Detroit Free Press

PISTONS? THEY NEVER TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT

PISTONS? THEY NEVER TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT

BOSTON -- The sneaker sat in the paint, all by itself, as if it had fallen from a shelf. The man who had been wearing it, Isiah Thomas, was on his back now, a few feet away, grabbing the foot with the sock on it, writhing in pain. Even here, 800 miles away, you could hear the groans from Detroit: "Oh, nooo. Now what?"
BACKSEATS FOR LIONS, MONTANA

BACKSEATS FOR LIONS, MONTANA

* SAN FRANCISCO 20, LIONS 10: If the Lions really want to bug Joe Montana, they should yell across the line: "Hey! Aren't you the guy who backs up Steve Young? Tough gig, huh?"* NEW ORLEANS 21, NY JETS 6: The Saints sent their entire starting linebacker corps to the Pro Bowl. The whole set? Is that allowed?
SUPER BOWL WEEK BOTTOMS OUT ON DAY 1

SUPER BOWL WEEK BOTTOMS OUT ON DAY 1

TAMPA, Fla. -- Normally it takes a few hours before something really idiotic happens at the Super Bowl, but this being a short week and all, it took only five minutes. Here we were Tuesday morning, the sports media, just me and 3,700 of my closest friends, being herded into Tampa Stadium for our opening interviews with the New York Giants. And the first thing I saw when we walked on the field, dancing among the players in a tight black dress, black hat, black fishnet stockings and black leather boots, was "Downtown" Julie Brown from MTV. Doing interviews. Or trying.
EMPEROR OF THE AIRSKY KING FLYING HIGH AT MICHIGAN

EMPEROR OF THE AIRSKY KING FLYING HIGH AT MICHIGAN

Who is that guy? What's keeping him up there, floating toward the -- look there he goes again, up and slam! -- he's gotta be jet-propelled or something. He comes out of nowhere, and then -- wait, there he goes again uuuuuppppp annnnnd slam! Whooee! Those long arms, the grip, the way he sucks the ball in then floats toward the hoop. He just hangs there, waiting, living in the breeze. He looks so natural, so right.
DO YA FEEL LUCKY?

DO YA FEEL LUCKY?

DRYDEN -- "May I see the bird, please?"I actually yelled this. I know. It is not a sentence you can picture me yelling. It is not a sentence you can picture anyone yelling, except maybe Prince Charles or Ace Ventura, Pet Detective. "May I see the bird, please?" And that's not all. Here is the whole phrase:"May I see the bird, please?" . . . BANG!Blown to pieces.
MR. OSCAR’S ANSWERS WORTHY OF AN AWARD

MR. OSCAR’S ANSWERS WORTHY OF AN AWARD

Once again, it's time for Mr. Oscar, the man with the Academy Award answers. He's the Best Boy! The Key Grip! Let's go to this year's mailbag.Dear Mr. Oscar: What is the secret of "The Crying Game?"I (boo hoo) can't tell you.Dear Mr. Oscar: If Clint Eastwood actually wins Best Actor this year, what will his acceptance speech be like?"Unnnh . . . rrrr . . . thank you . . . rrrnnn."Hey dude. I don't see "Wayne's World" nominated for nuthin', dude. What's the matter with those sphincter boys dude?Shouldn't you be in wood shop class?
SEASON OF PROMISE HALTED BY RED LIGHT

SEASON OF PROMISE HALTED BY RED LIGHT

CHICAGO -- The game ended the way they all seemed to end, the way this whole damned, crazy post-season has ended. Bang -- and you're dead. Less than 100 seconds left on the regulation clock, the crowd on its feet, screaming like beasts. Paul Ysebaert bumped into Sergei Fedorov deep in his own end. The puck squirted loose, here came Chicago's Greg Gilbert, scraping it out, shoveling it to a driving Brent Sutter, who pushed it past Tim Cheveldae for the only goal that mattered -- which was also the only goal of the night. Game over.Red light.Darkness.

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.

Subscribe for bonus content and giveaways!