Wings Fans Wanted Blood, Revenge – They Got It
Darren McCarty will never pay for a meal in this town again. In two explosive moments that embody all that is right with hockey and all that is wrong with it, McCarty made an unforgettable impression on this Detroit Red Wings season. In the first moment, he bloodied the game. In the second, he won it.
Let us begin with the first, late in the opening period Wednesday night, when he spun away from a linesman and coldcocked Colorado’s Claude Lemieux in the face.
‘ELLEN’ HYPE SIMPLY SHAMEFUL, EVEN FOR TV
For all I care, Ellen can come out of the closet, go back in the closet, clean the closet or lock herself in the closet. I just want her to go away.Has there ever a more shameful staged-for-TV event than this ridiculous, drawn-out, non-drama drama? It feels like some...
Second Good-Bye Harder For Ramsey
Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. — long before the other players would arrive — Mike Ramsey entered the Red Wings’ locker room. It was empty, freshly vacuumed, the music playing softly over the stereo. Ramsey went to his locker, grabbed his two pairs of skates, his pads and his helmet. The only other thing he had brought with him three weeks ago were his sticks. He decided to leave them behind.
As he headed for the door, he stopped at the blackboard. He picked up the chalk and squeaked out a message.
“Thanks guys. Good luck, (signed) Rammer.”
A MORE PROFOUND LOSS: CORKY MEINECKE 1952-1997CANCER STEALS AWAY OUR KINDRED SPIRIT
We played basketball once. He carried himself like an athlete, a slow, ducky walk. Had a nice jumper. We won the game, and we high-fived each other, a couple of aging sports writers, able to kid ourselves that we were still as young as the pictures in our minds.Then...
Will It Be Greatness Or Early Exit For Taylor?
Sometimes you play basketball, sometimes it plays you. Maurice Taylor knows this. He remembers the airport a few years ago, waving good-bye to his mother, who was moving to Tennessee for a better job.
Taylor wanted to go, too. A self-described “mama’s boy,” he couldn’t imagine a day without her, even though he had been living with an aunt in Detroit for several years, because his mother’s east side neighborhood was not the place for a budding basketball star.
WITH HARD WORK, PISTONS GO ONE UP ON LAST SEASON
Aaron McKie was chasing the ball the way a child chases a rolling Frisbee. He dove for it, he poked it, but he couldn’t grab it. He knocked it from one corner of the court to the other, a defender racing him the whole time. Finally, in front of the...
IN MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST CALLED LIFE, JUST GUESS ‘C’
I’d like to say something to all the high school juniors and seniors who just finished taking the SAT this weekend.Don’t worry. We didn’t get it, either.Has there ever been a more mystifying exam than this? Four hours on a Saturday morning, complete...
FOR A FEW HOURS, WOLVERINES ENJOY THEMSELVESNIT: MICHIGAN 76, MIAMI (FLA.) 63
Someplace else, somewhere up the road, the big tournament was in full gear, sold out, bands blasting, CBS cameras zooming in. Here, inside Crisler Arena, the air was full of unfulfilled wishes, and the building was less an arena than a gym, tickets sold on a walk-up...
U-M Woes Shouldn’T Come As A Surprise
First of all, Michigan basketball players, their coaches and fans must understand one thing: The game didn’t begin with them. There is a bad news history in this sport, and much of it has to do with fancy cars and hidden envelopes of cash and outsiders who get too cozy with the players.
Stay Connected
The only newsletter dedicated to updates, exclusive content, and giveaways of Mitch's books!