Some die hard
by David Jacks on Dec 24, 2009 11:40 AM EST
in New York Giants News
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PrintI sit at my computer scouring the Internet to find out if there's any chance the lowly Seahawks can beat fantasy god Aaron Rodgers (who destroyed two playoff runs for me - I know you're all interested in my fantasy life) and the Green Bay Packers. I have Google searched, made 7 phone calls and texted two doctors inquiring about DeAngelo Williams's ankle injury. I have played four Play Station 2 (I know it's sad, one day i'll upgrade) versions of the Dallas at Washington (all losses for Dallas by the way) game and it's only three days after the Giants dismantled the Washington Redskins, which led to this post-game exchange with my girlfriend:
Girlfriend - Wow, you seemed tame tonight. Did you even break a sweat? (Sadly it's true, I work up a lather during games).
Me - Nah, I'm turning a new leaf, no more ball throwing or yelling at the TV (side conversation - one time I threw a baseball through my brand new 37-inch Vizio flat screen - sad thing is the Mets (I know, I know) were up by 7).
Girlfriend - So it has nothing to do with the fact that the Giants won by 33 points?
Me - Well…..no. I mean….. maybe….. a little. Wait, since when did you start paying attention?
Girlfriend - Since you ruined every Sunday for the last three years.
Me - I love you.
Girlfriend - Yeah, yeah.
I have ruined Sundays for the last three years, but it goes back further and then it dawned on me, I am not a fan, I am not a player, I am not an analyst, I am not an announcer, I am not a coach and yet I am convinced that I care more, I read more, I prepare harder and I literally live and cry with my team.
I am standing in front of a room full of strangers who sit in a circle with foam fingers, LT jerseys and blue painted faces and I say proudly "HELLO BIG BLUE VIEW, I AM DAVID JACKS AND I HAVE BEEN A DIE HARD FOR 31 YEARS PROUD," and perhaps you are too. I give you my guide for "understanding whether or not you may be a die hard." If you answer yes to any of these questions you may in fact have a problem, or as I see it, you may be the luckiest person alive.
1) Has the mentioning of the names Vai Sikahema or Joe Pisarcik ever made you want to light your face on fire or caused you to stare at a blank television for 35 minutes?
2) Have you ever performed a mundane task, like running on a treadmill, and performed that much better in hopes that it would help the Giants win that week?
3) Are you constantly pointing out to other fans who players are? Great example Monday night, did you turn to friends as I did and say "That's Bear Pascoe. He was signed off the practice squad on December 4th, 6th-round pick of the Niners, decent blocker but not much of a receiver" while your friends stared at you like a retarded monkey staring at a ferris wheel?
4) Do your moods completely change based on a win or loss that Sunday? Wait, that's not die hard, that's just a fan. Let me clarify, do you tumble into a deep Britney Spears-like depression until the following Wednesday when you can finally focus on the upcoming opponent and the days practice (of which you will not participate because YOU DO NOT PLAY FOR THE GIANTS)?
5) Win or lose, have ever been sad just knowing the game was over and you wouldn't get to see those 11 blue helmets line up for another seven days?
6) Do the terms "wide right" and "the escape/ the catch" still give you goose bumps? Does Gary Reasons hit in the snow of Denver make you smile? Does Mark Bavaro's one man march in San Fran force the hairs on your neck to stand up? Does Mark Ingram's third-and-impossible Super Bowl effort make you fist pump like an animal (my Jersey Shore reference for the week)? Does "cover 0" make you think of Plaxico's game winning Super Bowl grab? Does every number 56 in the league make you disgusted for even thinking they could wear Superman's cape? DO YOU BLEED BLUE?
7) Have you, at one time or another, been convinced that every NFL announcer hated the New York Giants? I am fairly partial in this category, but during a loss I can be convinced of any conspiracy theory against Big Blue, and my hatred for Tony Siragusa is unmatched. Go ahead try and match me … see, can't be done.
