Plaxico Burress to Plead Guilty to a Lesser Charge

The NY Times reported today that Plaxico Burress' attorney is trying to work out a deal that would allow Burress to plead guilty to a lesser crime. This sounds like good news at first, given that the mandatory minimum for the crime that he is charged with carries a mandatory minimum of 3 1/2 years in prison, but in actuality it's still not good news for the NY Giants. By pleading guilty to a lesser charge, Burress is admitting his guilt and will have to face some form of punnishment.

The NY Times is reporting that most people charged with the same crime who have plead guilty to a lesser crime have done some form of jail time. It's possible that Burress could likely face 1/2 of the mandatory minimum of 3 1/2 years. Should Burress get off the hook with only 1 3/4 years in prison, that would make him eligible to be released sometime in the 2010/2011 season; around the time when he turns 33 years old and is considered a "veteran." This means that Burress, who is now 31, could possibly miss the entire 2009 and half of the 2010 season if the judge decides to make him serve only half of the mandatory 3 1/2 year minimum. For a man who is 31, that would NOT be good news.

Former Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick was sentenced to exactly 23 months in jail for orchestrating a dog fighting ring in Atlanta. He will get out a little bit early for serving time in jail during his trial. Its hard to compare Burress' situation to Vick's. It's like comparing apples to oranges, but if you consider how little time Vick was sentenced to for the horrible, premeditated animal cruelty charges, it seems to me that it is plausible that Burress may likely walk away with even less than half of the 3 1/2 minimum that his crime carries. My bet is that Burress will get sentenced to 12 months in jail, less time off for good behavior. He'll miss the entire 2009 season, and is back in time for 2010.

Oregon State University Lineman Andy Levitre Recounts the 2009 NFL Combine and his Encounter with the NY Giants

Ever wonder what the NFL Combine is really like? I stumbled accross an AMAZING recollection from this year's NFL Combine by OSU lineman Andy Levitre. 260 questions from the NY Giants??? Wow, they must REALLY be interested in him.

Here is the excerpt taken from Blog.Oregon.live.com. Happy reading :-)

Here is former OSU lineman Andy Levitre's thoughts after going through the NFL Combine ... thanks to Andy and to his agent, Leo Goeas, for the dispatches from the Senior Bowl and the Combine.
Levitre, unplugged:

