Wow, Brett Favre is back…again. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week and is expected to play in tonight’s preseason game against Kansas City. I was all set to write a scathing article about how I’m sick and tired of Favre and his constant flip-flopping, but I’ve changed my mind and I have a whole new perspective on the situation.
Obviously, I’ve never played professional sports so I can’t know how it feels to have to quit. Favre’s whole life has revolved around football since he was a kid throwing footballs through tire swings. So, a few seasons ago, it just seemed like the right time to hang up his cleats, but Favre just couldn’t let it go. Can you imagine the thoughts that had to be going through Favre’s head the first time he retired? He has said since than that he felt pressured. Who could blame him for changing his mind and coming back with the Jets?
Then came the shoulder injury. He started off well in New York, leading the Jets to an 8-3 record, but perhaps old age began to catch up with Favre. He kept playing though, through the pain, because that’s what he’s done his whole career. He has never taken a day, let alone a down.
He retired again, this time for “good” because he didn’t trust his ailing shoulder. He continued to work out at his Mississippi High School and every sports fan expected a comeback. The deadline for signing with the Vikings came and went and it looked like Favre might finally be done. But, as we’ve come to expect, Favre came back. He’ll be the starting quarterback for Minnesota, a hated rival of Green Bay — a choice that many fans think will taint his legacy.
My take is that his legacy will stay intact. I think he’s just that same young kid with the tire swing and he’s not ready to hang it up… yet.
MLB: After getting swept in early August at Yankee Stadium, the Boston Red Sox look to rebound with a three game series starting tonight at Fenway Park. Slumping Brad Penny will take on Andy Pettitte in the first game, young Junichi Tazawa will battle A.J. Burnett on Saturday and two fourteen game winners will fight it out as Josh Beckett takes on C.C. Sabathia on Sunday night. The Washington Nationals finally signed top draft pick Stephen Strasburg. It took all the way to the signing deadline to ink Strasburg to the biggest unproven draft pick salary ever ($15 Million). I’ll be the first to say that I have a feeling he’ll never live up to the hype or just get injured all the time like former golden boy Mark Prior. Where is that guy anyway?
NFL: The start of the NFL season is quickly approaching, but Plaxico Burress won’t be playing. In fact, he won’t be playing for a long, long time. Burress was sentenced to two years in prison after accepting a plea bargain. He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted criminal possession of a weapon after he shot himself in the leg in a Manhattan nightclub. He’ll be sentenced on September 22nd and his lawyers expect him to begin his sentence immediately. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already said that when Burress is released, he will be immediately allowed to re-enter the NFL and will not be suspended. Let’s see if he can stay in shape in the big house. I’m assuming he won’t have as much fun or privacy as the boys in Goodfellas had.
Scottish Soccer: Clydesdale Bank Premier League play has begun in Scotland and, as always, Rangers and Celtic are at the top of the table. It’s not as big of a deal though since they’ve both only played one game. Celtic beat Aberdeen 3-1 and Rangers defeated Falkirk 4-1. Both teams are located and Glasgow and their fans are bitter rivals. If you think that Yankees fans hate Red Sox fans and vice versa, that’s nothing compared to how much these Scotsman detest each other.
Major League Lacrosse: The Major League Lacrosse playoffs are this weekend on ESPN2. If you haven’t check this league out yet, I suggest you do so on Saturday or Sunday. The Saturday playoff game is at 12 p.m. EST and it features the Denver Outlaws against the Boston Cannons. The second semifinal game is available in local markets. Check your local listings if you want to watch the Toronto Nationals take on the Long Island Lizards at 3 p.m. EST. Sunday at 1 p.m. EST is the championship game, also on ESPN2. Chiggity check it before you riggity wreck it.
Track and Field: Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world. He’s probably the fastest man in the history of the world and he just might be Super Man. If not Super Man, at least the Flash. He won the 100 and 200 meter sprint, both in world record time, at this week’s track and field World Championships. It’s only a matter of time before a shrewd NFL coach or GM comes calling to enlist Bolt’s surfaces. He’d be one heck of a kick returner or wideout.
The odd: I was flipping through the channels the other night, bored by the lack of new summer shows, and I came upon a very odd reality show. Apparently Shaq has his own reality show called “Shaq Vs.” in which he challenges professional athletes to games involving the sport they play. In the episode I saw, he took on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in a game of seven on seven touch football. He and Roethlisberger played quarterback for their respective team. Shaq ended up showing that he has a cannon of an arm and only lost 21-14. I’ll probably check it out next week as well.
*On a side note, I watched BASEketball last night. I hadn’t seen it in years. It’s hilarious. I completely forgot that Kenny Mayne had a cameo in it.
*Do you like any sports that you want me to cover next week or any sports stories you want me to mention? This is your article, not mine. Have at it. Throw me an email cosburn@thefatherlife.com
Image credit: Kriss Szkurlatowski
30 year old freelance writer and The Father Life‘s resident beer columnist and sports editor. He also writes about fine beverages for drinkingmadeeasy.com and Chilled Magazine. On top of that, he writes about college and professional lacrosse for insidelacrosse.com. He’s also written for Genesee Valley Parenting Magazine, the Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper and ESPN.com. “Osburn on Tap” appears monthly in THE FATHER LIFE. For questions, comments, or if you have a story idea for Chris, throw him an email cosburn@thefatherlife.com. Also, follow him on twitter http://www.twitter.com/chrisosburn