Taking a sabbatical

OK - I have had time to breathe and recover from yesterday. Only problem is that I haven't recovered. I am still angry.

And while some Detroit Lions fans have reminded me that my life is still better than theirs, I am sorry but I'd rather have Matt Millen than THAT coach.... I no longer can say his name outloud without getting sick.

This is just like a marriage. Right now, we are going through some trust issues and I don't trust the Giants to be there for me. I am very angry and will not discuss it with them until they take care of firing THAT coach.

Now the Giants may have an excuse of, "There are no better coaches out there," but this is a total farce. If they wanted Bill Cowher, go get him. Don't give me this crap about we have the right guy. THAT coach isn't right and he isn't a good coach. You have to read Paul Schwartz of the NY Post - sums it up perfectly.

So - for the time being I am a Jet. From your first cigarette to your last dying day, when your a jet you're a jet...

Not that I still don't LOVE my team - but we are going through therapy right now to work out our issues. Period.

If you don't understand, I am sorry you don't understand my passion for the Giants. This was one that pushed me over the edge.

My picture of me in my Mangold jersey will be online as soon as I get it. I will be sending it to the Mara/Tisch families with a note explaining my position.

Knowing them, they will throw it away like they did my committment to them.

Last straw

I am 38 years young and for my whole life I have been Giants blue. It's something you are born into and it's passed on from generation to generation. Up in New York, you are either a Giants or Jets fan. There is no one that is a fan of both, just not real.

Today, I am going to do something that I NEVER EVER thought I would do. I am renouncing my Giants loyalty. Why today? Very simply put - Tom Coughlin was given an extension on his contract.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"He has a vision and he understands how that vision can now move forward," co-owner Jonathan Tisch said during a conference call to announce Coughlin's one-year contract extension. "He did not have to save his job. He did not have to talk us into anything."

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Tisch and Mr. Mara - you father's are rolling over in their graves thanks to your stupidity! What the hell have you watched for the last three months, because obviously it's not the same thing everyone else in the world saw.

The owners didn't ask Coughlin to make any changes and they said they were satisfied he was the right man to lead the Giants.


Coughlin has no control over this team. He has no clue in how to develop a young quarterback. And he has no idea how to win a big game. He is a clown! I think it's great to go 2-6 in your last eight games and then lose a playoff game and get an extension??? This is an embarrassment!

"Tom Coughlin is our coach for 2007 and hopefully for many years after that," Mara said. "That is the final decision."

Final decision??? Fine. I have a final decision as well. The Giants ownership has made me do something I never thought I would do. I am now green and now a fan of the New York Jets! I would become a Falcons fan - but it doesn't have the same impact.

I have ordered a Nick Mangold jersey and I am going to take a picture of myself in it and send it to the Giants ownership with a note letting them know how they have lost a lifelong fan. Might even get one for Abbie. Have to teach her now about Broadway Joe Willie, Joe Klecko and the Sack Exchange.

I am just sick right now. I can't even begin to express my outrage with these morons! Any thoughts on how to make myself clear to the Giants management are welcomed.

They are coming to town next year again - maybe we can have a ticket burning here in town!

Chewed up and spit out

Pretty much how the Buckeyes felt after Florida stomped them. All credit to the Gators and all the blame to Jim Tressel. Have no idea what the game plan was for OSU, but if it's broke, have to fix it.

Just like the BCS - anyone think about the fact that if Urban Meyer didn't whine and moan his way into a title shot, we would have never known how good Florida is. So something still needs to be done with that.

I will give Florida fans their due - still don't like the Gators, but they deserved the win something awful. If you are a Gator and talk to me, you better do one thing and one thing only - give Ron Zook credit. If you do that, we can have a nice talk and I will respect you. He is the one that built this team and Urban should buy him a car, dinners, vacations - whatever he wants. He set the table for the success Urban has. The title helps recruiting and Zook helped there too.

So for you folks in Chicago, maybe there's hope at Illinois. Who can follow Zook there?

Schlichter gives it one more try...

Phenomenal piece from USA Today's Jon Saraceno on for Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter.

He could have been one of the great ones - but was taking over by the demons of gambling. He has started his own non-profit called Gambling Prevention Awareness.

Schlichter provides the general public with an understanding of the signs and dangers of compulsive gambling.

Is it me or is it ironic the initials of his organization is GPA?

The waiting is the hardest part....

Some of the best teachers we will ever have in life are our music teachers. No, I am not speaking of Harry T. Welte of Fort Lee High School (although I really liked him). I am speaking of the guys on our IPods. The artists we grew up and still listen to.

For instance, Professor Thomas Petty said it best for how most Giants fans feel after the playoff loss to the Eagles, "the waiting is that hardest part."

The waiting he speaks of, in this case, is the firing of Tom Coughlin. I know many of you are shocked to hear that I don't think he's a good coach. It's not like I ever mention it in my blogs.

I sat and watched the game yesterday torn. I am a true Giants fan and live and die with them. Been that way a long time and it's a "Hard Habit to Break" (Chicago - one of those numbered albums). But I wore my white Eli jersey and sat in the basement and watched.

First drive - Giants march right down the field and scored. The next three drives - the Giants started on the Philly 49, their own 48 and the Philly 46. The result of those drives? Two three and outs and a five and out. End of the first quarter - 7-0 GMen.

The game was over right then and there. I don't care about anything else that happened. Our defense was stellar and the offense had three great chances and didn't capitalize on any of them. Score three points on one of those drives and David Akers kick is to tie the game, not win it.

Tiki Barber had a great game and did everything he could to continue his career, but how torn could he have been? He was playing to save Coughlin's job and he knew it. He was a true professional and left it all on the field - despite their differences. Thanks Tiki - good night, good luck and Good Morning America.

Look at Jeremy Shockey. He couldn't walk and he was out there killing himself. He has ripped this staff early and often. But he has heart. Now if he can keep his mouth shut...

Eli Manning has been ripped for the last two months, but no one and I mean no one can say anything bad about him for this game. He stood in the pocket and played well enough to win this game. Imagine (John Lennon) if he had his injured left tackle healthy? Sorry Luke Petitgout, we missed you. But you still take too many dumb penalties.

Yesterday (The Beatles) was about the heart and soul of the players on this team. It had absolutely NOTHING to do with the coach and his staff.

How many more undisciplined penalties did they take again? It's the playoffs, don't you think we can stop the false starts by now?

There's one way to stop all the madness and John Mara knows it.

"I'll have something to say during the week, but not right now," Mara said as he exited the locker room after the Giants' 23-20 loss to the Eagles. "Do you think you can wait that long?"

We have waited long enough to hear the words. While we have waited, the Falcons got Bobby Petrino and others are looking for coaches as well.

As the Little River Band told us, it's time for a "Cool Change."

Classic video of a former top NHL pick

Most of you know that I used to work for the Atlanta Thrashers.

I was on the staff before we had any players. We spent a year searching for the best players for our inaugural draft in 1999.

We had the first pick and chose, from the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the International Hockey League, Patrik Stefan. Nice enough guy but was prone to concussions and just not a great player.

Well, this past summer, general manager Don Waddell traded Stefan to the Dallas Stars for Niko Kapanen. The funny part is that Les Jackson, who is now the assistant general manager with the Stars, was in the same role with us when we pick Stefan. So he should have known better.

He has only played in 28 games this season and has scored four goals and five assists. His best game, of course, was against the Thrashers when he scored and had two assists in Atlanta for a 5-3 Stars win.

Well last night in Edmonton, Stefan had another classic moment. Luckily for him, his team made up for it. You HAVE to watch this video to see it. Have a great weekend!

Playoff predictions

With the NFL starting its playoffs this weekend. Hard for me not to jump in and give you my picks for the weekend.

On Saturday, the Colts win because they will be the last team with the ball. The Seahawks win because it's a long way to go to win a playoff game, those fans in Seattle rock and Shawn Alexander is still not horrible.

On Sunday, the teacher shows the student he hasn't lost anything as the Patriots will beat the Jets. Game will be close for a while though.

