I once played organized football -- not that I was any good at it, but I played it with relish. My favorite parts were anything that had to do with disrupting the opponent's carefully planned plays, which included covering kickoffs and punts as well as regular defense. This bit of information has almost nothing to do with this column except that it points out an early character trait -- some would say flaw -- that has perversely influenced my career. Show me a train wreck and I will study it for hours, analyzing what went wrong.
June 04th 2008