Spring Loaded

Can everybody please shut up and let Brett Favre play football?

Can you kill the criticism?

Can you stifle the derision?

Can you put a lid on the sarcasm?

Nobody is asking you to root for Favre or put him on your fantasy team. Just judge him the way he has always been judged, the way he has always asked to be judged, by what he does on the football field.

You’ll finally get your chance. He’ll be on the field Sunday, starting the Minnesota Vikings opener against the Cleveland Browns.

If he looks like the Favre of old, he’ll deserve your grudging praise. If he looks like the sore-armed old man he was in the second half of last season for the New York Jets, he’ll deserve your scorn.

What Favre doesn’t deserve is the ridiculous ridicule hurled his way in the weeks since he joined the Vikings.

He didn’t murder any dogs, didn’t kill anybody while driving intoxicated.

His crime?

He came out of retirement. Twice.

If he was a boxer, nobody would have even paid attention.

Yes, they were teary-eyed retirements. Yes, he showed a lot of passion.

Yet many, without knowing what is in his mind, or his heart, quickly labeled him a phony. One talk-show host made fun of a conversation Favre said he had with his ten-year-old daughter about retirement.

Many of these same critics spoke glowingly of the passion Favre showed when he was in his prime. They described in hushed tones his return to the field a day after his father died for a Monday Night Football game in which he threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns.

And yet when he now wishes to return to the field once again, he has somehow become a selfish, ego-driven player who deliberately delayed his return to avoid training camp. A sign, surely, of a poor work ethic.

Ego-driven? Guilty as charged. It takes a sizable ego – some might more politely call it confidence – to survive in the NFL for 19 seasons and produce league-record numbers in touchdown passes (464) passing attempts (9,280), completions (5,720) and yards (65,127).

And, a record number of interceptions (310) as well.

But poor work ethic? You’ve got to be kidding me.

Sunday’s start will be his 270th in a row, tying the all-time NFL record held, ironically, by another Minnesota Viking, defensive lineman Jim Marshall.

Favre’s mindset was on display earlier in the preseason when he threw a crack-back block on Houston Texan defensive back Eugene Wilson, resulting in a $10,000 fine for Favre.

Here’s a player nearing 40, playing with sore ribs, going after a defender in an exhibition game. Yeah, poor work ethic.

The facts are, Favre retired after the 2007 season because he honestly believed it was time, only to discover, as last season approached, that his juices still flowed.

He retired again following last season after a torn biceps tendon had caused him to self-destruct over his final five games with the Jets, games in which he threw nine interceptions, but only two touchdown passes as the Jets lost four of the five.

Favre underwent surgery to repair the injury with the idea of coming back, only to learn he also has a torn rotator cuff.

That convinced him he had too much to overcome. But, after learning the rotator-cuff was an old injury he had played with for some time, Favre reconsidered, even though training camp had already begun.

Should he come back? Why not?

Can he come back? We’ll soon know, starting on Sunday.

So just sit back, be quiet and watch.

Vacations are supposed to clear your head and sharpen your focus, ultimately giving you all the answers you were looking for. For me, the time away from sports has just left me with more questions, such as:

-- Did the Lakers really trade Scottie Pippen for Dennis Rodman?

If Trevor Ariza grows as much in the next few seasons – and we’re not talking height here – as he did this past season, he has a chance to become a Pippen-like player. Remember, Ariza is only 24, leaving plenty of time for development.

Ron Artest, on the other hand, could just as easily regress. Every time you think he has put the ugly days behind him, doused the trigger fuse that exploded so memorably in the seats at Auburn Hills, he snaps again and gets himself ejected at a crucial moment in a crucial game as he did against the Lakers in this year’s playoffs.

-- How long until word leaks out of a Laker practice that Artest got back into Kobe’s face?

-- Will I be furiously trying to de-Google this blog a year from now when Artest is standing arm in arm with Kobe atop the lead bus in next year’s victory parade.

Much higher rollers than I have gone broke betting against Jerry Buss, with or without a full house in their hands. The guy is only working on his third dynasty, three more than 99 percent of sports owners ever see. He was criticized almost 30 years ago for giving a two-year veteran named Magic Johnson a 25-year, $25-million contract, unheard of at the time, questioned for getting rid of his center, Vlade Divac, before he had secured the desired replacement, Shaquille O’Neal, and then blasted for trading Shaq for a trio that included Lamar Odom, best known then for his disappearing act.

