Even The Loss Is Sweetno-Name Team Stood With Basketball’S Best
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Some games are not about winning and losing. Some are simply about showing you belong. So when Carl Thomas finally walked off the court Friday night, his shirt dangling, sweat dripping down his back, and embraced his teammates at the end of what — for the starters on the best team to ever come out of Ypsilanti — was their last game together, the fans began to buzz. Then, slowly, they clapped. And finally, many of them stood and cheered. It was a message, and the message was this: forget the loss.
Sweet 16? Don’T Look In Old Familiar Places
It’s that time of year again. My car knows the way. Every spring, one of the two big schools from Michigan advances to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. And I am dispatched to cover the event.
“First we visit the campus,” I say, “then we check out the student spirit
–“
“I know, I know,” the car says, wearily, “just tell me which school.”
WHAT’S BURNING? IT’S JUST A CHUCK ROAST
Not long ago, Chuck Daly was sleeping in bed, at home, when the phone rang.”Are you up?” the voice said.”Uhhhn, I just fell asleep,” said Daly.”Wake up. Someone here wants to talk to you.”The next voice was familiar in a weird kind...
BLIND AMBITION WINS IDITAROD
IDITAROD DIARY, CHAPTER 12:The Last Mile.SOURCE: NOME, Alaska — Finally, from the darkness, came the dogs. They loped across the finish line, fell into the snow and wiped the ice from their eyes.The winning musher, his face barely visible inside a hood, trotted...
ONLY RUMORS REACH FINISH OF IDITAROD
IDITAROD DIARY, CHAPTER 11: In which we learn absolutely nothing, except that someone might be dead out there.SOURCE: NOME, Alaska — And the winner is . . . nobody?”Have you heard anything?” someone asked in the confused headquarters on Front Street,...
IT’S DOG EAR DOG OUT HEREALL’S NOT FAIR AND SQUARE IN LAST GREAT RACE ON EARTH
IDITAROD DIARY, CHAPTER 10: The homestretch, the lonely sea, and the rotten stench of money . . . WHITE MOUNTAIN, Alaska — So there I was, speeding along the Iditarod trail, in the middle of a blinding windstorm, over the river and through the woods, where the...
You Snooze, You Lose at Iditarod Checkpoint, Sirens of Sleep Beckon Unwary Mushers
IDITAROD DIARY, CHAPTER 9:In which we encounter the sea, the sandman and the frozen soap.UNALAKLEET, Alaska — Night has fallen. The cold winds howl. The villagers stand like statues atop giant snow drifts. In heavy coats and seal-skin hats, they gaze silently...
LODGING ALTERNATIVES WILL REALLY FLOOR YOU
IDITAROD DIARY, CHAPTER 8: No rooms, no beds, no waiting.KALTAG, Alaska — I’m going to be honest here: When it comes to sleeping, my first choice is rarely the floor. It is even more rarely the floor of an Alaskan bingo hall. And it is almost never the...
A WEEK INTO IDITAROD, FATIGUE, FEUDING SET IN
IDITAROD CHAPTER 7: In which we return to the land of ice and snow. . . . KALTAG, Alaska — My trusty pilot, Old Jim Okonek, was waiting at the airport as I landed — again — here in the Lonely Country. He tugged on his blue cap, and his eyes danced...Stay Connected
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