While there was no way to predict what happened in this space last week, it couldn't have been more obvious as to what I was to write about this week. We are now just four days away from quite possibily the biggest Packers game in the last God knows how many years. Of course, the Super Bowls and the NFC Championship games the Packers have been involved in have been bigger than what is to come on Monday night, but have they really? I mean, this game is insanely huge, for the most part because years ago we could have never saw this coming. Can you believe in was two short seasons ago when Favre broke the all-time passing touchdown record in the Dome, when now he'll actually be hosting the Packers as a member of the hatred Vikings? One of the most improbable games in all of sports history will be happening this Monday night, and the suspense has been killing me.

Now, I know I have been pretty hard on Brett Favre ever since his first retirement, and I realize now that I may have been overreacting. Sure, things could have been handled better, but it's not really my place to sit here week after week and call out an NFL legend. For all that Brett Favre has done for the Packers, this league, and hell, even for me, he deserves better than this. Hell, he has earned better than this.

I realized it last week that maybe I've been wrong about everything I've said. Here was I was, thinking I hated this guy, when really, I was just too proud to admit I still love him. Week after week I would come on here and type my hatred about Favre, sort of like how when you're in kindergarten you pretend to hate the girl you really have a crush on. But after I saw him lead the Vikings to a come back with more of that good old Favre magic, I realized that I just can't hide my true feelings any longer.

Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't rooting for the Vikings by any means. I was rooting for Favre. Just like how this week, I'll be rooting for the Packers, but I'll still be rooting for Favre. My dream scenario for Monday Night would include the Packers winning 35-34, with Favre throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns. Most importantly, I just want to see him having fun out there, playing like a kid, and cheering for him the way that I used to.

You really can't call yourself a Packers fan and hate Brett Favre, you just can't. Favre has given us 16 years of greatness, 3 MVP awards, and a Super Bowl victory. He was the symbol of Wisconsin for nearly two decades, and one of my childhood idols. People bought his jerseys, collected his memorabilia, and named their kids after him. Before every game during college, I recited the "Our Favre" with my roomates. This man was my childhood idol only comparable to my dad. No matter what you think of what he did the past two seasons, it would be too hypocritical of us to turn our backs on him now.

All this man ever wanted to do, from Southern Miss, to Atlanta, to Green Bay, to New York, and now to Minnesota was play football (well, except for any Pro Bowl post 1997). So what if he retired from the Packers in 2008, only to change his mind? You've never changed your mind before? You've never left a job and then realized that maybe thre grass was greener on the other side, and you'd do anything to go back? You've never had a change of heart before? We change our minds each and every day, why should we hold Favre to a higher standard?

The biggest crime Brett Favre ever committed was realizing his own faults. He realized that at 38, he and the Packers were bound to go their separate ways. He realized that Aaron Rodgers was a comparable quarterback, and he realized that he couldn't play in the cold anymore. But Favre still wanted to play, so he figured that with the West Coast offense and a dome established in Minnesota, it wouldn't be too far of a move for him to play there. But noooooo, evil Ted Thompson was too afraid to play against Brett, so he shipped him to the Jets, and made sure that the Jets couldn't trade him back to Minnesota. How rude! The least Thompson could have done was have honored Favre's 16 years of services and sent him to Tampa Bay, another preferred destination.

But Favre went to the Jets, and boy was it fun watching Broadway Brett, especially when he threw six touchdowns against the Cardinals. Unfortunately, the Jets couldn't make the playoffs, and Favre was shut out of the postseason. That's when Favre, a guy who just wants to win the Super Bowl, realized that his best chance to do this actually would be in Minnesota. So what did Favre do? Well, he didn't want to penalize the Jets by costing them draft picks if he were to be traded, so Favre did the admirable thing and retired so that he could unretire with the Vikings. A truly stand-up move.