-- Now that we’ve seen the Staples Center hardwood floor on the Coliseum grass surrounded by 80,000 to 90,000 fans, how long until the Lakers stage a game there?

-- Can we all chill out on the LeBron James criticism?

So the guy didn’t shake hands with Orlando Magic or face the media after losing in the conference finals? Big deal. He’s competitive.

Maybe he ought to get a prescription for a female fertility drug. That might bring back the cheers.

-- How long before Shaq balks at playing second fiddle to LeBron? And you thought the Shaq-Kobe feud was nasty.

-- Has Blake Griffin asked to be traded yet?

-- Has T.O. asked to be traded yet?

-- Aren’t we overdue for an Al Davis threat to leave town?

-- Could we do away with the baseball All-Star Game and just stage the Home Run Derby?

-- Could we do away with the NFL Pro Bowl?

You think a lot of players asked out when the game was in Hawaii. Wait until you see how many come up with pulled hamstrings now that it has been moved back to the mainland.

-- Are you allowed to buy a ticket to an MMA event without showing your tattoo?

-- What turns the paying customers off more, a boxing match without Manny Pacquiao or a golf tournament without Tiger?

-- Oscar, care to reconsider your retirement decision?

-- Isn’t it sad that people got more excited over Mike Tyson’s punch in The Hangover than any punch thrown by a heavyweight in recent years?

-- Is Tiger golf’s best ever? He may keep pace with good friend Roger Federer by winning his 15th grand slam event, but until he matches Jack Nicklaus’ 18, Tiger is only No. 2 on the links.

-- Anybody notice that David Beckham has returned to these shores? Will anybody care when he leaves again?

-- Is it a bad sign for the Minnesota Vikings if Brett Favre uses his left hand to sign a contract with them?

Questions, questions, questions.

Enough already about Brett Favre.

And Michael Vick.

Enough with the critics.

Enough with the mockery and the moralizing.

Let them play if they want. Let them both play.

Okay, so Favre should learn to keep his mouth shut while his options are still open.

And yes, Vick was guilty of despicable behavior.

But if Favre, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, wants to go through the pain of shoulder surgery, if necessary, and the inevitable pain resulting from a grueling training camp at age 39, why begrudge him the chance to continue doing what he has long done better than all but a few who have ever played the game?

There’s no question Favre has been guilty of premature press conferences and embarrassing tears. He tends to react emotionally in winter, declaring his career over, only to melt in spring and summer, the siren of training camp proving too difficult to shut off.

And if he had reached the point of embarrassment – see Johnny Unitas with the San Diego Chargers, Joe Namath with the L.A. Rams – I’d be first in a picket line to protest his return.

As a kid, I loved Unitas. Loved what he did as a Baltimore Colt. Loved how he won the greatest game ever played and turned a nation on to pro football.

But I hated his fleeting snaps as a Charger, seeing him throw three touchdown passes and seven interceptions in five games with San Diego at the age of 40. Namath was similarly pitiful in four games with the Rams, (three touchdown passes overshadowed by five interceptions) before calling it a career.

If I was just judging Favre on his last five games with the New York Jets last season, I’d feel the same way. After all, the team went 1-4, Favre throwing nine interceptions counterbalanced by only two touchdown passes.

But, it turned out, Favre had a torn biceps tendon that severely hampered his throwing arm. Before then, he had gotten the Jets off to an 8-3 start.

Was it age or was it injury that caused him to break down?

If the Minnesota Vikings or some other team is willing to sign him to find out, why rob ourselves of the opportunity to watch this daredevil stage more of his trademark performances, scrambling and fighting his way through defenders, sometimes throwing his patented bombs downfield, other times ad-libbing with an off-balance, stumbling shovel pass.

Win or lose, he’s never boring.

Yet to read or hear Favre’s detractors, you would think he has forfeited his right to compete because he had the audacity to announce his retirement.

Alright, so he did it twice, this being the second offseason in a row.

Some day, he’ll mean it, but why hurry that day along?

Get off his back and leave it to the defenders to pile on.

Vick, of course, is a far different story. His best days on the field might still be ahead, but should he be allowed to find out?