"Well, this week has been pretty busy for me.
Waking up around 5:30 am for the last three days and going to sleep around midnight really takes a toll on your body which I am sure most people participating in the Combine found out after day one.
The hotel we stayed at was on lock down 24/7 and you needed a special pass in order to get past the security points.
This was one of the most hectic weeks that I have ever had.
The first day of the Combine consisted of a Cybex test which tests the strengths in your hamstrings and quads for each leg to make sure that you don't have any issues from past injuries. .. the day also consisted of going to the local hospital and getting some things done, like: urinalysis, blood tests, injury history's, X-Rays and heart scans which took about two hours for it all.
We also had some informal meetings with some coaches and scouts.
That was the easiest part of the entire four days.
On Day 2 we had 5 a.m. drug testing which was the beginning of a long day.
After drug testing we had breakfast and headed across the street to Lucas Oil Stadium where we were going to do our official height and weight.
I ended up taking a detour to that because I had to get an MRI on my knee that was only supposed to take 40 minutes but ended up taking me about two hours to complete because the doctor felt he needed photos to cover more of my knee.
I ended up missing my weigh-ins and tagging along with the Tight Ends and then getting a late start on my orthopedic exams. Everyone was carrying a large manila envelope with their X-Rays in them to show the doctors.
There were six stations set up with about 5-6 team doctors/trainers at each station to examine each player. First we started out with a general medical check up by team doctors and also had a vision test. The general doctor saw that I had a resting heart rate of 40 beats per minute which is very low for a guy my size who measured in at 6-2½, 305 lbs. so they sent me to get a stress echo which is an ultrasound of your heart.
They hooked up a bunch of wires to my chest and had me run on a treadmill for ten minutes then I hopped on a table and they did the ultrasound to make sure my heart was pumping correctly which it was.
Then we met with the orthopedic doctors. This was the weirdest thing for me to go through. There is a circle of doctors surrounding a table and each player takes a turn hopping up on the table then they put your X-rays up on the lights and pull up any other material like MRI's.
Then, these doctors start to come up and look at your medical history and start tugging on your arms and legs like you are a piece of meat and then they turn away with their voice recorders and remind themselves of any notes that they had about you.
After doing this about six times it was about three o'clock in the afternoon.
I went back up to my room to take a nap for about an hour before dinner.
I ate dinner and then went back across the street for some more formal interview where I met with half of the NFL teams whether it was an offensive line coach or another position coach or even some scouts just so that they could collect some background information on me.
One of the big things coaches do is try and quiz you by having you draw up a play you ran or have you remember a play they draw up and the flipping it and seeing if you can remember.
Day 3 was our first chance to compete.We had to wake up at 6 a.m. this morning because we had to eat breakfast and then take our Wonderlic Test. I felt like the test went well for me since I answered 42 of the 50 possible questions in the allotted time of twelve minutes.
I feel like I at least answered 30 of the questions correct and the average for lineman is usually around 25.
After this test we went over to meet with the Players Association (NFLPA) to talk about things like the collective bargaining agreement and inform us about how they were created to help fight back for players and give them a voice to the NFL's General Managers and such.
It was a very interesting meeting and I also had a similar meeting in Mobile at the Senior Bowl.
When we finished the meeting we headed to the psychological testing area.
The tests are basically to find out what kind of person you are on the inside and make sure you aren't crazy or going to cause trouble.
The one test that got on my nerves a little was the test given by the New York Giants which consisted of 260, yes that is TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY questions plus another packet of 70 short answer questions after you finished that.
When I finished this I had the chance to speak with the offensive line coaches from both the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys for a little bit and talk about some football and draw up some more plays and explain the rules of the plays.
My next stop was to the bench press which was our first chance to put up some numbers for the coaches and show our strength. I usually don't get nervous before big events but for some reason I just couldn't hold it back. I was pretty pumped to get up there on stage and bench press in from of offensive line coaches, head coaches and GM's.
I ended up putting up 225 pounds 23 times which isn't necessarily bad but it isn't a great number.
While I was benching I was so focused on my workout that the strength coach yelling at me and the players screaming from the side were muted out of my hearing.
After this I met with my agent and my trainer and warmed-up lightly for Saturday's big event which consists of a lot of running.
This was my only day of scheduled formal interviews. I had twelve interviews. The teams that I met with were: Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, New York Giants, and the Oakland Raiders.
Most of these meetings were conducted in a similar manner. They asked about my family background and personal information then got into some football related questions and also either had me draw up some plays or even put some film on the television and had me critique myself or explain in detail what the play is that we were running.
Also during some of the interviews I had the chance to put in a good word for some of my old teammates. I spoke with Andy Reid from the Eagles and Mike Tomlin from the Steelers about the Rodgers brothers and they were asking me what it was like blocking for those guys and about how great college careers they have been having thus far.
I told some teams about Stephen Paea and how great of a player he is and how under-rated he has been so far. The meetings were great and went very smooth.
Well today was Day 4 and it was time to show off my athleticism.
It was a culmination of all of the hard work that I have had since I was a freshman in high school. All those drills that we worked on were now finally going to be tested at the highest level in the world.
We started off with some mobility and flexibility tests to show off our athleticism.
Next was our 40-yard dash. My first attempt, I tried to start to early so I was called back for a retry. My first run went alright but I felt like my start was a little slow but my second run ended up being better and recorded as 5.24 seconds.
Next we moved over to position drills where I felt very good being able to show off my versatility by taking pass sets and pulling from a left and right handed stance.
My best position drill I felt was the mirror drill which I feel I did a good job keeping my feet moving and had my eyes on my target the entire time.
Next was the vertical jump, this ended up being one of my best events on the day. I ended up jumping 30" on my first jump and got another half an inch on my second jump to make it 30.5".
I ended up being tied for 8th or 9th place overall for offensive lineman in this drill.
The next one was the broad jump which I thought I could have done better on but ended up not doing too bad. I ended up with my best jump being 8'7". Next I went over to do the 5-10-5 shuttle. The shuttle wasn't great for me because it took me about 7 tries to complete the drill.
On one of mine where I just barely missed the line I was told by someone in the stands timing me that they had me at a 4.38 seconds which would have put me at the second best for lineman in the drill but I ended up recording a time of 4.54 which was still the fifth overall best for lineman.
By the time I finished this drill I had to take off to catch my plane which left at 4 p.m. because it was already 2:30 so I decided that I would run my 3-cone drill at pro day in Corvallis.
I cut it so close to make my flight that I didn't even have time to shower before I hopped on the plane to come back to Denver.
I ended up making my flight on time and now I am back in Denver for another week before I head back to Corvallis to finish my training for Pro Day.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the experiences that I am having.
It has been a great to have the chance to be doing these things to prepare for the NFL since there are only a select few people every year that get the chance to do this.
I hope you all enjoyed reading my blogs as much as I have enjoyed writing them.''
- Andy Levitre

