Detroit Free Press

LIFE NEVER IS FAIR, SO WE HOPE AND PRAY

LIFE NEVER IS FAIR, SO WE HOPE AND PRAY

And still, the sun shone brightly. How could this be? Shouldn't there have been clouds and rain? How could hockey fans reconcile an absolutely perfect weather Father's Day with the image of Vladimir Konstantinov lying motionless in a hospital bed, breathing through a respirator, a brain monitor in his head?
BARRY’S WOES? HERE’S THE RHYME, IF NOT THE REASON

BARRY’S WOES? HERE’S THE RHYME, IF NOT THE REASON

They say bad news is best delivered through poetry. Actually, I just made that up. But pretending it is true, allow me to wax poetic after the Lions' depressing loss Sunday to the suddenly brown Tampa Bay Bucs.Barry, oh, Barry, oh,Wherefore art thou, Barry-o?We are now two weeks into the Lions' season, the season that was supposed to be the liberation of the Greatest-Halfback-Never-To-Have-A-Fullback, the season of the "organized" coaching staff, the season Sanders' awesome talent would be unleashed in its rightful power.
THE HUDDLE

THE HUDDLE

Somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere fans say "Yay!" but there is no joy in Detroit -- when the Lions play Green Bay.Hey. Whatdya want for nothin'?Hut one, hut two . . . HUDDLE UP!WHO'S IN THIS WEEK: Scott Greene, Marc Renaud, Barry Sanders (lifetime membership), Henry Thomas, Jim (Har-de-har) Harbaugh, Carolina and Dom Capers (doesn't Dom Capers sound like a champagne?), Eddie George, Steve Bono, Orel Hershiser, the fans at Joe Louis, the BIG SCREEN at Spectadium in Troy, and Davey Johnson, who keeps winning, and keeps getting fired.
DENVER HAS ALL THE GUNS TO GET DROP ON ATLANTA

DENVER HAS ALL THE GUNS TO GET DROP ON ATLANTA

In defense of my friend and colleague Curt Sylvester -- who I understand is actually picking the Falcons (heh-heh) to win this Super Bowl -- now hear this: That was not Curt on South Beach Thursday night, with his shirt unbuttoned to his navel, gold chains around his neck, a red rose in his thinning gray hair, doing the lambada and yelling at the bouncer, "LET ME IN! I KNOW DENNIS RODMAN! I REALLY DO!"It just looked like Curt.
A-TRAIN KEEPS U-M ON THE RIGHT TRACK

A-TRAIN KEEPS U-M ON THE RIGHT TRACK

WHEN HE was small, his mother watched over him.She'd say, "Don't go out without your shoes on....""Put something on your head, it's cold outside....""Make sure to take your vitamins...."Anthony Thomas listened, because he was a good son and good sons always listen. But deep down, he believed, as all kids do, that he was indestructible.Funny. Now it's his coaches who want to believe it. And they watch him almost as closely as Mom.
OUR DIFFERENCES REMAIN SO TRIVIAL

OUR DIFFERENCES REMAIN SO TRIVIAL

The fumes were spreading. A fire. It's a fire! The female workers in this clandestine factory began to scream and rush for the windows. A young man carrying a carton of cigarette lighters stumbled into the main room and fainted from the smoke. He dropped his box.It exploded.
TRYING ON THEIR SPA WAS BERRY, BERRY GOOD FOR ME

TRYING ON THEIR SPA WAS BERRY, BERRY GOOD FOR ME

ST. GEORGE, Utah -- "Where's the soap?""You don't need it," I was told. "Just wipe yourself with that mitt.""The one with mustard on it?""It's not mustard, it's a mixture of ash, rainwater, sand and juniper berry extracts.""OK. Where's the towel?""You don't need one.""But when I finish showering?""Dry yourself with the other mitt.""The one with ketchup on it?""It's not ketchup, it's moisturizer made with olive oil, gardenias and grapefruit.""Oh . . . that mitt."

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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