Detroit Free Press

CHRISTMAS CAROLS TAKE ON A LOCKER-ROOM AIR

CHRISTMAS CAROLS TAKE ON A LOCKER-ROOM AIR

Yes, sir. It's that time of year again. You open your door and on your porch is the entire sports world, singing its unique versions of popular Christmas carols. Such as ...Scott Mitchell sings ..."I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"I saw Bobby picking Charlie BatchAnd I knew my Detroit years were thruHe could have used me onceMaybe let me kick some puntsInstead I'm standing every weekWith a clipboard like a dunceI saw Bobby picking Charlie BatchAnd I knew that I would say good-byeOh, I wonder what you'll say
BLIND FAITH: WHY I LOVE THE OLYMPICS

BLIND FAITH: WHY I LOVE THE OLYMPICS

EN ROUTE TO NAGANO, JAPAN -- I wave good-bye to the lucky ones, the ones who get to see the Winter Olympics."So long," I say to my buddy with the big-screen TV, as I board the plane for Japan, "enjoy the event.""You, too," he says, waving."Lucky stiff," I mumble.I should not feel envy, but I feel envy. I am jealous of their luck. I am jealous of their good fortune. Mostly, I am jealous of their seat."Don't forget to tell me what happens," I yell to my buddy who owns a sports bar. "I want details."
MR. FLASH AND MR. SHHHH STAR IN MAGICAL ROAD SHOW

MR. FLASH AND MR. SHHHH STAR IN MAGICAL ROAD SHOW

ST. LOUIS -- So Sergei Fedorov gets the puck on a breakaway, and he makes one of those moves, and yada, yada, yada, Wings win.Oh. Sorry. Got my shows crossed.On a night when a third of the nation was watching "Seinfeld" end, those of us who prefer pucks to yucks were watching a remarkable pattern continue. It was the Red Wings showing familiar focus when threatened. It was the Red Wings showing familiar disregard for other people's ice, winning their fourth straight road game in these playoffs.
AMERICAN DREAM PLAYS BADMINTON

AMERICAN DREAM PLAYS BADMINTON

ATLANTA -- It's true, I admit, I've done my share of knocking badminton at the Summer Games. Like millions of others, I couldn't understand how something you play after roasting marshmallows could qualify as an Olympic sport. Birdies? Shuttlecocks? The jokes were almost too easy, and I took every one.
WINGS THANK MATURITY FOR OSGOOD’S NET GAIN

WINGS THANK MATURITY FOR OSGOOD’S NET GAIN

The puck was coming at him. "Uh-oh," he thought. "I gotta stop it. . . . Am I gonna stop it? . . . How do I stop it?" He had enough time to think all this, because the puck was shot from the other end of the ice and was moving pretty slowly. Even so, it went between his legs before he flopped backwards, landed on it, then reached behind him.And then, a smile."I did it," he told himself, looking at the puck. "I made my first save."He was 8 years old.He had just become a goalie.
DON’T BLAME THE BEARER FOR LEWIS’ BAD NEWS

DON’T BLAME THE BEARER FOR LEWIS’ BAD NEWS

If someone created all the bad news in the world, then he would be responsible for it.But if the bad news were already there, and that someone just told you about it, would he be the problem -- or a depressing reminder?That's the stand-off we have this morning, the day Reggie Lewis's number will be raised to the rafters of Boston Garden. A cloud of doubt will ride up that rope, alongside the green and white banner. And in a country never satisfied until we blame somebody, the fingers are pointing -- but in the wrong direction.

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.

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