The last game of the week is the one I am dreading. Giants - Eagles. I can live to be a thousand and still every time I hear those words, my first thought is Pisarchik and Herman Edwards. UGH! This time around, I think the Eagles load the box to stop Tiki Barber and make Eli Manning win the game. Can he do it? Sure. Will he do it? Odds aren't good. Everyone thinks he's overrated. Everyone is ripping him. Problem is that the defense hasn't been any better than he has. So between those two factions and wanting Tom Coughlin gone, the Giants will find a way to win this game. Final score - Giants 27 Eagles 23.

Gosh I hope I am wrong ... as much as I love my team. I don't want to think about where in Savannah I am going to watch the Bears-Giants game.

USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt is the one you need to read if you are a gambling soul.

Also - Monday night - Gators vs. Buckeyes. Finally, the main course. Only been one good appetizer in the Fiesta Bowl. I don't see this game being a good one either. Keep hearing that Florida is good and that they are fast. I have watched Florida play. They were lucky to beat Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas. Chris Leak is just average at best and to me is not a great leader. Troy Smith is a great leader with so many weapons to choose from and by the way, they are pretty fast as well.

The bottom line in my pick is that I am not going to bet against a guy who has won a National title as well as a few Division I-AA titles in Jim Tressel.

Ohio State 38, Florida 21.

When this happens, can all of these people in the SEC finally give another conference credit? Doubt it.

Loyalty isn't so easy for many

As the new members of Congress are sworn in Thursday, I can only look forward and hope that the Democrats have learned just a teenie weenie bit about what not to do from their friends on the other side of the aisle.

Odds of that happening are about the same as Nick Saban going to Alabama. Whoops - did I just say that?? Silly me.

What I don't understand is why people are that upset about what Saban did. He didn't do anything different than a politician who controls the fate of our government and our world. Ol' Nick is just a football coach.

WHAT? Just a football coach? And I guess your mom is just a mom....???

Ya know what kids, I am over the coaching garbage. Last time I checked, Saban wasn't leaving Michigan State either and that was three jobs ago. He wanted to go back to a college lifestyle. Some are better in college than the pros and Nick knew it. He also knew $32 million doesn't grow on trees. It is what it is. Leave it alone.

I will say this for Saban - he will go at a minimum of 8-4 next season. He will also land a top 15 recruiting class with five weeks to go this year. Give him four years and Tommy Tuberville will be sweating a little bit down the road when Saban wins a National title before him.

If you want to scream, how about screaming about how Mike Shula helped turn a program around while on probation. Just when they are about to come out of their sanctions, after he got a nice contract extension last year, he gets kicked to the curb.

Loyalty works both ways. And it doesn't work well in either direction these days.

Heck, the only place I have seen loyalty lately is with Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House (I get ill every time I type those words together!). She backed John Murtha for her second in command when she knew that Steny Hoyer would kick his ass. But she stayed with him and lost her first battle on the Hill. Her only mistake was that she lost a battle inside her own party. Good start Nancy! Think the people that backed Steny are huge fans of you now? But you did stay true to your friend and for that you should get a little bit of kudos.

So, when the new members get sworn in, remember their fresh, smiling faces. For life will change for them starting tomorrow. Hopefully, they can stay loyal to their beliefs and constituents. It's a lot easier said than done.

What's right and what's wrong with our world...

Good morning all - I had an idea of what I was going to blog about, but then I came into the office and totally changed my mind.

Why or what changed my mind? Two very simple things.

First, I heard that The Home Depot and Bob Nardelli came to a "mutual agreement" for him to step down. He will do so with a $210 million package.

Wow. Wouldn't it be great to work for a company for seven years and totally under perform and still get a nice hefty pay-out? It's $30 million for each year he worked. AND that has nothing to do with all the money the Home Depot paid him to work during that time.

Funny part is that people are talking about Home Depot stock going up this morning based on Nardelli leaving. To quote Yakov Smirnov, "What a country!"

Hey Iraqi people ... President Bush may be wrong in how he is handling it, but damn, doesn't this make you want this Democracy stuff?

On the other side of the coin is what is good in the world. Last night in Detroit, the Red Wings retired Steve Yzerman's 19 jersey. Only the sixth jersey to ever be raised to the rafters of Joe Louis Arena. (TRIVIA TIME - can you name the other five?)

The 41-year old Yzerman spent his whole career with the Red Wings - it spanned 22 seasons and three Stanley Cups. But it also spanned a lot more off of the ice. If you watched the ceremony, you saw the true man. He was humble. He was nervous as heck. He took a sip of water a few times and his hand was shaking each time. He was thankful. He was THE captain of the Red Wings and will always be known that way.

But he spoke of his family. Not only his wife and daughters, but his Red Wing family that helped raise him from youth to the man he is now. He may not look like it now, but he is still the scrawny kid that the Red Wings drafted out of the Peterborough Petes.

Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press talks about how the city said thank you. Eric Adelson of ESPN the Magazine tells a story of how he gave back to his community on more than one occasion.

He is as a good a person in sports as there is. I met Yzerman a long time ago when I was at the Lansing State Journal as a young writer, he was as decent to me as can be. I know I am a bit biased, but hockey players are by far, the best athletes to deal with. They are the most humble. They are the most approachable. And they never, ever forget where they come from.

Yzerman took a job with the Red Wings organization in the front office and will be there for life if the Ilitch family owns the team. It's not a $210 million buy out, but it ain't bad for a kid from Canada.

Maybe guys like Nardelli need to go to Peterborough or Flin Flon, Manitoba for a while? Won't help them get high stock prices, but it might just raise their stock in the bigger game called life.

As if that weren't enough - Nick Saban leaves the Dolphins to take over the job at Alabama. For the last two weeks he has said, "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." Guess $35-40 million changed his mind. Or was it the decision of who was going to be his quarterback next year: Harrington or Culpepper.

Now, I will be the first to say he made the right choice. He is a very good college coach and a very average pro coach. But the way he handled this was horrible. Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut and say, "No comment."

Either way, the SEC just got stronger again. Betcha Jimbo Fisher leaves LSU to follow along.

And a little conference will lead them...

For those waking up this morning and turning on ESPN and seeing the score of the Fiesta Bowl, you may be shocked by the score. But anyone who watched the game will say the same thing have, "you don't understand, the score still doesn't do justice to how great a game it was."

When it comes on ESPN Classic this week, and I am telling you it will, if you like college football in the least, you have to watch this game. Pat Forde of ESPN.com writes a great piece about the Cinderella story Broncos.

The roller coaster of emotions in the last five minutes of the game and the overtime were just astounding. I have had people calling and emailing to talk about the game and ask if I stayed up to 1:30 A.M. ET to watch the end. I am so glad I did.

For those who haven't seen it - two of the greatest gadget plays EVER run by Boise State. Wasn't incredible that they worked, was incredible that they worked on a Bob Stoops defense.

And to top it all of Ian Johnson of Boise State asked his cheerleader girlfriend to marry him on Fox after the win. What would he had done if they had lost?

Good for him and good for them. Odds are that this game is 10 times better than the one we will see in the same building next Monday night.

2000 and heaven for Jets fans...

Hope everyone had a healthy, safe and happy start to the New Year.

Couple of quick New Year's hits on this holiday:

Congrats to all of the Gang Green Jet fans - who would have bet that this team would have made the playoffs this year? Just crazy. The Man-Genius is pretty good and Steve Serby thinks this is only the beginning. By the way, in ten years we will look back on last year's draft and see that DeBrickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold were two of the best picks EVER for this franchise.

With the Giants in the playoffs - you would think I would be happy. However, this just give the Giants a chance to keep their coach. And most of you know how I feel about him. What's ever worse is that I am going to guarantee a victory over the Eagles. Why would I do that? Why would I think this team has a chance to win? Easy - it has NOTHING to do with football and everything to do with Murphy's Law.

The second weekend in January, we have a bat-mizvah in Savannah for my wife's cousin. SO, I know that the game would be in the middle of the ceremony or party or something. Most of you who know me, know that I will be in the doghouse because if it follows suit, I will be watching the game somewhere.

So PLEASE Andy Reid - have your team ready and blow us out. Save my marriage and fire my coach at the same time.

On the happy note of the Giants world - Tiki Barber is supposed to sign a $10 million - four year deal with ABC News/ESPN. Best week of the year last week and he's still leaving on his terms. Good for you Tiki! Good for you!

