Personal Seat License Grief Counseling

The 5 stages of Personal Seat License Grief:
1) Denial- "I can't believe we have to pay off those rich owners."
2) Anger- "Those m*****-f****** greedy ****ing owners are hosing us with this cr*p. They s***. I am never going to another game!" (See other Giants bloggers who are stuck here on Stage 2.)
3) Bargaining- "I never asked for a new stadium. Maybe I can get my mother-in-law to pay the fee and then she'll just give the seats to us when she dies anyway."
4) Depression- I am going to have to pay up for the PSL, the money is going to go to those rich SOBs, and that thought depresses the hell out of me.
5) Acceptance- there are 15 years of people on a waiting list behind me who will pay for these PSL's. Ultimatenyg points out that the seat licenses will be worth more than I pay for them, so it is what it is, next.

Where have you gone, Wellington Mara? New York Giants Personal Seat Licenses Part 3

Yesterday we noted how Wellington Mara must be turning in his grave. Today Rich Cimini of the Daily News recounts another in a long line of stories about how Wellington Mara put the stadium fans first.

This is not a new story, as the seat license has been telegraphed for a while. If I am guilty of anything, it is an attitude of acceptance, of being resigned to this fate for so long. As soon as they announced they would be building the new stadium, we all knew the PSL was coming.

The only way to do battle is to vote with your feet. I had heard that Eagles fans had to put up 5K for the seat licenses, so Thursday's announcement that it would be 1K for 90% of the upper tier (where I sit), it was almost good news. Zero would be better. But for the same reason that economically the Giants can charge it, you the season's ticket holder better buy that license because the resale will be worth a lot more than 1K in the secondary market. So don't get too misty about Wellington being gone, because many of the Giants fans out there have an instant economic boon coming if they want that. And if they just want to go to games and not have to pay for the right, at least you can buy the license and then resell it and use the proceeds for ~8 years of home games from Giants tickets exchange. All I am saying is that it could be a lot worse too-- if the Giants put this thing into a Dutch Auction, you would be paying a lot more than they will be charging. And another thing... how many of you out there have been on the waiting list for over 10 years and now finally see an opportunity to get into the freaking stadium with your own seats?! I didn't make any of these rules, but it is far more complicated than just being pissed at the Maras and the Tisches. It kind of reminds me of Manhattan renters who cry about having no rights... yet there they are not complaining about getting the insider's price on a condo/coop conversion, OR having their apartment rent-controlled at below market prices, which CREATES the high prices for Manhattan apartments in the first place. Giants seasons tickets holders have been on rent stabilization for a while now. As a 'renter' you are entitled to NOTHING. Take risk and OWN. Or walk.

Andy Mara? Personal Seat Licenses?

lol. it's capitalism, love it or leave it. I know... Wellington Mara is probably turning in his grave. I am trying to be realistic. We knew it was coming. For me, I wouldn't have even bothered building a new stadium- the old one works for me because I am not in demand of a luxury box. The bottomline is this is the marketplace. Check out the prices for PSL's being floated in Dallas. The owners can do anything they please. The fans can stay home, spend the grand (or 20 grand) on a home theatre and let someone else pony up the money.

Since the Baseball Strike of '94 I have not paid to see a single game (have gone to a total of 3 since then as a guest of others) and have only watched a total of ~20 games in 14 years on television after growing up with the sport. Have not watched a single pitch this season. May go to a Newark Bears game. Point is we all have choices. I think that the price of a football game (which represents 12.5% of the entire home season) is still fairly priced. Try spending 500 dollars going to an NBA regular season game where the players turn it on for only 1 quarter at the end. (I was once a courtside guest and was horrified by that one.)

There are other things that piss me off much more than these PSLs. Why do I get ads and far less video updates of other out of town games while AT THE STADIUM than I do at home in front of the television? What will s**k about the PSL's is if/when they do little to enhance the STADIUM EXPERIENCE. Will we have to pay $20 to park our car and have it still be a nightmare? Will getting out of the stadium parking lot still take 40 minutes?

