It was a graduation. It was June. The ceiling fans spun overhead and the microphone squeaked when a young woman began to speak."Before I came here," she said, "I was a student. "She paused. The crowd listened patiently, some fanning themselves against the heat."I was a student addicted to cocaine and marijuana. And I was an alcoholic. "Many nodded."My attendance decreased. I had no self-esteem. I was just a lost soul. "More nods. A yell of encouragement."Today, I have the tools to lead a successful, productive, sober life. "
For weeks, Larry Brown has said he'll go to the Mayo Clinic, spend three days, then let the Pistons know if he can coach. Those three days are up today. But if you're expecting a yes or no, forget it. For one thing, this is the Mayo Clinic, not Lourdes.For another, this is Larry Brown, where the answer is rarely yes or no, but more like "Well, if these guys want me, and if these guys don't "
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
