Brett Favre might want to invest in his own cell phone

It's not as poetically idiotic as Chris Henry getting arrested while wearing his own jersey, but this one's in the same neighborhood.

Remember those tampering charges that the Packers filed against the Vikings? And remember how I thought it would be difficult for the Packers to prove that Favre had made inappropriate contact with the Vikings?

Well, that assumed that Brett Favre wasn't using a Packers-issued cell phone to make those calls to the Vikings. As it turns out, Favre may have done exactly that.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

...Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had an interesting bit of information in a piece he wrote about the quarterback today.

McGinn writes that a source said Favre had continued to use a Packers-issued cell phone and that when the team checked the phone records it found “repeated calls to coach Brad Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.”

The possibility of Favre having used a phone issued by the Packers had been speculated on last week after the Associated Press reported that Green Bay informed the NFL it felt “an investigation of the phone records would show more than ‘normal contact’ between the Vikings and Favre, even before he formally asked for his release to play for another team.”

In fairness to Favre, it should be mentioned that any phone calls he made to the Vikings were made in a gunslinging fashion, and through the entire conversation, he looked like a kid out there, just having fun.

Say this turns out to be true, and tampering by the Vikings can be proved. And say that the Packers do what they're expected to do, and block Favre from playing for the Vikings. Favre could end up costing the Vikings draft picks and fines while never playing a down for them, while also putting the Packers in this miserable position.

Give him a couple more weeks, and he might just find a way to tear down the entire NFC North.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Brett-Favre-might-want-to-invest-in-his-own-cell?urn=nfl,95401

Favre wants release from Packers

Brett Favre has asked the Packers to release him so he can return to the NFL with another team after apparently being told that his latest retirement reversal wasn't welcome news in Green Bay.

The team said it would do "what's right" in response to Favre's request, which was first reported by ESPN..

"Brett earned and exercised the right to retire on his terms," the team's statement read.

"We wanted him to return and welcomed him back on more than one occasion. Brett's press conference and subsequent conversations in the following weeks illustrated his commitment to retirement. The finality of his decision to retire was accepted by the organization. At that point, the Green Bay Packers made the commitment to move forward with our football team."

The 38-year-old Favre retired March 6 after a 17-year career, but almost immediately began dropping hints that he was having second thoughts.

The Packers statement said Favre now has the right to petition NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to be reinstated, at which point he would return to the team's active roster.

But the statement did not specify what the Packers would do after that, beyond doing "what's right and in the best interest of the team."

If the team has committed to moving forward without Favre, their options once he was reinstated would include trading him to another team or releasing him so he would be free to sign with the team of his choice. The Packers already have committed to going at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers, a first-round pick in 2005 who has been sitting behind Favre for his first three seasons in the NFL.

Releasing Favre presents the possibility of him signing with NFC North rivals Minnesota or Chicago, where he would be an upgrade over the incumbent QBs. If the Packers traded him, there would be teams outside the division such as Baltimore or Tampa Bay and perhaps Washington that would be interested. There also has been speculation that he could go to Miami for disgruntled defensive end Jason Taylor, the 2006 defensive player of the year.

It would be an ugly end to what has been one of the most celebrated partnerships in recent NFL history.

"As with all Packers greats, Brett's legacy will always be celebrated by our fans and the organization, regardless of any change in his personal intentions," the statement read. "Brett and Deanna will always be a part of the Packers family."

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Friday that sources close to Favre and the team told him agent James "Bus" Cook formally asked the Packers for Favre's release in a letter because the Packers were not receptive about Favre wanting to play again.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_packers_favre

A’s to Sign Top Dominican Prospect Michael Inoa

In a huge move, the A’s are expected to announce that they’ve signed top Dominican prospect Michael Inoa.

Inoa, a 16-year-old pitcher, is considered one of the better prospects to come out of the DR in recent years. He’s a first-round caliber of talent, and commanded a first-round price — about $4.25 million.

That’s the largest sum of money ever handed out to an international signing who didn’t hail from Cuba.

This is a significant move on the part of the A’s, who hadn’t developed an international signing into a top prospect since Miguel Tejada (DR) in 1993 and Ramon Hernandez (Venezuela) in 1994. Santiago Casilla could be considered an exception to that, but the reliever had to change names and spend considerable time in the minors before really breaking through, and he’s not exactly a household name. Inoa could be.

Inoa, according to an international scout Baseball America talked to, is “a once-in-a-decade type pitcher.”

Source: http://www.bigleaguefutures.com/big_league_futures/2008/07/as-to-sign-top.html