Maybe ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio is just mad that FOX’s Jay Glazer beat him to the Brett Favre retirement scoop.
Or maybe Paolantonio’s just ticked that he’s spent so much time in Philadelphia.
Whatever the reason, it seems that booing Santa Claus isn’t enough for those Philly guys. Because ol’ Sal just launched quite the broadside at Green Bay’s quarterback.
Sorry, former quarterback.
Basically, Sallie declared Favre the most overrated thing this side of Ben Affleck. Seems the Packers should’ve shipped Brett to the Barcelona Dragons after Super Bowl XXXII. Because it’s Favre’s fault, Sal writes, that Green Bay hasn’t won a ring since the Clinton Administration.
At least Sal stops short of blaming him for the next Clinton Administration.
Look, I’ll grant Sal that Favre the Younger was a better QB than Favre the Elder. But show me an athlete whose best years were in his late 30s and I’ll show you a copy of Game of Shadows.
The crux of Paolantonio’s argument is that Green Bay only won three playoff games during the second half of Favre’s career, therefore Favre doesn’t deserve his accolades. By that logic, Dan Marino (3-6 in last nine playoff games) was equally a waste of space. And maybe Peyton should just quit now, because his career playoff record is only 7-7.
Look, I agree that if Earth’s fate hinged on the outcome of one football game, Favre wouldn’t be my choice at quarterback. For all his greatness over time, you simply never knew if the gunslinger was about to fire a bullet in the wrong direction. So give me Joe Montana or John Elway or Johnny Unitas. (Sorry Tom Brady. Check back when you can prove that you, not the video coordinator, were the X factor in those Super Bowls.)
But if those guys are booked for the weekend, you better believe I’m on the Batphone to Brett and Marino and Roger Staubach and Steve Young. Earth could do a lot worse.
Perhaps the media went a little overboard in its praise and adulation of Brett. Whenever John Madden called Packers games, I prayed my TV wouldn’t short out from his drool. And word is that Sports Illustrated’s Peter King has a bad habit of writing lovre on his valentines?
But maybe some of that lovre is an optical illusion. Maybe it just seems like the media went overboard because there’s more media than ever.
Favre is really the first superstar quarterback to bloom in the age of multimedia. Elway and Montana and Marino were on their last legs in the infancy of the Internet, but Favre was still in his prime. They got the same kind of praise as Favre, there was just more of it to go around when Favre took center stage, so Favre looks overhyped by comparison.
Meanwhile, Brady and Peyton Manning have spent their entire careers under the glare of this modern spotlight, one that includes digital cable and 24-hour sports talk and ESPN7. Those two are already overexposed, and they have another decade to go.
Can’t wait to see what Sal writes then. Assuming he survives Philly that long.
This week’s sports quiz
1) Golfer Tripp Isenhour’s reaction after hitting several golf balls toward a protected hawk and finally killing it included which of the following comments?
A) “We all have had unfortunate accidents happen.”
B) “Especially that hawk.”
C) “Now if you’ll excuse me, my champagne is getting cold at the 19th hole.”
D) “And I’m meeting Jae Kuk Ryu there for lunch.”
2) When will life get back to normal for Packers fans?
A) When Brett comes to his senses and unretires.
B) When Aaron Rodgers is healthy enough to play in two consecutive games.
C) When Green Bay makes Breleigh Favre the NFL’s first female player.
D) When the cold hand of death finally puts a merciful end to this miserable Beckett-esque existence.
3) What is the FA Cup and why should you care?
A) An English soccer tournament that…
B) No, please, keep reading.
C) An English soccer tournament that just saw the equivalent of two Triple-A baseball clubs eliminating the Yankees and Red Sox from the playoffs.
D) OK, never mind.
In other news…
What’s in a name?
Maybe Favre isn’t as popular as Paolantonio thinks. After all, only 82 Wisconsin baby boys born in 2005 were named Brett, making it just the state’s 88th most popular boys’ name. That put him just one ahead of – gasp – Peyton. And in 2006, Brett didn’t even crack the top 100 names in Wisconsin.
Not surprisingly, the popularity of Brett peaked during the Super Bowl seasons of 1996 and 1997. In both of those years, Brett ranked 38th among Wisconsin boys names. There were 208 Bretts christened in ’96 and 201 in ’97. Brett dropped to 63rd in 1998 with 119 names and hasn’t ranked better than 77th since.
You, too, can follow Brett through the years, and kill a half-hour in the process, at the Social Security Administration’s Web site.
King of the road
Not everything Peter King writes is an ode to Brett Favre. Check out the dispatches from his recent USO trip to Afghanistan with NFL players Tommie Harris and Luis Castillo. In one anecdote, he tells of flying in a helicopter and looking down to see an Afghan father playing cricket – his country’s version of baseball – with his son. And suddenly, the world seemed very much smaller.
And finally…
Good news for the Milwaukee Bucks. After I found ESPN.com’s NBA lottery game, it only took one try for Milwaukee to get the first pick and the rights to Kansas State stud Michael Beasley. Not bad, considering the current standings gave Milwaukee only a 2.8 percent shot at No. 1. So maybe this year, they don’t have to tank at the end of the season.
When I played, the default draft order had Milwaukee getting an Italian small forward named Danilo Gallinari at No. 8. Because, you know, Milwaukee needs another small forward…
Anyway, on my 10th try, Milwaukee bumped up to third to get point guard Derrick Rose of Memphis, and on the 14th attempt, the Bucks got Beasley at No. 1 again. So I figured I’d quit while we were ahead.
And next week, I’ll explain how I got Milwaukee to the NBA Finals on Playstation 3.
OK, maybe not.
Tune in every Tuesday morning from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM. Also, next Wednesday, I join Mitch Teich on WUWM-FM 89.7’s Lake Effect. And don’t forget to check out our Bar Time column.
