In Praise of Tradition, While Acknowledging the New

-A super-duper congratulations to da man, Brett Favre, who will start his 200th consecutive game tonight on Monday Night Football. People are out there drawing comparisons between Favre's streak and Ripken's, and Brett has come out saying that there's no comparison, that Cal's streak is more impressive. Well, Brett's right, there is no comparison, but not in the way he meant. Ripken's streak is a monument in sports, without doubt. But Cal did have a long stretch there in the middle where he played pretty weak baseball, and still played, because there was no one there to challenge him, in my humble opinion. For 200 straight games, Brett has played truly remarkable football - remarkable in success and in entertainment value (is there anyone more fun to watch play?). And he's done it at the single toughest position in his game, he's done it fighting through injuries, addictions, personal tragedies and more - and he's remained, a rock that the game of football stands on. No disrespect to Cal's streak, but I am far more impressed by the one that will be celebrated tonight. Congratulations, Brett.

-And on the flip side of the coin, a streak of 78 consecutive performances was ended two weeks ago. And all of the fans did mourn. But, we also celebrate the new arrival, and look forward to all the great contributions it will make to an institution we love. Ergo...WELCOME, LAPPY 486! :)