A president is gunned down; a nation wonders what comes next
PORT-AU-PRINCE – I awoke to a text from a Haitian friend. “The President of Haiti was just assassinated. Do not go out. Cancel all visits.” It was 5:30 a.m. The roosters were squawking outside our orphanage. They normally do. But there was nothing normal about...
Episode 87 – The Parentless Club
It’s the club no one wants to join, but if you’re blessed, you do much later in life.
A familiar voice echoes on Father’s Day — his and mine
When I reached adolescence, I began to notice a change. I would answer the phone at our house, and people would say, “Oh, you sound just like your father!” It wasn’t something I aspired to at the time. Teenagers want to be their own selves, and the fact that people...
Talk of Bo’s Michigan football legacy overlooks real villain: Robert Anderson
At one point during his college football days, Jon Vaughn was told by the team doctor that he needed his sperm for research purposes. Vaughn was a star running back for Michigan football. He says he was “terrified of cancer” because his mother was battling it....
Searching for old habits in a new post-COVID world
I used to love to eat in restaurants. Five or six nights a week. When I say “used to” I don’t mean when I was a kid. I mean pre-COVID-19, about a year and a half ago. But now, even vaccinated, and with nearly all (surviving) restaurants open and willing to seat...
Allegations against Bo Schembechler are devastating; so are the victims’ stories
They say there are three truths in any accusation: the accuser’s, the accused’s, and the actual truth. Two of those were not accessible Thursday, and they never will be. But one truth was heard. And it was devastating. Three men, now in their 50s and 60s,...
Naomi Osaka walks rather than talk, furthering the death of press conferences
Let’s talk about talking. How important is it? In the world of sports, it just proved very important, as Naomi Osaka, the No. 2 ranked female tennis player in the world, withdrew from the French Open rather than do press conferences after her matches....
Our most vulnerable auto crash victims are about to be struck again
One day you are yourself, the next day you are not. All you remember is the car swerving. Or the impact of the truck. Or maybe you don’t remember anything, but you wake up in the hospital with a halo around your neck and you can’t feel your toes or your feet or your...
The man behind ‘The Sports Reporters’ makes a quiet exit
Sunday after Sunday, he was the first one there and the last to leave. His job title was “producer” but that’s such a vague word. What Joe Valerio did was conduct. He was the man in the orchestra pit, waving his wand, silent to the audience, yet in charge of...Stay Connected
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