Make your voice heard. I think Giants fans got tired of the flex scheduling and all the evening games in '06 and '07 and finally got some relief in the '08 schedule. If you really object to the PSLs, boycott them and then simply go to the stubhub/Giants tickets exchange and pay face. One of the original email guys from this blog paid $3800 for one ticket to the Super Bowl- he was in Glendale without a seat and was prepared to watch in his hotel room. Considering it was arguably the greatest game in Giants history, I am not sure if he overpaid.

What irks all of us is that if we all boycotted the PSL I am sure that the 15+ years of people on the waiting list (not to mention the corporates) would swoop in and devour the new availability. If it were not for having to go to football games at 8PM (at the end of December), I would be far more interested.

I will end the post with a little ditty from the Giants' press release: "...we hope and believe that you will be pleased with the options when we send more detailed information on the stadiumʼs PSL programs."

Personal Seat Licenses at Giants Stadium... here it comes

The first official word is breaking from Mara/Tisch on the introduction of PSLs for Giants tickets. If the PSLs are 'only' 1K for 90% of the upper bowl seats, that is not completely unreasonable or excessive. Considering that tickets for a season are ~$80 X 10 games = $800, it is not egregious to charge $1000 for essentially 30 years of control of that seat. Plus, the license will give you the ability to will the seat to others beyond immediate family.

Garafolo reports on details of Snee's contract

Here are the details of the new six-year extension for Giants G Chris Snee, according to his agent, Noel LaMontagne of EAS Sports:
*Total value of $41.25 million without escalators. With escalators, the max value of the deal is $43.5 million.
*$13.5-million signing bonus.
*Base salary average of $6.875 million.
*$17 million guaranteed.
*$23 million in the first three years of the contract.
Snee's salary for the upcoming season remains the same, but was incorporated in the new contract so the actual figure will change.

This is very impressive $ for a Guard. Top 5 Guard money, up there with Faneca. Very hard to argue that Burress (/Umenyiora) does not deserve the same kind of money.

New York Giants sign Chris Snee, Michael Strahan says trade Jeremy Shockey

Giants sign Snee.

Strahan says let Shockey leave and play somewhere else.

So much for a quiet period between minicamp and training camp. These two items are VERY important within the context of the NY Giants' attempt to repeat. There is a list of veterans that are quietly and (duh, Plaxico) not so quietly waiting for a new contract. Locking up Snee BEFORE he went to the Pro Bowl (he is there in everything but name only) was a great move... another one of those 'meat and potatoes' #2 picks.

As for Strahan's remarks about Shockey, they mean A LOT because Strahan was the pulse of the team. He just left, meaning he still IS the pulse. He understands and is not bashful about speaking his mind, so we just got a clear signal of where the other players are. They know how good he is but after a certain point you do not need the distraction anymore. Does he fit? Unless these guys can patch it up, Strahan argues to get what you can get for him and move him. I re-watched the Dallas, GB and Patriots playoff games, and saw plenty of weakness in Boss's game..poor/inconsistent blocking, dropped passes.. Boss will get better but remember he is not Jeremy Shockey. This will be a loss. I am not closing the door on Shockey- ironically it could be the lack of a deal with Reese and him that force him to play out (the next year of) his contract, but it looks like Jeremy Shockey is ultimately going to get what he wants: a different team.

Jared Lorenzen cut

Jared Lorenzen cut

The Eagles and Strahan

Eagles misery? Bring it on. There is very little that is better than to hear old tales of Eagles misery at the hands of our Giants warriors. The picture is sweet not only because we know McNabb is about to be sacked, but also because it has Runyan already on his back. Earlier this month we had some reflections from the Eagles on Michael Strahan. They are happy he is gone. They knew and understood that Michael was not the greatest player of all time, but he was the consummate professional who got the job done every season. Sacking the QB, stopping the run, blowing up screens, disrupting the defense wherever he could. He'll be missed here. He won't be missed there.

