Brett Favre, Gorman Thomas, and Sports

Bud Lea, writer emeritus for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, made an interesting observation. He said that watching the Packers practice the day Brett left wasn't any fun.

He put his finger on one aspect of sports that we all know but often overlook. Brett is an entertainer. He may not be conscious of it but he is willing to show enthusiasm, smile, and play. Yes, I mean "play." It's all a game, really. And his style of play, whatever skills he had, didn't have, or lost, made winning and losing almost irrelevant.

That spontaneity is probably why Commissioner Goodell leaned so hard on Brett and the Packers to resolve this thing in a way that kept Brett playing as long as possible.

Those old enough to remember Gorman Thomas who played for the Brewers some years ago may also remember that the Brewers lost some of their spark when he was traded to Cleveland. "Crash," as he was sometimes called, never saw an outfield wall he felt should stop him in his effort to catch a fly ball. He was the club house clown. The Brewers smiled a lot in those days before he was traded.

Milwaukee had great crowds when he played for them. Things went south for the next couple years and the team worked out a trade that brought Gorman back.

Others will have to say whether or not his spirit perked up the team again. I was out of the state.

But any sports franchise that has an "entertainer" draws those who appreciate that kind of entertainment. The whole country appreciated Brett's kind of humor and childlikeness. Goodell is smart enough to want that kind of spirit alive and well, not only for the positive aspect of it but for the fact it counters the negative attention-grabbing stuff some players use to entertain "their" fans.

That raises two questions. 1) Will a new clubhouse clown step up and bring smiles back to the Packer lockerroom? 2) Will Favre be eaten alive by the stress of the Commissioner's expectations, especially on the East Coast stage and also after a spring and summer of little athletic training to be ready for the NFL?

We'll see. . . .