After coming thisclose, Favre should (finally) hang up the cleats
By Adam Krebs
of The Lakeland Times

Rummaging through the WisSports.net message boards this past weekend, I read in Packer agony about last weeks’ loss and (gasp) the possibility of Brett Favre retiring.
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jake53098 said: “He cant go out like that ”

My short response: “And neither could Dan Marino after a 62-7 stomping from Jacksonville...”
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I’ve wanted Favre to retire since 2003 (my Packer distaste is well documented in the blogosphere), but this year he proved that he might have something left – besides, he and Derek Anderson carried my fantasy team to second place in my league with other sportswriters from the midwest.
Back to Favre (I still wonder how it is pronounced with the “r” before the “v”) – Brett hadn’t been the “same” since the Dallas game. The first few weeks of the season, No. 4 looked like the MVP of old, but after a funny-bone bruise and a banged up shoulder, he looked...normal.
Next year, at 39, will he be able to do the same things as he did this year at 38?
Many in Packer country would like to think so, but I’m more skeptical now than ever.
I’ve thought for the last 3-4 years now that if Favre is going to last in this league, he would have to learn to be a true pocket quarterback and take what’s given to him and not to force the ball into covered receivers. He did that for the most part this year.
Against New York though, with nearly the game on the line, his last shot at taking his team to the promised land, Favre was rushed and threw it into... triple coverage. Interception.
A worthwhile ending mark for one of the 10 best QB’s of all time? I would argue so. Hey, he might as well have thrown an interception on his last throw as much as he should have thrown a touchdown – two things that he holds records for.
But for much of the season, he was the renaissance man. He looked good. He looked young. Most of all, he looked like the ego was put aside. Granted, many a Packer fan doesn’t realize his ego, because they were too busy waiting to see a smile.
But does he have one more year left in the tank? I think so. Two? Possibly. But not to the same degree as he had this year.
I think he may have one of those “stuck-around-one-year-to-long” swan songs like Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Jim Kelly all had.
Not everyone can finish a career like John Elway did, and I wouldn’t bank on Favre coming any closer next year than he did this year.
This is the NFL, where every team is systematically built by the NFL to finish 8-8. Those who produce better and have better coaching will likely have a better season than the rest.
Last year, Bears fans were thinking they’d be right back. Rex Grossman would get better they said. Cedric Benson could carry the load. The defense wouldn’t get hurt this time. Tank Johnson wouldn’t get into trouble. And Lovie Smith would continue coaching like Parcells/Gibbs/Walsh.
I know that’s what they were thinking, I lived there (Illinois) throughout the entire year, and into the offseason.
Unfortunately for my former neighbors from the south, the Bears season that never was never happen.
You can’t bank on anything in the NFL.
Who’s to say Ryan Grant doesn’t fall apart next year, and the other running backs produce like they did through the first eight games of this season?
Who’s to say that all the receivers continue their stellar play? Who’s to say the defense will not get hurt and Atari Bigby or nick Barnett won’t beat up a stripper or bar patron in the offseason, or that anyone on the team won’t pull a gat out at someone who dissed their street cred?
You can’t bank on anything in the NFL.
For that, I would tell Brett Favre to walk away from the game. He surpassed all the records he set out for. He got his young and talented team back to the NFC championship game. He turned everyone's heads with his stellar play, and the great play of his team. This was (nearly) the perfect season for him to walk out on.
Two years ago this team won four games. Last season eight games. This season 14. In the NFL, they could become an eight-win team again, and then a four-win team.
After only five losing seasons in a 41 year history, the Dolphins just went 1-15. Yeah, anything can happen in today’s NFL.
Favre has earned the respect from everyone in the game. His smile and competitiveness are that of champions. He doesn’t need to stick around too long like Marino, Montana, Michael Jordan, or the other heroes of yesteryear did.
Favre got thisclose to a third trip at a Super Bowl. Some of the greats never get more than one shot.
He’s done what he set out to do. Along with Barry Alvarez of the Wisconsin Badgers, Favre and Bucky have turned football back into Wisconsin’s sport – and rightfully so. His work here is done.
I say walk away.
Adam Krebs can be reached at akrebs@lakelandtimes.com.

I know this is mostly a sports blog... But...

Thank you Iowan democrats for voting Barack Obama as your candidate for president. Seeing the results last night felt as if the Brewers had won the division, or if the Indians had ever pulled out ANY Game 7 in their playoff history....

News that Barack won 57% -- 57%!-- of the vote of peoples between the ages of 18-30 is astounding. This young group of voters is a demographic that has not really been reached out to for a while, other than the actual presidential election.

