Detroit Free Press

It was the first kickoff of the first exhibition game. Matt Russell came charging down the field, planted a leg and felt a pop in his right knee.He was done for the year.Just like that? Just like that. He went through surgery. He went through rehab. He lifted weights for hours a day and stood on the Detroit Lions' sidelines, holding a clipboard, while his friends played the game.

'Good morning, students. Welcome back to school. How did you spend your summer vacation?""It was great! I went to ...

Normally, I am depressed by America's fascination with TV ratings. But in the case of the now completed Republican ...

EVERYBODY'S talking about where everybody's going. This one's going here. This one's going there. Grant Hill's going to Orlando. Jamal Mashburn's going to Charlotte. Eddie Jones is going to Miami.And Chucky Atkins is coming to Detroit. Oh, maybe that doesn't make the same headlines as those other guys. Atkins doesn't care. He is happy. No, he's thrilled. Because his story is less about where he's going than where he has been.Let's talk tanks. Let's talk guns. Let's talk military presence. Let's talk buildings with bullet holes. Fans throwing bricks.

Afriend of mine has no children. She hears about it all the time."Why not?" they ask."How could you not want them?""Is there something wrong between you and your husband?"Another friend has three children. She also hears about it all the time."Don't you want a career?" they ask."Are you really taking those kids into that restaurant?"Once upon a time, having children was a given. Those who didn't couldn't. They were to be pitied.

Iwas sick of Ellen, and I had never even met her.She was everywhere you looked. Television. Newspapers. Magazine ...

"GOOD MORNING, America, and welcome to our coverage of the British Open from St. Andrews. Let's get right to the ...

You've seen these bumper stickers. "My kid made the honor roll at blankety-blank school."I used to think they were harmless. A declaration of parental pride. Now, I'm not so sure. Parental pride, it seems, can get you killed.Earlier this month, in a Boston suburb, two fathers took their kids to hockey practice. One father never came home.