Passing Judgment – Stay Classy San Diego

I am in San Diego this week on business, and I have spoken to several local baseball fans who are legitimately depressed and shell-shocked that Adrian Gonzalez has been traded away.  No one was surprised it happened, but it still had an extremely negative affect on Padres’ fans.  I do not know Adrian Gonzalez personally, but everything I have read about him or heard from other players and the media was that he is truly a good guy.  This couldn’t be more accurate after I saw a local news piece today on Gonzalez keeping his commitments to attend a charity drive for a local 1-year old baby who sustained severe injuries after being struck by a drunk driver while he was being pushed in his stroller by his grandfather.  The overall message of the news piece was that despite Gonzalez being traded to Boston, he still planned on remaining active within the San Diego community.  It is clear that the people of San Diego embraced Gonzalez, and the feeling seemed to be mutual.  “As renowned as Gonzalez is for his smooth glove and powerful bat, he’s just as revered off the field for his warm heart and open wallet. During five seasons here, he was the Padres’ Most Valuable Philanthropist, raising money for dozens of good causes,” said Peter Rowe in his article from SignOnSanDiego.com. 

Gonzalez is originally from the San Diego area, and if given the choice, he would probably have preferred to remain here had the team’s financial situation been different.  But even though he will be playing his games across the country, his roots will always remain in Southern California.  He has vowed to continue to do charity work in San Diego, as well as Mexico. 

This may not seem like an overly exciting story, but I think it is an important one.  It proves that some professional athletes who earn amounts of money that most people can only dream of are still good people at heart and go the extra mile to use their celebrity for a beneficial purpose.  It was also heartwarming to see how beloved Gonzalez is here in San Diego and that there are absolutely no hard feelings for his departure.  I guess the baseball fans here in San Diego heeded the advice of Ron Burgundy. 

Adrian Gonzalez can thank Ron Burgundy for the people of San Diego being so classy.

Passing Judgment – Some Thoughts About Brett Favre

This is a new column I will be writing, hopefully on a regular basis.  It is called “Passing Judgment” where I will give my own personal thoughts, opinions and commentary on various topics.  I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate the first edition of this column to Brett Favre, arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL and one of the most controversial players to ever play the game.  With Favre’s record-setting consecutive games started streak now over at 297, everyone seems to be accepting the fact that we will not see much more of Favre as an active player given his recent injuries and the likelihood that he will keep his word and retire at the end of the season.

I became a fan of Brett Favre after watching one of his first starts in the streak back in 1992 against my favorite team, the New York Giants.  I remember watching Favre get sacked and hit multiple times by the legendary Lawrence Taylor, yet he withstood all of the punishment.  I instantly had respect for Favre and knew that he was for real.  Within the next year, at my request, my father bought me a Favre jersey with the NFL’s 75th Anniversary logo on it.  Despite my allegiance to the Giants, my favorite player was Brett Favre.

He has led teams to eight division championships, five NFC Championship Games, and two Super Bowl appearances including a victory in Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots.  Who could forget the image of Favre running on the field with after throwing a touchdown to Andre Rison on the second play of the game in Super Bowl XXXI?  He also became the only player in NFL history to win three consecutive MVP awards from 1995-1997. 

Favre holds several revered all-time NFL records, including most career touchdown passes, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, most career pass attempts, most starts, most consecutive starts, and most career victories as a starting quarterback (181-104).  It is very likely that some of these records will never be surpassed.

He has also overcome several personal tragedies and drama, including admitting to a vicodin addiction and deciding to play a game immediately after his father died in 2003.  That fateful Monday Night game against Oakland saw Favre throw for 4 touchdowns and almost 400 yards.  In 2004, Favre’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.  And in 2005, Favre’s family home was severely damaged in Hurricane Katrina.  However Favre somehow perservered and continued to play at a high level despite these personal setbacks.  Throughout the years, he also endured several injuries, including concussions and shoulder injuries, but none were serious enough to keep him out of the starting lineup week after week.

In 2007, Favre looked like he had one last magical run in the sun as he led the Packers to the NFC Championship Game against the Giants.  The Packers would go on to lose the game after Favre was intercepted in overtime leading to a game-winning field goal.  It looked like Favre was going to leave the game after having a very successful season, but that is when the real drama began.

Without going into the details of what Favre did between 2008-2010 regarding his decision (or indecision) on whether to retire, I am going to heed the advice of ESPN’s Trent Dilfer.  On Monday, December 13, 2010, Dilfer was on NFL Live giving his own thoughts and retrospective on Favre’s career and the significance of his 297 consecutive starts.  Dilfer said that people should forget about these last couple years’ worth of drama that engulfed Favre.  The antics, including the Jenn Sterger allegations, skipping training camp, flip-flopping on whether to retire, and forcing his way out of Green Bay and New York, have certainly tarnished Favre’s image.  But they do not detract from Favre’s accomplishment of starting 297 straight games.  What he accomplished with his streak is miraculous considering the brute physicality of the game and the way Favre played the position.  He did not just sit in the pocket – he used his feet and elusiveness to make plays.  In doing so, he exposed himself to taking a beating by pursuing defenders.  He played the game with reckless abandon at times, which was indicative in the number of interceptions he has thrown (also an NFL record).  Despite throwing some of the most memorable and demoralizing interceptions in history (including the ones to cost his team the 2007 and 2009 NFC Championship Games), Favre will always be remembered for his passion, aggressiveness, and overall joy in playing the game.  As a fan, you always knew you were going to see maximum effort, energy and emotion from Favre when he was on the field.  The fact he was able to play this way for over 18 straight years is a testament to his endurance and toughness. 

Say what you want about Brett Favre given his antics over the last few years.  I am certainly guilty of passing judgment on Favre and his behavior.  It became very difficult to root for him with how he has acted and for the allegations off the field.  But now that his streak is over and his career may be over in a couple weeks, I decided to make peace with this and remember the player that I grew to admire since 1992.  Nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes.  I can’t even imagine what Favre has had to endure with the stress and pressure of being an NFL quarterback and sustaining the type of mental and physical pain he took.  He must be respected for what he accomplished in the same vain as Cal Ripken is revered for his consecutive games played streak in Major League Baseball.  Favre’s streak is almost more impressive given the physicality of the game and the importance of the quarterback position.  To put it in perspective, the Chicago Bears have used 23 different quarterbacks since Septemeber of 1992 when Favre’s streak began.  That is incredible. 

In summation, it was an honor and a privilege to have watched a legend and future Hall of Famer play quarterback for so many years at such a high level.  Favre’s passion and love for the game was always apparent, and it was truly contagious.  You could see how his teammates loved playing with him and fans loved watching him play.  I know I will miss seeing him play should he really retire at the end of the season.  There will never be another Brett Favre (but you can bet there will still be at least 3 hours a day of Favre coverage on ESPN everyday).  So thank you Brett…I look forward to wearing my old school Favre jersey proudly again.  And I will always appreciate your performance in “There’s Something About Mary.”