8) Have you ever been convinced that a ritual you performed has won a game for the Giants? Example: 2007 Super Bowl, long time Die Hard and friend Shep stands up behind my couch right before Kevin Boss breaks a 45-yard catch and run. Shep is then instructed not to move from his spot or he will be killed, as a good Die Hard he accepts this offer and remains standing behind the couch for the remainder of the game. Giants win, 17-14, and all credit goes to Shep, and maybe some to Tyree/Eli/Tuck, but mainly to Shep. (Some other notable mentions - Jets Die Hard and friend Faz once ate Subway sandwiches for two straight weeks during the 2002 playoff run. I have listened to Rage Against the Machines"Testify" before every game for six years, and I have convinced myself the Giants do the same. Playoff beards/ jerseys/ mustaches are always welcome.
9) Have you ever flipped out on a family member who tried to force you to an event during game day. As a teen I missed several bar-mitzvah's for this very reason, and I considered ducking out as a best man once, but was convinced by my buddy (nicknamed the Neck) that our friendship meant more then the game. To this day I'm not so sure he was right. Giants lost to the Panthers, 23-0, said friend makes up for his miscue two years later as he eats a McRib pre-game every Sunday for 20 weeks. Which lead to this exchange after Big Blue's miraculous Super Bowl win;
Neck - The McRib has magical powers Jacks.
Me - You're a great man.
Neck - I'm gonna throw up.
Me - You realize you have to do this all next year?
Neck - Just let me enjoy tonight man…(then 30 seconds of silence as we sat in complete disbelief, and then the loudest most joyous noise I have ever heard. Think of William Wallace yelling freedom!) MCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBB!!!!!!
The ritual ended the following year as his wife was pregnant and told the Neck that the McRib made her want to vomit, and if he ever ate one again she would put his genitalia in a salad shooter. Giants lose to the Eagles first round, need I say more.
10) Have you ever cried after a loss? I have never had this experience but after the Giants lost to the Ravens in the Super Bowl (How could you hold, Keith Hamilton?) I didn't speak for several hours. Then I called my mom and allegedly said "it hurts mom, how could they do this to me?"
Remember, if you said yes to any of these 10 questions you may have a problem, but I would assume since you are here at Big Blue View we already know the answer to that. You don't have a problem, you are the luckiest people alive. You are Giants Die Hards, and nothing could be better. Ok I have to run and get three McRib's, run on a treadmill at exactly 8.1 for 30 minutes and convince my girlfriend that watching the Giants vs. Panthers is far more important then her grandfather's 80th birthday.
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9) Have you ever flipped out on a family member who tried to force you to an event during game day?
This happened today in fact. My aunt bought land in Vermont and my parents want to take me up to see it on Sunday
I told them, I’m not missing the giant game. We can’t leave until the game ends.
Could I add an 11? Every NFL ref hates the giants and instantly give favored status to the other team, especially if they’re the cowboys.
Never assume skill at bouncing a ball makes you smarter than the guy who built the court.
When there's a WILL there's a WAY
and you call yourself a fan...
8) Have you ever been convinced that a ritual you performed has won a game for the Giants? Example: 2007 Super Bowl, long time Die Hard and friend Shep stands up behind my couch right before Kevin Boss breaks a 45-yard catch and run. Shep is then instructed not to move from his spot or he will be killed, as a good Die Hard he accepts this offer and remains standing behind the couch for the remainder of the game. Giants win, 20 -17, and all credit goes to Shep, and maybe some to Tyree/Eli/Tuck, but mainly to Shep. (Some other notable mentions – Jets Die Hard and friend Faz once ate Subway sandwiches for two straight weeks during the 2002 playoff run. I have listened to Rage Against the Machines"Testify" before every game for six years, and I have convinced myself the Giants do the same. Playoff beards/ jerseys/ mustaches are always welcome.
Actually the final score was 17-14. Hard to believe a real Giant fan wouldn’t have that score tatooed on the brain.
