The Mag's Eric Adelson finds NFL playoff fever in a rather unlikely place. And he also managed to make it home to Ann Arbor to surprise Mom Adelson on her birthday.

Doug Brown looked distracted -- preoccupied.

I'm in Detroit for a story on Wings goalie Manny Legace, and Brown was the first to appear in the locker room after a 2-2 tie with Phoenix. I introduced myself and asked the veteran forward if he could drop a little knowledge about the season's biggest surprise.

Brown did not make eye contact. He thought and said, "He's got a great golf swing."

Thanks, Doug.

I decided to chase after the always media-friendly Scotty Bowman. Earlier in the day, NHL 2Night star E.J. Hradek advised me on how to interview the game's greatest coach. "Good luck with that," he told me. "You might as well ask him to name his favorite type of pie."

Instead I asked about goalies. Scotty just mumbled a little, stared at my shirt, and walked away in mid-sentence. I didn't have a chance to follow-up with a pie question. I looked down to find a black stain all over my Oxford. Well, at least the ink was flowing.

I turned to find Brown surrounded by reporters, yapping away excitedly. Was it just me? I approached.

"I mean, Michigan's defense is basically professional," Brown said, wagging a finger, "so that explains that game. But how'd he do so well the rest of the season?"

Michigan? Is he talking about the IHL? Brown went on: "I mean, 3,000 yards? Against who? Cincinnati? Lafayette? Maybe it's a grass-turf thing."

Ron Dayne?

"And what's up with Wheatley?" Brown wondered. "He never did that in school. Guess he realized time was running out."

Brown was indeed talking football. A reporter asked him about Jim Fassel. "A really great guy. Straightforward, easy to play for. When he made that prediction about the playoffs, I believed him. I really like him."

I went to a hockey game and NFL Countdown broke out.

"So what do you guys think of Baltimore?" Brown asked, earnestly. "The guys in here are pretty high on them. How about Baltimore-New York in the big one?"

A reporter blurted: "You thinkin' of layin' some down? Maybe you can afford to scalp a couple Super Bowl tickets."

Brown grinned. "I have other ways." Everyone laughed -- except me. I waited for the lesson to end and then I asked one of the students what the dealio was.

"Brown's got an in," the reporter explained.

Huh?

"Wellington Mara? The Giants' owner? Yeah, that's his father-in-law."

Guys, I didn't get anything on Legace, but...

Eric Adelson is associate editor of The Pulse but, as you can see, we let him out once in a while. E-mail him at eric.adelson@espnmag.com.