If there's one thing that should get everyone's attention, it's the end of the world.BOOM!Do we have your attention?Maybe, maybe not. Last week, a huge setback occurred in the nuclear bomb arena. The United States -- which leads the planet in nuclear technology the way the Atlanta Braves lead baseball in good pitching -- rejected a treaty that outlaws exploding nuclear devices for testing purposes.Let me repeat: We rejected it.
TO: Phil Garner, New Tigers ManagerFROM: Me, Old Detroit ColumnistDear Phil:Welcome to Detroit. We hope you like it here. We realize it's not Milwaukee, but on the plus side, it's not Milwaukee.In the weeks to come, you'll learn many wonderful things about our city, our people and our love affair with sports. The good news is we're crazy about men swinging lumber. The bad news is, I'm talking about hockey players.
IDON'T STARE. I haven't in a long time. When you work as a sportswriter, you get used to seeing famous, large, muscular human beings entering your field of view. Staring is the worst option. Nothing says "outsider" more than a gape.Nonetheless, I stared when I met Wilt Chamberlain. Ogled him like a kid seeing his first Santa Claus. I knew better. Knew it was inappropriate. I still did it. He was that big. Bigger than the normal rules of behavior.
COREY SCHLESINGER was slumped on his knees, head lowered, hands out, like a man who had thrown himself before his Lord and maker, asking for forgiveness. Forty yards behind him, the San Diego Chargers were celebrating his gift, a fumble that came into the arms of cornerback Darryll Lewis, who ran it in for a clinching touchdown.It was more than a mistake. It was a trip back in time. In one play, the 1999 Lions were stripped of their new identity as the NFL's underdog winner, and were redressed as the Franchise That Couldn't Shoot Straight.
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.