Brett Favre is a true classic who will be talked about for years.

So why is Brett Favre so universally popular? Is it because he seems like the kinda guy who would sit down with you for a beer after the game? Or is it because he would be the kind of guy who would see kids playing football and join up with them when choosing sides just because it seemed like fun? Regardless, there's a refreshing mystique about Brett Favre that is void in many of today's athletes. If by some quirky happenstance the NFL could no longer afford to pay the players I'm pretty sure Brett would still be there every Sunday. If you weren't a Favre fan before Monday, December 22nd then I'm sure you are one now.

	Britney Spears being forced to actually sing live? Too scary to even think about.

Favre & the Packers had a crucial national spotlight game against the Raiders on the Monday before Christmas in Week 16 of the season. The Packers already were entrenched in playoff mode knowing that a single loss this late in the season would cost them a playoff berth. The night before the game Favre was met with some shocking news; his father Irvin Favre died of a heart attack at the age of 56. Irvin was the one who put a football in Brett's hands at an early age, coached him in high school and groomed him to be the player he is today. After some self-contemplation Brett decided that his father would want him to play the game on Monday night. So what did Brett do in that game? In the first half alone Favre threw for 311 yards, 4 TD's and led the Packers to an insurmountable 31-7 halftime lead. There have been guys who have performed remarkably through injuries but Favre played through a different type of pain. Although I don't want to fail to mention that Favre played that game with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. That isn't exactly news because Favre holds the NFL's record for most consecutive starts by a QB at 206 games and counting and has played virtually the entire season with a gimp thumb. Let me repeat that, his throwing hand. That's the equivalent of Shania Twain and Britney Spears being forced to actually sing live at their concerts for an entire year.

	Rarely do you see an athlete perform at such a high level.

Favre's heroics stand next to other incredible performances I remember. Perhaps the most remarkable one was that of Mario Lemiuex during the 1992-1993 season. That was the season where Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease and endured countless weeks of chemo treatments to battle through the bout of cancer. Remarkably Big 66 finished the year with an astounding 160 points in 60 games. If you've ever been around a loved one while they undergo chemo treatments you'll know it's a draining procedure that saps you of all energy, makes you lose your appetite and physically wears a person down. Yet Lemieux ended up getting his last round of chemo in the morning and played that night against the Flyers registering a goal and an assist. Even more unbelievable is the standing ovation he received from the Philly faithful despite being a major rival from the city of Pittsburgh and despite the fact that this is the same city that once booed Santa Claus.

These are the types of performances that give you goosebumps and instantly ingrain themselves into your memory. There's not even a need for exaggeration because the stories already complete an unbelievable tale, such that if you didn't personally witness them you'd question their validity. It is perhaps the stories of Favre and Lemieux that inspire us all to hold athletes in such high regard and why they can garner idol status in a heartfelt way, not in a reality show judged by the likes of Simon, Paula Abdul and Al Roker. I held off writing anything after the game against the Raiders because I thought that the story wasn't complete. I admit I too got caught in the feel good aspect of the story and believed somehow that Favre & the Pack would find a way to get to the Super Bowl. Despite how the story finished, Brett gave his late father the greatest gift a son can give his dad: The satisfaction for a father in knowing that he helped raise his boy the best way he could, resulting in a man he can be proud to call his son.