Brett Favre: The NFL's Most Popular and Well-Liked Player Does The Right Thing

Brett Lorenzo Favre, now at 39 years of age, has finally decided to retire once more, but this time for good he insists.  There was no need for Favre to prove anything in the 2008 season for the New York Jets, but as is the case with many great players, they discover letting go of their true passion in life is impossible to let go abruptly. In his final season, Favre displayed all the things that had made him so great over the years. He threw 22 touchdowns, completed over 65% of his passes, and threw for over 3,400 yards. His play early in the season silenced any critics voicing their displeasure with his return to football. Through the first 7 weeks of the season, Favre and the Jets hovered around .500 with a 3-3 record. Favre gave the Jets a hint of his on the field magic in a couple games including an opening season win at Miami and a 6 touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals in week 4. 

At the same time, he made plenty of plays indicative of the flaws and risk-taking involved with his decision-making as a quarterback for 18 seasons in the NFL. He couldn't beat division rival New England at the Meadowlands in week 2 and the Jets lost to the lowly Raiders at Oakland in week 7. In those two games, the Jets offense was only able to muster a combined total of 23 points. Then in weeks 8-12, the Jets and Favre went on a 5 game winning streak, which included two big road wins at New England and Tennessee and back to back 34 point scoring games. Favre now had the Jets thinking playoffs at 8-3, but unfortunately week 12 would be the pinnacle of the season. In the final 5 weeks, the Jets would fall apart on the field and as a team. Their leader went on to throw 9 interceptions in the final 5 weeks and only 2 touchdowns. The Jets would drop 4 of their final 5 games and would fall short of making the playoffs.

Nevertheless, Favre provided the Jets with a season as up and down as his exciting and charismatic career had always been. He started as a seventh string quarterback at Southern Mississippi, which coincidentally was the only division 1 school to offer Favre a full scholarship. But his strong right arm was quickly discovered in the third game of the season against Tulane. Never lacking a flair for the dramatic even as a youngster, Favre took over the helm at halftime despite suffering from a hangover from the night before. He led the Golden Eagles to a comeback victory with 2 touchdown passes and it paved the way for the legend to grow. The great ex-Oakland Raider punter Ray Guy has to be kicking himself (literally!) over the fact he could have been the most popular Southern Miss player if it were not for that Favre fellow. He was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991, much to coach Jerry Glanville's discontent. Favre threw 4 career passes for the Falcons including an interception return for a touchdown.

 

In the following off-season, Favre was dealt, for a fellow Southern Miss player in running back  Tony Smith, to the Green Bay Packers. It was there he cemented his legacy for 16 seasons leading the Packers under center without missing a game. That's a lot of hits and injuries to play with, but better yet what is more impressive is the list of backups who held clipboards for so long waiting for Favre to get hurt (Doug Pedersen, Ty Detmer, Jim McMahon, Mark Brunnel, Aaron Brooks, and Matt Hassellbeck come to my mind). He is the only NFL player to win 3 consecutive MVP awards (1995-1997) and won Super Bowl 31 against the New England Patriots. Favre was also the quarterback who lost Super Bowl 32 to the Denver Broncos and threw a costly INT in the 2008 playoffs that probably cost him a trip back. Through all the ups and downs, he remained the ultimate gamer. The ultimate competitor. The football world had seen him fumble in his early years with addictions to drinking and painkillers. They watched as he withstood the death of his father Irvin's car accident in 2003, but still put on a show on Monday Night Football with a heavy heart in a rout of the Oakland Raiders. Fans watched as he still suited up every Sunday in 2004 despite his wife Deanna's bout with breast cancer and his brother-in-laws' all terrain vehicle crash. He truly was a man who enjoyed the game and played purely for the love of what he was doing on the field. Favre played the game with an abundance of youthful enthusiasm not seen in the modern athlete. He soaked in every play and every touchdown pass as if it was his first time doing it and celebrated like a giddy kid on Christmas morning.

