Detroit Free Press

SPARTANS’ LOSS TO KANSAS RANKS WITH THEIR VICTORIES

SPARTANS’ LOSS TO KANSAS RANKS WITH THEIR VICTORIES

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Who lost?How could anyone lose in this? This was a classic. A battle of guts. All right, so Michigan State comes home today, their NCAA tournament over two wins shy of the Final Four.Don't look for tears here. This was more of a Spartans' victory than a lot of victories, this 96-86 loss to Kansas. For this was a night when the team that drew its life's blood from a jut-jawed young man named Scott Skiles, suddenly found itself without him for seven minutes that could have killed the Spartans. They didn't shrivel. They didn't bleed. They didn't die.
THE LIONS WEREN’T TAKEN — JUST CAUGHT CATNAPPING

THE LIONS WEREN’T TAKEN — JUST CAUGHT CATNAPPING

I hate to get serious on a Monday morning, but I think some people have got this "Lions Lose Anthony Carter" drama a little mucked up.If you listened to all the theories floating around out there, you'd believe that:A) Lions GM Russ Thomas was shanghaied by Don Shula, who backed out on a deal, or . . . B) The Lions were too cheap, too incompetent, too dunderheaded to make a deal, or . . .
DETROIT GOES TO LA — AND A STAR IS BORN

DETROIT GOES TO LA — AND A STAR IS BORN

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- No problem, dude.The lights? The cameras? The fast-paced LA action? Was all that supposed to bother the Pistons Tuesday night? Was it supposed to embarrass them, intimidate them, make them play like pretenders in Game 1 of this National Basketball Association final? "Chill, baby," the Pistons seemed to say as they jogged off the Forum court, having stunned the Lakers, 105-93, to draw first blood in this championship series. "What do you think? We never played basketball before?"
YOU CAN’T BLAME GIBBY FOR GROWING UP

YOU CAN’T BLAME GIBBY FOR GROWING UP

Well, if I were Kirk Gibson, I would duck. Certain fans get dangerously upset when he doesn't play great, and this year, overall, Gibson is playing "terrible." That's his word for it anyhow. Terrible. Then again, he has nights like Wednesday, when he hit two home runs, one of them halfway to downtown. On nights like that, certain fans want to jump out of their seats and hug him to death.
TIGERS’ WETTELAND IS TRULY DIFFERENT

TIGERS’ WETTELAND IS TRULY DIFFERENT

LAKELAND, Fla. -- You hang around enough spring training camps, you start to hear the same old sentences:"Man, it's hot.""You play golf yesterday?""Man, it's hot.""You playing golf today?"There are certain sentences, however, you do not hear often. One of them is: "I'm buying." Another is: "Bach has always been my favorite."
CELTICS ROLL OUT BARREL ROLLING OUT ROCKETS

CELTICS ROLL OUT BARREL ROLLING OUT ROCKETS

BOSTON -- Larry Bird's hair was dripping champagne. Kevin McHale was soaked to his shorts. Bill Walton was grinning underneath an NBA Championship cap and slapping hands with those high enough to reach him. The Celtics had just won their 16th title, the fans outside were mobbing the Boston Garden floor, and finally, finally, it was time for the big moment. Finally, it was time for . . . a beer.A beer?
EDDIE ROBINSON SEES DREAM COME ALIVE

EDDIE ROBINSON SEES DREAM COME ALIVE

SAN DIEGO -- He sat in the stands Sunday afternoon, trying hard to choke down his excitement. That wasn't just Doug Williams out there, the first black quarterback in a Super Bowl. That was Eddie Robinson's life story."To see this happen in these late years," says Robinson, 68, Williams' coach at traditionally black Grambling University, and the man most responsible for his being here, "well, I can hardly describe what it means."

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.

Subscribe for bonus content and giveaways!