Detroit Free Press

HOW THEY PICK ‘EM

HOW THEY PICK ‘EM

Here's how the Free Press experts forecast the Pistons' playoff chances:* MITCH ALBOM: I actually like the Pistons' chances against Boston better than their chances against Atlanta. Unfortunately, should they beat Washington -- and they should -- they would have to play the Hawks first.In a long series, the Hawks just have too many horses. The only way the Pistons would get to a conference final -- assuming they play Atlanta in the second round -- is to catch the Hawks early, winning the first two games and putting the pressure on.
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.
SPRING TRAININGEISENREICH’S POTENTIAL BATTLES HIS PROBLEM

SPRING TRAININGEISENREICH’S POTENTIAL BATTLES HIS PROBLEM

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- They treated him like a freak, and he never deserved that. "The things I do, I've done all my life," says Jim Eisenreich. But people just saw what they saw, a center fielder suddenly twitching and gasping for breath, bending at the waist, not sure he would ever find air again. Just like that it could happen. In the middle of the game. And he would call time out and run off the field, scared and embarrassed. He was suffering from a disease, he says, Tourette's Syndrome, but he didn't know it then, and his club, the Minnesota Twins, didn't believe it.
SOME INTERESTING TARGETS FOR SPORTS-MINDED CUPID

SOME INTERESTING TARGETS FOR SPORTS-MINDED CUPID

THE LIVE ALBOM (Valentine's Day Edition)* If I had wings and a little bow and arrow and I enjoyed wearing a diaper, I might play Cupid for the following couples on Valentine's Day:Jim McMahon and Andy Warhol. Refrigerator Perry and Pia Zadora. Sparky Anderson and Olive Oyl. Petr Klima and Annette Funicello. The Iron Sheik and Iron Maiden. * And maybe Danny Ainge, Pat Sullivan and that kid from "Webster." A menage a twerp. * Speaking of Valentine's Day, how about a gift from the NBA: 82 All-Star Games a year, with one regular-season game in the middle?
HOW THEY PICK ‘EM

HOW THEY PICK ‘EM

Here's how the Free Press experts forecast the Pistons' playoff chances:* MITCH ALBOM: I actually like the Pistons' chances against Boston better than their chances against Atlanta. Unfortunately, should they beat Washington -- and they should -- they would have to play the Hawks first.In a long series, the Hawks just have too many horses. The only way the Pistons would get to a conference final -- assuming they play Atlanta in the second round -- is to catch the Hawks early, winning the first two games and putting the pressure on.
MANY REASONS TO GIVE THANKS

MANY REASONS TO GIVE THANKS

It's Thanksgiving. Time to count your blessings. Assuming you are a Lions fan, you may be thinking you have no blessings to count after last Sunday's embarrassing loss to Tampa Bay.Not true. There are still many things you can be thankful for. For instance:1. The Lions do not play Tampa Bay today.2. The Lions are at home.3. The football season is almost over.4. You were born without a tail.Any of these should give you reason to smile, and say, "Oh, thank you." If not, how about an abbreviated version of our regular Sunday picks column?
OT HEARTBREAK: WINGS LOSETHE OILERS DRIVE HOME CRUEL TRUTH

OT HEARTBREAK: WINGS LOSETHE OILERS DRIVE HOME CRUEL TRUTH

The puck came flying off of Jari Kurri's stick and pierced the dream smack dead in the heart."They lost?" the crowd at Joe Louis Arena seemed to whisper, a dying whisper, after the Red Wings fell to Edmonton, 4-3, on Kurri's wrist shot in overtime of the biggest, best and most heartbreaking game of hockey to be played in Detroit in 22 years. "How can it be? They really lost?"

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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