Favre ends his career in a similar roller coaster ride stats wise. The most career touchdowns (464), and the most career interceptions (310). The most career passing yards (65,127), but also the most attempts (9,280) to go with it. Known for his never-over-til-its over attitude, Favre leaves the NFL with over 35 come-from-behind victories under his belt. He played until the final second ticked and wouldn't let go until his shoulder and arm told him his gun slinging days were done. It took him awhile, perhaps he dragged it out more than his critics would have liked, but Brett Favre never cared what his critics said. If he did care, then he wouldn't have been Brett Favre, a man who will go down in NFL history as one of the greatest to ever play the quarterback position. 

Alex Rodriguez: A-Roid and A-Fraud

Ok so as a baseball fan why am I not surprised that an entire leak with regards to a 2003 MLB drug test has Alex Rodriguez's name in it? I find it really amazing how this sports news all comes together sometimes almost simultaneously. First, Joe Torre's new book about his time with the Yankees and managing Alex Rodriguez. Now a new report by SI unearths a 2003 survey test in which 104 MLB players failed the drug test including Alex Rodriguez. Wasn't it only a matter of time before another big star in the game confessed to being a part of the rampant performance enhancing drug (PED) culture. Actually, it was funny to see the staged interview between longtime baseball writer Peter Gammons of ESPN and Rodriguez on television today. Rodriguez, dressed as a young looking schoolboy with his starched collar and blue sweater never  actually uttered the words he took "steroids," "anabolic," or "HGH." Instead he substituted them for "substances," "experimenting," and "young, stupid, and naive" to gain the sympathy of viewers. Sure he apologized briefly, but it was so emotionally absent and phony that only a real sucker would fall for what he was trying to sell. Instead, he relied heavily on not being educated enough on the substances he was taking and did not know the stuff he was taking would result in failing a league wide drug test. So why in the world would a world- class athlete, playing one of the most difficult sports known to mankind, not know what he is putting in his body? Rodriguez, like many great players, is obsessive about his work outs on the field and in the weight room. Also these players do enjoy the game along with the fame and fortune so playing every day is a mindset many have. In this case, many players do look for something that can lessen the aches and pains of a 162 game regular season schedule. Why would he not be asking his nutritionist or the team doctor as to exactly what was going inside him? So when I am pretty sure the man is lying about not knowing the substances he was using, why should I believe he only took steroids in his 3 seasons with the Texas Rangers? I do not. 

Now he has some people believing he only took PEDs for 3 seasons due to the pressure of performing everyday. He adds to the excruciating Texas summer heat, which took a toll on him to go out everyday and play for a club that never made the playoffs in the 3 seasons he was with the team. By the way, the drugs Rodriguez was taking were lean muscle builders and recovery enhancers and they certainly seemed to help him play in all but one regular season game for the club in 3 seasons. He also hit 52, 57, and 47 home runs which were some of his highest career so far. And if he thought going to play in Texas was full of pressure, then what drugs did he start taking in 2004 to alleviate the pressure of a more populous and more media intensified city of New York? Rodriguez uses the excuse that he was around the culture at the time with many grey areas in terms of what was legal or illegal. Well, here is a real mind-bending thought. If you didn't feel it was illegal, why were all these players not injecting or swallowing pills in the middle of the clubhouse for their peers and the media to see? However, at the same time, it was dumb enough for the MLB to not even have a drug policy with regards to illegal drugs within the country.

What I think really happened with this "exclusive interview" was that his agent, the much maligned Scott Boras, is that he set up the interview and told Gammons exactly what he would be and would not be permitted to ask the ballplayer. All in all, Rodriguez's statements were kind of a combination of Jason Giambi and Andy Pettite's confessions coupled with Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens' constant denials of PED use in front of the media and federal courts. It is interesting to note this leak comes right before the start of spring training, much less 6 years after the fact. From the outside looking in, spectators will never know the real truth behind what the owners, players, trainers, and MLB officials have done and will continue to do to produce the most amount of revenue for everyone involved (see: Commissioner Selig 17.5 million salary). Look, in some cases I think PEDs did little for some players, provided a significant boost for others, and only inflated the numbers of already established MLB stars. I think it is also wrong to not realize the temptation out there for players to be able to extend their career or even improve their statistics so much so that it could be the difference between a $5 million contract and a $25 million contract based on performance.  

