Detroit Free Press

OPENING STATEMENTRED-HOT RED WINGS, LED BY KOCUR, SCORE A KNOCKOUT AGAINST COYOTES

OPENING STATEMENTRED-HOT RED WINGS, LED BY KOCUR, SCORE A KNOCKOUT AGAINST COYOTES

Idon't want to give the folks in Phoenix early indigestion, but when Joey Kocur scores two goals on your team, you'd better check your diet.Yes, I know it's only the first game of the playoffs. Yes, I know some teams need time to get loose. But two goals -- by Joey Kocur? That's like two touchdowns by Jerry Ball. Two home runs by Justin Thompson. Demoralizing? That wasn't sweat on the Phoenix players, it was skid marks. The Zamboni had a better night than they did.
PISTONS’ MALONE DESERVES BETTER

PISTONS’ MALONE DESERVES BETTER

He was there for the Pistons' two NBA championships, and he knew as much about those teams as anyone.He was there for the Pistons' slide into mediocrity, and it broke his heart, because he knew why it happened.He was there for the start of the Pistons' rebirth -- Grant Hill, Allan Houston -- and he taught them, tutored them, cajoled them.Now the Pistons are booting him out.
NFL WOULD BE STUPID NOT TO TAKE MY GUYS

NFL WOULD BE STUPID NOT TO TAKE MY GUYS

If you want to know the truth, I'm much too busy to be writing this column, since, in addition to my duties here, I also serve as a professional football scout.That's right. I serve to spot those players the NFL overlooks in its annual draft.Hey, it's not that those NFL guys aren't thorough. It's just that, well, they sometimes miss some really prime candidates who suffer a teeny-weeny blemish on their record, such as double-homicide. I blame the media. You know how the media can be.
JUST 1 MOREWINGS POUND FLYERS AGAIN, STORM TOWARD THEIRSTANLEY CUP DESTINY

JUST 1 MOREWINGS POUND FLYERS AGAIN, STORM TOWARD THEIRSTANLEY CUP DESTINY

The hinges are coming loose, the rusty bolts are rattling and the door that for more than four decades has separated Detroit from the coveted Stanley Cup is about to shatter into a million pieces. The Red Wings earned their third victory of this championship series Thursday night with a force that could burst a dam, a defense that could hold back time, and a speedy confidence that bordered on destiny. So mighty was their domination of the dazed and confused Philadelphia Flyers that the Wings scored their goals as if chosen from an assortment pack:
MARCH SADNESSPARTY’S OVER FOR THREE STATE TEAMS; ONLY MSU REMAINS

MARCH SADNESSPARTY’S OVER FOR THREE STATE TEAMS; ONLY MSU REMAINS

CHICAGO -- The difference between Friday and Sunday is the difference between a party night and a school night, between the fun starting and the fun ending, or, in college basketball's thrilling, season-ending tournament, the difference between a future and a past. Three Michigan schools, two of them strangers to this kind of spotlight, woke up Sunday with a sweet taste of success and dreams of more, more, more. By evening, reality had hit home: One taste was all there would be.
I RETURN BECAUSE READERS ARE WHAT MATTERS THE MOST

I RETURN BECAUSE READERS ARE WHAT MATTERS THE MOST

Enough.The summer is over, school buses are rolling, people are back to work.And so am I.Not as a symbol. I am not here because I side with management in this wretched newspaper strike, nor am I here to be a union spy. I did not come back for money, and I plan to give much of what I earn to the people still on strike.
HOOP FATES INTERTWINED FOR HILL AND DUMARS

HOOP FATES INTERTWINED FOR HILL AND DUMARS

IT WAS THE game he had to play in the game they had to have. Superstars don't deliver every night, but they do when they must, or they're not superstars for long. Grant Hill pushed the curtain aside Friday night and did what you're supposed to do when your whole business is watching. Took the night over.
GREAT ENDINGS? ROYKO WROTE THE BOOK ON ‘EM

GREAT ENDINGS? ROYKO WROTE THE BOOK ON ‘EM

TO: Mike RoykoFROM: An admirerDear Mr. Royko:Over the years, I have received many letters from readers. Quite a few begin this way. "I've never written to a columnist before . . ." Tell you the truth, Mr. Royko, neither have I. It took your death to get me to write you now.

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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