Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, the official Web column of the U.S. Olympic badminton team.

Well, that's something to shoot for in London, 2012.

Here are the notes:

In a nutshell: Everybody you talk with these days has firm ideas about labeling the heroes and villains in the Green Bay soap opera. With a few days to digest the harsh reality of Brett Favre on Broadway, we've come to the following conclusions.

This wasn't a clash of egos as much as it was a difference of philosophies and a complete breakdown in communication.

The bottom line?

The Packers, led by general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy, could not bring themselves to say what Favre and millions of fans throughout Packer Nation did NOT want to hear.

Sugarcoat it all you want, but the Packers' brain trust did not want Favre to be the quarterback this year. The decision was made when Favre retired in early March and was evident to anyone reading between the lines.

Think of the timing of the announcement. FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer, who seems tight with Thompson and McCarthy, broke the story March 4. McCarthy and Thompson held a press conference that afternoon without Favre, who showed up on March 6.

That was strange in itself. Around that time, word leaked from the Favre camp that No. 4 was angry that the Packers didn't try harder to talk Favre out of retiring. When the Packers announced that they were going to retire Favre's jersey at the first regular-season game possible, it was a clear sign that they were ready to move on without him.

Some people consider Thompson and McCarthy to be bold, shrewd and visionary. Others think they are insane. Many are withholding judgment until the season unfolds.

Though they tried to cast their decision in the best possible light, Thompson and McCarthy ignited a PR powder keg. Given Favre's popularity, performance last season and his change of heart / desire to play this season, a graceful exit, in hindsight, probably was impossible.

Lingering questions: What are the Packers going to do with the suite the Favre family used for home games at Lambeau Field? What about that infamous locker that they were going to send to Hattiesburg? Does Favre still get it? Would he want it? Do they send it to New Jersey? Will the Packers still sell Favre jerseys at the team store inside Lambeau Field? Will they sell Jets jerseys now?

Room at the top? Packers president Mark Murphy has had an eventful eight months on the job, don't you think? ESPN's Chris Mortensen, speaking on "The World's Greatest Sports Talk Show" host Steve "The Homer" True on 540 ESPN, thinks the situation may have been different if the Packers had a more traditional structure.

"I think it could have been handled better," Mortensen said. "Like Mark Murphy said 'Boy if we all sat down a couple of months ago, maybe this would have been different.' Well, no kidding. If this team had an owner, this never would have happened. I've heard that from so many other executives and owners that if the Green Bay Packers had an owner it would have been handled much differently. I'm convinced of that."

Name game: The Packers quietly filled Favre's roster spot on Friday with the signing of cornerback Scorpio Babers, a free agent from Sam Houston State. Babers will wear No. 41 and joins a defense that already features Atari Bigby. Too bad Taco Wallace isn't on the team any more."

CC earns another "A": We said it initially, but it bears repeating: No matter what Matt LaPorta does in his big-league career, the Brewers were justified when they traded him to Cleveland for lefty CC Sabathia. The big fella has been nothing short of awesome.

In Sharp focus: Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder's dugout dustup with Manny Parra this week didn't hurt his endorsement appeal.

Sharp Electronics announced a sponsorship deal with Fielder, who will help promote the Sharp AQUOS brand, which happens to be the official high-definition TV of Major League Baseball.

Sign of the times? The Packers made a rare announcement Friday: a limited number of tickets are available for the exhibition opener with Cincinnati Monday night at Lambeau Field.

Before you draw conclusions about a Favre backlash, be advised that the tickets were returned by the Bengals. You can buy them at packers.com/tickets/single_game_tickets.

If you're looking for Brewers tickets in the next few weeks, good luck. The team could sell out all home dates in August and the September games are moving briskly.

Olympic spirit: The Admirals are offering eight tickets to any game before Christmas for $88, a savings of $40. The deal began yesterday, 8-08-08, and will run through the end of the Olympics on Aug. 25.

Of the 12 Admirals games before Christmas, nine are on weekends.

Historical marker: The Brewers will unveil a historical plaque marking the location of Borchert Field and history of the Milwaukee Bears Negro Leagues franchise at 10 a.m. Monday. The press conference will be held in the Clinton Rose Center, 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., followed by an unveiling of the marker outside the Center.

In addition to the Bears history, the plaque includes a narrative about the ballpark and its home teams, including the Milwaukee Chicks of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the Minor League Milwaukee Brewers and the NFL's Green Bay Packers.

Quick hits: Among the stories overshadowed by the Favre saga: the opening of Badgers football camp; the penalty against the Rufus King High School boys basketball team, which has been barred from tournament play in 2009; the PGA Championship in Michigan; and, of course, the Olympics. The opening ceremonies were dazzling; let's hope the athletic competition matches up.