Detroit Free Press

CONCENTRATION THE DIFFERENCEWHEN IT COMES TO PLAYOFFS

CONCENTRATION THE DIFFERENCEWHEN IT COMES TO PLAYOFFS

The season begins now. You can forget all those January nights in Denver and Charlotte when you just want to get to the buzzer and get to the plane and get out of town. That is the opening act, the lube job. This is the real thing. Inside the Palace Thursday night, the minutes ticked down and the Pistons were ready. They marched through the tunnel, heads up, eyes glazed, like rock stars sucking in the last breath before they leap onstage.
DITKA OUT; SCHEMBECHLER IN?BO IN TOUCH WITH BEARS

DITKA OUT; SCHEMBECHLER IN?BO IN TOUCH WITH BEARS

Could Bo be a Bear?Sources confirm that Bo Schembechler was in contact with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday evening, just hours after coach Mike Ditka was fired.The Bears reportedly expressed interest in the possibility of replacing the near-legendary Ditka with Schembechler, who totes his own legendary baggage."At the present time, I am not a candidate for the job," Schembechler saidwhen reached at his home in Ann Arbor. "But if the Bears are seriously interested in someone like me coaching their team, then I would certainly be interested in talking to them."
THUMBS DOWN ON COMPUTER BOXINGGRIFFIN VICTIMIZED BY JUDGES, SCORING SYSTEM

THUMBS DOWN ON COMPUTER BOXINGGRIFFIN VICTIMIZED BY JUDGES, SCORING SYSTEM

BARCELONA, Spain -- And you thought your little 9-year-old, sitting in the house playing video games all day, was blowing his chance at the Olympics. Are you kidding? We have a job for him right now.Boxing judge.In fact, if we had a few more 9-year-olds over here, we would probably have one fewer Olympic controversy this morning. That's because boxing, a sport that seems determined to sink under its own stupidity, has suddenly made it more important to test the reflexes of its judges than its boxers.See if you can follow this:
MICHIGAN MEMORIES OF FIVE FORGOTTEN SENIORSU-M MEMORIES OF FORGOTTEN SENIORS

MICHIGAN MEMORIES OF FIVE FORGOTTEN SENIORSU-M MEMORIES OF FORGOTTEN SENIORS

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- On the last day of the year, and the day before their college football careers end, I'd like you to meet five guys you've never heard of. Sometimes, I think their coaches never heard of them either. They do not start. Some back up the backups. One guy never got in a game in four years.They are about to leave Michigan. The Rose Bowl will be their swan song --and if any of them get in the game, it will be big news. But where you would expect bitterness, you don't hear it. Where you would expect anger, there is none.
OUR WEEKLY HUDDLE SORTS OUT THE MUDDLE

OUR WEEKLY HUDDLE SORTS OUT THE MUDDLE

THE HUDDLE:All right, HUDDLE UP! Throw your arms around one another and lean in. We are here to answer questions from the football weekend. We are here to call the play for next week's games. We are here to--Would you mind getting off my foot?WHAT'S THE PLAY?Wait a minute. I'm thinking.While you're thinking, Huddle, I gotta tell ya, I am so geeked on the Lions! I am psyched! This is the year, baby! We're thunderin'! We're smokin'! We're cookin'! I'm in the ZON --Turn your radio down. Take a sedative.Hey, Huddle, can I get in?
AT FINAL FOUR, FANS CAN BE REAL ANIMALS

AT FINAL FOUR, FANS CAN BE REAL ANIMALS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- We start with the pigs.Oh, they may not call themselves pigs. They may call themselves Hogs, or Razorbacks, or President of the United States, but they sure look like pigs, don't they, with those snouts on their heads? See them over there? Cute, huh? Some even wear a whole pig face and little curlicue ears, and they walk around making "oink!" sounds.Others just vomit from beer.Watch your step, folks.
IDITAROD QUEEN PUTS DOGS BEFORE PEOPLEBUTCHER WINS WITHOUT GETTING ALL MUSHY

IDITAROD QUEEN PUTS DOGS BEFORE PEOPLEBUTCHER WINS WITHOUT GETTING ALL MUSHY

IDITAROD DIARY, CHAPTER 2: In which we meet the champion, get licked, talk basketball, and learn that even mushers get jealous.ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- "Forget it. You don't have enough fur." That's what one local told me as I sought the champion of the dogsled world. "Forget it," he laughed. "Unless you got a cold nose and four paws, you ain't gonna get much from Susan Butcher."

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!