Max Christie is apparently staying put.

The former Michigan State guard is expected to sign a four-year, $32 million contract to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a report from ESPN on Sunday.

Christie was selected in the second round, No. 35 overall, by the Lakers in the 2022 draft. He has been a rotational player and averaged 3.8 points in 13.5 minutes per game with 10 starts in 108 games over the last two seasons combined.

A former five-star recruit from metro Chicago, Christie spent only one season at Michigan State. He averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2021-22 before declaring for the NBA draft.

Christie boosted his rookie scoring average from 3.1 to 4.2 points per game last season but his 3-point shooting percentage dipped from 41.9 to 35.6.

Staying with the Lakers means Christie will be in the same city as his younger brother. Cam Christie was selected in the second round, No. 46 overall, by the Clippers in the 2024 NBA draft on Thursday after spending one season at Minnesota.

Former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins is entering the next stage of what has already been a long, storied NFL career.

Cousins, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, has joined a division that is already stacked with talent at the quarterback position, including names like Derek Carr, Baker Mayfield and former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, as well as rookies Michael Penix Jr. and Spencer Rattler.

Cousins’ former Spartan teammate, Brian Hoyer, who, of course, knows Cousins all too well, still has the four-time Pro Bowler at the top of that list.

While serving as a co-host on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday, Hoyer ranked his top quarterbacks in the NFC South, placing Cousins at No. 1.

“Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Derek Carr, Bryce Young,” Hoyer said. “Kirk Cousins, I think you’re going off of what he brings to the table, what he’s done year after year, he’s been very consistent when it comes to statistics. So, hopefully, he’s able to bring that to Atlanta, and that’s what I base that off of.”

Cousins was a redshirt freshman during Hoyer’s final season at Michigan State and served as his backup. Both quarterbacks went on to have impressive careers in the NFL, with Hoyer having played 15 seasons and Cousins now heading into Year 13. Hoyer was released by the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason.

Following his four seasons at Michigan State, Hoyer went undrafted and was signed by the New England Patriots in 2009. He would make 13 starts in 21 games throughout his first three seasons with the club before being waived at the end of 2012 training camp.

Hoyer then had a one-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals, played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, one with the Houston Texans, one with the Chicago Bears, two games with the San Francisco 49ers, another stint with the Patriots, a one-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts, a third stint in New England and, most recently, the 2023 season with the Raiders.

Cousins is with his third club, having spent six seasons with both the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) and the Minnesota Vikings.

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After Michigan Central Station restoration, what’s next?

Last Sunday’s “Letters to the Editor” was dedicated to reminiscences of Detroit’s Michigan Central Station and reflections of the station’s restored status.

What about any plans or speculation about actual train service, and the state of Detroit’s current Amtrak station? The current station in New Center is functional at a bare-bones level. Passengers arriving at the station are greeting with a “Welcome to Detroit” message spelled out in adhesive mailbox-type letters stuck on the wall.

In the 1950s, my mother could take a train from Grand Rapids to Detroit. Not anymore.

Restoration of Michigan Central Station was once thought a near-impossibility. It happened, with universal support and national recognition.

Rail service to Michigan Central Station, and train service to the west side of the state is possible. There are no obstacles that cannot be achieved in this arena.

So often I hear my West Michigan friends and relatives say they would visit Detroit “if they didn’t have to drive.” Train service from Holland and Grand Rapids to Michigan Central Station would bring thousands of people a new and overwhelmingly positive view of Detroit.

Aaron Dome

Detroit

Mitch Albom is ‘almost always right,’ and ‘dangerously wrong’

After Mitch Albom writes a controversial piece, the opinion section is often filled with “Mitch is right, and Mitch is wrong” letters to the editor. What readers tend to miss is that Albom is almost always right, and also dangerously wrong in the same columns. It starts with his preferred tactic of writing as a moderate, common sense-filled centrist. The only problem is that more often than not, while he straddles the left and the right, he perpetuates false equivalencies between the two major political parties.

