Sweetness_ The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton - Jeff Pearlman [264]
394 “I wasn’t as hungry”: Walter Payton, interview by Larry King, Larry King Live, February 3, 1999.
394 He swigged from bottles of Pepto-Bismol: Payton, Payton, and Payton, Payton, 145.
394 “I had been traveling between Chicago”: Payton and Yaeger, Never Die Easy, 203.
395 Tests were conducted: Payton, Payton, and Payton. Payton, 145.
396 “His health was [starting to affect] his business”: Payton and Yaeger, Never Die Easy, 204.
396 “I was not panic-stricken at this point”: Ibid.
398 When Charley Walters, a staff columnist: Walters, “Hall of Famer Payton at Mayo Clinic,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, January 3, 1999.
399 Gores explained to Payton: Don Babwin, “Doctors Discuss Payton’s Condition,” Associated Press, November 1, 1999.
399 “I was at level three”: Payton and Yaeger, Never Die Easy, 206.
399 “This won’t get any better”: Walter Payton, interview by Larry King, Larry King Live, February 3, 1999.
399 The average wait for a liver in Illinois: Joe Gergen, “Description Irked Payton,” Newsday, February 4, 1999.
399 The success rate was 88 percent: Bud Shaw, “Payton Puts Sports, Life In Perspective,” The Plain Dealer, February 4, 1999.
401 On the afternoon of January 29, 1999: Steve Tucker, “Miami a sweet choice for Payton’s son,” Chicago Sun-Times, January 30, 1999.
401 “Miami is the best fit for me as a student”: D. L. Cummings, “UM Feels Chipper Over Blue-Chippers,” The Miami Herald, February 1, 1999.
401 That evening Mark Giangreco: Robert Feder, “Giangreco offers apology for jokes about Payton,” Chicago Sun-Times, February 3, 1999.
402 “That upset me beyond what you can”: Payton and Yaeger, Never Die Easy, 212.
403 He gripped a white microphone: Cote, “Day of Irony for Payton Family,” The Miami Herald, February 3, 1999.
404 “There was some unspoken comfort level”: Shaw, “Payton Puts Sports, Life In Perspective,” The Plain Dealer, February 4, 1999.
404 Toward the end, Jiggets asked Payton: Mike Lupica, “Sweetness Needs Liver: Explains, Doesn’t Complain,” New York Daily News, February 3, 1999.
404 Payton was the marquee guest: Larry King Live, February 3, 1999.
406 Jay Leno sent a note that read: Steve Schoenfeld, “Greene Lays Down The Law,” The Arizona Republic, February 14, 1999.
406 “Cry for him, pray for him”: Mariotti, “Payton’s dignity shines through life’s dim reality,” Chicago Sun-Times, February 4, 1999.
406 “Never before have we had anything”: Erica Key, “Payton sparks rise in organ donations,” The Bloomington (Indiana) Pentagraph, February 5, 1999.
406 Some thirty-odd letters came from people: Don Yaeger, “One of a Kind,” Sports Illustrated, November 8, 1999.
407 Payton wrote back, and kept: Jeff Pearlman, “A Hard Burden to Bear,” Sports Illustrated, February 22, 1999.
407 In early February a spokeswoman for Payton: “Payton’s Disease Progressing,” Associated Press, February 12, 1999.
407 In April Dr. Joe Lagattuta, one of Payton’s: Leslie Cummings, “Payton’s doctor says hero has good chance,” Chicago Daily Herald, April 16, 1999.
408 “I don’t feel sorry for myself”: Payton and Yaeger, Never Die Easy, 225.
CHAPTER 26
410 When Payton was introduced: Rick Gano, “Payton makes first pitch for Cubs,” Associated Press, April 12, 1999.
410 On the day after the first pitch: “Payton Fatigued After His Appearance at Cubs Opener,” Chicago Tribune, April 13, 1999.
411 Payton’s final public appearance came: Teresa Mask, “Faith gave Payton strength in last days, pastor says,” Chicago Daily Herald, November 4, 1999.
413 “One time we got stuck in traffic”: Payton and Yaeger, Never Die Easy, 235.
413 “I never heard him say, ‘Why me?’ ”: Ibid., 248.
414 That night, October 28, 1999: Stephen Nidetz, “Payton’s Son Called Home,” Chicago Tribune, October 29, 1999.
CHAPTER 27
417 On the morning of April 5, 2000: Judith Cookis, “Payton’s widow shares family memories,” Chicago Daily Herald, April 6, 2000.
418 President Bill Clinton issued a statement: No byline, “Clinton Statement on Payton,” Associated Press, November 1, 1999.
418 A former Burger King drive-thru worker: “Remembering Walter,