ST. LOUIS - In the end, they only could watch: watch balls go flying past their gloves, watch pitches go zipping past their bats, watch another team do the infield dance they had dreamed of doing once upon a time, when they were a hot team.You remember. A week ago?
Manny Legace never held an NHL record. Not unless they keep records for sitting, or biting your lip, or rooting for the guy who took your job.Legace could lead the league in those categories. When it comes to accepting being benched, Manny Legace makes Joey Harrington look rude. But when it comes to career numbers as a starter, Legace is still considered "budding" at 32 years old, which is as weird in hockey as it is in a forest.And until Thursday night, the closest he came to the NHL record book was sitting next to Dominik Hasek.
ST. LOUIS - This is what the brink looks like. It looks like a ball flying over your head and you chase it running backward and your legs go out from under you, like someone pulled the tablecloth, down you go, down in wet grass, and you scramble to your feet but the ball is coming down, too late, too late, a sure out has turned into a double. Your uniform is wet. Your face is red.
Tickets remain. That was the story Sunday. For the first time at Ford Field, the Lions couldn't sell out; the game was not televised. Some called this sad. Others called it merciful. Many didn't notice.But as one of the lucky 54,312 in attendance, I feel obliged to report to you what you missed.Not much.Detroit actually scored in the first quarter for the first time all season. A touchdown with 13 seconds left. That makes the year-to-date first-quarter total: Opponents 57, Lions 7. Yay!
Last week, Colin Powell said that he was going to vote for Barack Obama.He said it in a long, thoughtful interview on "Meet the Press." He paid tribute to John McCain, said it was close, said he'd waited months to decide, but in the end, he was going with Obama for numerous reasons.Nobody heard the reasons.
It was a gutsy play, if not a smart one. The Spartans lined up for fourth and one on the Michigan 21. There were less than five minutes left; they had a one touchdown lead. One touchdown? Normally you kick a field goal. Normally, it's a no-brainer. But Saturday was not about normal."I looked over to Coach D," quarterback Brian Hoyer would later tell the media, "and I could see him saying to himself, We're going for it.' "
Moses parts the water, but Kenny Rogers turns the tide.On a night when the weather said it's time to stop playing baseball, Rogers took the mound and said no, we play on, we play like Game 1 never happened, we play like this magical Detroit year is still, well, magical. For the third time in this postseason, Rogers lifted his teammates' chins, said, "Watch the old man do it," went out there and hurled a masterpiece.
CLEVELAND - Jeff Garcia got behind the wheel and floored the gas, and we all sat up to watch him drive. There were two games going on Sunday, the football game recorded for history and the game Lions fans were playing at home, called "What Did Garcia Do That Joey Harrington Wouldn't?"
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.
