The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

BY PETER JACKEL

Journal Times

Admit it, all of you Brett Favre aficionados out there: You’ve already contemplated the idea of the Green Bay Packers denying the New England Patriots an historic 19-0 season in Super Bowl XLII and then seeing Favre triumphantly riding off into the sunset on his beloved tractor in Mississippi, never to wear No. 4 again.

Would you like to see that happen?

So precious few all-time greats retire on top on their own terms. Michael Jordan could have by making the winning shot in the deciding game of the 1998 NBA FInals, but blew it by coming out of retirement to play for the Washington Wizards. Sandy Koufax retired after winning his third Cy Young Award in four seasons, but it wasn’t on his own terms since a deteriorating left elbow more or less forced his retirement in 1966.

If you want to talk about cool retirements, the greatest had to be by Cleveland Browns great Jim Brown. While he was in London filming "The Dirty Dozen" in the summer of 1966, Brown was warned by Browns owner Art Modell that he would be fined for every day he missed of training camp.

In a letter dated July 5, 1966, the 30-year-old Brown basically told Modell to take this job and shove it. And this was when Brown was coming off a season in which he led the NFL in rushing for the eighth time in his nine-year career.

How cool is that? Walking away on top and then not pulling a Roger Clemens and coming back multiple times.

How many other legendary athletes can you think of who retired at their peak, completely on their own terms, and leaving everyone wanting more?

Favre could be in that same position within the next month, having resurrected a Packers team that had slid back into ruins just two years ago. Can you see Favre following through with it? I sure can’t.

While none of us knows what it’s like to be confined inside a body that has endured the shots Favre has endured since 1992, he seems to be reasonably healthy. Thanks to Ted Thompson, he has one of the finest two or three sets of wide receivers in football with Greg Jennings, James Jones, Koren Robinson and Ruvell Martin joining Donald Driver.

Plus, the longer Favre plays, the less ground others (namely Peyton Manning) can gain on his all-time records. Favre can contend all he wants that he doesn’t care about records, but I don’t believe him. Of course he cares about winning first and foremost, but I don’t believe anyone who says he or she doesn’t care about records. Everyone cares about leaving some kind of legacy.

I’ll say that regardless of what happens within the next month, Favre will be back for at least two more seasons, take another couple stabs at some Super Bowl championship rings and make it harder for Manning to topple his records.

Hey, why not?