Kettler is shown greeting parishioners as they streamed out of church.


Watch for more coverage and photos from this special event in Elrosa in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Live stream of Mass

Here's the link to watch the special 125th anniversary Mass in Elrosa on Sunday...the Bonanza Valley Voice live Internet video and audio stream begins at 10:15 a.m. from Saints Peter and Paul Catholic church. Spread the word!
http://citylinktv.com/channel/brooten-bonanza-valley-voice

I have heard they are expecting over 350 to attend Mass and the free-will donation chicken dinner that follows (catered by the Padua Pub).

All-Star game

A barn burner played out at Elrosa's Saints Field when the Stearns County League and County Line League All-Star game was held last night, Friday, June 24.

The County Line League posted a 2-1 lead in the first inning, and that held up until the bottom of the fifth. Then Kyle Lieser (St. Martin) clubbed a two-RBI triple to put his team ahead 3-2.

Shown is video of part of that sequence of Lieser's game-changing triple:


The Stearns County League ended up winning by a 5-4 score. They scored another run in the bottom of the sixth for a 4-2 lead. Jordan Beier (Regal) and Jonah Johnson (Norway Lake-Sunburg) both scored in the top of the seventh inning on two SCL errors to tie the game at 4-4. Bryan Schlangen's (St. Martin) sacrifice-fly RBI that scored Chad Funk (New Munich) in the bottom of the seventh to cap the game's scoring. Overall the SCL used seven pitchers who combined for 15 strikeouts.

Next for the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is a game on Sunday (1:30 p.m.), June 26 at Lake Henry.

The Elrosa Saints Little Dipper team plays at Roscoe on Sunday night, looking to remain undefeated in the Stearns County League 10-team standings.

100 years

The Brooten Community Church invites the public to events they have on July 2 and July 3 (Saturday evening / Sunday morning & afternoon) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their church's founding. For those not familiar with that church, it was formerly known as the Brooten Christian Reformed church.

Details will be announced in the coming days and also in the June 30 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice.

Oh by the way, tomorrow night (Friday) is the annual Stearns County League vs. County Line League All-Star game. Elrosa's Saints Field will be the host. A special "home run" derby prior to the game will start at 6:30 p.m., and the All-Star game is set to begin at 8:15 p.m.

Bonanza Valley Days on the mind

Mark your calendars!

July 8, July 9, July 10...Friday Saturday Sunday...fun for three whole days in Brooten!

Here's the poster! Click to enlarge the graphic to view the schedule...

Oh by the way, the Redhead Creamery is excited to invite the public to attend their second annual Open House celebration on Saturday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at their location between Brooten and Padua. See more details on their advertisment on page 8 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. Visit their website at www.redheadcreamery.com for more information on their business, as well as the “Business” section of the newspaper’s website.

(HD video) Weller home run

Here's video from Jacob Weller's home run in the final game of the Section 6A baseball playoffs on June 9:


The B-B-E Jaguars Legion team is in the thick of their summer baseball season. They host a game at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 20 in Elrosa.

Clay Trap state

Video from state today in Alexandria:

The B-B-E Clay Trap team competed at the Class 4A state tournament today in Alexandria. Once the third group (of five) shooters from B-B-E took the field, a light rain started. I since learned that they had about a one-hour rain delay but have resumed action.

I heard a few scores in the 40s...and the scores represent successful shots out of a total of 50 clays in the opening round. Anything over 40 is incredible in my book!

With the first round in the books, here are a few of B-B-E’s leaders with their scores in either the JV or varsity divisions (out of a possible score of 50): Ben Feuerhake 40, Isaac Kampsen 40, Dawson Bitzan 38, Joe Feldman 38, Jake Fischer 42, Mathew Fuchs 38, Cody Lewis 37, Tristan Nelson 41, Payton Van Beck 38, Jared Weller 39, Peyton Winter 38, Austin Trustheim 43.

In the Novice division, Jaden Pastian was the leader for B-B-E in the first round with a score of 38 (out of 75 shots).

Dairy days!

The local banks in Belgrade and Brooten are celebrating June Dairy month while honoring our area dairy farmers throughout the Bonanza Valley.

