Top 3 Reasons YOU CAN'T BLAME BRETT FAVRE

When it looked like Brett Favre's final throw in professional football would not be an interception, Brett Favre's final throw in professional football might be another interception. While his retirement remains a subject of debate in football circles, Brett Favre remains one of the longest lasting athletes of our or any generation. Guiding his Minnesota Vikings to the 2009 NFC Championship game against the favoured New Orleans Saints, Favre was within touching distance of returning to the Big Game. However, he isn't the NFL's record holder for interceptions for nothing.

With the score tied 28-28 late in the fourth quarter, Favre elected to pass back across his body into the middle of the field after scrambling out of the pocket. As the ball fluttered towards his favourite Viking target, receiver Sidney Rice (no relation to Jerry, I think), Saints defensive back Tracy Porter made the key pick to stall the drive, and bring on overtime where the Saints won on a field goal 31-28.

As much as the magical Brett Favre may throw bonehead passes, I elect to give him a pass; here are three reasons why...

Here are game highlights for those that missed it!

3) Vikings coach Brad Childress

With a new contract extension in tow, Brad Childress played the good soldier in the post-game press conference to accept the blame for a team penalty prior to the critical Favre blunder. As the Vikings left their huddle, referees noticed there were too many men on the field for the Vikings (12). Now in most sports, if you have more than the number of players allowed on the playing surface, you get a penalty; don't believe me, ask Don Cherry (Skip to about 3 minutes in). If Childress made sure the right number of Vikings were on the field (11), the play would go ahead without infringement and the proceeding play that followed, which is Favre's interception, would never happen.

Dear Riders fans, you are not alone after all...

2) The Minnesota Vikings

Yes, Favre threw two interceptions, when he twice attempted dangerous passes to keyed-on Vikings receiver Sidney Rice. The first was over the middle as the linebackers closed down the passing lane, and the second when Saints defensive back Tracy Porter closed off the backside pass in the fourth quarter. However fans of football, much less Vikings fans, should weigh the following before casting judgment:

1) "Playoff performer" Adrian Peterson's fumble in the red zone in the first half to deny the Vikings. If the Vikings score at least a field goal in that series, then the game would never go to overtime and the Vikings would be in the Super Bowl.
2) Rookie Percy Harvin's two rookie mistakes he made in the fourth quarter: Cutting back on a busted handoff play, and then fumbling the ball against his leg.
3) Berrian reaching for a first down after a completed pass from Favre in the fourth quarter drops the football at the feet of a Saints defender coming to assist in the tackle.
4) The Vikings defense for giving up the middle of the field in overtime so Saints quarterback Drew Brees could complete his short yardage passes over the middle, and then get teammate and kicker Harwell into position for a game-winning field goal.
5) The Vikings loser that picked "Heads" on the coin toss in overtime (I'm just kidding).
6) Favre's interception was in the FOURTH QUARTER; all events in the first four quarters of the game had no bearing on what happened in OVERTIME!

Before the end of the 2009 regular season, NFL Network listed the Minnesota Vikings as #2 in their list of the NFL's snakebitten franchises. Gary Anderson?!

The #1 Reason you can't blame Brett Favre...

1) The New Orleans Saints

If you watched the highlights of the game, seen the Saints play during the season, then you know the Saints as a complete team. Their motors never quit, following the ball and seeking every opportunity to make a big play (See Week 12 @ Redskins). On offense, Saints running backs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas share their rushing duties providing healthy doses of speed and toughness to the ground game. With a myriad of receivers, Drew Brees achieved dominance over the air in both NFC playoff games (vs Cardinals in Divisional round, vs Vikings in Championship). The key to the Saints' defense is pursuit as they never give up on a play, as evident in the five Vikings turnovers in the NFC Championship. Coach Sean Payton has a team that believes they can win, and a city that believes in them as well. Go Saints!
The New Orleans Saints wanted it more, and they got it. However, I cannot help but imagine what that game would look like WITHOUT those Vikings turnovers?

Quick Clips

Here are updates on blog postings from the previous year

1) Allen Iverson returned to the Philadelphia Sixers to resurrect a dying franchise. Perhaps there is more to this move than meets the "I"? Anyway, here is hoping Iverson can close his career on a high note (according to Yahoo! Sports, "The Sixers would owe just under $650,000 if they guarantee his contract for the remainder of the season on Jan. 10"). No pun intended...!

2) K is for Karma: Somewhere after goal #14 and before goal #16 in Team Canada's penultimate group stage clash against the upstart national junior team from Latvia in the World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon, someone on that bench had to think "shouldn't we stop scoring, I mean we might need two goals later on?"

As I told my buddy Carlos at work, it's hockey: If we wait long enough, the Americans will forget they won the whole thing.

3) Hey! Mexico has a World Junior Hockey Team! They played in the Division II tournament of this year's championships in Debrecen, Hungary. They didn't do too well, but you must start somewhere :)

C is for CLASS

The World Junior Hockey Championships began on Boxing Day in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with the host country's youngsters opening the tournament with a 16-0 drubbing of Latvia. I don't agree with everything Don Cherry says, but when it comes to issues of class and honour he is spot on. For those who want to know here is a link to Scott Fisher's report of the game on the Toronto Sun website.

