And Bobby O'Day is still dead. You can't get past that. You think about it now, almost four years later, how it happened, in a high school hallway, where O'Day, one of the most popular kids, tried to break up a fight and got stabbed in the chest and died, slowly, in front of children. And now you hear that his killer is out of jail, free on probation. And Bobby O'Day is still dead.
CHICAGO -- He ran in. He took the snap. He got sacked. He ran out.Jim Harbaugh had just made his first play in the National Football League."What'd I lose, nine yards?" he asked in the locker room after his Chicago Bears mauled the Lions, 30-10."Uh, actually," someone said, "it was 15.""Fifteen?" He shook his head. "Oh . . . bleep."Welcome to the NFL. This was not the moment Jim Harbaugh dreamed of when he was quarterbacking the Michigan Wolverines last year. But then, a lot has happened since then. And anything can happen with the Chicago Bears.
"And now, it's time for our mystery guest. Would you enter and sign in please! . . . Dar-ry-l Ro-ger-s (applause) . . . welcome, Mr. Rogers.""Hi.""OK, panel. You know the rules. You ask questions and try to guess what Mr. Rogers does for a living. Let's start with you, Kitty.""Thank you very much. Mr. Rogers, is your job primarily animal or vegetable?""Well . . . we have some of each.""Are your animals fierce?""On their good days, yes.""And the vegetables?""That would be our punting team.""I beg your pardon?"
NEW YORK -- It was the simplest of plays, the simplest of errors. Tim Teufel did not get his glove down far enough on Rich Gedman's ground ball and it went between his legs and into right field. And Jim Rice headed home from second base with the first run of Saturday night's game, the only run of the game, the run that would decide who took the lead in this 1986 World Series. An unearned run. An error on the second baseman. Red Sox win, 1-0. Mets lose.The simplest of plays.
I could have written this column Tuesday, the day the ax fell. But it seemed to fit on Thanksgiving, a day the Pilgrims sat down with the Indians. A more proper time, perhaps, for you, me and the rest of the football-watching world to smoke the peace pipe with Gerry Faust.Faust resigned as Notre Dame football coach on Tuesday. His crime was losing. Nothing more. He had been plucked from the high school ranks five years ago -- where he was a big-time winner -- and handed the reins to the nation's most popular college football program.
WIMBLEDON, England -- Picture a man dangling on a rope, sharks in the water, snapping at his flesh. The man is Jimmy Connors, the sharks are the tireless young tennis players who keep coming and coming. And one of them just rose up and bit him in the butt.Jimbo exits Wimbledon. Who knows whether this is last time? He is 35 now, the wins come harder and harder, and the opponents are nameless, faceless.
"Chuck?""NOW COACH? NOW? YOU WANT ME IN NOW? I'M READY! I'M--""Uh, Chuck, could you please hand me the clipboard?""Oh, sure, coach.""Thank you. Oh -- and Chuck?""NOW COACH? NOW? PASS PLAY? YOU WANT A PASS PLAY FIRST? YOU WANT A--""Chuck. I, uh, need the pencil that was with the clipboard.""Oh . . . here.""Thank you.""You're welcome.""By the way, Chuck--""NOW? NOW? YOU WANT ME IN NOW?""Chuck, I--"
TORONTO -- The ball went flying high into center field and Chet Lemon waved, he got it, the final out, and that was that. Alan Trammell stood at shortstop, watched the catch, then trotted in with the rest of his teammates.The game was won. The streak was over.
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.
