Chats with Paul Allen, Junior Seau, Dave Duerson and others on the flipside

“Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.” Ad for Almond Joy candy bar

If I can set the stage for the following, I’ll offer by way of explanation; “I was a hall monitor in high school.” I’m not sure how I got the gig, I don’t remember lobbying for it — but I would sit at the end of the hallway asking for a “pass” before allowing someone to go on their way.

Only I don’t believe in passes, because I don’t ever remember telling anyone that they could not go down a hallway. But I did wear some orange belt thing, making myself stand out. People could come to me for advice, help, directions.

And sometimes I’d stop fights “Hey! You really don’t want to do that!” That was one thing that came out of my mouth one day — as if I knew the arc of this person’s life and that punching out a fellow student, or being bloodied by the victim was not something they wanted to do.

Glenbrook North. Billy Meyer 21 has his hands where they should not be.

I was a football player in high school, guard then middle linebacker, I roamed the field with abandon, would…