Professional sports unions, unite!
The players associations for MLB, the NBA and the NHL believe the NFL lockout should be lifted, and they filed a brief Friday with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The three other major sports unions said the NFL's case presents "vitally important issues" for them and their own players. Just as the NFL players have repeatedly stated the consequences of losing even part of a season, the unions noted their own concerns about the typically short life of athletes' careers.
The legal ramifications of this new brief aren't entirely clear, though it is somewhat intriguing to see the four major American professional sports come together like this. Perhaps any lessons learned once the NFL lockout is resolved can be related to any future collective bargaining situations in the other sports. Until then, we'll just have to hope.
National Football Post: Jeff Fisher, Bruschi, Lewis reach top of Mount Kilimanjaro
"When we reached the summit it was really an overwhelming feeling ... Words can't describe what it really is like," Fisher told NFL Network. "And then you add to that the fact that we did it with the soldiers, with the wounded warriors, was very, very impressive. It was an incredible experience. I couldn't be more honored to be part of this. To a man, we'd all do it again given the opportunity."
This is a few days old and not related to the Giants, but it's something remarkable that, at the very least, should grasp your attention. Former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi and Philadelphia Eagles tight end Chad Lewis have climbed the 19,341-foot Uhuru Peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The excursion is planned to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity that assists wounded service members. Also be sure to check out the full story in The Tennessean. What a fascinating idea to benefit a great cause. Props to those three for providing some pleasant headlines during this lockout mess.
New York Post: Giants fans have faced more than lockout
When Victor Gwynn would go out on patrol in Iraq he felt protected. His body was adorned with a tattoo of his two kids and the name of his mother, covered up by his cherished 1990 Giants Super Bowl T-shirt.
We already touched on the Giants' search for the best fan story in Thursday's notebook, but this story from Paul Schwartz of the New York Posts highlights a few more that are definitely worth your time. Victor Gwynn is a Bronx native currently serving in the Army, and will likely soon be deployed Afghanistan. He talks about his love for the Giants and how it serves as a constant reminder of what is awaiting him back home. The story also profiles 91-year old George Svirsky, another diehard Giants fan who just had his Bar Mitzvah in April. Svirsky discusses his religious faith and how it relates to his admiration for this Giants, and both stories are great to read.