Look for Alabama to sign Nick Saban to a huge deal by the end of the week. My guess is 10 years - $45-50 million. He always wanted to be a pro head coach - but I think he has realized that it's not all that's it's cracked up to be. Plus I think he learned a big lesson when he picked Dante Culpepper instead of Drew Brees. Go back to college and recruiting Nick - it's what you are good at.

By the way, now that Denny Green is fired in Arizona, look for Pete Carroll to give the NFL one last chance. If anyone knows Carroll personally, please call him and tell him to stay. Start with the Saban analogy and then look at Steve Spurrier. I know it looks good on paper with a new building in the desert Pete - but I have two words for you: Bidwell family. Enough said.

Denny - you are who we thought you were. A bad NFL coach, but a great video clip waiting to happen.

Hey Jim Mora - nice having you in Atlanta. Good luck on your next coaching job. By the way, tell your dad he was right, Vick is a coach killer. So far two for two. But he does sell a lot of jersey's and he puts butts in seats for Arthur Blank. The AJC's Jeff Schultz sums up the players bad effort to save their coach.

Speaking of which, Mr. Blank please stay in your box until the game is over. Why on earth would you be speaking to your coach during a game? Last time I checked, you built a winner in Home Depot, not in the NFL. Until you do, stay up in the box, please.

Also why didn't Rich McKay announce the firing instead of Blank? Anyone wondering why McKay isn't on the hot seat? Mora was his coach and John Abraham for a first round pick? Hey Jets - steal of the century!

Bill Cowher please stay. Great job having your team ready to win a game for pride! Will miss you on the sidelines. Class act. How about coaching the Falcons? Maybe you can kick Vick's butt into shape. Just a pipedream ... I know.

If Brett Favre decides to retire, what a way to go. And take Rex Grossman with you, please. Could you imagine Favre on that Bears team... probably be undefeated.

Mike Shanahan felt like garbage after the loss at home in overtime to San Francisco kept him out of the playoffs. I can't even fathom what must be going through his head with the loss of Darrent Williams. Just sickening.

Talk about interesting playoff note to watch - Colts defense cannot stop the run and the Chiefs Larry Johnson is the league's 2nd best running back. Colts haven't lost at home this year. This should be good.

My Super Bowl pick is easy, as in the Big Easy of New Orleans versus Marty ball of the San Diego Chargers. Even Marty cannot screw this one up, could he?

YouTube have any full length video's of Saddam's hanging yet? Will check tomorrow - you know someone will put it up there.

Happy happy joy joy to you and yours.

Bowl picks...

My thoughts on a few games...

LSU 9 Notre Dame

USC 1 Michigan

West Va 10 ½ Ga. Tech

Va. Tech 2 ½ Georgia

Ohio State 7 ½ Florida

Here's your happy thoughts for the New Year...

My new hero is Jibbs from St. Louis - check him out with a classic tune from childhood turned into a hip hop classic!

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/videos/id.32/title.jibbs-chain-hang-low

Also - can't bring in the New Year without some good vodka - get the best in Van Gogh! Check out the recipies for great martini's and so much more.

http://www.vangoghvodka.com/van_gogh_vodka.htm

Earthshaking news from San Francisco and it's not the earth moving...

Let's start this post with a simple request from me to baseball owners: NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN cry poverty.

Barry Zito signed a 7-year $126 million dollar deal with the San Francisco Giants.

STOP - go back and re-read the last sentence.

The former Oakland A's pitcher went 16-10 with a 3.83 ERA last season and has a 102-63 career record with a 3.55 ERA. He won the 2002 AL Cy Young Award after going 23-5. Not bad numbers. But are you kidding me with this contract?

First, a guy who plays every five or so days gets roughly $18 million a year? Throughout his career, he has pitched about 35 games a year. If he does that for the Giants, that will be $514,285.71 per start. That's a lot of sushi for Peter Magowan's team to sell at the ballpark to pay that deal off.

Then take into account a 7-year deal. There is precedence as to why you shouldn't give a pitcher a deal like this. Actually, there are two deals to look at - the largest contract for a pitcher was Mike Hampton's $121 million, eight-year deal with the Colorado Rockies before the 2001 season. Now pitching for the Atlanta Braves, he has averaged a 10-9 record with a 4.63 ERA since signing his deal.

Kevin Brown received a $105 million deal from 1999-2005 from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also had access to a private plane to fly him back and forth to his home near Macon, GA. He did a little better than Hampton, he averaged an 11-6 record with a 3.55 ERA.

The New York Mets were the lead dog in the race for Zito, but even GM Omar Minaya wouldn't give Zito more than five-years. "I could not recommend to our ownership crossing the barrier of five years," Minaya said yesterday on a conference call. "Our final - first, really - offer was for five years. We were going to be aggressive on the AAV (average annual value), but we wouldn't go seven years."

Pitchers are not always like fine wine and age well. Roger Clemens is the exception to the rule. When and where he signs - Clemens may look like a steal compared to Zito's deal. Big money is on the Yankees to get him, but keep an eye on Boston. Be a great way to end his first ballot Hall of Fame career where he started.

The big winner on this deal, besides Zito, is his agent Scott Boras. Is there a big contract in baseball that gets done without this guy? Between Zito and his Boston deal with Daisuke Matsuzaka, we won't need to hold a benefit for him again this year.

The funniest part of this deal is that the ink isn't dry on the contract and people are already saying that the Giants still can't improve their spot in the NL West. SI.com's Jacob Luft predicts that the Giants will still finish fourth in their division.

Bottom line of all of this is simple - if you have a kid who is left-handed, tape a baseball to his hand at a young age and make him a pitcher. Heck, anyone who doubts me can check out Bruce Hurst. Was the ying to Clemens yang with the Red Sox's in the 80's. He signed a nice contract with the San Diego Padres and finished his career with a 145-113 record with a 3.92 ERA.

Quick hits from elsewhere....

Kudos to Rutgers for winning their first bowl game ever and finishing the year with a 11-2 record. If you went to Vegas to start the year and told any sportsbook that this would happen, you would have made a lot of money. Of course, you would have had to wait for them to stop laughing at you.

Please Texas Tech, win a game for all of us. It's a nice story that Bobby Knight is going to win 880 games and break the record, but please don't tell me the warm fuzzy story about Knight. No one can sell that story to any of us.

Saddam Hussein is supposed to be hanged at some point soon. Think we can carry that live on Fox News or CNN? Would definitely get better rankings than that OJ "If I Did It" stuff.

Mike Tyson was arrested for DUI and cocaine possession. At least he's consistent - ya have to give him that. Sad, just sad.

Marching towards 2007

Want to take a second and say thanks for stopping by this year to keep up with me, the family and all kinds of wacky things along the way.

I know I get a little incensed over certain sports things from time to time and I appreciate your indulgence.

Over the next year, I will keep up with my posts about many different topics. One of the topics I will be speaking about is my new world at GCI Group. I am part of a global public relations company that is filled with tons of great people. I honestly haven't been surrounded by such good people since my days at USA Today and I am having a blast working on all different kinds of accounts.

Best part of my gig is that I get to work on our Digital Media practice and get to work with Paul Walker. He has his own blog about Digital Media and all the great things going on in the DM world called The Zone Read. Check it out when you get a chance.

So - if anyone out there needs any PR services - we are your folks. Offices around the world with wonderful people and great capabilities.

That's it for now. I am going to try and update the posts on a daily basis - so check me out and let your friends in on this crazy world. If you have topics for me - let me know what you want to talk about.

Until then - wishing you and yours a wonderful, safe, healthy and peaceful New Year.

Passing of a hero

As a political junkie, there's no way I can go through the day without mentioning the passing of former President Gerald Ford.

He was, as Bo Schembechler would say, a "Michigan Man." But he was more than that. He was the man who lead our country out of scandal and out of war. He was as Tom Brokaw called him, "an uncomplicated man."

