European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To  adds Best Selling author to his feats to Jackson a hit in baseball football and on the Best Sellers Lis by Ron Mckinney staff writer b o Jackson just wanted to Clear a few things up. A. Quot so to All his other talents he added a new one a he wrote a Book. The result is his. Autobiography to knows to written with help from Dick Schaap. D \ Quot so much had been written about me that really was not accurate. I decided that i wanted to set the record straight on a lot of things. So now at least people have a better sense of who to Jackson is Quot Jackson said last week in a written response to questions from the stars and stripes. A d to knows to hit the Best seller list harder than Jackson had hit former Seattle Seahawk linebacker Brian Bosworth while scoring a touchdown three years ago. In its eighth week on the new York times list it is holding steady at a no. 3. It includes appreciative chapters from baseball player George Brett and football lineman Howie Long. Jackson said the easy part of writing the Book was working with Schaap a Man he considers a Good Friend. Together they explored Jackson s life from child hoodlum to Heisman trophy Winner to All Star baseball player pro bowl football running Back and commercial superstar. That meant Jackson 28, had to open up the dark Side of his Fife a period when he considered himself to be a Punk on the streets of Alabama. It was a time when Jackson revealed in typical juvenile delinquency a beating up kids and being a part of the bicycle bandits a what was hard was remembering. And trying to Analyse a lot of things that happened in my past that Are not really a lot of fun to think about i had to think about a lot of things that i really would rather forget Quot he said. Jackson says in his Book that he was Able to put that adolescent behaviour behind him by his senior year in High school. At the same time he was starting to move ahead in the athletic forum. A. A his first High school varsity sport the decathlon netted a top 10 finish in the Alabama state championships his a a freshman year. Jackson went on to win the state championship in his Junior and senior years by so Many Points he did t bother participating in the final event the mile run. His sports career accelerated and expanded from there. /. The books title comes from the highly successful Nike advertising Campaign a Quot to knows. A introduced As a television commercial during the fourth inning of the 1989 All Star game of which Jackson was named most valuable player. It has to be wondered which was the bigger hit. Jackson s first Innig 448-foot Sand wedge Home run or the commercial the commercial stars Jackson As the consummate Quot athlete competing in football baseball hockey Tennis basketball and then jamming onstage with to diddle Kirk Gibson states Quot to knows  John Mcenroe asks Quot to knows Tennis Quot hockey Star Wayne Gretzky with diddle intoning Quot to you Don t know diddley1 a nowadays when people shake their head at to Jackson its in amazement. And it has to to wondered was Gretzky shaking his head in a quiet manner pleading. With Jackson not to take up Roe hockey As his next Hobby Gretzky knows to. At 230 pounds could end his Hall of. Fame career with a full body slam a or Check into the boards. A a. Not to worry great one. Jackson says in his Bok that. Olympic bobsledding May be ins next Hobby but now to even dismisses that notion. A. Quot i m not really serious about it if i go into the olympics ii go into the decathlon and see if can t w in the whole thing a Jackson said adone to sell him Short. Jackson could get to know tire olympics after All who really believed lie would choose baseball Over football As a Pio fission when he was the a Fly a first draft pick As the Heisman trophy Winner a but he was determined not to play for the Tampa Bay buccaneers a and a baseball career minimized the likelihood of his Knees being maimed a still when the los Angeles baders offered to pay him $7 million for five Yeai Sand agreed to let him finish each baseball season with the Kansas City royals Jackson took the bait. And he s been Olf and running Over defensive backs Ever  Jackson concedes that playing two sports is a mental Strain the thought of not playing football and baseball would be More troubling. Quot most people think cd playing two sports is a physical Strain. In fact it is much harder mentally than it is physically a he said. Each sport regimes a different mental discipline to a. Perform Well so that transition from one sport to the other is always difficult mentally. But As far As being a Strain i have always enjoyed being Busy and f think i would be Mote stressed if i were not performing in both sports Quot to said., a d / ,. Do in the Book Jackson recounts that lie had trouble a sleeping last summer while the royals were mired in a season Long slump that left them one game out of Las place in the american i Sayue s Western division. That was a season in which the royals were expected to. Challenge the Oakland a s for the division title. And even though the raiders Are Back in the play Olls for the Fust time since 1985, Jackson insisted his commitment to baseball has not been placed on waivers. Quot in a having a Good time playing two sports and i plan to continue doing that As Long As i m having a Good time after the season Iii be Back in Florida for Spring training. And look Forward to the world series with the royals this year a he said. A a d. Jackson said that if his wife Linda had her Way he would retire from both sports move Back to the South and she would continue her career in family counselling. They a have three children Spud 4 Nick 2 and Morgan 6 months.,. Quot she has enjoyed some of the travel but it really gets to be a very difficult Strain on the family to move from Kansas City to los Angeles to Auburn to Orlando for Spring training and Back to Kansas City. But Linda has held up very Well. Whenever i give up one sport or other i m sure. That Linda and the family will be the reason i do it Quot he. Said. A a. But for now Jackson is having too much fun on the Wallfield. He was voted by the fans to play in the 1989 Allstar game and next month hell be playing in the nil s pro bowl having been voted onto the acc s team by his d Peers. Jackson can t choose which of the two honors Means More to him. But he can say that he s excited about the prospects of meeting his idol Pilot Chuck Yeager. In his excitement Jackson talks about performing an athletic achievement of considerable difficulty when they finally do meet. Quot when i Meef Chuck Yeager i m going to do a triple double backward somersault ftp1&Quot he said. Hmm. Does to knew Garnr tactics. To knows  a a i Art stripes boo mores. Saturday january 12, 1991 the stars and stripes k k k Page 13