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The Brett Favre saga continues and continues and .............
Brett Favre was one of the most revered athletes in all of sports. He was extremely gifted as an athlete, and possessed so many traits that most of us loved, that fan or not, typically you respected the guy. He was extremely tough from both a physical and mental perspective. He was driven and determined. He had a country "boyish" charisma that won almost everyone over. He was a true leader and a fun mate. He was also an entertainer and performer, who came to play every single night. His SB win and numerous records will get him a quick entry in the Hall of Fame. Brett Favre is legend.
But somewhere along the way, a couple of years ago, his star began to fade a bit. He became a different Brett. The once decisive guy in one of the most important positions, arguably in all of sports, started to become undecisive. And the former positive force in football gradually took on a slightly negative side. And we began to see someone who was treasured, start to let others down. At first it was acceptable, because the man had acquired so many points from us, that he could mess up a bit, and who would care? But in the last two years, Brett began to impact others that should have mattered, including Green Bay management, fans, teammates, and to my way of thinking, a young Aaron Rodgers. Some of us were confused, because we had so much respect for Brett, but we were detecting some selfishness, and behaviour that was unsettling.
After the 2007 season, which was an amazing effort by Green Bay and Brett himself, the corner was officially turned. What happened that offseason was akin to an ugly divorce. And it was in our faces for months. And what was the ultimate purpose? Now to this day, I don't know who was more wrong, but I most certainly think that Brett was at least 50% responsible. And what happened in those few months tarnished the legend forever. Not nearly to the level that Roger Clemons has achieved, in a completely negative way, but certainly in a sad way. And after a mixed emotion year with New York, it is clear to me that Favre should hang em up for good, and just say goodbye. No more sobby speeches. Get out of town before he loses every last one who still holds him in high esteem. Unfortunately there are more arrows being slinged from mates and probably others, and it just can't get better regardless of what the man does.
I realize that retirement planning is an exhaustive and painful process. You really don't get much training for it. And there are the questions....Will I miss my job? What will I do with all my time? Do we have enough money? How much will I miss my peers? Can I still do the job? and so on. It's sort of akin to the lack of training you have for beginning a family. Everything sounds great until you bring the newborn home, and for some reason, they decide to take over...big time!! Interesting how some of the most important decisions we make come with almost zero understanding of what will happen once we sign up.
But I digress. And to be sure, those decisions, if made with some maturity, usually end up to be great ones.
I will conclude with some thoughts. I hope Brett Favre retires for good, with little fanfare. I hope he leaves with class and sincerety. I hope others leave him be, and stop slinging arrows his way, as even the most impenetrable fortresses can only withstand so much pounding. I was not a Green Bay fan, but I always respected the man. He stood for all that was right in sports. In time, I will regain much of the respect I lost for him, as long as he manages the next few months with intelligent, thought out actions.
Here's hoping............
Brett Favre was one of the most revered athletes in all of sports. He was extremely gifted as an athlete, and possessed so many traits that most of us loved, that fan or not, typically you respected the guy. He was extremely tough from both a physical and mental perspective. He was driven and determined. He had a country "boyish" charisma that won almost everyone over. He was a true leader and a fun mate. He was also an entertainer and performer, who came to play every single night. His SB win and numerous records will get him a quick entry in the Hall of Fame. Brett Favre is legend.
But somewhere along the way, a couple of years ago, his star began to fade a bit. He became a different Brett. The once decisive guy in one of the most important positions, arguably in all of sports, started to become undecisive. And the former positive force in football gradually took on a slightly negative side. And we began to see someone who was treasured, start to let others down. At first it was acceptable, because the man had acquired so many points from us, that he could mess up a bit, and who would care? But in the last two years, Brett began to impact others that should have mattered, including Green Bay management, fans, teammates, and to my way of thinking, a young Aaron Rodgers. Some of us were confused, because we had so much respect for Brett, but we were detecting some selfishness, and behaviour that was unsettling.
After the 2007 season, which was an amazing effort by Green Bay and Brett himself, the corner was officially turned. What happened that offseason was akin to an ugly divorce. And it was in our faces for months. And what was the ultimate purpose? Now to this day, I don't know who was more wrong, but I most certainly think that Brett was at least 50% responsible. And what happened in those few months tarnished the legend forever. Not nearly to the level that Roger Clemons has achieved, in a completely negative way, but certainly in a sad way. And after a mixed emotion year with New York, it is clear to me that Favre should hang em up for good, and just say goodbye. No more sobby speeches. Get out of town before he loses every last one who still holds him in high esteem. Unfortunately there are more arrows being slinged from mates and probably others, and it just can't get better regardless of what the man does.
I realize that retirement planning is an exhaustive and painful process. You really don't get much training for it. And there are the questions....Will I miss my job? What will I do with all my time? Do we have enough money? How much will I miss my peers? Can I still do the job? and so on. It's sort of akin to the lack of training you have for beginning a family. Everything sounds great until you bring the newborn home, and for some reason, they decide to take over...big time!! Interesting how some of the most important decisions we make come with almost zero understanding of what will happen once we sign up.
But I digress. And to be sure, those decisions, if made with some maturity, usually end up to be great ones.
I will conclude with some thoughts. I hope Brett Favre retires for good, with little fanfare. I hope he leaves with class and sincerety. I hope others leave him be, and stop slinging arrows his way, as even the most impenetrable fortresses can only withstand so much pounding. I was not a Green Bay fan, but I always respected the man. He stood for all that was right in sports. In time, I will regain much of the respect I lost for him, as long as he manages the next few months with intelligent, thought out actions.
Here's hoping............
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