Think about this - he wasn't "chosen" by the American people to be the Vice-President nor was he "chosen" to be the President. He was thrust into both roles by scandal and he did his best to get us through Watergate and the end of Vietnam. He made the hard decision to pardon former President Richard Nixon and was highly criticized for his decision. The only shame of his life was that he lost his chance to earn his OWN presidency to Jimmy Carter. Many historians blame the pardon for the loss. They also look back on that decision and give Ford tons of credit for the pardon and how it helped heal the country from its wounds of Watergate. Who knows how things could have been different had Ford beaten Carter in 1976. I do know that a better, more respected man would have been in the Oval Office from my view of history.

They say that things happen in three's - so here's my question - who is the third "Michigan Man" to follow Bo and Ford to the Big House in the sky?

Not to worry boys, Michigan should beat up on USC in the Rose Bowl. Enjoy the view....

Just when you think it's safe to go back in the water...

For those of you who enjoy watching train wrecks, this is your lucky week!

The New York Football Giants are at it one last time under the leadership (or lack there of) of Tom Coughlin. With one week to go in the season, he takes away the play calling abilities of John Hufnagel, the offensive coordinator. Let's stop and think about this for a minute. The ship is sinking - it's been just a brutal month and a half, yet if you win the last game of the year vs. the lowly Washington Redskins on Saturday night, you still get in the playoffs.

"John Hufnagel is not a scapegoat here," Coughlin said after practice to the . "He is not. But we need a change, we need a spark, and that's the way it goes. How can you look at the production of Sunday and not think that, OK, there's some issue here?"

SO with that change - your last chance to save your job, who do you turn the play calling over to? Is there some genius on your staff that can all of a sudden right the ship? What is the name of this evil genius?? Tell me - please!!

Kevin Gilbride.

C'mon. Seriously. C'mon.

Water coming in on all sides of the boat and you hand the biggest bucket to a guy who is more famous for getting punched on the sidelines by Buddy Ryan than anything he has ever done in football.

The NY Daily News' Ralph Vacchiano calls the move a "desperate one." Bob Glauber of Newsday says that Coughlin should call the plays himself. Gary Myers of the NY Daily News calls it "panicking."

And by the way, for those of you who don't know, Gilbride has been Eli's quarterback coach for the last few years. Anyone besides me now see why Eli is having issues?

"If were going to turn this thing around, it's going to be a matter of the players doing it ourselves," Manning said. "We've got to step up and we've got to execute the game plan, no matter what it is."

"I think he's an excellent game-day coach and, as I said, I've been with him when we've been very successful and it was, to me, a natural progression," Coughlin said. "If I wasn't going to do it or if I was going to do it in some capacity, Kevin would have been very much involved in it anyway."

Well - here it is, the hail mary before the game thrown by Coughlin. For all of our sakes boys, just drop it and let's change the world for the better!

This ship has not only sunk, it has sailed....check out Paul Schwartz's column in the NY Post speaking about the changes that need to be made.

THE PRICE IS WEIS!!!!

I have been waiting a long, long time and in the NY Daily News on Tuesday, Gary Myers said what I have been thinking about my beloved Giants ... read his column .

If this wasn't enough, I went to the NY Post to read Steve Serby and he agrees with Myers and me. Read his column.

They need to do three simple things to change our franchise into a winner (in this order):

1 - Fire Tom Coughlin!!!!!!!

2 - Hire Scott Pioli from New England as their new GM.

3 - Hire Charlie Weis from Notre Dame as their new head coach.

With those three moves, we head back in the right direction. PLEASE Mr. Mara and Mr. Tisch - PLEASE just do it!! It will cost a couple of bucks - but a few titles will make it back for you!

Merry New Year!!!

Hi kids - just got back from a week in West Palm Beach with the family. What a great time. We stayed at the Breakers and I have to tell you - it is by far the most kid friendly place I have EVER been.

Every restaurant, every room, every thing is open to kids. Now, you may not want to take them to everything, but it's awfully nice to know that you can.

For those with kids, I don't have to explain how you need another week off after taking a 4-year-old and an 18 month-old away for a week. For those without kids, I cannot even explain how absolutely draining it is. Every second of every day there - it was non-stop craziness. First day we got there Abbie decided to wake up at 5:55 a.m. - because she wanted to go stick her piggies in the ocean. I tried to explain that the ocean is still sleeping and won't be up for a few hours ... she didn't go for it. Have to try though...

Both kids loved the beach. My little one was a terror. She sat on the shore waiting for the waves and she kept getting knocked over by them and she was laughing her butt off the whole time. Sand in her hair and mouth and she is sitting there cracking up. No doubt in my mind, she is the one to make my life crazy when she gets older.

Just like last year, we were there at the same time that Matt Lauer and his family were there. He seems nice enough, but his wife seems very cold and distant. They just had their third kid and they had a baby nurse and nanny with them. Funny, you would think on a big property like the Breakers you'd never see the same people over and over. Well, we kept running into Matt everywhere. They had the bungalow at the pool right next to us. They had the room right down the hall from my in-laws. Just funny stuff.

Anyway, back in Atlanta, rumor has it that it may snow this week here. Always funny to watch a snowstorm in a city so not prepared for it.

Hope all's well in your neck of the woods. Got some great holiday cards and we are going to be hanging here for Rookie's Night (New Year's Eve to those who go out). Peach Bowl on the 30th with Georgia playing Virginia Tech - the Nunnally's will be here for the game. He will be a tad outnumbered by the folks wearing Red and Black - but bless his heart, he will be Hokie Hokie Hi'ing until his hearts content!

My only wish for the New Year, besides health and happiness is simple: please, please, please - FIRE TOM COUGHLIN!!!

Be well and I hope to get to see y'all in the New Year!

Where is Jim Croce when I need him???

When I was growing up, my mom got me into music. Whatever she had, I listened to. It was great breaking out the 8-track tapes (showing my age).

One of my favorite musicians still to this day is Jim Croce. He died in a plane crash in September of 1973. I was 5-years-old and I remember my mom being upset about his death.

Why do I mention this? I know some of you ask what the point is of me mentioning this. Well, I am sitting here overlooking the East River in Manhattan and I can't get one of his songs out of my head.

Well things were spinnin round me
And all my thoughts were cloudy
And I had begun to doubt all the things that were me
Been in so many places
You know Ive run so many races
And looked into the empty faces of the people of the night
And something is just not right, cause I know
That I gotta get out of here
Im so alone
Dont you know that I gotta get out of here
cause new yorks not my home
Though all the streets are crowded
Theres somethin strange about it
I lived there bout a year and I never once felt at home
I thought Id make the big time
I learned a lot of lessons awful quick
And now Im tellin you
That they were not the nice kind
And its been so long since I have felt fine, thats the reason
That I gotta get out of here
Im so alone
Dont you know that I gotta get out of here
cause new yorks not my home

I am from here, but it's just not my home. I look around and it's funny. I enjoy my time here, but I am thinking about getting on my FAVORITE airline, Delta, and heading back to Atlanta.

If we had laid odds on it when I was in high school - you would have lost a lot of money if you would have bet on me NOT living here.

I am sure my wife is laughing her ass off reading this - I am still known as the "Damn Yankee" to my father-in-law and that's fine with me. As long as I am allowed to live in Dixie - call me whatever you want.

Suffice to say, I have gone from Jim Croce to Neil Young ... Southern Man!

How bizarre...

Back in the saddle again

Flew in beautiful downtown Newark, N.J. yesterday and boy were my arms tired...

Actually, was on a flight from Orlando to Newark and the flight was jammed. I was in a window seat in the back of the bus. In front of me, a 5-year-old girl and her dad sat right in front of me and put his seat all the way back. Next to me was a woman from Greece that elbowed me for the whole flight. Behind me was a 4-year-old boy who kicked my seat the entire flight.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, one airline can make a difference - good ol' Continental.

We did get in 30 minutes early, which would have been great if you didn't have to wait an hour for our bags. What a joke.

Finally, I made my way through the Lincoln Tunnel to Manhattan. Funny, haven't been here in a while, but my juices get flowing when I get back here. I think I can do it for a week at a time, but I cannot imagine living here again. It's not a knock against my home part of the country, I have just seen the other side of the fence and I like it a lot more.

The guy driving me to the hotel was from Pakistan and he was screaming and cursing and flipping people off left, right and center. Made me laugh.

