CLEVELAND -- He was pitching for everyone who ever got a little old, a little paunchy, anyone whose boss ever came to him and said, "We're going in another direction." For 12 seasons Orel Hershiser, gave his heart, soul and body parts to the LA Dodgers, he won them a world championship, he won them endless awards, he won them fans and filled their coffers with gold. He was loved by the media and loved by the community -- and it made no difference. None whatsoever. When he turned 36, and only pitched one complete game all season, the front office suits came down and said, "Thanks, Orel.
CLEVELAND -- It was almost 50 years ago and the World Series was a thing that was played during the day, under the sun, as baseball should be. Irving (Sonny) Dwosh, now a retired carpet layer, was just a few years out of school. On game days, he and his father went to Peterson Nut Company and picked up 25 pounds of peanuts. Sonny carried one bag, his father carried the other. They set up on Third Street, near the bridge that straddles the freeway."Good spot," his father said. "People have to walk past to get to the game."
WASHINGTON -- Scott Mitchell backpedaled into his own end zone, turned, looked and let it go, another pass on his personal roller-coaster, and the closest this one came to its intended target, Johnnie Morton, was his outstretched fingernails. It was impossible to catch -- for Morton. It was, unfortunately, a perfect pass for Darrell Green, who plays for the Washington Redskins. Green had stepped up and whap! The pigskin hit him in the chest. Whoa? What's this?
NEWS ITEM: As the United Nations convenes to celebrate its 50th birthday, leaders from 185 countries will gather today for a "class photo." It is the first time so many world leaders have been photographed in one room. A special task force has been working on the shoot since last spring, and a recent run- through took more than six hours."You must carry this out with maximum civility," said Francois Giuliani, director of the UN media division. You can't just say, 'You there, stupid, you're moving.' "
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.