Just kidding. I can actually relate to a lot of these
What is even more surprising
At least to me, is that I didn’t catch that little miscue before you did. I will fix it now.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 24, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
sad and
ashamed…lowering my head like an old dog who let out a slow 8 octave farted at christmas dinner.
"heh heh, we're only gonna score 17?"
I’m sure you were just thinking of Plax’s prediction
"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09
Oh boy, i may need help
I almost said yes to all and some that were no, i have some smilarities to them. I suppose thats why i’m on BBV alot, for therapy and guidance. I also thank Ed for this free site as health care is expensive!
BTW, i do remember when Vai went dukes with the goal post. He should’ve been suspended!
Are you seriously offended every time someone refers to that running back on the Chargers as
LT? Who wasn’t confused the first time they heard this?
offended isn't the word
I have been enraged about this for as long as LDT has been in the league. Nicknames are rarely repeated, but it does happen, pudge/ thunder and lightning/ lefty, but the thing is LT redefined a position. He changed the way an entire league looked at the LB spot. What’s worse is that Ladainian himself is a remarkable player. I realize it’s just an initial thing, but all Giant fans know there is only one LT. I’m sad to know that someone couldn’t come up with something better for Ladainian, who I will always refer to as L D T.
Me too
LDT or just Tomlinson
You would think someone could think of another nickname. But he’s had it for almost a decade now, he’s not going to give it back.
Never assume skill at bouncing a ball makes you smarter than the guy who built the court.
When there's a WILL there's a WAY
ok willgfass and stubsny
I think i will now refer to him as “unfortunate initials” when writing about him on bigblueview unless you have some other nicknames you would like to test out.
I call him BLT
as per a suggestion by Lawrence Taylor (I heard on the radio, I’ve never met the manGod). It stands for “Baby LT” – I like it.
"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09
I can relate
to most of these, I have been a die hard fan as long as i can remember and thats along time(ie tarkenton was qb). Over the years I have gotten into arguments with fans of other teams as to who was a greater fan and about 15 years ago I found a way to win these arguments with little trouble, I just show them my rather large tattoo of a Giants helmet and simply ask..“Where is yours?” hahaha
by BigBlueCrew_jfl on Dec 24, 2009 1:11 PM EST reply actions
Classic
Absolutely fantastic list. I laughed the whole way through, while nodding and constantly saying, “yup, yup”. It’s people like us that make the game what it is. I mean, come on, who else would think that Howard Cross is one of the greatest TE’s in history!
Oh, and for my own addenda (that’s the Latin plural form, which interestingly came up fine in the internal spell check, but the English plural addendums did not, go figure) I’ve been watching the games with my mom lately (it’s all good, and I’m 27 not 47, don’t worry) and while she enjoys watching and has for many years actually, she claims she gets more out of me watching the game than the game itself. Needless to say I’m quite…animated?
Also, on the watching with mom note, coming from a Christian household, typical game watching language is obviously not appropriate at anytime. Well, they’ve made an exception for me when the Giants are playing, thankfully, cause there is no way I can hold some stuff in. When things aren’t going well, they know to leave me alone and let me explode at the tv. I’m a small guy comparatively (135ish), but during my typical rants, I’m looked at like I’m a pissed off Brandon Jacobs.
Just had to justify myself a little after a superb list like that.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Okay. Um, can you repeat the part of the stuff where you said all about the...things? Uh… the things?" - Homer Simpson
I did this the entire SB 42 playoff run
2) Have you ever performed a mundane task, like running on a treadmill, and performed that much better in hopes that it would help the Giants win that week?
I lost like 8 pounds in 5 weeks that winter working out like a maniac thinking the harder I worked out the harder the Giants would play. And each playoff game seemed liked they kept digging deeper to win so it really made sense to me at the time. I’m also not overweight at all so loose that much weight was kinda wierd.
