Closing a Chapter in the Packers' History Book

During its nearly 90 years of existence, the Green Bay Packers have come and gone through some mighty memorable eras. Like, for instance the Lambeau and Lombardi-Starr eras. And now, one of the longest and most successful eras, that of Brett Favre, has ended, much to his fans' surprise and disappointment.

Like most native Wisconsites, I was virtually born a Packer fan. And like most kids of my generation, I became a devout fan during the Lombardi era. Bart Starr was every kid's favorite athlete. And we knew our team (and its fans) were tough--they succesfully survived the Ice Bowl!

Another generation of Wisconsin kids has witnessed a Packer era at least as great as, or perhaps even greater, than that of my generation. It began in 1992 with the coming of Coach Mike Holmgren and QB Brett Favre. For seven years the two seemed inseparable, like Lombardi and Starr. Then Coach Holmgren left but Favre remained for nearly ten more years. And many of us expected it to remain that way indefinitely (or so we hoped).

How do we measure an athlete's greatness? Is it solely by his accomplishments in his chosen sport? Do we really care anymore if Michael Vick was a great football player? Or who the heck even cares whether or not he played at all?

Much has been, and much more will be, written about Brett Favre's accomplishments as Green Bay's QB (his stats, records, etc.), but I think most true Packer fans will base his greatness on other qualities--his toughness off the field as well as on. The personal trials--his owning up to and tackling (pardon the pun) a prescription drug dependency, the loss of his father, his wife's battle with cancer, and the loss of his family's home in the hurricane. All these issues required toughness--probably more so than did all the bumps and bangs on the field.

Now our speculation can turn to this question--what does the future hold for Favre? Probably not a sports commentator--listening to Favre doing play-by-play would be like listening to a Dwight Yoakam song--you like what they're saying, even though you don't exactly know what it is they're saying. More antacid commercials? He's not quite old enough to do AARP ads. Expanding his steakhouses to other Wisconsin locations? Sure hope one comes to my hometown! Maybe coaching? Favre's a team leader to be sure, but I can't see him ordering the players around without getting in the game himself to play.

In any event, it kind of gives one the creeps to see a thirty-eight-year-old guy retire--an age when most ordinary folks are in their prime. And it really gives one the creeps when you realize you were already in junior high when the retiree was born.