Today at North American State Bank in Belgrade, Stearns County Dairy Princesses Kayla Herkenhoff and Courtney Klaphake are serving dilly bars from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tomorrow, Friday, June 17, NASB in Elrosa will serve dilly bars all day for their regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Fridays).

And in Brooten, Bonanza Valley State Bank will honor dairy farmers on Friday, June 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. while serving ice cream and milk to the public.

We are very fortunate in the Bonanza Valley to have our locally-owned banks who know firsthand how important the dairy industry is to our area.

Thank you, dairy farmers!

State golf

Alyssa Dalen fired an 89 today in the first day of state at Becker. She is in a tie for 18th place.

Emily Wosmek shot a 99 and is in 47th place.

Clay Trap state tournament

B-B-E's Clay Trap target team will be competing in the Trap Shooting Championship this Friday, June 17. B-B-E's first team is scheduled to shoot at 10:30 a.m. Over 1,000 competitors from Class 4A will compete this day at Alexandria Shooting Park in Alexandria, Minnesota. Spectators are welcome and admission is free.

http://championship.mnclaytarget.com/

State fastpitch

Kimball Area, the Central Minnesota Conference champion, went 0-2 in their first appearance in the state tournament. They lost a heartbreaker to Mankato Loyola 7-3 in eight innings, then to New York Mills 5-2 in the consolation bracket. The Cubs finished 21-3 overall.

In Class 2A, former CMC member Rockford Area took third at state and finished a spectacular season with a 23-4 final record. The Rockets won the Wright County Conference West title with a 12-2 record.

Baseball playoffs

In the "Final Three" of Section 6A, the Jaguars have a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth inning over West Central Area.

Final score: WCA 7, B-B-E Jaguars 6. B-B-E finishes 19-7 overall, and they finished in third place (tied with Paynesville) in the Central Minnesota Conference along with third place in Section 6A. A very fine season, no doubt!

The Knights (14-9 overall) move on to the section championship series, where they play Parkers Prairie this afternoon. They need to win to force a second game and get a shot at the Class 1A state tournament.

**Fun fact: West Central Area is having by far their best baseball season since 1995...going deeper in the playoffs than any WCA baseball team in the last 21 years. It mirrors what happened with the Jaguars, who by far and away had their best season in school history.

**Update: Parkers Prairie won the section title with a 5-4 win over WCA today.

(HD video) Baseball playoff opener

We are in the thick of baseball playoffs in Jaguar Country!

Here's video from the playoff opener on May 31...six minutes long. There's some exciting action in here...check it out!


If you haven't heard, the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team is in action today at noon at Chizek Field in Morris in the elimination bracket final of Section 6A. They face West Central Area for a bid to the section championship series.

The game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. (Thanks, Brady!) I will also post updates at this blog as often as possible this afternoon.

Web article at the Echo Press

Check it out:
http://www.echopress.com/sports/4049768-6a-baseball-panthers-surprising-even-themselves-during-magical-season

New York Mills

In the fifth inning: B-B-E 10, Eagles 6.

Update: the Jaguars won 10 to 6 and advance to the final elimination game of the Section 6A baseball tournament. How exciting is that!! They are 19-6 overall and play at noon on Thursday, June 9 in Morris at Chizek Field's main stadium. The opponent will be West Central Area, who lost to Parkers Prairie 5-1 in the winner's bracket final tonight.

Here's video from the end of the game:


Here's the playoff outlook:
If the Jaguars beat the WCA Knights, they would face Parkers Prairie at 2:30 p.m. at the same location on the same afternoon (Thursday). The Jaguars need to beat Parkers Prairie in that game to keep their season alive. If they win, they will face Parkers Prairie for the third time of the playoffs on Friday at 4 p.m. That would become the true section championship game. The winner of that hypothetical Friday game would advance to the Class 1A state tournament.

Moving along!

Jacob Weller pitched a complete game today for the Jaguars against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy.

