Brett Will Be Back

Did I miss something? Did Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy somehow swipe Brett Favre’s get out of retirement free card before the legend tearfully exited his retirement press conference this last March? Call me naïve, die-hard, biased, or simply ignorant, but I cannot understand why, no matter how much the team wants to move on, the Green Bay Packer organization would not welcome Brett back for one more year. To be honest, they should have been expecting it.
Are Thompson and McCarthy that eager to hand the reins over to Aaron Rodgers and celebrate the second coming of Kyle Boller? We all know how wonderful quarterbacks from the professional training ground at the University of California in Berkeley fair in the NFL. Are they more concerned with winning, or winning with their guys, not a legend brought in by former GM Ron Wolf and molded into a champion by the only coach to win a Super Bowl in Green Bay in recent history, Mike Holmgren. I think that is the real reason. Favre represents the old guard. He is a constant reminder to Thompson of what he has not accomplished yet. It’s unfortunate though, because Thompson has made some wonderful moves so far during his tenure as General Manager. Talents such as Greg Jennings, Ryan Grant, James Jones, Atari Bigby, and Aaron Rousse were all wonderful additions to the team. But now he is letting pride get in the way of making the decision that would give them the best chance of winning this year.
One game, one drive, and three points were all that separated the Packers from their third super bowl appearance in ten years. In 2007 Favre played the third best season of his sixteen year career as a starter statistically, finished second in MVP voting, and recorded the second lowest number of turnovers in his career. Oh yeah, and he still has not missed a start in over 260 games. On second thought, you’re right Teddy, I completely understand why you would feel like moving forward with a quarterback that has never started a game, thrown for 329 career passing yards, and has enjoyed the thrill of exactly one full touchdown pass. Why on earth would you bring back a legend given the opportunity?
All great competitors will have the urge to compete until they take their last breath. Mario Lemieux came back, George Foreman fought after retirement, and Michael Jordan graced us with his presence after saying good-bye not once, but twice. All last season you just felt, you knew, Favre would have one more go-around in him. Now we know he does. You can’t trust an athlete’s emotions immediately after a battle-hardened season. No matter what, Favre was in a no-win situation in March. Either he took his time to make a logical decision after his emotions had cooled and his body had recuperated, but listen to the media question him for putting the team on hold, or he make a decision on the spot, obviously giving into the fatigue and emotion of the previous seven months, but risk the possibilities of second thoughts and regret once the new season drew near.
Brett probably did not, however, anticipate this no-limit game of poker he would be playing heads up against his General Manager. So far it seems that Mr. Thompson has been trying to bully Favre out of the pot, tossing the chips of Brett’s legacy into the middle of the table. Number Four has countered nicely though, matching his stack chip for chip with the possibility of starting for another team, one that could play and beat the Pack in the regular season, or even more embarrassing to Thompson, showing up at training camp, putting more pressure of Thompson, McCarthy, and Rodgers than anyone could possibly imagine. You see, in Green Bay, training camps are held outdoors, open to viewing by the general public. Some players even ride the bikes of children from Lambeau Field to the Don Hudson Center. This is a community affair. I remember myself as a kid, making the two and a half hour trip to Green Bay to watch Favre, in his red practice jersey, sling fastballs to his receivers. He, of course, was practicing with the starting unit. What reaction then will the team receive when Favre is standing on the sidelines watching Aaron Rodgers take his place? As much as some Green Bay fans may tire of this battle, we can all agree on this, that Green Bay is Titletown, it was our legendary coach that lent his name to the Lombardi Trophy, and our only goal is to see that trophy returned to its rightful home. How long would it take for the chants to begin, before Aaron Rodgers crumbles under the pressure, and before the team itself splits into two? You see, Thompson and McCarthy may have tried to swipe Brett’s get out of retirement free card, but when it comes to this high stakes game of poker, number four is still holding the winning hand.

One For Five

Two down, bottom of the ninth; you’re O for four today,
But one powerful swing could change an entire game.
Not only the game, but a whole series and season.
Eight months of hard work for one single reason.
Poster boy star and the league’s MVP.
Years of glowing recognition, but still no ring.
Your skills never questioned, still your greatness always in doubt.
Tonight you can erase any negative once written about.
The count is full as you fight off all the wrong pitches.
They say patience is a virtue; you wait on one that can be driven.
The once raucous crowd is now blanketed by silence,
For they sense this stage has been set for an unforgettable climax.
The man on the rubber opposing stares through to your core,
Knowing full well the delivery that he has in store.
But he is not alone; your glare welcomes the challenge.
The next millisecond holds the season, nay, a career, in the balance.
Hurling forth opportunity, he prays your swing catches only the wind.
Your body uncoils, snapping like a whip at a moment‘s notice.
The power surges through your body, unleashed from within,
As the lumber meets its objective with a furious explosion.
You stare in awe as outfielders crane their necks and raise their eyes.
Witnesses, as redemption soars like a dove amidst the black of night.
You round a path you’ve trotted already many times and look to the heavens with one finger pointed high.
While the other crosses your heart, with a little prayer and sigh, you thank Him for the opportunity to finish one for five.

