I think the average suburbanite views Detroit as a dangerous playground. Kind of like a trampoline without any netting.

Sure, we may quickly lock our car doors but suburbanites love going downtown to visit the art museum, take in a play or thrill to a dance troupe. Sorry, I was addressing the wine drinkers first.

The beer drinkers go to Detroit to take in baseball and football games.

But no basketball. The most inner-city of all pro sports is played out in Auburn Hills. Do you remember when the black minister James Holley chastised the Detroit Pistons for playing "plantation basketball" in the suburbs?

The Pistons shrugged it off and won three championships up there. By the way, if Doug Fister helps the Tigers to the World Series I'm going to repaint the Joe Louis fist white. Don't worry, I'll repaint it black the next day. I'm a suburbanite and I've got plenty of paint. For some reason suburbanites always have a lot of paint in the garage.

When Kwame Kilpatrick settles all of his legal obligations he will again run for office in Detroit. Who else would have him?

The only thing that will stop Kilpatrick is if he is convicted of murder and to tell you the truth -- at this point nothing would surprise me.

Kilpatrick's best bet is to run as a uniter. He's accomplished what I would've thought impossible: He's united suburbanites and urbanites in a joint hatred of -- who else -- Kilpatrick himself.

He still has his backers: People who benefited during Kilpatrick's reign. But those aren't just urbanites. Kilpatrick counts as friends some mighty big movers and shakers who just happen to sleep in the suburbs. Roger Penske and Peter Karmanos both made huge loans to Kilpatrick, even after his nose first got dirty.

Kilpatrick's book (titled, "If I Did It," or am I getting him confused with someone else?) painted the former mayor as a victim. Sure, he admitted to making some mistakes. But he's only human. A very large human who needed very large custom made suits.

People tend to feel sorry for victims. And people feel good about themselves when they forgive others who made mistakes. Most religions are based on forgiveness.

But a lot of Detroiters also believe Kilpatrick stole their money. Maybe millions of dollars. And I hope Detroiters remember that when Kwame turns up again like a bad penny.  Like millions and millions of bad pennies.

I think the average suburbanite views Detroit as a dangerous playground. Kind of like a trampoline without any netting.

Sure, we may quickly lock our car doors but suburbanites love going downtown to visit the art museum, take in a play or thrill to a dance troupe. Sorry, I was addressing the wine drinkers first.

The beer drinkers go to Detroit to take in baseball and football games.

But no basketball. The most inner-city of all pro sports is played out in Auburn Hills. Do you remember when the black minister James Holley chastised the Detroit Pistons for playing "plantation basketball" in the suburbs?

The Pistons shrugged it off and won three championships up there. By the way, if Doug Fister helps the Tigers to the World Series I'm going to repaint the Joe Louis fist white. Don't worry, I'll repaint it black the next day. I'm a suburbanite and I've got plenty of paint. For some reason suburbanites always have a lot of paint in the garage.

When Kwame Kilpatrick settles all of his legal obligations he will again run for office in Detroit. Who else would have him?

The only thing that will stop Kilpatrick is if he is convicted of murder and to tell you the truth -- at this point nothing would surprise me.

Kilpatrick's best bet is to run as a uniter. He's accomplished what I would've thought impossible: He's united suburbanites and urbanites in a joint hatred of -- who else -- Kilpatrick himself.

He still has his backers: People who benefited during Kilpatrick's reign. But those aren't just urbanites. Kilpatrick counts as friends some mighty big movers and shakers who just happen to sleep in the suburbs. Roger Penske and Peter Karmanos both made huge loans to Kilpatrick, even after his nose first got dirty.

Kilpatrick's book (titled, "If I Did It," or am I getting him confused with someone else?) painted the former mayor as a victim. Sure, he admitted to making some mistakes. But he's only human. A very large human who needed very large custom made suits.

People tend to feel sorry for victims. And people feel good about themselves when they forgive others who made mistakes. Most religions are based on forgiveness.

But a lot of Detroiters also believe Kilpatrick stole their money. Maybe millions of dollars. And I hope Detroiters remember that when Kwame turns up again like a bad penny.  Like millions and millions of bad pennies.