Posts tagged ‘nfl’

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November 15, 2012

Catch up!

by Jamie Insalaco

Sorry I haven’t been around for a while. Let’s get caught up, list style!

New York Giants have falling off a cliff

And it’s painful to watch! I recommend raking leaves instead and catching up on other chores. Sure, that’s no fun, but neither is watching the Giants.

The Mega Trade

That 12 player trade between the Marlins and Blue Jays certainly makes the Blue Jays better, but I’m not sure it makes them significantly better. Meanwhile, someone in Miami should go to jail after getting all of that government money for the new stadium and then turning the team into a laughing stock. And now, they’re trying to trade Ricky Nolasco and Logan Morrison, too.

Triple A Name Change

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (who were the Empire State Yankees during their homeless season this past year) have officially changed their name to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders for some reason. This brings up two important facts:

1. they are actually going to print that on stuff

2. RailRiders is one word

No Yankees received a vote for the Cy Young Award

Nope, not one vote. I didn’t expect anyone to win, but jeez. The Rays’ David Price and the Mets R.A. Dickey won the awards.

No Torri Hunter for you!

The Tigers got Hunter on a 2 year deal – I read that the Yankees just wouldn’t go two years, so that’s probably why they lost out on him. This probably makes the return of Ichio more likely.

Ibanez might be back

The Yankees and Rual Ibanez are talking about bringing his clutch bat back for another season… this is probably a good idea.

Robinson Cano, American

Robinson Cano is officially a US Citizen now, “dontcha know.” This isn’t nearly as impressive as when he learned English, but still pretty neat.

Martin might be back

The Yankees and Russell Martin are talking about him coming back, and given the lack of quality free agents catchers and not exactly ready for prime time minor leaguers in the Yankees system, this is a good thing. The Yankees are also kicking the tires on free agent Mike Napoli, who falls into that aforementioned “lack of quality free agents catchers” category.

Mariano Rivera is coming back!

Mo says he will pitch next year! Hooray! Then why would the…

Yankees want to give Rafael Soriano a 2 year deal

I guess they want Mariano Rivera insurance, but this seems like it interferes with the Yankees $189 million dollar 2014 payroll plan…

Michael Pineda is throwing off flat ground

Maybe he’ll actually pitch next year!

Hiroki Kuroda, Nick Swisher, and Rafael Soriano all declined their qualifying offers

This doesn’t mean the Yankees can’t resign any of these plays (see Soriano note above), but it does mean they want more money than the qualifying offer. I read somewhere that Kuroda is deciding between returning to the MLB and pitching the Japanese league… let’s hope he picks the Yankees. Swisher, on the other hand, is as good as gone. Between the contract he’ll command and his 4 year playoff drought in the Bronx, the Yankees don’t seem interested.

Can and Derek Jeter won Silver Slugger awards

Hooray!

Waiver pickups

The Yankees claimed three dudes off waivers: catcher Eli Whiteside, right-hander David Herndon, and left-hander Josh Spence. Whatever.

No more Scrappy =(

Ramiro Pena is a minor league free agent… I hope the Yankees resign him for depth because I irrationally love him, but somebody else will probably scoop him up first

GM meetings

Nothing I care about happened at the GM meetings – Brian Cashman was just chillin.

Tino hired to coach no one

Tino Martinez is now the Miami Marlins hitting coach. Too bad they don’t have any hitters left…

Up Next

The next Bomber Banter post will be a review of the new Ichiro coffee table book – a must for your Christmas list!

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October 22, 2012

Giants beat Redskins – everyone is shocked that Washington's team is still called the Redskins

by Jamie Insalaco

Sunday’s contest against the Giants and the Redskins (Seriously, guys – you’re still the Redskins? Why not be the "Cottin’ Pickin’ Good Fer Nuttin’ —" well, you see where I’m going with this. And if you don’t get it, let me speak plainly: your team nickname is racist. Very Racist.) was sloppy, but given how few games the NFL plays, every win is important, and all that matters is you win. The Giants didn’t look especially good doing it, but they got it done.

Mr. Robert Griffen III sure can play. I know that’s not news, but jeez, that dude has some moves, some legs and a serious arm. I do think he’s a catastrophic knee injury waiting to happen (based on the way he pivots and scrambles), but wow. He’s an amazing player, and yesterday, it often looked like he had to deal with the ineptitude that Eli Manning usually has to do deal with – although this weekend, Manning contributed a bit of that bad play himself. Anyway, much props to RG3 (as the kids say… right? kids still say that?), but in the end, Eli decided that he preferred to win the game rather than loose it and KABOOM – touchdown! Just like that. Victor Cruz and Eli Manning make it look so easy, don’t they? And that’s how it goes – if you let Eli Manning have the ball with time left late in the game and it’s a one score game, you are screwed. Very, very screwed.

