Sweetness, Walter Payton

A new biography on the life of Walter Payton portrays a man at odds with the image we recall for those of us who watched him play. That said, Pearlman set out to write a definitive biography -- period. When people would ask, 'Well, is this going to be positive?' He'd say, 'Not positive, not negative -- definitive.'"

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/f ... z1ZJukCiSY

Definitive indeed. What we discover is a troubled doped up man whose personal life was a sham at best. It's a sad discovery such a life, when most of us with only a weekend glimpse of him entertained a much different reality. Personally, this kind of deception occurs far too often with celebrities of all types. It increases the value of those few who do so much positive in their life. I'm reminded about being honest with yourself. It's so much easier to do that than to live up to some glorious image you try to project of yourself. In the end, such deception always catches up to you.

We still have an original Wheaties box with Payton on it. Still full of Wheaties too.

I met him once. We were both waiting at the vet's office. Normal conversation you would have in a vets office. All about our pets. To me, he will always be sweetness.

Are Wheaties like wine - do they get better with age?

Prolly not but the box may be worth something un-opened. We also have a few Michael Jordan Wheaties boxes from when he was winning with the Bulls.

He was one of those guys that was not comfortable in his own skin.

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And he would walk to the vet. Across Palatine Rd from where he lived.

pacamom wrote: And he would walk to the vet. Across Palatine Rd from where he lived.

I think the TurnStyle turned into a Target- I worked at the Mobile Gas station on the corner there...1977-78? One time I was at Walter's house on a monday after a game-He was wearing an Ice Suit. He had an ice suit


http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=ran ... CF0Q8gEwAA

A little story about me working at the Mobile station..My friend who has 3 years older than me got me the job, I was like 16. One day a car full of guys pulled in and asked where Barniby's was..I pointed in the wrong direction thinking the Pit n Pub was Barniby's..They looked so similar inside and out- it was an honest mistake...When I came back into the station my buddy asked what they wanted and when I told him he said.."Barniby's is the other way!" A half hour later a see the car drive by..I pointed at them and put my hand over my mouth like I was laughing at them. Why I did this, I don't know. I guess I was just f-ing with them..Well at closing time I'm in the open bay of the station and my buddy is in the front, and here comes 6 guys with 2x4's and pipes in their hands..3 come at me and 3 go to the front of the station. These guys are swinging at me like crazy and I'm dodging every one of them..I hear all kinds of screaming from the front of the station and after about a minute a guy comes in from there and says.."He's had enough, lets go!" and they all ran off..I swear to god I never got hit once and as I came into the front of the station my buddy who has obviously already taken a tremendous beating gets hit right in the face with a 2x4 and flys into the oil cans stacked up against a giant mirror- The guy runs off, the mirror broke and my buddy is laying there bleeding from his mouth, eyes, ears, and his nose is broken bad...

Boy was he pissed..I was untouched.

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