Backtime Walkabout: Christmas Morning In Detroit

"Twas Christmas morning in Downtown Detroit. Not a creature was skating, but the trees were just the right hoit."

This is my 7th Christmas in Detroit assignment, so it's become very familiar to me. Being in the TV business, I'm not a big holidays guy.

I've worked full-time on college basketball since '93 and college football since '96, however when I wanted to break in as a MLB producer in 2000, the opportunities were rare. But there was almost always a slot for me on Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day, when the network would run games all day.

And for years I worked the Egg Bowl, the annual battle between Mississippi and Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Day. That's actually how I met the mother of my children - a story for another time.

So I rarely make plans with family or friends on the holidays, I try and fill my schedule. I use the time to provide for my family instead of spend it with them.

While I'm desensitized to Christmas (because I am a working professional and Jewish), I'm not exactly bah humbug. I still get into the spirit somewhat. I've seen It's A Wonderful Life dozens of times, and I enjoy Christmas music. Except for Baby It's Cold Outside, which has been described as a date-rape anthem.

In previous years we would stay at the GM Renaissance Center, which wasn't bad, but removed from downtown Detroit. It's farther away than it looks, and on the 70th floor you're practically in Canadian airspace where cell phone service is very dicey.

So this morning I took a walk. It was kind of a ghost town on Christmas morning. Even though hockey is out, the Zamboni guy was working the rink at Campus Martius. There was a dusting of snow from Christmas Eve, and no sun this morning. Having lived in Michigan for three years that's not unusual.

And if my soul was any bit empty from the dreariness, solitude, and cold, that got remedied at American Coney Island with a 10:30 AM chili dog.

OK, back to business. But first a side trip to see my sister and brother-in-law in Toledo, who are doing the holidays with his family. Everybody in the world has family in Ohio.

Merry Christmas.

Backtime 2012 Big Finish: Day 4

That's the street sign across the street from my hotel. No bad act ever dies, they just play half-filled theaters in Vegas.

That's why after the sports were done yesterday, I went to the show at my hotel: Jimmy Stewart and Friends starring Rich Little. But I wanted to go, and that officially makes me old and washed up.

Little is 74 now, and the impressions are still very good. The one-man act is Jimmy Stewart narrating the sequence of events of his life, with the interactions of others along the way.

Little of course nailed Johnny Carson, Andy Rooney, Cary Grant, and Ronald Reagan. His one foray into the modern was a riff from the Geico voice-over guy.

And there was some creative stuff too as Little reenacted a scene from It's A Wonderful Life with Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter and George Bailey, played by Humphrey Bogart.

The crowd, which I estimated at 250 or so, was there because they remembered how big he used to be. They were and older and whiter Fox News crowd, and Little threw some Republican bones along the way.

It was a good show that Little is trying to take to Broadway (or at least the Catskills), but he could use an infusion of some popular culture. Maybe Simon Cowell, Chris Berman, or even a little Joe Biden would liven up the act. But that's just some unpaid advice.

The advice you can count on me for in Vegas is: drink water. If you're drinking or smoking (smoking is still everywhere here), in the steam room, or just out in the desert air, keep yourself hydrated.

Now here is where you would probably be not too wise to take my advice, since I haven't made a football bet in a year:

1. IND Colts (-5) at KC

I don't generally like road favorites. But the Colts can clinch a playoff spot, their coach is returning, and they've got a goal-oriented Andrew Luck at QB. The Chiefs have folded the tent. This one will be done early.

2. DAL Cowboys (-2.5) vs Saints

A desperate team at home against the most inconsistent team in the NFL. The number that popped into my head was 41-14.

3. JAX Jaguars (+14) vs Patriots

That's an awful lot of points to get at home against anyone. And the Patriots are ready for a let down after an emotional comeback came up short last week vs San Fran. And they go on the road to the most dreary and lifeless stadium in the NFL.

4. DEN Broncos (-11.5) vs Browns

The Broncos are 11-3 and shooting for a bye if not home-field. They've won 9 in a row while only playing two home games since Halloween. This has got the makings of a late afternoon snoozer all over it.

So there you have it, three home teams out of four, three favorites out of four. Three out of four would make for a very good day.

But in the meantime, here's some exceptionally bad advice:

So there's pressure on you McElroy. My $20 to win $18.20. Not long after the Jets are a memory, I take the red-eye to Detroit to get back to work on the rest of the grind.

Flash Backtime: It's A Wonderful Life (This Week Anyway)

It's that time of year again. Time to celebrate the holiday season, the spirit of giving and unselfishness. When we all live in Bedford Falls.

But would George Bailey's story play today? In this economic and divisive political climate?

An conservative cohort once admitted his incongruous love affair with It's A Wonderful Life, "Isn't it clear that George Bailey is a socialist community organizer?"

The Backtime archives on Barack Obama's first week in office:

January 23, 2009

I was on a plane during inauguration, so it took me a few days to get up to speed. It unfolded like a Capra film - there was Mr. Obama going to Washington to bring conscience to the DC consortium. And the masses braved the cold to see the man who came from nowhere to be the ultimate example for everyone's dreams. 

Just like George Bailey, Barack Obama is driven by a responsibility to others. His self-expression has to take a back seat while he tries to bail out the US Savings & Loan. And the supporting cast was right there to fill out the party. 

Ted Kennedy's moment of the week was something Uncle Billy easily could have pulled at the big gala. Caroline Kennedy was Violet Bick, outcast through a web of unspecific innuendo. And who was Clarence the angel? The good-natured oddball dimwit who showed President Obama how important he is to the world? I'm going with George W. Bush. And tell me Dick Cheney in the wheelchair didn't conjure up thoughts of the warped, frustrated Mr. Potter. Fortunately Potter's reign is over and Bedford Falls can thrive across America. 

If only this were a black and white film.