I'm a Wisconsinite by upbringing. I went to Wisconsin colleges, I lived there the majority of my life, and I'm a Packer/Badger/Brewer fan. (I don't watch NBA ball, otherwise I'd probably be a Bucks fan, too.) When I was a kid, Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers were in their heyday, as were the Dallas Cowboys. I was a Steelers fan when I was kid--maybe it was the black uniforms, maybe it was the Superbowl wins...or, maybe it was the feeling that all good Wisconsinites possess--that rooting for the Cowboys is plain WRONG.
Gradually, my love for the Steelers faded and my blood changed from Pittsburgh black to Green 'n' Gold. I was a Packer fan when only people in Wisconsin were Packer fans. I was a Packer fan when they couldn't buy a post-season berth. I was a Packer fan when I saw the Packer Nation turn on one of our own--former UW QB great Randy Wright--as they started a "Hit him in the head!" chant during a pre-season game. Poor Randy.
Who knew, back in '92, that the fortunes of the great state of Wisconsin would change because of a swamp-rat hillbilly with a misspelled name.
Brett retired today. I watched the whole press conference and it was hard to watch, speaking as a Packer fan. I have vague memories of the man who lost his job to Favre in '92, Don Majkowski (Or Majik--as he was dubbed). My favorite being the "After Further Review, the Bears Still Suck" game when the newly instated replay rule gave the Packers a win after a TD was called no-TD because one of the refs thought Majik had crossed the line of scrimmage. The review took close to ten minutes (no time limit back that first year) and when they announced it was a TD, Lambeau Field exploded. Who could replace Majik?
The man's name was Majik, fer chrissakes!
But, Brett gave us highs beyond anything Majik ever produced. The Oakland game after Irv Favre died, the '96 Superbowl, the 99-yard TD pass...and his final season, this last one, which will go down as one of the best of his career. To be fair, Brett gave us lows, too: 288 interceptions...the six-INT game in the playoffs against the Rams...any number of stupid, errant throws that cost us games...but the stupid, errant throws also won us a lot of games, too.
I'll miss watching him play every Sunday. I'll miss seeing his enthusiasm. I'll miss cursing him out when he does something stupid. But, at the same time I'll be very interested to watch the Packers craft an identity without #4. It will be interesting to watch a game an not worry about a that streak of games every time a linebacker slipped through the pass coverage and leveled #4. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the team, and the coaching staff responds to this new challenge. It will be interesting to see how teams start to game plan differently. And it will be interesting to see new QBs walk out, get under center, and try to play the game.
I feel badly for Aaron Rodgers. I felt badly on draft day when his stock fell so far that he was a 24th pick in the first round, but I was glad that the Pack finally had a first-round QB, someone who might replace #4 if that need ever arose. [Observers will note that the Packers have kicked out more starting QBs in this league than other teams could ever want (Hasselbeck, Brooks, Brunell, Warner, etc...), all because of the Ironman.] Rodgers has bided his time, not raised a fuss, and now, when training camp begins in July, he will walk into the most scrutinized job in all of sports. Aaron Rodgers can't catch a break. No matter how well he performs, a great number in the state will still be lamenting the loss of our QB and I will guarantee that I will hear the phrase, "He's no Favre" at least a hundred times.
When A-Rod throws that first interception, half the population of the state will call for his head. You watch.
But, I digress. I will be looking forward to this fall with a little more enthusiasm than I have in the last few years...because for the first time since 1993, there's actual uncertainty in the Packer lineup.
Thanks Brett. I appreciate the way you played the game.
Gradually, my love for the Steelers faded and my blood changed from Pittsburgh black to Green 'n' Gold. I was a Packer fan when only people in Wisconsin were Packer fans. I was a Packer fan when they couldn't buy a post-season berth. I was a Packer fan when I saw the Packer Nation turn on one of our own--former UW QB great Randy Wright--as they started a "Hit him in the head!" chant during a pre-season game. Poor Randy.
Who knew, back in '92, that the fortunes of the great state of Wisconsin would change because of a swamp-rat hillbilly with a misspelled name.
Brett retired today. I watched the whole press conference and it was hard to watch, speaking as a Packer fan. I have vague memories of the man who lost his job to Favre in '92, Don Majkowski (Or Majik--as he was dubbed). My favorite being the "After Further Review, the Bears Still Suck" game when the newly instated replay rule gave the Packers a win after a TD was called no-TD because one of the refs thought Majik had crossed the line of scrimmage. The review took close to ten minutes (no time limit back that first year) and when they announced it was a TD, Lambeau Field exploded. Who could replace Majik?
The man's name was Majik, fer chrissakes!
But, Brett gave us highs beyond anything Majik ever produced. The Oakland game after Irv Favre died, the '96 Superbowl, the 99-yard TD pass...and his final season, this last one, which will go down as one of the best of his career. To be fair, Brett gave us lows, too: 288 interceptions...the six-INT game in the playoffs against the Rams...any number of stupid, errant throws that cost us games...but the stupid, errant throws also won us a lot of games, too.
I'll miss watching him play every Sunday. I'll miss seeing his enthusiasm. I'll miss cursing him out when he does something stupid. But, at the same time I'll be very interested to watch the Packers craft an identity without #4. It will be interesting to watch a game an not worry about a that streak of games every time a linebacker slipped through the pass coverage and leveled #4. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the team, and the coaching staff responds to this new challenge. It will be interesting to see how teams start to game plan differently. And it will be interesting to see new QBs walk out, get under center, and try to play the game.
I feel badly for Aaron Rodgers. I felt badly on draft day when his stock fell so far that he was a 24th pick in the first round, but I was glad that the Pack finally had a first-round QB, someone who might replace #4 if that need ever arose. [Observers will note that the Packers have kicked out more starting QBs in this league than other teams could ever want (Hasselbeck, Brooks, Brunell, Warner, etc...), all because of the Ironman.] Rodgers has bided his time, not raised a fuss, and now, when training camp begins in July, he will walk into the most scrutinized job in all of sports. Aaron Rodgers can't catch a break. No matter how well he performs, a great number in the state will still be lamenting the loss of our QB and I will guarantee that I will hear the phrase, "He's no Favre" at least a hundred times.
When A-Rod throws that first interception, half the population of the state will call for his head. You watch.
But, I digress. I will be looking forward to this fall with a little more enthusiasm than I have in the last few years...because for the first time since 1993, there's actual uncertainty in the Packer lineup.
Thanks Brett. I appreciate the way you played the game.
In other news, book sales on The Centurion continue to be steady...not great...but steady. I'm still selling a few copies every month, which is pretty good because I haven't really thrown down with hardcore promotion since the last book festival I went to in Mankato.
Work progresses on the sequel to The Centurion as well as the superhero story tentatively titled The Seven, and the sci-fi novel and a fantasy novel that are both too new to have a title or much more than the beginnings of characters. They are still in the embryonic stage. I tend to write without direction at first, just letting things expand like bread dough. It's only after it's risen to a certain point that I can punch it down and focus it, but I'm quite excited with what I've got going. I hope to put up a sample of The Seven soon on the blog here. Keep checking back.
I'm a proud father: My daughter does impressions of the characters on Spongebob. Not bad for a 3-year-old.
--Sean
2 comments:
Great synopsis at the end of an era. Brings back memories for me too. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything Favre will do now.
Great work.
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