It’s good to be a Giants fan.

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October 15, 2012

Yankees offensive slumber continues, NY Giants rock 49ers

by Jamie Insalaco

Both games started at 4 PM – that’s just genius. I’m sure you know how things went down by now (even though watching all of both games was impossible) – The NY Giants obliterated the 49ers and the Yankees offensive slump continued as the Tigers went up two games to none in the ALCS.

I was surprised that the Giants were able to run all over the 49ers and had two interceptions, but I guess that’s the reality of the situation – I just didn’t think the 49ers were the sort of team that made those kind of mistakes.

Oh the Yankees and their awful, awful offense – what can you say? Here’s some facts that will make you ill: Robinson Cano is hitless since the first inning of Game Two of the ALDS (his last 26 at-bats) and is 2 for 32, and if that doesn’t sound bad enough, please consider:

- it’s the longest hitless streak in Yankees post season history
- 2 for 32 works out to a .063 batting average; small sample size, I know, but still, that’s the number

I know I’m bashing Cano a lot, but I think he deserves it. Well, at least more than A-Rod does. I know A-Rod stinks (3-23 in 2012 post season), but I don’t expect much from him – Cano is in the prime of his career. On the other hand, the umpires took away one hit from Cano and an out he made at second via the tag, so Cano is just having a lot of bad luck in general besides my bashing.

Hiroki Kuroda was brilliant yesterday – let’s not forget about that. Win or loose, I’ll always remember his excellent start in this series. The Yankees need to make bringing him back for 2013 a top priority as this guy was clearly built for the big stage.

Where’s the crowd?
Yankee Stadium looked a little empty – for a playoff game, that is. Just keep jacking up those parking and ticket prices, guys. Oh, and the $12 George Washington Bridge toll is also great for business!

Well, let’s hope Phil Hugues has some magic in him and Joe Girardi continues to yell at the hitters for not making in game adjustments.

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November 21, 2011

Giants Tumble Further Down The Rabbit Hole

by Jamie Insalaco

The New York Giants just don’t have the pieces they need to succeed, and while I’m usually yelling at the receiver core until I’m blue in the face, it’s time to take a hard look at the Giants running game.

Or lack there of.

The Giants rushed for 29 yards. Twenty-nine yards. That’s it. Brandon Jacobs averaged under 2 yards per carry in 12 tries. What. The. Hell. Is. That. About?!? At this point, the guy just doesn’t provide the Giants with much value, and I don’t know what they can do to turn around his season.

Whatever. This is who the Giants are. They play close games against mediocre teams and sometimes they make fewer mistakes than their opponents, and sometimes they make more. It’s a weak division in a weak league, so ultimately, it doesn’t matter, because the Giants don’t have what it takes to go all the way. If you have any fantasies about the Giants going deep in the playoffs, it’s time to let those go. If they were in the other league, they’d have a .500 record instead of being 6-4, and yet, they could easily be 8-2 and it still wouldn’t change who they fundamentally are – a flawed team that can’t get out of it’s own way and has no hope of winning the Super Bowl this year.

At all.

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November 18, 2011

Football Friday: Giants Receivers Are Self Aware!

by Jamie Insalaco

It’s always nice when someone can admit they’re wrong. In this case, it’s the Giants wide receiver core. Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Cole has got the goods:

…on at least half of Eli Manning’s eight interceptions this season, the problem has been tied to the receiver being in the wrong place at the wrong time. “There have been some pretty crucial times when we haven’t finished routes or read them correctly,” a Giants source said earlier this week. The latest example came on Manning’s second interception during Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers as wide receiver Mario Manningham didn’t finish a route the quarterback expected.

“You could say I’m supposed to work through it a little further,” Manningham said, a little sheepishly. “We definitely weren’t on the same page, so that has to get fixed.”

Likewise, Manning had an interception on a pass to Cruz in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this season when Cruz was in the wrong spot.

Yeah, I noticed that myself. I’m sure that memorizing an NFL playbook is no easy task, but when it’s your job, I’d like to think there would be a bit more emphasis on getting that done. Hell, Plexico Burress was usually hurt and couldn’t even practice with the team, but I don’t remember him having this problem. I’m willing to give Cruz a pass for now; after all, he’s been on the team for like five minutes, right? But Manningham needs to get his act together so I can start making Super Mario puns.

But yeah, look at Yahoo! Sports coming in handy! I usually don’t have much in the way of positive words for them, but this was a decent article… although they did make the obligatory joke about Giants receivers being in the wrong place at the wrong time in reference to a shooting at a nightclub that some of the Giants were at to celebrate Victor Cruz’s birthday. It’s not an especially funny joke and given that someone died, it’s not in the best of taste.

