by Mitch Albom | Feb 21, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
The van stops and the back door opens. Inside is a feast of garbage. Perfectly good food: coffee, bananas, crackers, frozen pizza, sugar, bread — food someone was about to throw away.
“Lemme help you,” says a homeless man in a ski cap and tattered shoes. He peers inside the van, like a child sneaking a peek at Christmas presents.
“Me, too,” says an older fellow, unshaven, in a cheap grey sweater.
“Right here for ya,” says another.
“Go ahead, we’re ready.”
by Mitch Albom | Feb 15, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Suddenly, a game they had played so beautifully, so masterfully, for 33 solid minutes, was melting like hot wax, and they were all melting with it. Ray Jackson, whose shake-loose drives had resulted in basket after basket, was now called for...
by Mitch Albom | Feb 14, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
OK, I admit it. I watched the entire Michael Jackson interview. And I liked it. I especially liked when the security alarm went off, and they had to rush to a commercial, and when they came back, Elizabeth Taylor was waddling out of the kitchen, looking guilty, with powdered sugar on her lips.
But I did have one problem. With the questions. I felt Oprah Winfrey — who is fine on such major issues as “Women Who Date Their Daughter’s Gym Teachers” — blew her chance with the world’s No. 1 Other From Another Planet. She was way too soft.
by Mitch Albom | Feb 12, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
Think about 19. Think about where you were, what you were doing. Maybe getting drunk at a frat party, maybe starting a job you knew would never last, maybe flopping on the couch, watching TV, trying to decide what to do with your life. It’s an in-between age, 19, and most likely you felt torn at some point by the childhood behind you and the adulthood that lay ahead. Like a wishbone.
by Mitch Albom | Feb 11, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
The last time I saw Kirk Gibson, he was wearing black- and-green camouflage clothes. His beard was wild and unkempt. He had a plate of ribs in front of him and was chomping like a happy man. He and a few friends were on their way hunting, somewhere up north, and he had stopped to do a radio interview. This was November, just three months ago, and while I cannot remember every detail, I can tell you this: The last thing on his mind was baseball.
by Mitch Albom | Feb 7, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
I first learned about coffee from my father, who explained to me, in a diner booth — as I played with the jukebox — that there were two kinds of coffee in the world: hot and cold. Hot was good. Cold was bad.I understood this, because whenever the coffee...
by Mitch Albom | Feb 4, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
Nine winters ago, Jesse Jackson, who was running for president, referred to Jews as “Hymies” and New York as “Hymie Town.” This is an ethnic slur. He made it to a Washington Post reporter, but when the story broke, Jackson denied ever saying such a thing. A week later, he said he couldn’t remember saying it. A week later, he admitted saying it, but claimed it was in private conversation. Then he promised never to make such derogatory remarks again.
by Mitch Albom | Feb 3, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
EAST LANSING — I don’t know what the Spartans and Wolverines did after their big game Tuesday. I know what they should have done. Gotten the keys to a gym. Turned on the lights. And practiced free throws all night.And after that, practiced free throws all...
by Mitch Albom | Feb 3, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
EAST LANSING — I don’t know what the Spartans and Wolverines did after their big game Tuesday. I know what they should have done. Got the keys to a gym. Turned on the lights. And practiced free throws all night.And after that, practiced free throws all...
by Mitch Albom | Feb 1, 1993 | Detroit Free Press
PASADENA, Calif. — Just before this Super Bowl began, Garth Brooks, the country singer, and Marlee Matlin, the actress, emerged from a large wooden box to perform the national anthem. And when it was finished, they waved good- bye, and crawled back into the...
