Opinion Corner: 12/12/12 a bit much

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The absurd has happened, the Wisconsin Legislature has made it official 12/12/12 will hereby be known as Aaron Rodgers Day in the Dairy State.

A-Rodge shattered the Green and Gold record books last year, but we’ve seen some pretty impressive quarterbacking before with Brett Favre, but never enough to warrant a day of celebration.

Let’s crack the stat books shall we?

Last year, the 2011 NFL MVP passed for a franchise-leading 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns and six interceptions. He ended the season with a 122.5 passer rating, a league record and led the Packers to a 15-1 regular season record, although Green Bay was also the first 15-1 team to not win a playoff game.

In 2003, the year prior to when Favre would have received his own day (4/4/04) the gunslinger had 3,361 passing years, 32 touchdowns, 21 interceptions and a QB rating of 90.4.

Plus, the end of the 2003 season is something that burns in the memory of Packers fans almost as bad as the 1999 NFC Championship Game stings Vikings fans. Two words and one number — 4th-and-26 (it even has its own Wikipedia page).

The Packers defense blew a 2003 Divisional Playoff game; just like the 2011 Packers blew a Divisional Playoff game.

No one is a larger admirer of No. 12 than me, but this seems a little premature.

The Vikings have never had a superstar put up dynamite numbers the season before his number is the calendar year, and unless that number is less than 12 — tough beans.

Trying to decipher this statistical anomaly is enough to make SI’s Peter King’s head explode in confusion.

If the Vikings and fans were really impressed with Percy Harvin, this could be his year. After all, he reeled in six touchdowns and almost broke the millennium mark for yards with 967 — and that’s with average quarterback play at best.

But these days the only thing the Vikings and their fans have to celebrate should be a new stadium, which by the time this hits the press should be a done deal.

Maybe this is just the boastful and blissful Packers fan in me, but I was legitimately worried, we would lose our whipping boys to the north.

Green Bay will always be the home of the Packers as thousands of shareholders own a piece of America’s team.

Zygi Wilf, and his net worth of $1.3 billion, were ready to skip town all the way to the beach if the taxpayers didn’t foot more than half of the near $1 billion bill.

When Lambeau Field needs an upgrade, stock is sold. It’s only happened three times, but naysayers seem to whine about the undying devotion to their team.

It may be one of the best border wars in all of sports, but the Packers and the Vikings really are polar opposites —from owners, to stadiums, to players, to records, and Super Bowl wins.

I’m just grateful the rivalry will continue for a few more decades. Now if I can only convince The Sun to let me wear my Rodgers jersey on Dec. 12.

Rodgers is a news writer at the Jamestown Sun

Tags: sports, packers, nfl, football