Michael Strahan's Career Retrospective with Bob Papa

Giants Access Blue
Strahan Tribute Part1
Part2
Part3
Part4

Former New York Giants DL George Martin finishes walk across the US for first responders of 9-11

First Class Responder

George Martin reaches San Diego

Video: George Martin earlier in the year crosses the Mississippi River (link also available within first and second story)

Steve Serby on Martin

Ahmad Bradshaw in Jail

Allegedly Bradshaw had a parole violation from back when he was a juvenile, he is serving 30 days in jail, the Giants knew about it, he has not committed any infractions since being drafted.. and the NFL is reviewing the matter.

Seems 'scheduled' to me. The quietest time of the football season is in between early June minicamp and end of July training camp. Time for an all expense paid trip to the local county jail. If the Giants and Bradshaw are correct, the guy has been straight, this is in his past, this was why the guy fell to the 7th round, he helped us win a Super Bowl, next.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame

An interesting couple of video clips on the Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame measurements and an intro to the Class of 2008.

Michael Irvin's initiative to have rookies visit Canton.

...and the Giants rookies visited Canton today.

I love to hate the Eagles.

Regulars of this blog know that it is not the skins or boys that get me going, it is the eagles. I always enjoy it just a little more when they suffer. Got this little tidbit from a friend..

Guard Rich Seubert has a summer house in Manahawkin, at the south Jersey shore near Long Beach Island, where he plans to spend the next month or so. "Most of the people down there are Philadelphia fans," he smiled, devilishly, "so I'm going to put up a flagpole, run the Giants Super Bowl flag up to the top and then have an Eagles' flag hanging at half-mast."

Top 10 Pass Rushers of All Time

It is so hard, nearly impossible to track and accurately rate run-stoppers. Finding clips of meat and potatoes run tackling is not there. So for Strahan's NFL eulogy we will give the list of the Top 10 Pass Rushers of All Time.

10. Derrick Thomas Poor Man's LT that had his life cut short. The Chiefs (coincidentally or uncoincidentally) have not recovered since his loss.

9. Doug Atkins
..this was worth listening to just to hear the Voice of God (aka John Facenda) for a few moments.

8. Mark Gastineau

7. Michael Strahan This is some collection of players, but if I had to have anyone on this list on a running play I would take Strahan. How many on this list can you say were better at the run than the pass? Strahan was.

6. Kevin Greene Juice, imo.

5. Gino Marchetti I love what Marchetti said about Tarkenton-"he won't last a year, (they'll) kill him!"

4. Bruce Smith Wow did he put a lick on Esiason.

3. Lawrence Taylor Reinvented the game.

2. Reggie White Never liked the baloney he fed everyone when he left for Green Bay. As George Young said, when they say it isn't about the money, it's about the money.

1. Deacon Jones A shame they did not keep sack records back in his day, but he was the one who INVENTED the word 'sack!' As a kid growing up and watching football, he scared me. Mommy!

Where will you be in 5 years?

When Strahan announced his retirement, the first thing I heard was how he was going to get inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame along side of Brett Favre and Warren Sapp. Not so fast. The HOF Class of 2013 looks like it is going to be a little crowded.

I think the order is just about right, but mine would look like this:
Favre
Strahan
Seau
Ogden
Sapp
Allen

McNair? Nope. As for the other 6, ALL OF THEM are getting into the Hall of Fame, period. But if you can only let in a maximum of five in one year, then one is going to have to wait another year. If I am the voter, I make Allen wait. F the Boys!

I have a particular bias toward interior Defensive Linemen anyway- it is easily the single most thankless position in the NFL. You can be a great DL and there are very few stats that can capture your play. Tackles? Many times this is irrelevant because you are so often getting wedged and doubled. Your job is just to maintain your place, not get blown off the line, so that the LB can get the glory. Yes, Sapp's mouth was bigger than his play some of the time, but not a lot. He went at it with Favre so many times over the two of their careers that for them to not go into together would not be right. It would not make sense.