I'm just getting sick and tired of all the people who worry more about Favre's off-field stuff rather than what he does on the field. No matter how indecisive he can be at times, Favre is the most magicial quarterback in all the league. The Vikings win over San Francisco was another example of why we should all just consider ourselves blessed to watch a guy not only play that well, but have that much fun doing it. My only hope is that when we are cheering for the Packers on Monday Night, that we also cheer for Favre. He has given us so much during our lives, it's the least we can do. Hell, the man has earned it.

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(um.....)

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(trying to keep a straight face...)

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I'll be honest with you. I wrote those nine paragraphs in that nice little territory between buzzed and drunk, and I'm still ashamed of what I've done. Sometimes when you do something in that state of mind, you make excuses for yourself, but that didn't even feel good what I just did. I just wanted to see what it would be like to be Gene Wojciechowski and try to write a pro-Favre article. It's hard lying like that. I felt like Harvey Dent lying to Rachel Dawes, knowing that everything I was saying was a complete lie, but I tried to do it anyway.

Clearly, Favre is the biggest douchebag ever, and if the Packers don't win on Monday Night I'm not quite sure how I would be able to handle that. To lose to the Vikings is one thing, but to lose to the Brett Favre Vikings would probably be the worst moment of my life. I've had people close to me die, I've had friends steal girlfriends of mine, I've been in terrible car accidents, and I've been fired from jobs, but watching Favre beat the Packers would seriously be the worst moment of my life. No question. As much as I tried to Gene Wojciechowski this article, I just can't do it. Favre is probably the worst person that has even been born in America, and that includes people that fought in favor of slavery. Hopefully nobody took the first part of this article seriously, I just wanted to try writing pro-Favre one time to see what it would be like. It wasn't fun.

(I had to re-write this portion of this column because some people thought I was being serious when I said I loved Favre. I think my track record speaks for itself on the topic, as well as the fact that I may not be breathing after the game if Green Bay loses.)

Prediction: Green Bay 31, Minnesota 20 - The Packers are not losing this game. After the first quarter, it's going to be something like 10-0 Minnesota, with Favre having a touchdown and Rodgers throwing his first pick of the season. We're all going to be nervous. But then some some scrub player like Brady Poppinga is going to knock the crap out of Favre, and the Packers will have a momentum that will carry Rodgers to two touchdowns and 300 plus yards. Favre is definitely either throwing a pick six in this one, or fumbled a ball that gets returned for a touchdown. Expect more on this game in next week's Winks Thinks, clearly. 

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I'm getting into full hockey mode for the first time in my life, getting ready to watch the Buffalo Sabres do some things this season. I'm still an NHL rookie though, so I thought one surefire way to learn a little more about the Sabres and the rest of the league was to start up a fantasy hockey league. I rallied in some guys, put together a little league, and was ready to start preparing for our fantasy draft. But.... as it turns out, the NHL season actually starts today, where I thought it didn't start until the end of October. So clearly I still have a long way to go with this whole hockey thing, but at least I'm giving it a go.

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My name is Bart Winkler, and I am one of the biggest Detroit Tigers fans in the world right now. Watching them beat up on the Minnesota Twins to nearly secure a spot in the playoffs has almost made up for the lack of Brewers victories this season. It's not that I like the Tigers, or even hate the Twins, it's more so that I like rooting against the Twins because the same people that like them are the same people that like the Vikings, and I feel those people should suffer every chance they get. That beating said, I still stick to my conviction that girls wearing Twins jersey shirts are among the hottest fans in baseball.

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Thinking of buying something soon at Best Buy? Well, don't, especially if you're going to get one of their credit cards. My first bill for my new TV was $1,050, but after paying my initial payment of $20, my next bill is at $1,079. So yeah, it went up 29 dollars. There's outrageous late fees, hidden fees you can't imagine, and other random things you apparently sign up for when you get the card. I don't want to completely call out Best Buy, they have a good product, but make sure you pay in cash right away or they'll be after you or years to come. A little advice for you this week.

