Got several emails yesterday responding to my comments about Brett Favre’s performance Monday night, in which I wrote:
Personally, I’ve never been a huge Brett Favre fan. Never had anything against him particularly, but just not a fan. I wasn’t happy with his brief tenure with the Jets, and lately it seemed to me that his pursuit of his consecutive game streak was more important to him than his team’s fortunes, and that he was more focused on himself than his teammates.
But I have to say that last night, I became a Favre fan. The streak was over, the game conditions impossible, and he’s an old man (by football standards) recovering from a tough injury. And yet, to everyone’s surprise, he started the game - and he was out there flinging the ball around and looking, at least for a few minutes, like a man decades younger than he is. The game didn’t end well for him, as he went out with yet another injury, and the guessing seems to be that his storied career is over. But he looked utterly in love with the game last night ... and I’m a fan of people who love what they do.
MNB user Gary Harris wrote:
I’m a long time Bills fan, but watching Favre play ball over the past almost 2 decades has always been a treat. The streak is impressive, the gunslinger mentality that says ‘he’s gonna win it all’ or ‘Oh, no, why did he throw that one!!!’ and the boyish enthusiasm he always showed for the game. Two other points; the Monday Night game after his Dad passed away had most grown men in tears, no matter who they were rooting for. I have no problem with the past several years of waffling on whether to come back each season, hey, if it was an easy choice he would just make it. The only tarnish to his legacy will be this texting incident while he was with the Jets. If it’s true, it was wrong, and there are consequences when we do the wrong thing. Outside of that, on the field we’ve watched something historic happen that may never be repeated, and that should be remembered.
Another MNB user wrote:
In reference to your Brett Favre comments, you're right, weather your a Favre fan or not, you have to give this guy a lot of kudos! No player has been that successful for that long playing under the conditions that he has had. This guy could stay in the pocket and take hits that would make a tackling dummy cave in, and still complete a 60 yard touchdown pass and get right back up. I have been a Favre fan since he started with the Packers and one of the few that stayed with him after he left. To me Brett Favre is to football what Pete Rose was to baseball. They both gave all they had every-time they stepped on the field, and what they did they did very well! Not to mention, NO one loved their work more than these two guys!
Of course, the problem is that I have to qualify any praise of Pete Rose with the note that he gambled on baseball and lied about it ... unforgivable, in my view. It is a shame when personal behavior tarnishes a legacy.
MNB user Chris O’Brien wrote:
I appreciate your comments about Brett Favre this morning. As a lifelong Packer fan now living in Minnesota, I’ve watched Favre go from one of the most revered sports figures in Wisconsin history to one of the most despised. And to be honest, I’ve lost a lot of respect for the guy over the last few years as he set out to betray the organization and the fans that supported him for so many years. On Monday night, though, I think you got a glimpse of someone that’s still willing to risk his neck for no other reason than to simply do the one thing he loves more than anything. I guess you can’t fault him for that.
Monday night, Favre played even though there was nothing at stake. Not money, not the streak, not a playoff spot. Nothing. He played, to use the cliche, for love of the game.
The emails continue to come in, contributing to our discussion of “50 great American movies.”
One MNB user wrote:
Loving the movie thread. I have yet another movie to suggest for the top 50. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In addition to being one of the funniest movies of all time, it also illustrates another example of an American experience: the get rich quick scheme. The way people will try to undercut each other and take shortcuts to try to get ahead financially. I can never get enough of this movie and the all star cast leaves you wanting more (and the movie is over 3 hours long).
It is definitely top 50 material and never gets enough credit for being one of the great American comedies.
MNB user Rick Marcum wrote:
I’ve held off as long as I possibly can. My two favorite movies are The Princess Bride and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the original with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The Princess Bride has something for everyone all encapsulated in a great love story, produced by Rob Reiner and released in 1987. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner has so many lessons in it concerning race relationships and family relationships it just cannot be left out. Produced by Stanley Kramer and released in 1967. Both great movies and, as it has been said many times, this discussion can go on forever.
