Here we go. For those of you who are devout readers of my TPS reports (The Prodigal Son), you will know that my first blog, which detailed my qualifications, also included my reasons why Favre is one of the top 4 QBs of all-time (Mt. Rushmore style). I love to talk about food, but sports talk makes me really intense. That brings us to today's topic: Favre.

I have read two blogs on onmilwaukee written by people getting paid to write. The first one, while I agree with the main point (Packer fans should forgive Favre for leaving), the analogous situation is just so far from reality. The second blog fails to show an understanding of two thing: 1. Athletes, 2. Sports.

First Blog: I already touched upon this briefly in a talkback to the original blog, but i just can't help myself. When an athlete comes to a city he does not promise to stay there until he dies. Reggie White was a beloved legend, in his prime, in Philadelphia when he came to Green Bay. Did we receive him with open arms, or did we shy away like a shamed adulterer? Of course we welcomed him. Brett Favre wasn't our husband. He didn't cheat on us. Ted Thompson changed the locks, and so Brett bought a house in the Meadowlands. Granted Brett is not blame free, but Thompson didn't want him there regardless. So yes, "forgive" Brett for "cheating" on us.

Blog 2: I think there is nothing that I hate more than a sports writer writing about how it is time for some guy to hang it up so he doesn't damage his legacy. How about the next time you write a terrible article, (now), I come and tell you it's time to stop writing. Even though you have loved writing ever since you were a kid, and at some point you realized you were better than almost everybody else at it. So then, on the day you got your first paid writing gig, you called everyone you knew and couldn't believe you were getting paid to do something you love so much. "Writing isn't a job", you say, "It's what I love, and someone is paying me for it. What a sucker". Now years later someone you never met (me), who isn't even in your profession (me), thinks that you just aren't that good at it anymore. Nevermind that there is demand from a bunch of other people for your services. Nevermind that you think you can still write well. You can't leave OMC. What about all your fans? Forget for a moment that you could go be a writer in Baltimore, and inspire the Next Edgar Allen Poe to pick up a pen. Forget that even if 7 of your 16 articles aren't that good, the one good article (Where you talk about throwing 6 TDs) could inspire 1,000 great books. No one remembers the bad games Jordan had as a Wizard, but I know a ton of people who remember the game winner he hit in Phoenix. No one even remembers that the last QB to take the Chiefs to the playoffs was "legacy-tarnisher" Joe Montana. Anyone who thinks that Farve should have retired instead of donning another jersey, after GB didn't want him, should never be allowed to go to Lambeau. Ever.

I know this is getting long, but here are my closing thoughts. In reality athletes owe us nothing. It is a job like any other job. They owe us effort, and sportsmanship; that is it. When we pay to see them play all we can ask is that they try as hard as they can, and they play with sportsmanship. We don't ask for these things so they can be role-models, or examples. We ask for them because when we get paid to do a job we do it right to the best of our ability. Brett Favre did that for 16 years, and when Ted Thompson wanted Aaron Rodgers to take over, Brett left. Sure he handled it poorly, but brett never claimed to have a PR degree. Brett had the right to go get a starting job somewhere else. Brett Favre didn't play the game so that he could have a final season that pleased a sports writer, or a final season "worthy" of a player of his greatness. He played the game because he loved it. That is what we all loved the most about him. Now all of the sudden we are supposed to be mad at him for the exact quality that endeared him even to bears fans? Ridiculous. He didn't ruin his legacy one bit. If anything he proved he could still play at a higher level than 75% of the players in the league. If you had a team next year who would you rather have in camp Favre or one of these guys: Drew Stanton, Tavaris Jackson, Kyle Orton, Shaun Hill, Mark Bulger, Jason Campbell, David Garrard, Trent Edwards, Jamarcus Russell etc. All he did in his final year was go 9-7 in a division that featured the Dolphins (Playoffs), Patriots (Obvious), and the Bills who were picked by many to be a surprise team. He did so with average WRs, a RB cut by the bears in favor of Cedric Benson, and a defense that was average at best (16th in Total D).

In my opinion no athlete should ever be told to retire unless there really is no team who wants them. There is no tarnishing a legacy, and there is no athlete who still can't inspire. I will never forget when I met Hank Aaron at a book signing, even though he was way too old to play, or when I saw Ali riding in the pace car at the Indy500. These were great men and great athletes, and even after their primes were still fun to watch.