According to a report by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Brett Favre is close to purchasing a condo in the Minneapolis area.
There have been reports that Favre already has a contract in place with the Vikings and both Favre and the Vikings have made it clear in public comments that there is great interest on both sides. And then there is this latest nugget: Favre is in the process of attempting to secure a residence in the Twin Cities.
We received a tip last night about Favre settling on a condominium in Edina but that doesn’t appear to be a done deal. At least not yet. There were rumors last week that Favre had either bought or rented a house along Bearpath Golf and Country Club in Eden Prairie. (The smart money says he ends up in Edina.)
But where Favre lives doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that he’s actively looking for a place (or at least someone from the Favre camp is looking), giving a clear indication that he must be encouraged by how his arm is feeling. In the grand scheme of things, this is just the latest piece of evidence that Favre will be playing in Minnesota.
Who knows, maybe Favre just likes the area? It doesn’t mean that he’s going to play for the Vikings next season. (Read: Sarcasm.)
It’s only a matter of time before Favre joins the Vikings. It would take hell freezing over for him not to play in purple and white next season and even then I’m pretty sure Favre would still suit up for Minnesota. Of course, he would delay the process by talking about how hell freezing over has made him question his desire to play. But after a two or three weeks he would say that he still had the itch and that hell freezing over won’t stop him from trying to ruin Ted Thompson’s life.
According to a report by Profootballtalk.com and their unnamed sources (does PFT ever have sources who aren’t unnamed?), the Vikings have already signed Brett Favre and have authorized Reebok to begin making No. 4 jerseys. But Favre’s agent Bus Cook has denied the report and says that his client has not signed a contract yet.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune states that the Vikings might have to wait another week before making an official announcement regarding Favre because Minnesota head coach Brad Childress is off on a wild Alaskan adventure with his colleague and friend Andy Reid. Wait…Childress and Reid are on a wild Alaskan adventure right now? Together? That has to be more of a story than Favre, right?
Anyway, Peter King of SI.com is also reporting that Favre is throwing the ball with zip. Of course, King’s source is Oak Grove High School (Miss.) coach Neville Barr (whoever the hell that is), so take that information with a grain of salt.
It’s up to you to as what to make of all this. Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time before Favre signs with Minnesota, regardless of the scouting report by Oak Grove High School’s head coach, which we all know is incredibly valuable. Favre has stated all along that he wanted to wait to see how his surgically repaired arm would hold up in workouts before he makes a decision, but the bottom line is that he wants to jam a football square up Packers GM Ted Thompson’s rear end more than anything so that’s what he’s going to do (his arm be dammed).
The agonizing thing is that we may have to wait another week before anything is officially announced.
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that it’s up to Brett Favre whether or not Minnesota signs Brett Favre, so essentially the team is waiting on Brett Favre. (Brett Favre.)
While Minnesota waits to hear whether or not Favre is healthy enough to come back (apparently he threw at a local high school recently and still had pain), Vikings beat writer Judd Zulgad wonders aloud if the team would release Tarvaris Jackson if good ol’ No. 4 comes aboard.
In a recent chat, Zulgad said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson got the axe if Favere were signed. The fourth year player is in his final year of his contract and the Vikings apparently don’t want to cut former USC QB John David Booty because they like his potential. Plus, the Vikes traded for Sage Rosenfels in the offseason, so that would leave Jackson on the outside looking in.
Whether the Brett Favres sign the Vikings or not, it looks like Jackson’s time in Minnesota is running out. If the team still had confidence in him, they wouldn’t have traded for Rosenfels and wouldn’t be so hell bent on signing Favre if they thought Jackson could still have a bright future in Minnesota.
Maybe Jackson should be secretly hoping for a release. He would certainly catch on somewhere and sometimes a change of scenery is exactly what a struggling player needs. He has always been talented, but he remains unpolished despite entering his fourth season. Maybe a different setting and a good coaching staff could get Jackson to realize his potential.
Brett Favre appeared on “Joe Buck Live” on Monday and spoke about his possible comeback, the health of his arm and meeting with the Vikings.
Here are the nuts and bolts of what Favre said in the interview:
“If it ever gets to the point where it feels like it did before it started hurting, then the biggest question mark is out of the way,” Favre said.
Favre said Vikings coach Brad Childress wanted him to attend Minnesota’s recent organized team activities, but he declined.