Staying at the Roger Smith Hotel - not a bad joint. Cheapest room I could find - $290 a night. Just nuts.

Weather is in the 50s and is nice out. Here till Thursday. I am sure I will have some things to spout off about while I am here.

Check back....

Time for some fun ....

You have to go try this out ... the winning score so far is 323.4.

Let me know if you can beat it....

http://n.ethz.ch/student/mkos/pinguin.swf

Sign the apocalypse is near

As most of you may know I am 38 years old.

As most of you may also know I am originally from Fort Lee, N.J.

I am very proud of both facts. I am very fortunate to be able to have grown up in a wonderful part of the world and although it’s been a while since I have lived there, there are days when I long for the George Washington Bridge.

While I feel that way, most people pick on my home state. Honestly, I do it as well. Start the laughter at Newark and work your way down. But it’s still where I am from.

One of the things that most people used to laugh at is the State University of New Jersey. I call it SUNJY but most call it Rutgers. When I was growing up, it was a nice little state school in East and New Brunswick. For those of you familiar with the N.J. Turnpike – exit 9. Most of my friends wanted out of N.J. and certainly we didn’t want to go to Rutgers. It was the laughing stock of college athletics and it was in a city where Johnson and Johnson dominate everything.

For all these years, Rutgers has been the athletic joke of our state. Now some of you wisenheimers would say that the Giants can also be part of that conversation, but trust me, it’s not even close.

Then, out of nowhere, comes Greg Schiano.

For those who have been under a rock, he is Rutgers football coach. He was an assistant at the University of Miami before coming to N.J.

He has brought Rutgers to back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in school history and most of his team is underclassmen. He was one 52-yard field goal from going to a BCS game, but lost in triple overtime to West Virginia on the road.

What Schiano has done is unfathomable. The game versus Louisville was insane - ESPN national television coverage and a packed house where people were paying $500 for a ticket. No one ever would pay .05 for a ticket before and now it’s as hot as can be.

So, back to the apocalypse. Why is it here, you are asking?

The headline off of ESPN.com says it all, “Schiano tells Miami he's not leaving Rutgers”
Are you serious?? Read it again. Maybe my eyes are messed up. He wants to STAY!!!???

"We just need to keep moving forward. There are people committed at Rutgers to taking it to the level we're talking about. That's what's important to me. We're just scratching the surface here at Rutgers," Schiano said. "The sky's the limit. We're going to do great things here. We haven't done it yet. The seniors have laid the foundation for really, really big things. We've recruited really great young guys in this program and this is home."

This is HOME??? Are you kidding me? Is this real? Is this a joke?? He wants to stay??

We are talking about the “U” as all the alumni call it and he wants to stay.

Good for him.

Better yet, good for Rutgers and all of us folks from Jersey. Now we can go back to picking on Newark!

Bye bye Coughlin ... bye bye Coughlin, we hate to see you stay....

Sharing some thoughts….

After going to see the SEC championship game, I am convinced that Florida should get a shot at Ohio State. My reasoning? Nothing better than shutting up a bunch of obnoxious, little whiny fans than getting their asses handed to them on national television. Be careful what you wish for Gators.

I also think that Chris Leak is the better version of Reggie Ball. The difference – Leak has people that bail his butt out ever week. He is one of the worst quarterbacks to have a chance to win a national title. Sorta like David Woodley of the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. By the way, the year after that Super Bowl, the Dolphins drafted some guy named Marino. Leak won't be that lucky.

Hey Tim Tebow, I can’t wait to see you start next year. You’re going to be good, but someone is going to plant their helmet between your numbers on your back because of how you jump up and down like a little boy and wave your arms. Be better to watch you during your junior year after you mature a tad. But then again, you are acting like most Gator fans.

For those Michigan fans who disagree, you did have your chance and you did a great job. But to me, if you don’t win your conference championship, how can you be the second best team? Heck if Oklahoma did get jobbed by officials in the Oregon game, they would have a stronger argument than both you and Florida.

Why I love Bob Stoops? Have you heard him say thing one about being jobbed since the Oregon game? With that being the case Urban Meyer and Lloyd Carr – just shut up. If either one of you REALLY cared, you would be leading the charge of getting us a plus one game.

And I don’t want to hear a university president say ANYTHING until they figure out that if you take the top four teams and use the bowl system as is – you don’t need any more games or days! For example - the top team Ohio State would host the fourth ranked team, LSU, in the Rose Bowl. Then the second ranked team in Florida would play the third ranked team in the Orange Bowl. From there - the BCS title game is the winners the following Saturday. I would rather have the fight between four and five then two and three. Plus - we get to see it on the field instead of on a computer screen.

Has anyone ever heard this presidents complain how much time basketball players miss during March Madness?

Speaking of madness, watching the Giants-Cowboys game is making me laugh. How many more dumb penalties can the Giants take? How many more stupid play calls can the offense make? How many times can the Giants defense play five yards off a receiver when they are in a third and three? I don’t want to read about Eli this week – he did everything he could and it’s not his fault. None of this has been his fault. He hasn’t played well – but if you watched the game you know whose fault it is.

How many more days until the Giants fire Tom Coughlin? If there is a man upstairs controlling the universe – I hope we lose every game till he’s gone. Matter of fact, I started a new blog called "Fire Tom Coughlin Now" check it out at http://firetomcoughlinnow.blogspot.com/

I am going to post it on the Giants web site and then email the Mara's and Tisch's until it's done! Mr. Mara and Mr. Tisch - you fathers are rolling in their graves with what has gone on this year. Stop the lunacy now!

Wonder where Mike Vanderjagt is? Wonder what he is doing right now? Peyton’s old idiot kicker deserves this as much as anyone. Would love to buy him a drink or two right now and then put him on television again.

Honestly, I am more upset about Rutgers losing to West Virginia than I am about the Giants loss. At least the Giants could get a better draft pick…..

Those kids at Rutgers deserve more than the Texas Bowl. Just would have been classic to see a Wake Forest-Rutgers Orange Bowl. What kind of odds do you think you could have gotten on that at the start of the season?

SOMETHING YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D HEAR ME SAY....

LET'S GO COWBOYS!!!!

No - you aren't drunk. No - I haven't totally lost my mind. I honestly think this is the most sane thing I have ever said.

Why, you may ask, do I think this way?

Simple - if the Giants get blown out, there's NO WAY they can keep Tom Coughlin. I mean this team is a total mess and yet they are still 6-5. Imagine if they had a coach that has a clue?

People are screaming at Eli - but do you know who his position coach is? Kevin Gilbride. The same guy Buddy Ryan threw a punch at year's ago on the sidelines during a game. Now I know that Buddy is a bit nutty - but maybe he should have connected for all our sakes.

Look - the Giants aren't a great team this year - but they are sure better than what we have seen from them. With that in mind, it's time to make the change that can affect the team the most and cut off the head of this snake.

There are going to be a lot of really, really good people available this season. There are two that I really want for us. One is Bill Cowher from Pittsburgh - he would bring a toughness and edge that this team has missed for a long, long time. He has one year left on his contract and I think he will be available to move to us. It's something we need to consider.

The most interesting coach available to me would be Bob Stoops from the University of Oklahoma. He is one of the best defensive coaches in the country year in and year out. He's smart enough to know that in the NFL, he would need to hire a CEO of the offense and let them work. He can work defensive wonders and be the no-nonsense guy that we need. He's young. He's hungry and he knows how to win.

When you look on the Big Blue sidelines, they aren't hungry and they look lost in a tough situation. No matter what, Stoops' teams are always prepared and he is the guy I would love to see on our sidelines.

With that in mind, I am a huge Tony Romo fans. Might even have some ribs in his honor on Sunday!

A PLEA FOR COUGHLIN'S HEAD

For those of you who know me well, there's not much I miss about New York. It's a great place and I love going to visit, but I have to tell you that life in the South is pretty good. I got to play two rounds of golf this weekend and life is great.

The one thing that I cannot shake from my New York soul is that I am a diehard New York football Giants fan. The best and worst things for guys like me is the NFL package on the dish. Be easier if we just had local television and didn't have to worry about this - but of course for me it's like watching a train wreck. I know what's going to happen and I still have to watch it.

