Mike's annual counting of his blessings
My annual list of things to be thankful for this holiday season
Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024
Checking out my Editor's Notebook to count my blessings before Thanksgiving dinner today. Here's what I'm thankful for this holiday season:
SHERIFF SWANSON'S CHRISTIAN SPIRIT: I like it that he mentions God and acts as an inspiration to all to do better. His weekly press conferences are my favorite time of the week on the job. He spoiled the big press conference for Flint's Trey McKenney to announce he's going to continue his basketball career at Michigan with a Facebook Live after spotting the future Wolverine decked out in UM garb at the Crisler Center last week. He was also on the sidelines out west to chat with Jim Harbaugh before Monday Night Football. He seems to be everywhere, and representing Genesee County with a class act.
THE DETROIT LIONS: Sure, they've lost seven years in a row on Thanksgiving. It's an annual thing, except this year — it's gonna be different! They will beat the Chicago Bears today on national TV. These Lions are different. They're won nine games in a row — Detroit's longest winning streak since 1937. At 10-1, they're the best in the NFC. Bring on Mahomes, Travis Kelsey and girlfriend Taylor Swift — again the best of the AFC. We're going to the Super Bowl baby! Mark it down today before dinner. We're winning it all. These Lions may be the most dominant NFL team I've seen since the '85 Bears and the so-called greatest of all time — the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins.
DAN CAMPBELL: I must admit that hearing him in that very first introductory press conference, my hunch was that this was worst hire ever. He sounded like a nut, yelling about developing a team of guys with character, grit and determination to never quit — guys who would bite 'em in the knee cap when they knocked them down. I was on the bandwagon to usher Campbell out of Detroit after an 0-10-1 start to his first season was followed by a 1-6 beginning in his second season. Ever since, his Lions are 39-18 in regular season play. Last year's repeat Super Bowl champions? Yeah, the Kansas City Chiefs have won only 38 times to trail only the Lions during that 57-game span. The Lions made it to the NFC championship game last year in San Francisco before blowing a halftime lead to lose a heartbreaker to the 49ers. As it turns out, this guy who wanted to broom him out of Detroit is a Dan Campbell fan now. I haven't liked a Detroit coach of any sport so much since Billy Martin made it exciting at Tiger Stadium in the 1970's.
TOM ALWARD: The veteran coach is taking the Goodrich Martians to the prep football state finals in Division 4 tomorrow at Ford Field in Detroit for the second time in three years. It took him 35 years of coaching to get there for the first time in 2022. Goodrich had never been that far before in school history. It was also the first Final Four appearance ever for the Martians. Goodrich was a state playoff qualifier under Alward this fall for the 12th time. Last Saturday's 28-14 victory over Harper Woods gave Alward a chance to experience his biggest championship moment since being part of Nebraska's national title winning team in the 1972 Orange Bowl when the Cornhuskers beat Alabama 38-6. He nearly tasted prep football supremacy in 2022 when he was named Division 4 State Coach-of-the-Year for giving the Goodrich community its first ever trip to Ford Field. He was Regional Coach-of-the-Year in 1995, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2010 .he Orange Bowl.
HEALTH: Since my life-saving kidney transplant two days before the end of last year, everywhere I go and everyone I talk to on the phone — one question seems to be, "How are you feeling?" Well, I'm getting stronger every day since officially going back on the radio airwaves on July 1st.
FRIENDS: I had taken a place in line at dialysis and punched my ticket to wait for a rainbow ride to Heaven. I've always thought of myself as having hundreds of friends. Going through what I went through let's you know who your true friends really are on this earth. It turns out to be dozens for me, not hundreds as I always thought. To all those special people who had their hand up to donate a kidney but couldn't get hospital approved to save my life, you earned a special place in my heart forever. I love each of you so much that it can't be put into words on this page. My hero was a teenager who signed the back of his driver's license to donate his organs to save lives after his tragic death.