A great example of a player having a great season in a contract year is Gary Matthews Jr., a longtime journeyman outfielder who turned a PED 2006 season with the Texas Rangers intoa 5 year, $50 million with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim the following offseason. Prior to that Matthews had been with 7 different teams since breaking into the major leagues in 1999. In the 2007 and 2008 seasons, his batting average has slumped down to his more common averages of .250 and .242, which was way down from his career high .316 with the Rangers in 2006. He also hit a career high 19 HRs and 79 RBIs in 2006 as well. At around the same time when the Angels acquired him for the 2007 season, Matthews Jr. was reported as being connected to a steroid and HGH ring that included bodybuilders, college athletes, NFL and MLB players. Matthews Jr. denied his involvement but his name was found on the infamous Mitchell report. These numbers in his last two seasons are more indicative of the kind of player Gary Matthews Jr. is since his career batting average is a middle-of the-road .259. His 2006 season was much of an aberration to put it lightly due to heavy drug use. Seems to me Rangers owner Tom Hicks would have no problem assembling an entire 40 man roster full of steroid studded pitchers and batters. And his first choice I am sure would be Alex Rodriguez, the 250 million dollar man he signed back in 2001.

NFL Pro Bowl: Is It Really Worth To Play Anymore?

The NFL Pro Bowl was played in Hawaii yesterday with the NFC winning 30-21 at Hawaii stadium. I wonder how many people actually wanted to watch or listen to the game, besides myself, a few others, and people betting on the outcome of this exhibition game. I think All Star games in professional team sports has more than worn out their luster simply because the coaches, players, and league officials know the game means nothing. If anything, I think being named to an All Star roster is an honor a player would definitely take. Playing an actual game where big franchise players may accidentally get hurt is a threat that damages the games that really count in the regular season and playoffs. Even though the number of actual major injuries in All Star games may be minuscule, the threat can never be completely eradicated and it affects the level of game play on the field or on the court. Sure the winner in the Pro Bowl got $40,000 and the losing team received $20,000. Heck there are even boosters in contracts for players who make the All Star roster, yet I do not think their bonuses would be taken away if they did not play in the actual game. How many players actually want to play in the game besides first timers or rookies who made the team? It is the honor of being named an All Star that would be sufficient enough for me as a player and as a fan. Giving the Pro Bowlers a week to "prepare" for a game is an absolute joke because they probably spend more time in their secluded hotel with their teammates and family members than they do practicing for the game. The popularity of the Pro Bowl game seems to lessen each season because people would rather just meet and greet these players instead of watching some mundane FB draw to Le'Ron McClain up the middle for 3 yards. It really is a waste of time for all parties involved because the Super Bowl is the final game of the NFL season and no player wants to put pads on again and play in a meaningless game a few weeks or months following the conclusion of their team's season. Just name the Pro Bowlers and forget the game, but that will never happen because the NFL is always looking for a way to bring in one more game for revenue. Unfortunately it seems to get tougher with practically not selling out the game and forcing a potential TV blackout. Now next season, in an even more ingenious move by Goodell and company, the Pro Bowl will be played a week before the Super Bowl in Miami. So if Tom Brady recovers, leads the Patriots to the Super Bowl, and is named a Pro Bowler, do you honestly think he will play in a game that means nothing? These guys running the NFL, NBA, and MLB may have some sort of business plan I hope, but common sense is blatantly absent more time than not. 

Bonds' Legal Woes: A Long History of Much Ado About Nothing

Barry Bonds could face a series of fines and legal repercussions if his past finally catches up with him in 2009. Ironically his legal problems no longer have anything to do with baseball or his use of steroids, HGH, and any other designer drugs he used to mask the enhancements he was taking. It has to do with some of the foundations of this country's legal court system and it includes an indictment for perjury. The fact Bonds refused to tell the government the truth in regards to his steroids and HGH use is now a moot point. Bonds has buried himself in his own grave because he supposedly lied to a federal grand jury about being a user. The government no longer cares about whether or not Bonds did steroids but it comes down to the fact he perjured himself which poses a threat to the entire court system itself if he is found guilty. 