Sunday was my last straw - up 21-0 going into the fourth quarter, sloppy and lazy play by the whole football team cost them a win. Tennessee scored 24 in the fourth to win 24-21. Our coach Tom Coughlin was supposed to be a disciplinarian and he's not. He's supposed to be a good teacher and he's not. He's not the man to lead this team and he needs to go now. Of course, the Giants being cheap as they have been in the past won't make a change right now and I doubt that they will do at the end of the year, but it needs to happen.

When Jeremy Shockey shot his mouth off early in the year about being, "unprepared," we all laughed because it's Shockey. But when Tiki Barber said things this past week, and then you watch the fourth quarter, you know it's true.

Plaxico Burress quits on a play that turned the whole game around. The game would have ended on a 4th down play late in the game when Giants rookie Mathias Kiwanuka had Vince Young wrapped up for a sack, but let him go, only to see him scramble upfield 19 yards for a first down. Coughlin was in his face yelling at him, but he should have never been in that position if the coach hadn't called a crappy 2nd half of football on the offensive side of the ball.

Now I usually defend Eli Manning, but he made many mental mistakes Sunday. He didn't look like he had a clue as to what was going on in the 2nd half and part of it is his fault and part of it is coaching or a lack there of.

Please Tom, if you care about the tradition and the history of New York Giants football, step down with GM Ernie Accorsi, who is retiring at the end of the year. Let's start fresh on the sidelines. We have some good players - but no leadership at all. For your first and only act as a great leader - get lost!

Maybe John L. Smith can find you a tee time with him ...

For those of you who want to see how the dearly kind New York papers handled it - and make sure to see the great cover headlines - go to the
New York Post New York Daily News Newsday New York Times Bergen Record

Happy Happy Joy Joy ...

Sorry I have been a bit slow in updating the past week. Been a little busy, but all is well.

So what has been going on? Michael Richards is in a bit of hot water for his use of racist words at a comedy club. May not have been funny, but it’s the best thing he’s been on TV for since Seinfeld.

THE Ohio State University hung on to beat Michigan in this year’s version of the Game of the Century by three points. Funny part is that Bo got to his seat in time to join Woody Hayes in watching their old teams put up 81 points. Definitely not the kids of football they played. And I am convinced Bo was more upset about the two big runs for touchdowns than the loss. Bo’s memorial service is at the Big House and I am sure it’s going to be interesting. Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press has written some great stuff on Bo. If you like sports at all – you should read them.

The NY football Giants are just painful to watch these days. And as long as the best part of the team is on the sidelines with injuries, it will continue. Only thing I was mad about Monday night was Tony Kornheiser. Hey Tony, tell you what, before you rip Eli Manning, realize that Bob Whitfield is blocking his backside. Why don’t you try it out for a while and see what it’s like? I am going to say words that I CANNOT believe I would EVER say – I am sorry Luke Petitgout … I am sorry!!! You can take your three holdings and your two false starts and come back … I miss you and will never yell at you again. Well, I promise to at least TRY not to yell! One thing I was shocked by was that I woke up this morning to see Tiki Barber on Fox and Friends at 6 a.m. He just got back from Jacksonville at 2 or 3 in the morning – shouldn’t you be getting rest? You aren’t on a bye week, what gives with this? For those who don’t think Tiki will retire, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to see you.

There’s a great story about Michigan State’s basketball coach Tom Izzo wanting to be considered for the football coaching job. Huh? Did I just write that? Yep. Did I drop acid before writing it? Nope. Is it possible that this could happen? ABSOLUTELY!
It may seem nuts, but think about it in Izzo’s eyes he compares himself to a CEO of a company in one industry taking the same job in an unrelated business. I hate to say it, but I hope he gets the job. He is the kind of no-nonsense guy with ties to Nick Saban and Steve Marucci that would find a way to make it work. It would be one of the great stories in college sports if he could pull it off. Imagine this, Izzo would be the first to win National Championships in both sports. Can’t I dream for a second? OK – moments over. What stiff of an assistant coach will be our lead candidate? I’d rather have Izzo.

That’s it for now, let me know what’s up with you and yours. Family is all good here and life is good.

Happy Turkey to all you Turkeys!

Down the stretch they come....

What a crazy night. Actually, let me correct myself. What an absurd 24-hours.

I was at a party at a bar with a bunch of friends and we were surrounded by every station covering the night. And it was a roller-coaster ride for me. I did realize that I have a serious gambling issue and its called Election night. It is my Super Bowl and NCAA hoop tournament rolled into one night.

I don’t bet on the winners/losers. I support candidates that I believe are going to make a difference for Israel and for the United States and this is the night to see if my investments pay off.

With that in mind, let me walk you through my crazy night. Started at 8 p.m. when Pennsylvania closed their polls. Two minutes after, Bob Casey was announced as the winner of the Senate race vs. Rick Santorum, who was the incumbent. I stuck with Rick, or as a friend of mine in Atlanta calls him “Son of Sam”, to the end. I knew it was money going down the toilet, but sometimes you have to bet the long shot and play the future. What we did here.

That was my only loss for a long, long time … my dear friend Lincoln Davis of Tennessee easily won his house race and was waiting to see what happened with Harold Ford. That race was tough for me – like both candidates, but Bob Corker held off Ford by about 55,000 votes. My only thought when I saw that is that I hope and pray that the people of Tennessee chose Corker because they believe he was better for the state. But I know better and I know that some of those folks couldn’t bring themselves to vote for an African American man for Senate. Would have been the first one in Tennessee since reconstruction. Just a damn shame, but Harold will be back and back in a big way. He’s only 36 and he’s a sharp man. Sad, sad that in 2006 this can still is a thought never mind a fact.

Around 9ish, Joe Leiberman of Connecticut won re-election. I was so happy for him. Here’s a man that has given a ton to his country and his party and they kick him to the curb. Only for him to run harder and smarter and kick Ned Lamont’s butt.

Other races came and went and I found myself screaming at the TV’s from time-to-time when I would see one of my guys doing well with 70 percent reporting but no winner chosen. “Go to the whip, hit ‘em baby,” as if these guys were Steve Cauthen riding Seattle Slew down the backstretch at Belmont.

About 11 p.m. I got a call from Heath Shuler’s finance director, Alexis, screaming into the phone, “Taylor conceded. WE WON! WE WON!” Watch my friend from North Carolina over the next two years – he is the moderate Democrat with family values that the party is going to try and model candidates in the future. Don’t be surprised if he is a keynote speaker at the 2008 Democratic convention.

Funny part with him is that he is a former Washington Redskins top pick. He struggled big time with the Redskins. The media and fans were awful to him. I know this first hand because I lived there at the time. When I asked him why he wanted to go back, Heath said, “Jon, this time I know I can make a difference.” I am considering going to DC for his swearing in wearing a Redskins Number 5 jersey just to piss off Skins fans!!!

I was rolling along well until another friend, Sen. Jim Talent from Missouri, conceded to Claire McCaskill around 3 a.m. ET. He is a very good man who did everything he can but he got caught up in Bush’s war garbage and stem cell research. He was against it and she was for it. While I will take nothing away from McCaskill, Jim should have held his seat and didn’t. Bush was there last week and maybe he blew it for Jim as well.

Consider that if he had fired Donald Rumsfeld a year ago instead of the day after the election, good Republicans like Jim could have held their seats. Funny part is that in Bush’s press conference Wednesday, he said, “I didn’t want to change right before the election. It would have looked too political and that would have been a wrong message to send to our troops.” Hey GWB, don’t you think the country just sent you a message? You might want to listen… funny part is now you have to listen to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Better you than me!

I had to wait for this morning to find out that two congressmen in Georgia held on for a win – John Barrow and Jim Marshall. Barrow won by about 1,100 votes and Marshall by about 1,500. Montana got called for the Dems and Virginia is leaning that way as well. Looks like a clean sweep for the Dems.

So – the big question is what does all this mean? If you know that answer, you are beyond a genius. With Rumsfeld gone, maybe we can straighten out the Iraq situation. With the Dems in power, maybe GWB (and Karl Rove) will stop and think before they blindly spout off. GWB is meeting with Nancy Pelosi on Thursday for lunch. I would love to be a fly on the wall for that one. It’s the first of many first for GWB. And it’s a whole new ballgame in DC.