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Two years ago, I went to the Rams vs. Packers game in St. Louis. We sat in the top section in a stadium that was 70 percent Packers fans, yet for some reason when the Rams were on defense the stadium become super loud in favor of the Rams. It became quite clear after a while as to why that was happening, and it was obviously because the Edward Jones Dome was pumping in fake crowd noise. It couldn't have been more clear, especially because the speakers were right behind us. There's no doubt in my mind they pump in fake noise, and I heard it again last weekend. I mean seriously, when was the last time you heard the crowd cheer that loud for an 0-3 team?

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Worst blog ever?

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I'm in a fantasy football league where the entry fee is $325, and there are sixteen teams in this league. This week, I'm starting Jason Campbell, Derek Anderson, Shaun Suisham, and Olindo Mare, all on the same team. Goodbye $325!

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Quick reviews of the two new shows I watched this week. "The Cleveland Show" isn't as bad as I thought it would be, in fact I'm looking forward to the next one. ABC's Flash Forward had one of the best pilots I've seen since the debut of "Lost".

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A lot of the mainstream sports media is making a big deal over Ben Roethlisberger hosting Monday Night RAW this upcoming week (Hey about Rawthilsberger, get it?). People are saying that especially if the Steelers lose to the Chargers this Sunday night, it's going to be pretty embarassing for him to host a wrestling show while the Steelers are 1-3. I hate when the media gets like this, when they act like football players have to think of football 24/7 during the season. Hosting RAW will be good exposure for Big Ben, and it will be a nice little distraction for him during the grind of the season. Plus, RAW is brilliant for bringing him in their effort to maintain some ratings against the Vikings/Packers game that night. This is something I'm looking forward to taping and then watching after the game Monday, assuming of course I haven't jumped off my roof following a Packers loss. And speaking of the WWE, here are the predictions for Hell in a Cell this Sunday night... (most of you can just skip ahead to the videos. Honestly though, the thing about wrestling PPV's is that at least you know you are getting action that will be worth the money. A lot of people spent money on UFC and boxing PPV's last weekend that didn't live up to the hype. Score one for the E on that one, even though their product has been watered down lately.)

Mickie James (c) vs. Alicia Fox for the Divas Championship - Snore. Mickie James will retain in like three minutes. Not even sure why this is on the card.

John Morrison (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship - I don't know why they would take the belt off Morrison so quickly, and if this was Dolph vs. Mysterio, then Dolph would win for sure. Dolph really can't afford another loss on a pay-per-view though, so even though I think Morrison is more likely to win, I'm going to pick Dolph in an upset. A Ziggler win will at least give a reason for the feud to go forward.

Chris Jericho and The Big Show (c) vs. Batista and Rey Mysterio for the Unified Tag Team Championship - If Batista and his thrown together partner of Rey Mysterio win this thing, I'm going to be furious. They haven't wrestled together at all, and it would make JeriShow look week. JeriShow will be tested, but I expect them to retain.

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger for the United States Championship - Based on the buildup, I say this is a match between Miz and Kofi. I could see either of them winning, but at this point I think they'd be better off putting the belt on Miz. It would show that he is a legit player, while also giving Kofi some more depth by having something to legitimately feud over. Expect a screwy finish in this one.

D-Generation X vs. Legacy - A win huge would be huge for Rhodes and Dibiase, but I just don't see DX giving way in this rubber match. DX wins a hard fought match, but I'd rather see it go to the young guys.

CM Punk (c) vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship - Everyone knows Undertaker is winning this match, although I think the WWE would be better keeping the belt on Punk in a clean finish. The Undertaker just doesn't do it for me outside of Wrestlemania, so I hope Punk keeps the belt.

John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship -  When I first started watching wrestling, I loved John Cena. Now, I realize what a joke his character is. I still love the guy, but as a character he's portrayed as a Superman way too often. I think he'll win, but I would love for Orton to get the belt back.

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And to continue the tradition of adding a song at the end of posts, here's The Takeover UK with a song that very well could have been on an episode of "The O.C.", "Running With the Wasters".

And just for fun, here's a brilliant clip from last week's Family Guy, which was probably the best Family Guy episode that I have ever seen. 

See you at Homecoming...