4) Do your moods completely change based on a win or loss that Sunday? Wait, that’s not die hard, that’s just a fan. Let me clarify, do you tumble into a deep Britney Spears-like depression until the following Wednesday when you can finally focus on the upcoming opponent and the days practice (of which you will not participate because YOU DO NOT PLAY FOR THE GIANTS)?
Every single week, win or lose I get nothing accomplished on Monday’s I’m either too up or too down. Thank god they won on Monday or I would be the Grinch this Christmas. I almost did not put up CHristmas lights this year becasue of the Denver loss!
Awsome list
I would add to #6 . . . I also get goose bumps at The sight of Jim Burt or Leonard Marshall knocking Joe Montana into next year while the Giants march to a SB victory.
Jim Burt Goosebumps
I just wanted to share this Jim Burt memory with you guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMkN2H1_O3I
Well thats it for me
I’m going to my folks house for Christmase Eve Dinner so I’m out
Merry Christmas to all! GO BLUE!!
I totally agree with #4
After a huge loss, I often am in a huge funk for at least a few days. I get nothing done, suck at work, and am totally irritable to everyone around me. Usually about Wednesday or Thursday I start getting my hopes up for the next game, and by Saturday I’m already pumped back up to full fandom level. If the Giants win though, I make sure to remind all my friends who are Eagles and Cowboys fans for at least five days, much to their overwhelming delight.
im am compelety convinced that what i do affects the giants.
something i am positive about is what i wear, when i wear my eli jersey and hat they have lost once this year and 6 times since ive had them, i have worn them for every win through that time, the only reason i havent worn them all season is cause i cant drive yet so i cant always get to my dads to wear it, but last week and the rest of the season i will walk up the hill he lives on (a big ass hill) if i need to.
"Yes we lost and yes we are upset. But like all Champs we will bounce back."
Osi umenyiora
by donnybaseball23 on Dec 24, 2009 4:00 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Well seeing as I am only 25 years old
And have been a Giants fan since I was 6 I still remember wide right. I have not had a voice for the last 4-5 weeks. Mainly because how much I yell and scream at the Giants on Sunday. It slowly gets better threwout the week and then I screw it up on Sunday. Good thing the Giants pasted the Redskins because I was allowed to fist pump and clap after the game got out of reach.
I'm 33, and remember watching games as early as '84
I spent the ’05 and ’08 seasons in Iraq, but had a tv in my room each time. The Armed Forces Network always shows 2 or 3 of the 1pm games, 2 or 3 of the 4 pm games, and all of the primetime games. Because of the time difference, the 1pm games start at 9 pm, 4 pm games at midnight, and primetime games at 430am the next morning. Both years, they showed a lot of Giants games – probably 12 each time. And if the Giants were on, I watched. Last year was particularly rough, with 5 primetime games. But it was well worth it if they won. The morning after they lost to the Panthers in the playoffs in Jan ’06 must have been the worst Monday of my life.
Bleeding BLUE
This list is indeed classic. Most if not all of it rings true with me. Especially #4. I get so miserable after a Giants loss. I worked at the same deli for more than 6 years, until my beloved G-Men lost to the Cardinals earlier this season. Now normally everyone knows to not even speak to me, because I most likely will be nasty after a loss. However I got this very nasty customer and I just lost it. I ended up telling this old guy to " suck my balls", and then I turned to my boss and quit my dead end job. Now that was bad enough – but the incident did not end there. The old guy then starts screaming that he wants to talk to the owner. So I say to him – “I’m the owner. The owner of the balls you can suck”. Then I walked out. Now I admit this was not my finest hour – but I can say with all confidence that if the Giants had won the day before – that would not have happened. But such is the life of a die hard Giants fan. By the way – anyone remember years ago when we finished the season 4-12? The day after the last game of that season – me and my best friend (who is a huge Giants maniac as well) both went and got Giants tattoos. Dedication my friends. Dedication.
by Big Blue Phatty on Dec 24, 2009 4:51 PM EST reply actions
Dead on
I think this was a great column because I can relate to so many of these, most particularly naming every player and checking injury reports/practices when I’m bored. Another thing I’m a big fan of is hearing Bob Papa on Thursday night football because it reminds me of his game-calling on the fan. Happy Holidays everyone
How could you blame Hammer for that play?