Favre is going in on this ballot.

Strahan is going in on this ballot.

Seau played for so many schtick dreck teams, think about how many times he had Guards and Tackles in his face yet somehow made the tackle anyway. 12 Pro Bowls? There are a lot of people in the Hall who have not played 12 YEARS, let alone have 12Pro Bowls. It was a good thing he was in the waning moments of his career, because if the Giants saw him on a Patriots team a little earlier, it could have been ugly.

Ogden? All I can think of is cyclops, aka Cedric Jones. We had the 5th pick in the draft and were gambling that someone (hint, Cardinals) would be stupid enough to take Lawrence Phillips before we picked. Then it would not matter, because Johnson-Hardy-Rice-Ogden... one of them would be ours. Johnson, Rice and Ogden all won a Super Bowl ring, but Ogden was the prize. Ogden shut it down, imo more than Allen. And since I have a stronger appreciation for Tackle than Guard, and Allen played a lot of Guard... well, you are a great player and belong in the hall, but... Larry, take a seat. In the audience. For one more year.

Father's Day with the NY Giants

Guess what I got for Father's Day?!! Thanks Ariel and Franny!

Tiger Woods Back 9 last night at Torrey Pines was unbelievable!

I do not care if you are a fan of the Giants, a fan of football, a fan of golf or a fan of sports ... it does not matter. Sports is about watching competition. Words do not do this justice. I have not seen this kind of electricity since Jack Nicklaus at Augusta on the last day of the tournament in April 1986. Woods just got off of ACL surgery! He is the dog this weekend as much as the 46 year old Nicklaus was in that tournament. Anyone with his knee would be questionable to just get out to the tournament to watch! If he wins this Major it will be one of the single greatest accomplishments in all of sports.

New York Giants Minicamp Review

There are upwards of 60 minutes of interviews with players and staff on the Giants.com Multimedia site. Here are some takeaways from minicamp:

1) Gilbride on Manning: "The Quarterback was particularly sharp for this early in the year... not only with his accuracy but recognizing blitzes."

2) Moss has that chip on his shoulder and the media will not let it go away until he not only earns a roster spot but also starts making plays.

3) TE Darcy Johnson got singled out a few times for his good play.

4) Pierce noted how 'smart' the rookie LBers (Goff and Kehl) are.

5) Spags on Kiwanuka: "Light years ahead of where he was a year ago." He is remaining very flexible on where Kiwi goes in the defense. If the Giants had more speed and an answer at SAM, Kiwi would be doing what Tuck did last year with Tuck at left DE. But since the Giants' weakest position on the field right now is LB, you have to believe that they are invested in Kiwi to make it work there. So he is the blitzing LBer, 5-2-4, or 5-1-5.

6) Pierce noted how he has had 7 defensive coordinators in 8 years. He is very relaxed and happy about actually knowing a defense. He sees the difference in practice when all the players are in the right places etc...

7) Toomer... "the old man... all he does is show up and make plays."

8) O'Hara points out that with Eli in his 5th year now, he is like another coach out there, telling people where they need to be. You can feel his confidence is up to another level. His focus is on improving, period. We have the new Eli until we don't. Coughlin was positive on Manning's "growth" as well.

9) Coughlin handed out the players a stat sheet with numbers for what happened to the Super Bowl Champion the following year, and it was not particularly pretty... the team got a dose of reality and was confronted with 'the brutal facts' (Good to Great by Jim Collins). Sobering.

10) The Shockey hangover continues. At least he had a shouting match with Reese. Good, that is a start.

11) Sometimes it is what is NOT said... No rookie flashes yet.

12) Albany in 38 days.

Michael Strahan- Run Stopper Extraordinaire

How will you remember Michael Strahan?

I will let Michael answer that one for me...

