Brett the Jet throws six TD passes!

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 10/02/2008

 EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY — This just in: Brett Favre can still play at a very high level.

 This is Larry Fitzgerald, Jr.’s fifth season with the Arizona Cardinals, and whenever he returns to the New York area he’s reminded of his incredible sophomore season at the University of Pittsburgh when he lost the 2003 Heisman Trophy to quarterback Jason White of Oklahoma. Fitzgerald played against the legendary quarterback Brett Favre for the first time Sunday in an important game for both teams.

 Favre, nursing a sore left ankle, threw a career-high six touchdown passes and tied Joe Namath’s New York Jets record of six TD passes in a single game. Fitzgerald had eight receptions for 122 yards in his 64th career game, becoming the third-fastest receiver in NFL history to reach 350 career receptions.

 Favre is a three-time NFL MVP and has started 257 consecutive games since September 27, 1992. Over that span, 218 different quarterbacks have started for 31 other NFL teams.

 Favre threw for 289 yards and six touchdowns in the 56-35 rout over the Cardinals. “Throwing six touchdown passes was awesome,” Favre said. “That had nothing to do with how I felt I played. It was one of those games. More importantly, I felt the overall game itself, I managed it well.”

 After a scoreless first quarter, the Jets, with a little help from Brett the new Jet, took off and out-scored the Cardinals 34-0 in the second quarter.

 The Cardinals and quarterback Kurt Warner just kept turning the ball over; the Cardinals committed seven turnovers and had a field goal blocked. In the second half, Warner tried to bring the Cardinals back. They outscored the Jets 35-22 in the second half. Warner threw for 472 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown of 32 yards by defensive back Darrelle Revis, giving the Jets a 14-0 lead.

 The 34 second-quarter points were a New York Jets record. The game was marred by a vicious helmet-to-helmet collision when Jets safety Eric Smith unloaded on Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Bolden in the end zone with just 27 seconds left in the game.

 Bolden leaped to catch a Warner pass with what would have been his second touchdown of the game in the end zone when one Jets player, Kerry Rhodes, hit Bolden from the left and Smith, leading with his helmet, came from the right and launched himself at Bolden.

 It was a scary and brutal collision when the helmets collided. Bolden dropped to the turf headfirst on his back. He was quickly immobilized and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

 “When I got to him first on the field, he was out,” said Fitzgerald. “He was bleeding from the nose and mouth. When he came around minutes later, he tried to get up.” Play was obviously stopped to attend to Bolden; players from both teams gathered and started praying for him.

 Within 24 hours, the NFL suspended Smith for one game and fined him $50,000 for what I believe was a brutal assault. The league called it a “violation of safety rules” by Smith because he hit a defenseless player by launching himself at Bolden using his helmet.

 Bolden will miss at least two, maybe three games. He has two fractured eye sockets and a fractured jaw. He was not wearing a mouthpiece.

 Twins vs. White Sox for American League Central Title

 Tampa Bay is waiting, and so is the rest of Major League Baseball. 162 games were not enough to decide the remarkable 2008 American League Central race, so the Twins and Chicago White Sox, both tied with identical 88-74 records after 162 games, will play a winner-take-all, one-game playoff in Chicago to decide the American League Central Championship.

 The game will be carried by ESPN Tuesday at 6:30 pm. The winner will play American League East Champion Tampa Bay starting Thursday in Tampa Bay in a best-of-five series. The White Sox led the major leagues in homeruns with 234. The Twins feature American League batting champion Joe Mauer (.330) and American League MVP candidate Justin Morneau.

 Brett Favre wanted to be a Viking!

 Before Sunday’s game between the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, I visited with Brett Favre, the former Packers great. He is happy to still be playing.

 “I wanted to stay with the Packers, but they did not want me,” said Favre. “They did not want me back.

 This has been more difficult for me than you know. I knew I could still play, and I knew I could come to the New York Jets, but I tried one last time to see if the Packers would release me.

 “I could have played with the Vikings — that would have been exciting,” Favre continued. “I want to win, and we have a chance here. In time, we’re going to be good. Last year in Green Bay we just started coming together and became a pretty good team.”

 I explained to Favre that I had covered his entire career and had seen every Vikings vs. Packers game since 1978. We nearly hired his agent, Bus Cook, who’s one of the best in the business, to represent my son Larry.

 “Bus has spoken very highly about you,” said Favre. “I have never had a receiver like your son Larry to play with.”

 My parents, Robert and Sally Fitzgerald, were born and raised in Natchez, Mississippi. Favre, an avid sportsman, said he has hunted before in Natchez. Favre is featured on the cover of the EA Sports Madden 2009 video game wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey.

 In just four Jets games so far, Favre has completed 87 of 124 passes and thrown 12 touchdown passes for 935 yards with just four interceptions.

 Dennis Green will broadcast Vikings vs. Saints Monday night

 The Vikings (1-3) will be featured on Monday Night Football October 6 in New Orleans when they match up against the Saints and Reggie Bush. The game will have former Vikings Head Coach Dennis Green keeping a watchful eye on his former team from the broadcast booth, calling the game worldwide on Westwood One national radio. 

Fitz Extra

 Where would the LA Dodgers be without Manny Ramirez? Since the future Hall of Famer was traded to Los Angeles August 1st, Manny has hit .393 with 17 homeruns, 53 RBI and has .749 slugging percentage. And the Dodgers blew by the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the NL West. Ramirez has hit more post season homeruns 25 than any player in baseball history.

  One reason former Vikings offensive coordinator Scott Linehan was fired as head coach after a 0-4 start in St.Louis? Benching quarterback Marc Bulger. Steven Jackson said, " He's our general. "You don't pay someone $60 million and then sit them on the bench." So far two head coaches have been fired and one  awful general manager/ president Matt Millen at Detroit after just four weeks, Lane Kiffen Oakland, Linehan St.Louis.

 Next head coach on the hot seat? Can you say Brad Childress of the Vikings? His team is 1-3, he's switched quarterbacks he's 0-5 vs Green Bay and is just 15-21 in this his third year. Monday the Vikings play for the second time in five games on Monday Night Football vs New Orleans. If things get ugly Monday with the world watching and the Vikings slip to 1-4 with all that talent?

 Dead Justice For A Pioneer?

 According to the New York Times, Jack Johnson,the first black heavyweight boxing champion should be granted a presidential pardon for a racially motivated conviction 75 years ago that altered his career and blemished his reputation. Black men use to be hung in this country for looking at white women much less having sex. The House of Representatives has recommended the pardon.

 Johnson first became world champion in 1908. He was convicted in 1913 of violating the Mann Act, which outlawed  the transportation of women across state lines for immoral purposes. Johnson fled the U.S back then an returned in 1920 after he was tried unsuccessfully over his relationship with a white woman who later became his wife. He served almost one year in federal prison.

 The House resolution states that Johnson paved the way for black athletes to participate and succeed in integrated professional sports and that he was "wronged by a racially motivated conviction prompted by his success in the boxing ring and his relationship with white women." They have urged the president to grant Johnson, who died in 1946, can you say Jackie Robinson? A posthumous pardon.

 Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, and biweekly he commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). He welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.