The Grinchless G’Men

The Grinchless G’Men

by | Dec 23, 2021 | General

There are many negative things we can talk about or attack on the Giants abysmal season this year. The awful offseason signing of Leonard Williams for 63 million or was it the Kenny Golladay contract for 72 million. How about there incompetence in not trading a worthless former first round pick like Evan Engram at the trade deadline; nope it gets worse! Maybe the slow growth of a franchise quarterback under a second year regime, that was destined for the Belichick greatness. How about a defense last year that was ranked in the top ten in the league falling to the back end of the league with a blink of an eye. Well Giant fans there are many definite positives moving forward towards the offseason that not even the Grinch can screw up.

The first positive thing Santa can bring to this once respectable franchise is, a general manager not named Dave Gettleman. Lets be honest his tenure with the Giants is not what we call a success story, since he has taken over the Giants they have not sniffed a playoff birth. So two optional gifts that the Giant fans would appreciate is either Scott Pioli a five time NFL executive of the year or maybe Louis Riddick a guy the Giants should of hired years ago for the GM position. It Looks like Joe Judge is going to get another shot for a 3rd season, so how about giving him a offensive coordinator with some swag like a Bill O’Brien that would be nice right? The Giant fans love Saquon Barkley but his injuries has affected his value and with his rookie contract coming to a end, is he worth the contract he will be asking for my answer to that would be a hell no!

The real gift Santa Gettleman will leave at his departure is a future that could hold two top ten picks in 2022, that can help turn this thing around alot quicker than we think. I believe with a young elite pass rusher like Purdue’s George Karlaftis and a Offensive Lineman like Trevor Penning from Northern Iowa, these moves can transform the Giants to that prominent and once respectable team that the league use to fear in the trenches but only time will tell.

Deshaun Watson’s Got 99 Problems, And A Masseuse is One

Deshaun Watson’s Got 99 Problems, And A Masseuse is One

by | Apr 6, 2021 | General

Photo Credit: Aaron Reiss | The Athletic

Earlier this afternoon, at a press conference with her attorney Tony Buzbee, Ashley Solis identified herself as a victim of alleged sexual assault by Deshaun Watson. Before she spoke, Buzbee addressed the media and said, “Ashley Solis is the reason we are all here. Ashley Solis came to me and told me a very troubling story about Deshaun Watson…She was the first individual to file a lawsuit. It is because of her bravery that we are all here.”

Solis, choking back tears, addressed the media and said, “I hope my story gives [other victims] the courage to speak out. I was afraid. I’m not afraid anymore. I do exist….I will not let Deshaun Watson define who I am. I will not let him win. He needs to be held accountable for his actions. I will not let him take my power away. I am strong now and know who I am.”

She went on to describe her experience following the incident and said, “Some days I feel like a hero, other days I feel like a failure. I replay the incident over and over in my head like I’m trying to wake up from some horrible nightmare, except the nightmare is real.”

Photo Credit: Carmen Mandato | Getty Images

The Houston Police Department (HPD) announced on Friday that a police report had been filed against Watson and just yesterday, Texan’s chairman and CEO Cal McNair responded publicly to the allegations against their star quarterback and said, “ We want to assure you that we take these allegations very seriously. As reported, HPD and the National Football League are conducting investigations and we will cooperate fully.”

McNair’s statement to season ticket holders was the first public statement made by the team since the lawsuits were filed on March 16th, 2021. Deshaun Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, has denied all the allegations on behalf of his client but recently muddied the waters further when he disclosed that Watson had positive interactions with 18 separate massage therapists. What constitutes a “positive interaction” is anyone’s guess and there’s no guarantee that these statements will even be admissible in a court of law.

The announcement left many wondering how many massage therapists does one starting NFL quarterback need? One? Two? Fifty? No seriously. It has been reported by the Houston Chronicle that since March 25th, 2020, Deshaun Watson has sought treatment from at least “50 women for massages” across the U.S.

Now, 22 out of the 50 massage therapists are currently suing Watson for alleged inappropriate sexual conduct. The plaintiffs’ claims range in severity from “exposing himself” all the way to “forced oral sex.” I’m not a legal expert, nor do I play one on Twitter, but the patterns described in the lawsuit depositions are extremely concerning for Watson, the Houston Texans franchise and the NFL.

Hardin has yet to respond following Buzbee’s press conference but sufficed to say that right now Deshaun Watson’s got 99 problems, and a masseuse is one.

Jaylen Brown’s 2021 Leap

Jaylen Brown’s 2021 Leap

by | Jan 25, 2021 | General

When the final buzzer sounded in the 2019-20 season for the Celtics it was a 125-113 loss to the Miami Heat in six games, and once again failing to reach the Finals for the tenth consecutive year. For some players, Basketball wasn’t the most important thing they were looking forward to.

After the death of George Floyd this past May 25, basketball players realized they needed to use their voice to speak on this topic. Some players realized the power they have and what they bring to the table. “I drove 15 hours to get to Georgia, my community. This is a peaceful protest. Being a celebrity, being an NBA player, don’t exclude me from no conversations at all. First and foremost, I’m a black man and I’m a member of this community.” said Jaylen Brown in the protest this past May. A lot of players along with Brown, held signs that said “I Can’t Breathe” commemorating the death of Floyd, who was kneeled down by a police officer for over eight minutes, and passed away.

After the events of COVID-19, the NBA season was suspended this past March 12th. Fast forward five months later and there were 22 remaining teams in the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida. During the playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game in protest of a police officer who shot Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man. The three games scheduled for that day were not played and moved to a later date. Players and teams were debating if they should even continue to play, or just go home. In response to this, the message Brown gave to other players was simple. If you leave, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to sit at home with your families? Are you going to be in the streets?

In the 2020 Playoffs, Brown averaged 22/7/2 on 48/36/84 splits (55% eFG%, 59% TS%) while being number two in total shots taken. The Celtics were defeated by the Heat in six games and extended their drought of not reaching a NBA Finals. For Brown, it meant something more. Since 2010, the last NBA Finals appearance for the Celtics, they have played in 4 Eastern Conference Finals, Brown has been a part of the team for three of them (2017, 2018, 2020), surprisingly enough, they have lost those series in 5, 7 and 6 games, respectively.

This season, things have been trending upward for Brown. With the knee injury suffered by Kemba Walker which caused him to miss 11 games, Brown (along with Jayson Tatum) have been in charge of being Batman and Robin every night. Brown is averaging 26/6/4 on 53/41/80 splits. There has been a career high in 11 different categories including PPG (25.8), AST (3.8), FG% (53 percent), 3P% (41 percent) and PER (24.8).
A key to Brown’s play has been him falling in love with his midrange play and being more effective this season. He’s shooting 61 percent from the mid-range (31-57) this season. Last year Brown shot 42 percent from the mid-range (42-100). In the restricted area he’s shooting 72 percent (41-57), last year he shot 64 percent (182-284). His Jump shot has also had a significant increase (+8 percent). On open shots Brown shot 40 percent last season, this season has increased to 55 percent.

Coming into the league, a lot of scouts and fans knew Brown was going to establish himself as a two way player. Opposing players are shooting 44 percent overall when guarded by Brown and 32 percent on 3 pointers. Lastly, Brown ranks fourth on the team in deflections per game at 2.1.

The Boston Celtics currently sit at 9-6 and the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing the number one seed by one game.

“Super Bowl Week Was Super Weak”

by | Feb 4, 2020 | General

On Tuesday January 28th, I arrived at Miami international airport with a smile on my face thinking I was going to experience my first crack of Super Bowl week on the infamous radio row platform. As I left the airport I see all of the Super Bowl signs and apparel everyone was selling and I thought wow the NFL has really perfected their ability to grow the product from this stage before the big game. My thought then change within twenty-four hours my plane landed in Miami, for the Super Bowl festivities I was about to embark for the week. The honest truth is the NFL is a organization that cares for no one, but the money they bring in from a product that has become water down in the past few years. Now some people would say I’m bitter because of the situation I was put in on the first day at radio row, but the truth is the NFL hasn’t just deceived the media but also you as a fan. When I arrived at the conventional center at radio row, I realized plenty of fans were complaining about the money they had to pay for tickets to get in to the media center. Through out the years the NFL used radio row as a platform to draw the fan to be apart of the media and not use it as way to scam more money from them. The NFL for years have been trying to make the Super Bowl a holiday, but what they really have been doing is stealing people’s hard earn money. During my time at the conventional center I talked to a lot of the NFL workers working at radio row and what I have learned was discouraging. The NFL were paying their workers between twelve and fifteen dollars an hour, which coming from an organization that made over 14 billion dollars last year in revenue shows you how really cheap they are.

Unfortunately during Super Bowl week the world was mourning the death of the nine people that died in LA, that included ex NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and his 13 year old daughter Gianna. This tragedy definitely effected the NFL’s plan to make Super Bowl 54 unforgettable from the halftime show to of course the game. During my time in Miami all people were talking about was Kobe, that I think people forgot that the likes of Patrick Mahomes or even Andy Reid were the ones playing in the big game. The NFL did a bad job taking the headlines over from the Kobe Bryant tragedy, but even with that Super Bowl 54 was still the 10th biggest watch game in its 54 year existence. Im bothered that for years the NFL has been covering up the like’s of diseases like CTE, which has ended so many ex NFL athletes lives which the organization has try to brush under the rug for years. The problem with the Super Bowl week is the NFL forgets what the importance of the big game really brings throughout the world. The NFL is and always will be a nasty organization, that plays favorites no matter if your a member of the media or if you are a famous athlete, movie star and musician.

The NFL might be one of the richest organizations in the world but, when your paying Commissioner Goodell 45 million dollars a year to do a job a baby can do you realize where the NFL is heading in the future. Im disgusted with how this self proclaimed billion dollar industry has forgotten its ex players and instead of paying this idiot Goodell, they should figure out how to help these ex players with their medical problems. In conclusion I feel the NFL is a classless organization that has no respect for its fans or its players. I have lost so much respect for this organization that I grew to love as a fan when I was a kid and because of what I experienced at radio row this year I don’t think I will ever respect them again.

“Hasta la vista Cerrone”

by | Jan 19, 2020 | General

Is it me or am I the only person that thinks the UFC is water down, well if you don’t just watch the garbage pay per view they sold Saturday night at UFC 246. Im not going to talk about the co main event Holm vs Pennington, which probably wouldn’t have even made a pay per view card 3 years ago. Lets be honest UFC fans, the organization is praying that Conor McGregor can come back after 3 years and save the sport once again give me a break. This shows me one thing and fans you might want to close your ears because you don’t want to hear what I’m going to say. McGregor beating a old beat up and over the hill fighter like Donald Cerrone Saturday night, doesn’t show me nothing but a lazy President trying to fined a nut. The UFC and Dana White should be embarrassed and sick to their stomachs to see the way the sport hasn’t found its identity since McGregor absence. I understand Dana didn’t want to throw Connor to the wolves in his first fight back in almost 3 years, but putting him against a washed up fighter at UFC 246 shows me how inept the organization really is. I understand that all organizations and professional sports franchises have their stars. But when the stars with the names McGregor and Jones are the only box office attractions then you have to think on how fast the sports has fallen in the past few years.

Lets just look back a few years shall we, Ronda Rousey arguably one of the biggest UFC stars of the last 5 years, decided to retire from fighting to become a WWE women’s wrestler after getting dominated by the likes of Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. How about throwing away one of the most talented fighters to come out of the UFC in the last ten years Demetrious Johnson, because they couldn’t promote him like they did for McGregor because he wasn’t a big mouth attraction in his years of complete dominance in the UFC. I think Dana White believes he has the right ingredients now to get the UFC back on top and I hope its not bringing a half beat up GSP back once again. Mix martial arts fans believe the once promising Prize fighting aka boxing was done the last past few years because of the lack of stars they lost because of retirement. Since then boxing has been taking off with the likes of upcoming and big super stars in the sport like Canelo Alvarez, GGG, Errol Spence and Terence Crawford. That doesn’t take away the growth of the Heavyweight division, with the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua that division has not been this strong since the Tyson years.

So where does the UFC go from here, well Khabib and Ferguson is a start thats for sure but finding the answer to this question will not lean on the likes of one big fight. For the last few years Dana White has been looking for the next new generational fighter that will lead them through the next decayed. Giving the likes of guys like Donald “the old man cowboy” Cerrone a 6 fight contract or bringing in a washed up wrestler like CM Punk, who couldn’t beat a first grade mix martial artist in his sleep. Hey Dana I have an idea maybe you should get Michael Jordan to come out of retirement and have McGregor vs Jordan in a pay per view fight to the death in a game of horse. I don’t know what the UFC has up their sleeves in the near future, but I can tell you one thing Dana is not going to fool me with this garbage anymore.