relocated the citys NFL franchise to Los Angeles this past offseason. His shrewd demeanor is good for business but doesnt jibe well with fans or, at times, the cities that host his teams.Whats newUnfortunately for Colorado, whats new is also whats worse -- much worse. The resignation of Patrick Roy i

CANTON, Ohio -- Brett Favres love of football never wavered. Not even in the toughest hours of a 20-year career that led him to induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.Just before Christmas 2003, Favres father, Irv, passed away. The Packers were scheduled for a Monday night visit to Oakland. Despite reported uncertainty if Favre would play, his appearance against the Raiders never really was in doubt.And that victory in Oakland was about more than winning one for dad. For Favre, it was about redemption.My dad was my high school football coach. He was the head football coach, and he coached me and my two brothers, Favre said during his emotion-packed induction speech Saturday night. But I never had a car growing up. I always rode to and from school with my father in his truck, so he was always the last to leave the building because he had to turn the lights off, lock up, and then we made our way home.So it was the last high school football game of my high school career, and although I dont remember how I had played before, and I dont remember how I played in the last game, what I do remember is sitting outside the coachs office, say, on a Wednesday, waiting for my father to come out so we could leave. It was dark. And I overheard my father talking to the three other coaches -- and I assume I didnt play as well the previous week only because of what he said -- and he said: `I can assure you one thing about my son, he will play better. He will redeem himself. I know my son. He has it in him.Until his Hall of Fame speech, Favre never told anyone he overheard Irvs comments. He used them as fuel, though.I thought to myself, thats a pretty good compliment, you know? My chest kind of swelled up, he said. But I never forgot that statement and that comment that he made to those other coaches. And I want you to know, Dad, I spent the rest of my career trying to redeem myself.Favre halted his speech to compose himself as the fans in a stadium packed with Cheeseheads cheered encouragingly.But I spent the rest of my career trying to redeem myself and make him proud, and I hope I succeeded, Favre added to a deafening reception.That high school scene was nearly two decades before Irv Favres death. And on that Monday night when Favre threw for four touchdowns and 399 yards in a 41-7 romp at the Black Hole, a new objective entered his mind.It came on the flight back to Green Bay on a chartered plane with his wife, Deanna, at his side. She told him how Irv said to her that he couldnt wait for the day Brett would be enshrined at Canton so he could introduce his son.And up until that moment I had never thought about the Hall of Fame, and I mean no disrespect to the Hall of Fame, Favre said. I had dreamed of playing in the NFL, believe me, way more than I thought about my schoolwork. I thought about being Archie Manning, running around, throwing underhand passes. I thought about being my childhood favorite, Roger Staubach and throwing it to Preston Pearson or Drew Pearson, and handing it off to Tony Dorsett. Being Kenny Stabler coming out of tunnel. I had thought of those things so many times, but I never thought of the Hall of Fame until that moment.So a new goal had entered into my mind then and there, and I said to myself: `I will make it to the Hall of Fame. That I would make it to the Hall of Fame so I could acknowledge the fact of how important he was.Again, Favre stopped his induction speech, overcome by his emotions.This is tougher than any third-and-15, I can assure you, he said before returning to describing his chase for redemption. So I could acknowledge the importance of him and my career and my life, which he was a tremendous part of my life. He taught me toughness. Boy, did he teach me toughness. Trust me, there was no room for crybabies in our house.He taught me teamwork, and by all means no player was ever more important than the team.So then and there in that moment on that plane I was determined for selfish reasons to get to this point to acknowledge how important he was. I would not be here before you today without my father.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLJordan 5 Cheap For Sale . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Air Jordan 5 Online Australia .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. http://www.cheapairjordan5australia.com/ . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Wholesale Jordan Retro 5 . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Cheap Air Jordan 5 Australia . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season.This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 12 Owners Issue. Subscribe today!Colorado AvalancheOverall:?77 Title track:?39 Ownership:?92 Coaching: 69 Players:?108 Fan relations: 75 Affordability: 94 Stadium experience:?87 Bang for the buck: 32 Change from last year: -26For the second year in a row, Colorado managed to fall in all eight franchise rankings categories. Although its not quite as bad as 2015s 35-spot drop, the Avalanche are down another 26 places, and thats added up to quite a free fall. Only two years ago, Colorado was 16th overall. Ownership will have a tough time stopping this from snowballing.Whats goodDespite finishing second-to-last in the Central Division this past season, the Avalanche were just six points away from a playoff berth. Thanks to that competitive year and the teams past success, the franchise ranks fairly high in title track. The past is quickly becoming more distant, though: Colorados most recent division championship came in 2013, and the team hasnt earned a conference title since winning the Stanley Cup in the 2000-01 season. At least the Avalanche are a pretty good value, with tickets nearly $15 below the league average and a .500 record despite a late-season collapse.Whats badThe Avalanche share the Pepsi Center with the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth, a pro lacrosse team, as well as a slew oof events that come to the area each year.dddddddddddd Because of that, the arena itself, seating included, isnt particularly geared toward hockey (its ranked just 87th this year), and renovations to improve that feel arent likely. As far as ownership goes -- its ranked 92nd -- perhaps thats out of solidarity with St. Louis residents -- the Avs owner, Stan Kroenke, relocated the citys NFL franchise to Los Angeles this past offseason. His shrewd demeanor is good for business but doesnt jibe well with fans or, at times, the cities that host his teams.Whats newUnfortunately for Colorado, whats new is also whats worse -- much worse. The resignation of Patrick Roy in mid-August left the Avalanche scrambling for a coach, and they settled on Jared Bednar, who led the AHL-champion Lake Erie Monsters to the Calder Cup the previous season. The title is nice, but putting a second-tier league coach in charge isnt an awe-inspiring move (fans reacted by dropping the Avs coaching rank 47 spots). The roster, while talented, remains unproven, and the collapse at the end of the past season is reason for a fair amount of skepticism (the players, too, are down 38 spots, all the way to 108th).Next: Calgary Flames?| Full rankings ' ' '