“I figured there would be a media frenzy if I was there,” he said. “And there would be a media frenzy if I couldn’t play, if we had to say three weeks later, ‘You know, his arm’s just not up to par. He can’t play.’
“So why not have just one media frenzy, and that be later on?”
Asked by Buck if he would play this season, Favre replied, “Um … ” After a pause, he said, “Maybe.”
“I know people are tired of it, really,” Favre said earlier of the drama that accompanies his annual waffling over retirement. “My intentions are not to — although it’s good for you — create controversy.”
“It makes a lot of sense because the pieces are in place,” Favre said.
He said he met with a Vikings trainer Sunday to go over some arm exercises as part of his rehab, but the team has not made plans to evaluate his readiness to play. Favre said his conversations with Vikings officials have been infrequent and limited.
“Nothing other than, ‘Are you interested?’” he said. “And vice versa.”
Favre didn’t really say anything new in the interview. We already knew he wants to play for the Vikings and the Vikings only, but can’t make a decision until he sees how his arm will react to the surgery. The Vikings want him to play, but are in a holding pattern because of his arm.
So now everyone waits until Favre tests out his arm. And while we wait, the media should have daily reports on which way Favre parts his hair, what kind of pillow he chooses to sleep on and whether or not he prefers grape or strawberry jelly.
According to a report by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Vikings will sign free agent quarterback Brett Favre if he’ll agree to a contract that is largely incentive-based.
Yes, this is it: If Favre is willing to sign a contract with an option that will determine his pay based on how he performs and how much he plays, the Wilf family will go all out to add Favre to the team. The contract will not be guaranteed. It could have some good incentive clauses that will pay Favre well if he can perform like he did in 2007, when he led the Packers to a 13-3 record and was an intercepted pass away from going to the Super Bowl. On the other hand, if he fails to produce, he will get paid for just the time he was with the team. With the economy as poor as it is, the Wilfs aren’t going to sign Favre to a guaranteed contract and then find out he can’t perform. But they are willing to pay him big money if he can produce.
Once Favre agrees to that option clause in the contract, some coaches will meet the 39-year-old star here or at a mutually decided site, and he will work out to demonstrate to the coaches that his recent shoulder surgery was a success and he is ready to perform in the NFL like he did in the first eight games last year for the Jets until he was injured. Of course, he will have to pass a normal physical.
This is news, but then it isn’t. Of course the Vikings would sign Favre if he would agree to an incentive-based deal – why wouldn’t they? They would be signing a player they want, all while protecting themselves in the process.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see if Favre would be willing to play on an incentive-based deal. If he truly just wants to play for the love of the game (and stick to Packers’ GM Ted Thompson as he’s already indicated) then he should be willing to accept a deal in which he only gets paid if he plays and/or performs well. If he wouldn’t be willing to do that, then I question his motives for wanting to return.
Well apparently his family booked hotel rooms for the same weekend that the Vikings are in Green Bay to play the Packers next season. So you know what that means right?!
Absolutely nothing. Or maybe it means he’s going to sign with the Vikings. Or maybe he’s going to return to the Packers. Or maybe his family is just outright f’ing with us and decided to book a bunch of hotel rooms for that weekend just for the sheer joy of watching writers everywhere scramble to their computers believing they have the mother of all stories, when in fact they have something about as useful as Jose Canseco without steroids. (And if that’s the case then - touche, Favre family.)
On Monday, ESPN.com released a report that stated that the Vikings had given Brett Favre an ultimatum and a deadline of this week to tell them whether or not he wants to play next season.
But according to Sirius NFL Radio host Pat Kirwan, the story is untrue and Kirwan even went as far as to say it was made up.
Here’s the conversation between Kirwin and his co-host Tim Ryan today.
Kirwan: “I heard you talking about Brett Favre, every show has been talking about him. I’ve got a couple of things to say. First off, let me make sure I’m clear on this to everyone who is listening. There is no deadline for Brett Favre to come in by Friday. There is zero deadline. The story was made up, it’s not true and trust me on that.”
Ryan: “I still think he’s coming July 15. By then he’ll be signed up for the Minnnesota Vikings. ESPN calling it shoulder surgery, the biceps tendon attaches to a point up on the shoulder, did have that thing cleared out. We’ve been talking about it for a couple of months. That if he had the surgery he was coming back. It’s clear Favre’s on his way to Minnesota.”