Should the Giants Take Plaxico Burress Back?

Since Plaxico Burress signed with the NY Giants back in 2005, he has been fined for a multitude of team infractions. Last year marked the biggest infraction of them all when he accidentally shot himself in the leg with an unregistered handgun in a posh NYC nightclub. While Plaxico's wounds were not serious, he checked into a hospital under the alias "Harris Smith" to receive treatment. When Mayor Michael Blumberg found out about the incident, the Mayor called to make an example of Plaxico. Should the Giants follow suit?

There is no question that the distraction of Plaxico's legal troubles was a major factor towards all of the losses in last year's season. The Giants were 12-4 at the end of the season, but I believe that they could have been 14-2 or even 15-1 had Plaxico not shot himself.

Tom Coughlin has not said outwardly that he would welcome Burress back to the NY Giants in 2009 provided he gets away from the legal system with merely a slap on the wrist. Five years probation and a stiff fine would be a huge sigh of relief for the troubled reciever. But in a league in which NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell is starting to impose more and more strict rules, there is no reason Burress will even get to that point. Should Burress get by the legal system, he still has to then face Roger Goddell and any punishment he dolls out. Only then, does Tom Coughlin really have to make a decision - that is unless Giants GM Jerry Reese trades Burress away for another wide receiver or draft picks.

Tom Coughlin is a "Team First, Talk Is Cheap" kind of guy, but I do believe that he is big into the "family man" mentality. Judging from the outspoken proclamations by fellow teammates Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Brandon Jacobs; Burress is a wanted part of the Giants family. Will Coughlin listen? Or, will he be swayed by forces out of his control? Who knows. I do know that whatever punishment the state of NY decides to bestow upon Burress will be with or with Coughlin's consent.

I, for one, am a little torn between keeping him and welcoming him back. It's a tuff decision because he is a very talented reciever. But I do lean one way more that the other. I am very disappointed at Burress for his antics that sank last season. I have had it with the countless run-ins with the law and various problems with Coughlin's team rules. He has not showed respect to Coughlin, yet he was given a huge salary. Why should the Giants support him now after the way he let down his teammates last season and disobeyed Coughlin's rules time and time again? However, on the other hand Burress was a warrior the year before. Playing through a hurt leg injury the entire season, and leading the WR corps as the #1 reciever that demanded single and double coverage. He was, and can be, that guy that defenses have to game plan against. This double coverage has opened the windows of opportunity for secondary and slot receivers such as Toomer, Smith, or Boss to get open in the middle of the field.

In my experience, having coached in the pee-wees, middle , and high school levels, I have always tried to coach my kids to do the right thing - cheating is bad, play fair, work hard, respect your coaches, etc... So to me, the fact that Burress receives all that money and still snubs his teammates and coaches, really gets under my skin!

Burress is a professional who doesn't act like one.

The Giants won the Superbowl 2 years ago, and Burress was a major part of that amazing run. I will never forget it. But he let the team down, he let the coaches down, and he let the fans down when he broke the law doing something that may very well get him labeled an idiot for the rest of his life.

The Giants are a class act team. The only way I would accept Burress returning to the Giants is if the Judge were to do something out of the ordinary. Just for giggles, imagine if the judge were to force Plax to admit his idiocy in court, and then order him to donate 2/3 of his annual salary to inner city schools for the entire 3.5 years (the mandatory minimum time that should be spent in jail for violating the law that Burress broke in NYC) that he otherwise would have spent in jail, or else he were to actually GO to jail. Then, I would welcome Burress the idiot millionaire back to the Giants with a large, all-is-forgiven grin on my face. But unless something out of the ordinary like that occurs, I fear that Burress will never learn, and I don't want an ungrateful dope representing the team that I have loved ever since I was a child.