The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team won an elimination game today in the Section 6A playoffs. They beat Hillcrest Lutheran Academy by a 4-3 score to improve to 18-6 on the season. The fifth-ranked Jaguars trailed 1-0 early before moving ahead 3-2 and 4-2 and hanging on for the cliffhanger win. The Comets finish the season 11-9 overall.

Up next! New York Mills in another elimination game at 4 o'clock today back in Morris at Chizek Park located on 208th Street north of the University of Minnesota-Morris campus. The Eagles ended Ortonville's season in the other 1 o'clock game.

B-B-E is now in the Section 6A Final Four and is on their deepest playoff run in school history. Let's keep it going, Jaguars!!!!

Baseball playoffs announcement!!

Today's playoff game for our B-B-E Jaguars baseball team against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy is in Morris at 1 p.m.!!! It will be at either Chizek Field or at the University of Minnesota-Morris. The game was supposed to be at Minnewaska Area, but a contractor who will be renovating the Minnewaska baseball park at their high school campus started the digging a few days too soon. Such is life.

Because of the change in venue plus the need to cover a fatal car accident less than a mile north of Elrosa this morning, I will not be able to attend the 1 p.m. game today. I am working fast and furious on my June 9 newspaper issue and hoping to be able to go to Morris for the 4 p.m. game today. (IF the Jaguars beat HLA.) All games from here on out are elimination games for the Jaguars.

Here's a web article on the fatal accident:
http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com/story/2016/05/26/news/fatal-accident-north-of-elrosa/284.html

Updates to follow.

**Baseball updates: in the top of the second inning, the Jaguars are losing 1-0. And in the top of the fourth inning, the Jaguars and Comets are in a 2-2 tie. *Now the Jaguars have a 3-2 lead! And now a 4-2 lead!

In the bottom of the sixth inning: B-B-E 4, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 3.

Great food for thought

Guns are, in fact, already far more heavily regulated that cars. In fact, treating guns like cars would require a reduction in regulation, not an increase. 

Registration:
“All cars need to be registered, we should do the same thing with guns!” That’s the statement parroted by gun grabbers, including certain members of my family. And yet…

Let’s look at racing cars, for example. I’m sure that we can all agree that race cars are, in fact, cars. But while they have four wheels, an engine and some seats, they aren’t registered. They aren’t “street legal,” meaning that if you even tried to take them out on the road you’d be pulled over and ticketed. For this reason, they’re run only on either on private property or dedicated race tracks, neither of which require a registration tag for the car or license plates.

It isn’t only race cars that don’t have to be registered. On farms and ranches all across America you’ll find vehicles that were either never registered or whose registration has long since expired. And they never leave the property. There was a 1968 GMC Jimmy back at the Boy Scout camp I worked at a few summers during high school that was purchased specifically for the camp and never even had a single set of license plates. All of these cars exist and are owned completely 100% legally without registration.

For firearms, the vast and overwhelming majority live the same life. They exist only in the homes of their owners, on a firing range, or in other words on “private property.” Therefore the analogy of car registration is misleading and false, since while car registration only applies to those cars using the public roads the gun control advocates want universal registration of every firearm in the United States. No matter where they are. If the same thing were attempted with cars, the outcry would be deafening.

However, unlike cars, some firearms that politicians believe are “incredibly dangerous” are indeed registered whether or not they’re carried in public. Machine guns, silencers, short-barreled rifles and other NFA items are required to be registered solely because they exist. And while if the registration lapses on your vehicle you can re-register it at no penalty, if you lose the registration papers for your silencer, a felony charge is in your future. Sports cars don’t require registration, but machine guns do. And yet, the last time a legal machine gun was used anywherein a murder was 1994 — by a cop. Go figure.

Driver’s Licenses
“You need a driver’s license to buy or drive a car! You should need the same thing for firearms!” Again, another justification for the FOID cards in Illinois or the pistol permits in New York. But, again, it’s a false analogy.

Just as cars that never leave private property don’t need to be registered, people who drive cars on private property don’t need a driver’s license. They’re only needed for those venturing out onto the public streets, and anyone – of any age – can operate a motor vehicle on private land. In the same way, the vast majority of guns are only used while on private property and transported from home to the range unloaded (i.e., not in use). So while it might seem to make a glimmer of sense at first glance, the reality is that requiring a firearm owner’s card for simply owning a firearm isn’t remotely the same thing as requiring a driver’s license for driving a car on the road.

