Detroit Free Press

BREAD WITH PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY JUST CAN’T CUT IT

BREAD WITH PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY JUST CAN’T CUT IT

ATLANTA -- He has the eyes of an eagle and the touch of a card shark. And with his collegiate career on the line Sunday afternoon, he left the floor in three-point territory, bent the forearm, flicked the wrist, waved good-bye with the fingers -- somebody get a video camera, this is beautiful -- and the ball arched in glorious perfection, dropping through the net the way a pearl might drop through water.Swish!We're outta here.
HISTORY REPEATS; HOLMES WILL TAKE SPINKS’ HEAD OFF

HISTORY REPEATS; HOLMES WILL TAKE SPINKS’ HEAD OFF

LAS VEGAS -- Well, the people "in the know" out here are saying Michael Spinks will get his head taken off tonight. They liken the fight to an ant and a boulder. The ant moves around, real quick-like, and, oh, my, see how fast it scurries, how quickly it darts, left, then right, and yes, oh yes, it sure is quick, and then plop! the boulder squashes it dead.The boulder is Larry Holmes. But you probably figured that out.
STEALING SIGNALS? FROM THE LIONS? YOU MUST BE JOKING

STEALING SIGNALS? FROM THE LIONS? YOU MUST BE JOKING

I was fascinated last week by accusations by the Lions that several Green Bay Packers were stealing signals from the sidelines. Not that I don't believe them. It's just that, well, how on Earth can you do that? And who has the time?PLAYER 1: They're going with the red dog, deep six, drop four.PLAYER 2: Yeah. Better signal into our quarterback.PLAYER 1: Right. Let's see. Red dog, that's the closed fist isn't it? And deep six, that's a wipe of the forehead. Or wait. Is the forehead for a blitz, or --QUARTERBACK: Hut!See what I mean?
MARV TO MTV THE ’86 AWARDS

MARV TO MTV THE ’86 AWARDS

NEW YORK -- What could possibly be left in this World Series? What could possibly equal the bottom of the 10th, the two-out drama, the hitting, the pitching, the rain? The rain? What could be left in this made-for-TV-deal, except . . .But of course.
U-M TEACHES ILLINOIS THE MEANING OF POSSESSION

U-M TEACHES ILLINOIS THE MEANING OF POSSESSION

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Jeff George, the celebrated Illinois quarterback, had his hands on his hips. He fidgeted with his helmet strap. "Damn," he seemed to say, pacing up and down, "this is my time." It was the final seven minutes. He was the miracle man. The sold-out crowd was waiting breathlessly for his magic, his typical rally to victory. But he was a prisoner of the sideline.
REBELS FINALLY TAPPED OUT WHEN DICE STOPPED ROLLING

REBELS FINALLY TAPPED OUT WHEN DICE STOPPED ROLLING

NEW ORLEANS -- Oooh, Freddie. A free throw? How mortal. How sadly mortal. Time running out, Nevada-Las Vegas is losing, about to be sent down the NCAA mountain, and suddenly, the guy switches on, what he throws up is going in -- and we're talking rainbows from space here --so the crowd goes nuts, like a thousand hot crap tables, and look out, UNLV is coming back at Indiana, straight for the jugular.
WITH SCOTT SKILES AROUND, THE SPARTANS GOTTA DANCE

WITH SCOTT SKILES AROUND, THE SPARTANS GOTTA DANCE

DAYTON, Ohio -- Throw out your hands. Make two fists. Wave them around over your head and start running backward.Hey, hey, hey, do the Spartan Shuffle.Or The Scott Skiles Shuffle, really. But what's the difference? He is this team, like it or not, and every time he backpedals after a score and does that little "whoopie" step that looks as if he's punching someone in the face, he is injecting magic into Michigan State, this little basketball team that can-can. And who knows how far it will go?
HAYES HAS FIGHTING CHANCE

HAYES HAS FIGHTING CHANCE

Alvin Hayes looks out the window. Then he looks at the clock on the wall. It's 9 in the morning and he's waiting for the car to pull up so he can get the hell out of here and back to the real world for a few hours. Rehab centers are better than prison, he figures. But not much. "Like the Army," he mumbles. They check your every move, give you penalty points if your bed isn't made right, and, ho, God forbid you get caught hiding anything when they strip-search you. Forget it. You're dead.

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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