Detroit Free Press

FORGET FRIENDS! THIS IS WAR — THIS IS THE WORLD SERIES!

FORGET FRIENDS! THIS IS WAR — THIS IS THE WORLD SERIES!

BOSTON -- Forget what they say about old friends. Bobby Ojeda was looking to leave the Red Sox in the dirt and the Sox were hoping to paste his pitches and his face to the left field wall. Oh, he got along OK with everybody here during his eight years in the Boston organization. But this is the World Series, Ojeda is now a Met, and that means to hell with you these days in bean town. "To hell with whom?" he seemed to say from the Fenway mound Tuesday night, where his Mets finally won a World Series Game, 7-1, to close Boston's lead to 2-1. "What did you say?"
EARLY TRAINING SHAPED COOPER’S ROLE WITH LA

EARLY TRAINING SHAPED COOPER’S ROLE WITH LA

BOSTON -- Most high school coaches preach the same old thing: Fundamentals, teamwork, defense over offense. And most kids, in keeping with tradition, ignore every word.Michael Cooper was one of the weird ones. Michael Cooper listened. When they told him "defense not offense" at Pasadena High School, he said "OK. Gotcha." He worked on steals, blocks. Scoring was beside the point.
KEITH MORELAND TAKING TO TIGERSAFTER MANY STOPS, WANTS THIS TO BE LAST

KEITH MORELAND TAKING TO TIGERSAFTER MANY STOPS, WANTS THIS TO BE LAST

LAKELAND, Fla. -- If you cut him, he says, he will bleed burnt orange. Texas colors. Go Longhorns. Once upon a time, it was Saturday afternoon on the college football field, and 90,000 fans were roaring for him to knock the nasty out of those boys from Oklahoma, or Baylor, or Texas A&M. Push em back, shove em back -- aw hell, just break their legs. "There is nothing," admits Keith Moreland, "like Texas football."
TIGERS PERFORMING LIKECHEAP IMITATION OF CHAMPS

TIGERS PERFORMING LIKECHEAP IMITATION OF CHAMPS

Pretty soon, I expect to find the American League East title selling at a garage sale for $1.39.Does anybody want this thing? Detroit loses. Toronto loses. Detroit wins. Toronto loses. Detroit loses. Toronto loses. Are we sure this is the homestretch? Geez. When the going gets tough, the tough wait for the weekend.
NEED GIFT IDEAS? JUST THROW THE BOOKS AT ‘EM

NEED GIFT IDEAS? JUST THROW THE BOOKS AT ‘EM

Give the gift of reading. That's what we say around here. And with only two weeks until Christmas, you'd better get moving to catch these brand new sports books, hot off the presses for the holiday season:* "BETCHA FIVE BUCKS THAT CAKE DON'T RISE" -- The Pete Rose Cookbook.
NEED GIFT IDEAS? JUST THROW THE BOOKS AT ‘EM

NEED GIFT IDEAS? JUST THROW THE BOOKS AT ‘EM

Give the gift of reading. That's what we say around here. And with only two weeks until Christmas, you'd better get moving to catch these brand new sports books, hot off the presses for the holiday season:* "BETCHA FIVE BUCKS THAT CAKE DON'T RISE" -- The Pete Rose Cookbook.
BEARS OLD AS YESTERDAY’S BAD NEWS

BEARS OLD AS YESTERDAY’S BAD NEWS

CHICAGO -- It was like watching one of your favorite TV shows get canceled.Washington 27, Chicago 13.Bad news, Bears.Yes, America, the airwaves are safe once more. No more videos. No more Super Bowl shuffles. No more Taco Bell commercials, if we're lucky. McMahon, Payton, Ditka, the Fridge? All passe now. This is 1987. The Redskins advance, the Bears go back, where? Their caves, I guess.
MAGIC OF SERIES TOUCHES SMALLEY IN VERY BIG WAY

MAGIC OF SERIES TOUCHES SMALLEY IN VERY BIG WAY

ST. LOUIS -- The moment came in the bottom of the eighth, and from now until he is an old man, the time, the circumstances, even the words -- "bottom of the eighth, World Series, 1987" -- will forever tickle a certain fancy. He was sitting on the bench. The manager came over. "Why don't you bat for. . . ."

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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