July 24: Being unpredictable part of Favre routine

If you don't believe Brett Favre has a way of not being able to make up his mind, you can refer to the Sports Illustrated issue of March 17, 2008, after the veteran quarterback had announced his retirement from the Packers.

Yes, if you believe he is going to join the Vikings after he had announced his retirement -- and then tried to rejoin the Packers, who didn't want him back, and wound up playing last season with the Jets -- and then announced his retirement yet again last February, you shouldn't be surprised whatever he decides: to stay retired or join the Vikings.

The front page of that issue had a headline that read "Hard to Say Goodbye." Favre's quote under it read: "I hope people appreciate me, the way I played the game, as much as I appreciate them."

"Top of His Game," read the headline above the start of the story. Under that headline: "It was never about me."

The story by Alan Shipnuck read: "After 16 seasons of giving the Green Bay Packers all he could give, Brett Favre knew it was time to quit, and he left football the way he'd played it -- raw, passionate and honest.

"In the end, Brett Favre did it his way, as he always has.

"... And when it came time to walk away from football, Favre was just as unpredictable. Over the last few years, pondering retirement had been an offseason ritual for Favre. This winter, however, the inner debate should have been a mere formality. In 2007, his 16th season in Green Bay, the 38-year-old Favre led a young and promising team to the cusp of the Super Bowl, and the Packer Nation fell in love with him all over again. Statistically, he had his best season since Green Bay's Super Bowl-championship year of 1996."

Well, he might announce that he is going to join the Vikings and then change his mind before training camp -- or while he is taking part in training camp.

The experts who have watched him work out with a high school team in Hattiesburg, Miss., say his arm is strong, he is in good shape and ready to lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl.

Personally, I want him to join the Vikings so the coaches can find out he can come close to doing the things he could do in his prime.

If he can lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl, it would give the Vikings a better chance of getting a new stadium and assuring the team will remain here after their lease runs out at the Metrodome in 2011.

It also would be a lot of fun to have him around and make the games with the Packers the biggest ones in Vikings history.

Despite the financial position, the Wilf family, owners of the Vikings, has continued to not only keep their best players, but have stepped up. They traded for Jared Allen and signed the defensive end to one of the largest contracts in the history of the NFL in 2008.

Now the Wilfs did it again. Antoine Winfield, who had one year left on his contract before becoming a free agent, was going to be paid one of the highest salaries of any defensive back if he became a free agent at the end of this year. But the Wilfs stepped up and signed him to a five-year, $36 million extension -- a clear indication of how important winning is to them.

You can't say that about the other professional franchises, with the Wild not re-signing Marian Gaborik, the Timberwolves trading Kevin Garnett and the Twins trading Johan Santana and not re-signing Torii Hunter.

But you have to give the Twins credit, they put out a lot of money to make sure that Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan would remain here.

And I think they will pay the price necessary to keep Joe Mauer.

The word is that the Timberwolves lost $19 million last year, and some stockholders are a little nervous about the continuous losses.

Timberwolves basketball boss David Kahn was asked how forward Corey Brewer looked in the Las Vegas summer league after sitting out most of last season with a knee injury. "There's some rust on Corey," Kahn said. "It's inevitable. You know, he hasn't played five-on-five since last November. But he's also done some things here that I've really liked. I think that this is a very important summer for him, now going forward, to continue to work on his shot."

Ex-Gopher Mike Lehan, who was a defensive backfield starter for the Miami Dolphins last season, is retiring from football and plans to return to the U to get his masters degree.

The Gophers men's basketball team will open the Big Ten season at home against Penn State. It will play at Miami (Fla.) in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. And the Gophers will open against Butler in the preseason tournament in Anaheim, Calif. Incidentally, Wisconsin will host Duke in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. ... Gophers basketball player Paul Carter recently returned from a trip overseas playing with a team called Reech and led the team in scoring.

Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith spent part of this week in Las Vegas, where some of the best high school basketball players were on hand, recruiting for the future. ... Troy Tepley, one of the PGA of America officials, reports that ticket sales for the PGA Championship, to be held next month at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, already make it the fourth-largest PGA ever. More tickets have been sold than any championship since the record-breaking PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis. Fewer than 200 of the coveted Wanamaker tickets remain.

Gophers football coach Tim Brewster said his plan for the preseason practice is to work in the mornings at the Bierman Complex and in the afternoon at the new TCF Bank Stadium. "We have to get used to that new field," he said.