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.

It's pretty simple really. Even a vastly selfish Brett Favre can comprehend this:

1) Retire

2) Play for the Green Bay Packers, and lose

3) Become a Winner on a football team holding a clipboard

So those are your choices. Problem with number 3 is you'd have to pick the proper team that has the tools to win. You're a future hall of famer Mr. Favre, having you holding the clipboard sending in signs for plays would be a benefit to the team. But you are above it. You are Brett Favre. Number 4. Super Bowl Champion. 3 Time MVP. Multiple time playoff choke.

Let's not belittle any of the bad he has done. He will get into the hall of fame and once he retires he goes down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.

Having said that, why come back to play? There is nothing left to prove. What, bad year last year makes you want to recify and redeem yourself? Don't worry, you've been worse (2001-04 playoffs).

Not even the great Brett Favre can conquer a vulnerable NFC North division. His team is in shambles around him, and his top receiver does not want to play for Green Bay. Gee Brett, Javon Walker doesn't want to come back because you selfishly stuck your nose into his contractual business. You should have stayed out of it, because no player has the right to get involved in a fellow teammates contract negotiations. (No person in the media would ever dare call Brett Favre selfish by the way).

You know deep down the Green Bay Packers will be hard pressed to have a cinderella season. Favre would have to be Kurt Warner of 1999 with his team becoming the St. Louis Rams and shock everyone. That won't happen. Brett, RETIRE.

But you can't. Football is in your blood. You want to be in the spotlight with everyone's attention on you. Some athletes have that. One guy that comes to mind: Terrell Owens.

So Brett, stop squeezing Green Bay by the 'you know what' and just come up with a yes or no decision now. No matter how good you have been this Packer franchise should not have to wait for you.

Athletes have to stick to sports. Rappers have to stick to rapping. Singers have to stick with singing. All of the above can act in any movie or TV show. Some of these athletes, rappers and singers are sometimes an act and don't show what kind of peope they really are in life.

That's another issue altogether, but what is the issue is when an athlete attempts to crossover into singing/rapping. Right off the top of my head I rolled down some names that have done just that (Besides Terrell Owens):

1985 Chicago Bears
1986 New York Mets
1989 Calgary Flames
Roy Jones Jr.
Oscar De La Hoya
Kobe Bryant
Allen Iverson
Ron Artest
Shaquille O'Neal
Deion Sanders
Mike Tyson live on Jimmy Kimmell
John Daly

There have been many more that I have forgotten (please feel free to give me more names as The_Schwartz and myself will be doing Athlete Idol on Bring The Noise - 9AM-Noon this Monday on www.chevradioam.com.)

Look, I'm not going to say athletes should rap/sing. Some of them just have no talent at all. I know some will argue in favour of these athletes, in fact someone I know already has. That person said if you took T.O.'s rap song and changed the artist name to Kanye West you'd sell it. Makes sense, that Kanye right now is THE most overrated rapper in the 'Rap Game' today. Give me some hard DMX and I'll be happy.

Having said all of that, there is the whole 'freedom of speech' thing. Who am I to criticize anyone being vocal? Of course, everyone knows there is a fine line. A 'G' rated movie will not have an F-bomb laced tirade. Let's say it did, would the producers say it was 'freedom of speech/expression'? That's why there are ratings for what is and what isn't suitable. I guess.

So T.O. and the rest of the athletes can choose to make music albums or songs if they want. I'll just be the first to say that it completely sucks. T.O.'s 'I'm Back' portion of the track is catchy and sort of cool, but the song itself really shows an amateur at his craft. So I say its funny yet the song itself is still ####. Also will say he should stick to being a football player for 16 regular season games rather than half a season with a suspension. And, take the rhymes from his CD and use lines on the field for smack-talking purposes. Doesn't make sense to make music if you suck. Then again, Kanye West sucks too.

This is not a post that is here to inspire people or a a self-help technique in finding your mental edge in slo-pitch softball or your local bowling league. Unfortunately.

This began with a little bit of thinking (uh oh) about some of the athlete's who have done something terribly wrong and have had to maintain excellence through adversity created by themselves. Each sport has that kind of athlete, but not every athlete has that edge to bring his or her A game every night.

The first athlete that comes to mind is Todd Bertuzzi. A man who's career was heading in the right direction until he made a regrettable decision one night that has turned his career into a negative. Since the incident, his production has not been the same, and he has dropped considerably in comparison to the rest of the league. Every road game he plays he get's booed by the fans and he probably receives more criticism than we even realize (not say he doesn't deserve that criticism). Based on what we have seen and what he has produced, has he lost his touch because of what is going through his mental state? Is he unable to handle the reprucussions of his actions? He certainly does not compare to this next gentleman.

