Here’s a tip. If Brett Favre ever tells you that the world is round, the sky is blue and water is wet, don’t believe him.
That’s the lesson from Favre, who’s initiated more about-faces than a Marine drill sergeant. As I type these words, Favre has departed Mississippi and is in an airplane somewhere over the heartland of America. His destination is Minnesota. His head is in the clouds. And he’d be wise to avoid Wisconsin airspace.
This comes just a few short weeks after Favre said he wouldn’t unretire to join the Minnesota Vikings. Just didn’t trust his body to complete a full NFL season, he said. When of course, he really meant he just didn’t want to go to training camp, and wanted a couple extra million bucks from the Vikings.
I never believed that Brett was done. I wrote as much immediately before he "said no" to the Vikings, and a commenter asked if I planned on writing a retraction. I stuck to my guns even when all was quiet on the Favre front and everyone was paying attention to Mike Vick. There was simply too much smoke surrounding Favre, and not because of the hot air spewing out of his mouth.
And you know what? The fun’s just getting started. The NFL’s highest-rated game this season may not be the Super Bowl, but the first time Favre faces the Packers.
And don’t expect a cheery reception for the guy at Lambeau. On the day Favre announced he wasn’t joining the Vikings, I was in a barber shop getting a haircut. I asked a guy next to me what he thought of Favre’s decision. "He was already dead to me," said the guy. "At least now I don’t have to forget that he ever existed." I thought it so captured the feelings of most Packers fans that I saved the quote in a text message to myself. It’ll make a nice note when Favre finally comes back, I reasoned.
Now he’s back. So let the mass brainwashing begin.
Favre’s a Viking, and he’s wearing horns.
Seems the only one surprised by this latest Favre flare-up was Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley. "What is Farve thinking?!?!?!" JermichaelF88 tweeted Monday afternoon.
You’ll have to excuse Jermichael. He’s pretty new to the party. And he’s still getting that "V" before "R" thing down.
Anyway, at least our favorite quarterback gave outgoing Jim Doyle a great line while announcing he won’t seek re-election. "I am not going to pull a Brett Favre on you now," Doyle said.
When politicians are doing punchlines at your expense, you’ve truly accomplished something.
Brewers Have a Chance
Those math whizzes and statisticians have done the impossible. They’ve figured out the Milwaukee Brewers. And the figure they came up with is less than 2 percent.
Yes, as of Monday, Aug. 17, MLB Playoff Odds gives the Brewers a 1.8 percent chance of reaching the postseason. It breaks down as a 1.4 percent chance of winning the N.L. Central and a 0.4 percent chance of winning the Wild Card.
This shouldn’t come as a shock. Milwaukee entered the week as a third-place team with a losing record (58-59). The calendar is fast running out of days to make up eight games on a St. Louis team that’s looking better, not worse. And the pitching staff, to put it mildly, remains a concern.
So yeah, 2 percent seems about right. A lot of things have to go right with the Brewers and wrong with other teams. So why should a Brewers fan keep hope alive for the 2009 season?
I can only give you two reasons. But they’re pretty good ones.
1) Since shaking up the roster on Aug. 12 – cutting Bill Hall, demoting J.J. Hardy and replacing pitching coach Billy Castro – the Brewers have played a more fiery, exciting brand of baseball. They’ve scored 39 runs in the ensuing 45 innings. So far, young shortstop Alcides Escobar is as good as advertised. As a team, the Brewers have become more aggressive on the basepaths. And everyone seems to be playing with a renewed sense of urgency.
2) Milwaukee’s remaining 45-game schedule is tailor-made for a remarkable comeback. Nineteen games are against teams with losing records. And in all but three of those contest, their opponent is (as of now) at least 17 games below .500. Moreover, another 16 of the Brewers’ remaining games are against the two teams Milwaukee is chasing in the N.L. Central – nine against St. Louis and seven against Chicago.