Another man in a similar boat but on a smaller scale is Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro testified in 2005 before Congress he never knowingly took steroids (but definitely took Viagra since he was a spokesman for the product) since he tested positive for a steroid in 2005. Palmeiro's positive test could be construed as perjury but the government is not pursing perjury charges on Palmeiro even though he was named in the December 07 Mitchell Report. Is this a case of just going after a sport's mega star just to show him who is boss and that lying to Washington is never all right? Maybe so. It is not like Bonds was the most liked ballplayer. Often he was dubbed a career loner and he never seemed to mind taking up his own large portion of the Giants clubhouse at the team's expense. Nevertheless, before the start of the 2000 season, Bonds was one of the best all around players in the MLB. He was a five tool guy whose only real limit in terms of talent was his outfield arm, which was still above average in his prime. Then he decided to follow in the steps of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and even solid outfield leadoff hitter turned one-season slugger Brady Anderson. Using enhanced drugs turned this guys into one-dimensional ballplayers, but that one dimension helped change an entire state of a ballgame that more than made up for their compromising of their other skills.  

I do not understand why fans and commentators make such as big deal about the dubbed "steroid era" of baseball. The attempt to gain an edge will exist forever and Bonds was not the only one taking steroids obviously. Each era of baseball has gone through and will continue to go through some type of trend or commonality to give it a sense of identity. Some will be positive and others will be negative. It does not bother me because I know how hard professional ballplayers work to get where they are and I respect that. What they want to risk with their bodies is not my business. However, for those who say steroids were not "illegal" in baseball are certainly in the wrong for two reasons. One, steroids are illegal drugs to take or sell in this country period. Two, if players did not know it was wrong to do, why were guys like Canseco and McGwire injecting each other behind shower curtains and not in the middle of the club house for all the media to see? To use Bonds as an example just because he is the biggest fish in a loaded pond is not entirely fair, but assuming he did commit perjury, have him serve his time and be done with it. I can think of many more important things the public officials in Washington D.C. could be doing besides getting involved with enhancement drugs in sports. isn't that what highly paid commissioners are for? Fans need to stop being naive and understand this stuff exists, just like amphetamines, spitballs, pine tar, corked bats, vaseline, and scuffed balls have come into play gradually since the game's beginnings in the late 1800s. 

Maybe LeBron James Read My Unknown Blog

One night after commenting on Kobe Bryant's latest scoring barrage, the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James had blown out the vistiting Toronto Raptors led by James' 31 points. Closing my post, I said James would probably try to one-up Bryant for the sake of doing so just because both of them were playing in the popular arena in the same week. However, I did say he would have to settle for less than 61 points because he was playing on back to back nights and even if you are LeBron James it is still a physical and mental battle. Personally, I am not a fan of back to back games with travel but I understand not every regular season game cannot be separated by one day at a time, but that is a subject for my next post so I will digress. 

In my prior post I did say LeBron James is the best player in the NBA now and his future of being the undisputed king may only be challenged by guys like Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard or even a guy like O.J. Mayo in the several years to follow. Mind you I tried to make up a list of players in their early to mid 20s because the current crop of stars in the league will still remain for multiple seasons. On back to back nights LeBron James went out and posted a triple double against the Knicks, who thanks to the allure of their old arena and their coach's cockiness, are quickly becoming victims of stars wanting to single handedly embarrass them (Wade, Bryant and James). James exited with an even more impressive all around performance than Bryant's with 52 points 11 assists and 10 rebounds. He too shot over 50% from the floor and missed only 3 of his 19 free throw attempts while connecting on 2 from 7 from beyond the arc. Maybe back to backs aren't so bad after all.

 I caught a video from NBA.com of behind the scenes cameras showing footage and sound clips from various people during Bryant's 61 point game. How NBA figured he was going to have a big game and therefore had interviews ranging from Knicks general manager Don Walsh to random Laker fans in front of the arena was beyond me. As cameras followed Bryant off the court and through the tunnel, people of course were wanting to high five him and yell out his name. One man tried patting him on the head and in a confused stupor uttered the words, "You're better than Mike." Interesting to note the fan referred to Jordan by the name Mike as if he knew Jordan himself. Jordan needs no defenders, but in fact the reality is the fan was off base. His comment should have been saved for the Wednesday night game with LeBron in town. LeBron has already put up two 50 point games at the age of 24 at Madison Square joining Mr. Jordan in that category. James is the only man in the league with the potential to make such a statement true and he put it on display by making Bryant's Monday performance old news very quickly. Ever heard of forcing the ball out of a hot player's hands D'Antoni? Guess not.

