Wanna See Me Do a One-Eighty in Five Months?

Brett Favre is a douchebag.

Yeah, five months ago I wrote about how the game would never be the same for me without Favre. But at that point I had accepted that this was how it needed to end. Brett could not turn back and decide he wanted to return because his retirement marked a point of no return for the Packers organization. The Packers outright warned him that if he came back, they could not guarantee a spot as the starting quarterback. He retired knowing this full well.

So screw him for expecting the Packers to embrace him with open arms when it turned out he had only cried "Wolf!" like everyone thought he was going to. Rodgers was our starting quarterback from the moment he cried his little eyes out and said it was over. Playbooks were changed, chemistries were explored, plans were made. You don't just turn around and say "Oh, you want back in, poof, it's back to how it was". The Packers drafted two of the top quarterbacks in the draft in Matt Flynn and Bryan Brohm. If Favre were to come back, one of those guys would have been a wasted pick. Anyone who blames Ted Thompson for the fiasco can jump off a cliff.

Brett showed no regard for the Packers organization throughout this whole catastrophe. He represented a distraction as a 5-year old who didn't get his way. He threw a hissy fit because we wouldn't trade him to our competition and he entertained the notion of throwing away 16 years of the Packers catering to his every need in the blink of an eye. His character that was nearly spotless for the entirety of his career is now in shambles. Worse than that, Brett became bigger than the organization itself. Brett's stupid ESPN Bottom Line category to himself just irked the crap out of me. It made it seem as if Brett made the organization. This is why the coverage of our fans annoyed the heck out of me, too. Did anyone notice that they only seemed to pick the mindless, one track-minded people who thought Favre was a god, who seemed to be more interested in Brett's well-being than the club's? I never once saw people with my opinion represented, and I'm sure there are many. They chose the fanatics, the hicks with four teeth in their head and beer bellies painted with "We Want Brett!".

No, maybe Aaron Rodgers won't turn out great. Maybe there will be some years of struggle ahead. But sooner or later, the process has to begin, and the earlier it does, the earlier we get closer to glory. For these reasons, I say "Good Riddance, Brett Farve" as he moves on to the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers move on without him.

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In happier news, the Toadies are putting out a new album at the end of the month. You may have read my earlier post about how I wish they'd get back together. Well, good news, they did, and I saw them last week. The concert was amazing, and Vaden Todd Lewis' voice (at 42) sounds as good as ever. The dude has a glint in his eye when he sings that makes it clear that he still loves what he does. Thus, I am making the song of the day "Backslider" by the Toadies.

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"Backslider" by the Toadies at YouTube

Gah!

...It's all gonna be alright... shh... it's gonna be okay... NO IT'S NOT!

It's so weird that I've mentioned Brett Favre in a couple posts in the last week, about how his streak was going to end someday, and the next time Wisconsin makes it into the news will be when Brett retires. Yet I was totally unprepared for it. Or perhaps in denial. At the end of the season this year, I said to myself that in the last three years, this is the year that would make the least sense for Brett to retire. But that scared me, because he's always done the opposite of what people expected him to do. Sure enough, he goes and does it.

The media coverage just depressed me. It felt like Brett had died because there was no press conference, no interview, no nothing. I didn't want to post on it because I didn't know how to. Every blogger in Wisconsin will be attempting and failing to express their feelings on the issue adequately. It comes across as stereotypical Brett-Favre-determines-the-lives-and moods-of-Wisconsinites. People (including myself) have been reacting with hysterical away messages and Facebook statuses and everything. But to an extent, it is true. It's the end of an era, the only one I've ever known.

Let's look outside of the box here. Brett's been the starting quarterback since I was three. Who else in Wisconsin sports has been here since 1991, other than Bob Uecker (who is the man, too. Nick has often said that the only fitting way for Bob Uecker to die will be to get hit by a baseball in the announcing booth, and I wholeheartedly agree. Hopefully that doesn't happen for another 20 years or so). No Brewers. No Bucks. No other Packers. No one from the 1996 Super Bowl team was left. Brett's retirement is sad purely because of his greatness, but also because he's the last staple that has been around since I can remember. Sports are constantly changing, especially in a day of $30 million a year contracts. But Brett Favre was always there, goofing around and smiling. I've not only mourned for the Packers, but realized that my childhood is nearly over.

I don't think Brett's coming back. I don't think this is a publicity stunt. I think he's telling the truth when he says he's tired. I also think he feels the pressure of living up to this season, and a little responsibility for the NFC Championship loss. Who knows what will happen next year, or in the entire future of the Packers' organization for that matter. But it's obvious that no one could ever replace Brett Favre. That's not to say there won't be anyone better, but there's no other figure that I will ever associate with my childhood like I do Brett Favre.

In his honor, I'm making the song of the day "Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley. I've listened to Jeff Buckley for a year or two now, but I just recently got reacquainted with his music again since I've become what is known as "broke" and am unable to buy new music. Jeff Buckley was one of the most influencial musicians on today's music scene, including the likes of Radiohead, who have influenced a few bands here and there themselves. Before drowning in a tributary of the Mississippi River in 1997, Buckley made one of the greatest albums ever in Grace in 1994. The album features the famous cover of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. It's much different from the original, yet the version that multiple artists have covered, including Rufus Wainwright for Shrek and approximately 50 other artists. It is the epitome of beauty. But the album has many powerful songs too, like the title track and my personal favorite, "Eternal Life". Buckley's diverse influences developed his intensely falsetto dominated voice and unique guitar work. This is an understatement, as getting into the details of his influences would take pages.

"Last Goodbye" - Jeff Buckley at YouTube.