News media reports indicate that apathy is at an all-time high in our country, and that small percentages of the voters are actually planning to go to the booths today. Six years ago, I wrote the following poem about apathy. The Free Press reran it before the 1996 presidential election. And it still rings true today on the cusp of another election.I heard a knock upon my doorAnd opened it to seeAll the poor around the worldLooking back at meIn tattered clothes and worn-out shoesWith families to feed,They held their hands out, hopefully,
HOUSTON -- Let's not say the stadium was empty. Let's just say that if you were sitting behind one end zone, and the hot dog guy was clear across the other end zone, all you had to do was yell, "Sir? When you get a chance?"
The sports world is full of errors in judgment: The Lions drafting Andre Ware, World Team Tennis, Fox creating a blue puck.Still, lately it seems like a plague of bad decisions has infected sports, and it's even worse than usual. For example:OLIVER McCALL VS. LENNOX LEWISA couple of years ago, Don King was talking about one of his fighters. He couldn't remember his name, so he said, "Who's that junkie I got?"
It's a long walk to the Red Wings locker room at the farthest end of the arena tunnel, past the storage areas and the electrical wires, and past the benches where the players' wives sit and wait for their husbands.
NEWS ITEM: As the United Nations convenes to celebrate its 50th birthday, leaders from 185 countries will gather today for a "class photo." It is the first time so many world leaders have been photographed in one room. A special task force has been working on the shoot since last spring, and a recent run- through took more than six hours."You must carry this out with maximum civility," said Francois Giuliani, director of the UN media division. You can't just say, 'You there, stupid, you're moving.' "
The protester was knocked down. As he lay on the ground, one policeman handcuffed him, while another put his foot on the man's forehead to hold him still.This happened in Seattle last week. I know this not because I was there, but because I saw it on TV. The camera zoomed in on the policeman's foot and held there for at least six seconds.I was never told what the protester did to warrant such police behavior. I have no idea if the guy verbally abused the officers, threatened to kill them, maybe pulled a gun. All I saw was that foot on his forehead.
* HUT ONE: I'm gonna miss the little fella. There. I said it and I'm not ashamed.I'm talking about Lou Holtz, who announced his retirement this week -- actually, he announced the sentence "I think this is the right thing to do" this week, approximately 2,538 times during his news conference, which, by the way, is still going on down in South Bend, Ind., and is being carried live by ESPN6 -- and yes, I have to admit, I got a little misty.
WIMBLEDON, England -- Here is the reason I will never be a world-class tennis player: I refuse to let a ball girl stick her finger in my eye. This, apparently, is a new requirement at Wimbledon, based on the behavior of Shuzo Matsuoka, a tall Japanese tennis ace. Shuzo is the first man from Japan to reach the quarterfinals here since 1933.He also travels with his own karaoke machine.You think a finger in the eye is gonna stop him?
* Lions 20, Tampa Bay 19: This is how it goes with these two: When you don't expect it, the Lions will win. And when you least expect it, the Bucs will win. All we have to figure out now is what to expect. The answer: I have no idea. Pick vs. spread: Tampa Bay.* Dallas 14, San Francisco 14: I don't know which hurts George Seifert more, falling to a .500 record, or having been outcoached by Wayne Fontes. Pick vs. spread: San Francisco.
Since you can't bring up a racial issue in this country without whites running to one side and blacks running to the other, let me try a different angle on this Ebonics idea.If I were black, I'd be insulted.
He entered the room in a three-piece suit, sat down and began scanning an information sheet about me. I was interviewing him, but in many ways, like a good lawyer, Johnnie Cochran was preparing for me."I know you're on a tight schedule," I said, "so I'll get right down to it.""OK, great," he replied, his gaze never coming off the page. I watched his eyes dart back and forth beneath his glasses. I kept picturing a judge hanging over us, saying, "Are you ready to begin, Mr. Cochran?"