NY Giants Recieve an Extra 3rd Round Draft Pick

The Gmen are on a roll! Today it was announced the the Giants will receive another Draft pick - the 100th overall - as compensation from the NFL for losing LB Kawika Mitchell, LB Reggie Torbor, and S Gibril Wilson to free agency last year. Since compensation picks are NOT tradable, this pick cannot be packaged to move up or down in the draft, or to receive another player via trade. The Giants must use it to select a player.

The pick brings the grand total awarded to the Giants to 10. The NFL Draft is April 25th and 26th.

Here is a complete listing of the first round draft order:

1 Detriot Lions
2 St. Louis Rams
3 Kansas City Chiefs
4 Seattle Seahawks
5 Cleveland Browns
6 Cincinnati Bengals
7 Oakland Raiders
8 Jacksonville Jaguars
9 Green Bay Packers
10 San Francisco 49ers
11 Buffalo Bills
12 Denver Broncos
13 Washington Redskins
14 New Orleans Saints
15 Houston Texans
16 San Diego Chargers
17 New York Jets
18 Chicago Bears
19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20 Detroit Lions (from Dallas)
21 Philadelphia Eagles
22 Minnesota Vikings
23 New England Patriots
24 Atlanta Falcons
25 Miami Dolphins
26 Baltimore Ravens
27 Indianapolis Colts
28 Philadelphia Eagles (from Carolina)
29 New York Giants
30 Tennessee Titans
31 Arizona Cardinals
32 Pittsburgh Steelers

Why Isn't Patrick Ewing working for the Knicks?

In an interesting article written in today's NY Daily News, Frank Isola asks the question: why isn't Patrick Ewing working for the Knicks when he is adored by most Knicks fans? Isola makes a point when her says that it's ridiculous that NY brass hasn't even as much as reached out to Patrick to at least offer an interview, after introducing him every time he comes back to the garden as "one of the greatest Knicks ever to play inside Madison Square Garden."

The only answer that I can think of is plain and simple - James Dolan, Jr. doesn't like Patrick Ewing. What else could it possibly be? They have offered interviews to the likes of Starks and Houston, so why not Ewing? Ewing was 2 times the player that either Houston or Starks was, and he was with the team for much longer than either of those guys. So why the cold shoulder? It just doesn't make sense! Oh wait, lets recall that Dolan is the same guy who hired Isiah Thomas and allowed him to spend all the available cash on horrible players that were too out of shape or crazy to play. Dolan is responsible for sinking a once championship caliber ship, and for making it the laughing stock of the league. As long as Dolan is in charge, I think the better question is - should we be surprised?

College Hoops - All you need to know

I'm not very schooled in college hoops, so I leave you all with this great article taken off NCAA.com. Enjoy. - Mike

March 19, 2009
By Anthony Oliva III - NCAA.com

Forty-eight games in four days. The most dizzying stretch of college basketball is upon us as the first round of the NCAA Tournament begins Thursday. Here is breakdown of what to look out for in each region.

Midwest Region

No. 1 Team: Big East regular season and tournament champion Louisville comes in as the overall No. 1 seed. Louisville, which has won 10 in a row, is a long, athletic squad with a lot of depth that is poised to make a deep tournament run.

Intriguing Matchup: (7) Boston College vs. (10) USCThe Trojans crashed the NCAA Tournament party by winning the Pac-10 tournament. USC is playing as well as anyone in the country, but Boston College, led by Tyrese Rice, is coming off a successful campaign in ACC play and will be looking to end USC’s Cinderella run before it begins.

Peaking At The Right Time: USC. USC has won five in a row and three in a row versus NCAA Tournament teams – UCLA, Arizona State and Cal. Freshman DeMar DeRozan had a tremendous finish to the season, averaging 19.6 points in his last five games, and he may give Boston College headaches.

Teams That You Should Know About: (9) Siena. Siena has lost only twice in its last 18 games and the selection committee gave the Saints respect by putting them as a No. 9 seed. The Saints will have to play Ohio State in Dayton, Ohio but a balanced team with four players scoring in double figures – led by Kenny Hasbrouck – has the potential to make some noise.

