Brett Favre is Brett Favre Being Brett Favre Doing Brett Favre Things

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Sorry.

Anyway, here's some random points about the Vikings/Packers game yesterday.

1. Favre really has no idea the effect he has on the media and on football fans. I think. Maybe. Going back to the summer of 2008 when asked about playing in Lambeau with another team ("I don't think it'll be that bad.") to being dumbfounded by the huge media frenzy he created as he signed with the Vikings this summer, he's demonstrated an "aw shucks" persona at each opportunity. Is it calculated? Is he that smart? Or is he that stupid? I don't know, but he's consistent.

The biggest rap on pro athletes in general is their oblivious disconnect with normal every day life. On the surface, it doesn't appear that way with Favre - "I don't think it'll be that bad"?? Either he's a complete moron (not exactly impossible) or maybe that pro athlete disconnect just isn't as deep as fans are used to seeing it. I would not be surprised by either.

2. I hate to sound like Dan Dierdorf, but Favre is professional athlete. (No, really!) Signing with the Vikings was about more than just sticking it to Ted Thompson. Going back to Lambeau as a Viking was a huge, HUGE challenge, an emotional challenge, unlike anyone has ever taken on in recent memory, maybe ever. A challenge unique to this modern era, unique to this media culture - starting a bazillion straight games for an unheard of 16 straight seasons for the Green Bay Packers, not just any team considering their history and their fans that care a bit too much. He leaves all that behind to play for their biggest rival. The pressure was enormous and the emotional strain must have been even greater. And he pulled it off. An enormous achievement.

He said his performance was "pretty high up on the list" as far as his career accomplishments go. This was a once in a lifetime challenge. That's what really drives professional athletes, right?

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that after following Favre week to week like a fan, I understand the non-stop hype the guy creates - he's a fascinating person. I hate when that happens, but it's true.

3. Nice to see Peter King has gone directly back to "slobber over Brett Favre" mode - did not pass Go, did not collect $200. Two passages from today's Monday Morning Quarterback:

"And now, I wondered, how was the groin four hours and a lot of lost adrenalin later?

“It’s throbbing right now,” he said."

EEEeeeeewwwww.

"b. Are you kidding, FOX? The moment the game of the year ends and Brett Favre is hugging his way across the field, we hear Thom Brennaman say: “We send you to bonus coverage.”

You do what? You send us to Carolina 34, Arizona 21? For God’s sake — FOR WHAT?!!!!!! What you should be sending us to is Pam Oliver for a live interview with Favre instead of making people wait."

Six exclamation points!!!!!! Brett had him at hello. Nice to have you back, Peter.

4. The Vikings schedule after next week's bye: 5 home games, 3 road games. Only bad weather game appears to be at Chicago on December 28 (where the Vikings never win anyway). That's as favorable of a schedule as you could expect for a 40 year old QB. Looking even further ahead, the only NFC team with a better record, New Orleans, plays in a dome. Those are some major lucky breaks.

5. Last thing about Percy Harvin - I thought he was a horrible draft pick. Terrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible as Bill Walton would say. I can't say enough how much I hated it. He was described as Reggie Bush type (that's not an endorsement) from Florida, home of NFL wideout success stories like Reidel Anthony, Ike Hilliard, Taylor Jacobs, Travis Taylor, Jacquez Green, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Jackson and Reche Caldwell. "Oh, just run some bubble screens for him!" people said, to which I replied, "You expect Brad Childress to come up with creative plays, let alone a play that's not telegraphed enough to shout 'HERE COMES A BUBBLE SCREEN'?" And what's the success rate of WRs picked in the first round, let alone from Florida? 1 in every 25?

Well, I guess he's the one then. He has proven me wrong, bigtime. He is 10 times the athlete of all the previous guys I listed combined. He's the best kick returner we've had since David Palmer. He puts the fear of God in other teams. You have to gameplan around him. What more could you ask for from a rookie?

Mauer Will Be a Twin For Life

If anyone has read any of my blitherings for however long I've had this blog (that would be exactly zero of you), you may have noticed that I write a lot more about the Vikings and the NFL than anything else. I hardly write about the Twins? Why is this? Game #163 was a helpful explanation.

What can you SAY about something like that? What else can you say about Orlando Cabrera? What else can you say about Alexi Casilla? What else can you say about Bobby fucking Keppel? What else can you say about the Dome REFUSING to go away, squeezing out one more game nobody around here will ever forget?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the fan relationships people have with the Twins and the Vikings are completely different. People NEVER give up on the Twins. Three out with four to play? Look on the bright side! And it paid off. It really happened. Can you believe it? It seems like the Twins ALWAYS come through. They're the shining beacon of hope. But...

Winter eventually comes. The Vikings emerge as the tempting mistress. Nothing ever goes right, but oh man, if it ever does, it will be worth it, everyone will tell you that. The NFL is the sport of kings right now - it garners the biggest spotlight, harbors the most importance, unleashes the most intense feelings. I can guarantee you the second something goes wrong with Brett Favre, people will be lighting their $240 jerseys on fire. I write more about the Vikings simply because they require more writing.

Ah, but the dark side creeps into the Twins once in a while as well. Since the consensus is that the Yankees will take care of them, the main story in New York is Joe Mauer - namely "When do we get to sign him?"

I say the answer is: Never. Some fun facts for you --

-Mauer's agent is Ron Shapiro, who also represented Cal Ripken and Kirby Puckett, as well as Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer. All legends, all stayed with one team their whole career. As an agent, his track record suggests he's not exactly Scott Boras. I mean that in the best way possible.
-Mauer himself said being the highest paid player is "not really" important. He wants to win.
-The Yankees guaranteed payroll in 2011:
Alex Rodriguez at $31 million,
C.C. Sabathia at $23 million,
Mark Teixeira at $22.5 million,
A.J. Burnett at $16.5 million,
Jorge Posada at $13.1 million,
Robinson Cano at $10 million,
and Nick Swisher at $9 million.
Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are both free agents after 2010, so there's another $35-40 million towards 2011. That's $165 million right there, not to mention Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes can command bigger deals by that time. The Yankees are the Yankees, but its just not realistic to assume they can throw a Teixeira sized contract at Mauer, especially if this recession doesn't turn around.
-It can't be understated how popular Mauer has become in Minnesota. If he ever wins a ring, he could, dare I say, surpass Kirby in popularity. With a new ballpark opening, the Twins would be risking their entire fanbase and any good will and sentiment toward the team if they let him leave. That's not an exaggeration.

Most fans are confident Mauer is staying, and why not? That's just the Twins optimism. They've earned it.