Sweetness_ The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton - Jeff Pearlman [259]
242 The following week, after gaining forty-five yards: Paul Zimmerman, “He Can Run, But He Can’t Hide,” Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1982.
242 Jerry Kirshenbaum, the editor of Sports Illustrated’s Scorecard section: Jerry Kirshenbaum, “Mush!” Sports Illustrated, December 28, 1981.
242 After paying $58.40 for two tickets: Laura Garraway, “Fan can’t ‘Bear’ Chicago’s charade,” New York Post, October 13, 1981.
243 “Maybe Walter’s best years are behind him”: Pierson, “If new Payton plan catches on, he’ll run less, enjoy it more,” Chicago Tribune, October 11, 1981.
CHAPTER 17
244 So it was that one day: Mike Ditka with Don Pierson, Ditka: An Autobiography (Chicago: Bonus Books, 1986), 156.
245 Once asked by Sports Illustrated’s Curry Kirkpatrick: Curry Kirkpatrick, “Once a Bear, Always a Bear,” Sports Illustrated, December 16, 1985.
245 He was born on October 18, 1939: Ibid.
245 “We played sports day and night”: Ditka and Pierson, Ditka, 47.
246 “My whole life was based on beating”: Pierson, “Ditka: The coach who hates to lose,” Chicago Tribune, November 17, 1985.
246 “Pound for pound, Mike was as tough”: Pat Livingston, “Mike Ditka, His Career at Pitt,” Sports Illustrated, October 31, 1985.
246 In 1962, the editors of Look magazine: Tim Cohane, “Pain can’t stop a pro,” Look, December 4, 1962.
247 “Are you a member of the Fellowship”: Kirkpatrick, “Once a Bear, Always a Bear,” Sports Illustrated, December 16, 1985.
247 On January 20, 1982, two weeks after: Husar, “Ditka may bring in Dallas offensive aides,” Chicago Tribune, January 21, 1982.
248 In a blistering piece titled “Hiring Ditka Would Be Madness”: John Schulian, “Hiring Ditka Would be Madness,” The Sporting News, January 30, 1982.
248 “It’s been a tough year physically”: Sharon Stangenes, “Good intentions,” Chicago Tribune, January 4, 1982.
249 According to the Tribune, the team was strongly: Pierson, “Another Walter tempts Bears as No. 1 pick,” Chicago Tribune, April 11, 1982.
250 “I don’t know where he is”: Pierson, “Ditka unloads on AWOL Watts,” Chicago Tribune, May 28, 1982.
251 Noah Jackson, the overweight: Zimmerman, “He Can Run, But He Can’t Hide,” Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1982.
251 “I don’t know how long I can play”: Pierson, “’Same old story’ has Payton upset,” Chicago Tribune, December 5, 1982.
252 “I feel like I’ve been on a free ride”: Ibid.
253 Payton addressed the media, accusing: Pierson, “Bears star at private party,” Chicago Tribune, December 6, 1982.
253 “I’m happy we won,” he said: Steve Daley, “Walter’s ‘problem’ has Bears on run,” Chicago Tribune, December 6, 1982.
254 “It’s unfortunate”: Pierson, “Bears’ pass-run rift hasn’t healed yet,” Chicago Tribune, December 7, 1982.
254 “There’s no problem at all”: “Ditka, Payton talk it over,” Chicago Tribune, December 10, 1982.
CHAPTER 18
258 Oftentimes, Payton merely covered his head: McGrane, Sweetness, 10.
258 “Dad messed up a couple of couches”: Jarret Payton, The Jarrett Payton Show, Chicagoland Sports Radio, November 1, 2010.
263 “I took a lot of pride in my cars”: Payton and Yaeger, Never Die Easy, 161.
263 His CB handle was Mississippi Maniac: Pierson, “The Reason Sports Provide Such Dramatic Material is That The Climax Comes So Early in a Man’s Life, the Decline So Swiftly,” Chicago Tribune, November 7, 1999.
266 When a reader wrote the Tribune: Pierson, “Jim Brown the reason Payton ran,” Chicago Tribune, October 7, 1983.
266 “I’d rather turn back the eleven thousand”: Pierson, “Bears mistakes pile up,” Chicago Tribune, November 7, 1983.
267–268 Which was why, on January 10, 1984: Pierson, “Blitz offers Payton $6 million,” Chicago Tribune, January 11, 1984.
268 Michael McCaskey, the Bears’ new president: Robert McG. Thomas Jr., “Payton Weighs $6 Million Offer,” The New York Times, January 12, 1984.
270 Impeccably dressed and mildly tempered: Pierson, “Payton keeps ’em guessing,” Chicago Tribune, February 7, 1984.
270 “I have a great deal of respect for Franco”: Pierson,