"I love playing the run more than I love rushing the passer, to be honest with you. Because it’s fun, it’s just fun. It’s different when you have a big guy you have to run around because that seems a lot easier. But it’s not easier than holding up a big guy and getting off and making the play. I just love to play the run more so than the pass. And I think as a defensive end I prided myself on being a defensive end, not just a pass rusher. I want to do everything. If the ball was between that center and the sideline and I didn’t make a tackle, then I felt like it was my mistake; that I gave up the yards even if it was two gaps over or on the outside. So I would show somebody just the run tapes; show how I played the run and say, 'That’s him, right there. Forget about the sacks, he took pride in this end of it more so than that.'"

Do not ever forget it... sheer artistry was watching Strahan against the run. Teams spent much of their time running to the right side because they knew Strahan was a nightmare and saboteur on the left. Some times they would go at him and he would blow up the play like it was going in slow motion. Yes, Strahan would toy with the linemen, TEs and RBs who would fruitlessly try to push him off the play. One thing I consistently did NOT see.. Strahan being doubled on run defense. Why? Because he would shed one blocker so quickly to get to the second position, then adroitly push off the next player at the moment where he could dart over to blow up the play and make the tackle. And he did it VIRTUALLY EVERY TIME. Yes, Michael Strahan, your sacks will get replaced eventually, but your run-stopping never will.

Burress does not practice at NY Giants minicamp

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.

Well, how many of you are SHOCKED that Burress is not happy because he does not have a new contract? The minute Gibril Wilson cashed in we signalled the alarm that Plaxico (amongst others) would want more money. And then we went one step further and warned specifically about Burress because of a report from Garafolo on Jevon Walker. Here's another WR who has a bigger contract on his mind...

Bob Popa on Shockey

6) Shockey? Popa pointed to Derrick Ward’s remarks about getting hurt, how difficult it is to remain connected to the team. And Popa cleared up a little bit of the Simms-Shockey yahoo bs you have seen from the masses who want Shockey’s head. Everyone says there you see Simms on the sideline of Super Bowl XXV… Popa points out that Simms watched Q1 of XXV from the sideline, it was killing him to be there, he was not a part of the team (despite having them 10-2 at the time of his injury; Shockey was with the team thru the Redskins loss at 9-5). Simms retreated into the tunnel for Q2, and then went to the hotel to watch Q3 and Q4 on television. Popa says that every player that gets hurt feels disconnected from a playoff run- it is very painful and implied that the microscope we are putting Shockey under is not entirely fair. He says Shockey is well respected by the other players and thinks by the time training camp arrives (when he is cleared for practice and is working with his teammates) he will be a part of the team again.

Bob Popa talks about Strahan's decision to retire

Bob Popa spoke Monday evening with WFAN’s Schmoozer Steve Somers.
1) “Shocked,” and surprised that Strahan retired. Expected Michael Strahan to be back.
2) The fact that MS was 100% healthy likely came into the decision… that he was healthy in the offseason was another plus in leaving now while on top.
3) MS has apparently done well enough in other ventures, real estate etc.. to make the money issue not as significant as (the divorce angle) would have had us believe.
4) Popa referred to the (oft linked) Ralph Vacchiano blog, which said that Strahan had listed his goals, checked off the ones which were met and the ones which were not, and the(~ only) ones which were not were individual ones, so not as urgent to play anymore.
5) Somers (for the rsdodgers point): How crazy was it that the Giants players made him a team captain after holding out last summer? Popa said that the players respected the elder statesman, he works as hard as anyone and keeps things on course in the locker room when things are less steady. He certainly made that Coughlin Leadership Council work, because there is no way Coughlin can give up power like he did without someone like Strahan on the other side delivering the results and getting the players to follow the program.

