Yes, sir. It's that time of year again. You open your door and on your porch is the entire sports world, singing its unique versions of popular Christmas carols. Such as ...Scott Mitchell sings ..."I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"I saw Bobby picking Charlie BatchAnd I knew my Detroit years were thruHe could have used me onceMaybe let me kick some puntsInstead I'm standing every weekWith a clipboard like a dunceI saw Bobby picking Charlie BatchAnd I knew that I would say good-byeOh, I wonder what you'll say
It's true, playing big-time college basketball can get you fame, money and lots of female admirers. But sometimes you're happy with a black eye."That was my proof that I was really on the team," says Michigan's Erik Szyndlar, who took an elbow from Robert Traylor in practice a few years ago, and got a shiner the size of Brazil. "My eye was so swollen, I couldn't see or read anything. But I was telling everyone, 'Robert Traylor gave me this!'"It showed people that I really did play for Michigan."
It began with my pockets.My pockets were always stuffed. My pockets bulged. The inside of my pockets looked like the bottom of an office trash basket. Small pieces of paper stuck to smaller pieces of paper. Receipts wrapped around notes folded into business cards -- all crushed into a shapeless wad that engorged my left and right pant legs. It looked as if I traveled with tuna sandwiches in my jeans.
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.