You know my favorite part of clicking on an article on espn.com? That little popup from freeiqtests.com that tells me that Brett Favre's IQ is 138.

I don't know if Brett's that smart or not. I certainly have my own preconceptions about Mississippi folk, but I've never visited the state and Favre and John Grisham are the only two natives I can name.

I do know that it took Brett until yesterday to reiterate what he said last March and what my cousin's nine-year-old could have told you: He's got nothing left to prove.

"I have the ability to turn it off just like that," he told ESPN's Ed Werder. "I don't feel I have anything left to prove. Do I have to redeem myself for the last five games? No. I could be trying to do that until I'm 60 years old. There is nothing left there for me from that standpoint. I'm disappointed with the last five games, sure, but I know I did everything I could have."

Favre's not washed up. The numbers show that. His 81 passer rating and 22 touchdown passes were better than his numbers during the 2005-06 seasons.

But there is an art to stepping aside gracefully and Favre butchered that this summer. It didn't take someone with an IQ of 138 to understand that deciding to unretire and forcing his way out of Green Bay would only sully his accomplishments - particulary after his teary-eyed March press conference.

Choosing to play another season in New York probably wouldn't hurt his reputation any more than he already has - except there are the recent anonymous allegations by a teammate which called Favre a 'distant' teammate who never socialized with his fellow Jets.

Still, it's time for Brett to call it a career whether he's able to play or not. He's got the records, the money, the ring, the loyal fan base, the two daughters and the wife who looks 10 times better now than she did 20 years ago.

But will Brett do it? I doubt it. Some people just don't know when to say when.

In honor of the man who is now contemplating retirement for yet another offseason, I propose the creation of an award in his name for athletes who just can't give it up.

First though, I'd like to highlight three athletes who immediately come to mind that could have had this award named for them.

1. Michael Jordan

MJ walked away at 30 years old after a three-peat, three MVPs and an Olympic gold medal. However, he didn't want to end his athletic career with a wretched stint as a Birmingham Baron. So he three-peated. Again. Then walked away on top. Again. That would have been fine but MJ couldn't stop there. He had to come back as a Wizard, only to whine about his teammates' lack of effort while failing to make the playoffs.

2. Rickey Henderson

The all-time stolen base king made his major league debut the summer before my parents got married (1979) and last appeared in a major league game the summer after I graduated from high school (2003). Since then, he's played for the Newark Bears and San Diego Surf Dawgs and coached for the New York Mets.

A narcissist of Barry Bonds proportions, my favorite Rickey story is actually an urban legend: After he signed with the Mariners in 2000, he supposedly asked John Olerud why he wore a batting helmet sans ear flaps while in the field. When Olerud replied he had done so since suffering a brain aneurysm in college, Henderson said, 'No (kidding). I used to play with a guy in New York who did the same thing.'

'That was me,' Olerud supposedly replied.

3. Mark Brunell

I guess I owe this former Washington Husky a debt of gratitude. Without Brunell suffering a knee injury in the Huskies' spring game as a junior, Billy Joe Hobert would never have taken over the job, taken the loan money and helped put the program on NCAA probation.

He's 38 now and hasn't started an NFL game since 2006, but he remains on the Saints roster.

But then there are always the what-if's.

Gehlen baseball coach Marty Kurth didn't get to play his senior year at Westmar due to his student teaching responsibilities, so he still has a season of college baseball eligibility remaining. Maybe he could join his son Mitch, who is a sophomore at Briar Cliff.

Now there's a comeback I'd like to see.