Good Morning, Mr. Marinelli:If you are who we say you are - namely, the Lions' new head coach - then welcome to Detroit. To be honest, most of us never heard of you. But we already know a lot about you.For example, we know you are taking this job, which makes you A) an optimist, B) desperate, C) the wrong man for the position or D) the exception to the rule.Let's hope it's D. We know you're 56 years old, which will be used against you ("If he's so good, how come nobody hired him before?") unless you win.
I must confess I never understood sexy cheerleaders, since every sport I ever played in, the coach screamed at me to "Focus!" and how can you focus when a pretty girl in a skimpy skirt is jumping up and down and squealing?Still, I just accepted it. Boys played. Girls cheered. This was before our current age of enlightenment, which includes both the U.S. women's soccer team and the Laker Girls, proving we're not really enlightened, just confused.This brings us to the recent controversy over the Pistons swimsuit calendar.
I held my father's hand as we walked into the stadium. I wore a cap. I carried a glove. I ate a hot dog. I clapped constantly. When one of our players struck out, I said, "That's OK," mimicking my father, who added, "We'll get 'em next time."I remember every vivid detail of my first sporting event, from the seat colors to the greasy food. What I don't remember is if our team won.I guess it didn't matter.
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.
