Detroit Free Press

WHAT IF THE LIONS LISTENED TO THE FANS?

WHAT IF THE LIONS LISTENED TO THE FANS?

There could be 1,000 things in the world, and Terrell Owens and I would disagree on 999 of them. But one thing he said recently did strike a familiar chord - not only with me, but with every Lions fan out there.Owens suggested that if Brett Favre were the Eagles quarterback, the team would be better, maybe even undefeated. Now, he may be dead wrong. He may have insulted his actual quarterback, Donovan McNabb. But in saying what he did, Owens was only doing what fans here have been doing for years: Playing the what-if game.
NEW DAUNTE, NEW DREW BUT SAME OLD DEBACLE

NEW DAUNTE, NEW DREW BUT SAME OLD DEBACLE

As I watched Daunte Culpepper get sacked, miss receivers, bump into teammates and hear boos from fans, I was hit with the following thought: Nobody needs the NFL this badly.Culpepper, who came out of retirement for Sunday's game, began the first quarter with an incompletion and an interception. He ended the second quarter by banging into his running back. He got three snaps in the third quarter. And he sat for the fourth.
SPORTS TO OVAL OFFICE: IT’S NOT ABOUT COLOR

SPORTS TO OVAL OFFICE: IT’S NOT ABOUT COLOR

Being a sportswriter may not get you much - besides a decent seat and mustard on your tie - but it does prepare you for race relations.Maybe that's why, from the start of the presidential campaign, I've been less concerned with Barack Obama than some of my countrymen. There were many white voters who were hesitant about a black president. Some were painfully blunt. They spoke, insultingly, about watermelon patches on the White House lawn and rappers like Ludacris as official guests.
BEST YET TO COME FOR DEAD ARTISTS

BEST YET TO COME FOR DEAD ARTISTS

A friend said I must buy this "new" CD."It's great!" he gushed. "Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane live at Carnegie Hall."They're both dead, I said. "But this is their best stuff ever!"I have given that sentence some thought. Perhaps we've been worrying over nothing. Being dead is not the career killer we thought it was.In fact, it may do wonders.
AND NOW THE REAL CHALLENGE

AND NOW THE REAL CHALLENGE

Now we'll see what it means to be a "great American."For nearly eight years, anyone who dared to criticize President George W. Bush risked being called unpatriotic. The people doing this name calling are mourning John McCain's loss today.We'll soon see if it's about country or party. Remember, if you need to support the president to be a "great American," critics must get behind Barack Obama or risk total hypocrisy.
WELCOME TO A NEW INFERNO, DAUNTE

WELCOME TO A NEW INFERNO, DAUNTE

America gets a new president. The Lions get a new quarterback. Quick. Which of these events happens every other week?Right you are! The Lions' new quarterback is 31-year-old Daunte Culpepper, who, simply by signing a contract just became the most famous player on the team. That's sad enough. He also became the biggest attraction on the team, the most recognizable name on the team and, to hear some people tell it, the best player on the team. He also may start Sunday's game. Heck. By Monday, he could own Ford Field.
POLITICS OF WHAT IS – AND IS NOT – A JOKE

POLITICS OF WHAT IS – AND IS NOT – A JOKE

With a week to go before a critical midterm election, the president, his supporters and most of the media acted as if the most important issue in America wasn't a costly war, failed international policies, failed domestic policies or the battle between religion and science. Instead, what apparently mattered most was a bad joke.If you don't do well in school ... "you get stuck in Iraq." That was the punch line of an ill-advised, badly delivered attempt at humor by Sen. John Kerry, who has never been strong in that department.

Mitch Albom writes about running an orphanage in impoverished Port-au-Prince, Haiti, his kids, their hardships, laughs and challenges, and the life lessons he’s learned there every day.

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