So, you know – standard Yahoo! article.

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November 15, 2011

Giants Drop Passes in Lose to 49ers

by Jamie Insalaco

While I am willing to concede that Mario Manningham made some fine catches (including a well thrown ball for a touch down) in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco Giants, I must also point out that the ball bounced off his chest at least once and his inability to complete his route directly caused an interception that was probably a game changing turnover. These kind of mental mistakes are the sort of things that continue to hold the New York Giants offense from climbing up to the next level. Eli Manning is not guiltless in the loss, but when he hits a receiver in the chest with the ball, they need to catch it. When you’re running your route, you need to finish it so the only person that’s anywhere near where the ball comes down isn’t the other team’s safety. Still, big kudos to Eli Manning and the offense for their 4th down conversions in the fourth quarter – that was some hardcore shiz. But taking this thing to the next level is not looking like a possibility right now, although a playoff birth is looking mighty obtainable at this moment. If Brandon Jacobs and the Giants wide receivers can elevate their game, we might really have something here. I was pleasantly surprised by the Giants rushing defense;I thought the 49ers would run all over the place, but it didn’t feel that way; I can’t remember now, but perhaps the Giants were able to bring in an extra safety due to the 49ers less than stellar passing attack.

This feels like a game the Giants should have won – they led in nearly all offensive categories, but that extra turnover really broke their back. Maybe next week, the Giants can take advantage (again) of a damaged Philadelphia Eagles team that is just waiting to be put out of it’s misery.

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October 12, 2011

Even After Horrible Loss, NY Giants Season Still Alive

by Jamie Insalaco

The good teams are supposed to beat up on the bad teams – but the 2011 New York Giants can’t even do that.

The Seattle Seahawks stink even worse than the Giants (supposedly), but the G-Men played like crap all game long, so they get saddled with another soul crushing loss at home.  Against the Seahawks.  I cannot emphasis enough that they lost to the Seahawks.  With their backup quarterback at the helm for a good potion of the game.

I doubt the casual NFL fan knows who Seahawk starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, and as hard as it is to believe that there are starting quarterbacks in the NFL you never heard of, then  Charlie Whitehurst came into the game and passed all of the Giants asses!  It’s ridiculous.  I’d like to point fingers, make recommendations and just kick ass in general, but it’s not going to happen – the Giants mediocre roster just doesn’t inspire the words.

Wait, just one:  who on earth was Eli Manning throwing to at the end of the fourth quarter when the tip off of Victor Cruz (love those indirect interceptions!) was intercepted and run back for a touchdown?  They literally had four defenders on Cruz, so naturally, Eli throws to Cruz.

eagles-at-giants

It's like a mugging scene in an 80s crime drama.

As insane as the following fact is, I still have to say it:  the Giants are still in contention to win the division and make the playoffs.  Yeah, I know it’s still early and the NFC East is a joke (although it’s awesome the the Eagles are 1-4 as I hate Michael Vick), but the Giants, who are an affront to my very eyes, are not finished yet.  In a way, it’s almost cruel – they’re good enough to hang around but not good enough to truly go anywhere.

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October 3, 2011

NY Giants: Better to be Lucky or Good?

by Jamie Insalaco

The New York Giants were able to get another win, this time over the Arizona Cardinals, even if it was in dubious fashion.

Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz fell to the ground untouched and then got up as if the play was over and dropped the football as he rose from the turf. As you can see by the expression on Eli Manning’s face, he and everyone else on earth thought it was a fumble, but it was ruled that the Cruz ‘gave himself up,’ which is akin to a quarterback sliding or a player running out of bounds. You can see the video here. Apparently, the official rule goes something like this:

Official shall declare ball dead [...] when runner declares himself down by falling to ground.

Eli Manning

Eli confirmed that I was not alone in my disbelief.

And I guess it does look like that’s what Cruz did – he clearly thought the play was over, but I thought the rule was that the play was NOT over until a member of the defense touched the ball carrier. I guess this means that the player has the right of way, so to speak – meaning it’s up to the offensive player to decide when the play is over, not the defensive player – so after the offensive player falls on the ground, they reserve the right to either drop the ball intentionally (and I think it’s clear that Cruz dropped the ball intentionally and did not fumble) or get up and run again. I don’t think that’s a good rule, but that appears to be the letter of the law.

Check out the video, make up your own mind… but it’s a strange case indeed. For Giants fans, I think we can all just say, “Whatever. Better to be lucky than good.” As for Cardinals fans,I’m sure they’re pissed… and they’re not wrong, either.

 

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December 21, 2010

Giants Lose To Eagles As Per Vick’s Pact With Satan

by Jamie Insalaco
michael vick al pacino devils advocate

"Dog fighting... definitely my favorite sin." - The Devil

That was the first game winning punt return in history…  W. T. F.

