Good morning, fellow Giants fans and fellow football fans. All of the talk is about the replacement refs having gone back to their lingerie leagues or banking positions or couches, while the real ones take the field to what will no doubt be standing ovations in every game on Sunday. Of course, I'm sure we will all be complaining about the real refs again soon, but for now we breathe a huge sigh of relief. I read somewhere the other day that it wasn't the calls so much as it was the glaring lack of knowing the rules. Very true--and while that is probably not what Mike McCarthy is thinking today, there were more plays/calls like the one that ended Monday night's game waiting to happen.
By the way, how would you like to be this guy today? Lance Easley is a name that will go down in infamy along with Don Denkinger and others. Of course, it didn't have to be that way--he could have called offensive pass interference on Golden Tate like he should have without even looking at the *cough* interception.
Did you guys see Matt Schaub limp off the field last Sunday bleeding from his ear? That was scary, and the photos of his Evander Holyfield-esque ear after a chunk of it was left on the turf in Denver were disgusting. And Joe Mays was fined $50K for going Mike Tyson on Schaub.
Speaking of $50K, Bill Belichick was fined that amount for grabbing the shirt of a replacement ref last Sunday night. I wonder if a simple, shouted "Hey scab!" would have drawn the same fine.
Okay, before we close the book on replacement refs, check out this article by EJ Dionne about the greed that drove this whole dispute--it's a really good read.
How tough and fun to watch is Seattle's Marshawn Lynch? Everyone remembers the run against the Saints in the playoffs two seasons ago, but the guy keeps shedding doubters like tacklers.
Boy, does this fellow SB Nation dude nail the Giants or what? "Every year they do this. Every single year. It's gotten to the point where picking any Giants game is impossible. Pick against them, and they're guaranteed to look like the best team in football. Pick 'em, and they sleepwalk for three quarters and MAYBE wake up right before the end, just in time to win but not cover." We sure do have to be strapped in to our roller coaster ride every week, don't we?
Look who tops the list of Hall of Fame nominees this year--Michael Freaking Strahan. Oh, and Warren Sapp. And Morten Andersen. Seriously, Strahan has to be first ballot, no? If he gets in, are any of you making the trek to Canton in August?
Can't wait for FX's The League? Here is a clip of an upcoming episode that features Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones. It's positively hilarious.
As the NFL enters Week 4, it's worth noting that the baseball regular season ends this coming week. And this year, there is a one-game wild card playoff game in each league, to take place on Friday. Here is the schedule for anyone that is intrigued. I have to say--I love those one-game playoffs. And we may get two more, as the Orioles are one game back of the Yanks and the Tigers lead the White Sox by a game. The AL Central seems to have those 163rd games every year, don't they?
Some great tracks I am listening to right now that I want to share with you guys:
"Pyramid City" by Driftless Pony Club
"She's Gonna Kill Me" by Michael McDermott
"Shannon" by Margot & the Nuclear So & So's
And here is what I'm eating. Best frozen pizza ever
Enjoy the games, fellas!