People

By Guy D. Garcia

When it comes to flinging a football and blowing off steam, nobody puts it together better than Jim McMahon. So the Chicago Bears quarterback was a natural to talk about stress for Connections, a biweekly series of billboard topics posted in 1,500 high schools around the country. Despite the munching pose he struck for one poster, McMahon rarely takes it out on the ball. His tips for coping with strain: "I never really worry about things before they happen. I let things happen and I deal with them then . . . It's important to keep your sense of humor. You have to see the light side . . . If something is pressuring me, I have to get rid of it. I have to scream or yell or punch a bag." Fine, but maybe Connections should include a disclaimer, just to be safe. Something like "Warning: McMahon is a professional cutup. Do not attempt to follow all these instructions in your own home."