MITCH ALBOMLife, as you get older, is less about what you learn than what you remember. Same goes for hockey. Especially playoff hockey. This is not training camp or some summer skate, where you work on your new moves. Playoffs are when you rely on instinct. Success depends on what kicks in.
One of the nice things to come out of Sept. 11 was a breakup in America's love affair with celebrities.For a few reasonable weeks, in the aftermath of the World Trade Center rubble, the idea of who some movie star was dating seemed beyond silly.It seemed insulting.
Thanks to the new millennium, we have had to update everything from computers to stationery. Now, with Valentine's Day upon us, I suppose we have to update romance, too.Particularly the love song.Let's face it. Many of the classic love songs of the 20th Century came from the '30s, '40s and '50s. People like Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins. We haven't had a new romantic classic in a long time, unless you count "Love Stinks."
Where did the air go?In a few choking seconds -- the time it takes for two men to streak down the ice with only one defender between them -- the Red Wings' season went from a roar to a gasp. A puck goes in, a light goes on, and now the Avalanche goes home needing one victory in three tries to move on in the playoffs.And the Red Wings must win three straight, or shave the beards and head for the golf courses.
The loading dock area where the players come out was still mobbed with people, nearly an hour after the game. They thumped ThunderStix and screamed at a glimpse of their heroes. Ben Wallace hid inside his SUV, talking on the phone, waiting for the crowd to clear. Tayshaun Prince tried to stay out of sight, against the wall, but someone spotted him and began screaming, "Tayshaun! Tayshaun!" and soon a hundred people were screaming it, too. Rip Hamilton emerged through the door and blinked, as if he'd awoken to find a marching band in his bedroom.
The Sports World announced a passing of the torch this week. Mr. Honored, the founder and CEO, is officially stepping down. Mr. Entitled will be taking his place.Mr. Entitled, younger and more energetic, has long been rumored a successor to the aging Mr. Honored, who in recent years seemed frail. At certain glitzy industry functions -- such as the NBA All-Star Game or the ESPY Awards -- Mr. Honored was barely able to stand. Mr. Entitled, meanwhile, attended every party and has been featured in TV spots with Gary Payton and Ray Lewis.
There is one reason that Robert Blake's murder trial will not become another O.J. Simpson affair, and that reason is as clear as the hand in front of your face.Or should I say the skin on the hand in front of your face?
Hold on. Let's get our messages straight. First we tell every kid who holds a basketball in one hand and a potential college degree in the other that he should never forsake the diploma for the dribble.Then, when Vince Carter wants to attend his college graduation the morning of a big game, we accuse him of letting his team down.Make up your mind. I have no problem with it. Carter wants to get his degree, walk down the aisle with his class, so be it. That's a special moment. It doesn't come twice in life.And by the way, it's not as if he was missing the game.
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.
