by Mitch Albom | Mar 19, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The dream was out of breath, it was gasping for air, all the magic the Michigan Wolverines had once enjoyed in climbing to the national championship now seemed to be stacked against them in another color uniform. Who were these Loyola Marymount Lions, and how on earth did you stop them? One by one, the U-M seniors stepped forward to fight the sword, and one by one they fell. Here was Mike Griffin, fouling out meekly as a tank named Bo Kimble raced past him for a slam.
by Mitch Albom | Mar 18, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
LONG BEACH, Calif. — “Are you dumb?”Rumeal Robinson looked at the kid in disbelief. It was the summer of his freshman year, on a visit home to Boston, and this was the first time he had ever heard that question. At least to his face. It startled him,...
by Mitch Albom | Mar 17, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
LONG BEACH, Calif. — It was the Wolverines’ worst nightmare, a group of tiny Lilliputians about to kill them with their poison arrows.What was happening on this suddenly crazy court? The Illinois State Redbirds, a team notable mostly because their coach is...
by Mitch Albom | Mar 16, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
LONG BEACH, Calif. — So here’s this high school senior named Steve Fisher, an apple-cheeked guard with a bum knee and no place to play college ball. It’s late. It’s June. It’s 1963. He gets in the car with his father and drives around the...
by Mitch Albom | Mar 12, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
EAST LANSING — The miracle came so fast, so crazy, that now, minutes after the victory, no one could recall how it happened. Was it Ken who knocked it from Tony, or Dwayne who knocked it from Steve? Did Mark dive for the ball? Wait. Was Mark even in there? Who knew? Who could keep it straight? It was the madcap final minute of a madcap Big Ten championship and the players were like pinballs bouncing off the rubber — ping! — the ball came loose — ping! — the ball came loose again . . .
by Mitch Albom | Mar 11, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
I got a letter the other day. Well written. Told a story. Man is arrested in Canada. Has marijuana in his car. It’s a large amount, and he is convicted. Trafficking narcotics. First offense. Does six months in prison, six months in a halfway house, and two years...
by Mitch Albom | Mar 9, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
THE LIVE ALBOM:
* You want to know why I hate predictions? As I write this, Buster Douglas is heavyweight champ, Michigan State will play for a title, we might or might not have baseball, and Bob Probert is back on skates.
by Mitch Albom | Mar 7, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
He began to die in a grotesque fashion, dropping to the floor, convulsing in spasms, his arms and legs twitching as teammates stared in horror.
Like many people, I cannot get that image of Hank Gathers out of my head. The question is: Should it be there in the first place?
by Mitch Albom | Mar 5, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Last time I looked, the NCAA tournament was a sporting event, not a shower. But you listen to the Michigan Wolverines in these suddenly losing times, and they act as if the post-season will rinse away their troubles and leave them smelling like a champion. “Something about being in the tournament,” Terry Mills said Sunday afternoon as he slipped on his coat. “You get there, everything moves up a notch.”
by Mitch Albom | Mar 4, 1990 | Detroit Free Press
Grandpa. What’s this?””Looks like a scrapbook.””Yeah, but what’s this word on the front . . . ‘baseball’?””Oh. That. It’s a very sad story. Something my generation used to love. It’s no longer...