Shut Up and Play?

“I am not a role model.”  This infamous statement by a popular athlete in a controversial Nike commercial sparked national debate when the commercial was released in 1993.  The athlete, Charles Barkely, famously offered that he was not responsible for, nor cared to be responsible for, the development of young America.  That, he argued, was to be the work of teachers and parents.   

What about today?  Are athletes role models?  Should my future sons or daughters look to an athlete for direction?  Personally, I hope not.  I hope that when that time comes, my children look to me for advice or verification before mimicking an athlete whose values and intentions are never truly understood with absolute certainty.   But what about society?  How much do the opinions of athletes shape a culture and what responsibility do those athletes have to offer those opinions?  Muhammad Ali would answer that there is great responsibility to be had on the part of an athlete.  Michael Jordan would politely disagree and point to the fact that the game is being played for everyone, not just those whose ideals are correctly aligned with those of the athlete that's playing.  Two iconic athletes whose opinions represent a stark contrast in an ever-growing debate of athletic activism.

This summer our nation will participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics to be held in Beijing, China.  NBA players have a particularly interesting dilema on their hands and the spotlight will shine brightest on the games brightest stars; Lebron James, that would you.  Kobe Bryant, before you add a gold medal to that MVP award this year, how about a quick sound-bite condemning genocide in Darfur?  You see the People’s Republic of China happens to be home to the largest growing contingent of NBA fans in the world.  Nike plans on spending tens of millions of dollars in advertising aimed at capitalizing on the recent spike in popularity of basketball in China.  Many of the products licensed and distributed by the NBA are manufactured in China.  China is unequivocally intertwined into the fabric of the NBA. 

China is also the same country that has been accused of supporting the Sudanese inflicted genocide in Darfur.  With mass amounts of economic interests in the Sudan region, China has remained ostensibly silent on the subject of the conflict.  Instead, they continue to support the Sudanese government and are suspected of funding facilities that manufacture weapons used in the conflict by Sudanese forces.  These facts are sure to make headlines during the Olympics.   With the weight that the NBA carries in China, players such as Lebron, Kobe, and even Coach K will surely be bombarded by questions challenging their personal stands on the issue of human rights in China.  So what is their responsibility in all of this?  Surely, anything that they say will be as powerful as it is scrutinized.    Players such as Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant have already begun to release public service announcements in attempts to rally support for non-profit organizations hoping to end the conflict in Darfur.  When a former teammate asked King James to offer his signature on a document condemning the use of genocide in Darfur, James politely declined, citing the fact that he needed to research the topic before he signed his name to anything.   Some would say that Lebron’s decision to not involve himself was the right thing to do.  Many of us view sports as an outlet.  That being the case, many do not want the gloom and doom of everyday life permeating the athletic arena.  This arena, some feel, should be free from the conflicts of religion, race, and politics.  How realistic of an expectation that is, is clearly debatable.

Whether you agree or not with Lebron’s decision to remain symbolically apolitical at that moment, or Bryant’s decision to become active, the fact remains that whether they are role models or not, educated or naïve, their opinions will be sought after.  These opinions are worth their weight in gold, and as such, the athletes have an opportunity that many lay citizens would die for; the opportunity to make a tangible difference in the world we live in.  Should the NBA speak up or simply shut up and play? 

Dishonesty and Denial

The Associated Press reported that upon hearing of her conviction on three counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, Tammy Thomas shouted angrily at jurors, “I’ve already had one career taken away from me…Look me in the eye, you can’t do it.”  Her fury was then aimed toward the prosecution as she yelled, “Look me in the eye…You like to destroy people’s lives.”  

Tammy Thomas was banned from the sport of cycling in 2002 when the performance-enhancing drug Norbolethone was found in her urine sample.  The amusing thing to me is that her words indicate that she views her conviction Friday, April 4th, as the latest consequence to her actions of steroid use.  That is a big, yet common, misconception that exists in the minds of the public, and apparently the athletes themselves.  A far more common name, Barry Lamar Bonds, will most likely be facing a scenario very similar to that which Ms. Thomas has faced very soon .  You see the truth is that Thomas was not on trial because she used steroids.  She was on trial because she lied to a federal grand jury investigating the dealings and relationships of the now infamous Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO).  Because of these lies she now faces sentencing July 18th, at which time legal experts expect her to receive six months to several years worth of jail time.  You can be sure that Major League Baseball’s career home run king will be watching intently.   