ORGAN DONORS: Please say a prayer at today's Thanksgiving dinner table to inspire more people to take the time to learn about how easy, and safe, it is to become a living organ donor. I'm so thankful for all those true heroes out there in this world who made Thanksgiving dinner possible for so many this holiday season. The reality for me was that I figured Thanksgiving 2023 might well be my last. A little over a month later, I received the gift of life. It's the greatest gift there is. Click on the ad scrolling across the bottom of this page with the National Kidney Foundation logo, and give that gift — either in life or after your death.
MY ARMY OF PRAYER WARRIORS: Each of you is so special in my heart to have cared enough to call, leave voice messages, texts, e-mails and messages via Messenger, if you couldn't reach me. Many of you among hundreds I've never met. But believe me: I was so moved by your prayers. So many friends called to pray with me, too, that it brings tears to me eyes right now as I write this. They were so appreciated in my darkest days as I spent 15 days in recovery at the UM Hospital in Ann Arbor. For those of you who don't know, my body initially rejected my new kidney. I went back to dialysis a few times after getting out of the hospital, right back to the drawing board. But I kept the faith.
KNOWING BOB CARMACK: I'm proud to have called him my close friend. To those who knew Bob, you probably viewed him as a ruthless businessman who played dirty politics at the highest level. His war with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan made national headlines because of his nasty, mean-spirited tactics. Bob got a cancer death sentence a few months before my transplant. But as sick as he was, there was Bob on the other end of my phone a few times every day at the hospital during my recovery. He often started with a prayer after asking if I was walking yet and ready to go knock out some crooked, corrupt politicians with him. He finished every call by turning coach, cheerleader and motivator all wrapped into one. When the kidney was rejected by my body, Bob kept the faith for me. "God is testing you," he would shout. "Keep the faith. Your miracle is coming. Trust me. God knows you are needed down here to fight public corruption. Who else is gonna do it?" When back in my torture chair at dialysis a second time, a call came to get to UM right away. I told my wife it was probably bad news. My second call was to Bob Carmack who declared: "You dummy. You think my prayers don't work? I asked God to save you and he will, just have faith. The doctors probably want to look at a miracle up close to make sure God made that kidney start working." My miracle came despite the doctors declaring previously that my odds were slim. God indeed works miracles.
KNOWING ERIC MAYS: The controversial and colorful 1st Ward City Councilman left us in February. I still hear his voice in my head, urging me to keep fighting all these corrupt politicians. Knowing Eric Mays keeps the fire burning in my belly to expose every last one of them. I promise, Eric.
TERRANCE SNOW: The podcast host of the Snow Show and Flint After Dark raised enough funds to paint a beautiful mural on the side of a building on Saginaw Street as a tribute to Eric Mays. I'm thankful to have people like Snow in our community. Well done, my friend. A collection of photos appeared on the front page of our Metro Section for a few weeks, and I've been urged to put them back up as a lasting tribute to the man so loved by so many in Flint.
JEFF KLINE: The dean of local Athletic Directors, we're blessed in our sports community to have such a leader to share his knowledge and experience with so many younger AD's. Jeff Kline, who is the area's longest-serving AD who has been on the job at Mt. Morris High School since 2008, was honored a few weeks ago as Michigan Athletic Director of the Year. I'm glad two of my grandchildren go to sleep at his house with my daughter Carrie.
CARRIE K: Still my favorite daughter, she's a blessing to my life every day. I'm thankful she calls me "Dad" and let us share in the lives of our grandchildren with my wife and me.
