Chris Mortensen of ESPN is reporting that Brett Favre has sent a letter to the Green Bay Packers front office requesting that they release him from his contract. Over the last few weeks the drama that is Bret Favre has had Packers and fans of the NFL in general wondering what he truly wants. At one point it was reported that he wanted to come back and play for the Packers. And then it came out that that was nothing but rumor and Favre had no intentions on returning. In the last week ESPN has been running with the idea that Favre's family is pushing him to return, even interviewing his brother and others in the Favre family. And now we're being told that Favre has asked for his unconditional release from the Packers so he can play football again somewhere else.

Since he officially announced his retirement in March, the Packers have begun planning life as a football team without Favre being a part of it. The reigns were going to be turned over to Aaron Rodgers to see what he could do as the starting QB. Before he even steps foot into training camp he has to hear that there's a possibility that Favre wants to come back. Fortunately for him, the management within the Packers organization has come out saying they are planning on moving forward without Favre. But there's never a guarantee there either.

Favre is one of my favorite players of all time. I love his toughness and his heart for the game. But enough is enough. If he comes back to play for another team, in my opinion, he tarnishes his image in my mind. The chances that he comes back and plays for another team and wins a championship are 1 in 32...ok, maybe more like 1 in 25 if you take teams like the Dolphins, Falcons and Raiders out. While he didn't win a championship last year, Favre still went out "on top" after having one of his best seasons ever and leading a team that was thought to be a .500 team to within a sniff of the Super Bowl.

I never thought I'd say this, but Brett, go away man! Be happy with your retirement. You're one of the greatest QBs of all time and one of the most respected players ever. Make a decision and stick with it for once. We all know you can still play, but that doesn't mean you should.

Bret Favre is quickly becoming a circus act and tarnishing his legendary career as the Packers QB.

Favre in any other uniform will be as pathetic and sad as seeing Jerry Rice as a Raider or Joe Montana as a Chief.

Muhammed Ali didn't know when to quit and though he is known as the Greatest he did tarnish his name with some of his fights when he kept trying to come back.

Hang it up Bret and don't become an ESPN highlight every week.

A quick take before the list.  On Wednesday, Dusty Baker was asked about Aaron Harang's arm injury and if he thought it resulted from the long relief outing in San Diego that he threw on short rest and the resulting starting assignment three days later.  Baker's response, as printed in the Cincinnati Enquirer, was, "No, it goes back before that."  What!!!!  Does that alarm anyone else?  That means he knew about Harang's arm injury and still threw him in long relief on short rest and then subsequently started him on short rest.  The man is a menace- eat his contract. 

On to better news...

Four times a year, I publish an updated rankings of the Reds Prospects.  Usually, I only list the top ten, but I had requests to expand it.  So today, we expand to twenty plus two extra (for reasons explained below).  The system has definitely fallen to the middle of the pack with the graduation of Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto to the Majors.  The Reds now have a lot of mid- level talent in the minors-  the type of guys who could have three or four productive years or may just be role players.  This could change- some players like Kyle Lotzkar and Neftali Soto have the potential to be better than productive.  There is a big drop in talent after #6 on the list and an even bigger drop after #10.  So here we go:

1.  Yonder Alonso *, 1B, unsigned:  The 2008 number one draft pick is, by far, their number one prospect when he signs.  He has a higher ceiling and a better potential for longetivity than anyone else.  Even though I would have preferred Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham, this is Reds Senior Director of Scouting Chris Buckley's best pick in his three year stint with the club.

2.  Daryl Thompson, SP, AAA:  Not quite ready for prime time, but may be by 2009.  He is conquering Triple- A.

3.  Homer Bailey*, SP, AAA:  He is losing prospect status because he will no longer be a rookie after this season and because he is being called up again by the Reds to fill in for Harang.  In the meantime, his fastball has no movement, he cannot get his breaking stuff over the plate and his character is being questioned.  He now projects as a #3 starter at best.

4.  Todd Frazier, IF/ OF, High- A:  The 2007 second round draft pick has already been moved off of shortstop and is being auditioned on all corners of the diamond.  His bat (.289/ .357/ .442 in 197 at bats at Sarasota) will have to carry him to Cincinnati and it should.

