The Favre Saga

Like many Packers fans, I can remember sitting in front of the television the afternoon that Brett Favre held a news conference in which he tearfully said that he was retiring from the NFL. I, too, shed a few tears for a man that gave so much to the game and so much to the Packers.

When Favre contemplated the comeback and the Packers were ready to move on, I could understand the move that the Packers made. They were a young team and they needed to make the transition. I was frustrated that Favre decided to come back, but at least he went to the Jets. He didn't do so hot and we all assumed that we would finally be done.

*sigh*

The Favre saga continues. There are a few stories out there talking about how Favre is now considering coming back for another season. He has now, a second time. talked about retiring and has come back. This time is possibly coming back to the Vikings.

It's a good scenario for Favre. Excellent defense. Superb running back. All they need is a consistent QB. But, is Favre consistent?

Cleaning House

I see today that the Packers have fired six coaches on their staff. I suppose something needed to be done. The defense definitely underperformed this year with basically the same talent, except on the defensive line. Injuries were a factor, but it shouldn't result is such a decrease in performance. This is especially the case in the last few minutes of the game where it seemed the defense withered and allowed the game losing score.

I felt as though Rodgers did quite well and they have a lot of offensive weapons at their disposal. If they can improve the defense (and perhaps create a defense that fits the players they have...something Sanders never did), I think they can bounce back from this season.

Let's hope some new blood in the organization can help right the ship.

Two Monday Random Thoughts

There is a big storm coming through Oshkosh (and elsewhere) tonight. The predictions keep getting bigger and bigger. They are not up to 11-14 inches of snow. They started with 3-5. Every time they predict a big storm, it is usually quite underwhelming. I'm guessing 2-3? :)

The Packers lost again yesterday. For the second week in a row they had a lead or tie late in the game and gave it up. I was ready this time...I was not surprised. The Packers play just good enough to stay int he game and then find a way to lose. They have major issues to take care of on defense. Geez!

What I'm Looking Forward to This Week:

Here is a list of things I am looking forward to this week:

1. Getting preparations ready for gaming on the 4th of October. Maybe I'll finally get a post on the blog. People are curious.
2. Seeing what the Brewers can get done this week. The playoffs are still possible. Can they do it?
3. Seeing how the Packers do against the Buccaneers this Sunday. The Battle of the Bays is back! :)
4. I do my first church service at the Evergreen Retirement Community. Their vesper service is at 4:30 PM on Sunday.
5. On Thursday we are having a Staff Development which will consist of us gathering together and enjoying pizza. How fun is that!?
6. After a break today, I will get back to running. I am hopeful to keep these workouts out for the rest of 2008 and see how my fitness and weight change. I am sprinkling in a few exercise classes at the Rec. Center as well.
   

My dad had talked a little bit about this photograph, and after sending it to me, I am truly amazed.

This is a still photo of the play in the NFC Championship where Favre threw his final pass as a Packer...an interception.

Favre threw the pass to receiver farthest to the left...where the coverage was quite tight.

If you look at the other receivers, they have the defense beat and could easily catch a Favre pass. For a QB with so much poise and experience, it really seems like he forced this one. Just interesting...

Other News:

1. I had my first day of RHD training. It was a little overwhelming when you've been gone for the first week. But, it's all gonna get done one way or another.
2. Tonight is my first softball game in about three weeks. It will be interesting to see how that goes.
   

Packer Stockholders Meeting

This morning, Christa and I attended the Packer Stockholders meeting. It went around 90 minutes. Folks starting leaving after around 50 minutes, which made sense because all the good stuff happened in the beginning. I think everyone in Lambeau Field (around 13,000) wanted to hear something about Favre.

I give Mark Murphy and Ted Thompson credit. He addressed the Favre situation right away. They said they were making tough decisions that were in the best interest of the Packer organization. Their comments were met with a mixed reactions of applause and boos. Overall, I sensed a lot of support for Ted Thompson when he gave a status report on the team. That was definitely reassuring! A few highlights:

1. As folks were gathering, they were playing highlights from 2007. They stopped the tape right before the Giants game. Probably a smart move.
2. Mark Murphy is not an engaging speaker. He is facilitating the enter meeting. Joy.
   
3. When talking about depth of QB, Thompson's immediate reaction to the crowd was, "Hey! easy." It was pretty funny. He explained we have three QBS...none of them are Brett Favre. It seems pretty obvious to me that Favre will not be a Packer.
4. As you look at the other positions, we have a really deep team. There is a lot of talent. They are still working on a contract extension for Ryan Grant. This is a little concerning.
5. Ted Thompson said that defensive backs are, "Not normal people." This is a good thing!?
   
