THE LIVE ALBOM:* Every now and then I have to wonder about our business. On Monday morning, the front-page story of both Detroit newspapers was Brent Musburger getting fired. And of course, for USA Today, this was MAJOR NEWS. Meanwhile, TV reacted with typical perspective. One broadcaster said: "Who'd have thought in one year the Berlin Wall would come down and Brent Musburger would leave CBS?"* Yeah. I can just see those East Germans pouring over the border. "Next, comrades, we free Brent!"
Although I have forgotten many stories from my youth, there is one I will always remember. It concerned my father. There was a snowstorm. A bad one. The car stalled in the middle of nowhere. I was a newborn infant, in need of food, and so my father left my mother and me in the car, and ran through the snow until he found a small tavern. He pleaded with the unreasonable owner, asking for milk. The owner kept saying no. His wife overheard the conversation, came from the back with a carton of milk, and said, "Take it. For your son."My father thanked her, found us, and fed me.
* Lions 20, Buffalo 16: If the Lions put half the energy into playing football that they do in fighting criticism, they would be undefeated.* Dallas 26, Green Bay 10: I know Troy Aikman. I have worked with Troy Aikman. You, Jason Garret, are no Troy Aikman.
THE LIVE ALBOM* Ever since I returned from the Super Bowl, people have been asking me, "How did you like the game?"* And I say, "Fine. How did you like the Grenada Invasion?" * Excuses The Broncos Can Use This Summer:1. "Can you believe those refs?"2. " . . . and the next thing I know, this guy has stolen my uniform and is out there screwing up--"
I can retire now. I've seen it all.In one weekend, I watched Michigan finally beat Notre Dame, on a fourth-down bomb that surely would have made Bo Schembechler quit the game and go into baseball, if he hadn't done that already. Then I watched the Chippewas from Central Michigan, who were supposed to be happy with the invitation to play Michigan State, stuff their RSVP down the Spartans' throatsand beat them, 20-3. Thanks for having us, George. We had a great time.
Chris Webber sat across the table, a plate of spaghetti in front of him. He wore a green sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers, and he looked even younger than his age. He spoke about turning pro. This was last February, when he was still a student, still part of the Fab Five."I can't imagine next year, when we play Duke, and me not being there," he said. "I already know the date, Dec. 11. I can't see myself with some NBA team, watching on TV. I've got to be there."
Last week, a package came to Bo Schembechler's house. His wife, Millie, began to open it. Lifting a flap, she saw a wire. She froze. She thought about the mountain of hate mail they had received since Ernie Harwell was fired. She thought about the phone calls and even death threats. She stopped opening the box. "I hate to admit it," she said Sunday, "but I actually thought it might be a bomb."
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- The car rolled toward the hotel exit. Bo Schembechler, squinting in the morning sun, pointed a finger at it, like a traffic cop, and it quickly came to a halt."What?" asked senior lineman Mike Teeter, the driver, rolling down his window. "Am I doing something wrong, Coach?"Bo grinned. "Hey," he said, "I'm not your coach anymore, Mike. I'm just your friend."Teeter smiled and slowly drove away.
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.
