Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1041 of 1503)

      Giants end Plaxico Burress’s season

      December 2, 2008 /

      The New York Giants effectively ended Plaxico Burress’s season by placing him on the non-football injury list.

      Plaxico BurressThe New York Giants fined and suspended Burress on Tuesday for four games — the rest of the regular season — after he accidentally shot himself in the right thigh over the weekend at a Manhattan nightclub. The team also placed him on the reserve non-football injury list, which means the wide receiver couldn’t come back for playoffs, either.

      The team punished Burress a day after he was charged with illegal weapons possession, which carries a penalty of 3 1/2 to 15 years in prison. He is due back in court on March 31.

      Burress arrived at Giants Stadium on Tuesday morning, and met individually with Giants president John Mara, general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Tom Coughlin. He left for a medical test and returned in the afternoon for another brief session with team officials.

      “As we have said since Saturday morning, our concern is for Plaxico’s health and well-being,” Mara said. “This is an important time for him to take care of his body and heal up and also deal with the very serious legal consequences and other issues in his life. When I spoke with Plaxico he expressed great remorse for letting down his teammates.”

      I applaud the Giants because they always think team-first. They realized that Burress would be a potential distraction for the remainder of the season and throughout the playoffs and they don’t need that in their quest for another title. At the same time, they’re a solid organization so I would be willing to bet that they support Burress as he goes through the legal process he’s about to face (his hearing is set for March).

      The Giants are an organization that the Cincinnati Bengals should model themselves after.

      Related Articles:

      New York City mayor wants Plaxico Burress prosecuted

      Boner of the Week: Plaxico Burress

      Plaxico Burress turns himself into authorities

      Plaxico Burress accidentally shoots himself?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Top 10 Dumbest Self-Inflicted Injuries

      December 2, 2008 /

      In the wake of Plaxico Burress accidentally shooting himself in the leg, RealClearSports.com ranks the top 10 dumbest self-inflicted injuries.

      Glenallen Hill#4 Glenallen Hill
      Glenallen Hill is nicknamed “Spiderman” but not because he swings through the air or is a fan of the comic. The outfielder — who has coincidentally played for eight different teams — got his nickname from an incident spurred on by his significant arachnophobia. Early in his career while with the Blue Jays Hill was having a violent nightmare about spiders. Hill, while still asleep tried to escape from the phantom nightmare spiders fell into a glass table. This nightmare gave Hill cuts on his toes and elbows, carpet burns on his knees, landed him on the 15-day DL and gave him his nickname.

      #3 Joel Zumaya
      Detroit Tigers fireballer Joel Zumaya was unavailable for the 2006 ALCS due to a sore wrist, not an uncommon injury for a pitcher. But Zumaya wouldn’t be on this list if he suffered the injury in anything but a bizarre way.

      Zumaya’s sore wrist was the result of playing too much Guitar Hero, the popular music-based video game on his Playstation 2. In fact, the Tigers were so concerned about his obsession that, to ensure that he would be ready for the World Series, they explicitly required him to stop playing.

      #2 Bill Gramatica
      Bill Gramatica’s injury was a perfect storm of egregiousness. An early field goal. The first points of the game. It wasn’t a turning point. There was no tackle. No cheap shot. No flag. Just a dumb exuberant little kicker and a torn ACL.

      After putting the Cardinals up 3-0 in the first quarter in a 2001 game against the Giants, Gramatica jumped wildly into the air only to end his season upon returning to the ground.
      Apparently, the Giants momentarily forgot about the scene that became a instant favorite on Sports Center — or perhaps they confused Bill with his older brother Martin. In 2004, they signed Bill Gramatica in the pre-season contract only to cut him a few weeks later.

      Plax took the number one spot for those wondering.

      I hate to say an injury was well-deserved, but something had to stop the elf-like Gramatica brothers from celebrating 25-yard field goals like they just won the Super Bowl.

      General Sports, Humor, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL

      Top Five Worst 2008 NFL Offseason Moves

      December 2, 2008 /

      4th and 26 ranks the top five worst offseason NFL moves of 2008.

      Aaron Rodgers1 – The Green Bay Packers trading Brett Favre to the New York Jets. Imagine if your favorite team was 1 game away from the championship and traded away their franchise quarterback the following season? I can’t even begin to fathom how frustrating and depressing it must be to be a Green Bay Packers this season. One game away never looked so far.

      The Packers are at 5-7 and for all practical arguments, out of the playoff hunt. At the same time last year the Packers were 10-2. What is the biggest difference between this season and last season? Of course the quarterback would be the biggest difference between both seasons. It certainly isn’t fair to put it all on Aaron Rodgers, but it is hard not to do so when Rodgers is following a legend.
      Brett Favre hasn’t had the same offensive year this year as he had last year by the numbers. However, the acquisition of Favre has by no coincidence made the Jets one of the top favorites to win the AFC at this point in the season. Favre may not have the arm that Rodgers has, but he has experience. Favre was the unquestioned leader of the Packers and a team without a leader is due to fail.

