First of all, Wayne Fontes is still the coach of the Lions. I don't fire him. You don't fire him. All the pundits on radio and TV don't fire him. That task is for someone named Ford, and if you go by the history of that name and this team, well, there's no telling what might happen.But just as we do our Christmas shopping early for a holiday that is still weeks off, perhaps the Fords already are thinking about a new man for the job, even though the current coach has three games left to endure, er, play.
Hello, Mr. X? This is Lou Holtz.Lou! Thanks for calling me back. You know this conversation must remain secret.Of course.We don't want Coach Y getting suspicious.Right.So, Lou. You want back in the NFL.I certainly do, Mr. X. With all my heart.Can I ask why you left Notre Dame?Gosh, sir, that's tough. The kids were truly wonderful, and I pray that I led them with a strong hand and a wise heart, but in my soul there burns a passion for new horizons.They told you to take a hike.Pretty much, yes, sir.
CHICAGO -- Barry Sanders, maybe the best running back in the history of the game, was stuck in the corner with camera lights blinding his eyes. He looked down. He mumbled his answers. For every time he mentioned "pride," he mentioned "disappointment." For every time he said "honor," he said "frustration." He sniffed between questions and pulled on his neck, as if coaxing the words up through his throat. He never smiled.
* HUT ONE: I'm gonna miss the little fella. There. I said it and I'm not ashamed.I'm talking about Lou Holtz, who announced his retirement this week -- actually, he announced the sentence "I think this is the right thing to do" this week, approximately 2,538 times during his news conference, which, by the way, is still going on down in South Bend, Ind., and is being carried live by ESPN6 -- and yes, I have to admit, I got a little misty.
And now for the Lions' newest weapon:Prayer."The good Lord did it," said Luther Ellis."I know I found religion," said Brett Perriman."Somebody wanted us to have a break," said Van Malone.What they were talking about, of course, was the last play of Sunday's game, a play that had "fade to black" written all over it. The Seattle Seahawks were lined up for a very makable 42-yard field goal that would have sent the Lions to their fifth straight loss, swallowed their meager playoff hopes, and assured them a spot in the Waste Of Talent Hall of Fame.
You do not write the script. All athletes learn this eventually. You can affect the script. You can star in the script. You may die at the end of the script. But you cannot write it. Too many things happen.
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.
