Sometimes when covering sports, you forget that you are supposed to be a fan.
You forget that you used to care about which team won or lost.
Monday is not one of those nights.
If you grew up a fan of the Packers, you were ready for some football on Tuesday.
There isn't any tonic or wonder drug that can numb the pain that Packer Nation feels now that Brett Favre calls signals for Minnesota. After 16 years in Green Bay, the only pill to cure the shock of No. 4 running the two-minute drill to perfection in purple is a victory in the Metrodome on Oct. 5.
To most local viewers, Favre's latest fantastic finish never made hi-def look so bad.
"I really, really, really had a hard time watching it," said longtime packer fan Karl Herschede after the Packers beat the Rams on Sunday. "I almost felt like we (the Packers) lost."
Favre's messy divorce from the Packers isn't even worth debating anymore. His "should I stay or should I go" act was a tired one two years ago. He claims he just wants to play, but also returned to the NFC North to throw his darts in direction of Packers general manager Ted Thompson. To many in these parts, Favre is now simply a guy motivated by revenge. Some would call him a traitor.
Sure, there is nothing wrong with attempting to prove you can still compete at the highest level... but, with the Vikings... seriously!?
It's like Albert Pujols hitting cleanup for the Chicago Cubs or Mariano Rivera closing games for the Boston Red Sox. Imagine if Yoda decided to join the dark side of the force or if Springsteen's E Street Band collaborated with the Jonas Brothers.
Even the most casual Wisconsin football follower has reason to unite with the armchair defensive coordinators and fanatical two-fisted sloppers when the Packers face Favre and the Vikings on Monday night. The first time Favre gets knocked down, Water Street might actually shake.
Though Favre and Aaron Rodgers both did their best to downplay the revenge angle in separate interviews Thursday, they weren't fooling anybody. This one is more than a bit personal for both players and the fans.
Of course, when it comes to Brett Favre, isn't it always personal?
Emmett Prosser is a former sports producer at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online and has covered the Brewers, Bucks and Marquette basketball in many capacities for 13 years.
Prosser also signed a year's worth of 10-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers' media relations department after graduating from Xavier University so he could get three-point shooting tips from NBA great Mark Price. The son of an English teacher and former basketball coach, Prosser attended Marquette high school.
In his spare time, Prosser enjoys live music and fooling people into making them believe he can play the drums. He also serves on the board of directiors for United Cerebral Palsy.
