Of course Favre's a deserving recipient. Barry Bonds, A-Rod? Gimme a break. Neither of these players is beloved by fans and players alike, nationwide. A-Rod goes missing at crunch time, and Bonds has earned a permanent asterisk next to his name, and accomplishments. Excellent athletes, both. But I don't hear anyone talking about either of them, ever, not even during the season. They fire nobody's imagination, inspire nobody.

"Sportsman". That's exactly what Favre is. He faced true self-doubt, and was pressed relentlessly about his future and his declining abilities. The Lion in Winter. An athlete whose legendary durability, enthusiasm, fearlessness and urge to win were all being turned back on him. He was being pronounced dead, dead-weight, overrated, a liability. And he shook all that off, and showed everyone he never lost it. He believed in himself, when not a lot of other people did, and that self-belief has been vindicated this year.

Now that's a sporting story. You don't have to like Favre or the Packers to see that. It's everything Americans love in sport. The hero reduced to underdog, but unbowed and defiant. Not to mention the coincident assault on virtually every hallowed QB record in the book. That's not a great story? Everyone, everyone I know, has been talking about Favre and rooting for him.

To the two knocks on him: 1) Retirement saga. Please. That's a circus that only the media could create and perpetuate. He obviously didn't want to retire, but everybody thought he should, and he obviously wasn't sure whether he should. Not because he couldn't play, but because the team around him was a joke, and his wife was fighting cancer. What you saw in Favre's uncertainty was exactly that. Uncertainty. About himself and everything around him. Holding the Packers hostage? He wasn't asking for money...Just a commitment to win. And now he's bridged the gap for the franchise, and it looks like Rodgers might actually be a capable successor. If Rodgers had been pressed into service last year or the year before, he would've been destroyed. He's had time to mature, learn the game, and get a young team assembled around him that he can now step into when Favre does leave.

2) Throwing teammates under the bus. Apart from Ahman Green, Favre was the only real bone-fide NFL playmaker on some terrible teams. In all his career, he's only had one true #1 NFL receiver to play with, Sterling Sharpe, let alone 2 or 3 decent ones. And Sharpe left the scene a long time ago. Reggie White, Santana Dotson, Leroy Butler, Keith Jackson and many others all started falling away, with no one of their kind to replace them. He hasn't had a decent tight end since Chmura went hot-tubbing, and certainly not one who could provide the necessary receiving threat to attack the Cover Two.

What's changed is that Favre can now just play within himself because he knows the defense won't blow a 17-point 4th-quarter lead. He plays within himself because young players with heart and talent have emerged around him and are making plays (nice job Ted Thompson). Favre, and his performances, were the only focus when the real story was that Favre was surrounded by juco talent that wouldn't be starting on many other teams. How many picks in the bad years came from receivers running the wrong routes, not fighting for the ball, not making the big play? A bunch. How many losses came from an atrocious defense that couldn't hold a lead to save their lives? How many losses and interceptions came from opponents' schemes predicated on the fact that it was Favre and Favre only they had to beat? How many times can you be down 7-0, 14-0, 17-3, bereft of players to frighten anyone and still play to win without getting slaughtered? He could've played it safe, escaped criticism, and just accepted defeat. That was never him.

How long can a real competitor keep his mouth shut when he's being blamed for the shortcomings of a multitude of clowns, and is the fall guy for the frustrations surrounding a rebuilding franchise? I don't see any other NFL QB, or player for that matter, who delights so freely in his teammates' success, who applauds a DE that just crushed him. Favre just looks for the same commitment and will to win in the players around him that he possesses. It's no accident that he and Donald Driver are close. Driver has been the gutsiest guy out there beside Favre, always making the tough catch over the middle and getting creamed, playing hurt, never quitting.

Give me Brett Favre over Peyton Manning and Tom Brady any day. He may not be as disciplined, but I know who I'd rather line up with. And let Favre have his due in the twilight of his career for proving all the critics wrong. That's no mean feat.

Oh, and whoever introduced race into the discussion. FFS. Give it a rest. We fawn over black superstars, too. Favre's stature has nothing to do with being white, it has everything to do with being one of the greatest players in NFL history, as evidenced on the field and in his colleagues' estimation.