Detroit Free Press

TIGERS STARE DOWN ROCKET’S RED GLARE

TIGERS STARE DOWN ROCKET’S RED GLARE

The old man on the mound had been masterful, dominating, placing pitches as if he'd been throwing them all season instead of just a few weeks out of retirement. But he was leaving now, growling, cursing, glaring at the umpire, with no runs to support him and two baserunners he had created with ball fours. It was the seventh inning, under deepening blue skies, and one thing was certain on this summer night in this summer of Detroit baseball: the Tigers were not losing to Roger Clemens. But it might be the other way around.
EVERY HOME A GUN; EVERYONE A SHOOTER?

EVERY HOME A GUN; EVERYONE A SHOOTER?

So everyone has a gun.Let's start with that idea. Everyone has a gun. What will this mean? In the minds of some people - those who think last week's Supreme Court decision protecting gun ownership was wonderful - it means if you come after me now, I can take you down. If you try to take what's mine, I can defend myself - by shooting you dead, if need be.If I'm scared, I don't need to be, because I have my gun. If you scare me and I want to scare you back, I can, because I have my gun.
STOP THE PRESSES! TIGERS OWED APOLOGY

STOP THE PRESSES! TIGERS OWED APOLOGY

It's never good to start with an apology, but we owe one to the Tigers and we should say so at the top. This is a good team with a great story and until very recently, some of us in the media treated them the way middle-aged disc jockeys treated early rock 'n' roll: just a fad, a flash in the pan.Well, they're more pan than flash. The Tigers have talented young pitchers, a proven veteran starter, hungry hitters and a manager who understands games are won by what's in the players' heads as much as what's in their swings.
FRIENDSHIPS FORM IN SLOW MOMENTS

FRIENDSHIPS FORM IN SLOW MOMENTS

So I was sitting down to write this column about summer and how that season has changed, because the official "first day" of summer came last week, and for my generation, that meant a shift into slow motion, long, languid days nursing a Coca-Cola, or rolling cornmeal on fishing hooks, or seeing who had a sprinkler to run through, or taking another bicycle ride around the same five blocks.
You Won’t Believe This Casualty of War

You Won’t Believe This Casualty of War

Soldiers face the worst kind of dangers. Gunfire. Explosives. Missiles. Bombs. But who knew their biggest worry might be a chocolate chip cookie?That's the ridiculous message being sent to a group called the Maine Troop Greeters, which provides applause, hugs, smiles - along with cookies, cakes and fudge - for troops coming back from war through the Bangor International Airport.Not anymore. Too dangerous, the greeters were told.
FEEL THEIR PAIN AS THE PISTONS CONFRONT LIFE AS EX-CHAMPS

FEEL THEIR PAIN AS THE PISTONS CONFRONT LIFE AS EX-CHAMPS

SAN ANTONIO - They were taking Richard Hamilton to the interview area, and because the Pistons' locker room was on the other side of the arena, the walk was long and he had to look at everything. This is what he passed. He passed a huge open area with tables full of Spurs fans. He passed a group of Frenchmen, soaked with champagne, cheering Tony Parker. He passed Spanish-speaking journalists, emerging from the steamy San Antonio locker room, gushing over Manu Ginobili. He passed a curtained area where Spurs VIPs posed for photos with a giant golden trophy.
MILLIONS OF REASONS TO LOVE LARRY’S AGENT

MILLIONS OF REASONS TO LOVE LARRY’S AGENT

To: Mr. Joe Glass, Larry Brown's agentDear Mr. Glass,I would like you to represent me.Before you say yes or no, may I say how much I admire your work? I have watched you take Larry Brown from Denver to New Jersey to San Antonio to L.A. to Indiana to Philadelphia to Detroit to New York City. Wow! Where I come from, you only move that much if the cops are chasing you. Any agent who can find that much work is my kind of guy!
JUST ONE ENDING REMAINS: WIN IT!

JUST ONE ENDING REMAINS: WIN IT!

Novelists say when they start a new book that they often have several endings in mind. But at some point they choose one and throw out the others. No more "maybe this happens, maybe that." They find their North Star and sail toward it defiantly.Same goes for the Pistons, on this morning of the last day of the last game of the year. All other endings have been thrown out now. All other possibilities -- early exits, unexpected collapses -- are crumpled in the trash can. There is one page -- and one page only -- that completes the book of Detroit's operatic season.Win it.

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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