by Mitch Albom | Dec 18, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
Yes, sir. It’s that time of year again. You open your door and on your porch is the entire sports world, singing its unique versions of popular Christmas carols. Such as …
Scott Mitchell sings …
“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
I saw Bobby picking Charlie Batch
And I knew my Detroit years were thru
He could have used me once
Maybe let me kick some punts
Instead I’m standing every week
With a clipboard like a dunce
I saw Bobby picking Charlie Batch
And I knew that I would say good-bye
Oh, I wonder what you’ll say
by Mitch Albom | Dec 17, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
You can snap a man’s leg in half. You can pummel a guy and spit in his face. You can dance when you score a touchdown, or trash talk an opponent as if he were a pig that just soiled your carpet.But you better not cry.No, sir. There’s no crying in football....
by Mitch Albom | Dec 13, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
NEWS ITEM: The fan who snatched Mark McGwire’s 70th home run has decided to put the ball up for auction. It could fetch more than $1 million.Well, now. Are we surprised?A man goes to a baseball game. A player hits a historic home run. The ball lands where the...
by Mitch Albom | Dec 11, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
It’s true, playing big-time college basketball can get you fame, money and lots of female admirers. But sometimes you’re happy with a black eye.
“That was my proof that I was really on the team,” says Michigan’s Erik Szyndlar, who took an elbow from Robert Traylor in practice a few years ago, and got a shiner the size of Brazil. “My eye was so swollen, I couldn’t see or read anything. But I was telling everyone, ‘Robert Traylor gave me this!’
“It showed people that I really did play for Michigan.”
by Mitch Albom | Dec 6, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
It began with my pockets.
My pockets were always stuffed. My pockets bulged. The inside of my pockets looked like the bottom of an office trash basket. Small pieces of paper stuck to smaller pieces of paper. Receipts wrapped around notes folded into business cards — all crushed into a shapeless wad that engorged my left and right pant legs. It looked as if I traveled with tuna sandwiches in my jeans.
by Mitch Albom | Dec 4, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
So Cecil Fielder wants to be a Tiger again. Quick, hide the buffet table.I remember when Detroit was the only team to offer the Japan-based Fielder a job. He happily took it. And later, when the Tigers offered him the biggest contract in their history, he happily took...
by Mitch Albom | Dec 2, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
Welcome to “Football Undercover,” where our guest tonight is a real live NFL referee. Good evening, sir.””HEADS!””I beg your pardon?””TAILS!””Sir, relax. You’re amongst friends. Perhaps you can explain...
by Mitch Albom | Nov 24, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — The flight took off Monday morning, before sunrise, with stars still dotting the Detroit sky. Within an hour, there was breakfast served, cheese omelettes, muffins, piping hot coffee. Newspapers were passed around. Conversations were spirited. Nineteen people, including an NBA coach, a local businessman, airline reps, a TV executive, an ambassador and several journalists, had come together to do some good. Or so we thought. We were bringing supplies to a hurricane-ravaged area. We felt excited, maybe even a little bloated in how benevolent a thing this was.
by Mitch Albom | Nov 22, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
Although I live in the Midwest, I try to keep up with what’s happening on the coasts. You can bet if a hot trend develops in New York or Los Angeles, a few years later we are mimicking it here in the heartland.
For example, in the ’70s, we didn’t know what therapy was, and by the ’80s, everyone had a shrink. Just like LA.
Or remember a few years ago, when you could buy bagels only in supermarkets, and now you can’t drive half a mile without a bagel shop that sells 15 flavors. Just like New York.
by Mitch Albom | Nov 20, 1998 | Detroit Free Press
THE YEAR 2023, COLUMBUS, Ohio — “Well, folks, it’s a humdinger of a ballgame between the Buckeyes and the Wolverines! I’m Keith Jackson Jr., alongside Robert Griese III. We’re in the fourth quarter, one minute left in the game, and Ohio...
