Favre’s Short Return To Green Bay Over?

Packers return might be over after six hours of meeting with head coach Mike McCarthy

The most relentless sports story of the summer took yet another twist on Tuesday. After being reinstated into the National Football League and put on the Green Bay Packers’ active roster, Brett Favre spent a total of six hours over two days meeting with head coach Mike McCarthy to discuss just what direction they were heading in. According to McCarthy, Favre just isn’t in the right state of mind to play football for the Packers. He is still scarred emotionally for what has transpired between himself and the organization over the past several weeks.  And so, he left Lambeau after meeting with McCarthy. Future meetings will take place, but there’s no promise of any progress on the horizon.

This newest revelation is just another form of BS that’s been stewing since Favre decided to reverse his retirement and make a return to the NFL. The real story here is that while No. 4 wants to be under center next season, he doesn’t want to do it with Green Bay. The ball isn’t being handed to him and he doesn’t very much like that. He claims to be okay with competing against Aaron Rogers for the starting job, who has rightfully gained a lot of support from the team to be the starting QB next season. But I truly believe Favre has the mentality that he shouldn’t have to compete with anybody to be the quarterback of the team he became an NFL legend on. At the mere announcement of his intended return, Favre should have automatically been named the team’s starting QB almost instantly.

Well, Brett, it doesn’t work like that. For as good as you’ve been, your tenure with Green Bay was over. And I don’t want to hear anymore that he felt forced into a decision by the team. The same legendary status he believes should make him the unquestioned starting quarterback should have provided the same leverage for Favre to tell management that he was taking his time with a decision about retirement. How the hell was the team going to rush Brett “freakin’” Favre into a decision about his future?

I don’t think they did. And it was Favre’s fault in the first place that he was out of a job. And when he was gone, the team went in a new direction. After grooming Rogers for three years, it was finally time for him to take over as the new franchise quarterback. And while many feel Favre makes the team better, there’s no legitimate evidence to prove it can’t do just as well, if not better, with Rogers. Those plans shouldn’t change just because Favre all of a sudden decided to change his mind.  If he wasn’t sure in the first place about his playing future, he should have waited to announce a decision. The word “retirement” needs to be made significant again.

Favre’s selfishness has put the team in quite a bind the last few weeks and really caused a distraction for all players involved. It’s unfortunate that the antics of the same man who built this team up has now aided in bringing it down a peg. With McCarthy taking charge, the Packers should be all right. But Favre’s almost daily coverage has caused some serious interference over the normal course of action I’m sure McCarthy would have liked for training camp.

The only solution that remains is a trade. For Packers fans, it will be weird to see Favre in another uniform. He’s an idol to the cheeseheads. But, it’s Rogers’ time now and I think he’ll do great in the job he’s been preparing three years to take over. The two teams being dicussed as potential destinations for Favre are Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Minnesota would be a good fit for Favre, but I highly doubt Green Bay is even remotely interested in trading Favre within the NFC North. As a result, Favre might be okay with a move to the Buccaneers. I still wouldn’t count out a team like the New York Jets, though, who play all the way in the AFC.

Wherever he ends up, I doubt Favre will be sporting a Packers uniform at the start of the ‘09 season. And that’s the way it should be. His recent awakening selfishness shouldn’t screw Rogers out of the job he’s waited so long to take over and the entire team away from the new direction it inacted when Favre decided to retire in the first place.

Dan Haren earns 4-year extension

Earned four-year extension and club option in 2013 with the Diamondbacks Tuesday.

When Billy Beane made his usual pitcher for prospects deal with Dan Haren, he probably figured the 27-year old right hander would follow the Barry Zito or Mark Mulder mold faster than he would perform like Tim Hudson. It turns out, Haren has done better than all three with his new team, and the Arizona Diamondbacks have rewarded their No. 2 starter with a contract extension.

The new contract runs four years and with a club option for the 2013 season. The extension totals $44.75 million and will see Haren earn $7.5 million next season, $8.5 million in 2010 and $12.75 million in 2011 and 2012. The 2013 option is worth $12 million, bringing the potential total to $56.75 million over five years. If Arizona wishes to decline the option year, they hold a $3.5 million buyout opportunity.

In today’s baseball market, numbers like that can be considered a steal considering his tremendous 12-5 season with a 2.75 ERA and 142 strikeouts through 23 starts. He has combined wit Brandon Webb (15-4) to form perhaps the strongest 1-2 starting rotation punch in the entire league. And he’s played a crucial role in getting the Diamondbacks to the top of the NL West, which they currently hold by 1.5 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Even more than just holding onto a very strong pitcher at a decent price, the Diamondbacks are retaining somebody who loves playing in Arizona.

