For once, I’m gonna be caught up after this posting in an early fashion. That doesn’t happen very often. Let me start by saying being that this is my last season as a Giants season ticket holder as I cannot afford the “Private Seat License,” and it’s the last season in Giants Stadium, I plan on having a blast and enjoying every minute of every game, minus the two that I cannot make, of course. Less jibber jabber and more Game Day details. (Wow, jibber and jabber do not come up in spell check. Interesting.
1) First thing’s first, I’m in a five-for-five pool where you pick 5 games a week with the spread. You win all five, you win the pot for the week, which is around $2000 split amongst all winners. The player at the end of the season with the most correct picks wins the overall part, which is around $8000. For a $210 investment, that’s not bad. So here were my five picks for the week:
2) It was unbelievable how hard it was to try and find replacements for my father and Uncle Mike. According to John, he doesn’t think Uncle Mike is going to make too many games if any at all, due to his health, so I was hoping to get him and my Dad together for a game, unfortunately, last minute, both couldn’t make it. Luckily, I was able to recruit the Griff. It took a little persuasion…
(Phone rings)
Griff: This is the Griff
Me: Oh my lorrrrrrrd JOHNNY! (Sorry Mr Simmons)
Griff: Oh THERE he is
Me: What are you doing this Sunday at around 4:15? Maybe noon?
Griff: (Giggling like a school girl) I have nothing planned at this time.
Me: Do you want to BE at the Giants game?
Griff: Ohhhhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhh. Here’s the thing. I’m going to the Yankee game tomorrow (Saturday), that’s gonna be an all day affair. I’m gonna have to pass.
Me: You know the Old Griff would have been at the Yankee game at 1:10 on Sunday, then showed up in Giants Stadium at 4:15 for the Giants game.
Griff: You’re killing me with the timing.
Me: I apologize.
Griff: This is the second ticket I’ve turned down this week.
Me: Well Griff, I think this is a sign from God that he wants you to be at the Giants game.
Griff: Ah come on!! Alright I’m in!
(I knew the God line would get him.)
3) Awaiting the arrival of John’s brother, I decided to have 3 cold ones at the Coppermine Pub on
4) Wow, I’m three deep before leaving N.A. This is not good.
5) This is a good time to mention that Hi-C will be sitting in on Uncle Mike’s ticket. She and Griff will be taking the NJ Transit train from
6) As we left for the game, I had to call Mike. I was too excited. He was sitting in his new living room watching football on the NFL Sunday Ticket package from Direct TV that he just signed up for. The man is going to become a degenerate gambler, alcoholic and chain smoker in a matter of weeks. Well, he already might have been the first two.
7) The Sunday Ticket may become a threat to his impending marriage he has determined, let’s just leave it at that.
8) Ravens are winning. (Nice)
9) Eagles are winning. (Sucks, but nice.)
10) You know, we’re now in our 3rd year with this stupid construction and realignment of the traffic patterns and parking, you would think they would have this figured out by now. Unreal. (Bad job by traffic control there MichaeLLLLL)
11) I gotta tell ya, I’m a great cook. On the menu today are hot dogs, sauerkraut, burgers, bacon, sausage and peppers, buffalo chicken, balsamic chicken and corn on the cob, all on my little 10-year old Grill 2 Go.
12) Since we got here a little late, I’m kind of rushed, but in control.
13) The Griff has arrived. Being that we are about a 5 minute walk to the train station, this is perfect.
14) I’ve learned from my mistakes of last year and am definitely more prepared this year, including packing a moving tote full of supplies. John is impressed.
15) Let it be known that the Griff would like a fair representation of himself and his performance. (Granted)
16) Griff’s enjoying the musical entertainment, one of my new features for Project Tailgate 2009.
17) C is on her way, she missed the train and had to wait until 3:06 for the next one.
18) Hot dogs and corn are up. (I’m gonna leave that statement here and leave it alone.)
19) I forgot to mention that Jess, my buddy Joe’s fiancé was coming with her friends and meet up for the tailgate. They parked on the other side of the stadium and were too lazy to come over. (Boo them!)
20) Burgers are next
21) C is just in time for the chicken and her turkey burger. (I really am such a good boyfriend, am I not?)
22) Wow, the chicken is phenomenal. (I was majorly impressed with myself)
23) Okay, time for the walk
24) Me: Griff do you want a beer for the walk?
Griff: Is my name not the Griff?
(Fair enough)
25) Hey, cool, it’s Towel Day. Griff is fired up.
26) Ravens won. Sweet.
27) Giants start the season with a nice drive that ends with a field goal. (Typical Giants)
28) After Portis rips off a big run on the first play from scrimmage, the Redskins try a trick play that is sniffed out by the Giants. (Oh Jim Zorn. Can I have your job? You suck royally at what you do, yet you still get paid.)
