The End of an Era...Oh, Wait, Nevermind

Anybody watch that 14-inning affair Saturday night? I guess that was a pretty neat way to end it—I assumed after Ryan Franklin blew the save, it was a guaranteed loss, so I'm glad I went ahead and stuck around for the whole thing so I could be proven wrong. How many blown saves was that in the last seven games? Four or five? Holy cow. Maybe it's time the Cardinals invest in a legitimate closer. Of course, they don't really have anything to trade at this point--Chris Duncan and Colby Rasmus are both on the DL, and I don't want them to trade Rasmus, anyway. Somebody suggested to me not that long ago that the Cardinals should put Adam Wainwright back in the closer role when he gets off the DL, but I don't know if that's a good idea or not--he's probably so ingrained in the starter's mindset now that it would screw him up mentally to have to close again. I'm sure they'll figure something out--after all, if they don't, they're finished.

Anyway, onto today's topic. I have a horrible confession to make.

I'm one of just four or five people in the entire universe who doesn't like Brett Favre.

Now, before you set my house on fire, just hear me out. It's nothing personal--I think he's a stand-up, classy, respectable sort of guy. And while I had my doubts that he was still capable of even playing in the league, he proved me wrong last season with a Cinderella run that should have ended with him in the Super Bowl, but then at the last minute he reverted back to Gunslinger Favre (with interception-throwing action!) and gave the game to the Giants. I was rooting for him for once in my life, and he blew it. Figures. The only real crimes Favre ever committed against me were beating the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI (hey, in those days the Patriots weren't evil, and I was a Drew Bledsoe fan) and beating the Eagles a couple of times. But I still can't stand him.

So why am I so down on Brett Favre?

I'm just sick of the guy.

Favre falls into that unfortunate category of athletes who have been so good for so long and have had so much media exposure that I can no longer stand the sight of them, nor their godlike presence within the ranks of whatever sport they play. Favre is right up there with the likes of Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, and every Dallas Cowboy from the 1990s. Oddly, not every super athlete falls into this infamous lot--for whatever reason, Peyton Manning, LeBron James, and a host of other media darlings are getting off scott-free. Hey, I'm a sports fan—NONE of my reasoning for whom I like and dislike has to make any sense.

On top of that, Favre has been hemming and hawing for like ten years now about retirement. The big question on everybody's mind every offseason is whether or not Favre is coming back for another year, and EVERY year the whole ordeal becomes a huge, overexposed media circus. And every year, he comes back. Last season I was proud of Favre because it only took him a couple of days to decide he wanted to come back. But most years, I'm ready to cram mud in my ears so I don't have to listen to the big stink over will he or won't he YET AGAIN. You can't tell me you don't get sick of this nonsense.

My dreams finally came true earlier this year when Favre officially retired. It finally happened--it was genuine, it was emotional, it was his farewell. He was done, he was gone, and despite the fact that he was a great and respectable player, I was ELATED to see him go.

Approximately five minutes later, the rumors of a Favre comeback began. I knew it couldn't be true—his teary goodbye was just too real and too heartfelt for him to change his mind so quickly.

Of course, I was wrong. Quickly building a reputation as history's greatest flake, Favre came back, and the media circus tents were pitched once again. This time, it's a matter of whether or not the Packers want him back on the team after planning around Favre's young successor, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The situation changes every couple of seconds, but as I write this, it looks as though the Packers wish to trade Favre to one of two interested teams--the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccanneers.

The Packers want a first-round draft pick for Favre, and any team who gives up a first-round pick for a 38-year old quarterback—greatest ever or not—is a team of complete idiots. What a waste. Unless I had a GUARANTEE that Favre would win the Super Bowl for my team THAT year, it just wouldn't be worth it. And believe me, Favre's not winning any Super Bowl for the Jets or Bucs. Maybe he could for one of the top teams in the league, but not these stiffs.

Even if it's a colossal failure, Favre's return won't tarnish his reputation as a player. I'm always going to remember him as a hard-nosed, gutsy, exciting, multiple-MVP quarterback. And even when his antics were growing tiresome, it was still better seeing him out there than Troy Aikman. However, in my mind, his reputation as a person HAS been tarnished—I'm so tired of putting up with this every year. Every year the entire world has to stop and wait while Brett Favre decides what he wants to do. And I'm sick of it.

I want him gone.