Quick Hits - 4th of July Edition

In the time that's passed since the last (thoughtful) entry written here, a lot's happened in my own little world of things I care about. So, like, Sports Illustrated's Peter King, here's a list of things I think:

After the yearly drama that was Brett Favre's farewell tour, the newly-retired Green Bay Packer has been the subject of comeback rumors, after having endured years of retirement speculation.

Brett Favre insists that all this talk about his potential return to the Packers is just that.

After buzz about a comeback surfaced Wednesday, the retired Green Bay quarterback told the Biloxi Sun Herald (Miss.) that "it's all rumor."

Source: FOXSports.com

Two Cents: I think there's nothing to the story, other than the irony involved. The media just wants to speculate on Favre because his comeback might be a feel-good story, and there hasn't been much headline-grabbing activity this offseason.

If anything, the media should be more focused on the commissioner's criticism of rookie contracts.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said it's "ridiculous" to reward untested rookies with lucrative contracts, and wants the issue addressed in contract talks.

"There's something wrong about the system," Goodell said Friday. "The money should go to people who perform."

Source: ESPN.com

Two Cents: It's about time. Rookie salaries have reached obscene heights in recent years, with so many veterans being overlooked in contract negotiations, not out of ignorance of their contributions, but because of the enormous cap space reserved for high draft picks. Why risk millions invested in an unproven commodity?

More random thoughts:

- The new (officially untitled) Nas album needs to sell better than Lil' Wayne's album to reaffirm my faith in hip-hop (and the civilized world, for that matter). I'll vomit if "Tha Carter III" goes on to move the most units this year.

(No comment on G-Unit's "Terminate On Sight," by the way...)

- "Get Smart" wasn't worth the full price of admission -- that's why I only paid the matinee price of $5.50 to see it. Still somewhat of a waste...

- If "The Dark Knight" doesn't get an Oscar win (not just a nod, a WIN) for Best Picture and/or Best Actor (supporting or otherwise) for Heath Ledger, I'll be sorely disappointed. I haven't even SEEN the movie yet since it doesn't come out until the 18th, but the early reviews have been so overwhelmingly positive, that it's impossible for it to NOT be a great movie...

- I missed the NFL Network. I never realized how much I missed it until I sat down to watch it for maybe five hours straight, the first night I got it back...

- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is SO MUCH of a cinematic experience, I can't even bother finishing the game just yet...there's SO MUCH to the plot and everything is SO atmospheric, I can't see myself wanting to finish it until I take it all in...

- NCAA Football 09 comes out in less than two weeks. I can pretty much kiss my free time goodbye until the first full week of August...which will then be spent fixing my social life before Madden NFL 09 comes out the following week...

(I want in-game soundtracks, dammit!)