VOTERS WHO TOOK OUR ADVICE: Most of our endorsements in this space and on The Morning Gazette turned out to for candidates who won in the primary or on election day earlier this month in the general election. Close races where we may have made a difference to winners across the finish line? How about Argentine Township in the primary where Bob Cole won by a mere 4 votes? Or in Gaines Township in the primary when unknown challenger Daniel Jenkins unseated long-time incumbent Paul Fortini or in the Mt. Morris Township Supervisor primary when Larry Green ousted incumbent Jolena Sanders-Sims by only a 33-vote margin? Mundy Township's Jennifer Arrand Stainton unseated incumbent Democrat Tonya Ketzler in hard-core Democrat territory with great campaign signs that tied her bid for Supervisor to the controversial Mega Site issue by copying the "No Mega Site" on the red wave across the top of "No Mega Site" signs that began popping up months before political signs were allowed in late September. Stainton replaced language at the bottom of the yard signs with a "Vote for Jennifer Arrand Stainton" message that effectively tied her to the push to block the controversial advanced manufacturing plant being proposed with state funds. Two Republicans she endorsed also won seats on the Mundy Township board. Two Grand Blanc faces benefitted from our endorsements — Dave Robertson who was re-elected as Grand Blanc Township Clerk by a razor-thin margin (by 101 votes out of 22,581) and 5th District Commissioner James Avery who won his re-election bid by only 758 votes out of nearly 26,000 votes cast.
LINDEN ADMINISTRATOR MIKE GATES: He's an assistance coach with the right message and role model example for youngsters as a leader on my grandson Jack's football and baseball teams. The football team was undefeated at Grand Blanc and his travel baseball team won the 10u state championship as a 9u club after winning the 8u state title a year earlier when ranked as the No. 1 8u team in the entire nation.
JUSTIN SLUSARZYK: He's the head coach of my grandson's Foutch baseball team. Justin is a great leader for these young men and winning seems to be a magic formula in his blood without the win-win attitude of so many youth coaches of today.
ROGER FOUTCH AND DAVE DOHRMAN: They've been friends for more than 30 years, and what they've contributed to our baseball community with the Foutch's Strike Zone training facility and the Foutch's travel baseball program is absolutely amazing. A mere dream 10 years ago when they began, Foutch's organization is now the envy of parents around the state. They've gone from two teams that first year in 2014 at the 15u and 18u Connie Mack level, to a 17-team program this year for both boys in travel baseball and girls in travel softball. Dohrman has been the driving force in the background with 12-hour days, seven days a week — almost since they opened the place at the corner of Linden Road and Corunna Road in Flint Township, next door to Foutch's Pub.
LENNY DANTINE: Mr. Millington is Mr. Motivation and Mr. Excitement around his small town community. He may not realize it, but I think he may be making state history when he steps on the carpet at Ford Field Saturday for the Division 7 state championship in prep football. Millington has never been in the state finals before, but I don't think anybody has ever had the high school principal on their coaching staff. He's a former varsity head coach and a former Athletic Director but his love for kids pushes him to keep going and get out on the football field after long days as an administrator. Millington is undefeated and the last person out of town has been instructed to turn out the lights.
MRS. DANTINE: Also a teacher in Millington, she's the perfect example of a head cheerleader for everything Millington and the perfect example of everything a coach could ever want in a supportive sports wife. Taylor Dantine is an absolutely tremendous person. I know because I've had a chance to get to know her and her sports crazy husband Lenny over the past couple summers. Their son, Hudson, has been teammates with my grandson Jack on state championship teams with Lenny serving on the coaching staff. Here's the tribute she offered to husband Lenny via social media today on Facebook: "Since it’s almost Thanksgiving, I’m in all my feels of gratitude. Today I’m feeling most grateful for my husband Lenny Dantine! We’ve been working on recognizing our unsung heroes this week and I just can’t help but feel so much pride for this guy. He has dedicated himself to Millington Community Schools, our Millington Cardinals football program, and the entire community for the last 18-plus years. His work is often behind the scenes doing HOURS of film work to make us the best prepared team possible. It isn’t unusual to not see him before I fall asleep and wake up to an empty bed on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I may be a little biased, but I think he is the most generous human I’ve ever met. He has taught our little family how to care for others and how to continue to 'show up' consistently.
Although it’s tough to deal with the sacrifices he has to make, in the end I am grateful for this incredible journey! 16 varsity coaching years in the making. You did it babe!"
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall marks his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
