You’ve probably heard this a billion times this week: This is the game of the year.

I’m sure everyone has been swept up in the frenzy of the Brett Favre-returns-to-Lambeau Field dervish. It will be a delicious sight to see with the 40-year-old veteran quarterback from Southern Mississippi return to the place where his career took hold. Many fans of the National Football League will always consider Favre a Green Bay Packer with their green-and-yellow Number Four jerseys in pristine shape.

Yet, Favre’s not a Packer. Nor does he have a mid-summer-to-winter residence in Brown County, Wisconsin anymore. He has since moved on for a season with the New York Jets and, now, the Minnesota Vikings.

The latter is the reason for the frenzy. This is a natural rivalry that has commenced over a period of 48 years. The upstart Vikings established a home in Bloomington (where the Mall of America now stands) while the Packers have matured into a great club in northeastern Wisconsin. Over time, these two teams traded paint with division and conference championships under their belts. While the Wisconsinites won Super Bowls, the Vikes found themselves on the short end of immortality.

Considering the drama of Favre coming back out of retirement, I still consider the sight of a former rival wearing the favored purple-and-yellow still an odd sight. Even still the number of Vikings fans wearing his jersey much to the chagrin of the present Packers jerseys with the same name and number on it. I still think it’s insane for anyone in this state to wear Packers paraphernalia in public.

You see I extremely dislike the Packers. Even when I lived in Madison for those three-and-a-half years convinced that my time in the Nation’s Capitol robbed my soul, I took extreme disdain on the dominant paradigm of Wisconsin sports – next to the athletic department of the University of Wisconsin, Madison campus. Part of my vitriol was Favre: A man similar to Steve Garvey - a symbol of perceived perfection. I felt Favre was a bad vision of Roger Staubach reincarnated. If he were flawed as, for example Terry Bradshaw, I’d like the guy – or, at least respect him.

Now, I accept the fact that Brad Childress successfully wooed Favre into playing one more season before his eventual enshrinement into Canton, Ohio’s Pro Football Hall of Fame – in a purple-and-gold uniform. I also accept the fact that the Vikings are 6-1 with everyone adjusting the microscope even further to see whether Number Four is indeed the difference in this team or not.

When these two teams met at the Metrodome, it seemed that the Packers left Favre alone. They figured they get to Adrian Peterson instead. That worked, but they couldn’t stop Favre from achieving close to 300 yards in passing. However, the real star of the game was Aaron Rogers – who passed for over 380 yards in the loss, but closed the gap in a fury during the fourth quarter. If it weren’t for that patented Favre magic to win the game in final seconds, I would be talking more about how Aaron Rogers have obliterated the memory of Number Four for the Cheesehead Nation.

Instead, Favre is testing the ideals of aging. Despite the loss in Pittsburgh last Sunday, Number Four passed for over 300 yards. This is what makes today’s late game more intriguing.

How will the fans at Lambeau great Mr. Favre, now wearing white with purple numbers? Who knows? Packer fans are passionate and loyal regardless whether they win or lose. One thing is for sure, that place will get loud in the face of above-freezing weather with some wind coming from the South-Southwest. Not exactly Brett Favre weather, but at least they can rest assured that they won’t have to match-up again until, at least possibly, the Divisional round of the NFC Playoffs.

Favre downplayed this homecoming as “just another game.” I don’t believe that for a moment. If Number Four can see this as any other game, he is sorely mistaken. This is not just any other game, Brett. The interviews on television have increased multi-fold and all eyes will be on Green Bay and Brown County. Makes you forget about the “after further review” homer by Alex Rodriguez late last night…

As sacrilegious as this will sound coming from a baseball blogger: Who needs a World Series when you have perhaps the biggest Vikings-Packers game ever? Then again, you’d rather watch Ozzie Guillen’s attempt at being a baseball television analyst afterwards - if you dare!