6. Mike McCarthy came to give a brief speech about the time. He is a very funny and engaging guy. When he spoke of the team's offensive achievements in 2007, Favre's name was never mentioned. He said the anchor of the team was the defensive. Are we avoiding someone Mike?
7. Since I last went to the stockholders meeting, they added a lot of extra speeches. I could have done without the last 40 minutes or so. *yawn*

After going to this, I am pumped for the season. Let's just hope we can put the Favre crap behind us, move on to 2008 and root for the Packers.

A Few Sports THoughts...

The Bucks continue to make moves in the off season, as they will be signing Tyronn Lue. This move makes sense to me. You can never have too much depth and Lue provides some depth at the guard position. I still feel as though the Bucks have some work at the Power Forward position, as I'm not sure that Villanueva is the long-term solution. Even if they are done, I feel as though the Bucks have a shot at being in the playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference. Every time I get my hopes up, however, the Bucks manage to get injured, tank the season and make Buck fans depressed.

I am really nervous about the second half of the season for the Brewers. I appreciate that the owner is willing to make trades to win now. As I've said before, this is a major change in strategy. The bullpen is still highly suspect and I'm now sure if it can carry us through the season. Our starting pitching is great and our offense will be better once everyone starts to click. I want to believe they can finish strong...and this may be the year they have to do it. With Sheets and Sabathia being free agents...I doubt they'll be here. Hart, Weeks and Fielder (among others) will want new contracts. Will they have enough to sign them all? Are we willing to wait to see prospects develop?

Favre is really starting to tick me off. In the end, the Packers are smart to not release Favre. I don't buy the argument that the Packers "owe" him anything. You're not letting a franchise player go for nothing because he retired when he wasn't ready to retire. Maybe he'll end up back with the Packers...but you won't see Favre anywhere else.

A Few Interesting Links for the Day

Here are a few interesting links for you to check out today:

The Power of Watermelon - I found this linked from the Drudge Report. Here's another reason to have that watermelon for dessert over the 4th of July weekend.

What Exactly Does Retirement Mean? - I found this on ESPN.com. Apparently, Brett Favre has the itch to return. Favre has since gone on record to say that there are simply rumors. I want to believe him, but I have this feeling Favre isn't completely retired. Check some of the comments left by readers...they are priceless.

Another Step Toward Moving - I found this on EPSN.com. One more step has occurred to allow the Seattle Supersonics to move to Oklahoma City. From what I am reading, it looks like there is plenty of blame to go around. With the Bucks record recently and the iffy fan base, it makes you wonder if the Bucks may be the next team to move. Not a whole of players are excited to play in Milwaukee.

Big Break-Up - When you think of the contract that A-Rod is under, this could be a messy divorce if it comes to it.

Other News:

• The Neenah softball team lost last night. We lost 10-1. We could not string any hits together. Hopefully, a practice will be scheduled for Sunday or Monday. That would be very helpful.
• I continue to read for License to Preach school. I have gotten through five books or so and need to get started on some of the papers.
• Christa has gotten a lot of scrap booking done over the last few weeks.
  

Wisconsin Sports Update

Since I am having something of a burst of posting ideas, I thoughts I might offer a sports update:

Packers - At 7-8, the Packers have a shot at the playoffs. I'll give you a minute to let that sink in. Even though we are 0-6 against teams with a winning record and have only beaten crappy teams, the Packers can make the playoffs with a little help from a few other teams. Even if we did make the playoffs, I don't give us much hope of doing anything. More talk of the playoffs as we get to games that matter. The Giants/Redskins game holds the first key. Go Redskins!

Bucks - The Bucks are in the middle of a five-game winning streak and are currently one game over .500 at 15-14. It has been wonderful to be a on break, have more time to watch sports and see the Bucks winning in the process. Michael Redd is taking it to the hoop, drawing fouls and getting more points. Bogut is slowing establishing himself as a consistent post player. Mo Williams stepped up and filled the point gaurd role. This was a major concern for many folks. We gave some good role-players (Skinner, Garzuric, Blake) to complement some established and up and coming stars. At least they're fun to watch and they're competitive.

Brewers - So, the Brewers have signed Jeff Suppan to a 4-year, $42-million deal. When I first read the news, I was very excited. Adding another arm to the rotation could make the Brewers a formidable opponent. When I was home over the Christmas holiday, I was reading the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel and read more about the pitcher we are acquiring.

If you look at his overall record, he is not much over 0.500. He is also over 30. While his last few years have been really good, he also played for team in the Cardinals that gave him plenty of run support, something he will not have the luxury with the Brewers. We are also paying him more than twice what the Cardinals were willing to pay him. This is more than we have ever paid for anyone on the Brewers.

While he's a great pick-up for the Brewers, we have invested a lot of money in him. He better be healthy over those three years or the Brewers are truly going to regret this move.