I’m counting on it.
Personally, I’ve never been a huge Brett Favre fan. Never had anything against him particularly, but just not a fan. I wasn’t happy with his brief tenure with the Jets, and lately it seemed to me that his pursuit of his consecutive game streak was more important to him than his team’s fortunes, and that he was more focused on himself than his teammates.
But I have to say that last night, I became a Favre fan. The streak was over, the game conditions impossible, and he’s an old man (by football standards) recovering from a tough injury. And yet, to everyone’s surprise, he started the game - and he was out there flinging the ball around and looking, at least for a few minutes, like a man decades younger than he is. The game didn’t end well for him, as he went out with yet another injury, and the guessing seems to be that his storied career is over. But he looked utterly in love with the game last night ... and I’m a fan of people who love what they do.
MNB user Gary Harris wrote:
I’m a long time Bills fan, but watching Favre play ball over the past almost 2 decades has always been a treat. The streak is impressive, the gunslinger mentality that says ‘he’s gonna win it all’ or ‘Oh, no, why did he throw that one!!!’ and the boyish enthusiasm he always showed for the game. Two other points; the Monday Night game after his Dad passed away had most grown men in tears, no matter who they were rooting for. I have no problem with the past several years of waffling on whether to come back each season, hey, if it was an easy choice he would just make it. The only tarnish to his legacy will be this texting incident while he was with the Jets. If it’s true, it was wrong, and there are consequences when we do the wrong thing. Outside of that, on the field we’ve watched something historic happen that may never be repeated, and that should be remembered.
Another MNB user wrote:
In reference to your Brett Favre comments, you're right, weather your a Favre fan or not, you have to give this guy a lot of kudos! No player has been that successful for that long playing under the conditions that he has had. This guy could stay in the pocket and take hits that would make a tackling dummy cave in, and still complete a 60 yard touchdown pass and get right back up. I have been a Favre fan since he started with the Packers and one of the few that stayed with him after he left. To me Brett Favre is to football what Pete Rose was to baseball. They both gave all they had every-time they stepped on the field, and what they did they did very well! Not to mention, NO one loved their work more than these two guys!
Of course, the problem is that I have to qualify any praise of Pete Rose with the note that he gambled on baseball and lied about it ... unforgivable, in my view. It is a shame when personal behavior tarnishes a legacy.
MNB user Chris O’Brien wrote:
I appreciate your comments about Brett Favre this morning. As a lifelong Packer fan now living in Minnesota, I’ve watched Favre go from one of the most revered sports figures in Wisconsin history to one of the most despised. And to be honest, I’ve lost a lot of respect for the guy over the last few years as he set out to betray the organization and the fans that supported him for so many years. On Monday night, though, I think you got a glimpse of someone that’s still willing to risk his neck for no other reason than to simply do the one thing he loves more than anything. I guess you can’t fault him for that.
Monday night, Favre played even though there was nothing at stake. Not money, not the streak, not a playoff spot. Nothing. He played, to use the cliche, for love of the game.
The emails continue to come in, contributing to our discussion of “50 great American movies.”
One MNB user wrote:
Loving the movie thread. I have yet another movie to suggest for the top 50. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In addition to being one of the funniest movies of all time, it also illustrates another example of an American experience: the get rich quick scheme. The way people will try to undercut each other and take shortcuts to try to get ahead financially. I can never get enough of this movie and the all star cast leaves you wanting more (and the movie is over 3 hours long).
It is definitely top 50 material and never gets enough credit for being one of the great American comedies.
MNB user Rick Marcum wrote:
I’ve held off as long as I possibly can. My two favorite movies are The Princess Bride and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the original with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The Princess Bride has something for everyone all encapsulated in a great love story, produced by Rob Reiner and released in 1987. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner has so many lessons in it concerning race relationships and family relationships it just cannot be left out. Produced by Stanley Kramer and released in 1967. Both great movies and, as it has been said many times, this discussion can go on forever.
I’m counting on it.
- KC's View:
