The struggle across the Atlantic was HUGE…and UGLY! The New York Giants came away with a win over the Miami Dolphins. Somehow…

Eli Manning had the worst day ever completing only a handful of passes. 8 to be exact and 59 yards. Not a very good air show. The ground works were much better with a total of 189 rushing yards. The only touchdown scored by the Giants was on a 10 yarder by Eli Manning. The rest of the yardage was used up by the “2/3 headed monster” of Brandon Jacobs, Reuben Droughns. and even Jeremy Shockey!

It was all Giants early on. After the Giants kick off to start the game, the Dolphins move the ball downfield to the Giants 29 yard line and stall. Jay Feely misses a 48 yard field goal wide right. Yes, THAT Jay Feely who was so good for the Giants. From there the Giants took over the game.

The Giants take control and move the ball the other way for 4 minutes 47 seconds. Lawerence Tynes kicks a 20 yarder to put the Giants up for good. The Giants defense comes up big near the end of the first quarter with Gibril Wilson recovering a fumble thus allowing the offense back on the field. The Giants are unable to get a first down and have to punt…

With 1:09 left in the first half and the Giants at Miami’s 10 yard line, Eli Manning looks for Jeremy Shockey who is covered and runs to the left corner for the Giants only touchdown. Miami gets the ball on the ensuing kickoff. After 2 completions by Cleo Lemon for 12 yards and a first down, Giants defense comes up with another big play. Michael Strahan strips the ball from Cleo Lemon, picks up the fumble and rumbles for 4 yards. 2 incompletions by Eli Manning and an 11 yard run by Brandon Jacobs, Lawerence Tynes connects from 41 yards out. With no time after the kick off, the Dolphins enter their locker room down 13-0.

The second half was pretty much boring until the end of the third quarter. With 1:07 left in the quarter, Jay Feely connects from 29 yards to put Miami on the score-board. Now it’s the Giants turn once more. The move the ball from their own 35 to the Dolphin’s 11 yard line. Lawerence Tynes misses from 29 yards out wide left. My first thoughts were “Here we go!”

Sure enough…Miami is forced to punt after a 3 and out caused by the Giants only sack of the day. Fred Robbins sacks Cleo Lemon for an 11 yard loss. Miami punts, Giants ball with first and ten at their own 41. Very good field position is what I’m thinking now.

3 runs by Brandon Jacobs for 25 yards and 2 first downs in Miami territory at the 34 marker is even better. Here it comes……HOLDING, OFFENSE, 10 yards. 1st and 2. (The hold was at Miami’s 36) Incomplete pass to Plaxico Buress. 2nd down. Illegal block for 10 yards. 2nd and 32 now. Illegal substitution for another 5 yards. 2nd and way tooooo much at this point! Jacobs runs for 4 yards and Shockey catches a 10 yard pass. 4th and forever…Jeff Feagles punts the ball into the endzone for a touchback and it begins looking dim. Starting at their own 20, Cleo Lemon moves the Dolphins methodically down field. After a couple penalties, Unnecessary Roughness on the Giants and Intentional Grounding on the Dolphins, Miami has the ball on the Giants 21 after the 2 minute warning. Cleo Lemon hits some guy named Ginn and the extra point is good. 13-10 Giants!

1:54 left and Jay Feely attempts an onside kick which bounces out of bounds. Giants run out the clock to hold on and win!

My game thoughts. Yup, Eli Manning was horrible with only 8 of 22 for 59 yards. Some were Eli’s fault, some were the weather, and then others were the Miami defense. Miami’s game plan had Will Allen (Yes, THAT Will Allen) defending Buress and he did a FANTASTIC job on a couple of deep passes by Eli. The running game was nothing less than excellent, even with the mess they called Wembley. The DEFENSE was once again the reason for the win. They came up HUGE when they had to as well as play an entire game. SOLID, unbending, and BIG PLAY domination. GREAT JOB once more for the defense. I did see Aaron Pierce being held and turned around which was not called. It’s okay though since the next play the Giants got the ball back by Strahan’s fumble recovery.

Next up….THE COWGIRLS…I mean the Cowboys! Sorry, inside joke…We all know the Giants after a bye week. Their record is not so great. It’s time to start the chant, LET’S GO BIG BLUE! 2 weeks should help!

P.S. PLease let me know if you want me to continue the complete game rundown or just what I have done before. IE; just my comments on the game itself. Thanks!

It’s so hard to come up with something to write about a team which only plays part of a football game. The Jets have so many talented players, and they just can’t finish a game. Eric Mangini showed HIS frustration in the post game interview. What does it take to get a group of good players to play for 60 minutes?

I will not say anyone gave up…I don’t believe that for 1 second. What I saw was the penalties in the second half after so many quarters without one. What happened to the self-disipline? Chad Pennington had one of his most productive days to lose after leading the game! HOW does that happen?

What I saw was an inablility to pick up the blitz and protect Chad. It was like opening the flood gates and EVERYONE got through. Chad’s one mistake was late in the game and VERY costly. The Jets were driving and would have made a win possible had they scored. Instead, Chad throws the interception with a BIG runback. GAME OVER!

I personally have been calling for Chad to be benched and Kellen Clemens becoming the starter. Chad’s performance DID NOT enforce that at all. But, it is time to make a change. WHY? Chad STILL has not proven he can spread the defense. One 55 yard pass will NEVER spread the defense out. If you can’t consistantly connect on long passes, the box will always be loaded. Prove you are able to beat the DB’s and the front will open for the run.

Kellen Clemens has the arm to throw the ball and throw accurately. He NEEDS to start and show what he is able to do. Face it, the Jets are going nowhere this year. It’s time to see if Clemens IS in fact the future. Especially when you have Coles and Cotchery able to break it deep and someone who is able to reach them with some rip behind the ball. Not floaters which barely make it!

Sorry Jets fans, but it’s over for 2007. It’s time to take a look at 2008! The future has to begin this week or there is no future!

I must admit the D-FENSE has come together after all. The frustrations of a fan came out loud and strong after the first two games! Losing to Dallas when a win was well within reach REALLY boils the blood.

The Giants now have a nice winning streak going. 5 and 2 is much better than the 0 and 2 start! We must thank a Giants defense which has come together under Steve Spagnuolo.

The offense was mediocre against San Francisco. They had some problems moving the ball, except when the defense got the ball back for them via interceptions and fumbles. They scored with each take away. That is a GREAT job!

There could have been more if the backs were able to hold onto the ball. Eli Manning was locked in throwing the ball well. The backs had troubles hauling the passes in. Derek Ward, Brandon Jacobs, it did’t matter who the ball was tossed to. It didn’t hurt though since the defense just kept getting the ball back to the offense.

Lawrence Tynes missed the PAT after the first TD which is unacceptable. Tynes came back with 3 PAT’s and 2 field goals. That’s a good comback in my estimation. Antonio Pierce had 2 costly Personal Fouls, but came back with a HUGE interception which allowed the Giants to score again! Osi Umenyiora had a huge sack AND picked up the fumble to score from 75 yards out! BIG play!!

Now it’s off to London for a game against the winless Miami Dolphins. Let’s hope the Giants continue to play the way they have been and don’t have a let down. Remember several years back when an undefeated Bronco team came to Giants stadium to play a BAD Giants team? The Giants handed the Broncos their first loss. We HOPE this does not reverse!!

Wishing BIG BLUE continued best wishes on the other side of the big pond! Keep it up guys, you are finally a complete T E A M!!!!

George Steinbrenner has done it again! Joe Torre was offered a 1 year contract for 5 million bucks. Not a bad chunk of change. The prob is that is only 1 year with incentives. An extra year each for Alcs, wildcard, world series. Seems to me that the New York Yankees did not want Joe back.

I must think for a second…Joe Torre is second in wins as a manager for the Yankees. He has been with the team for 12 years and has had them in the playoffs in all 12 years. His teams won 4 world series rings…Hmmmm…I know, let’s low ball the offer and let Joe decide!

One year extension is an insult for someone with these credentials. Screw the bonuses. What about a long term deal. 3 years minimum would have worked. Maybe even 2 years. The bottom line is Joe had to feel unwanted with the offer. I do believe it was concocted to appear as if the Yankees didn’t want to be responsible for Joe Torre departing. It is apparent to everyone that the Yankees didn’t want Joe Torre back. Hell, all he did was win. I guess that is not what the brain trust is looking for.

I have watched managers get hired and fired for a long time now. This one takes the cake! I may never watch another Yankee game from this point forward!

Joe Girrardi is a wonderful person and has proven he is able to win. Don Mattingly has been a locked in as the heir apparent. Does 1 year create the next super manager? Don has said he is not ready yet. He is right! Don Mattingly is not and has not been a manager of any type. Could he be? You bet…Take a look at what Willie Randolph has done!

The bottom line here is the Yankees did not want Joe Torre back. The Yankees are the ones who escalated his contract. Joe Torre merely wanted a raise with each accomplishment. NOW, the Yankees say they pay him too much! They say they will not pay a manger more than any other! HELLO…Who PAID that much to start with?

Joe Torre deservered every penny he earned. He also was able to make the playoffs every year he was there. 12 playoffs, 4 world series rings. THAT is not shabby by any means.

I admire Joe Torre for refusing the contract. Yes, he could have made 8 million with the incentives. The problem I see here is not the manager, rather it is the over paid players. They are the ones who lost. They are the ones who should have incentive laden pay scales. The players continue to get paid while the managers continue to get fired.

Does anyone else see a problem here? Or is it just me! I know it will never happen due to the players union, but the pay has to stop! Make every contract incentive laden in order to pay what your team is willing to pay. Home run hitters will no longer swing away if they strike out 100+ times during the season.

I’m done for now. I hate the pay scale and how these babies are catered to.

Please feel free to post your comments on this.

This my friends was a game! It began ugly when the Falcons moved the ball downfield without a problem. The Giants defense stopped them and allowed only a field goal. Not bad if you ask me.

The ensuing kickoff saw the Giants move the ball in the other direction. TOUCH DOWN!! That was excellent except for the fact that the Giants now have to kick off once more. Result? A tackle! (Got ya there) Next play was what made it look bad for the Giants. Norwood ran the ball for ever on the first play from scrimage. Touch Down, ATLANTA! At 10-7. I was worried. But. being as resiliant as they are, the Giants came through with their defense.

What happened and how did they do it? Big Blue STOPPED the Falcons from anything else! The Giants Defense regained it’s mastery. The Giants defense was able to CRUSH the Atlanta Falcon offense in such a way they were totally stifled!

San Fran is next. The 49’s could be a heavy opponent. These guys want to win. The Giants have won 4 in a row. 5 is not that easy. We will see next week!

Watching the Jets - Eagles, I came to the realization that Chad Pennington can’t cut it anymore. Thomas Jones had a wonderful day rushing. The best this year by a Jet. Well…I think that was the Eagle’s defense allowing that little bit of hope. Don’t get excited here Jets fans!!

If Jones was so good, why did he not get the ball on fourth and one? Instead, a fade pass was called and blocked! Hmmmm….Yup, sure is fun being a couch coach! The problem here my friends is once again the red zone! The Jets are again unable to come up with a TD in the red zone.

Kudos to the Jets defense. They did a GREAT job stopping a mediocre Philley offense when needed. They even came up with an interception which should have created a tie game. Alas, Chad once again could not deliver when needed.

The biggest problem I see with the Jets is, Chad Pennington does not put any fear in the opposing defense. They know he can’t throw deep so they just play man coverage and stack the box with 8 players to prevent the run.

I would not get all GA-GA about the Jets defense either. The Jets got 3, which happens to equal the first 5 game total, sacks against a team that gave up 12 sacks against the Giants. What does that tell you about the Eagles offensive line. Does the word “offensive” offensive line come to mind?

Look, I like Chad and what he has done. Kellen Clemens NEEDS to start playing so the Jets can see if HE is the future. If Clemens does not produce, it’s all good since they can trade Chad and free up a ton of money for a different quarterback.

Bottom line Jets fans, Kellen Clemens HAS to start playing. He is able to spread the defense with his ability to throw deep. This in turn will open the running game much better. Without, the Jets are doomed to a 1-15 season the way I see it. Yup 1 win against a bad Miami Dolphin team. At least they would get the first choice in the draft….and we saw what happened the last time when they selected Keyshawn Johnson!!

It’s time for a change, and not for the sake of change. This is for the good of the team. Eric Mangini is steadfast against making a change. He is attempting to prove loyalty toward his players. I applaud him for that. Chad Pennington will cost over 7 million against the cap next year. At 1-5, it’s time to take a look at the future and possibly create some cap room in the process.

I would love to hear your comments on the future of the Jets and Chad Pennington. See you next week after the Cincinnati game!

It took me some time to think about this entry since the Yankees lost. I could go on about the game but, that is pointless since you all watched it. So, instead, I want to talk about something different here. This is about an Icon of the New York Yankees. He is someone who will remain in our minds forever!!

Who? Joe Torre, that’s who!! A gentleman in every way. An ambassador of the game. Joe Torre created a new dynasty for the Yankees. 12 years is unfathomable in the George Steinbrenner era! Not only did Joe Torre last that long, but his team won! How about making the playoffs 12 straight times? You think that is not enough, then think about the 4 World Series rings he collected!

Joe Torre could have been a different manager and watched as his team suffocated itself. Instead, he was a players type person who helped his team remain just that…A TEAM! Joe watched as his team lacked hitting when men were in scoring position. He argued with the umpires when calls were not made correctly. He could have thrown a fit, ala Billy Martin, and had his viewing angle changed for the game. (Mangers office is different when watching the game on TV! )

Joe Torre watched and battled in every way he was able. The bottom line is the players could not come up with the big hits with runners in scoring position. Yes there were home runs. SOLO home runs! These are the things which a manager is unable to controll. As Joe said, “I am one of those managers who like to let his players play.” That may be a paraphrase, but it was the essence of his quote.

You all know I am a self proffessed METS fan. You also know that Joe Torre was once a Mets player and also a manager. Look at the teams he both played for and worked with. Not so good to say the least!

You may be wondering why Joe did not go out kicking up dirt and stomping his feet at the bad calls made. As stated above, that would do nothing more than change his viewing perspective. You also may think it would rile the troops! To that I have to say, “ARE YOU F’ING KIDDING ME?” These are not kids just starting the game. The are NEW YORK YANKEES, getting paid MILLIONS of dollars to PLAY THE GAME! If that is not enough incentive, WHAT THE HELL IS??

In baseball there are only a few things a manger is able to do;

1. Create the lineup
2. Controll changes in the lineup
3. Make pitching changes
4. Create batting matchups

Joe Torre did all of those things, but his players could not do what they are paid to do. PLAY THE GAME! HIT the ball when needed!

Yea, it all sounds so easy and yes, you have to look at the other pitcher. It just sucks when you see those batters hitting solo home runs when they had the same opportunity with runners on and the same pitcher!?!

This is not about the New York Yankees, they will win again. This entry is about Joe Torre and what he did for the franchise. Joe Torre is my hero and I hope this is not his last year with the Yankees. If it is, I truely hope it because it is what he wants and not because George fires him.

Joe, if you ever read this, God Bless you for what you did with the Yankees and how you did it. You are a true human being and person. Should you never coach the Yankees again, THANK YOU and God bless you in your future endeavors! Baseball will miss you!

I fell asleep watching the game on Sunday night and did not have a chance to tell my thoughts. From what I was watching in the beginning, the Yankees were down 3-1. My question once again is, “Can’t Derek Jeter BUNT?”

The Yankees have been scraping for runs this whole series. Derek Jeter is up with 2 on and less than 2 outs and he is swinging away. When you NEED runs, you HAVE to move the runners! I’m not sure if Jeter thinks he is above bunting or if Joe Torre is now against it! Both times were early in the game and the Yankees were down. SCORE RUNS!! Get them anyway you can!

OK, it turned out well thanks to Johnny Damon’s 3 run HR!

That’s it for now. Watching tonights DO-OR-DIE game and it is not good right now!

What a game. From the edge of my chair I watched as nothing went the right way for the Giants. Heart beating as Brandon Jacobs lost a fumble and watched returned for a TD by Kerry Rhodes. 7-0 Jets! The Jets later get the ball back and drive into Giants territory and attempt a field goal only to see it missed once again by Mike Nugent!

The second quarter brought more of the same. After Brandon Jacobs and Derek Ward moved the ball down field, Ward had a nice run for a TD to tie the game. The Jets then move the ball and hit Brad Smith for a 16 yard TD. 14-7 Jets now and the Giants get the ball with time in the half. This is where it really gets bad!

Rather than run the ball, the Giants elect to throw a short pass. INTERCEPTED! JETS BALL! The Jets had time to drive the ball and possibly get a touch down. Instead, they elected to be concervative and play slow. Mike Nugent hits a 47 yard field goal and the Jets walk into the locker room with a 17-7 half-time lead. It gets better from here!

Starting the second half, the Giants get the ball and move it down field with precision. Brandon Jacobs and Derek Ward combine to move the ball effectively with a pass mixed in by Eli Manning. The drive culminates with a Jocobs 19 yard run for a TD. Jets 17 Giants 14! That is not all.

The ensuing kickoff is returned 98 yards by Leon Washington. Now the game is Jets 24 and Giants 14. Now it does not look good as a Giants fan. The Jets offensive line has been able to protect Chad Pennington the whole game. There has been little or no pressure on Chad and he has been able step into the pocket and pass, almost at will. What happened to the DEFENSE the Giants showed last week?

Moving on, the Giants get the ball and are once again able to move down field a find Jeremy Shockey for a thirteen yard TD. Now it begins to look a little better. Jets 24, Giants 21. Giants are in the game once more.

The fourth quarter was all Giants. Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress for a 53 yard touchdown and near the end of the game when the Jets were driving, Aaron Ross returns an interception 43 yards for the game clinching TD.

There is the game summary. What happened? The Jets offensive line did a fantastic job of protecting Chad Pennington. The offensive scheme kept Chad away from harm. Get rid of the ball quick, hand offs, etc. Result was only one sack on Pennington and very few hurries. Think that doesn’t change a game?

Over all I have to say the Giants played poorly in the first half. Eli Manning had a big 0 for QB rating. He ended up with 186 yards completed and 1 interception. Not a bad second half.

Bottom line is the Giants got a much needed win. Being 3-2 is much better than 2-3. Dallas is running away so far and unless someone beats them, the Giants MUST win every game they are supposed to win. This was one of them!!

See you all next week after the Atlanta game.

[Edit] I forgot to add that the D E F E N S E played well. They only gave up 7 points. That is pretty damn good! I should have said
that originally, but it slipped my mind! The Giants D is once again a proud group of players. They are becomming the GIANTS again!
[End Edit]

For the Yankees, I can say what a fantastic pitching duel it was. I can talk about the performance of Andy Pettitte and how he was able to get out of inning after inning with runners on. I could talk about Melky Cabrera’s home run being the only score until the bottom of the eighth. Or even Melky Crabrera’s assist when he threw out Peralta at home attempting to score.

For the Indians, I could talk about Fausto Carmono and his fantastic effort not only matching, but outlasting Pettitte’s performance. This could be about Sizemore scoring the tying run on Joba Chamberlain’s wild pitch or even about Hafner’s game winning RBI in the 11th inning.

I am not going to mention any of that. Nope…..Not any of that at all….What I am going to talk about begins with something not even related to baseball. This is about, um, er, ah, you ready for this?

The March of the Canadian Warriors! They came into Jacobs Field in swarms and totally bugged the Yankee’s hopes of tying the series. WHAT? You don’t know about them? Weren’t you watching the game??

This is all about the insects which covered Joba Chamblain’s neck and face while he was attemting to pitch strikes. After getting the 2 quick outs to end the 7th, he could not throw a strike in the eighth. His brain was abuzz with these critters using his upper body as a temporary resting spot. Bugged by the swarms around him, he threw 2 wild pitches in the same inning. The second resulting in the game tying run. Think Cleveland’s buzzing buddies had nothing to do with it? Look again. Chamberlain had 1, count it, 1 wild pitch this year! The little buggers seemed to carry the ball away from Jorge Posada’s mitt. To make matters worse, the damn pests steered a couple of pitches right into the batter giving them a free base!

You are probably thinking I need to clear the cobwebs from between my ears when I say this, but here it is anyway. The Cleveland Indians planned this “warrior” attack! YES THEY DID! I don’t know how or when, but it as a planned attack to help them beat the Yankees!

How else would you explain the fact that they weren’t there last night while the Yankees were getting pummeled? How do you explain the fact that they entered the game when the Indians needed them the most? Tell me HOW? Someone in the Indian organisation is an entomologist and knows how to summon them at will! There is no other explaination. These gnats were summoned at the exact time they were needed!

I know you are saying it didn’t affect the Indian players. Well of coarse not! They are neighbors and friends. They don’t bother the Indian players and the players don’t bother them! That is what makes them the BIGGEST bug in the game! Mark my words here, these little warriors will be the demise of the Yankees fantasic playoff march if something doesn’t happen once back at home!

See you back at the stadium!
GB
Walter Gavurnik

[BUGABOO]This just in……They’re called midges. Their scientific name is Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus) or Chironomus attenuatus Walker.

Whatever they are called, someone in the Indian organisation knew their first names!