29) Wow, what a bad job by the Giants offense inside the 10 of the Redskins as they get stopped on 4th down.
30) Eagles, Broncos and Vikes all won. I’m 3 for 3 so far.
So Jess texts me and says “The best way to watch today’s Giants game is from a box.” This did not sit well with me leading to a heated debate about where real fans sit. Let’s just say, I didn’t let her win.
31) Griff is wearing his towel like a do rag. (Oh my lorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd JOHNNY!)
32) Great job by the Giants defense deep in ‘skins territory. We got away with one with Webster’s fight with Santana Moss. Both of them should have been thrown out, but being that the Giants only dressed 3 cornerbacks, we got lucky.
33) Jets won big. Good for them. C is excited.
34) Jess is still arguing with me. I will win this.
35) Okay, I think we need to bring back the play clock count down to help Eli out a little.
36) WHAT A PLAY BY MANNINGHAM! He broke a tackle, made two defenders miss and scampered 30 yards for the touchdown. What receiver problems?
37) I’m giving Jess the business, she’s getting so mad. (“At least she’s not sweating”~C It was pretty hot)
38) Griff brought up a great memory. “Remember the old Astroturf field with the
39) Griff is changing his name to John Griffin-El
40) Okay, Webster just made up for his unnecessary roughness penalty with a SICK interception of a
41) Apparently McNabb was a good start today. (I didn’t know about his injury until later.)
42) AP is the best fantasy player in the league.
43) FML for not trading for Drew Brees last year. 6 TD’s is just silly. Granted they were against the Lions.
44) O-SI! O-SI! O-SI! Umenyiora with the hat trick: strip, recovery and return for a touchdown. HUGE!!! He’s gonna have a monster year. Mark my words.
45) “He kicked his asth!!”~Hi C imitating her little cousin.
46) As we hung around loitering outside our section having a beer with Jess during halftime, a smell came through the air that stopped our conversation dead in its tracks. It was weed. Someone was smoking weed out in the open at the Giants game with state troopers everywhere. (Great idea guys, really. Oh my LOOOOORRRRRRRRRD GANJA!)
47) I decided to switch my traditional Mrs. Field’s cookie from chocolate chip to oatmeal raisin. It was a good decision.
48) Walking back to the seats, I smacked the girl sitting in front of me in the head with my beer by accident leading to this exchange:
Me: I smacked that girl in the head with my beer.
Griff: Good she deserved it.
(WOW)
49) At the end of the third quarter, we’re calling Mike.
50) God dammit Cooley! Now I’m torn, just Giants get a defensive touchdown on a Cooley fumble that’s under review. Damn fantasy football.
51) Griff: Do we really need six security guards around the ref under the hood? I mean, come on! It’s not like the Griff is on the loose!”
Me: But he could be
52) Call overturned. FML.
53) On 3rd and 5 with about 4 minutes to go in the 3rd, I have never heard Giants Stadium that loud. It was really loud, then Pierce asked for more and the crowd responded making it just a little bit louder. I felt the building shake like Shea used to. It was nuts. 4th down.
54) Great stop by the defense inside the 20. That’s why you get loud. Okay, come on offense, we need a score.
55) Eli’s having trouble with the play clock. Who would have guessed?
56) We figured out what a 9 urkins would be. A nontuple urkin. Mike had a nontuple urkin before. That is just unprecedented.
57) Thank you to Hi C and her Blackberry for confirming this.
58) What a catch by Smith on a BIG 3rd down. (Seriously, this kid went to USC. He has to have skills.)
59) With the Giants up two scores, I’ll take the Cooley touchdown.
60) “Enter Sandman” blares over the loud speakers before the last kickoff.
Griff: Where’s Mariano?
Me: I thought it was Wagner.
Griff: Awful
61) You know, come to think of it, the spread on this game was 6. The Giants had it covered until the final minutes, when the defense basically shut down. I’m just sayin it sounds fishy.
62) I just had to explain to C the concept of the onside kick. She got it.
63) Game over as Smith comes down with the onside kick and the Giants can run out the clock.
64) Good win on Opening Day 1-0
As we walked back, we passed the people selling the pretzels out of the shopping cart, which reminded me that I brought soft pretzels to heat up after the game on the grill while we waited for traffic to dissipate. Unfortunately, I didn’t read the instructions which said to wet the pretzels and salt them before placing them on the grill, which C suggest. Okay, she was right. I’ll admit it. They still came out fine though.
“Yeah, but he’s a jerk”~Griff referring to Mike. Don’t even know what we were talking about.
Well, that’s it. Game 1 is in the books. I’m off until the end of October as the NFL in its infinite wisdom scheduled 3 road games in a row for the G-Men. They return to the Meadowlands on October 11, the same day as Hi-C’s sister’s wedding. Clearly, I can’t go to the game. My next game will be October 25. Until then, go Giants!
