Detroit Free Press

BRENNAN’S THE PERFECT QB IN DISGUISE — NATURALLY

BRENNAN’S THE PERFECT QB IN DISGUISE — NATURALLY

CLEVELAND -- He was the perfect quarterback. Completed all of his passes. Never got hit. He was cool. He was unrazzled. He came into the locker room after the game and his uniform was still gleaming white, and he took it off and strolled casually in for a shower.Very cool."How many of those have you thrown in your career?" someone asked Brian Brennan of his dramatic big pass, the longest of the Lions-Browns game Sunday."Three," he said, wrapping a towel around himself. "I'm three-for-three. I am 1,000 percent."
MEANWHILE, LET US THEORIZE THE ACTUALITIES OF THE CONFLICTS

MEANWHILE, LET US THEORIZE THE ACTUALITIES OF THE CONFLICTS

The other day I saw something I could not believe, even for the NFL. During the broadcast of the Thanksgiving game, NBC employed a sports psychologist as an additional analyst to the regular color man. A sports psychologist? On the microphone? Yes. This takes the cake. Even for pro football, this was too, too. . . . Well. Let me give you a sample of what it was like:ANNOUNCER: . . . and Jones picks up two yards.COLOR GUY: Jimbo, he ran off tackle there, and they've been going at that spot all day long!
KNICKS STOKE FIRES OF POST-SEASON RIVALRY

KNICKS STOKE FIRES OF POST-SEASON RIVALRY

I see auto workers against cab drivers. I see Coleman against Koch. I see a Coney dog with onions against a corned beef sandwich with lots of fat.I see Detroit versus New York.Ugly."We beat them three times so far this season," Patrick Ewing said after the Knicks' 100-93 win over the Pistons Wednesday night at the Palace. "We got one more. And we plan to win that one."
ROYALS FACING GRIM REAPER FOR THIRD TIME THIS SEASON

ROYALS FACING GRIM REAPER FOR THIRD TIME THIS SEASON

ST. LOUIS -- Hoist the guillotines. Polish the blades. We're down to one game again, and it's time to see if the Kansas City Royals finally get their heads chopped off.Of course, anyone who has followed this team since late September knows the Royals seem to gravitate to a disadvantage like Prince does to purple underwear.They had to charge to catch California in their division. They were down 3-1 to Toronto in the American League playoffs before coming back to win in seven. And now, down they are again, this time 3-1 in the World Series.
OLD DEX DEMANDS QUESTIONS IN WRITING

OLD DEX DEMANDS QUESTIONS IN WRITING

SAN DIEGO -- A guy with a tape recorder around his neck was crouched low. Above him were at least a dozen long-stemmed microphones. Behind them, TV cameras, humming in unison. And tucked in between, maybe 100 sports writers, craning their necks. The focus of their attention was a chair. Dexter Manley's chair. It was empty."They're interviewing a chair?" someone asked.
LAIMBEER: A TIME TO BE NAUGHTY, A TIME TO BE NICE

LAIMBEER: A TIME TO BE NAUGHTY, A TIME TO BE NICE

HOUSTON -- Because it was Monday and it was cloudy and humid and I was already feeling like a grouch, I figured this would be a perfect time to check in with Bill Laimbeer.Laimbeer, the Pistons' center, is, after all, the kind of guy you can count on for a hard time. Drop dead. See if he cares. He plays his big, stiff game of basketball and goes on, right? Argues with referees, infuriates other players, sticks out that jaw and that pokey nose and goes loping along like a giraffe singing, "Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah."
NHL DISCIPLINE BEARS A TOUCH OF HIGH SCHOOL

NHL DISCIPLINE BEARS A TOUCH OF HIGH SCHOOL

Sometime today, a plane will land in Toronto, and Red Wings coach Jacques Demers will get off, along with Bob Probert, and they will take a car to a suburban office building.They will walk into a private boardroom. Someone will take their coats. They will shake hands formally, and everyone will sit. Then, the man in charge, perhaps in a deep solemn voice, will give the long-awaited signal.Turn on . . . the TV.And they will watch a hockey fight.
ANOTHER NIGHTMARE IN A HOUSE OF HORRORS

ANOTHER NIGHTMARE IN A HOUSE OF HORRORS

TORONTO -- The post-game food sat in silver trays, warm and untouched. Tigers moved quickly around the clubhouse, tugging their ties, eyeing the exits, hoping to escape without comment. What was there to say?The ghosts that have taken over this American League East race had kissed Toronto and spat at Detroit, deciding that only the worst possible ninth-inning nightmares would suffice. And words certainly weren't going to stop them. Not if five pitchers, nine runs, 11 hits and a grand slam wouldn't.

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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