Detroit Free Press

SO YOU THINK EVERYTHING WENT RIGHT, GUYS? WRONG!

SO YOU THINK EVERYTHING WENT RIGHT, GUYS? WRONG!

It is not my place, as someone who can barely tackle my dog, to tell Wayne Fontes what he should do with a football team that just crushed the Cleveland Browns like a tortilla.But I'll do it anyhow.He should chew them out.Not terribly. Just enough to correct some mistakes that were made in Sunday's otherwise glorious afternoon of indoor football. You may think this is nasty. You may think my timing is wrong. But I remember a certain Pistons coach with neatly coiffed hair who said the time to get after your team is when things are going well.
REPORTER’S DIGGING GIVES A MAN HIS LIFE

REPORTER’S DIGGING GIVES A MAN HIS LIFE

The woman was murdered, stabbed 22 times, the knife left ghoulishly in her mouth. Police investigated. They arrested the boyfriend. A dental "expert" said the boyfriend's teeth matched a bite mark on the woman's face.The accused was put in jail. The door was shut. The light disappeared. At a quick glance, it seemed that justice was done.
CAMPAIGN SLEAZE IS JUST A CALL AWAY

CAMPAIGN SLEAZE IS JUST A CALL AWAY

'Thank you for calling 'Political Ads 'R' Us,' your one-stop shopping service for political campaigns. Press 1 to hear our menu of ads."Beep."If running for Congress, press 1."Beep."If you are the challenger, press 1."Beep."To hear a sample ad, press 1."Beep.
TO THE FINALS!KOZLOV’S GOAL IN SECOND OVERTIME PUTS RED WINGS INSTANLEY CUP FINALS FOR FIRST TIM

TO THE FINALS!KOZLOV’S GOAL IN SECOND OVERTIME PUTS RED WINGS INSTANLEY CUP FINALS FOR FIRST TIM

So this is how you make history. You wait until after the midnight hour, double overtime, when the voices are gone and even the sweat glands are exhausted, then send a young Russian -- whose last name is easier to pronounce than his first -- charging down the ice, have him wind up and fire and . . . bingo! With a game so exhausting it took two days to play, the Detroit Red Wings finally jumped the moat and are outside the castle, banging on the door with an octopus.Knock, knock, Stanley.Guess who's coming for dinner?
WANT TO WORK OUT? FIGHT A PHONY FIRE

WANT TO WORK OUT? FIGHT A PHONY FIRE

Although I live in the Midwest, I try to keep up with what's happening on the coasts. You can bet if a hot trend develops in New York or Los Angeles, a few years later we are mimicking it here in the heartland.For example, in the '70s, we didn't know what therapy was, and by the '80s, everyone had a shrink. Just like LA.Or remember a few years ago, when you could buy bagels only in supermarkets, and now you can't drive half a mile without a bagel shop that sells 15 flavors. Just like New York.
MORE BOMB THAN BOMBA NOW, BUT HE STILL HUNGERS

MORE BOMB THAN BOMBA NOW, BUT HE STILL HUNGERS

NAGANO, Japan -- "Come, Alberto, we take walk.""Si, Mitchi," Alberto Tomba says. "We take walk." I pat him gently on his shoulder, and we move along the mountain path, the cold morning wind shaking snowflakes from the trees."Vino, Alberto?" I say, taking a flask from my satchel."No, Mitchi, grazie," he says."Panna?" I say, taking a roll from my pouch."No, Mitchi, grazie.""Dolce?" I say, offering a candy bar."No, Mitchi." He pats his growing stomach. "I am still in training, si?"
THE IDEAL ATHLETE IS JUST A CALL AWAY

THE IDEAL ATHLETE IS JUST A CALL AWAY

Rrrring."Hello, and thanks for calling The Sports World. For owners, press 1. For athletes, press 2-"Beep."Welcome to the Sports World Athletes Center. To speak to an athlete, press 1."Beep."Please select the type of athlete to whom you'd like to speak. For athletes convicted of sexual assault, press 1. For others, press 2."Beep."For athletes convicted of weapons possession, press 1. For others, press 2."Beep."For athletes convicted of rape, arson or other crimes, press 1. For athletes with no convictions, press 2."
MCGWIRE’S HEROICS CAP BASEBALL’S GREATEST YEAR

MCGWIRE’S HEROICS CAP BASEBALL’S GREATEST YEAR

"Right now, I'm in awe of myself." -- Mark McGwire, after Sunday's gameThat was no home run, that was an exclamation point.Mark McGwire's final rocket shot of the season -- which launched on the last Sunday in September, traveled more than 370 feet, and landed in a leftfield box at Busch Stadium, plopping into a group of partying lab researchers -- was more than McGwire's 70th of the year. It was more than the all-time record. It was more than nine better than Roger Maris, whose mark they said might never be broken.

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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