Detroit Free Press

TORONTO -- There are certain lessons you learn as a kid that, try as you might, you can never forget: 1) An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 2) Don't go out with wet hair. 3) Upon smashing your mother's favorite antique vase while playing Masters Of Destruction with your kid brother, always blame the dog. 4) Good pitching beats good hitting.

TORONTO -- Before we talk about the game, which the Tigers lost, or the ill-fated starting pitcher, John Cerutti, who used to hang out with the Prince of Monaco -- I am not making this up -- I must tell you about the GRAND OPENING.Of the roof.I have seen many things as a sports writer, having done this job since the Captain and Tennille were actually allowed out in public. But there is one thing I have never seen in all my years: I have never seen a retractable roof open.

I return from vacation. My arms are full. I can barely see over the things I carry. Brochures. Scuba fins. An elephant gun. Ideas. I have ideas."Look, boss," I say, dumping the mess on his desk. "Great stuff here. Mountain climbing in Ecuador. A kayak race in Siberia. Tractor pulls in Idaho. Great stuff."He glares at me."OK," I say. "Maybe the tractor thing isn't great. But we can work with it.""What are you talking about?" he says."Ideas. Story ideas. How we can get through August on the sports pages."

Baseball has always been, at its heart, a little boy's game. So when talking about baseball -- or in this case, ...

I took a vacation. I went to France. When I go away, I like to go far away, someplace where they don't speak English. I do this not because I enjoy ordering what I think is a hamburger, only to have the waiter bring me ox brains.I do it because going someplace where they don't speak English is the only way to escape my addiction.My addiction is the news.

WIMBLEDON, England -- Well, here's one good thing about unknown Michael Stich winning the Wimbledon championship ...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Since I never keep score in the battle of the sexes, I can't tell you who's winning. I can ...

WIMBLEDON, England -- For a moment there, I thought we were on the brink of tennis history. I thought Stefan ...