Talk about your favorable scenarios. A huge chuck of games in which Milwaukee should be solid favorites. And a huge chunk of games in which Milwaukee can make up serious ground in the standings.
I’m not saying a playoff run is going to be easy. I’m not even saying a playoff run is probable. But it is, most definitely, doable.
For a team that’s struggled so much, that’s quite noteworthy.
The Pack is Back
I recorded Green Bay’s preseason game against Cleveland and watched it on Sunday. Or at least had it on in the background while working on the computer. Sorry, I just can’t get too worked up about 37 plays’ worth of Brian Brohm.
Overall, the Packers were quite impressive in blanking Cleveland 17-0. Anytime your defense shuts out an NFL opponent – and yes, we’re still considering Cleveland an NFL opponent – it’s an accomplishment. And that’s without first-round draft pick B.J. Raji, the defensive lineman expected to be a linchpin in the new 3-4 scheme, on the field.
But let’s not get overly excited about things, and not just because of the Cleveland factor. Preseason results are meaningless, unless you’re betting on them in Vegas. (Which people do to an unbelievable extent. Seriously, every time I turned on sports talk radio while I was there two weeks ago, the hosts were breaking down gambling spreads for preseason games. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. But then, I also couldn’t believe a restaurant charged $9 for a Sprite. It’s just a different planet out there.)
Look, I think Green Bay will contend for the playoffs, but not because of what I saw over the weekend. Want ultimate proof that the preseason is pure piffle? The Detroit Lions have won their last five preseason games.
The Bucks Stop Where?
The Milwaukee Bucks have made so many offseason moves that it’s almost hard to keep up with them. Kinda like Richard Jefferson’s wedding plans. But things just got more confusing.
Milwaukee has pulled off another multiplayer deal involving guys that most casual fans have never heard of. The key cogs are (incoming) swingman Carlos Delfino and (outgoing) power forward Amir Johnson. Also involved are (incoming) point guard Roko Ukic – who some hoops people think could be a sleeper in the vein of Carlos Arroyo – and (outgoing) forward Sonny Weems – whose last name is Smeew spelled backwards.
I don’t know enough about any of those players to make a winner/loser judgment on the deal, though others have already done so. What it tells me, however, is that the Bucks are quite happy with Hakim Warrick as their starting power forward, and Delfino gives them another piece to play with at shooting guard and small forward. Also, any last flicker of Ramon Sessions returning to Milwaukee is pretty much extinguished.
So your projected Bucks lineup now looks like this: PG Luke Ridnour, Brandon Jennings, Roko Ukic; SG Michael Redd, Charlie Bell, Jodie Meeks; SF Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Carlos Delfino, Joe Alexander; PF Hakim Warrick, Kurt Thomas, Ersan Ilyasova; C Andrew Bogut, Francisco Elson, Dan Gadzuric.
On the surface, it sure doesn’t scream playoffs, but there’s potential. Maybe Jennings becomes a special player immediately. Maybe Alexander gets it figured out. Maybe Warrick, who once got 31 points and 13 rebounds against the Bucks, shines when given an opportunity.
Or maybe Scott Skiles sets the record for most bottles of Maalox consumed before December.
Time will tell.
Play Golf With Celebrities. Or Just With Me.
What do I have in common with former Green Bay Packer LeRoy Butler, former Brewer Ken "Bulldog" Sanders, Milwaukee Wave coach Keith Tozer and "Survivor" veteran Erinn Lobdell?
Absolutely nothing. But we’re all playing in Wednesday’s Third Annual SportsRadio 1250 Charity Golf Outing anyway. Benefitting the Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and sponsored by Perkins Restaurants, it’s a fun time for an absolutely great cause.
Once again, the only reason I’m there is to provide a few laughs with my alleged golf swing. If you’re interested in seeing the comedy firsthand, there’s still time to register. But if I were you, I’d request a spot in Erinn’s group. I know I am.
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Feel free to follow me on Twitter, where I tweet as howiemag. And tune in every Tuesday morning at 6:25 when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AMfor Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault.
