We're not sure who had the idea first -- author Ross Bernstein or the News Tribune editorial staff -- but loving and hating Brett Favre across state lines was an obvious theme when the 2009 NFL season began.
After Favre joined the Vikings late in training camp, folks in Minnesota and Wisconsin circled Oct. 5 on their calendars. On that date, as the Green Bay Packers were to play the Vikings at the Metrodome, the News Tribune ran two front pages. One with the company masthead colored in purple accompanied by a pro-Favre column and another with a green masthead and an anti-Favre column.
Within a month, Bernstein, from Eagan, Minn., published "I Love Brett Favre; I Hate Brett Favre: Personal Stories from Teammates, Coaches and Fans," (paperback $14.95, Triumph Books).
The book is now in its third printing, more than 25,000 copies, and Bernstein is loving every minute of the interstate rivalry. He'll be signing copies of three recent books, including the one on Favre, Sunday in Duluth and Tuesday in Virginia.
"Someone was going to do this book, so I thought, 'Why not me?' I hated the guy when he played for Green Bay and I love the guy now. It's written tongue-in-cheek and has been selling great on both sides of the border," Bernstein said this week.
ADVERTISEMENT
The author quickly made the rounds of Favre-connected sources this fall, including Vikings and Packers players, and he gives a snapshot of the atmosphere following Favre's decision to come to Minnesota after constructing his celebrity in Green Bay.
The book is 208 pages and needs to be flipped to read both sides of the story. The love side shows Favre wearing a Vikings helmet, while the hate side has him wearing, as you've already guessed, a Packers helmet. Bernstein presented a copy of the book to Favre in Green Bay on Nov. 1 following Minnesota's second win over the Packers this season.
"Packer fans just assumed that he would retire as a Packer and that would be it, and now they are in a state of denial. I just think he has earned the right to write the ending to his own story," former Viking tight end Stu Voigt told Bernstein, who has written more than 50 books.
Who: Ross Bernstein, Eagan, Minn.
Where: Miller Hill Mall Barnes & Noble in Duluth, 1-4 p.m. Sunday; Thunderbird Mall Woodward's Books in Virginia, 1-3 p.m. Tuesday
Books: "I Love Brett Favre, I Hate Brett Favre"
"The Code: Football's Unwritten Rules and Its Ignore at Your Own Risk Code of Honor"
"Maroon & Gold Forever: Celebrating 125 Years of Gopher Football"
