Detroit Free Press

IN U-M’S RAINY GLOOM, NO. 2 IS A RAY OF HOPE

IN U-M’S RAINY GLOOM, NO. 2 IS A RAY OF HOPE

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - They fumbled on their opening series, they fumbled on the next kickoff, they got snagged for pass interference on a long bomb and then, on the very next play, gave up the actual long bomb for a touchdown. They were tagged for 21 points in the opening 10 minutes and 9 seconds, and at one point, in between scores, Notre Dame brought a cluster of fans onto the field. I thought they had called "Next!"
FINDING HIS FOOTING

FINDING HIS FOOTING

He had never had surgery before. Never spent a night in a hospital. Never went under anesthesia. Heck, he'd never even broken a bone. Pretty much anything having to do with being sick or injured, Kevin Jones wanted no part of - and for the first 24 years of his life, he blissfully got his way.But in one day, one play, the bliss was over.And now he was experiencing it all.
IT’S SIMPLE: NO PAVEL, NO PARTY FOR WINGS

IT’S SIMPLE: NO PAVEL, NO PARTY FOR WINGS

Not to be a wet blanket, but Red Wings fans, party at your own risk. Hockey may be back, but when your best offensive player isn't even on the continent, only a fool pops champagne.Here are two sobering words: "Pavel" and "Datsyuk." Any hockey expert will tell you he's the future of the Wings. And he's not here! He's in Russia, possibly under contract to not one but two teams. Ken Holland, charged with tightening Detroit's belt, has muffed the first lesson of Salary Cap 101: Sign your biggest star.
DON’T JUDGE PALIN’S BOOK BY ITS COVER

DON’T JUDGE PALIN’S BOOK BY ITS COVER

Both sides need to take Sarah Palin out of the box.The Democrats and certain media members began packaging this woman the moment she hit the national stage. They labeled her a hunting mama. Bill Maher called her "a stewardess." Maureen Dowd likened her to Eliza Doolittle of "My Fair Lady."All of that is unfair and, for her critics, self-defeating. Nobody fits so easily into a box. Yes, Palin knows how to shoot a gun. But suggesting she'll skin a moose on the White House lawn only makes you look stupid.
THE POSTER FAMILY FOR NEW ORLEANS

THE POSTER FAMILY FOR NEW ORLEANS

You are a man in a storm. The storm is rising, blowing your way. Your neighbor, Earl, is saying, "Come on, man, we can go to Detroit. We'll be safe there."Detroit, you think? You live in New Orleans. You're not going to Detroit. Besides, you've seen hurricanes before. Water comes up. Water goes down.But your wife, this time, she's worried. Earl is going crazy on Detroit. He says, "I'm gonna empty the washers and dryers" and next thing you know he has a big bag of quarters and guess what? That's your gas money.
NOT SO BAD, BUT DON’T TELL MARINELLI

NOT SO BAD, BUT DON’T TELL MARINELLI

Since this is a new season, let's try a new approach."All we did," said quarterback Jon Kitna after the Lions' 9-6 defeat in Sunday's season opener, "is take the pressure off ourselves today of having to try to go undefeated."Ba-dum-bump.Uh ... he was joking.But there's something you haven't heard in a while. And here are some things you hadn't seen in a while: passes that were strong and on target. A defensive line that swarmed the quarterback. Two blocked field goals. A first-round draft pick who actually dressed for the game.
UNDEFEATED!

UNDEFEATED!

A half-hour before kickoff, a heavyset man in a T-shirt walked down the Ford Field steps, holding hands with his 8-year-old son. They were wide-eyed at the sight of the gathering crowd, so many clad in blue and silver.The Lions were not their football team, but they were today. Sterling Adams and his son, Eric, had escaped the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, had driven up in a stuffed vehicle from New Orleans, and now, thanks to the kindness of the Lions' public relations staff, father and son had tickets for the opener. The long wait for a day of fun was over.

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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