It was a play-action pass. The entire focus of that play is to make the defense think the RB has theball. To penalize a guy because the play was successfully executed is just asinine, to do it in a SB and therefore take away a game-tying TD is one of the worst calls ever. I was in college at the time and took alot of grief for that game. Yes I’m still bitter.
As for superstitions, I had tickets to the Bills game in the 2007 season when they needed the win for the playoffs, and were coming off of the Vikings debacle. I wore a Giants shirt and hat under my coat, and my Hampton jersey over it (mostly for the extra layer, and to see if anybody recognized it and tried to hastle me). After they won, I wore the same combination of shirt, hat, and jersey for every game thereon out, without washing them. That simple sacrifice on my part was key for the Giants successful run. It’s almost Chrismas now, and I need some sleep before my kid is up at 5:30. Merry Christmas to everyone, and go Gmen!
Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
Homer's Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
Homer: Explain how!
Homer's Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
Homer: Woo-hoo!
by bigbluethruandthru on Dec 24, 2009 11:59 PM EST reply actions
I was wearing my Eli jersey for the Bills game
I got locked out of my house, so I was sitting in the car in a freaking blizzard listening to the game on the radio, eating the pizza that I had picked up to eat while watching the game. I spilled a little sauce on the jersey (which was a 3XL – no idea why my parents got me one so big, it looked ridiculous on me but by a simple accident it was the only Giants jersey I had with me down at school) and the Giants won the game. I decided not to wash the jersey, and I wore it to the Pats game the next weekend, and then proceeded to wear it for each of the playoff games. I really looked like a fool – a jersey 3 sizes too big for me with a giant pizza sauce stain on it, but the Giants kept winning so I kept wearing. I stupidly got an LT throwback last season and started wearing it in like week 3 or 4 (before the Browns game). I haven’t worn the Eli jersey since and still blame myself for the loss to the Eagles last year – now I’m saving the magic for a time when the Giants really need it. I can’t decide if this weekend qualifies or not.
"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09
I've been known to:
A. scream incessantly at the TV as if I’m being heard by the team/coaches.
B. Spit on the TV. Although, I haven’t done that in years. I guess I’m to lazy to get up.
C. I threw my computer chair into the pool. In fact that chair was tossed around a few time it had to be replaced.
Yes and here is my pregame sunday ritual that i've been doing for the past 7 years
1)After shower and i’m getting ready i put on my NY giants boxers on. THATS RIGHT..I’VE GOT GIANTS FREAKING BOXERS! (this should be enough but i continue)
2) After dressed,which includes a giants t-shirt underneath Strahan jersey, i stroll over to the computer and Blast 2 songs in this order. Must never change or else failure the order:
a) Jungleland-Bruce Springstein
b) Smash your Enemies-Hatebreed
The only time its flipped is when the giants play the Eagles, i hate them so much. It is the only exception
3) Meet my friends at Picasso’s sports bar in the University area of Charlotte,NC.
4)Order a pitcher of Bud Light and stand all game and be focused as if the world’s fate hinges on the Giants game.
5)start a few chants on big plays or key reception by “THE REAL” Steve Smith…the local Panther fans loathe this nickname but my friends and i stick with it..for our steve smith has a ring.
6)after win..shake hands with fellow giants fans and continue to drink..JUBILATION
7)after loss…find blame..usually Kevin Gilbride..DEPPRESSION!!!! and drinking.
Curse you, Jacks
For years, the name Vai Sikahema’s been running through my head, but mericfully the reason why had been blotted out. But somehow seeing it in print brought it all back in a Christmas Eve dream.