Jay Alford

Jay Alford talks with Giants.com about 2007 and 2008. We take it for granted the progression of a rookie, but Alford makes candid remarks about getting in shape, hitting the wall, managing the pull between specials/defensive unit work and getting more playing time. "I got a lot stronger this offseason, I want to work on my power rushing." People do not understand that the position at interior DL is probably the second most difficult (next to QB) for a rookie to come right in and be successful. The physical demands are incredible. (That Cofield even started all 16 games as a rookie was incredible... not surprisingly we witnessed his first season tail off dramatically towards the end.) For Alford, if he can become a good lineman for the Giants he will only add to the amazing Rookie Class of 2007. Regardless of what he is able to do in his career, that sack of Tom Brady in the Super Bowl will always have a special place in our championship season.

Flash- Jerry Reese tells WFAN that Strahan is retiring

He said to Mike and the Mad Dog that Strahan's chances were 50-50 but that they just got word he is retiring. (This confirms an earlier report from Fox, who broke the story.) Also remarked when queried about Shockey that the Giants expect him to be at minicamp on Wednesday.

The media reply to Shockey

Shockey claims that he said nothing about wanting a trade. Technically that is correct. The media have been in the middle of this all offseason, and here is the reply from Vacchiano to this matter directly. I think Shockey is out of line because he had plenty of opportunities to refute allegations of requesting a trade. Serby for his part sees that this thing can end quickly if the Giants and #80 simply talk it out.

Jeremy Shockey hits New York

or: Jeremy Shockey hits New York Giants. Well, why has Shockey been letting all kinds of talk leak out through his "close friends?" If they were his friends they would not be speaking out of turn, and that is for sure. What about his friends saying he wants a trade? My patience for this guy has to be as high as anyone's because I believe he is misused and misunderstood by the offensive "minds." But my patience is wearing extremely thin with this pea brain. Last year he was pissed off at Manning for making remarks about conversations he had with him in the offseason. Now it is Giants upper management, lower management, owners, blah blah. Quit crying and show up. Tell us those weren't your friends, that you never requested a trade, and end the talk, OR admit that you were a f'g child in using intermediaries through the media and that you are sorry for any confusion. This guy's price (in a trade) just dropped.

Big Brown will likely become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years

This is a NY Giants blog. I really could care less about the other sports out there; I'd trade 162 Yankee wins for one Giant win any day. But today it will be fun to watch Big Brown make some history, win the Belmont Stakes, and become the first triple crown winner in 30 years. Of more interest to me will be the "game" of the minus show pool, whereby the parimutual betting becomes so lopsided that there are profit opportunities on betting on Big Brown and a combination of other horses to extract a profit by betting on all of them to "show." Yep, it is June, another 5 days before minicamp and another month and half before training camp in Albany, so you take what you can get for sports amusement.

David Jacobs found dead

"The kinds of people I have information about, they're the kinds of people that can put a bullet in the back of my head." Those are the words of now deceased former steroid pusher David Jacobs, found (likely) murdered yesterday in Texas. He allegedly had physical evidence on 5-6 NFL players.

OTA

Toomer at the third of six Organized Team Activities.

Kiwanuka at the NY Giants OTA

Kiwanuka at the NY Giants OTA

New Stadium at the Meadowlands

Construction cam at the Meadowlands

Question: How do you keep score in the NFL?

Giants sign Renaldo Wynn

I am sure this will shake up your first work day of June... the Giants have signed veteran DE Renaldo Wynn. This falls under the category of: you can never have enough bodies rotating on the DL. Keep in mind that the Giants did not draft a lineman this April until their last pick (#6b Robert Henderson). Wynn is a numbers pick.

Ward, Kiwanuka and Shockey

Here is a little reality check for the Shockey bashers... Ward was not in attendance at Glendale AZ for the Super Bowl. The media dissected every single move of Shockey and ignored Ward and Kiwanuka. All three have mostly similar stories. Only one is a pro bowl player who was under-utilized. Shockey admittedly behaves like a three year old child when he uses 'a friend' to vent requests for a trade. But he also gets a bad rap for the double-standard about those who want him to feel like he is a part of this championship. Ward's words clearly show how difficult that is for ANY player in that situation.

Minicamp on June 11. The Shockey sideshow continues.