Kirwan: “Favre is on his way to Minnesota and it may be around July 15. It might be earlier. Remember how we said [that] first Step 1 is he healthy enough to play? He’s in the process of having that resolved. Step 2, get a contract done. We don’t think that’s going to be a problem either so the first two hurdles are going to be easy to fly over and then come in and be part of this program. With the OTAs winding down, and maybe that’s a good thing because he’s not ready to throw, and all the business that goes on with football. Maybe it’s better if he comes in at a quiet period of time and gets ready to roll. But I think you’re right on it, I think he’s on his way in. Friday may come and Friday may go and it will have nothing to do with him in a purple uniform.”
I wrote yesterday how I thought if the Vikings did set a deadline of this week, that it was a little premature. I highly doubt ESPN made the story up, but obviously something isn’t right here. When you go on ESPN.com, their story is still at the top of the page, so clearly they’re sticking to the report.
It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the week plays out.
According to a report by ESPN.com, the Vikings want a decision from Brett Favre on whether or not he wants to play for them sometime this week.
This is a smart move by the Vikings. They know Favre is the king of waffling and they can’t continue to wait on him and keep current quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson in limbo. The season is still months away, but OTAs wrap up this week and training camp will begin in about a month so they need a decision.
But this hardly seems realistic. According to the ESPN article, Favre has done some light throwing following recent surgery to repair a tear in the biceps of his throwing arm, but he doesn’t feel confident enough yet to definitively say that he’s coming back. And if Favre doesn’t believe he’s at full strength, why would the Vikings rush a decision from him?
If Favre believes he’ll be healthy in two to three weeks and the Vikings truly want him, then they should allow him that time and then hold a workout. If he’s ready to go, then they can sign him in time for training camp. If he doesn’t feel that his arm is 100%, then they can move on without him and go with Rosenfels or Jackson. But even after all of this will-he-or-won’t-he-come-back discussion that has been drummed up over the past couple weeks, the Vikings giving him a deadline of this week still seems a little premature.
Then again, Favre can’t be trusted when it comes to making a firm decision, so I don’t blame Minnesota for giving him an ultimatum with a deadline. The Vikings have an entire team to think about – not just a decision about whether or not to sign Favre.
I just don’t know if a couple of days is a long enough for Favre to know whether or not he’s completely healthy. I can certainly understand the Vikings wanting to put pressure on him to make a decision if he were healthy, but it’s out of his hands whether or not his arm will be completely ready by the end of the Vikings’ supposed deadline.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Vikings hold him to this deadline and more importantly, whether or not they’ll officially move on if he tells them he still needs more time.
According to a report by ESPN.com, Brett Favre underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn biceps in his throwing arm, but it’s still unclear at this point if he’ll comeback this season.
A month ago, Favre tried some non-surgical procedures in efforts to get back onto the field this season. He had cortisone injections and also tried exercise therapies that included weight lifting in efforts to release the damaged tendon naturally. But neither worked because he was still having trouble in throwing sessions and that’s why he opted to have surgery.
If the surgery worked and he’s able to throw at or near 100% without any pain, he’s expected to come back. But if he were still limited after testing the arm, then his most recent comeback would appear to be dead in the water.
One thing is for sure: Favre wants to come back. He wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble if he didn’t have intentions of playing. But the problem (outside of whether or not he can still throw the ball without pain) is that the Vikings want to see him throw in one of their camps. They wrap up their OTA sessions this week, so that means if they’re going to sign him, it’ll be before training camp starts in another month.
It’s a waiting game now; if Favre can throw without pain, then the Vikings will probably sign him and get him into camp. If he’s still having trouble throwing, then his comeback will be derailed, possibly forever. It’s all on Favre’s biceps now. (Or so it would appear.)
Remember when we were instructed to draft running backs with our first two, and in some cases, our first four, fantasy football picks? Yeah, that was so 1999. Heck, that was so 2004 or 2005 when LT and Shaun Alexander were dominating the gridiron. But a funny thing has happened. Running backs by committee are not only keeping legs fresh, they are wreaking havoc on fantasy rosters. Also, a recent trend toward pass-happy offenses is making quarterbacks and receivers more valuable. Last season, QBs were dominating — here is how the Top 10 QBs finished fantasy-wise in 2008 (your league may have scored differently than mine) and what you can expect from them in 2009:
1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Brees fell 15 yards short of Dan Marino’s single season passing yards record, finishing with 5069 yards, along with 34 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Is he going to match that? There’s no reason to believe he won’t.
2. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—I had LT last year and one of the reasons his stats suffered was because this guy kept throwing the damn ball. Rivers threw for 4009 yards with 34 TDs and just 11 picks. This year, will they go back to more of a run-first offense? Probably not — not with LT a year older.
3. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals—Ah, the Fountain of Youth is a beautiful thing. Warner drank from it often, and of course when you have guys named Boldin and Fitzgerald to throw to, it can make you look good and feel ten years younger. Still, who expected 4582 yards and 30 touchdowns with 14 picks and a trip to the Super Bowl? Not me. This year, Warner may not have Boldin, who just keeps whining about his contract, but don’t think the QB’s numbers will suffer all that much.
4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—Brett who? You certainly won’t hear anyone blaming the Packers’ 6-10 season on Rodgers. It was in fact their defense that failed them, because Rodgers passed for 4038 yards with 28 TDs and 13 interceptions. And just for kicks, Favre’s numbers with the Jets were 3472 yards, but 22 TDs and league leading 22 picks. Going into 2009, Rodgers’ stock has to be even higher.
5. Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos—On what planet does 4526 yards and 25 touchdown passes get you run out of town? In Denver, where new coach Josh McDaniel screwed up and tried to trade for Matt Cassel. Oops. Cutler is now in Chicago, so that means his fantasy stock automatically drops a few notches.
6. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—The Colts got off to a horrible start and in fact didn’t win the division for the first time in years. But Manning finished strong, with 4002 yards, 27 TDs and just 12 picks. Marvin Harrison is no longer catching his passes, but that doesn’t mean Manning doesn’t have weapons.
7. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles—It was a roller coaster season in 2008, but the Eagles came within about a quarter of reaching the Super Bowl. Somehow McNabb held it together (what, they have ties in the NFL?) and wound up having a great season, passing for 3916 yards with 23 TD passes and 11 picks. He only had 147 rushing yards and 2 rushing scores, but that’s what Philly has Brian Westbrook for. McNabb is getting long in the tooth, but he’s smarter and as accurate as ever.
8. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys—Okay, so there may be trouble in paradise and there is no T.O. anymore, but Romo is still a very good fantasy QB. His 3448 yards and 26 TDs were a bit off his 2007 pace (4211, 36 TDs), but part of that is because he missed a few games with a thumb injury.
9. Matt Cassel, New England Patriots—With zero pro experience and almost zero college experience, who would have thought Matt Cassel could come in for Tom Brady and have the season he did? Okay, so he is no Brady, but Brady is in a class of his own anyway. Cassel’s 3490 yards with 21 TD passes and just 10 interceptions were good enough to land him the starting job in Kansas City. How that will affect his fantasy stats remains to be seen, but don’t expect too much of a drop-off on an improved Chiefs’ team.
10. Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins—You know Chad is still gloating after being pushed out of New York by Brett Favre, and then leading his Dolphins to the division title. Pennington is always risky as a fantasy QB because of injuries and inconsistency, but 3653 yards and 19 TDs is not shabby, nor was his microscopic total of 7 picks. If he stays healthy, Chad should have another good season.
The other name you’ll have to consider in 2009 is Brady. He missed the final 15 ¾ of the season after getting knocked out of the opener against Kansas City, but early reports are that Brady is looking and feeling great and will be at full strength in 2009. Randy Moss is salivating, and so will fantasy owners, though they will do so skeptically.
Are you ready for some football? I know I am and feel great just talking about it!
- SPORTSbyBROOKS details the budding feud between Fran Tarkenton and Marcellus Wiley over what Tarkenton said about Brett Favre.
- As a caucasian baller myself, I could be offended by the tribute that WITH LEATHER posted, but I’m not. It was funny, especially the part about Dirk.
- DEADSPIN has video of some of the cooler kids in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, including one little dude who likes cookies more than Erin Andrews.
Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, appearing on 790 The Zone in Atlanta, said “it’s all about” Favre when discussing the subject and also had some interesting comments about NFL owners in general. Tarkenton, a resident of the Atlanta area, didn’t need any encouragement to go after Favre and was especially critical of how the future Hall of Fame QB has treated the Packers after playing 16 seasons in Green Bay.
“I think it’s despicable. What he put the Packers through last year was not good,” said Tarkenton, who played for the Vikings from 1961-66 and again from 1972-78. ”Here’s an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn’t about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favre’s of the world so much, they think it’s about them. He goes to New York and bombs. He’s 39 years old. How would you like Ray Nitschke in his last year [playing for] the Vikings, or I retire, and go play for the Packers? I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail.”