      The Packers just can’t seem to get any momentum this season. The Packers are missing that spark that #4 gave them every game day. The old man had plenty left to give and unfortunately for Packers fans, he is giving it to someone else. All good things must come to an end in the NFL, but now was not the time for the Green Bay Packers. The Green Bay Packers will go down as not only making one of the worst moves of the year, but maybe one of the worst moves in NFL history.

      This was the worst offseason move in 2008? Sucka what? Yes, Favre has lifted the Jets this season, but the reason why the Packers are losing has little to do with Aaron Rodgers. They’re losing because they can’t stop the run, don’t generate a consistent pass rush and didn’t have much of a running game for the first half of the season. Rodgers has thrown for 2,897 yards, 20 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and has a QB rating of 91.2. Favre’s thrown for 2,708 yards, 20 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and has a QB rating of 90.4.

      The difference is that Jet Favre had a defense last year in Green Bay. Rodgers doesn’t.

      NFL

      Lane Kiffin already in hot water at Tennessee?

      December 2, 2008 /

      SPORTSbyBROOKS.com shares the news that new soon-to-be Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin is already mixed up in a recruiting scandal involving Steve Spurrier and South Carolina.

      Spurrier is claiming that Kiffin’s contact with recruit Jarvis Giles on Sunday violates NCAA rules because Kiffin hadn’t yet passed a required certification test that allows contact with recruits. Giles had pulled out of a verbal commitment to the Vols after Fulmer’s departure was announced, and he was reportedly deciding between Nebraska and…yes, South Carolina.

      Kiffin’s contact with Giles on Sunday is clear. What’s not clear is whether or not Kiffin was technically UT’s coach at the time and whether NCAA rules allowed such a phone call. GO VOLS XTRA’s Dave Hooker had a seemingly harmless story about Giles’ conversation with Kiffin on Sunday:

      “He already called me this morning at 7 o’clock,” the 6-foot, 175-pound tailback from Gaither High School in Tampa, Fla., said Sunday afternoon. “He said ‘I sat down and watched a little bit of your film online. From what I’ve seen, you’re pretty impressive.’

      “He said he was going to sit down and watch some more tonight and see how I can fit into this offense.”

      Spurrier saw these comments and wondered how exactly Kiffin had signed a contract and become certified to contact recruits in such a short period of time. THE STATE of Columbia, S.C., reports that it all happened awfully fast. Spurrier of course didn’t resist the opportunity to get in a verbal jab:

      “You’re supposed to have passed the NCAA test and be on board, I think. But maybe he was just calling him as an interested observer,” Spurrier said today, laughing. “I don’t know. But technically to be able to recruit you’re supposed to pass the NCAA test.

      “I know when I was hired, after the press conference I took the test to qualify you to be a recruiter. I hadn’t taken it in three or four years. At that time I could start making calls. I don’t know if he was permitted to make that call or not. You’ll have to ask somebody else.”

      Kiffin said today during his first press conference that he had taken the test in time. A UT spokesman told THE STATE that Kiffin signed his contract on Saturday (which is a little odd, since Fulmer was still coaching the Vols that day while they played Kentucky).

      Further muddying the Giles situation is the fact that David Reaves, the recruiting coordinator at South Carolina since 2006 (in addition to duties as quarterbacks coach), just resigned from his post with the Gamecocks…to join Kiffin’s staff. It just so happens that Reaves is Kiffin’s brother-in-law. In his old job, Reaves was likely heavily involved in efforts to get Giles to Columbia.

      Welcome back to the wonderful world of college football, Lane.

      College Football

      Will Notre Dame dump Charlie Weis?

      December 2, 2008 /

      One of the main debates in college football for the foreseeable future is whether or not Notre Dame will fire head coach Charlie Weis and start fresh in 2009.

      Charlie WeisWeis’ buyout was once reportedly $10 million, but recent estimates have claimed it to be closer to the $4 or $5 million mark. Either way, that’s an insane, insane amount of money for any college — let alone one with the financial necessities of a private school — to be paying just to be rid of a football coach. There’s a chance some anonymous donor could pony up the cash, but … well, it’s $5 million.

      People aren’t exactly lined around the block for the chance to pay Weis $5 million to go away.
      Perhaps Notre Dame is stuck with Weis. Maybe Weis’ the size of Weis’ buyout — by the way, who knew old Charlie had such financial foresight? — will keep him safe.

      Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s president sent out an email on Monday stressing that faculty, students and staff have to cut costs in light of the stress the sour economy is putting on the university. If this season turns out to be the low point of Weis’ tenure at Note Dame, the coach appears to have timed it well.

      Weis has gone 9-15 over the last two seasons, including 6-6 this year. But I think ND will give him at least one more season and the only reason is Jimmy Clausen. (Okay well, not the only reason. Four million might have something to do with it, too.)

      Weis’ star recruit will be a junior next year and would have two full seasons as a starter under his belt. If Weis can’t produce a winning record with a third-year starter at quarterback (not to mention a highly recruited third-year starter at quarterback), than he’ll likely be gone next year.

      Comment fodder: What’s your prediction – was this Weis’s last year in South Bend?

      College Football

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