Thursday, August 14, 2008

A closer look at... The Best Quarterback


The Best of Everything does have a rarely-used Sports Category; it's rarely-used because most of what I think about Sports ends up on Nonsportsmanlike Conduct!, the AlwaysMostlyRight sports blog for people who love sports but hate sports blogs.

But some sports end up here, and one of those was the nomination I put up when Brett Favre retired back in March, picking Brett Favre as The Best Quarterback Ever. At the time, that was more or less the general feeling among everyone: Brett is great, we love him, so long Brett.

Now, since he's come out of retirement, everyone's getting on him -- including "Tuesday Morning Quarterback," a writer I usually admire but who in this case piled a bunch of slander on Brett without citing any evidence to back it up. Even The Boy is upset with Brett for wanting to come back.

Why? If I were to be the greatest [something] ever -- and I am, I just don't trumpet it -- I wouldn't want to quit doing it; I also wouldn't expect that people would be mad at me if I decided I wanted to keep doing something that I was the greatest ever at.

Plus, Brett is bucking the trend; America, lately is filled with quitters, people who take a look at all their fame and fortune and skill and dump it. Actors are notorious for this -- The Friends quit their show when it was still great. Jerry Seinfeld stopped Seinfeld just as it regained its stride. That guy on "CSI" who used to be "Manhunter" is giving up being "CSI: Manhunter."

Even people who are loosely affiliated with the entertainment world suffer from the Early Quit -- Entertainment Weekly, which sometimes gets stories from people other than me, said that "Lauren" from "The Hills" is planning on quitting (because she apparently (a) thinks she could do something else to earn money and (b) is completely unfamiliar with the name "Kristen Cavallari," who can be seen these days starring in...nothing.

Yet, Americans idolize people like that, and dump all over Matt LeBlanc for wanting to continue to do something that pays him money and he's good at (i.e., playing Joey) and Brett Favre for wanting to continue to do something that pays him money and he's good at (i.e., playing football).

Why? Do they apply that logic to other people, too? When my boss gave me a raise last year, should I have said Well, I'd better go out on top, and explore other options to grow as a lawyer.

I guess I'm just lucky that every day, when I continue to get up and go into "work" and do what I'm best at (i.e., blogging instead of actual "work"), I don't have to see whole Internet columns baselessly speculating that my continued insistence that I'm a valued asset to my business makes me selfish.

So TBOE salutes you, Brett. You were, and ARE, The Best Quarterback. EVER.


For another take on Brett's return, check out Whodathunkit?! -- Brett The Jet Edition on Nonsportsmanlike Conduct!

Sports and TBOE have met before -- like when TBOE joined with Nonsportsmanlike Conduct! to countdown The Best Showdowns Between Good and Evil!


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Thinking The Lions is the only website where you can find out why Velociraptors are fake, learn how to play "Cloverfield," and otherwise follow the hilarious adventures of a guy with a lot of kids, a lot of love of 70s music, a lot of time to watch Battlestar Galactica, and a very patient wife. Life, only funnier.

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