5.  Chris Valaika, SS, AA:  Valaika will probably not make the Majors as a shortshop, but could as a second baseman or third baseman.  His bat (.293/ .353/ .457 in 232 at at bats at Chattanooga) will be above average at second, but only average for a third sacker.

6.  Josh Roenicke, RP, AAA:  Rarely do you see relief pitchers ranked highly on lists like this.  Roenicke deserves it- he throws his fastball in the mid to upper 90s and throws a cutter about 10 mph slower.  He is already 25 years old so he should be in Cincinnati by the end of the year.

7.  Neftali Soto, IF, Low-A:  Here is another player who is going to be moved off of shortstop.  In the meantime, the Reds will wait patiently for the 19- year old to mature into a power hitter.  Keep in mind that he broke Juan Gonzalez' youth home run record in Puerto Rico.

8.  Kyle Lotzkar, SP, Low-A:  The Canadian has stuck out 38 batters in just 26 innings at Dayton to go along with a 3.86 ERA and an opponents' average of .213 against him.  This is pretty impressive considering he was facing high school hitters just 14 months ago.  Many considered him a steal when the Reds got him with the 53rd pick overall in last year's draft.

9.  Drew Stubbs, OF, AA:  Stubbs will make the Majors due to his glove, arm and legs, all of which are plus tools for the 23- year old.  He probably will not be much of a hitter due to his lack of contact at the plate.  The drafting of Stubbs over Tim Lincecum in 2006 is the worst mistake that former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky made.

10.  Zach Stewart, RP, Low-A:  The Reds 2008 third round pick will not be in Dayton much longer:  0.73 ERA in 12.33 innings with nine strikeouts and an opponents average of .119.

11.  Juan Francisco, 3B, High-A:  There are many others who are much higher on Francisco and his power potential that I am.  He has cut his strikeout rate, but his low .287 on base percentage tells me that he is still making far too many poor decisions at the plate.  This has been the knock on him since he signed so there has been no progress there.

12.  Devin Mesoraco, C, Low-A:  Buckley's first rounders in 2006 (Stubbs) and 2007 (Mesoraco) are losing their luster.  Mesoraco is not putting up great numbers (.251/ .305/ .368 in 171 at bats at Dayton) and he is not impressing scouts:  http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7773

13.  Brandon Waring, 3B, Low-A:  His 97 strikeouts in 273 at bats puts Adam Dunn to shame.  The seventh- round pick from last year is driving the ball into the gaps and over the walls- he has 15 home runs and a .495 slugging percentage.

14.  Matt Maloney, SP, AAA:  His ceiling is not as high as some pitchers listed below, but he has proven more and done it at a higher level.  He will make it to Bigs by the end of this year.

15.  Sean Henry, LF, AA:  Anyone that plays left field needs to hit.  Henry, who came over from the Mets in exchange for Jeff Conine, has done just that:  .324/ .400/ .506 in  247 at bats in Double- A.  He has been compared to ex- Red Cody Ross- not bad considering the season Ross is having with the Marlins.

16.  Ramon Geronimo, RP, High- A:  He is putting up some eye- popping numbers in Sarasota:  in 38.33 innings, he has a 0.70 ERA, 44 Ks, 10 BBs, and an opponents average of .154.  He is definitely someone to watch.  The only downside is his age- he is about to turn 25.  (He needs to be promoted... pronto.)

17.  Sam LeCure, SP, AA:  He has a lot of upside.  He could be a #3 starter as opposed to Maloney, Jukich and Watson who are all #4s at best. 

18.  Ben Jukich, SP, AA:  He is having a solid season thanks to increased control and keeping the ball down.  He has given up only five home runs in 111.66 innings.

19.  Sean Watson, SP, AA:  He is struggling since his promotion to Chattanooga:  in 14.33 innings, he has a WHIP of 1.95, an ERA of 9.42 and 14 walks.  He does have 18 strikeouts though.

20.  Paul Janish, SS, AAA:  Janish showed his excellent glovework in his brief stint with the Reds last month.  He can field at the major league level.  His bat may hold him back.

*= Since Alonso is unsigned and Bailey is about to be promoted to Cincinnati, here are two more...

21.  Adam Rosales, IF, AAA:  His make- up is off the charts.  He could be a professional coach one day.

22.  Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette, RP, High- A:  This lefthander is striking out over a batter an inning so far this season between Low- A and High- A.

