Wowzers!

Flawless Thoughts

Apparently, instead of making 40 mil for one fight against Pacman, Money May decided he would rather be arrested for theft and domestic abuse. Nice one, first you make an appearance against the Big Show on a wrestling PPV then this, I don't get it.

"America's Team" is 0-2, when will we all be able to say this just isn't a very good team? You can't build a crazy stadium and act like the Yankees of Football and then flake out against the Redskins and Bears. No T.O. to blame it on this time.

Hey Chargers, nice work getting a trade done for Vin Jack, he's a freak and you could have gotten some nice value for him, but instead you decided to keep him so you can watch while he sits out the entire season waiting for a contract that you will never give him.

Braylon Edwards, all the best receivers in this league get caught driving under the influence of marijuana not alcohol, so this might be the best advice you ever get - switch to pot, because you suck. D W U I Jets Jets Jets!

Bud Selig is so cool. He's always there to tell us why we shouldn't change anything. I think my favorite Selig moment was when he awkwardly stood up and clapped when his Frankenstein monster Barry Bonds hit that legendary home run. I didn't see him acting awkward at all when everyone had a Jose Conseco poster in their rooms when I was a kid! Or when all of a sudden home runs were being hit into outer space! But now it's all -"baseball has the strictest PED tests in pro sports". Oh and Bautista, don't act weird when reporters ask you about PEDS because last year you had like 15 home runs and now 50, so just calm down.

By the way, no one cares if a NASCAR car's bumper is a quarter inch above where it is supposed to be, the cars are not even stock cars anymore so who cares, of all the "sports" this should be the one where you can juice up!

Tweet of the Week

OK it's official Jermichael Finley is a freak monster who eats bears! -



JermichaelF88

I wish they had bear meat here. I feel like eating some. #ohYOTTOfolks

Here We Go... Again...

I'm sure all of you Giants fans out there remember a few years back when the Tom Coughlin era began. A team mutiny led by Michael Strahan in which the new coach was called out for the way he handled players, meetings, and the overall structure of his regime. Because Coughlin had such a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, most thought this would not go over well and ultimately lead to a quick end for Coughlin. Instead, he took the players' criticism to heart, changed his ways and we all remember what followed not long thereafter.

The Giants came together, rallied behind their coach and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history in winning Super Bowl XLII. The 17-14 stunner spoiled the Patriots bid for a perfect season. Peyton's little brother got a Super Bowl MVP trophy of his own. Strahan retired a champion. All was right in NY.

Fast forward to 2010. After two disappointing seasons, one promising until their star wide receiver shot himself (and his teams' hopes) in the foot and the other promising until a colossal defensive collapse, the G-men once again had high hopes for a trip back to the NFL's summit. The team handled an overwhelmed Carolina squad convincingly in Week 1 and fans were holding their heads high. Unfortunately, Manning Bowl II wasn't quite as kind to Big Blue. The Giants were throttled by Indianapolis on Sunday night - the defense looked as bad as at any point last year and the offense looked did its best impression of the Week 1 Jets against Baltimore.

Today, a radio show aired on WFAN that evoked memories of the not-so-distant past. Newly acquired safety Antrel Rolle slammed the Giants organization for its "controlled" environment. His comments, though not 100 percent clear, implied that management's handling of the coaches is just as poor as the players and that these are problems he has noticed since joining the Giants, not just in this past week.

This begs the question, is Coughlin back to his old ways? Or is Rolle just another whiny prima donna? One thing is clear - this player doesn't have the tenure or respect within the organization that Strahan did at the time of his rebellion. I suspect this will not end well for Mr. Rolle. Although, if by some miracle the Giants get this thing turned around, perhaps they will have stumbled upon their very own magic elixir: a public lambasting of their coaches and managers mixed with a prayer that they don't get cut!

VOSJ: Jackass of the Week

This morning, word spilled out that NY Jets wideout Braylon Edwards was arrested in New York last night for DWI. Sources report that Edwards tested at twice the legal limit for blood alcohol content.

This seems a fitting end to a typically selfish couple of days for the 2005 first round draft pick out of Michigan. Even in his most productive moments in Sunday's showdown with the rival Patriots, Edwards could not help himself from behaving like a spoiled, childish thug. He writhed and preened in the face of New England DB Darius Butler after his game-tying touchdown in the 2nd quarter (earning a 15-yard personal foul penalty and costing the Jets precious field position in the ensuing drives, which arguably led to the Patriots' go-ahead touchdown with just under 2 minutes remaining in the half). He then made a nearly identical fool of himself after a hard-fought and critical 2nd half reception, and it was dumb luck that prevented him from being flagged yet again.

It seems that nothing is ever more important to Braylon Edwards than Braylon Edwards. If the Jets harbor legitimate title hopes, the organization would be wise to part ways with this selfish, chronically under-performing clown.

Football Fare

Potato Chip Recipe

It's 5:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon in September, you're leaning back in your seat on the couch watching the afternoon games, you look down and on your chest are remnants of a giant helping of potato chips, don't feel bad about it, at least you made them yourself!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 potato, sliced paper thin (peel optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions

1. Pour the vegetable oil into a plastic bag (a produce bag works well). Add the potato slices, and shake to coat.
2. Coat a large dinner plate lightly with oil or cooking spray. Arrange potato slices in a single layer on the dish.
3. Cook in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned (if not browned, they will not become crisp). Times will vary depending on the power of your microwave. Remove chips from plate, and toss with salt (or other seasonings). Let cool. Repeat process with the remaining potato slices. You will not need to keep oiling the plate.

Thanks to Jessica, allrecipes.com

Tweet of the Week

MrTonySays

Here's how it works: the NHL acts quickly, the NFL acts yearly, the NBA has a despot & MLB doesn't ever get to it. #TonyKornheiser on #Rules

Football.... on CRACK!

Football is back in full swing - my favorite time of year! The excitement for Week One is unmatched, even with the Yankees in hot pursuit of first place and locked in a grudge match with the Rays, NOTHING can take away from the buzz of another NFL season starting anew.

Everyone has their fantasy teams locked and loaded for a run at the title and the money (not to mention the priceless bragging rights that come along with humiliating your friends and co-workers). And how better monitor your progress than with the greatest thing since live auction drafts - the football-on-crack NFL RedZone channel? But what about the good old football fans? What may be a fantasy lover's wet dream comes with enough back and forth to make one's other head explode.

Listen, I'm as much of a fantasy nut as the next guy, and yes, touchdowns are exciting. And yes, most of the people who care to read my drivel are likely to have 10 (ok, well maybe not 10...) live scoring windows open on their laptops at any given moment. But whatever happened to enjoying a football game from beginning to end? Have we lost appreciation for a showdown between hard-hitting defenses that stonwall their opposition for 58 minutes, only to see a 9-3 field goal fest won 10-9 by a scintillating two-minute drill? Or a 35-32 shootout which goes into OT with a buzzer beater 60 yard FG?

I'll say it: These games are not nearly as exciting when you've been watching nothing but TD's all day, and just happen to tune in because it's the last game left on TV. It may make your fantasy game more exciting, but who wants to live in fantasy land when there is real football to be seen?

This channel, while good in small doses, and only at certain opportune times, I fear will ultimately turn much of the younger, fantasy centric society, into something it shouldn't be. A football fan, simply because of fantasy football. Be a football fan for the glory of the best game on earth, and a fantasy fan second, because yes, fantasy can be extraordinarily fun. Go out and get Sunday Ticket if you want to watch a few different games than are regularly televised on your local channels.

Anyway you slice it, and regardless of who is to blame, the RedZone channel is evil and, in my humble opinion, may risk ruining our appreciation of the greatest game in the world.

Flawless Thoughts

Ryan Grant joins a long list of players injured in the first week of the NFL season and while I am always very sad for them and their careers, I am also selfishly thinking about my fantasy teams. Tom Brady and Javon Walker come to mind from the last few years. When you take a player in the first couple of rounds and he gets jacked up for the season in the first game, it feels terrible. But there's nothing you can do, it's kind of like going all in with ace-king only to be beaten by a suited nine- ten. Speaking of injuries, Bob Sanders just tore his biceps again! That's not going to help the Colts, who seem to need help in a division that has really matured in the past five years.

Josh Freeman and the Bucs had a good week in Tampa Bay, but no one was able to see it down there because of a blackout. What is wrong with Tampa Bay? Their NFL team won the Super Bowl in 2002, their NHL team won the Stanley Cup in 2004, and in 2008 their MLB team had an exciting season that led them to a World Series! All this and the attendance at those teams' home games has been terrible.

The Yanks and Rays are in the middle of a tense series. The first two of three have been decided in extra innings. Tonight's game will be exciting for the Yankees, along with the next two weeks as they also have series against the Red Sox and then the Rays again. It's too bad that the best part of the baseball season has to overlap into the football season. Right when penant and wild card races are getting very interesting, football comes in and takes the wind out of the sails. It would be great if once the football season starts, the MLB had no games on Sundays or Mondays.

By the way - So Long to Jay Mariotti, it was awesome hearing you berate athletes for every little thing they do wrong, but apparently everyone makes mistakes.

Tweet of the Week

Adam_Schefter

It wouldn't be start of season if Patriots QB Tom Brady weren't listed on injury report as probable with a right shoulder injury.

The Not So Amazins

There has been nothing amazing about the New York Mets for the past four years. They've choked twice when they had the lead in their division and had two years of all around bad play. All this for a team with a top ten payroll in the Big Apple, which is not a safe haven for choking. That makes it hard for me to understand why the General Manager is still there, or even why the Manager is still there. I mean why fire Willie Randolph if you're going to accept the same from Manuel?

And then there is that ugly new stadium which is an advertising jungle. A Mets fan friend of mine said in defense of the ads - "At least I can get a beer for less than $12.50"(referring to the outrageous prices at Yankees Stadium). That's a good point, but I'd rather have a clean looking stadium, ad free on the outside and pay two dollars more, I mean $10.50 a beer isn't saving enough to justify the exterior of that building!