Player That You Should Know About: Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia). Butler is coming off a tremendous Big East Tournament where he averaged 19 points a night. He leads West Virginia in scoring and is second in rebounds, so if the Mountaineers make a run, Butler will have to continue to stay hot.

Interesting Subplot: Kansas lost its entire starting five from last year’s national championship team. Its team is largely composed of freshman and sophomores who will be playing in their first NCAA Tournament and how they respond will determine Kansas’ postseason fate.

West Region

No. 1 Team: Connecticut has lost only four games all year, but it has lost two in a row. The Huskies are without one of their top scorers in Jerome Dyson, but a strong frontcourt with Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien to go along with perimeter threat A.J. Price make the Huskies a justifiable No. 1 seed.

Intriguing Matchup (Team): (6) Marquette vs. (11) Utah State. Marquette lost five of its last six after Dominic James went down with a career-ending injury, albeit against Big East heavyweights like UConn, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Villanova. Utah State will be playing close to home in Boise, Idaho and forward Gary Wilkinson, who averages 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds a game, will have this Aggie team thinking upset.

Peaking At The Right Time: (13) Mississippi StateMississippi State, like USC, played its way into the tournament with a magical run in its conference tournament. The Bulldogs have won six in a row and shoot well from behind the arc while having budding star Jarvis Varnado patrolling the paint. They play fourth-seeded Washington in the first round and will look to keep the hot streak going.

Team That You Should Know About: (9) Texas A&MAfter losing three in a row in early February, the Aggies won six of their last seven, including wins over Texas and Missouri. Senior Josh Carter is heating up at the right time and Texas A&M will not be an easy out for BYU.

Player That You Should Know About: DeMarre Carroll - MissouriBlake Griffin isn’t the only big-time player in the Big 12. Carroll finished the season with a flurry – scoring at least 15 points in six of his last seven games and averaging 8.9 rebounds in that span. His play keyed the Tigers to their Big 12 Tournament title and could key a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Interesting Subplot: Memphis could have received a No. 1 seed based on its nation’s longest win streak that is currently at 25 games, but the selection committee opted to put them as a No. 2. Memphis, like Kansas, lost a lot from its national runner-up team last year, so its inexperience will be a factor as the Tigers try to prove the deserved to be a No. 1.

East Region

No. 1 Team: Pittsburgh is a physically imposing, senior-laden team that wears down its opponents. DeJuan Blair leads the Panthers by averaging over 15 points and 12 rebounds a game, but Sam Young and Levance Fields are also very dangerous weapons.

Intriguing Matchup (Team): (5) Florida State vs. (12) WisconsinThe 5-12 matchups always seem to create some drama and this game should be no different. Wisconsin, which went to the regional finals last year, gives up less than 60 points a game and will have to contend with Florida State’s Toney Douglas who averages 21.3 points per game but is the only Seminole to average double figures scoring. If the Badgers can shut Douglas down, and upset could be in store.

Peaking At The Right Time: (8) Oklahoma StateThe Cowboys have lost only twice since Feb. 14 and those losses came away from home against Oklahoma and Missouri. They also have a win over Oklahoma in that span. Sophomore guard James Anderson is playing exceptionally well and if they can get by Tennessee in the first round, they could cause some trouble for top-seeded Pittsburgh if it advances.

Teams That You Should Know About: (11) Virginia CommonwealthCAA regular season and tournament champions, VCU is a dangerous No. 11 seed, even going up against perennial power UCLA. The ever-explosive guard Eric Maynor, who averages 22.4 points a game, gives the Rams a chance to win any game.

Player That You Should Know About: Dante Cunningham - VillanovaCunningham, a second team All-Big East selection, leads the Wildcats in scoring (16 points) and rebounding (7.2 rebounds). The 6-foot-8 forward showed explosiveness by having two 30-point scoring games this year and if he continues to play well Villanova has the potential to go to the Final Four.

Interesting Subplot: UCLA has been a powerhouse, going to the Final Four each of the last three years. The Bruins come in as a lower seed this year and it will be up to seniors Darren Collison and Josh Shipp if they want to get to Detroit and make it four in a row.