Favre did the retirement dance with Green Bay for multiple years and then ultimately got upset with the team when they decided to finally commit to Aaron Rodgers (after giving Brett at least two chances to return) last offseason. Then he wanted to be traded, so the Packers obliged. Then he retired after one year with the Jets, but now wants to play for the Vikings to burn Green Bay GM Ted Thompson. And for what?
Favre should have played in Green Bay until his arm fell off. He would have been a hero not only in Green Bay, but he would have been one of the biggest sports figures to have ever played. Instead, fans are tired of hearing about him and even a Hall of Famer is calling his actions ‘despicable.’ It’s sad in a lot of ways, because we’re talking about one of the best quarterbacks of all time, yet he has set himself up to be criticized with the way he’s acted the past couple of years.
- NYTIMES says that Chinese fans are predicting a LeBron/Yao pairing after a Hong Kong-based company bought a minority stake in the Cavs.
- ZONER SPORTS has quotes from former Viking Fran Tarkenton calling Favre “despicable” for his will he/won’t he dance he does every summer. Though to say that Favre bombed with the Jets is a little harsh. He was in the MVP conversation after beating the Titans and before the biceps injury.
- DEADSPIN has some details on that…um…unique looking guy (Jim Goldstein) that has sat courtside at just about every big NBA game this postseason.
According to SI.com’s Peter King, the “mating dance” that Brett Favre is currently doing with the Vikings (or is it the other way around?) will be over sometime this week.
He’s going to have a make a decision whether to join the Vikings very soon, probably by this weekend, because the Vikings want to know what their 2009 future is at quarterback. I’m told the organization won’t wait for a decision much longer, and if he has to get a minor operation to snip the damaged right biceps tendon that has been giving him pain, he has to do it soon. Like, within a week.
I get the strong sense that if the Vikings are going to do any deal with Favre that coach Brad Childress wants to be assured that Favre will report to training camp in game shape, with no restrictions on throwing or his condition. They’d also like Favre to be involved in the mental part of team activities before camp. He has missed the first week of Organized Team Activities (last week), and he’s all but out of this weekend’s final mandatory full-squad mini-camp before training camp. Ten OTA practices remain for the Vikings — June 2-5, June 8-11 and June 15-16.
Although he’s a very reliable source, the notion that this Favre-Vikings charade will be over by this weekend seems to be more of King’s opinion than a factual statement. Since he knows the Vikings won’t wait much longer, King seems to be estimating that Minnesota will have a decision by Favre by this weekend. But everyone knows that Favre has a tendency to drag things out, so who knows.
I agree that the Vikings probably won’t be willing to wait much longer on Favre. They traded for Sage Rosenfels this offseason and aren’t completely ready to give up on former second round draft pick Tarvaris Jackson either. So if Favre can’t make up his mind soon, I would have to image that Brad Childress and company will go forward with what they have.
If you’ve never seen Al Davis rap, you’re going to want to check out the latest ‘toon by the guys at Bang! Cartoon because it might be their best to date. Aside from handing Al the mic, Bang! also checks in with the Bengals as they prepare for HBO’s latest edition of “Hard Knocks” and have an update on Brett Favre and “Retirement III.”
On Monday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Brett Favre would have surgery at the end of the week to repair a tear in his right biceps so that he could eventually sign with the Vikings. But ESPN.com’s Ed Werder is disputing that claim and says that Favre doesn’t want to have surgery.
Favre, however, remains focused on non-surgical options, including cortisone injections and natural movements like light throwing and bicep curls that might cause the tendon to release naturally, the source told ESPN. If the tendon releases and the pain subsides, Favre is virtually certain to play again. If he has surgery and his arm strength diminishes or the pain remains, he will remain retired, the source said.
At 39, Favre believes the less he has to do to correct the problem the better as he believes he still possesses the arm strength he had 10 years ago. The difference now is the injury is causing pain. According to the source, Favre will return to the NFL to play for the Minnesota Vikings if the tendon ruptures and it makes him pain-free. If he submits to arthroscopic surgery and it fails to resolve the problem, then Favre intends to remain retired.
Either way, Favre is losing patience, causing the source to say the shoulder problem must be overcome soon or Favre is likely to abandon his effort to play a 19th NFL season.
It’s past the point where we should question anything the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports about Favre. It’s almost becoming second hat that when they report something, it’s going to be disputed the next day by a major media outlet, although ESPN did take the bait yesterday in regards to this story, because they linked to the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Favre-surgery report themselves.
