Detroit Free Press

DALY’S GLASS IS FINALLY FULLCOACH DESERVES HIS CHAMPAGNE TONIGHT

DALY’S GLASS IS FINALLY FULLCOACH DESERVES HIS CHAMPAGNE TONIGHT

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Wouldn't it be funny if beneath that crusty exterior, those dagger eyes, those tightly crossed arms that look as if they'll squeeze the heart from his chest, beneath those throaty screams, that pounding on the table, the slap on the forehead as he collapses in his chair, beneath the pacing feet and the churning stomach and that look to the heavens whenever Dennis Rodman makes a boo-boo that seems to say, "Why me, Lord? What did I ever do to you?" -- wouldn't it be funny if beneath all that, Chuck Daly was really . . . an optimist?
SALLEY-WOODPISTON OVERPOWERS TINSELTOWN

SALLEY-WOODPISTON OVERPOWERS TINSELTOWN

LOS ANGELES -- And here comes Richard Pryor. He walks over, grabs John Salley's hand and begins to shake it. A photographer requests a picture, and the two men turn toward the camera."Spider maaan," says Pryor, looking not at Salley but straight at the lens, "you Detroit guys are taking care of business.""Yeah, we are," says Salley, also looking straight ahead. "You're kickin' some butt," says Pryor."Thanks, Richard.""Takin' care of biddd-ness!""Yeah, Richard.""I lost 50 bucks on you, man.""Sorry, Richard."Click, click.
IF IT’S TOMORROW, THIS MUST BE KOREA

IF IT’S TOMORROW, THIS MUST BE KOREA

SEOUL, South Korea -- So let me tell you what happened yesterday. I mean today. I mean . . . tomorrow. No. Wait. Do I? Forget it. It wasn't that good a story.Welcome to Korea, home of the Summer Olympics, where you never really know what time it is, but if you ask enough people, you definitely won't know what time it is. You will, however, end up with lots of business cards, which you can give to other people, and maybe one of them will have a watch.
LAJOIE TRIES TO RIDE OUT TIGERS’ STORMY SEASON

LAJOIE TRIES TO RIDE OUT TIGERS’ STORMY SEASON

Today, he's not such a genius. The team is a mess, the good players are barely hitting the ball, and fans are yawning and waiting for football season. Bill Lajoie will ride it out. The same way he rode it out when everybody loved him. Remember? Two years ago?"In some ways this is easier than that," sighs the man with the thick eyebrows who, as general manager, is the wheeler- dealer for the Tigers. "In a winning season, like '87, you have to be so alert. The slightest little crack, you have to jump in and fix it."
SALLEY-WOODPISTON OVERPOWERS TINSELTOWN

SALLEY-WOODPISTON OVERPOWERS TINSELTOWN

LOS ANGELES -- And here comes Richard Pryor. He walks over, grabs John Salley's hand and begins to shake it. A photographer requests a picture, and the two men turn toward the camera."Spider maaan," says Pryor, looking not at Salley but straight at the lens, "you Detroit guys are taking care of business.""Yeah, we are," says Salley, also looking straight ahead. "You're kickin' some butt," says Pryor."Thanks, Richard.""Takin' care of biddd-ness!""Yeah, Richard.""I lost 50 bucks on you, man.""Sorry, Richard."Click, click.
IF IT’S TOMORROW, THIS MUST BE KOREA

IF IT’S TOMORROW, THIS MUST BE KOREA

SEOUL, South Korea -- So let me tell you what happened yesterday. I mean today. I mean . . . tomorrow. No. Wait. Do I? Forget it. It wasn't that good a story.Welcome to Korea, home of the Summer Olympics, where you never really know what time it is, but if you ask enough people, you definitely won't know what time it is. You will, however, end up with lots of business cards, which you can give to other people, and maybe one of them will have a watch.
LAJOIE TRIES TO RIDE OUT TIGERS’ STORMY SEASON

LAJOIE TRIES TO RIDE OUT TIGERS’ STORMY SEASON

Today, he's not such a genius. The team is a mess, the good players are barely hitting the ball, and fans are yawning and waiting for football season. Bill Lajoie will ride it out. The same way he rode it out when everybody loved him. Remember? Two years ago?"In some ways this is easier than that," sighs the man with the thick eyebrows who, as general manager, is the wheeler- dealer for the Tigers. "In a winning season, like '87, you have to be so alert. The slightest little crack, you have to jump in and fix it."
ROSE REMAINS DEFIANT AS CAREER IS SUSPENDED

ROSE REMAINS DEFIANT AS CAREER IS SUSPENDED

He leaves the stage still kidding himself, still believing he is somehow above the game, which, let's face it, is what got him thrown out in the first place. "I never bet on baseball," Pete Rose insisted again Thursday morning, the day he was banned for life apparently for exactly that.And thus ends the most excruciating sports story of the year. Not with a final thud of justice, but with the whoosh of verbal swords. "He did it," says Bart Giammati, the commissioner of baseball. "No I didn't," says Rose. "Good-bye," says the commissioner. "I'll be back," says Rose.

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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