NAGANO, Japan -- I have this nightmare every now and then. I close my eyes, and I am back in Barcelona, watching Charles Barkley tell a packed audience that the NBA had arrived, so the rest of the world "should just take their ass-whipping and go home."I wake up in a cold sweat.Like a switch thrown by Dr. Frankenstein, the original Dream Team spawned a monster too large to subdue. Letting multimillionaire basketball stars into the Olympics was like letting Imelda Marcos into the Athlete's Foot.
HAKUBA, Japan -- To appreciate the scene -- one man, leaping into the sky, soaring above his flag-waving countrymen -- you must first appreciate the culture. Japan is a place where you do not stand out, where conforming is good, where joining is good. Those who dare to be different risk scorn and disgrace. There is an expression taught to the very young: "The nail that stands out gets hammered down."
EN ROUTE TO NAGANO, JAPAN -- I wave good-bye to the lucky ones, the ones who get to see the Winter Olympics."So long," I say to my buddy with the big-screen TV, as I board the plane for Japan, "enjoy the event.""You, too," he says, waving."Lucky stiff," I mumble.I should not feel envy, but I feel envy. I am jealous of their luck. I am jealous of their good fortune. Mostly, I am jealous of their seat."Don't forget to tell me what happens," I yell to my buddy who owns a sports bar. "I want details."
SAN DIEGO -- Well, if the pope can visit Cuba, the Unabomber can confess, and the president can be accused of making whoopee with an intern, I guess the AFC can win a Super Bowl.
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.
