I woke up on a usual day here at UW, content that I didn't have class until 2:25, yet had decided to wake up at 9:45 so I could get some breakfast. Then I flipped on Sportscenter, and stopped dead. I will not lie. I teared up. Brett Favre has been my role model, my hero, and my favorite NFL player since my youth. I'm only 20, so Favre has been a constant for me. Ever since I understood the concept of football, Brett Favre has been with the Packers. Now, I will have to get used to Aaron Rodgers under center, tossing bombs to Greg Jennings and Donald Driver.

It's hard to believe for me... it seems like the end of an era. Brett Favre has always been my favorite player, because of the way he comported himself, his mental and physical toughness, and his desire to play the game. Still, if what they say is true, that he no longer had the "fire" in him to prepare week in and week out, then I feel it was good for him to retire. Though right now I am heartbroken, I feel that I would rather Brett Favre go out (almost) on top. He was within a few plays of the Super Bowl, he was voted the starter for the Pro Bowl, and he had a good young team around him. Now, with Aaron Rodgers left to man a team with a lot of potential, I wish the best for him. I would rather see Brett go down on a good note than come back and be like Jerry Rice or Emmitt Smith, slowly puttering to a stop with mediocre years. Instead, his legacy is left untarnished, and he has cemented his status as one of the top 5 QB's of all time (in my mind anyways.)

I'd love to hear everyone's input on this one. In my own life, this is the sports story that has most profoundly affected me. So, I ask anyone out there who is reading, Packers fan or not, to share their favorite Brett Favre memory. It can be big, like the Super Bowl, or small, like some pass that really affected you.

One of my favorite moments was the NFC Championship game against the Panthers in 1996. Brett was being brought down for a sack (probably by Kevin Greene), and as he went down, he shoveled a pass to Dorsey Levens, who turned it into a 20 yard gain. As an 8 year old, I watched in wonderment and thought: "Brett Favre can do no wrong."

Though I've learned better than that in later years, watching way too many costly interceptions go the other way, I still had an element of child-like wonderment whenever Favre made a throw like that.