Canada, did we really need to light the lamp sixteen times on Latvia? What was the motive: Returning earlier favours to the powerful Latvians? Sending a message to the tiny Baltic nation in case we meet again in the playoff rounds? As if the match was not a forlorn conclusion at 5-0 or 6-0, but sixteen goals?

CBC said "Canada defeats Latvia in style" and includes a picture of Canadian players celebrating in front of Latvia's bench. The Star questions the necessity of the 16-0 scoreline on their website, so there are some people in Canada that question the players need to go over the top. TSN would not except anything less than one goal against, so I neglected to provide a link to their pro-Canadian bias, over-the-top, fate of the world at stake reporting of the 16-0 'thumping'...?

I couldn't help it; I had to include it.

Going back to what I said earlier, Don Cherry acknowledges the presence of 'the karma of the game' and 'hockey gods'. When scores such as 16-0 or 82-0 (see Women's Hockey: Slovakia vs Bulgaria) take place, the gods have a way of administering payback in future games, if not the next game. Dear Canada, when you are down 1-0 and hitting post after post to a team that took only one shot on net, remember this day.

Sixty Seven: Trials and Tribulations of a Leafs Fan

My boss is a Bruins fan, and Monday was the first day of work since my Leafs beat his Bruins 2-0 in a regular season game on Saturday. My new co-worker is a Leafs fan as well, but he loves to rub things like this in. I used to do that, but when I realized Leafs fans like me did similar things since '67, I stopped (almost).

Is this our existence? Is this the end for us? Will we end up like our beleaguered baseball brothers forced to live out our lives paired on random benches spouting cliches about days gone by such as...

"Joe Carter worked for peanuts, LITERALLY worked for peanuts!"

"Who scored that goal in '93? Was it McDonald?" "Borschevsky." "Who?" "BORSCHEVSKY!" "Never heard of him..."

"This will be the Cubs year..."

When I move out, I'm changing teams...

(Special thanks to "TheMadHockeyBlogger" and "beachdust" from the Youtube community for video credits)

Step on a Stepbrother?

(But she's so pretty! I mean the other women look like they lost a fight with a 'two by four'... Oops!)

I haven't updated my blog in awhile. The last month at work was hectic, and I did not have lots of time and energy to spend on The Franchise. While I have a spare moment, I decided to talk about this month's current hot topic.

Since 1997, my stepbrother, whom my Mom claimed as her 'pride and joy' until recently, won every title imaginable. I believed Tiger Woods was the yardstick by which Mom measured my accomplishments, so it was easy to feel in second place. His greatest accomplishment on a golf course, which is his U.S. Open victory in 2007, remains the most remarkable individual sporting moment I ever saw; what is more incredible is that he played better golf on one leg than most if not all golfers in the world on two. Nevertheless, Tiger Woods was 'everything my Mom ever wanted in a son', until...

It would be easy to harp on Tiger after recent news of his infidelity drove the #1 golfer to playing his home golf course in the still of night. I am disappointed not just because a man cheated on his wife and kids, thus crippling the family unit, but another one of my heroes went out like a villain.

Keep in mind Tiger was once 'everything my Mom ever wanted in a son', so excuse me for not celebrating my return to the good graces of my Momzo. Tiger's story is similar to that of many young men in this world: How many young men with money, fame, power, ability, or intellect ever heard the world tell them 'No'? Nothing is impossible for us, and when we are successful the world is our biggest fan. There are examples of this everywhere: Asking for our autographs, shaking our hands, sliding a free drink down to us at the local, and as Frank Herzog of 'Skins radio fame said in an interview "giving us all the goodies - even the cocaine", or the women.

Whether we are athletes, analysts, prognosticators or die-hard fans, each of us have a duty to each other and to those we hold dear to keep things in perspective and not fall victim to the hype around our money, fame, power, ability, or intellect. After all, when those things go away, character is all you have to your name and that never goes out of style.

Happy Holidays

This is Phil Wood from The Franchise wishing all my readers a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for your support in 2009, and best wishes to you and yours in 2010.

UEFA: Pony Up

No, I'm not talking about that debacle in France, I'm talking about the 1973 Cup Winners' Cup Final between AC Milan and Leeds United. While the match ended 1-0 in favour of the Italian giants, everyone who witnessed it will remember it as referee Christos Michas' last day.

1. Referee Christos Michas took bribes throughout his career as a soccer referee.
2. Referee Christos Michas took bribes for that game.
3. Referee Christos Michas admitted in court he took bribes for that game.
4. AC Milan, who realized referee Christos Michas was on the take, took advantage of the non-calls and went after Leeds United players with cheap tackles and cheap shots.
5. With the match held in Greece, neutral spectators yelled "cheat" from the stands as the match continued.

I know it is impossible to replay the match as the players involved retired or passed on, and taking medals away from AC Milan would not be right. However, awarding Leeds Utd a champions' medal after the fact would be a gesture of good faith, and show that 'No, UEFA is not an ivory tower establishment'.

Don't believe me? Look at this, and then THIS!

UEFA, do the right thing: Give Leeds their due.