In reality, there already is an equivalent to the driver’s license. Each state sets their own qualifications for who needs a driver’s license and what types of vehicles need what kind of license. In the same way those who carry guns on their person in public are already licensed in the same fashion, in PA carrying a handgun on your own property is perfectly legal without a license, but the moment you venture out into public you need to have taken a class and passed a test to carry that same gun. It’s the same thing as requiring a driver’s license for people driving in public. And just as with the driver’s license, each state sets their own requirements for who qualifies for a license and what kind of activity is legal. Some states allow right turns on red and some states allow the open carry of long guns without a license.

Actually, come to think of it, I’d like it if this aspect of guns were treated as if it were cars we were talking about. I can use my driver’s license in any state in the union, and the “full faith & credit” clause of the Constitution means that it’s valid. I don’t need to double check if my PAS driver’s license is valid in New York, and I don’t need an out-of-state driver’s license to drive a car in Massachusetts. But for concealed carry licenses, that’s exactly the case. If concealed carry licenses were treated like driver’s licenses things would make a whole lot more sense to me.

Speaking of people without a driver’s license, while some dealers will require it, you do not need a driver’s license to buy a car. Any dealer is able to sell a car to someone without a driver’s license, but it becomes illegal the second you drive it off the lot and onto the public street. In the same way, private party car sales are indeed a thing that people do, and don’t go through a dealer and don’t require registration.

The Cold Hard Legal and Mathematical Truth
The car analogy only works for people who don’t understand the reality of gun laws or vehicle laws in the United States. If all you know about guns is what Rachel Maddow tells you, then sure it makes perfect sense. But in reality, the car analogy (used to advocate for stricter gun control, at least) is illogical and irrelevant. And to cap it all off, this last statement is all that you really should need to know the difference:

There is no statement in the Bill of Rights that gives you the right to drive a car, but there is one for keeping and bearing arms.

The words “shall not be infringed” are pretty clear to me.

Cars kill more people than guns every single year (excluding suicides), and yet guns are more heavily regulated. Does that sound like “common sense” to you?

Want a bullet point list? Here it is:
Car dealers don’t need to be licensed by the federal government. Gun dealers do.
Car dealers don’t need to keep meticulous records of all transactions under penalty of law. Gun dealers do.
Cars don’t require registration to own or licensing to operate. Neither do guns.
Cars can legally be sold across state lines. Selling a gun across state lines is a felony.
Driver’s licenses are valid in all states. Concealed carry licenses aren’t.
I don’t need to tell the ATF when I take my short wheel-base car to another state. I do need to tell them when I take my SBR hunting rifle.
Cars aren’t banned just because they look scary. “Assault weapons” are.
I get a tax credit when I buy certain cars. I don’t get a tax credit for my new hunting rifle.
Come to think of it, we should be using the car analogy ourselves. I want firearms to be regulated just like cars. It’s only common sense!

~ source: Steve Rhoads

Baseball playoffs

The top four baseball teams in the Central Minnesota Conference are all making deep playoff runs in their respective section tournaments.

Regular season co-champions, Pierz and Maple Lake, are blazing their way in Class 2A playoffs. Pierz, ranked eighth in Class 2A, is undefeated so far in Section 6AA and 19-4 overall. (Two of their four losses this year were at the hands of B-B-E; they are having their best playoff run since 2006 when they finished 19-5 overall.) Maple Lake just evened the score with Annandale with a 5-1 loser's bracket win over the Cardinals on Thursday in Section 5AA. Annandale was the second-place team this season in the Wright County West Conference. Maple Lake ended the season for WC-West Conference champion Glencoe-Silver Lake (19-3) with a 6-3 loser's bracket win on June 1.