I always thought
that if someone told me they were a die hard fan I would say “then what’s the password?” and they would have to answer “Ray Must Go”. Because if you weathered that period and continued to watch, you are a die hard…and you have a serious problem.
How could a coach have a quarterback controversy with Phil Simms on your roster?
This season
has been tough. Nothing compares to the 2 seasons under Handley. We’ve had some lousy seasons but those 2 years following a SB victory were tough. In his first season the Giants were 8-8. I swear it felt like 3-13.
Actually Phil wasn't a shoe in at first
and he wasn’t a fan favorite for quite a while. He was injured a lot, even twice by smashing his hand into a rushing player’s helmet as he attempted a pass. His reads were poor and he was like a statue in the pocket and took too many sacks. In fact that it was a knock againt him through most of his career that he held the ball too long. But he did turn into the “iron man” and was a very accurate passer as well as a great leader. Next to YA Tittle he is my favorite Giant QB.
by giant fan since 57 on Dec 26, 2009 5:17 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, YA's my #1
also. Eli’s about even with Simms right now and will probabgly surpass him in my esteem before the end of the year. If he keeps going the way he’s been going, he might even supplant YA in my affections some day. No one will ever beat Frankie Filchock for me, although I acknowledge YA, Simms and Eli (probably CC as well) are/were better QBs.
Frankie Filchock
doesn’t seem like so great of a guy to me, after looking him up.
“completed 9 of 26 passes for 128 yards and had 6 intercepted” in the NFL championship back in ’46, and was charged for taking a bribe.
Any reason you like him so much?
Never assume skill at bouncing a ball makes you smarter than the guy who built the court.
When there's a WILL there's a WAY
Yes, he was screwed. It has been officially recognized he was screwed.
He didn’t take a bribe, he wasn’t offered a bribe. His team mate, Merle Hapes, an RB was offered the bribe, didn’t take it,didn’t report it. He told Frankie about it. Frankie didn’t squeal on him. He played his heart out in the championship game. He had to play the rest of his career in Canada. I wrote it up a few years ago. You can probably find the details in the archives.
I was a fourteen year old kid at the time and Frankie was my favorite player. What happened to him devastated me at the time, and its mark has lingered. The Giants traded to get him and he turned the club around in the one year he played for them. When he came onto the field for the championship game, the fans booed him. Injured, he played the whole game. That was his last NFL game. The NFL banned him for life. He played the rest of his career in Canada. The NFL recognized the injustice it had committed when it allowed him to become HC of the Denver Broncos years later.
I don't want to forget Tark.
He belongs right below YA in terms of excellent Giants’ QBs, although he played for the Giants during the Wilderness Years, the worst years in their history.
Tark
I talked to him in Atlantic City once during a convention. He had a booth where guys like us could take three shots at throwing a football through a tire. I watched him do it perfectly for a long time. He hardly ever missed.
By the way, I am about 5’10" and I towered over him. He must have been all of 5’7". He had the heart of a Lion though, and the legs of a deer. We had virtually zero pass protection those days and Fran spent most of his time running for his life. While he was doing that he managed to complete a lot of wounded duck passes for big yards.
I consider him a class act. It must have taken a lot of courage to go out week after week knowing that only his quickness stood between him and a big pounding.
by giant fan since 57 on Dec 27, 2009 5:13 AM EST up reply actions
he always looked skinny out there to me
His listed stats had him at something like 6’, 190 lbs. If your memory serves you correctly re his height, it would help explain his magical ability to escape the clutches of blitzers time after time and at the very last minute. If my memory serves me correctly, one year he led the league in rushing, but that couldn’t be, could it? A QB?
D Jacks Is The Man!!!
D Jacks has brought be over to Big Blue View for the simple fact that I enjoy reading what this man writes. Always funny, always witty, and a great read every time. Great job D Jacks…Keep up the good work….
by Big John Loves Jack Daniels on Dec 26, 2009 1:33 AM EST reply actions
You know who Ron Winter is
And will never forgive him. He robbed me of a childhood. That bastard.
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