“I knew I’d like it here, but I didn’t know I’d like it this much,” Haren said. “A lot of these guys are going to be around for a while and I’ll be one of them. I just couldn’t be happier.”

One of those players Haren hopes will be around for a long time is the man that comes before him in the rotation – the ace, Brandon Webb. Like Haren’s old deal, Webb’s current contract comes to an end in 2009 with a team option in 2010, paying him $6.5 million and $8.5 million during those years, respectively. There isn’t any progress in negotiations, as the AP reports talks have been “tabled.”

As the Diamondbacks have become accustomed to, the 29-year old Webb has been an extraordinary ace. He has 15 wins with a 3.04 ERA and 130 strikeouts through 23 starts this season. The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner is well on his way to the first 20-win campaign of his career and has earned the right to a new deal worth more money than he’s set to earn on his current contract.

With a 1-2 punch as effective as Webb and Haren rather difficult to find around the Majors, keeping them together over the long haul would serve the Diamonbacks very well. Both players are in their prime and appear content with taking less money than what would be available in two years on the free agent market. With Haren locked up, it’s imperative Arizona gets to work on doing the same thing with Webb.

1wrestling.com – The Good, The Bad, The In-The-Middle: WWE Monday Night RAW 08.04.08

Shane McMahon’s announcement last week of Mike Adamle being named the new general manager on RAW sent shockwaves through the entire wrestling universe. The decision to make Adamle the head of RAW was questionable, at best. However, a strong possibility existed that viewers would tune in anyway despite skepticism just to see exactly how bad, or perhaps surprisingly good, Adamle would turn out in his new role.

 

THE GOOD

 

Intermingled Intercontinental and Women’s Championships picture: Plenty of development took place with both the Intercontinental Title and Women’s Championship picture on RAW. Kofi Kingston and Mickie James were scheduled to defend their respective belts against their current rivals, Paul Burchill and Katie Lea, in two singles matches.

 

Kingston defended the IC belt first against Burchill in a good match between the two wrestlers. There was some solid action and little interference on the part of Katie Lea. Kingston retained the title after hitting Trouble in Paradise on Burchill and covering for the 1-2-3. Following his win, Katie Lea entered the ring and got in Kofi’s face. She attempted to distract the IC champ, but he moved out of the way when Burchill, who went sailing out of the ring, charged at him.

411mania – Inside The Penalty Box 08.05.08: Front Office Additions

Plenty of moves were made this summer to enhance their on-ice products. Now, both the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers took their changing ways upstairs, making some big moves to their front office staff heading into the 2008-09 season. In Chicago, family relations were able to force an end to the Scotty Bowman’s tenure with the Detroit Red Wings, while Kevin Lowe’s promotion to President of Hockey Operations for Rexall sports calls an end to his tenure as Oilers general manager.

Scotty Bowman Heads To Chicago

Scott Bowman Won three Stanley Cups while coaching Detroit

Scotty Bowman’s 15-year tenure with the Detroit Red Wings has come to an end. Introduced last Thursday as the new senior adviser of hockey operations with the Chicago Blackhawks, Bowman hopes to work with his son and Blackhawks assistant general manager, Stan Bowman, in making sure an impressive looking team remains on the upswing. Bowman will report to general manager Dale Tallon and serve as “an extra pair of eyes for Tallon, and to share his opinions on everything he sees, beginning in training camp,” according to The Chicago-Sun Times.

Bowman’s legacy will always be as a head coach. He spent 30 total years behind the bench starting in 1967 with the St. Louis Blues. The Blues made the Stanley Cup Finals in the first three of his four years as coach, getting swept twice by the Montreal Canadiens and once by the Boston Bruins before losing in the first round the next season. In 1971, Bowman joined the Canadiens and guided them to five Stanley Cups during his eight-year tenure, including the final four. He became general manager and also served as head coach with the Buffalo Sabres starting with the 1979-80 campaign and brought them to five straight playoff appearances. Bowman missed the playoffs in 1986 for the only time of his career when the Sabres failed to appear and was behind the bench for 12 of the Sabres’ games in 1986-87. He left in 1987 for an analyst position with the CBC. He returned in 1990 as Director of Player Personnel with the Pittsburgh Penguins and moved back behind the bench for the Penguins in 1991-92, helping them repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. He coached the Penguins one more year before heading to Detroit in 1993 and spending his final nine seasons as a head coach with the Red Wings, where he won three Cups. I’d say 30 years of coaching (one of which was only 12 games) with 28 playoff appearances and a record nine total Stanley Cups makes him the best coach in the history of NHL hockey.