Brett and I Are On the Clock

We're mere hours into 2007, and the question of the year seems to have been asked already and gotten a non-committal reply. Now that Saddam Hussein is probably, really, once-and-for-all dead, weapons of mass destruction will not be found and Britney is back to wearing underwear (we hope), there remains only one burning question. Will Brett Favre retire or not this year?
The memorable experience that was my New Year's Eve celebration involved watching the Packers beat da Bears on TV, but the zenith really came during the Favre interview after the game in which he tearfully admitted that "This was a great way to go out." Riveting. Better than any reality show (except for "Janet Dickinson Modeling Agency", perhaps).
It is fascinating to me that a couple of million or so Muslims were given permission to start throwing rocks early at the end of their hajj in Mecca this year to avoid being trampled by the crowd. Knowing that Britney Spears fell asleep in a night club in Vegas just after midnight becasue she was too worn out from motherhood is newsworthy for a second or so. I'd put it right up there with updating my queue on NetFlix. But the Brett retirement story...that will get bigger and bigger until the final pronouncement is made.
Brett has said it's not about the money or the stats...sports writers say different, but then, they've never had money OR stats! He has plenty of both.
Retirement is never an easy thing to consider. Thomas Wolfe probably said it most succinctly with the "You can never go home again" line. Once you're out, you're out. If Brett quits, he won't be able to come back, in spite of what we're hearing from Sammy Sosa these days. As I ponder retirement myself, I understand the issue: once I walk out of the school where I teach(no doubt amid great rejoicing among everyone involved, especially those who count cash), I can never return. I will be replaced by someone MUCH less costly in world-record time ("Don't let the door hit you," etc.), and life will go on as if I never existed...with extra money for the Fund 10 balance. There will be no opportunity for second thoughts, no do-overs and no opportunities for me to ever stand in front of a classroom again. So, one can see why making that final decision isn't as easy as the arm-chair quarterbacks and board members would make it seem.
Brett said that the three hours on Sundays were the best, but the rest was a pain. I can relate. Classroom interaction is fabulous and ennervating, but the politics of money and quality education (the definition of which is WIDELY disputed where I teach) are quite dispiriting at times.
So, this year promises to be an interesting, on-the-edge-of-my-seat one while we await Brett's decision. So far, no reporters have called to ask me about mine.
What a great way to begin the new year!