Friends who care

I have recently come to a deep truth about friendship. If you just met someone who is your friend, and instead of immediately finding out the things you had in common, therefore why you are friends, but found out the troubling details, the so-called dark side, you might not want to be friends. It made me think that I couldn't be friends with someone if one of their core beliefs did not mesh. The truth is that friends are friends sometimes despite some of their less likeable traits. Heck, my wife knows about my obsession with sports, fantasy sports, and football (aka my precious), and she still loves me.

Maybe that was more of a shallow truth about friendship, or a truth that I am shallow. Anyhow, I was reminded a few minutes ago about the core of what makes our local fantasy football league great. One of our league-mates has started referring to Brett Favre as BRETT LORENZO FAVRE. Favre is a unique player in the league, in that he is revered as the perfection as quarterback, at least by a lot of the commentators, when his flaws are all too obvious. I looked back at his recent playoff appearences. Against the Giants last year, he threw the interception in overtime that all but gave the game to the Giants. Against the Eagles in overtime, he threw an interception so dumb that Vince Young would have said "dude, what were you thinking!" In a divisional matchup with the Rams, he threw six interceptions.

Favre is currently smelling like roses after leading the Jets to an impressive overtime win over the Patriots. The Pats D in particular had a strange game. In the first quarter the D couldn't get the Jets off the field. They were almost relieved when Washington returned that kickoff for a TD because that meant the offense had another chance. From the middle of the second quarter until the middle of the fourth quarter, the defense could do no wrong. When the Pats finally tied the game, the Jets had the clutch long drive. The Vrabel hold on third and goal was a bit fishy, I'll admit. Still, even if the flag didn't fall, the Jets would have kicked a field goal and the Pats probably would have tied. I don't see the Pats going for fourth and one at the 16 if it's a three point game.

That fourth-down play was legendary. It was funny to watch the replay from Moss's angle, because all he did was sit down in the end zone, put his hand up, then fend off the cornerback with one hand while fighting for the ball with the other. That's a classic big receiver moment, and it salvaged Moss's fantasy day. It also gave Cassel the second best fantasy day of the season.

Matt Cassel made himself maybe $20 million last night. He's going to be a free agent, and quarterbacks barely make free agency unless it's because they aren't very good. I smell a Matt Schaub like deal, with possible Schaub-esque results. The Chiefs, Vikings, 49ers, and probably half a dozen teams will be interested. You know Pats fans are going to be extra nervous, like right before Super Bowl XX, next fall when it's time for Brady to return.

There was a controversy that only my one friend could remember regarding Favre (yeah, we're back to that). He stated that no one but our Commish, the die-hard Pats fan, could say that Favre was a penalty shot draft pick after last night's game. To remind the audience of four, a penalty shot is a shot of liquor given to anyone for any reason. Supposedly there is a penalty, although like Mike Vrabel's infraction last night, some times the reason is nebulous. I commented back, since my team is 2-8, that I should have gotten a penalty shot for every draft pick I made. He responded that he was printing that e-mail and would have it for next year's draft.

These are my friends. They tend to remember when I wish they would forget.