Is Brett Favre worth the wait? YEA: Vikings get a happy ending from this saga

If you saw Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre dismantle the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC playoffs last season, you saw the Twin Cities version of Mardi Gras.Long blasts of the Gjallarhorn. Favre bouncing up to back-bump with teammates. Minnesotans going crazier than they ever did for Al Franken, Jesse Ventura or “The Prairie Home Companion.” Favre threw four touchdowns and the Vikes were off to the NFC Championship Game.Of course, the New Orleans Saints had a few things to say about that ? and an ill-advised throw from Favre cost his team a win in regulation, and led to a Minnesota loss in overtime ? but no one who likes good football stories should criticize Favre for the extended hemming and hawing he did before coming back for season No. 20, or the Vikings for putting up with it.Look at what Favre did last year: Thirty-three touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Look at his resume: A Super Bowl title with the Green Bay Packers against your very own New England Patriots in 1997, and another trip to the big game a year later, where the Pack lost a close one to the Denver Broncos. And, from a marketing perspective, look at all the purple jerseys he sold up north. How could the Vikes not want him back?How, too, could you not wish success for such a snake-bitten franchise? The Vikings have made four trips to the Super Bowl without winning a title. Their 15-1 team of 1998, featuring a certain Randy Moss, flopped against the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs ? and their 2000 squad absorbed a 41-0 postseason pounding by the New York Giants. More seriously, there was the tragic death of player Korey Stringer during training camp in 2001 ? and the scandal of 2005, when it was alleged that players staged a sex party on two boats on Lake Minnetonka.What makes some teams’ success more memorable than others is when it comes after prolonged adversity. The championships won by the 2001, 2003 and 2004 Patriots, and the title won by the 2009 Saints, stand out because these franchises finally found their way after years of frustration (the Saints also had Hurricane Katrina to deal with). We should join the Vikings in welcoming back Favre for another chance at the success that has long eluded them.Some oppose yet another Favre comeback because, to paraphrase Franken, he made it “all about me.” He had to come flying in on a private jet from Hattiesburg, Mississippi (with presumably no disgruntled flight attendants on board) ? teammate/buddy Ryan Longwell chauffeured him in a rented BMW SUV (no standing in line at the Hertz station) ? and teammates tweeted his every move.If that’s Favre’s flaw, so be it. He’s got plenty of company, from LeBron James announcing his next team in a televised program on ESPN to Logan Mankins and Darrelle Revis holding out for more millions. We watch the games, we cheer the athletes ? we deserve the pantheon of prima donnas.Then there are those who aren’t happy with Favre because he kept the Vikings on the fence for so long. They have a stronger case. Favre let his team down by making everyone wait – including current backup Tarvaris Jackson, who would have gotten a chance to start if Favre stayed home.Still, as we all know in football and in life, some things are worth the wait. Especially when you’ve been to the Super Bowl four times and you’re still waiting for a title. Welcome back, Brett.Rich Tenorio is The Item’s sports copy editor.