Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, soon to be available in 3D.

Some notes to consider before settling into a football coma.

Tony's time: Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has plenty of fans in Burlington, but -- outside of some curiosity created by the Jessica Simpson fling -- he hasn't exactly ignited a lot of interest in the rest of the state.

That will change Sunday.

When Romo leads the Cowboys into action against Minnesota at the Metrodome (noon on FOX), there will be plenty of Packers fans rooting for him to upend the Vikings and their quarterback, Brett Favre.

Sure, there will be some die-hard Favre supporters hoping to see their hero "stick it to Ted and Mike" by leading the Vikings through the playoff bracket en route to a career-capping Super Bowl triumph.

But, doesn't it seem like most people you talk to want Favre to lose?

The anti-Favre crowd is hoping that No. 4's history against the Cowboys (0-3 in the playoffs) will come into play, ignoring the fact that some of tomorrow's participants were in high school or junior high during the last meeting.

Some anti-Vikings fans hope Dallas will roll into town with momentum and catch the Vikings rusty. Then again, the Packers kind of shot down that whole "momentum" thing with their putrid start last week in Glendale.

On paper, the teams look pretty even. (Both teams have won 12 games). That means this matchup could come down to the quarterbacks.

Favre was outstanding all year, with a career-best passer ratting of 107.2 and just seven interceptions.

Then again, he's just 12-10 in the post-season.

Romo is 1-2 in the playoffs, with the victory coming at home last week against Philadelphia.

The Cowboys will try to get pressure against Favre. What can they do that he hasn't seen before? The Vikings will try to rattle Romo, who has been solid in recent weeks and can fall back on a solid running game.

More than likely, this game will go to the team that can avoid catastrophic turnovers.

If Romo prevails, his profile and popularity in Wisconsin will take a big jump. He doesn't play for the Packers. He plays for one of the team's historic rivals. He'll never be huge here. But, he'll be bigger if he sends Favre and the Vikings to an early vacation.

Deja vu: I feel badly for Michael Redd, who suffered a season-ending knee injury that could threaten his career.

When I express that publicly, the response tends to be "How can you feel sorry for the guy? He's making $18 million a year to sit on the bench?"

How many millions do you think Redd would give back in exchange for the good health and productivity that helped him earn that $90-million contract in the first place?

The Bucks have spent much of the season adjusting to life with and without Redd. You wonder if he'll be able to come back from this injury and force them to do it again next year.

The bottom line: Redd's injury problems point out a fundamental problem with teams like the Bucks and Brewers: they can't afford to miss when it comes to long-term contracts.

Redd has been a productive player, but for many fans his name will eventually end up on the dishonor roll next to Teddy Higuera, Jeff Suppan and other local underachievers.

All teams in sports make mistakes on players. Some can overcome them more easily than others. Of course, it doesn't help when you misfire on some big contracts and some medium-to-small ones.

The Mac attack: Much like Pete Rose, Mark McGwire tried to apologize for his transgressions against baseball's integrity and ended up alienating many of the people who were on his side in the first place.

McGwire will be forgiven by fans in St. Louis. He'll hear some boos on the road during the year. And, he'll continue to be shunned by Hall of Fame voters, at least until Rafael Palemeiro, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and others come onto the ballot.

Larry King Lounge: It's been awhile since I heard a good Tiger Woods joke. I guess all the comedy writers are busy teeing up the Jay Leno-Conan O'Brien debate.... Let's get something straight -- the Packers lost to the Cardinals because they turned the ball over and their defense was atrocious. A couple key calls late didn't go their way, but the referees did not "lose" the game. The Packers did.... You're already hearing fans say that Bo Ryan may be doing his best coaching job at Wisconsin this year. Don't they say that every year?... North Carolina looks a tad overrated this year.... Where have you gone, Roko Ukic?.... There are still some decent pitchers on the free-agent market, including former Brewers ace Ben Sheets, who will throw for clubs Tuesday in Louisiana, but it appears the Brewers are going to wait for a bargain or hope that Mark Mulder can resurrect his career under pitching coach Rick Peterson.