Regardless of how good or how bad his team is doing, you can count on Kobe Bryant giving everything he has. He's also a guy who can block out things in his mind to enable himself the best chance of succeeding on the basketball court. Throughout the 2003/04 season, Bryant faced a lot of ridicule from fans and that would make sense. He was in the middle of his Rape/Assault case. Fast forward to today, and people still haven't forgot about it. Now, less people are hassling him about the situation BUT he still takes some from people wherever he goes. Based on his performance this year, I can say with certainty that Bryant has that mental edge that Bertuzzi hasn't shown. (Side note: What edge does Robert Horry have with all the big shots he'#### over the years?)

Love him or hate him, Terrell Owens has been able to make plays in the NFL regardless of what is going on with him. It's not like he's running away from trouble on the field because his trouble stems from turmoil on his team which surrounds Owens. Safe to say that he can perform on the field at the highest level despite what kind of drama follows him. If he doesn't win a Super Bowl ring it certainly won't be based on his performance. More than likely it will hinge on his attitude, or his team not being able to get it done. Isn't it funny that the media and fans will always reflect a great athlete's career on the number of ring they win? Sometimes guys who go out and perform don't have that opportunity to get that ring. They might just be on an average team or play in an era with greater teams in their division/conference. The thing that has to be looked at is how that particular athlete performed during big games. Take Peyton Manning for example: Great quarterback who's had great regular season records (team and individual), yet has not done it in the playoffs. How many times have we watched Manning do things that we don't see during the regular season? Lots. Does that mean he lacks the mental edge? That's a rhetorical question for you to ponder.

There are plenty of examples to go around. It will be interesting to see how Barry Bonds will fare this year with the turmoil and controversy that will surround him this year. He has played through some things before, but it will still be interesting to see how he handles himself on the ballfield nonetheless.

Just to show I'm not sexist, Annika Sorenstam has incredible mental toughness. You didn't have to hear it from me to know that. Didn't she just win her 193874th tournament this past weekend? Incredible golfer.

Before I go, just a warning to all the fellas that I am leaning toward changing my avatar. Now a warning to all the ladies: It might get changed to a picture of me. Have not decided yet, but I can safely say I look slightly above average compared to other gentlemen.

First off, let me stress that I am sitting in a library beside a bratty kid to my right and a potential hottie to my left.  R. Kelly would be sweating right now thinking of pickup lines.  The Mom informed me that The Dad took MY laptop on a business trip. 

Before I talk about Kendra 'I wear the pants in the family' Davis, here is the Foxsports first two paragraphs to the story:

"The wife of New York Knicks forward Antonio Davis has been charged with misdemeanor battery after authorities say she threw a cup of coffee at another woman.

 

Just last month, Kendra Davis had a verbal altercation with a fan at a Knicks-Bulls game at the United Center. That prompted her husband to run into the stands to check on the situation. He received a five-game suspension."

- Now I know who the 'Warrior' really is.  I thought that nickname was the stupidist name ever for someone that really isn't that tough.  He might be strong and works hard in the excercise room, but AD is a princess.

Certain bloggers didn't agree with my assessment that AD's husband, I mean, wife was a problem.  No way was I going to side with any Davis with the way they handled themselves in Toronto.  She has had run-in's before, as she has lashed out at reporters and team management in the past.  Nobody will really go in too deep about her altercations because she is not Anna Benson.  Benson, by the way, is the ####-bag who ripped Kris Benson's testicles off of him a while back.  Leo Mazzone will have his hands full re-attaching them.

Back to K Davis, this is not a person who just happens to walk into trouble.  She finds herself in trouble because of the way she is.  I do not want to compare her to Terrell Owens, but doesn't he find himself in trouble with his mouth?  Funny, so does Mrs. Davis.  Not to the same extent, just to a certain degree.

As for the claim of a racial slur, I won't side with Davis on that issue either.  One, because I think she is lying, and two because human beings should not conduct themselves in that kind of manor.  You handle those kinds of things not by throwing coffee at people.  No seriously, put the coffee cup down.

That's all I have on the Davis ladies.  Just a side note on blogger-Nation: I know writers like to vent about what is wrong with fellow bloggers and talk about what ticks them off.  The only thing I want to throw in is the fact bloggers come onto other blogs and post messages on how they suck, yet they don't write a blog themselves or don't talk sports.  It is everyone's right to use this site (inside of the limits ofcourse) whichever way they want.  But if you are going to crack on anyone else, be ready to back things up.  That way, feuds are compelling.  Now I will step back and allow Blog-Nation to react. 