OVERRATED

1.  Travis Wood, SP, AA:  not a prospect at all... cannot miss enough bats or get enough outs and he has already peaked.

2.  Pedro Viola, RP, AA:  I, along with many others, have missed on him.  He has followed up a breakthrough 2007 with a miserable 2008.

3.  Chris Dickerson, OF, AAA:  athletic, but never puts up good numbers.

It's that time of the year again for the annual GSI BLOG Mock Draft. The draft is set up for a 10-team league in yardage+TD, head-to-head scoring format. Over the next couple of weeks we will draft 14-man teams and offer our takes:

1. PREUTH - RB LaDainian Tomlinson - SD
2. CLASGENS - RB Adrian Peterson - MIN
3. HUMBERT - RB Brian Westbrook - PHI
4. BOLTON - RB Joseph Addai - IND
5. DINSMORE - RB Steven Jackson - STL
6. MURDICO - RB Frank Gore - SF
7. SIMS - QB Tom Brady - NE
8. SIMONS - RB Larry Johnson - KC
9. WETZEL - WR Randy Moss - NE
10. FISCHER - RB Clinton Portis - WAS

My Pick: With nearly every fantasy publication out there ranking LT as hands down the No. 1 pick, the real question this year is who's #2? While a strong arguement can be made for a handful of runners no running back perhaps in my 20+ years of playing fantasy football has the upside that A-Pete has coming into his sophomore year.  Sure there are risks - the injuries, sharing time with Chester Taylor, and a shaky passing game, but the pros far outweight the cons. For starters, no RB comes without injury risks. Look no at every single back taken in Round 1 here. Every one of them has had to deal with injuries. The Vikings have the league's best offensive line, a top-notch defense and the passing game is improving. Peterson ran for just 177 fewer yards last year despite missing two games, being severly limited in two others, and starting only nine contests. Peterson scored 13 TD's last year depsite receiving just 6 goalline carries, which was tied for 40th in the league.

Biggest Reach: Larry Johnson with the 8th pick was terrible. As if the foot injury wasn't enough to worry about, LJ still runs behind a below average offensive line and has Brodie Croyle under center. I have played with Mike Simon for years and know he covets Chiefs' running backs, but I really feel as if he could have waited until Round 2 (13th pick overall) to grab him if he loved Johnson that much. Personally, I am staying clear of LJ altogether and he should've here.

Final Take: It's no surprise that 8 of the first 10 picks were RB's and after their record-breaking season last year Tom Brady and Randy Moss demand first round attention. However, I don't expect either of them to sniff last season's epic numbers. As much as I love A-Pete, I think this year, like no other in recent memory, is one in which I would rather pick 4-6 rather than 1 or 2.

Our guy Tim Dierkes from MLBTradeRumors.com discusses the pitching market as the trade deadline nears:

• Justin Duchscherer, Athletics.  Duke is leading all of baseball with a 1.78 ERA in 101 innings.  He is under team control for '09, and Billy Beane wants to wait until after the season to talk extension.  He'd be a very interesting trade chip.
• Zack Greinke, Royals.  Despite interest, the Royals "remain decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," according to Ken Rosenthal.
• Derek Lowe, Dodgers.  The Phillies are interested, but the Dodgers are tied for first place right now.  Trading Lowe makes no sense.
• Edwin Jackson, Rays.  Jackson is starting to put it together, with a 3.93 ERA in 110 innings.  Trading Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine to make room for rookie David Price seems unlikely.
• Daniel Cabrera, Orioles.  Cabrera is having his best year, averaging over 6.5 innings per start by sacrificing his strikeout rate.  The O's control him through 2010, so they'll probably opt to hold onto him.
• Erik Bedard, Mariners.  He's currently on the DL with a stiff shoulder, but the Phillies could still pursue him.  He's under team control through '09, but the Mariners won't get anything close to the package they gave up for him.
• Gil Meche, Royals.  Meche and the Royals have been very clear - he's staying in Kansas City.
• Jason Marquis, Cubs.  Marquis is signed at almost $10MM for '09, so the Cubs might have to eat salary to move him.
• Roy Oswalt, Astros.  The Astros' ace has a full no-trade clause and is expected to stay.  He's signed through 2011.  Oswalt has, however, been scouted by several clubs.
• Oliver Perez, Mets.  The Mets are only two games out, quieting the rumors for now.
• Joe Blanton, Athletics.  Trading Blanton as his ERA approaches 5.00 doesn't seem wise.
• Jarrod Washburn, Mariners.  He's been decent since June. That's a nice development for Lee Pelekoudas, who might be able to unload the $10.35MM owed to Washburn in '09.
• Kevin Millwood, Rangers.  His groin is bothering him again, plus the Rangers might not be willing to sell.
• Vicente Padilla, Rangers.  Padilla is on the DL with a neck strain, driving his value down further after a couple of rough starts.
• A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays.  You know the story with Burnett - enigmatic pitcher with a dangerous opt-out after the season.  Some team seems likely to gamble on him for two months.
• Brett Myers, Phillies.  Myers does not want to be traded, nor is a deal likely.
• Paul Byrd, Indians.  He's been awful since the beginning of June, bringing his ERA to 5.47.  Can't be much of a market for him.
• Homer Bailey, Reds.  His value is down, though the Reds will give him a spot start Sunday.  Wasn't long ago that he was Baseball America's #9 prospect in the game.
• Bronson Arroyo, Reds.  His ERA is near 6.00 after 19 starts.  It'd be closer to 4.50 if you take out a pair of one-inning thrashings, but is it fair to do that?  He's signed through 2010, and the Phillies might be interested.
• Livan Hernandez, Twins.  Would an NL team take him on? Livan had a run of four solid starts until the recent Boston beating.  Could be a DFA candidate.
• Josh Fogg, Reds.  The Reds aren't too keen on Fogg, keeping him in the minors even after he was healthy.  He could be had for a song.

It was a good news, bad news scenario for Aaron Harang on Thursday. The good news is the MRI taken on his forearm came back negative. The bad news is he is headed to the 15-day DL with a stained forearm.

He will be shut down from throwing and be examined again in one week by medical director Tim Kremchek, according to the team's website.

"He won't be able to throw for at least a week, and then we'll build it back up," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "It's one of those things we want to make sure he takes the time to let it heal so when he comes back, he's 100 percent. I expect after the two-week period, he would be ready to go."

Harang is 3-11 with a 4.76 ERA in 20 games, including 19 starts, over 123 innings this season. He is second in the National League in losses and hits allowed with 138. Speculation of an arm injury grew after the ace struggled following a four-inning emergency relief appearance on May 25. In eight starts since that outing, he is 1-5 with a 7.31 ERA and 63 hits allowed over 44 innings.

The Dayton Daily News reprots that Homer Bailey will start Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers and C.C. Sabathia. GM Walt Jocketty talked with Louisville manager Rick Sweet, pitching coach Ted Power and director of player development Terry Reynolds for their opinions

It was Bailey over Daryl Thompson, even though Thompson pitched a good one Tuesday against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (love that nickname) — six innings, one run, five hits.

“We sent Thompson back down to work on some things,” said Jocketty, a reason not to bring him back yet. You don’t want a pitcher working on things in a major-league game.

I picked the perfect day to sit out in the bleachers for a Reds-Cubs game on Thursday.  The Reds were looking to avoid the sweep and with the wind blowing out you just knew there were going to be a ton of runs.  Still, I had no idea we would see eight homers on the day, seven by the Reds.

Ken Griffey Jr., Brandon Phillips, Edwin Encarnacion, Joey Votto, Adam Dunn all hit one and David Ross hit two, including one that landed literally at our feet. I'm not kidding it my buddie's seat number on the bleacher.  Of course, his reaction was slowed by beer and he didn't get the ball. 

It was a great game for sure!

The Reds became the first team in Major League Baseball history to hit 7+ homers against the same team twice in one season.  Meanwhile, Cubs fans got to use their arms as they tossed seven balls back on the field.

You have to feel for Cubs fans though. As excited and passionate as they are, the general consensus I felt talking to them all day (and night...got a bit sloppy) was a nervousness about them. Almost as they expect Bartman to show up with goat and ruin the whole season at any time. After a 100-year drought though it is hard to blame them.

We are off to Milwaukee to catch the Reds at Miller Park and the wind won't be blowing out there.