Kobe Bryant's 61 points in 37 Minutes Against New York

The NBA is a superstar driven league. Why else are ticket packages sold by each team marketed by using the ad campaign, "Come see Kevin Garnett and the Celtics, LeBron and the Cavaliers, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat, or Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers..." Of the big three team sports, basketball is the one sport that markets its product around individual players first and then the team. And of course when these star players go out on any given night and put up 40, 50, or 60 points individually, it becomes so obvious as to why the NBA uses this sales agenda. Kobe Bryant's 61 points against the Knicks on Monday confirmed a few things for a hoops aficianado (myself). 

First, the NBA's reliance on individual greatness will never waver because let's face it, 19,000 people wanted to see the Knicks win, but they also wanted to see how one of the league's best players would fare as well. I don't think Knick fans were shelving out dough for a night out anxiously awaiting for Chris Duhon to explode offensively (though his offensive numbers are at a career high this season!). They wanted the Knicks to win the game, but I do not think a once a year appearance of the Lakers and their scoring guard drove fan interest away in the least bit. 

Second, Bryant's 61 point performance in New York to beat the Knicks 126-115 re-convinced me even though this guy maybe on the older side of 30 because he has logged so many minutes for 13 seasons, he is still not too old to be the most prolific scorer in the NBA. What I mean by prolific, since it could be interpreted in many ways, is the way in which he can score points in droves any time he gets in his accustomed "groove" as he likes to call it. In my opinion, LeBron James has quickly become the best overall player in the league hands down. The reason I say that is purely based on what the man has done to improve his game this season and it is obvious to me he has improved many facets of his game on the offensive and defensive end. Nevertheless, James still has much to learn at 24 and his offensive game is not as diversified as I am sure he would like it to be. Kobe Bryant remains the most prolific offensive threat in the league. Of course, he is a tremendous all around player, but his ability to score from all over the floor which makes him so impressive. Look at Bryant's box score on Monday night: 19-31 field goals, 20-20 at the free throw line, and 3-6 from 3 point land. Watch the highlights of his big night and take note of the number of ways in which he scored. A variety of isolation pull up jump shots from all over the floor, moving off the ball and cutting through the lane for layups and dunks, and throwing in shots at impossible angles that appeared un-makable. And he didn't miss one of his 20 free throw attempts. Sure there were a few cherry pick dunks, some favorable reputation calls, and a noticeable travel on a spin move on an elbow leaning jump shit, and he ignored Phil Jackson's suggestion to move the ball around more in the second half. For the most part he put on a display to remind people of what he was doing 2-5 seasons ago and what he can still do any night. James does not have the perimeter touch Bryant developed early in his career causing defenders to have to honor his outside game leaving them vulnerable to his ability to get to the basket as well. Couple that with his intelligence of the NBA game and its referees and Bryant has situated himself as one of the top scorers in NBA lore.

On a latter thought, why in the world would Mike D'Antoni allow one player who showed early intentions of being aggressive offensively torch his squad? Okay I know it is easy to sit and criticize how to stop Kobe Bryant every trip down and I know D'Antoni does not like defense (neither do I!), but at what point do you try mixing it up defensively to throw a different look at the guy? Stern allowed for zones a few years ago so why not try a mixture of zone and man? I think coaches, head coaches in particular like D'Antoni who have played and been around the NBA for decades have egos. And their egos take a precedent over their reluctance to change a game plan (whatever his defensive game plan was) because the coach turns his failure into a challenge therefore he sticks with it and continues to watch Bryant hit shots on any of the several wingmen (Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler, Quentin Richardson) he threw at Bryant. Get over your ego and try something different to offset the guy's aggressiveness. It may work and it may not but at least you tried a different wrinkle instead of letting the guy continue to have his way out there. He isn't Michael Jordan, but Bryant was putting on another Jordan-esque performance in his career on Monday night. If LeBron James is planning on a big night in the Big Apple he may have to settle for less than 61 points on Wednesday night because that will be one tough number to beat especially because he'll be playing back-to-back contests.