The seemingly endless soap opera that has become Brett Favre's football life continued this week in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he has been testing his arm by throwing to a bunch of impressed high school kids as one of the Minnesota Vikings' coaches watched.
It has for weeks seemed a foregone conclusion that Favre would return to the NFL in the uniform of the Vikings this fall in an effort to torment his old employers, the Green Bay Packers.
His decision to undergo minor surgery six weeks ago to repair a torn bicep muscle signalled his desire to return play again and it has long been clear that the one place he was willing to do so was in Minnesota under his old friend, head coach Brad Childress.
Yet still he remains unsigned, saying this week he might not know for sure if he will return for a 20th season until the day the Vikings open training camp July 30.
People close to Favre have said he wants to be sure he will be "pain free'' and throwing like he used to before attempting a return to the NFL after the dismal end to his year last season, when his arm and the offence of the New York Jets fell apart simultaneously with a play-off spot one victory away.
NEWS BULLETIN TO BRETT FAVRE: men who have played 19 years in the National Football League will never be "pain free'' again. This is especially true if, like Favre, you have played quarterback all those years.
Favre has absorbed more bumps than the shock absorbers on a pick-up truck. He has been knocked down more often than Manny Pacquiao's sparring partners.
His job, or at least the way he performed it so admirably, has never been one where "pain free'' would be associated.
So if, at 39, he's waiting for the morning he wakes up and feels like he's 19, he will be waiting for a long time.
The Vikings have been patiently willing to do so it seems, with Childress defending what has now become the third straight off-season of angst for Favre, but time is running out on both of them and only one thing is clear: where once Brett Favre held the football now it is holding him.
He can't let go but he also doesn't want to repeat the sad final four weeks of his stay with the Jets, when his arm was aching and unable to fling the ball downfield as it once did and his mind was tired and unfocused.
Several of his teammates criticised him after the season for being distant, and, by the end, not really a Jet. He has denied that but the larger question is does he still want to play pro football or just say he's still a football player?
There is a serious distinction between the two because the former comes armed with two unavoidable things - pain and mind-numbing boredom on every day but game day.
For a player like Favre, who is a sure Hall of Famer five years after he retires (if he ever does), the endless meetings and practices that accompany each week of an NFL season seldom hold anything new. He has seen everything a defence can throw at him and he's thrown over most of it with great success. Hence, he yawns a lot.
At that stage the only thing left of interest are the games, but to be successful a player must accept the rest of what comes with it.
The surgery Favre underwent last month surely has alleviated some of the aching in his bicep but if it's pain he's trying to avoid, or youth he's trying to find, he needs to avoid pro football.
In the end then the choice he faces is clear. Is the pain of not playing worse than the pain of playing? Not even Brett Favre seems to know the answer to that.
rborges@thenational.ae
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
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Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Celtic Prince, David Liska (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.40pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Grand Argentier, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: Arch Gold, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Ibn Malik, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
10pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
HEADLINE HERE
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
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Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Jawan
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.