Good morning, fellow Giants fans. Before I get to the Giants- and NFL-related news, I wanted to pause to remember why we have Memorial Day in the first place--to honor those in the military who gave their lives to our country to protect the very freedom we enjoy every day.
So I pause and salute.
Now, let's get to some of the news, which there is not much of at this point in the holiday weekend....
Giants star Tuck attracts celebs to charity pool tournament - International Business Times
New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck will raise money for his literacy charity through a billiards tournament in New York City on Thursday, June 2. Held for the third year at Slate NYC, a billiards club in Chelsea, Tuck's event in the past has drawn celebrities such as Spike Lee, Vivica A. Fox, Paul Sorvino, John Legend, John Starks, Kelly Rowland, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Chubb Rock, Eli Manning and Big Daddy Kane.
Panthers welcome pass catching, passion that comes with Shockey | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper
The Panthers' new tight end signed in March, eight days before the league locked out its players. He recently returned from Great Britain, where he led an American team through the Scottish Highlands in a 100-mile adventure race called the Drambuie Pursuit. While his NFL peers were lifting weights and doing conditioning drills, Shockey was whitewater rafting, dune buggy racing and taking an unplanned swim in one of the world's most fabled lakes.
Let me ask you guys something. Forget all of the baggage that came with having Shockey on the Giants, and just ask yourself this--how would you feel about your new tight end participating in something like this? Did the Panthers know about it, and if so, what type of waiver did he have to sign?
Cook: Plaxico Burress is worth a look
It makes perfect sense for the Steelers to bring back Burress. Check that. It makes perfect sense for the Steelers to at least look into bringing back Burress.
It's easy to forget that the Steelers actually drafted Plaxico, who played a few seasons in Pittsburgh before signing with the Giants. It's also interesting that at least one writer in the Steel City wants to have a look at him once he is released from prison.
Poole: Some of Philadelphia Eagles' DeSean Jackson's best moves come off-camera - San Jose Mercury News
Yet by being at the prison under these conditions, the slightly-built star with the reputation for vapid vanity annihilates that very myth. He's strolling the grounds of California's most famous active prison, swapping stories with prisoners, expressing and absorbing, listening and laughing. Jackson is at the Q because he wants to be there. He seems to revel in the interaction, feel enriched by the experience.
Look, maybe DeSean is a nice guy with a good heart. But that doesn't stop me from imagining myself punching him in the face in my dreams after that goal line tip-toe dance.
Fans not buying Goodell’s ‘Fans want 18 games’ rhetoric - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
He says that fans are practically running up to him on the street and begging for more regular-season games. Sounds unlikely at this point; I'd imagine that if fans are talking to him on the street, they're begging for an end to the lockout and perhaps using words one wouldn't use in polite company.
Really? Begging for more regular season games? I agree with the Shutdown Corner here--if Goodell is stopped on the street by any NFL fan, they are only begging to have games in 2011.
Romo gets hitched to beauty queen with Jerry Jones in attendance - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Sounds like a very orderly occasion, but there was one wild card — whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would be able to attend. With the continued lockout, owners and players are not supposed to have any contact away from the negotiating table. But Jones received special dispensation from the NFL to attend, just as the Green Bay Packers recently were informed that they will, in fact, receive their Super Bowl rings in a June 16 ceremony no matter what the labor situation is at that time. Jones was there along with virtually all of Romo's teammates.
Well yeah, it's not like Jones is going to sit at a table with players and hand them playbooks under the table. But I'm curious what the conversation must have been like. I'm also curious about how much of a gift someone like Jones gives someone like Romo.
Enjoy your Memorial Day everyone!