When a person does something once, you can almost forgive that person and move past the issue.  Of course there are exceptions to the rule, such as infidelity  (or in A-Rod's case ####ing and overrated, over the hill singer with worse teeth than Michael Strahan), murder or theft just to name a few.

In the world of sports we have witnessed several athletes come back from retirement to play.  Michael Jordan, Mario Lemieux, Sugar Ray Leonard and Ryne Sandberg off the top of my head.  At this time, Brett Favre may be regretting his decision to retire and having seen other athletes unretire you can only understand that Favre is just like some of those other great stars of sports.

The only difference is this is not the first time Favre has yanked the chains of the Green Bay organization or the fans of that team.  Is he coming back or not?  Well, the issue should have been left to rest because he announced his retirement. 

The other problem that comes to mind is, once again, the obvious selfishness Favre has always had that is overshadowing every other story in the NFL.  He does not care about what this is doing to the organization, especially Aaron Rodgers, and the fans.  Now, you may think that he should not worry about anyone else except himself because of this situation being so tough.  Problem is, he made the decision in the first place.  Didn't he learn from 2006 to sit and wait?  He left the Packers organization hanging out to dry until the last possible second - which prompted the franchise to draft Rodgers in the first place.  Also, Football is the prototypical "team sports" which every player knows very well.  As such, an NFL quarterback always has to put into account his team and the players he works with everyday.  For him to put that team in this position is not only selfish but insulting to anyone affiliated with the organization. 

With Favre's illustrious career, Green Bay can't exactly cut him.  First, because this has been his team.  Second, he helped that team get to the NFC Championship game - only to cost his team a Super Bowl.  Lastly, Green Bay loves him.  With the unknown ahead of them with Rodgers as the starter, Green Bay isn't sure what to do.

Regardless of the decision, this is typical Favre; spotlight on him, he can't do no wrong and people generally feel bad for him despite the fact that he put himself in this position.  Perhaps he comes back, perhaps he plays for another team.  As of now, not every football fan sees Favre for what he truly is and that is sad.  At the very least, Green Bay's new quarterback may actually show genuine enthusiasm when a running back scores a touchdown.  Maybe he won't bother throwing snowballs at teammates or high-5 an NFL official after a touchdown.  Maybe he'll actually win a Super Bowl is stick it up #4's self-serving behind because that would be to a great ending to a pretty ridiculous situation Green Bay is in. 

Someone should tell every network that covers the NFL that it doesn't take guts to rip on Favre when it's obvious that he deserves it.

It was an interesting scene in Toronto tonight as I arrived to the Air Canada Centre just an hour after news broke of the big trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.  Over the last couple seasons we have waited to see if the Lake-show could pull the trigger on a deal - or if they had the players to deal for an impact player.

With Kwame Brown's contract about to expire and Memphis's intent to rebuild it made sense to make a deal.  Memphis grabs a young kid, a relatively young guy in Brown and 2 draft picks that need lots of prayer to become impactful.  This allows the Grizz to start over amd they will have some cash to show for it.

The Lakers grab a guy who can make an immediate impact.  This move allows them some breathing room as Andrew Bynum recovers from injury, and it gives them a blanket if Bynum does not return to form.  If he does return to form it allows Lamar Odom to slide to the small forward position while Pau plays the 4.  And, it gives them a deeper bench when Luke Walton slides beside some of the other contributors like Ronny Turiaf and Jordan Farmar.

This is a win-win for both teams without a doubt.  The need to crash the boards is imperative in the West and Los Angeles has more weapons than they know what to do with.  I should know; I watched a depleted Laker team roll over the Toronto Raptors.  Kobe Bryant was on tonight and unlike last night he got some help offensively.  Tonight's game proved that Toronto may be able to score but can't hold it together defensively on a consistent basis.  But with L.A. playing their 2nd game in as many nights they should have been stronger out of the gate.  Lakers got momentum and never looked back.

Last point on the Lakers: Prior to this deal I was still not on-board with putting them into the serious contender category despite their strong record.  Now, my view has changed.  They are absolutely a team that should be a factor in April.  This is a team built to go past round 1.  If they don't there is a problem.  They now have a great starting 5 (with Bynum back) and the forward position was a bigger need than point guard.  Derek Fisher can run the show because he won't try to do too much.  He knows the offense, he knows his limitations, he can still hit shots and knows how to play in big games.  Specifically speaking, Paul Gasol is a better acquisition than Jason Kidd.

Other stuff....

- I just realized Fox used the "Pau-er" line.  I'm pissed.