In his column last Sunday, he wrote correctly about how the Democrats and Republicans are both using fear as the driving message of their campaigns. (“Both parties have decided: In the 2024 election, ‘fear’ is the word,” June 23, Detroit Free Press.) This is an unfortunate place that our politics have come to, and Albom is dead on about that.

He went astray again when he claimed that both sides are guilty of the same thing. He is, of course, right on the surface. Both sides are using fear as the main force driving their message to vote for them or, more accurately, against their opponent.

However, the examples that Albom used objectively prove my point that he is once again drawing very weak parallels. He pointed out that Trump is scaring voters with a Biden presidency that will cause our economy to tank, allow violent immigrants to pour over the border and result in transgender story hours infiltrating our schools. We have four years of evidence that a Biden presidency will not do and has not done any of that.

The warnings about a second Trump presidency by the Biden campaign are also fear-mongering, but there is a distinct difference; they have already been proven to be true. Albom’s column said that the Democrats are also trying to scare us with claims that a Trump presidency will be one of retribution. Trump has actually been quoted as saying exactly that. The claims that he will be a dictator on day one are also Trump’s words, not theirs. Albom goes on to say that Democrats are trying to scare everyone into thinking that Trump will try to get rid of Obamacare, abortion rights and give tax breaks to the rich. Again, these are things that Trump either talked about doing, tried to do, or did during his four years in office.

It is one thing to try and scare voters with outrageous hypotheticals. It is something else entirely to remind them to be truly afraid of what they’ve already seen.

Bryan Chase

Huntington Woods

I can’t accept Mitch Albom’s ‘both-sides-ism’

Although I’m full of admiration for Mitch Albom’s writing and his extraordinary work to make our world and the broader world a better place, I can’t accept his “both-sides-ism” expressed in last Sunday’s column. (“Both parties have decided: In the 2024 election, ‘fear’ is the word,” June 23, Detroit Free Press.)

Just consider Mitch’s major point that citizens are pressed by Trump to fear that “… a Biden justice department would come after you … for every time you disagree with it.” And at the same time, Mitch says “… so does the Biden camp warn about Trump … who will target his enemies (in what will be) … a four-year revenge tour.”

So that’s what each side says. But responsible journalism requires some evaluation of the evidence.

There’s plenty of documentation (much of it from Trump himself) supporting Trump’s intention to target and prosecute those in the “deep state” and justice department and others who were not sufficiently loyal or who attempted to administer justice without fear or favor.

But where’s the evidence that the Biden team is planning to come after citizens who disagree with it? Documents outlining those plans? Statements from Biden or the attorney general? Campaign materials? Speeches by Biden confidantes or supportive political commentators?

It’s just not the same.

Michael Emlaw

Ann Arbor

‘Joe Biden will keep this country a democracy — Trump will not’

It was obvious that Joe Biden was not his best during the “debate” on Thursday. The same is true for Donald Trump.

For Trump, it was more like a “lie fest.” Trump never answered the questions forthrightly. He danced around them and outright lied.

Trump does not have the slightest clue what needs to be done. All he wants to do is to complain about the border as a talking point. Trump is a 78-year-old bully that has never grown up. Joe Biden is a good president in addition to being of moral character.

Trump would get rid of NATO and allow Russia to completely bulldoze Ukraine — and, why stop there? There’s Poland and others as well. Do not forget Trump attempted a coup on Jan. 6.

Trump said on Thursday what he said when he “debated” Hillary Clinton, that he would accept the outcome of the election only if it was fair. Well, IT WAS FAIR, and he did not accept it. What makes you think that he will this time around? Joe Biden will keep this country a democracy — Trump will not. For God sakes for the safety, well-being and freedoms we enjoy and want — re-elect Joe Biden.

Jim Jeziorowski

Wayne

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Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it in print or online.