What is Well Deserved

It's no secret I'm a Brett Fa- I mean, Packers fan, and am simply giddy with the incredible start they've had this year.

This Sunday, the Packers are an UNDEFEATED 4-0 (along with the Colts, Cowboys, & Patriots) and are matched up with the Bears. Last season, Chicago blew the Packers completely out of the water by a score of 26 to Nothing. That was so early last season that there was no such thing as "Bad Rex."

Favre has now completely proven himself (as if he hadn't already), and we can tell by the fanfare and the tears of joy that a big part of why he came back was to break some RECORDS!!!

17th Season. Here is a man who has lived out his lifelong passion at the highest level. Yes, it can be done, but most of us aren't willing to make the sacrifices to get there.

Does that mean that anything else is useless? When you're asking yourself "How much can I get away with NOT doing," you find yourself looking forward to the escape of a Sunday afternoon, with your favorite sports hero pin-up on center stage. I look at him for three hours, and like most of the rest of us, football fans or not, will put off looking at myself in the mirror until the dreaded "Monday Morning."

Week 1 - Guts and Glory

Chad Pennington guts it out in Week 1 and comes back after a seemingly crippling injury!

Brett Favre puts on a few classic moves in a gift of a win from the Eagles!

Tom Brady stands flat footed and Imperial as the leader of the Patriots!
They got it right at http://www.femalefan.com/....

"...once Sundays become consumed by the NFL, we do nothing. Or at least convince ourselves that we don’t ‘have to’ do anything because “Sunday = Football, and that’s that."

That describes NFL Sundays perfectly for me. I figure I'm "productive" enough if the breakfast dishes are washed before halftime.

Why do I feel so entitled to my football time?
Simply because I'm an American?

No, I have plenty of friends who spend their Sundays elsewhere. For one, cleaning all the sheets in the house is preferable to one minute of football. Actually, most of the time I watch football alone.

The loves we adore from afar can become most powerful. When I was growing up, a girl never had a chance to play in a game.

Now there are plenty of youth Flag Football Leagues for boys and girls around the country. I hope they play on and on.

Speaking the Truth

On Michael Vick:

I've done things I've known are wrong. I have lied to hide my shame, I have occasionally shoplifted, but those were merely shrugs and Crackerjack prizes compared to this lowlife.

I'm sad for all of us. I think the NFL will become stronger for this in the end, but It's going to take banning Vick from the league.

More than anything else, when the pitchforks and torches are put away, I hope there is actual rehabilitation for him and his cohorts. Time and effort must be made to help them see the light (no LIE), because someone like him could make a difference as an activist against dogfighting.

Oh goodness, will I never put my naivete away?

On Eli Manning & Tiki Barber:
Manning had every right to speak up against Barber for insulting him about his leadership. It's true that Barber called his own leadership and heart into question when he announced his retirement mid-season, but let's put this into perspective. Commentator Marshall Faulk was right when he described this story as "fun."

The "He said/He said" of the NFL talking heads reminded me a little too much of gossip by the lockers in junior high. If Eli and Tiki really didn't want the publicity they wouldn't have this "feud" via the media.

The NFL is just relieved to have something fluffy to talk about that doesn't involve actual "fur."

"Before" the Verdict

Hard to reserve judgement when

co-defendants are pleading guilty, but in fact I am still trying. Innocent first!

I agree with Mr. White of the Atlanta NAACP, it IS a crime to lambaste Michael Vick before he's had a chance to be heard.

Am I just holding out hope for some shred of innocence because I think he's such a handsome football star? Oh yeah. He's a dream on the field. A lighter style than almost any other QB I've seen, as if there are strings from above twisting him away from defenders.

Where will that appreciation go?

Should we be ashamed to have been (still want to be) fans?

I won't throw out my Michael Vick VHS tapes just yet. (Yes, I do have several.) For now, there is still a little bit of US Democracy hope, for me and whoever else was taken enough by Michael Vick in the sweet birdsong of his career.

The appreciation of Bill Walsh was overflowing in San Francisco. A chance for the sports world to remind us what can be accomplished by those who ARE able to keep their balance on that high pedestal.

One more Chance for Michael Vick

Michael Vick, of the bounding speed
and terrible personal reputation, may
have at LEAST one more chance on the
football field this fall.

Why?

Because the Falcons drafted Joey Harrington. Yes, I think he is one of the good guys, but Harrington is a NON rushing quarterback who throws just as many interceptions as Vick.

Harrington is certainly not Plan A for the Atlanta coaching staff, but I wouldn't be surprised if they send him in for some reps as a Running Back this offseason. Pick up some moves, Joey!

Faithful... for a Day

The best thing about last month's 49er Family Day at San Francisco's Monster Park was getting to run the 40 yard dash "against" my 8 year old son. They timed us and everything. I wonder, at what age will he actually be faster than me? I still let him win 99 percent of the time, and waiting in line at the 40 yard dash I worried that I was "spoiling" him. That I'm not giving him enough experience with reality. I stopped my wondering after I saw every single parent do exactly the same thing with their own kids.

SO, I guess we are NOT a Great Santini generation.

My only beef with the 49er event was how they advertised tours of the actual locker rooms, then when we got to the park we were told they had been "sold out." I didn't even know we needed a reservation! Better info next time, I hope, to avoid disappointment.

Oh well, I guess 49er fans are supposed to be used to disappointment -- as evidenced by the big selling t-shirts of the day:

"49er FAITHFUL."

...I guess you gotta be.

So Lawng, Keyshawn

It's official! Keyshawn Johnson is retiring from the NFL and taking his turn as a TV sports analyst for ESPN.

Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president was thrilled with the on air job he did during the draft. "He delivered strong, candid opinions and passionate analysis, attributes that will make him a first-rate analyst in his new career."

Was he a selfish player? He wrote Just Give Me the Damn Ball when he was a rookie, but he backed up his bravado with performance. He won the Rose Bowl, the Super Bowl, and was elected to the Pro Bowl on numerous occasions.

I will miss that long stretch for the impossible pass...