- After his 13.5 million is up in 2008, Johan Santana will pull in 137.5 million over 6 years.  That is phenomenal.  Hope the kid can hit.

All seriousness, the guy is one of the best pitchers in baseball and barring any setback or injury he should contend for a Cy Young.  Being able to avoid a big bopping DH and getting the opportunity to face pitchers with 1 or 2 out and runners on base will pay off for Johan.  It is a different ballgame with different scenarios when you play in the National League in comparison to the American League.

As for the contract itself, a lot of bad pitchers get paid a ton, so this is not a surprise and not out of this world in comparison to the #3 pitchers who make 8 figures per year.

- When Bill Belichick says his team is "ready to roll", I tend to believe him.  Some may feel the New York Giants can beat New England and they may be right, but I don't see it.  Yes, they played the Pats tight IN New York IN the cold IN front of their hometown.  In Arizona it will be warm and it is a neutral site.  The way I see it, the conditions favour the New England passing attack.  Passes that went through the hands of receivers will be easier to catch, and nobody is as accurate or precise as Tom Brady - even if he is disrupted in the pocket.

The real question should be if Eli Manning can continue his excellent play.  In my mind, he's grown as a player over the last month or so.  And he should be proud of the way he has battled throughout the playoffs.  He has beaten two teams he wasn't suppose to beat, outplay both quarterbacks and has defied expectations, which brings me to this...

- Tiki Barber is trying to protect himself now that his former team has made it to the Super Bowl the year after he reitres.  Tiki came with baggage and now that the baggage is gone the team can re-focus.  He had his quarrels with Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and Michael Strahan.  This isn't a coincidence.  Somewhere down the line we have to look and say that maybe New York really IS better off without him.  I think they are.

- Who are we kidding when Pat Riley says Shaquille O'Neal should be in the All-Star game?  Should Magic be playing as well?

- Again, I realize nobody really cares about hockey but I will say it again: Alexander Ovechkin is THE best hockey player on the planet.  He is one of the very few players who has to single-handedly carry his team to victories.  I wonder how long he can keep this up.  Eventually he will need a stud playing alongside him.

Time to unwind.  And get ready for the Super Bowl.  I hope to witness history this Sunday.  It will be nice to explain how I got to watch a Football team go undefeated in one season.  Doesn't come around often folks.

So Brett Favre makes his decision to come back to play for the Green Bay Packers. Keyword is 'for'. Today is April 26, 2006. If my mathematics are correct, that is 4 months after the last season finished. That is roughly 120 days. It's a good thing he didn't have to make a decision between the white or blue earrings to go with the blue dress to the prom. I'm sorry, cracking on how long it takes for women to make a decision is an insult because they don't do it to be selfish like Brett Owens.

So all this time was wasted on his inability to think about the organization and the fans and his knack for being the center of attention. Instead of thinking about his decision to play or not, he promptly spoke up about a situation that had no concern of his: Steve McNair. So why speak up on that? That is a simple answer and just in case you are Brett Favre fans here's a wake up call: He is the most selfish player in the NFL. He does not care about the situations of others (Javon Walker), does not care about his superiors (Organization and coaching staff) and he certainly does give a #### about the people who pay for his contract (the fans of Packer-nation). At least Terrell cared somewhat about the fans. That's why Brett Favre is the most selfish human being in the National Football League today. He cares about Brett, and Brett only. That's why he delayed his decision and that's why he still guns out of control during games.

Let's make a point in saying T.O. Favre can still play the game of football. He has enough ability to be an effective quarterback in this league (still). Problem he has is he won't make the adjustment of watching his running backs take 30 carries a game. He needs to throw the ball over 30 times a game, 40 preferably. He needs to throw the ball in double coverage and break hands. He needs to run over the line of scrimmage, toss an underhand pass, laugh about the penalty only to make a chip shot of a field goal attempt a tough kick. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask the Minnesota Vikings.

The whole drama is over. The decision has been made. Brett got his name in the headlines just the way he likes and now people can watch his act in the 2006 season and make excuses for his poor play. We can listen to announcers and analysts justify mistakes for Brett Favre. Great, can't wait. Cannot wait to watch Green Bay get crunched for a bunch of games. I mean, what are they going to do to you Brett, cut you?

One more thing: Anyone who comes on here talking about his hardships, every person in the world has them so let's not have a Favre tear-fest. And, what do you call allowing Michael Strahan to sack you for the record? Selfless? No, that's called lack of integrity actually.

Maybe this isn't a good time to plug the Blog Contest due tomorrow at 11:05 AM est. Well, I just did. Call me selfish.