Last Wednesday afternoon, minutes before Isthmus went to press, the Milwaukee Brewers were mired in the late innings of a 10-2 loss at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds. An editorial decision was made not to update the team's win-loss record, as listed in Scoreboard and this column, rather than assume the loss and risk an embarrassing inaccuracy.
Comebacks, even miraculous ones, happen.
As it turned out, the loss to Cincinnati began a five-game losing streak in which the Brewers were outscored 38-8, including two shutouts. This decrepit play didn't just undercut the upbeat tone of last week's column, it called into question the whole notion that momentum has any significance in sports.
Few teams were playing better than Milwaukee early last week; few were playing worse early this week.
Something similar happened this Tuesday morning when news spread of Brett Favre's apparent retirement. He may be the most revered and reviled athlete in state history. But when it comes to Favre and retirement, today's truth is tomorrow's laughably nave observation. Good luck nailing this one down in any medium that can't be immediately updated.
The uncertainty won't stop ESPN from lining up its cast of former coaches and players to weigh in on this issue. And Packers fans will pretend not to care. But they'll be tuning in, along with everybody else.