{image1}As a Green Bay Packers fan, I am dealing with a couple of frustrating things lately. The first one is fairly easy to describe: every time the Packers play a game, they lose. This behavior gets old after a while, and worse yet, we Packers fans are unaccustomed to it.

The second is not as obvious but almost as annoying: every time there is nothing else to write about, a Packers beat writer pens a "Favre may retire if ..." story. For the love of Curly Lambeau, please spare us.

Since none of us can correct the first problem, let me propose a possible solution to the second issue. When it comes to end of #4's career, let's allow Favre himself to tell us when he's ready to quit. This suggestion is akin to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Don't ask Favre if he'll retire, and don't tell us anything about it until you know definitively that he's going to.

I assume you heard the latest installment of the "Will he or won't he retire?" show from Green Bay last week. After all, it's not like there's anything else of interest going on at the Don Hutson Center. (And for bored journalists, I understand that this is part of the problem.)

According to an interview with the AP, Favre had this to say about how Mike Sherman's status could possibly, sort of, maybe, affect his decision to return for a 15th season in Green Bay next year.

"I don't think there's one specific thing that would make me say yeah or no. It's just a culmination of a lot of different things, (Sherman's status) being one of them. Maybe you're on the verge of saying yeah, and then you say, 'You know what, do I really want to sit in meetings and have to learn something all over again?' That could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.''

In other words, Favre stated nothing definitive, and on this topic, he never has. He responded to a hypothetical question with a hypothetical answer. Moreover, he did so in answer to a question that has been asked literally hundreds of times over the last few years in one form or another: Will you retire after the season if (the Packers win the Super Bowl; the Packers finish in last place; your wife is ill; a new defensive coordinator is hired; your body tells you it's time; your wife tells you it's time; your mother tells you it's time; etc.)?

My reaction to this redundant line of questioning: Please, please stop asking him.

Sure, you may argue that journalists are just doing their jobs; I politely disagree. Why? Because broadcasters (on ESPN's "NFL Live," for instance) are now criticizing Favre for his "indecisiveness" or for "leaving the Packers hanging."

Excuse me? Who is at fault here? Is Favre to blame for honestly answering the same question time and again? The man doesn't know when he'll retire -- end of story. Or is he at fault for treating inane questions with courtesy and professionalism? Or maybe he's guilty of being the only thing standing between the Packers and utter laughingstock status.

Here's the deal: he'll tell us when he's ready. There's no reason to think he won't, or that he'll hold out and tell his favorite reporter to every other scribe's detriment. In the meantime, analyze his play, discuss Aaron Rodgers' readiness to replace him, ask Ted Thompson why he surrounded him with street free agents and rookies, discuss the existence of a punitive God with Mike Sherman -- just don't ask Brett Favre if he will retire after the season. I'm asking you nicely. I think I've been more than patient with all of you.

And if your editor insists that you ask the question in pursuit of the scoop of a lifetime, please do not write a qualified story based on a vague non-answer surrounding some speculative outcome. Such naive behavior was OK four years ago, now it's just aggravating. And in a year like this, Packers fans don't need any more aggravation.