In The Spotlight

Aaron Rodgers has come a long way from being Brett Favre’s understudy. An afterthought in Green Bay during his first three years in the league, he has since emerged as the undisputed face of the franchise after leading the Packers to their first championship title in 14 years. “The challenge now goes to repeating, scrutinizing this season, finding out ways to get better,” Rodgers said after the team’s 31-25 victory over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. “Obviously, having a coach who's a perfectionist and a quarterback’s coach as well, there's going to be plenty of time to work on things and plenty of things to work on. I'm excited about enjoying this but also about improving." Learn more about Rodgers by clicking here.

In The Spotlight

Brett Favre continues to make history. This 41-year-old gunslinger recently became the first NFL player to throw 500 touchdowns and reach the 70,000 yard plateau in a dramatic showdown against the New York Jets. Sadly, his remarkable achievements have recently been overshadowed by allegations that he sent lewd text messages and photographs to a Jets employee during his brief tenure with the club. If found culpable, Favre could be suspended for the remainder of the season, thereby bringing a swift end to his otherwise illustrious 20-year career and his starting streak. Learn more about this predicament by clicking here.

Question of the Week

Charles, Birmingham, AL
Subj; Two timers
How many athletes been enshrined in both the Pro Baseball AND the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Just one. That honor belongs to Cal Hubbard, a gifted tackle who won three championships with the Green Bay Packers during the 1930’s. Big Cal’s remarkable combination of speed and power made him one of the game’s earliest stars and the NFL honored his outstanding contributions by selecting him as a member of their prestigious 1920’s All-Decade Team. Hubbard’s brilliance was further recognized in 1963 when he was among the initial class of inductees to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mind you, just because he was one of the league’s marquee players doesn’t mean he was well compensated for his efforts. Hubbard’s starting salary of $150 a game required him to find a second job and he supplemented his income by becoming a baseball umpire, at first in the minor leagues and later in the Big Show. The job proved to be a perfect fit and Hubbard became so proficient at calling balls and strikes that he was selected to officiate four World Series and two All-Star Games before becoming the American League’s supervisor of umpires. "Being an umpire wasn't such a tough job,” he commented years after retiring. “You really have to understand only two things and that's maintaining discipline and knowing the rule book." Hubbard’s exemplary service to the game was recognized in 1976 when he became just the fifth umpire to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

You've Got To Be Joking

Sit back and relax as you enjoy this week’s Sports Shorts.

The Green Bay Packers are crying poor after clearing just $21 million last season. Things are so dire, they might have to start eating those giant cheese heads.

San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan recently visited military personnel serving in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was a natural setting for Nolan since he’s used to coming under heavy fire.

Pacman Jones has informed the media that he no longer wants to be referred to by his nickname. Instead, he will answer to "Adam," "Mr. Jones," or "Prisoner No. 345279.”

A horse trained by Rick Dutrow has tested positive for twice the allowable level of Clenbuterol, a bronchodilator that helps burn fat and promote muscle growth. Why do horses know about this drug and John Daly doesn’t?

A photo taken during the early stages of the Belmont Stakes shows that Big Brown was running with a loose shoe. Given his poor finish it must have been a stiletto.

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to trade T.J. Ford to the Indiana Pacers for Jermaine O’Neal. The deal will also include center Rasho Nesterovic, a first round draft pick and 3,000 pages of medical documentation.

John Daly and Kid Rock teamed up yesterday at the Buick Open pro-am. It’s unclear who was left in charge of the trailer park while they were out.

China's top backstroker Ouyang Kunpeng has been banned for life for failing a doping test. Terms of the ban are so restrictive that Kunpeng won’t even be allowed to wash his face without permission.

Willie Randolph has been informed he’ll be replaced by Cubs manager Lou Piniella on the coaching staff for next month's All-Star game. And here’s a shocker, he was actually told about it during the daytime.

Warren Sapp says he plans to accept an offer to appear on Dancing with the Stars. Now it’s up to producers to find a woman with a 7’8” wingspan so she can wrap her arms around his waist.

David Beckham recently admitted on his blog that he's astonished by the reaction his new underwear ads for Emporio Armani are generating. "To be honest, I was amazed by the huge billboard poster outside Macy's department store, but even more amazed by the amount of people who turned up to see it!" he said. Frankly, we're just amazed that David Beckham knows how to write.

Question of the Week

Debra, Lanham, MD
Subj: Cheerleaders
Does every time in the NFL have cheerleaders and if not, which teams don't?

Superb question Debra. Sadly there are seven misguided teams in the NFL that do not employ cheerleaders. They include the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, the New York Jets and the New York Giants. In the case of the New York Giants, team officials have resisted hiring cheerleaders in order to make fans focus on the game itself. As for Pittsburgh, I’m going to have to assume the team couldn’t find 25 attractive women within the city limits. At any rate, you can rest assured that I’m presently lobbying my congressman to see what he can do to end this sad travesty.