Then there is this article about the Wilpon's making money dealing with Bernie Madoff -

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE59K0W520091021

I hope the Mets can get it together, maybe they can use some of their Madoff scam money!

Flawless Thoughts

Today was a big day for NFL news, Mr. Holdout finally signed with the Jets. Of course I am referring to Darrelle Revis, the "shutdown corner" who wanted to be paid more than Awesome Wah out in Oakland. While he didn't get to be the best paid corner, he did get an insane amount of guaranteed money. Good for him, it's an uncapped year and there is no reason not to pay him, especially since the Jets expect their fans to pay ridiculous amounts for a license to buy a ticket to their games! Yes a license to buy a ticket!

TJ Houshmanzadeh has signed a one year deal with the Ravens, which brought them from AFC north sleeper team to team-to-beat in my book. Just think about your Fantasy draft, Ray Rice goes third, Boldin goes thirty-second, and Flacco goes thirty-ninth, not to mention D. Mason, Todd Heap, and McGahee who will be on someone's roster, because they have been great players in the not so distant past.

The U.S. Open is getting interesting with Sharapova going down to the hot Wozniacki, who last year took down the underdog favorite Melanie Oudin and went on to lose in the finals to Kim Clijsters, everyone's favorite un-retired sports mom. The tennis world seems to be anxiously awaiting a Federer/Nadal final in the Men's side like never before, because it has never happened here at the U.S. Open, one of the oldest running championships in tennis with the first contested in 1881. Last year, the tall Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro consecutively overpowered Nadal and Federer to win it all.

The world awaits Farve's debut, not to training camp, but in New Orleans on Thursday night, when the biggest sport in America kicks off with the banner raising at the Super Dome. Favre's not the only QB that everyone will be watching, with Sam Bradford starting in St Louis, the entire franchise's future in that city depends on him performing. And how about Jason Campbell with the Raiders, he will certainly have a lot riding on his opening performance. And the situation in Arizona is beyond interesting, cutting Leinart and giving Derek Anderson the job? Not to mention the Bucs, Bears, 49ers, Seahawks, Browns, and Steelers who just got the controversial news that their skeevy quarterback will be back in not 6 but 4 games. That's more teams with delicate quarterback situations than I can remember in the recent past.

One team that doesn't have to worry about those issues is the New England Patriots. But why haven't they offered Tom Brady a new deal yet? Are they even considering not resigning him? I think this possible lockout has teams and players behaving strangely, it is looking more and more like we won't have football next year and that would be a loss for everyone. The deal that the NFL signed with Direct TV guarantees them $1 billion next year whether or not there is an NFL season so the owners will have that to fall back on. I have a feeling that we will be watching scabs play for a Super Bowl and if we let that happen I would have to wonder why the XFL isn't around, because if it's just a bunch of secondary players, why not have a circus manager running the show?

Football Fare

New weekly column consisting of recipes for football Sundays, try them out and post your comments

"Get your popcorn ready" - thanks T.O. I think I will

Kettle Corn

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

Hardware:

Large pot with lid

Directions:

Heat oil over medium-high heat, pour popcorn and sugar in

When it starts popping pick up the pot and shake it around every few seconds until popping slows down (about 4 min)

Immediately pour into a large bowl, add salt and serve

Tips:

Do not make the mistake of removing the pot from heat without transferring to a bowl. Due to the high heat of the pot, if you don’t transfer the popcorn it will caramelize and perhaps burn.

3 kernels of corn should be added to the oil in the pan at the very start. Only after those kernels pop should the rest of the corn and other ingredients be added to the hot oil. Do this instead of adding the popcorn to cold oil and heating it together (which saps the popcorn of needed moisture).

Thanks to ALICE from savorysweetlife.com

Sports Tweet of the Week

BonnieB_ESPN

So, like, I went to the #USOpen & a hockey fight broke out. Have u seen this vid yet? Nuts. http://tinyurl.com/2824hz3

Down on the Giants?

Listening to sports radio today made it seem like the Giants had already lost the first three games of the season. The news that the Giants had been interested in Arizona's over-hyped and unhappy Matt Lienart apparently got the NY sports airwaves heated up. The talking heads were saying that a backup QB should be the least of Big Blue's worries, that the defense and special teams are terrible and need to fill in holes. Granted the Giants defense was swiss cheese last year, but let's not forget that we have a new defensive coordinator by the name of Fewell. He didn't do much in Buffalo, but they definitely improved at defense if nothing else, not to mention he was part of Coughlin's success while in Jacksonville. As for me, I still have the voices of those sports pontificators in my ears from 2007, when not one of the popular New York sports radio personalities picked the Giants to win the Super Bowl. Wait a minute, what about the Giants making the playoffs in six of the last nine seasons, including a Super Bowl victory over an undefeated Patriots team led by Tom Brady!? I don't know, but I think it looks like the New York Giants organization knows what it's doing.