We can all bet on that for sure….

W. or L. - either way it's a mess....

As we approach Election Day, everyone talks about wins and losses. Everyone claims they are leading and that they are ready to roll.

But this election is more about W. Do people trust him? Is he doing the right things? Does he have a way out of Iraq and what the heck will he do with Iran?

It's a bottom line mid-term election. You either decide to give him one more shot for his last two years or you decide to tie his hands around his back and tell him to chill out for two years.

Either way - not a great situation. Funnier part is that I am sure some Republicans are hoping the Democrats win the House. This way when nothing gets done, they can start the 2008 Presidential cycle by saying, "This is what you want? Democrats who get nothing done?"

On the bigger L. side of the issue is John L. Smith. The FORMER head coach of Michigan State will coach the rest of the year and probably win them all and win a bowl game. Big deal.

The question is who in their right mind wants that job? The school has had four coaches in eight years, is totally a political mess and is more of a stepping stone than a place to stay and build a program.

Steve Mariucci's name comes up and while he has name brand recognition, I would say pass him by. Butch Davis' name comes up, he could be very interesting. He's cleaned up a program before in Miami and we need that. But is he too strong a mind to hire for our administration?

I will say that if I were a gambling man, they will hire former Spartan Pat Shurmer. While I like Shurmer, he is not the answer. That way of thinking doesn't work all the time. We need the best man for the job. Go find him and hire him.

And make sure his middle initial is either W or V for victory. Enough L's.

CHOOSE OR LOSE....

Morning – hope all’s well in your world.

In two weeks, we have the opportunity to go to the polls and elect our officials. While most Americans start to be cynical about even wasting their time going to elect a bunch of so-called crooks and people out of touch with their communities, I stay optimistic.

Look at what’s going on all over the world. People would kill to have the opportunity to choose their own leaders without someone holding a gun to their heads. And here, most people can care less.

This election is going to be one of the tightest in recent history. Odds are that the House will flip to the Democrats and that the Republicans will hang onto a slight edge in the Senate. But what does that mean for us? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Honestly, I don’t know. All I know is that everyone should wake up and get off the couch and go be a part of the process. Some people say that it is your right to vote as an American. I look at this as a privilege. People are dying for this opportunity that we have and yet, millions of Americans are apathetic and just lazy.

Here’s a crazy idea for you to ponder; if someone of voting age hasn’t voted in the last five years I think they should go serve with our military in Iraq for a while. Maybe after seeing what they are going through, they can turn the television off and put down their drinks and go vote.

There are a few races I will be watching involving people I have become friendly with. The first is Senator Jim Talent from Missouri. He’s a Republican that the Democrats are going after because he is a state where races are always close and they label him as a person that always votes with the President, which is not true. He votes for Missouri and his conscience. He is a very good man and someone we want in the Senate fighting for us.

In Georgia, Congressman John Barrow is a Democrat being targeted by the Republicans. He is running against the man he beat two years ago, Max Burns. Barrow is a very good man and is leading slightly.

Why do I pick these two races to share with you besides the fact I know and respect both men? They are being targeted by the opposition party and tons of money is being dumped into races for the chance to gain a seat. There are millions and millions of dollars being wasted by both sides that could be put to use for a ton of things to help people and our country, but hey, no big deal.

I write checks to politicians and I do my part to help, but it drive me nuts to see how much money is spent on elections. While it’s great to have a wonderful democracy and the opportunity to get involved in the process, there are still many issues with the process that we need to fix.

I don’t have the answers, just questions. But I promise you this, if you don’t vote, in my mind, you don’t get the opportunity to ask these questions or complain about ANYTHING. In my mind, you are wasting your opportunity that people are dying for and need to go be reminded of the people who came before us and gave us these opportunities.

It’s a privilege to vote and be part of this great country of ours. I don’t care what side you are on – pick a side and vote. Me, I vote for people, not party. Will never vote party again – the party’s are the reason we have such a mess to begin with.

Speaking of messes, Bill Parcells just created one in Dallas with his quarterbacks. Giants are on a roll – anyone wanna get on board the bandwagon??? Space available…

Giant weekend in Atlanta ...

Great weekend here. Had Scott Ranzman in town for the weekend and we went to see the Giants play yesterday. Even got to write a flavor piece for Giants.com. Check it out - pretty funny stuff.

Anyway - hope all's well. I will write more tomorrow. Big politcal week - saw Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana last night - he's going to be a very serious candidate for President in 2008. Going to a fundraiser for Sen. Joe Leiberman of Connecticut on Thursday. Should be fun.

Happy Monday!

P.S. - AIPAC Political Director Rob Bassin is coming to town and I am having dinner with him on Tuesday. Are you happy now Jeremy???

Happy, happy .... joy, joy...!!!

Good morning campers! Hope all's well in your neck of the woods.

I'd like to start by saying that we had a great weekend in Atlanta. First off, we had dinner Friday at a friends house. They have five kids and are just wonderful people. Everyone played well but the noise level was just classic. We have met these friends through a Jewish Studies course called the Wexner Heritage Foundation and was started by Leslie Wexner.

Les started this program to educate Jewish leaders and it is a phenomenal opportunity to learn with the best of the best teachers and leaders. Take a second and read about it ... it's worth your time.

Saturday, my wife and I dropped the kids off and went on a day trip to Athens to see the University of Georgia play the Tennessee Volunteers. We had a party bus pick us and 15 others up at 3 pm for a 745 pm kickoff.

Suffice to say that we felt pretty good by the time we got to Athens. We then tailgated and watched the sites and sounds of a college atmosphere. And everything was going perfectly ... until Georgia actually had to play the game.

But even then, for 26 minutes they were rocking. They were up 24-7 with four minutes to go in the half. Tennessee drove the ball and scored with 40 seconds to go to make it a 10 point game. My wife and brother-in-law look at each other and go, "uh-oh." They knew what was to come.

Georgia came out and got the ball in the second half, but held it for a few plays before Joe T III turned it over and Tennessee scored a touchdown. From there it got worse with other turnovers and a blocked punt in the endzone for a touchdown. Final 51-33.

So Georgia was outscored 37-9 in the second half at home for the most points allowed ever in Athens. Glad I could be there for that great night.

Mark Richt, to me, is now the most overrated coach in college football. It used to be Mack Brown, but he won a title finally. Problem with Richt is that he is a nice man and a good recruiter, but he is a horrible game coach. For a guy who was supposed to be an "offensive genius" at Florida State, the only thing offensive is his play-calling. Which of course we can blame the offensive coordinator ... oh wait, that is Richt's job too.

Think it's time for Richt to pick someone who can be his offensive genius - because he isn't it.

I know Michigan State lost, but what else is new. But the big news of the day is the Yankees are gone!!! GOOD FOR YOU TIGERS! Thanks for killing the Evil Empire! It's a beautiful day when all those damn New Yorkers are quieted down. Someone in town last week had a great line, "rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the sun to rise." Well Pinstripers, ya ain't gonna be rising to the top of the pile this year. Figured for a 200 million dollar lineup, you could find a better Game 4 pitcher than Jared Wright. Hey Mr. Cashman, how's that ARod deal workin' out for ya??

Then comes Sunday and of course in the Barkan house ... it's time for the New York Football Giants. We hosted the Washington Redskins... and played good. Eli lead us to a 19-3 win and a 2-2 record heading into their game in front of the city of Atlanta. On top of which I won a bet with a dear friend of mine, Julie, who is a die-hard Redskins fan. Loser had to post a nice note about the other team on their blog ... I WIN!!! Check out Julie's World to read her Ode to the Giants!

I am very excited to have them coming here this Sunday and I cannot wait to go to the Georgia Dome to watch them. First time in my tenure in Atlanta that they are coming to town and I can't wait to watch them up close so I can BOO when we have three false starts!

Did something yesterday that I have never done before, I rooted for the Filth-A-Delphia Eagles. Can't root for a clown like TO. Great fans of Philly welcomed him to town with a chant of "OD OD OD." Those people are funny as hell!

