Green Bay's Circus

After doing my daily dose of reading ESPN and listening to the radio, I get the feeling No. 4 isn't going to be in Green Bay much longer. Favre and head coach Mike McCarthy met last last for multiple hours discussing Favre's future and what the flight from Mississippi was like. Mike Greenberg made a great point today. Favre doesn't want to be a distraction and Green Bay doesn't want one. Favre wants to go to Minnesota but Green Bay doesn't want to trade him there. So who gives first? How long will Favre hold a clipboard before he breaks and becomes an even bigger distraction and how long until Green Bay cracks?

My guess is that Favre isn't wearing a Green Bay uniform for much longer. At some point McCarthy and the rest of the management has to come to a sound decision and either get rid of Favre or open up the quarterback competition for real (which would go back on everything they have said since Favre first scratched his itch and be more hypocritical than when Bobby Knight joined ESPN.

I think Favre will be donning another jersey by the end of this week/start of next week. Many disagree and say he'll eventually cave in and go back to Mississippi where he has mastered the art of throwing passes to high school wideouts. But the circus usually only lasts about a week, and we are officially in Day Two of Favre in Green Bay.

Complete world domination by TEAM USA, let's go!

Where to begin?

- Only a couple of days away from "The REDEEM Team," Team USA Basketball, beginning their quest for complete domination of the entire planet Earth (seriously). I hope other basketball fans are as jacked as I am. Sunday nightwill be a beautiful sight as we get to see the host nation China go down as the first official loser by Team USA Basketball in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Wake up after a afternoon nap, fire up a pot of coffee, and enjoy some biscuits and gravy for this one because it will be morning in China. Oh yeah, George W. is making an appearance, cool. Is Mike Greenberg of "Mike & Mike in the Morning" that far off saying that Kobe Bryant will outscore an entire nation during the gold medal run? Don't be surprised, really. The amazing combination of Bryant, LeBron, Wade, and Melo might outscore the whole tourney field. Maybe. Anyone wanna buy me a KOBE Team USA jersey? With the glossy back and all, no exceptions. Next to Michael Phelps being a super-freak, this is the story of the Olympics for me. Not too late to jump on the bandwagon, realize the importance of this for basketball sports fans.

- NBA commissioner David Stern must be loving this idea of "globalization." With Josh Childress leaving for Greece, more news from Europe is percolating. Word is that the same team that signed Childress for a $20 million deal is contemplating a run at KING LeBron James in 2010, when he becomes a free agent. Since there is no salary cap in European basketball, the billionaire group that backs Greece based basketball team Olympiacos can throw any amount of money at James, say $40 million? That's about $20 million than any NBA team can offer given a max contract situation (which James warrants, right?). Why stop at $40 million? Throw a billion and let LeBron's quest to a billionaire athlete come to a quick stop. The dude had dinner with Bill Gates the other night. Are you serious? Most NBA fans might think it's nuts even imagining LeBron playing in Europe. Let's dissect this a little more though. All these European contracts include opt-outs after each season, meaning LeBron could leave whenever he wants to. He will only be 25 in 2010, meaning he could play for one year in Europe, increase his global marketing (which is clearly one of his goals), and then come back in time for the Brooklyn Nets' new stadium, poppin' the campaign with his boy Jay-Z. The competition would be nothing for LeBron overseas, he could dominate and it'd be less physically demanding. He'd come back to the NBA in a huge market and be right where he left off. This one's not over folks, stay tuned...

- Glad to see the football talk really heating up the last week or so. Thursday night marks the first Chicago Bears pre-season game and the start of the watch for the first offensive touchdown of the season. What's the over/under for that, two weeks? One month? Don't hold your breath. To think the NFL continues to charge fans FULL PRICE for exhibition games is something I will never completely grasp. Then again, there are many things like that in our world and specifically in the world of sports. I digress. I've been back and forth on the Bears QB blunder all off-season but I'm here to say I have subscribed to the Kyle "Get me some Jack" Orton fan club. The guy might not light it up in practice but when game day comes, he instills confidence in me, unlike the Sex Cannon Rex Grossman. As a fan who stuck with Rexy from the get-go, I am letting go finally, deep into the ocean Titanic style. Something has been missing between the ears and while I believe he can still be a quality backup, current starting quarterback in the NFL is clearly off his resume. The offense doesn't have to do THAT much considering Hester will put them around the 50 yard line every time. Come on boys, expectations are low and that means you can SURPRISE people. Isn't that a chip on a shoulder?

- Lastly, a shout-out to the White Sox brethren out there. It must be FANTASTIC to watch your team just put the division title on a plate, sprinkle some garlic on it, and just HAND IT OVER. It ain't over till it's over, but boy is that alarm ringing loud. At the same time, this is the beauty of baseball once again. A little more than a week ago, every voice listened to on Chicago sports radio was saying how the Cubs have peaked and the Brewers are doing what is expected. Fast-forward to last night when Prince Fielder nearly ate Manny Parra, well, the Cubbies are five games in front for the division lead. Do we dare forget the tragedy of the 2007 New York Mets? Baseball is the most up and down sport. Not sure how sports commentators can go through an entire summer of one extreme to the next. Us fans take it to another level. Let's take a deep breath and make some popcorn. These division races are gonna be interesting. I want it closer than most people. I like the competition and believe in the idea of momentum. Some disagree, but this is one man's opinion. I for one am rooting for the White Sox for the sole reason that I don't have to listen White Sox fans' BS all post-season if and when the Cubs make it to the post-season. It's the truth, live it.

A moment to laugh at other people: Next time someone messes up your SANDWICH order, instead of just walking around in circles, yelling, and complaining like my mother, do with this dude did and dial 911. OKAY.