Damn it! I hate,  I friggin hate Michael Vick! The bastard rushed for 130 yards.  F that guy.  You’re still a loser, Vick!

If you ever needed proof that there is a heaven and a hell and that Michael Vick has sold his soul to The Devil, I think that the Giants lose to the Eagles on Sunday afternoon is all the proof you will ever need.

The Eagles put up a 28 spot in the fourth quarter!  I know everyone is killing the punter, but come on!  28 points and it’s the punter’s fault they lost the game?  That’s absurd.  I guess everyone wanted to blame the guy who made the most recent mistake…  not that I heard the Giants saying this.  Between offensive mistakes and the defensive collapse, the Giants let a game slip away they should have won.

I know it’s not impossible for the Giants to still win the division, but their inconsistent play has been a thorn in their side all year; they just can’t get out of their own way.  As I’ve written over and over again this season, I still expect the Giants to make the playoffs, but I don’t expect them to get anywhere.

NOTES:

I was looking at the NFC West the other day… I’m getting the feeling that the team that wins the division will be under .500 or sporting an even record at best – that’s a joke.  The Seahawks and Rams are garbage.  I would prefer that if a division doesn’t have a team with a .500 or over record, that division should forfeit the playoff spot and instead open up an extra wild card for a team with a better record in another division. To take it a step farther, I think the NFL (and MLB) should just get rid of the divisions all together and just take the teams with the best records and drop them in the post season tournament.

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November 22, 2010

Giants lose to Eagles, faith in penal system shaken

by Jamie Insalaco

The Giants played another week of sloppy football against an opponent that gave them several chances to win, but they couldn’t get it done. The Eli Manning fumble was especially pathetic. Can somebody teach a brotha to slide?

I wish I had it in me to stick to sports today, but I can’t. I just can’t believe Michael Vick is still in the NFL. I understand Michael Vick has served his time in jail and is now free to move on with is life. That’s fine, but does the NFL really need to employ convicted felons? I almost feel like the Eagles are trying to buy me off with the wind and solar power they’re installing at Lincoln Financial Field.

Lets take a look at the Michael Vick wrap sheet and other misadventures:

  • In 2004, two guys driving a van registered to Vick were arrested for distributing marijuana.
  • Later in 2004, a security screener had his watch stolen by two of Vicks employees.
  • This 2005 civil lawsuit is my favorite: a woman said she contracted genital herpes from Vick, who new he had the disease and didn’t inform her. Apparently, he was getting treated for the disease under the alias “Ron Mexico.” Many fans bought custom jerseys from NFL.com with Vick’s number 7 and the name “MEXICO” on the back. The NFL has since banned customizing jerseys with the name Mexico. You just can’t make that kinda shiz up!
  • Then there was that time Vick gave fans the finger. Both of them.
  • In 2007, Vick surrendered a water bottle to security officials at an airport… it had a secret compartment in it, that’s why they were so interested in it. Security said they didn’t find anything illegal, and Vick said it was for hiding jewelry, but lets be real here… who would hide jewelry inside a water bottle? Let’s go with… nobody. I’m not saying he had some nefarious purpose with this bottle, but come one… that’s for smuggling recreational drugs from one place to another; probably only enough for one or two people, but never the less. If you wanted to hide jewelry for a plane ride, you’d place the item in a travel jewelry box and pack the jewelry box in a carry on bag. Or you could wear it. Is Vick a jewelry salesman? He travels with so much jewelry that he can’t wear it all at the same time?
  • Oh right, the dog fighting… convicted of a felony for dog fighting, traveling across state lines (that’s why it was a federal crime and he went to Leavenworth), and he electrocuted, hung, drowned and beat dogs to death, or ordered it. And while he was on bale, he failed a drug test.
  • Last January, he was accused of using steroids while he was with the Falcons. He denied it, and it seems to have gone away for a while

You’ll have to forgive me; I’m used to blogging about baseball, where the concerns are all about who cheated; most of the players seem to be good guys. In 2007, 21% of NFL players had arrest records. So stay classy, NFL. Stay classy.

I love me some New York Giants. They’ve had their problems on the field and their players are far from perfect, but none of them have ever disgusted me the way Vick has. My proudest moment is when (like the Jets) they said they would not have Vick on their team. They didn’t have to do that, but they did. That’s because the Giants know there is a line. They may raise ticket prices and charge $9 for one beer, but even glutenous businessmen will only go so far.

Unless you’re the Eagles. I guess only the sky is the limit.

PS: VICK IS NOT THE ONLY FELON IN THE NFL
For example, Donte Stallworth served 30 days in jail for manslaughter after killing a 59 year old man by hitting him with his car. Stallworth was drunk. He’s back now and has played in the last three games so far this year.

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