PACKER FANS MOURN END OF AN ERA

I have a son living and freezing his butt off in Wisconsin. He called me very early this morning to inform me of the news that was rocking the state he temporarily calls home.

Green Bay Packers flags were flying at half mast, he said, in a figurative sense.

He told me that you could hear the same gasp coming from cubicles all over his office as co-workers opened their e-mails and learned that Brett Favre, the iconic quarterback, had announced his retirement.

To understand the impact of this news you have to understand that nothing -- absolutely nothing -- binds natives of Wisconsin closer than their love for the Packers. Nothing.

And then you factor in that Brett Farve is arguably the best quarterback of his or any generation. I mean, the man won three MVP awards, a Super Bowl title and holds just about every passing record in the books.

It shouldn't have been totally shocking that Favre opted to hang up his cleats. He had toyed with the idea of retirement for the past several years. But when it finally happened, Wisconsin still was rocked by the news that the Brett Favre Era was coming to an end.

In a sense, Favre's timing was perfect. He decided to return in 2007 although many -- even in Wisconsin -- were speculating that Brett's best days were well behind him.

But Favre enjoyed a career renaissance, guiding the Packers to the NFC title game, where the loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in overtime.

And now he's gone, and the Packer Nation is in mourning over the retirement of its favorite football son.

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