Obama nailed the demographic with his early rise on YouTube and Facebook -- two sites where the young people of today spend a lot of their time.

Also, listening to Obama speak brings out a bit of grace, confidence, hope, and life... I've said this to people in private conversations, but now I'm mentioning it to the world: Sometimes when Barack talks, he sounds eerily similar to MLK. His voice, his base, his hope, his optimism, his uniqueness.... I don't see how people can disregard him as not being a viable candidate.

To me, Obama's message is that he truly cares about not only this country in general, but the world, this country's reputation, the actual people of this country, and the future of our nation. He's not doing it to suck at the almighty power teet. He's not doing it because he is a famous woman whose husband was already president.

To me, Obama is the single most geniune candidate since Kennedy. His racial mix should be embraced, not scorned against. His father's native background of living in a Muslim country (Kenya), though he did not practice Islam, should not make people think that Obama is a Muslim. He's not. The only dirt other candidates have put on Obama are lies, his lack of experience (which, in terms of actually holding an elected office, he has more experience than Hillary, and more than Bill had when Bill won the presidency), and the fact that he doesn't have the "foreign relations" to lead this country.

I disagree with all of those. Your foreign relations is how you make them. The relations that we need to fix are Pakistan, Russia, North Korea, China, Iran, and Iraq with a few others in between. Obama's openness and willingness to at least talk and communicate with other countries shows that he knows we need to work well with these nations in order to grow our country, their countries, and humanity in general as a whole.

I'm not even dipping into other topics that could/should be talked about. However, I am very proud that those quarter of a million people that turned out to the polls voiced themselves and put the democratic candidates where they deserve to be: 1. Obama, 2. Edwards, 3. Clinton.

If Obama can win one of the next three (NH, Nevada, South Carolina), and place second in the other two, I think he has a great chance at becoming our next leader. And I could not be more happy.

Holy crap. I need cable.

Well, if I just get my house cleaned, then I may have time to watch Sportscenter every night. Instead I can't, and I have yet to watch any meaningful highlights of any games from any sport – except for what NBC 12 in Rhinelander puts out (which I really could not give two large craps less about).

With cable, I could watch Yahoo! Sports video feed, ESPN video feed, CBS video... YouTube.... I would be up to date! But until I get cable (with internet, that is) I will have none of this.

This entire college football season and NFL season blew past me. I'm not kidding. I haven't watched any clips of any college basketball or NBA game. Seriously, I'm reading that these events are happening...but are they really happening?

If I'm in the woods and I see a tree that has fallen, did it really fall, or was it placed there? Is there at least an audio feed I could listen to that would replay the brutal tumble of said tree?

Without this modern high-tech technology, I feel as if I'm living in 1978, BEFORE ESPN AND CABLE! Seriously. This is what my life consists of: spouse, kid, full time job, one working car, one telephone, no home internet, no cable, my "rabbit ears" antenna for my TV picks up only NBC and PBS (occastionally I can get ABC to come in clear enough for a very fuzzy picture and audio), we don't use the microwave anymore, we've gone all-natural as much as we could to stay away from lead and other dangerous household chemicals, as well as organic foods and we don't like plastic.... We celebrate Earth Day every day by recycling everything in the house, but yet can't find the nearest recycling center to actually recycle the items (so they are piling up in our basement and kitchen), we don't have a dishwasher, we have to use the apartment's coin-laundry machine, we only heat one room in our house (living room) and use the two bedrooms as storage and miscellaneous rooms.

Pretty much, a clean house and cable internet would make life much more bearable in the Wisconsin Northwoods when it snows everyday and the temperature sits at a *warm* 20ºF everyday with wind...

In the almighty words of Ricky Bobby, "Help me Jesus, help me Allah, help me Jewish god..... Help me Oprah Winfrey!"




Also, I would like to take this very brief moment and do something to you that I usually wouldn't. I would like to ask you to remember to register and vote in the upcoming caucus and primary season. Also, I would like to note (as you can see on my sidebar) that I suppose and endorse Barack Obama. I vote based on what is best for the country Today, Tomorrow, Next Year, In 5 Years, In 20 Years and in a century. I don't vote because someone offers tax breaks. I don't vote because someone has a name (Clinton, Giuliani). And I certainly don't vote for any religious reasons. Religion and government do not work (see: World, The history of the human) I vote for leadership qualities, unique qualities, and the future of my country. That is why I am voting, and urging others, to look at all candidates - especially Obama. If you don't care to look into anyone, just please don't vote for Hillary. If you want my advice, vote Obama, and let's change this country together.

OK, I'm done politicizing.