South Region

No. 1 Team: North Carolina has been considered a Final Four contender since the preseason and the Tar Heels backed it up by winning the ACC regular season title. Reigning Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough leads this experienced team, but the health of ACC Player of the Year Ty Lawson will be crucial to UNC’s championship hopes.

Intriguing Matchup (Team): (7) Clemson vs. (10) MichiganThis is a classic ACC vs. Big Ten matchup. Clemson has lost four of its last five while Michigan is riding high from playing its way into the tournament. Clemson’s inside-outside duo of K.C. Rivers and Trevor Booker will be a fine matchup for Michigan’s duo of Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims.

Peaking At The Right Time: (3) Syracuse. Everyone was captivated by Syracuse’s six-overtime victory against Connecticut and its magical run to the Big East Tournament final. Aside from their loss to Louisville, the Orange have won seven straight and they really improved their seeding with inspired play down the stretch.

Team That You Should Know About: (12) Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers have won 11 of their last 12 and cruised to a Sun Belt tournament title. Western Kentucky (24-8) went to the Sweet Sixteen last year and with a lot of returnees from that team, it has a chance to make a similar run like that this year. Illinois, without guard Chester Frazier, is its first matchup.

Player That You Should Know About: Jonny Flynn - Syracuse. Flynn scored 34 points in 67 minutes of action in that game against UConn and was one of the biggest reasons the Orange advanced to the finals. He averages 17.5 points and 6.7 assists, both tops on the team, and much of the offense goes through him.

Interesting Subplot: Lawson will have the most scrutinized big toe in the country these next few weeks. He missed the ACC Tournament and if he misses significant time in the NCAA Tournament – he is unlikely to play against Radford on Thursday – it would be a big blow to UNC’s title hopes.

Florida Marlins Getting New Stadium

The Miami City Commission approved yesterday the Florida Marlin's request to fund and build a new stadium at the old University of Miami Orange Bowl site in Little Havana. The stadium will feature a retactable roof, 37,000 seats, and parking. The City of Miami was criticized by many for agreeing to fund a large bulk of the expected $634,000,000 stadium with tax payer's money. Many feared the Marlins, which is privately owned, would use the city's money to fund the stadium, and then sell the stadium for a profit.

Are Miamians being duped? The stadium will create new jobs and bring the ball club closer to downtown Miami. This should reinvigorate interest in the club, which despite winning 2 world series, has struggled to fill seats and make money.

In My Opinion -
I don't trust preliminary construction estimates. I would bet that the stadium, will probably cost a lot more than the reported $634MM. How many construction projects actually stay within their budget? I just hope that the tax payers don't get fleeced at the expense of some greedy, slick ball club owners.

Also, where will UM now build a football stadium? The Orange Bowl is now gone forever, and so may be the reputation of UM for being sports oriented. UM is now better nown for it's hospital - The University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital than it is for it's athletics. Most of it's funding is coming from the hospital, and local rumor is that President Donna Shalala is shifting the school's focus towards the Medical School, and away from athletics.

Gone may soon be the days when we see the likes of Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reeds being drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Will New York Giants safety Kenny Phillips be the last UM football player to be drafted in the first round?

Only time will tell.

Early Report - Dante Stallworth Was Drunk

Today's front page article for the Miami Herald reports that Cleveland Browns wide reciever Dante Stallworth was drunk when he was behind the wheel of his Bentley on the MacArthur Causeway in Miami Beach when he struck and killed a 59 year old man. What the man was doing crossing the MacArthur Causeway (practically a highway - but does have a 40mph speed limit) without looking both ways is beyond me. Apparently he was just getting off of work as a crane operator, and was crossing the street to catch a bus ride home. How Dante Stallworth could not see him in time to avoid the crash is also a question. The bottom line is, tragically, a man's life has ended and another one has potentially ruined his promising career. This is the second time a DUI homicide has been committed in the last year here in south Florida by a professional athlete. Jim Leyritz, former professional Baseball player for the New York Yankees struck and killed a young woman in Fort Lauderdale less than a year ago.

