AbbaGav

At the risk of losing any readership I might have from Minnesota Viking territory, I have to comment briefly on another accurate laser beam from my Green Bay Packers strong armed quarterback Brett Favre. When teammate Javon Walker has his "Show me the money" moment, holding out for more cash, Favre's aim is true.

'Nowadays you're seeing more and more guys pulling that stunt,' he said. 'If guys continue to do that and are successful getting away with it, then I'll be gone but I think the game will be ruined. My reaction to Javon's situation was 'Here we go again.'

'Javon has tremendous potential. We got to see some of that last year. The sky's the limit for that guy, and I'd be the first to defend him, but he's going about it the wrong way.

'What happened to honoring your contract and saying, 'Let's work as a team to see if we can get this done?' Why not go about it that way?

'Maybe I'm old-school, but I always thought you honor a contract. Sure, sometimes guys pass you up in salary, and maybe it's a lesser player, but it's all based on what a team has as far as value in that person.'

Favre left no doubt how he thinks the team should handle the situation.

'I sure hope the Packers don't give in to him,' he said.

Three cheers for the old school. Why do we keep inventing new schools that invariably end up even dumber than the old ones?

This disdain for the binding nature of signed contracts is certainly rampant in sports; in fact, this is the second consecutive year the Packers have been held over the barrel by a disgruntled employee. But it shows up in other "industries" as well. Take for instance the contract squabbles of the band Linkin Park:

Ahead of Warner Music Group's initial public offering, rap metal band Linkin Park on Monday demanded to be released from its contract before a remaining four-album commitment ends, saying the label wasn't marketing its music effectively.

The thing is, as long as the appeasement continues, constantly renegotiating the desires of the grumbling party, it won't end. Today, sports and music, tomorrow, you and I could be holding out.

• Wife holds out on 3rd anniversary, demands renegotiation of pre-nup
  
• Kid refuses to brush teeth, angered by paltry allowance after all the lawn mowing he's done
  
• North Korea backs out of agreement signed with Carter to stop producing plutonium, demands star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Revered and Worshipped Leader.
  
• Surgeons stop operation in mid-stream, demand surcharge to insurance coverage from groggy, screaming patient

Oh AbbaGav, surely you gest. Well, yes, you caught me, that last one probably couldn't happen because it takes too long for the anaesthesia to wear off.

I sometimes wonder what the agents and lawyers were thinking when they advised their clients to sign the original contract.

Packers: Sign the contract Javon
Javon Walker: Uh, what do you think I should do?
Agent (silently to himself): Hmmm, let's see, this guys worth more than that, buuuuuuut, 10%, carry the two, less taxes, ....
Agent (to Javon): What, are you kidding me? They're offering you money to play a kid's game? Sign the #@*+!# thing!

For those who look a little deeper, at least into the Packers' labor woes, you will find that both last year's and this year's holdouts followed the hiring of new agents. So the new agent comes in and says "You mean the old agent let you sign that?

If there are any labor lawyers out there, you're welcome to add some info in the comments about

• Sports leagues are monopolies, binding players to only one potential employer through the draft
  
• Employment is not slavery and no one can be compelled to work against their will
  
• Football teams give their players non-guaranteed contracts and regularly cut them mid-contract, so fair is fair
  
• This could be Brett Favre's last year, and how can Walker have the nerve to holdout and reduce Brett's chance at a final Super Bowl
  

I can't wait to renegotiate my blogging contract.
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