It’s springtime. Brett Favre has temporarily retired to his Mississippi tractor. Which surely must mean…
Wait for it…
And, action!
“I am told,” Peter King wrote on Monday, “he may be feeling the urge to play again.”
And King wasn’t talking about Don Majkowski.
So with those words,the vaunted Sports Illustrated writer officially kicked off football’s Silly Season. Yes, Packers fans, the 30-ring circus is ramping up again. Somebody alert Ernest Borgnine. And let the National Guard know, too.
Because if you thought Brett “The Jet” Favre caused statewide hysteria, just wait till you see him with Viking horns on his helmet. They may as well be on his head.
OK, maybe devil comparisons are a bit harsh, but let’s face facts. Seeing Favre play for the New York Jets is a lot different than seeing him with a hated rival like the Minnesota Vikings. Which is exactly where Favre will end up after his upcoming unretirement. Which means true Packers fans will have a decision to make – cheer for Green Bay or cheer for the guy who reportedly “can’t stand Green Bay,” according to the New York Daily News.
There will be no middle ground. You’re either with him or against him. And after the latest turn of events, I think most Packers fans are finally ready to be against him.
Think we’re jumping the gun on this? Go surf the Web a bit, because the whispers aren’t just coming from King and New York. The headline from Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com: “All signs point to Favre returning.” And Marvez cites Minneapolis sources on plenty of circumstantial evidence, including Favre’s hiring of a personal trainer and mystery airplanes flying from Minnesota to Mississippi.
Mystery airplanes? Yeah, I’d forgotten how much fun this stuff was, too.
ESPN.com chimed in with a rather tame piece by Jeffri Chadhia. But CBSSportsline’s Greg Doyel called Favre a liar, a fraud, a creep and, for good measure, a deceitful egomaniac. Next week, Doyel blames Favre for swine flu.
All this noise, and we haven’t even seen Favre step foot in Minnesota yet. Well, if Favre comes back with the Vikings…
Aww, who are we kidding…
When Favre comes back with the Vikings, it will be the ultimate middle finger to the Packers organization. And in Favre’s mind, it will be completely justified, because Ted Thompson did the exact same thing to him. Time has healed no wounds. Favre wants, quite simply, revenge.
Because it’s still inconceivable to Favre that Thompson thought Aaron Rodgers was the best quarterback for the Packers, even though Rodgers went a long way toward justifying Thompson’s decision. For Brett, it’s not business, it’s personal.
A few months ago, when Favre told the Jets he was retiring, I wrote that I tended to finally believe him. I saw his late-season implosion and how he took the Jets down with him. I saw how nobody shed a tear when Favre left New York. At long last, Brett must have seen the light, I reasoned.
And there was my mistake – using reason to figure out Favre.
It’s a completely unreasonable approach.
Could you root for Brett Favre if he played for the Vikings? Let us know why or why not in the comment section below.
Fear the Favre
Locally, Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that Packers fans shouldn’t fear Brett’s marriage to Minnesota, arguing that Favre proved he was finished last season.
No doubt about it, Favre’s last games in New York were some of the worst of his career. But don’t be fooled. There are several reasons why Brett could be very dangerous with the Vikings.
1) Minnesota won 10 games last season with absolutely zero contribution from the quarterback position. When Minnesota’s current options are Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, Favre is clearly an upgrade.
2) Favre will have a better defense in Minnesota, meaning he won’t be playing from behind as much, meaning he won’t have to chuck up fourth-quarter prayers that become interceptions.
3) Part of why Favre stunk late last season was an arm injury, and he’s had the whole offseason to heal up. Moreover, he’ll have a better offensive line in Minnesota, lessening the chance of another injury.
4) Finally, as the season wears on, Favre won’t wear down nearly as much in Minnesota. He’ll have a much better running game, and with Adrian Peterson sharing the load, Favre won’t have to throw the ball 40 times a game. Plus, he’ll be playing those late-season games not in bone-chilling cold, but in a dome, which is invaluable to that 40-year-old body.
Bottom line: With Favre on the squad, the Vikings go from the playoff fringes to Super Bowl contenders. That’s reason enough for Packers fans to worry.
Braun’s back
Yes, Ryan Braun’s stiff back – which had caused him to miss two straight games and not start Monday night’s contest – is related to the rib problems that bothered him earlier this spring and all the way back into last August.
But no, the Milwaukee Brewers still don’t sound very concerned. On Sunday, when I asked manager Ken Macha at what point they start considering a trip to the disabled list, he said, “We haven’t even talked about that yet.”
I guess that’s good news. So were the results from Braun’s MRI on Monday, which showed no structural damage. And so was his mid-game arrival in Pittsburgh, when his pinch-hit bloop double keyed Milwaukee’s late rally. But the whole thing has to be giving Doug Melvin ulcers. And they’ll only get bigger as Braun’s injury woes drag on.
Reading A-Rod
Why is it worth paying attention to Selena Roberts’ book after Alex Rodriguez already admitted to doing steroids?
Because if what the book says is true – that A-Rod’s steroid usage was longer and more involved than he said – then Rodriguez didn’t come clean in his admission. And if A-Rod lied in his admission – the one chance for him to regain the public’s trust – then when can you ever trust him again?
Oh, and if the pitch-tipping allegation is true, then the guy’s not just a cheater; he’s just plain crazy. He’ll be as welcome in a clubhouse as ringworm.
The Brat-less Brewer
First-year Brewer Chris Duffy knocked in Sunday’s game-winning run, a good way to ingratiate himself to the fan base.
But after a month in Milwaukee, somehow the guy still hasn’t eaten one of our brats. In fact, he says he’s never tasted a brat in his entire life.
Duffy’s excuse?
“I eat pretty healthy,” he explains.
So yeah, he came to the wrong town.
There may, however, be hope. At least he’s open-minded about it.
“I suppose one won’t kill me,” Duffy admits.
Of course it won’t. Just look up in the stands.
On second thought…
Don’t miss the agony – and ecstasy – of Tim’s acupuncture experience in this week’s Training with Tim.
And tune in every Tuesday morning at 6:25 when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault. I’ll also chat with Mitch Teich on WUWM’s Lake Effect on Friday at 10 a.m.
