Detroit Free Press

CHICAGO -- I am going to be optimistic and say that was as bad as the Pistons will play this season, because if they play any worse, their season will be history.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- One good thing Bo Schembechler is accomplishing with this Ernie Harwell fiasco: he is making Gary Moeller's job a lot easier.Face it. When Moeller took over at Michigan, his biggest hurdle was not teaching the boys how to block and tackle. It was escaping the Schembechler ghost. Schembechler was worshiped as a football coach. Had he merely retired, then hung around Ann Arbor, his shadow would have dwarfed Moeller for years.

I know, I know. The suspense is killing you. So I'll save you a few anxious hours as you await today's Game 7 between the Pistons and Bulls. After all, we know what's going to happen, don't we? . . .

You can't run your own farewell party. Sometimes, you can't even attend it. Today, in his house in Bloomfield Hills, crutches by his side, heel in a splint, Isiah Thomas no doubt realizes this.And it must bother him. He had hoped for a better ending, a cleansing rinse on his long career, dotted toward the end with unanswered questions, bad press, injuries, and snickers from longtime critics.

LOS ANGELES -- Go ahead. Break my heart. Tell me Magic Johnson is serious when he says, "I'm thinking about retiring. I'll go home after this season and see if I want to come back." There comes a time in every athlete's life when words like that escape his lips. And with some guys, you are only too happy to hear it. But with others. . . .

WIMBLEDON, England -- I whiz into customs on my skateboard, the Walkman blaring in my ears. "Your destination, sir?" asks the customs man."Wimbledon," I say.I open my suitcase filled with stuffed giraffes and fuzzy teddy bears. I unzip the bag containing 14 copies of the New Kids on the Block album, and the latest issues of Tiger Beat magazine."Where did you say you were going, sir?" the agent asks again.I repeat, 'Wimbledon."

We are one-eighth of the way through the NFL season. Therefore it is time for a mini-quiz to see how many of you are really watching, and how many of you are just playing Pigskin Payoff. Ready?1. Which of the following players is still holding out?A. Keith Jackson.B. Janet Jackson.C. Eric Dickerson, sort of.2. Who is the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers?A. Anthony Dilweg.B. Anthony Michael Hall.C. Anthony Who?3. How much better are the 49ers than everybody else?A. A whole lot better.