He used to practice on the metal flap doors that dotted the sidewalks of Harlem. Tappety-tap-tap-tappety-tip. When it got too cold, he danced in the hallways of nearby apartment buildings. Tappety-tip-tip-tappety-tap. One day, when he was 14, a fellow "hoofer" knocked on his door, said they needed somebody up at the Apollo, quick, let's go. A few breathless minutes later, he was auditioning in the basement of the most famous theater in his universe, just him and his dream and the silver plates on his shoes. Tappety- tappety-tappety-tip!
If I were in charge of baseball, there would be no spring training lockout. I would simply take the two negotiators, Donald Fehr and Chuck O'Connor, stick them in a hotel room, tie them to the bedpost alongside a drooling German Shepherd and have the door hermetically sealed. Then I would inform the world that they had run off to Mexico together. And the players and owners, none of whom really know what's going on anyhow, would shrug and say, "Well, shoot, (spit) heck, (scratch) let's play ball."
EAST LANSING -- To understand George Perles you must first understand the wall in his office. He points to it constantly. Look. The photos. Those famous men, beaming down at him like destiny. Biggie Munn. Duffy Daugherty. Jack Breslin. His ancestors in the athletic department."People may not believe it," he says, gazing at their faces, "but I did what I did because of those guys."
He likes boats. You probably didn't know that. He keeps one in a Detroit marina, complete with bathroom, shower, microwave, couch -- "That ain't a boat, that's a house!" says teammate Mark Aguirre -- and sometimes during the season he'll go down and sit in that boat, not going anywhere, just rocking on the water and taking it all in.
Today we will deal with the very important subject of forecasting the weather, which began, of course, in prehistoric days, when groups of cavemen sat in a circle, looking at the sky, until one of them finally stood up and clubbed his wife over the head. Then they all went home.You have to admire that kind of thinking. The caveman knew he had absolutely no control over the weather, so why bother? Modern man is not so smart. Modern man wants Information. Especially Weather Information. How else do we explain the local TV news?
THE LIVE ALBOM* Ever since I returned from the Super Bowl, people have been asking me, "How did you like the game?"* And I say, "Fine. How did you like the Grenada Invasion?" * Excuses The Broncos Can Use This Summer:1. "Can you believe those refs?"2. " . . . and the next thing I know, this guy has stolen my uniform and is out there screwing up--"
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.
