Sometimes it comes down to talent, sometimes it comes down to skill, sometimes it comes down to momentum, coaching, pregame speeches, fights. And sometimes it comes down to a bounce. Here was Tomas Sandstrom, in overtime, simply looking to clear the puck, and on the move he flicked it high into the air.Here were Slava Kozlov and Igor Larionov, skating down center ice, watching Sandtrom's offering come out of the lights.
Oh, Curt. You sad, misguided soul. How can you pick the Green Bay Packers to win this Super Bowl when everyone knows the Patriots are a lock?(Ed. note: Mitch Albom is lying through his teeth. He does not believe the Patriots will win.)The Patriots are the superior team, Curt. They have a better running game and a coach who can win the Big One. What's the matter? Can't your 114-year-old eyes see that?(Ed. note: Never mind the age jokes. Only a fool would believe what Albom is saying.)
MITCH ALBOMAL East -- NY YankeesAL Central -- ClevelandAL West -- AnaheimAL wild card -- BaltimoreNL East -- AtlantaNL Central -- HoustonNL West -- Los AngelesNL wild card -- San FranciscoWorld Series -- Atlanta over New York YankeesAL Central:1. Cleveland2. Chicago3. Detroit4. Minnesota5. Kansas City
The paper. I kept looking for the piece of paper. The crib sheet. The notes. Something written down that Bobby Ross was no doubt checking as he stood at the microphone, neatly coiffed, rattling off his coaching blueprint. Methodically, he outlined why he came here, how he operated, and the steps he would take to build a winner in Detroit. Surely he was working from a script, no? It was too logical. Too orderly. The Lions haven't witnessed this kind of organization since the Silverdome crowd sang an on-key verse of "Another One Bites the Dust."
Some things you do for love, some you do for tradition. In frosty weather, with the season already a week old, and the team -- let's be honest -- not expected to win as many as it loses, those who came out for Opening Day at Tiger Stadium on Monday afternoon did it for tradition. They did it because their folks did it. They did it because they love the first pitch, the organ music, because some rituals you keep alive, even if, for the moment -- with empty seats and an alien roster -- they don't make much sense.
The quarterback was so hot, steam was coming from his head. He crossed his arms. He glared at his coach. He was in the building physically, but in his mind, he was packing his suitcase.Congratulations, Wayne Fontes. Of all the boneheaded moves you have made with the Lions, this one tops the pile.
* Detroit 28, Washington 16: The Redskins beat the Cowboys. The Lions beat the 49ers. So I guess these are the two best teams in the NFC, right? Then how come their combined records are 4-9? Pick vs. spread: Lions.* Tampa Bay 24, Atlanta 23: Once upon a time, we pickers would see Tampa Bay and automatically put a "0" for the score. Ah, the good old days. Pick vs. spread: Falcons.
Sometimes you play basketball, sometimes it plays you. Maurice Taylor knows this. He remembers the airport a few years ago, waving good-bye to his mother, who was moving to Tennessee for a better job.Taylor wanted to go, too. A self-described "mama's boy," he couldn't imagine a day without her, even though he had been living with an aunt in Detroit for several years, because his mother's east side neighborhood was not the place for a budding basketball star.
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.