Thoughts From the Weekend

Some thoughts from the weekend:

• Wow...the Packers suck. I know that the local media and others are saying that this team is improving, but it has been painful to watch. To think, only a few weeks ago we were talking about this team making a possible run at the playoffs. Nothing that two brutal losses can't cure.
• I bought Dance Dance Revolution. I can't necessarily beg one solid reason for it. I think it had merit as a form of exercise, but I also just find the game fun to play. Between that and Guitar Hero 1/2, I have quite a gaming collection.
• Christa and I took a trip to Green Bay so that she could pick up a book she needed for class. Am I a great fiance or what?
• I got a lot of work done regarding the church. I got a letter out to all members of church letting them know abotu our new pastor. I finished up my responsibilities as a member of the Worship Commission. I followed up with our new pastor to make sure things are going OK.
• This coming Sunday Christa will officially become a member of FUMC Oshkosh.
  
• I also made a public announcement to the congregation at FUMC Oshkosh that I am pursuing candidacy in Methodist church. Where this specifically leads I don't know, but it is a big step. The congregation has offerred nothing but support. I am very excited!
  

More Changes

The last few days I have been getting up at 7:00 AM. Waking up at this hour voluntarily might seem a completely foreign concept to my Breese residents :-), but I have found it quite beneficial. For the first time since Residence Life training, I have actually been getting up to eat breakfast at Blackhawk. Now, I have time for a walk and for breakfast...and I don't feel rushed. I feel more ready for the day and I also overall have more energy.

I fired up the iced tea maker again in an attempt to cut down on buying and drinking soda. So far, improvements have been made. I miss iced tea. I'm glad it's back.

In other news, the Packers lost. They were winning and looking good in the first half, but you know the Packers are going to find a way to lose. Ouch...this win would have been huge.

Random Encounter

I was hanging out with my little brother last night and we decided to make the pilgramage to the new Best Buy in Appleton, WI. As he and I were perusing the new releases in the video game section, I thought I overheard on the intercom that Ahman Green was in the building.

I was wondering whay I saw two sets of bleachers set up by the entrance to Best Buy facing three HDTVs. Apparently, you could watch Monday Night Football with Ahman Green. I wandered over there and he was sitting in the bleachers answering questions from the audience (around 50 people).

I was too shy to ask any questions, but it was cool to simply be close to a starting Packer player, especially a Pro Bowl caliber player. But, that was not the only highlight of the evening.

What really made me happy concerning last night's get together was that Adam did not labor at all to find things to talk about. Sometimes it is a struggle to find topics of conversation and sometimes Adam can be a little shy. However, last night we talked about many things including church. We talked about why he is not motivated to go to church and how he moves Christianity. I told him he should come with me to church some time. I thought it might be good for him to see another church. I look forward to continuing this conversation.

The Birthday Weekend [Highlights]

I thought I would take today's entry to cover the highlights of the birthday weekend. It felt like this weekend was never going to end...it was great. There was always something going on. I was sad to have it end last night, but it is time to move with life after turning thirty.

Friday (The Breese Hall Birthday Party) - The pictures from this party are being developed as I write. They will be picked up tomorrow and posted on Facebook (with a few omissions due to content) Wednesday. I will also put a few choice pictures on the blog on Wednesday. Major events of the party:

• My best friend (and best man for the wedding) came up for the party. I had no idea he was coming to the party; he drove up from Milwaukee. He stayed for the entire party and got to witness all sorts of people that make of the residence life team. Thanks, Nick!
• A lot of people were introduced to the power of Guitar Hero. A lot of people are now disciples of Guitar Hero!
  
• The rootbeer keg only lasted two hours. I honestly thought we'd have leftover rootbeer...I was wrong. Never fear Breese hall leaders, I did save some rootbeer for you GLACURH attendees.
• I was not able to get an exact count, but 62 people signed in the guestbook...there were definitely more people than that. The world will never know the exact attendance.
• Thank you to everyone that brought cards or gifts.
  
• More on this party on Wednesday!

Saturday (Dinner With the Folks)

• We visited Christa's parents to catch up and see how they were doing. We were able to watch the Badgers eek out a victory against Penn State.
• We went out to the Porterhouse for steak. Christa said she has never had a finer filet than the one that she had there. They are so good.
• We had cake and made our way back to Oshkosh.
• Christa and I watched the Bucks win their home opener. They looked really good!
  

Sunday (Appleton & Youth Group)

• Christa and I had lunch at Chili's. We split the double order of fajita. Well, we really didn't split the order. I ate two thirds of it. That's pretty much the theme of the weekend. Jim eating a lot of food. Yeesh. I did some serious celebrating this weekend.
• I watched the Packers blow a game they should have one. Two turnovers in the redzone? Seriously...
• Lastly, I had the opportunity to play Apples to Apples and Bible Trivia with the youth group. That was a lot of fun as well.