NY Giants Mull Possible Draft Picks

NY Giant's General Manager Jerry Reese is in a great position. Well, not exactly. The number 29th pick in the 2009 NFL draft is not exactly every GM's dream spot, but, I'm pretty sure he'd trade that any day of the week for the 12-4 season that he just experienced. There have been a lot of discussions about who NY should pick at #29. There are a few glaring weaknesses: WR, OL, ILB, and RB have been mentioned. In my opinion, the Gmen should go for the gold with their first pick by trading up for WR Percy Harvin or Jeremy Maclin and here's why: the Gmen are built for winning NOW. Steve Smith (2nd Round), Sinorice Moss (2nd Round), and Mario Manningham (3rd Round) took a few years to develop and none of them have shown that flash of being a #1 receiver. They each needed a few years to develop into above average receivers; and Dominik Hixon and David Tyree are still unproven (yes, Tyree is still unproven as a WR despite his superbowl heroics - he has mainly been a special teams guy).

With Burress's return up in the air, the Giants need an immediate impact WR. Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin are not that tall, but they are proven receivers who succeeded in quality pro offenses. I'm not betting that Crabtree will be available in the mid round (although he would be a slam dunk pick no matter where - and would be my first choice if I had my way), which is where I am expecting them to trade up to. Trading up into the top 6 will be too big a price for Reese, I just don't see him doing that.

Another option would be to pick the best OT available as insurance. This year's tandem of linemen, both offensively and defensively is better than those players competing for skill position spots. So with that being said, how about picking Herman Johnson (G) from LSU. This man is 6'8, 382 lbs, and at the senior bowl coaches were trying him at tackle. If he's versatile, he could replace the aging Grey Reugamer as the 2nd string OL backup. I'm pretty sure he could easily be the biggest man in the NFL at 382 lbs.

Talk about giving new meaning to the nickname "Big Blue Wrecking Crew!"

So, let's say we do grab Herman Johnson. What would I do with my #45 selection? I would then shoot for best athlete available, or possibly WR Brian Robiskie, Ohio State or maybe WR Kenny Britt at 6'4" from Rutgers. If they are not available? Draft the best possible running back left on the board to fill Derrick Ward's shoes. We need to find a replacement for "Wind," and remember, the Gmen had the best running game in the NFL last year. How about local product Donald Brown from Uconn? He ran a 4:51 40yd Dash at the combine, and ranked second amongst all Running backs at the broad jump. He could be available by the time the Giants have their second pick, and I believe he could be a great pick up to fill a position of need.

If it ain't broke...

Finally, I think the Giants need to address the aging Antonio Pierce at inside Linebacker. I love Antonio, and I applaud his leadership on the field, however, he is entering his 9th season and is 30 years old. Jonathan Goff, last years 5th round pick is hardly proven, and at at #29, many journalists have speculated that James Laurinitis from Ohio State could still be available. Another thing about him is that his father was a professional wrester - "The Road Warrior."

The Road Warriors - wasn't that the nickname of the Gmen back in their magical 2007 Superbowl winnig season? Who knows, maybe it's fate that the Road Warrior's son should be playing for the 2007 Road Warriors of Football?

The 2009 NFL Draft takes place at Madison Square Garden on April 25-26th.

Knicks Rookie Danillo Gallinari Will Have Surgury

The New York Knicks 2008 draft pick (# 6 overall) out of Italy will be having surgury to repair his ailing back over the summer. His rookie season with New York is officially over. Gallinari hurt his back in D-League traing after he was drafted when Kieth "Tractor" Traylor elbowed him in the back while Gallinari was attempting to post up on him. So much for developing a promising young stud to lure Lebron to NY in 2010.

This is very discouraging, because I was actually starting to root for him. I even shelled out an extra $200.00 to Comcast to get the NBA package so I could watch him play.

As far as I'm concerned, Donnie Walsh did a great job at purging that disaster of a team that Isiah Thomas put together. He did it slowly, but surely, and was a major player in shuffling the deck of available NBA players. The only guys I like to watch and I think would be great to keep, are N8, Lee, Gallo, and Chandler. Everyone else in my eyes are expendable. Lee is a keeper, as I think he could be a solid role player behind an elite player such as Lebron or Wade. In the end, as nice as it would be to land Lebron, but I have a feeling it could be Wade in Orange and Blue, instead of Lebron.

Spags snares another ex-Giant

Who Cares? Craig Dahl was a non factor anyway. Yawn!!!

When was the last time you saw this in person?

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

Here's one on me, straight from the original Brewery itself, in Dublin Ireland, 2004.