It’s getting harder and harder to decipher whether or not Favre will play next year. One moment it looks like he’s doing everything he can to return, and the next it looks like he’ll stay retired. The key hurdle seems to be his health and whether or not he can play without having surgery. In the end, maybe he’ll throw his hands up to the situation and stay retired after all.
According to a report by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Brett Favre is scheduled to meet with Dr. James Andrews to discuss having a procedure done to repair his torn right biceps tendon.
Surgery to release the tendon is considered routine and is expected to be performed by Andrews later this week. Rehabilitation for Favre would be six to eight weeks.
If it goes well, Farve, who will turn 40 in October, is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
Favre missed a scheduled appointment with Andrews last week.
The torn biceps tendon is one of several sources of pain in Favre’s shoulder, but could be the most correctable. If cutting the biceps tendon doesn’t eliminate the pain, Favre would have to consider whether other more complex surgical procedures are worth undergoing. That could hinder chances of him signing with the Vikings.
The St. Pioneer Press has been hit and miss with its Favre coverage so far, but ESPN.com cited the same story so there might be some truth to this.
What’ll be interesting to see is if Favre does have the surgery, will the Vikings sign him before they see him throw? That would be a ridiculous notion, but maybe they already have an agreement in place that if he has successful surgery, they’ll sign him no matter what. I would have to imagine that the Vikings would want their doctors to check him out before they sign him, but who knows. Favre seems hell bent on playing and if the Vikings are hell bent on signing him, then there might be nothing stopping him from donning purple and white next season.
Thanks to Big League Stew, I stumbled upon this little eight-minute documentary about modern-day card collecting. Anthony Stalter watched it as well, so we’re going to discuss how card collecting has changed throughout the years.
John Paulsen: For me, card collecting started with basketball. I was never really into baseball as a kid (mostly because my dad preferred basketball and football, which he played in college), so my focus was on other sports. I had some old Topps football and basketball cards from the late ‘60s and ’70s, but I don’t really remember how I acquired them. Basketball cards were defunct for a while — Michael Jordan’s “real” rookie card could only be found in a regional set produced by Star — and once the mid-90’s hit, the NBA’s popularity blew up, so did the prices of those Star sets from the ’80s. I got into collecting for two reasons: 1) because I liked basketball (and to a lesser extent, football) and 2) I thought it was an investment that I could someday pass onto my son to teach him about the history of the sport (and about investing). Unfortunately, by the time I had some real money to spend on cards (when I was in college), the basketball card industry was so saturated with all the different brands and sets. Instead of going out and buying one or two rookie cards of your favorite player, now there’s 10 or 15 or more amongst all these different brands. The old rookie cards are iconic. I can still picture the first cards for Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, as well as Jordan’s Star rookie and his Fleer rookie, which came a few years later. With so many different brands/lines floating around, rookie cards have lost their appeal. The whole industry has lost its appeal for me, which is depressing because I probably have a few thousand cards stored under my bed that are worth a fraction of what they were 15-20 years ago. I was more of an individual card buyer than a pack or a box buyer. I bought a few packs and boxes in my day, but all those “commons” seemed like a waste. Anthony — how did you get into collecting and what do you think of the industry today?
According to a report by ESPN.com, Brett Favre consulted Dr. James Andrews, a highly respected doctor among athletes, on what kind of exercises would help strengthen his biceps injury so he wouldn’t have to go under the knife.
The development further indicates Favre’s willingness to consider coming out of retirement to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, particularly if there is a non-surgical solution to his damaged shoulder.
The source said Andrews and Favre experimented with one of several exercises that could accelerate the process of the tendon releasing on its own. During an interview with ESPN in February, Favre mentioned that he had a partially torn biceps tendon in his left shoulder during his Green Bay Packers career and that the pain subsided once it completely tore naturally.
If that fails to produce the desired results, it remains uncertain whether Favre would endure even arthroscopic surgery to prolong his career to a 19th season. A source close to Favre described that as an option but a projected 3-6 week rehabilitation is unappealing to the quarterback, who will apparently require no therapy if the tendon can be forced to tear through the exercise regimen.
This report doesn’t necessarily mean that Favre intends on playing again next season, but it sure as hell looks like he’s trying to do everything in his power in order to come back. (And I do mean everything seeing as how he has been working out with a high school team to stay in shape.)