I usually don't do lists like this, but I wanted you to know that I had an action packed weekend. Pictures of the party on Wednesday!

Packers Chalk Up a Second Victory

Well, it wasn't always pretty, but the Packers won. A victory is a victory; plus, the schedule over the next few weeks looks favorable for the Packers as well with games against the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills coming up.

There was definitely some things to be happy about:

• Favre had a great game, getting two touchdown passes in the game. He had some throws that could have easily been intercepted, but they didn't so we'll take it.
• Ahman showed some flashes of his former brilliance as he got a TD himself.
• The defense generated some turnovers and gave the team some life. It was good to see them come out on the positive end of the turnover margin.
• Many rookies stood up and produced today. AJ Hawk gets better and better with each game.
  

Some concerns:

• The defense played better, but still struggles to truly dominate an entire game.
• We need WR help and quickly. The next few games won't be too bad, we need to get some folks healthy in a hurry.
• The quality of announcers. The crappier the Packers get the worse the announcers we get. These two today were awful. Matt Vascercian (sp?) used to announce for the Milwaukee Brewers and he was great! His transfer to football, not so great. They misnamed players, often misjudged yardage to first down and did not even understand some of the basics of the game. Jim may be switching to the radio feed and muting the TV.
• Favre can't be this risky every game, or it's gonna be ugly. He's just not that good anymore.

So, the Packers are 2-4. They have a favorable game this Sunday against Arizona. Two in a row?

At Least They Can't Lose This Week...

The Packers have a bye week. That's great, at least they can't lose. I can say that I did watch the game yesterday, but I found myself distracted by movies and other stuff on TV because you got the sense the Packers were never going to really get to the point where they might actually win.

However, the Packers were in the game the entire time. They even had the ball with time running out. They could have at least tied the game, or possibly won. Favre fumbled the ball with about 30 seconds remaining...heartbreaking, but typical of a Packers season in which the youth and inexperience of this team show through week after week. They are now 1-4.

I do want to give credit to the secondarym, which played much better without Ahmad Carroll. Heron ended up with over 100 yards rushing. That was nice to see from a back-up as well. I will definitely enjoy not seeing the Packers this weekend. I can see some better teams play football.

Daily Shout-Out: Goes to the NFL schedulers for thankfully given the Packers a week off now. The team, and especially the fans, need it.

Other News:

• I am cautiously optimistic about where things go after OshCon. I am thinking about starting a campaign in the spring semester for residents and friends that are interested. That way, football is done.
• The SAFE Training session from last night was a success! We had 28 folks attend the session. That must have broken some SAFE Training record.
• I attended church yesterday and was able to see the new pastor preach. I will say this...I do like the way he runs the service. I think he has a great knowledge of the bible, but I think he tried to say too much in a short amount of time. I think he took 3-4 sermons and put them into one.
• Preparations begin for the 30th birthday spectacular. Look for news in the near future.
  

Days Until the Wedding: 223

My Job

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of my residents to talk about the Residence Hall Director position. By the end of the session, I was quite invigorated about what I do. However, during the course of our discussion, one of the questions I was asked was, "What do you do in a typical day?"

The great thing about an RHD job is that no two days are the same. It's fun...it's very hard to get into a rut. However, when you boil everything down, my job comes down to two things: meetings and paperwork. I have tons of meetings every day of many different varieties: staff, conduct, hall government, administrative, special projects, etc. I have sometimes had ten meetings in a day...I probably average five-seven a day. When I'm not in meetings, I am doing paperwork.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job...but, it's funny to realize that in a larger context, it's pretty simple. You might be able to say that about a lot of jobs.

Daily Shout-Out: Goes to Christin Coleman for calling me to remind me that I was late for a pretty important meeting. I totally forgot...here's to always being early to meetings ;).

Other News:

• The Packers lost...bad. It was almost as though in the second half, the Eagles finally realized, "Oh yeah...the Packers have no secondary. Oh, and Ahmed Carroll sucks." So, it was fun for awhile, but the Packers met my expectations in the end.
• This NBC Village stuff is going to get interesting. My there may be a large middle group that is indifferent to project it is the people at the poles that could make the next few weeks interesting.
• I watched The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift last night. It was OK...I will admit that there were some very intense racing scenes, but the acting and the story line were very, very weak. And, I had a hard time getting over the fact that the main character in the movie both looked and talked like Peyton Manning.
• Wow...did we get a crap ton of rain last night. The weather was awful. Christa, my little brother and I went to McDonalds for the family special. It was raining so hard, I could barely see...the hail was no fun either. I had no idea we were getting weather like that.
  

Days Until the Wedding: 229