A common problem in today’s society is the willingness to deny, to lie, or to sweep under the rug problems that may cause inconvenience or embarrassment.  How much easier would it have been for certain athletes to come clean about their steroid abuse, apologize for their lack of sound judgment, and promise to move on with their careers without making the same mistake twice?  We could ask Andy Pettite, who admitted to taking human growth hormone.  His admission, albeit coupled with a sappy martyr-esque excuse for his actions, earned him a sea of cheers and applause opening day at Yankee Stadium when he heard his name introduced for the first time since his public acknowledgement of HGH use.  

How often do our governments, our corporate entities, schools, churches, even our families seek to disguise or dismiss the truth for fear of embarrassment or consequences that would be so much easier to bear than the price that is paid for our defiance.   We all make mistakes and each of us has fallen short.  If we decide not to take ownership of our actions, but instead attempt to conceal truth and deceive our peers, the implications of our dishonesty will be far more devastating than would be the wages of our original transgressions.  This is a concept that Tammy Thomas unfortunately has not realized; a concept that Barry Bonds will no doubt come to be familiar with.  Using performance enhancing drugs is not an offense punishable by jail time, however, knowingly lying to a federal grand jury is.  It was very fitting that Tammy Thomas yelled for the convicting jury to look her in the eyes, her furious assumption being that they would not be able to do so; that they should have been ashamed of their disgraceful work and hung their heads accordingly.  In reality, it was Tammy’s ability to look a grand jury in the eyes while testifying and lie, in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, about taking steroids and her ties to BALCO that resulted in a guilty verdict.  I hope this and future verdicts are lessons to those athletes who, when they misstep, will be confronted with the decision to accept responsibility for their actions or hide behind a disgraceful mask of denial.  

Tears and Smiles in Blacksburg

Hate them because their payroll is more than the gross national product of half the countries in the world. Envy them for the talent that their fortunes have afforded them. Wish your team owned as many world championships as them. But for at least one season I will not be able to help but to cheer for them… as long as their opponent is not the Chicago White Sox, my team.

On Tuesday, March 18th, the New York Yankees made good on Mr. Steinbrenner’s promise to visit and play an exhibition game at Virginia Tech. It was nearly eleven months ago that a student massacred thirty-two fellow students in two different campus buildings at Virginia Tech before taking his own life. Upon hearing the news, George Steinbrenner, Yankees former owner and figurehead, donated one million dollars to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund and vowed to have his Yankees make a trip to the campus to play an exhibition game against the Tech’s baseball squad. This game wasn’t about baseball though, it was about healing. A team who has won twenty-six world series titles does not need the services of a college baseball team to gear up for a run at number twenty-seven. The Yankee organization was genuinely touched by the tragic events that transpired last year in Blacksburg, Virginia. In a true show of humanity, the Yankees, comprised of individuals willing to utilize the resources and influence God gave them, wanted to do their part in helping to better the lives of others. The Yankees sent their starting position players onto the field for four innings of the seven inning game. They didn’t send in scrubs to do their charity work, they sent in the men that make the millions, the primadonas, the subjects of our gossip columns nationwide. This was a huge gesture. Reading an article on ESPN.com about the trip nearly moved me to tears. To think how much the presence of the Yankee organization meant to every relative or loved one of those students needlessly murdered is staggering. How amazing it felt for the Virginia Tech shortstop and second baseman to turn an inning ending double play hit off the bat of Jason Giambi is reason enough for applause. The joy A-Rod brought to those collegians by sitting in their dugout for the last couple innings signing autographs and testing the student’s sports trivia knowledge for prizes such as a batting glove or bat is immeasurable. The number of smiles that adorned the faces of so many Virginia Tech faithful that day watching the Bronx Bombers take their field, wearing baseball caps donning their logo on the side, and the tears that were wept when the Yankees visited their memorial before the game commemorating those that they loved and lost that fateful day last April are invaluable.

A young woman placed a Derek Jeter T-shirt near the stone memorializing her slain fiancé before posing for a picture with Mr. Jeter himself. Prior to the snapshot being taken, Derek had to ask her one favor; he wanted her to smile, and smile she did. That’s all the Yankees really wanted. They wanted the town of Blacksburg, Virginia, to smile. The Hokies and their faithful did just that.