Vick has been released from prison after 19 months of incarceration for financing a vicious dog-fighting ring. He still has several months of home confinement ahead in Virginia, but, after that, he’ll have paid his debt to society.

No one can condone what he did, but he has certainly been punished, his crime costing him his job, his fortune and his reputation.

Vick won’t be back with the Atlanta Falcons, who have found an able replacement in Matt Ryan.

If NFL commissioner Roger Goodell lifts Vick’s indefinite suspension and another team signs him, be assured the protesters from animal rights groups will be out in force.

Should Vick, at 29, be denied a chance to return to the NFL? Precedent would argue against that. St. Louis Ram defensive end Leonard Little was allowed back after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 1998. Little, while legally drunk, caused an auto accident that killed a woman.

That’s a man who should have been suspended for life instead of half a season as he was.

But should all those convicted of a felony be barred for eternity from the NFL?

In Vick’s case, he will undoubtedly miss this upcoming season as well, meaning he will have been suspended for three years. The judicial system has also exacted its punishment. He has done his time.

Let him play.

Let them both play.

2009 has been a disaster for the Dallas Cowboys and they haven’t even taken a snap from center yet. First came the farcical. After months of planning by an army of scouts and coaches for the NFL draft, the Cowboys, with the 51st pick, couldn’t handle clock management, failing to make a selection in the allotted seven minutes. Then came the near fatal. A storm blew down the team’s tent-like practice facility, injuring a dozen people, including a scouting assistant who was left paralyzed from the waist down. Once again, harsh reality shatters the illusion of those in the fantasy world of sports that winning and losing is life and death…

What were the Cowboys doing in a fragile structure like that anyway in an area where severe storms visit frequently? If they can spend a billion dollars on a new stadium, couldn’t they pop for an additional couple of million to build a more permanent practice site? ...

Has Brett Favre come out of retirement yet? ...

Is anybody surprised Floyd Mayweather ended his retirement? It was inevitable that the man who calls himself Money would run out of the green stuff ...

Boxing retirements are generally about as permanent as today’s stock-market quote. But in the case of Oscar de La Hoya, look for it to stick. He doesn’t need the money. And he has too much pride to put on the gloves knowing he can no longer perform at a peak level ...

So Jose Canseco is going to enter the ring for a mixed martial arts match. Now there’s a retirement I can’t wait for ...

Anybody hear from Favre? ...

Saturday’s Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight proved what was already obvious. Hatton is a glorified club fighter who wouldn’t be getting blockbuster matches if he didn’t have a colorful army of fans willing to support him at the box office ...

If George Steinbrenner was still running the Yankees instead of his son, Hank, would manager Joe Girardi still have his job? Hardly. He would have been fired, and maybe hired and fired again ...

Enough already with the A-Rod soap opera. We get it. He was on steroids. Join the crowd ...

Tiger Woods is not all the way back. After his unbelievable performance in last year’s U.S. Open on one leg, it was thought that, with two good legs, he would slip easily back into his dominant role. Not quite. Not yet. Not until he gets his putter working ...

Andrew Bynum of the Lakers has also had difficulty regaining his form after a serious leg injury. But in Bynum’s case, it may take more than tinkering. Despite his bursts of brilliance, questions remain about Bynum’s heart and mind. Facing Yao Ming won’t do much for his confidence ...

Favre changed his mind yet? ...

LeBron wins the MVP. No argument here. It was his turn. But Kobe is still the best player in the game ...

The Red Sox were a lot more charming when they battling the Curse of the Bambino ...

Let’s hope the Cubs remain lovable losers ...

Are we still supposed to be waiting for Manny Ramirez to self-destruct? ...

Why the surprise that Mine That Bird, a 50-1 longshot, won the Kentucky Derby? You can talk all you want about trainers and jockeys and workouts and track conditions. Ultimately, these are HORSES. They don’t know that they are in the Derby. They don’t get the message that this is the biggest race of their lives. They aren’t clued in about how much money is at stake. They are inconsistent and unpredictable. Ask anyone who has ever plopped down two bucks or $200,000 on a nag. When they saddle up, anything can happen. They are HORSES ...

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld says it best in his routine on the sport, “I don’t think horses know they are racing ... I think [they] have some idea the jockey is in a hurry ... They must get to the end and go, `We were just here. What was the point of that? Why didn’t we just stay here and we would have been first? ...’”

Last call for Favre.