Paynesville Area is 2-0 so far in Section 3AA, and they face 19th-ranked Minnewaska Area on Saturday, June 4 at Richter Park in Granite Falls. The Bulldogs handed state-ranked Pipestone-Jasper a 5-4, eight-inning loss on June 1 to remain in the winner's bracket. Pipestone-Jasper, also known as Pipestone Area, is 18-6 overall and went 8-2 to tie Jackson County Central for the Big South Conference, Small-School division title. The Arrows were eliminated from the playoffs by New London-Spicer by a 9-5 score in 10 innings on June 2.

NL-S has surprised the area after winning just seven games in the regular season and then blazing their way deep into the Section 3AA playoffs.

Rockford Area is one of the biggest surprises in the Class 2A playoffs. The former members of the CMC won just six regular-season games and took a 6-12 record into the Section 5AA playoffs. Now they're 9-12 overall with wins over Breck, Providence Academy and Watertown-Mayer. The No. 3-seeded Rockets face Norwood-Young America (a No. 5 seed) on Monday in Maple Lake in the winner's bracket final. Rockford took third in the CMC in 2015 and was runners-up in 2014, missing out on the title by one game to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted.

For the fifth-ranked B-B-E Jaguars baseball team, they have to reel off five wins in the Section 6A tournament in order to gain their first state tournament berth in school history. The quest resumes on Tuesday, June 7, at 1 o'clock at Minnewaska Area high school against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. The Comets were the third-place team this year in the rugged Pheasant Conference. The Jaguars are 17-6 overall after beating  26th-ranked New York Mills in the sub-section playoffs and then losing to No. 1-ranked Parkers Prairie in the sub-section championship.

Noteworthy: the 2015 Pheasant Conference champion, Brandon-Evansville, took third place at the Class 1A state tournament and finished 21-7 overall. Parkers Prairie, the favored team to win the Section 6A title, went 12-2 in the Park Region Conference to claim the title alone. The Panthers only losses are to Ottertail Central by a 6-4 score on April 15 and then to New York Mills by an 8-3 score on May 20. In 2015, Parkers Prairie took sixth place (3-9) in the seven-team Park Region Conference before losing their playoff opener to finish 8-12 overall. They tied for last place in the PRC in 2014 and 2013. In 2011 they tied for second place in the PRC, and back in 2010 they won a sub-section title and finished as runners-up in Section 6A despite entering playoffs just 6-12 overall and sixth in the PRC.

Baseball & track updates!

The No. 5-ranked B-B-E Jaguars baseball team won 4-3 against New York Mills to advance in the winner's bracket of the subsection tournament. They also won for the 17th time of the year. Next is top-ranked Parkers Prairie at 4 o'clock today at Minnewaska Area high school. The games have been aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. (Thanks, Brady!)

Junior Jen Boyle (far left) on the medals stand at MSU-Moorhead after she placed fifth in the triple jump.

At Moorhead for the Section 6A track and field state-qualifying meet, sophomore Kyle Felling has earned three medals in the four events he competed in: the 100 and 200 open races (third in both) and the long jump (fourth). Also, Jen Boyle, a junior, placed fifth in the triple jump in her first season competing in that event! She ran a career-best time to boot!

Here's video from the discus throw event at sections:


Here's Kyle Felling in the long jump in Moorhead:


Updates to follow!!!

*Update: in the winner's bracket final, the Jaguars lost 12-2 in six innings to No. 1-ranked Parkers Prairie to fall into the Sub-Section 6A-East loser's bracket. They are 17-6 overall and play again next Tuesday, June 7, at Minnewaska Area at 1 o'clock against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy.

Win or lose

The baseball Jaguars play at 4 o'clock today at Minnewaska in the winner's or loser's bracket of the subsection.

We will know soon!

Section 5A golf results coming soon!!! By 3 o'clock for sure.

*Update: the B-B-E Jaguars girls' golf team settles for second place again at the Section 5A meet. Over two days, they lost to Minneota by three strokes.

Final Section 5A girls' golf playoff standings:
1st) Minneota 722
2nd) B-B-E 725
3rd) Lac qui Parle Valley 752
4th) Ortonville 756

Advancing to state individually from B-B-E are Alyssa Dalen and Emily Wosmek.