The excuse I often hear when it comes to picking all star teams is, 'it's never an easy choice when you're picking an all star team'. Naturally I would agree. How hard is it to pick another quarterback over the overrated Michael Vick, who was absolutely man-handled by the Chicago Bears last Sunday? He got in on his name and the recognition he gets. When that becomes the issue, the choice becomes way too easy.

Seeing Vick's name in the top 3 for the NFC was brutal. my reaction to it was, 'you gotta be kidding me!?'. The same guy who can't complete 60% of his passes, or at times throw for under 100 yards in a game. Oh, but he runs really well! Great, that's what running backs are for. Shaun Alexander didn't get into the Pro Bowl because of his arm. If Vick gets in with his legs, then just take 2 quarterbacks and add a 4th running back. Perhaps the 4th guy can actually hit receivers on stride rather than 2 hopping passes into their knees. I wonder how long it would take for T.O. to throw him under the bus alongside Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb if he decides to go to Atlanta.

There were much better choices for the 3rd QB for the NFC. The first one that comes to mind is Drew Bledsoe. Love him or hate him, his stats are much better this season and Dallas has improved from last year. Or how about Brad Johnson? He has led a team that was on the brink of a disaster season to a respectable run at a possible playoff position. I would have also taken Eli Manning and his 51% completion percentage over the man formally known as Ron Mexico.

Vick talks about not getting respect, as he feels he doesn't get enough credit for how well he plays the quarterback position. Well I have news for you V.D. boy: You've got way more respect that you've earned with your QB play. So I have 3 suggestions for you Ronald: 1) Shut up and play, let your team record and your play speak for itself, 2) Start throwing the ball with consistency, this is year #4, and 3) Wrap up always. That way you don't need an alias like Ron Mexico.

Have fun in Hawaii #7, you didn't deserve it.

Could things get any worst for number 5, Donovan McNabb? Ever since his Super Bowl loss almost a year ago, things have not been going so well for McNabb. First he gets slammed by Terrell Owens, and repeatedly thereafter, and then he suffers a series of injuries and is down for the season. Not to mention a recent outburst by some Owens supporter who seems to have a desire to be the next Reverend Jesse Jackson: An activist who will prematurely throw down the race card and get all over TV for doing some picketing or whatever he likes to do. To sum it up in english: A complete pain in the ####.

But lets shove aside what isn't sports-related and look toward the point I am going to make about Donovan McNabb; He is a role model and a good quarterback. I won't dare on calling him a great quarterback. He was a great quarterback with Owens on his team. Without him, he's just good. With Owens, McNabb is a top 3-5 Quarterback in the league. Without Owens, he might be top 10. Might be.

McNabb has improved his passing abilities over the years. His spirals are tighter, his arm strength is better, and he makes better decisions in the pocket. He isn't the runner he use to be, but he can still run effectively. You can use the argument that he's never had a good receiver other than Owens. It's a very good argument, but I'd counter with Tom Brady not having elite, 6 foot-plus prototypical big play receivers either. And Brady is better.

McNabb went to 4 straight Conference Championships. The first 3 was helped mightily by their defense, first 2 especially. The 4th time, where they broke through and won, they were just better than every depleted NFC team. Nonetheless, McNabb isn't a loser by any means. He's just a little overrated.

But why is he overrated? I think its because the media and fans love his talent on the field and how he handles people off the field. He is well-liked because he seems like a genuine human being. Because of that, I think people WANT him to be great, hence his overrated status. However, maybe overrated isn't a bad thing. Overrated does not mean you are NOT a good player in your sport. I just believe people rate Donovan really high where he deserves to be in a category recognized as being a good quarterback.

Like I said in paragraph 2: He is a role model. He certainly is one guy that kids can look at and emulate the way he handles himself. If you don't believe that he seems like a great guy, answer this: who would do commercials with their mother continuously?

The flack Donovan has received as not being a leader or an uncle Tom is unjust. One quarterback has taken the big prize 3 of the last 4 years. That means 29 other quarterbacks should be taking some heat for not leading their teams.

The whole situation is messed up. I don't feel Donovan should take much blame for the Eagles circus. When I watch from afar and see what this man has had to endure, even I begin to think, 'I hope Donovan comes back and sticks it up the critics ####'. Maybe now I'll jump onboard McNabb's hype train and pull for a seemingly genuine human being.