From The Editor's Desk
Re-Writing Favre
By Tony DeFazio

Aren't you sick of Brett Favre? Sick of the hype, tired of the drama, weary from all the media coverage? Certainly the nation's newspapers, message boards and radio call-in shows give the idea that a lot of people are sick of Favre.

Brett ends yet another NFC Championship game with an interception

Title run ends: Joy in Green Bay.

Favre's altering his legacy.

Am I missing something?

Yes, of course I saw his interceptions in the Vikings' NFC title loss to the Saints. But I also two Adrian Peterson fumbles and another by Percy Harvin.

I'm not going make excuses for Favre's final pick, a poor decision that cost the team a chance to go to the Super Bowl. But I do wonder where all this anti-Favre sentiment comes from.

I'm told that he brings it on himself, that we should have a problem with him stringing teams along, holding them hostage, putting his own personal agenda ahead of the team.

Isn't there a Hall of Fame college football coach a few miles to the east who's been doing the exact same thing for the past decade?

I'm told we should have a problem with Favre skipping the early days of training camp and not showing up until it suits his schedule.

Interesting that we don't cast those same aspersions on Troy Polamalu, who didn't bother showing up to any Steelers OTAs last year, instead choosing to prepare for the season on his own. That training kept him healthy enough to play in just five games during the season. Favre, by the way, hasn't missed an NFL game since Polamalu was an 11-year-old.

So Brett Favre ended "another" NFC title game with an interception. So what? He took teams to five such games, winning two. I can think of a few quarterbacks who would love to own a 2-3 record in championship games. I'm pretty certain Dan Marino is one.

So Brett Favre has thrown more interceptions than anyone else in the history of the NFL? So what? Karl Malone committed 4,524 turnovers over his illustrious NBA career. The great Warren Spahn allowed 434 home runs. Reggie Jackson struck out 2,597 times. Gump Worsley lost 352 NHL games.

As for Favre tarnishing his legacy?

Let's go back to Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals. Chicago trails Utah by one. Michael Jordan moves past halfcourt, guarded closely by Byron Russell, the game clock and the shot clock winding down. Russell reaches, MJ crosses him over, Russell slips to the hardwood. Jordan rises from the floor to launch his shot. The crowd goes quiet. Time stops. The ball floats through the air in perfect rotation. Nothing but net.

Jordan raises his arms. The Bulls win their sixth NBA title.

That's how we remember Michael Jordan going out. It's not how he actually went out, of course, but it's what we remember.

In real life, five years after leading the Bulls to that sixth title, a weary Jordan shuffled off the court after scoring 15 points in the Washington Wizards' 107-87 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Wayne Gretzky didn't make the playoffs in his farewell either. The Great One picked up an assist on the Rangers only goal in a 2-1 overtime loss the Penguins on the final day of the regular season in April, 1999.

Dan Marino? He was 11-for-25 for 95 yards and three turnovers in his finale, an embarrassing 62-7 playoff loss to Jacksonville.

Yet somehow, when Jordan, Marino and Gretzky were inducted into their respective sports Halls of Fame, it wasn't those not-so-great exits that we remember. It was the glorious moments.

And it will be the same way with Brett Favre.

Tony DeFazio is the editor of the Pittsburgh Sports Report.