Detroit Free Press

NEW ORLEANS -- What if this column were about a man hanging from a cliff, and you read it all the way to the ...

The last time Jud Heathcote switched jobs, he made sure the guy behind him got to take over. This was his thinking: You're loyal, you work hard, you get rewarded in the end. He even delayed his exit a few days when he heard the big shots might pull a fast one on his assistant. They didn't. The guy got the job: head coach, Montana. And Heathcote left happy. That was in the early '70s, when a lot of people had different ideas about life.

SEATTLE -- Finally, when they were close enough to smell the gumbo, the years seemed to melt off them, the pressure, the spotlight, the endless questions that had put wrinkles on their confidence, dripping off now, as they grew lighter, lighter, until Jalen Rose slapped the ball away -- a steal!

SEATTLE -- Finally, when they were close enough to smell the gumbo, the years seemed to melt off them, the ...

Once again, it's time for Mr. Oscar, the man with the Academy Award answers. He's the Best Boy! The Key Grip! Let's go to this year's mailbag.Dear Mr. Oscar: What is the secret of "The Crying Game?"I (boo hoo) can't tell you.Dear Mr. Oscar: If Clint Eastwood actually wins Best Actor this year, what will his acceptance speech be like?"Unnnh . . . rrrr . . . thank you . . . rrrnnn."Hey dude. I don't see "Wayne's World" nominated for nuthin', dude. What's the matter with those sphincter boys dude?Shouldn't you be in wood shop class?

SEATTLE -- There are nights when the Michigan Wolverines play basketball as if God controlled their bodies, and there are nights when they play as if they were asleep in church. Friday was the latter.Congratulations, fellas. In a season full of amazing feats, this was a real coup: You managed to win a tournament game and lose respect."It wasn't our best effort," said Jalen Rose, after Michigan survived against 12th-seeded George Washington, 72-64, and advanced to the final eight. "We need a little fine-tuning."

SEATTLE -- The last time he was here, he wore a cast on one foot and street clothes to the game. He sat behind the Michigan basketball team as it played for the national championship. And when that championship was won, and the buzzer sounded, he ran onto the floor, cast and all, and celebrated in a happy pile of players. The whole world was ahead of Eric Riley in those days. He was a redshirt freshman, an apprentice to glory, just waiting for his turn in the uniform. "I thought," he says now, "I would be celebrating like that again. Only with me playing."

As the plane began to descend over Texas, Jimmy King stirred from his sleep. Maybe he heard his hometown calling. ...