Been a great weekend... got a crazy week before my friend Scott comes to town to see the kids and go to the Giants game with me. Three kids from Fort Lee, N.J. will be together for the first time in a long time in Atlanta to watch the G-Men - with two of us now living here. Who in the heck would have thunk it?

Next thing you know, I'm going to break into the Redneck National Anthem and sing Sweet Home Alabama.

Maybe, but not on Sunday. You can take the boy outta Jersey - but can't take the Jersey out of the boy...

Go Big Blue!

Neil Diamond's favorite holiday song...

Hello out there in TV Land! What's new and exciting in your world?

Here in Atlanta, I prepare for the two holiest days on the Jewish calendar; Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur. They are the days to atone for your sins of the previous year and as most of you know, I am still repenting for since from the 1990s.

Thanks to my wonderful faith, you can be a mass-murderer or a simple sinner like me and if you fast for 26 hours once a year, you are clean for the next year. Just like everything else Jews do, it's all wholesale man!!!

Funny part is also - I can guarantee you that every food commercial every made will be on Sunday night and Monday when we cannot eat!!!! Just a fact. Watch and see.

I have always wondered why the Rabbi doesn't do confession and then after listening to everything you did, he gives you an amount of days during the year you need to fast. Most people would be once a month people, but some may be more or less. Be more appropriate than lumping us altogether.

Oh well. Such is life in the big city.

Before I go for the weekend, I have to give a shout out and a HUGE thumbs-up to Mike Valenti of WXYT-1270 in Detroit. He is a Spartan alum and just funny as hell. He had a rant this week after the loss to Notre Dame that is going down as an all-time classic.

Take a listen - laugh a bit and have a great weekend.

Good morning America, how are ya?

"Don't you know me I'm your native son, I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans, I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done."

What an incredible night in New Orleans. Friend of mine went to the game and he said it was the wildest scene ever. And he would know wild scenes as well as anyone I know!

As I sat and watched the game, I kept laughing thinking about how a stadium was fixed before tons of homes. How the levees are still not up to category 5 capacity and that if another hurricane came through the Gulf Coast they are no more ready today that yesterday. But hey, they have their Saints back. And for one night, every one was happy.

Every one?

Are they sure? Did they ask every one?

Spike Lee was in the booth for the game and he pretty much stopped short of saying that the government is still blowing it. He had the chance to make his usual statement and blow it all up, but he said, “I am not going to pull a Kanye West tonight.”

Funny, but it was the right time for something to be said and no one said it. How hard can it be to fight a war half way around the world when you can’t win the war in your own home? Just an embarrassment.

I only hope it doesn’t happen again. But we all know something like this will happen again, just a matter of where and when.

And speaking of where and when… where and when will the American’s win the Ryder Cup again?

Not like any American golfers care because hey, we win Majors and are the top two players in the world. Great individual golfers but horrible team golfers.

We have no passion and no fire when it comes to the Ryder Cup. I don’t care if the team are all rookies; they have to have some pride in them? Some swagger and some arrogance to become the great golfers that they are.

On the European side, we can flip the question, when and where will one of them win a Major again? No one on the Ryder Cup team has won a Major since 1999 when Jose-Maria Olazabal won at Augusta.

It’s amazing to me to see Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia become dominant players for three days every two years when they can’t close out a Major to save their lives. Heck, they struggle to get to the fourth round in contention and when they do it, choke city is coming.

Just wild to watch how match play changes players.

And speaking of changes, how about the New York Football Giants this week? Just horrific – I don’t agree with how he said it, but nonetheless I totally agree with Jeremy Shockey that Tom Coughlin has got to go.

He is supposed to be a disciplinarian and that team takes more stupid penalties than I have hair on my head! How is it that you let the exact same thing happen to you two weeks in a row! They didn’t show up until the 3rd quarter, by then the damage was done.

Even if the Giants make the playoffs, Coughlin needs to go. The only coach in America that needs to be fired faster is John L. Smith of Michigan State University.

Three minutes to go in the game with a lead at home and he is throwing the ball???? For those of you who don’t know, the L in his name stands for LOSER!

To all my friends of the Jewish persuasion I would like to wish you and yours L’Shana Tova. A sweet, healthy, happy and safe new year for all of us and our family in Israel.

ELI'S COMING - HIDE YOUR HEART GIRLS....

"Another Pleasant Valley Sunday...."

For those of you who don't know why I reference the Monkees classic, you didn't see what I saw on Sunday afternoon. The New York Football Giants won a football game that they had absolutely NO right even being close in. (Bonus if you know who sang the song I reference in the title!)

I was in the basement watching on Sunday Ticket - which along with Tivo are the two greatest things in a man's life.

I sat there incredulous for most of the game. We looked horrific. Eli was sacked eight times and we took a ton of dumb penalties. But they never quit. Even after Eli got sacked for the eighth time, he didn't yell or scream ... he just did his job.

Thanks to the prevent offense of Andy Reid and the Filth-a-delphia Eagles, Jay Feely made a short field goal with time running out in the game to send it to overtime. And there, the legend of Eli Manning grew some more.

He went 8-for-8 in the OT, including the "walk-off" game winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. As the ball hung in the air, I jumped out of my chair. I watched as Plaxico grabbed the ball and the win... couldn't believe it. Just wrong.

But then again - it was in Filth-a-delphia. Couldn't happen to nicer people!

Seattle - Eli and company are on their way ... could this be a magical year?

"The ink is black, the page is white ... together we learn to read and write...." The Giants did more than read or write. They won a game they used to lose and in thus started a new chapter in Giants history.

What have we learned in five years?

Wow. Has it really been that long since that horrific day? I could live to be 1,001 years old and remember everything about that day.

From my dad calling me yelling at me to turn on the news. To the Atlanta Thrashers players, coaches and staff piling into my office to see what the heck is going on. To my dear my friend, Sherry Skalko, calling me up crying hysterically saying that Mark was on the second plane. To my mom walking in New York City the next day crying as soldiers walked with machine guns.

It was and will always be Sept. 11th in my mind. The problem I have is how many people here don't feel the same way.

This is how the people of Israel have lived for a long, long time. Imagine - we are the lucky ones we aren't that close to the real action of the Middle East and have only had one day of attacks.

The world goes round and round and many think we are safe. They think that we need to defend our civil liberties more than anything else. Well kids, if a nuclear bomb goes off on our soil, how do you defend our civil liberties then? Proactive is the only way to go after terrorists.

We are not in the 50s. Happy Days was a great TV show, but it's not the reality we live in now. We need to defend our nation and be on the offensive to stop these radical people before they stop our way of life.

I am sick of Democrats and Republicans fighting over the political garbage. Just shutup and get us safe. Until that day - this propaganda that one can defend us better than the other is a joke. Neither can do the job as of right now - and then need to get on it quickly before we are hit again.

Many people died on Sept. 11 in the U.S. and many more people have died defending justice around the world since then. It's not an issue for politicians to throw around glibly. If they do - I hope you challenge them on it.

If we don't - Mark and all the others have died for no greater good. When I see him on the other side, I don't want to tell him that. Do you?

SOAPBOX - hug and kiss your kids and spouses more today than yesterday!!!!

Customer service is an oxymoron...

Hi kids – sorry it’s been a while, but life has been very busy.

I am sitting in Austin, Texas about to get into a day of meetings. But before I do, let me share a few things.

First, American Airlines was great. Flew through Dallas and had no issues – both flights were early. The night before I left, there was a little incident with them. I called to try and get seats on my flights home on Friday and they told me that they have released the amount of seats that they can over the phone and I need to get my seats at the airport on the day of departure. I asked if I was going to get stuck in a middle seat and they told me that there’s a possibility, but that they have seats on the aisle, I need to get there early. I asked if I gave them a percentage of my money when I booked the flight or did I give them all my money? The gentleman on the other end of the phone told me I was being rude and hung up on me. Nice – that’s what customer service is about! I wrote a letter to American letting them know about it … we will see what they say.

Went to the UT campus yesterday to buy a few things for the family. The place is huge - tons of stuff to choose from and my cousin Alan probably owns most of it ... I was talking to him from the bookstore and he was telling me where I was in the store. Scary man ...

And for those of you in the Northeast that have children, take them here to look at the school. It's one of the best college towns I have been to. To me, it's up there with Madison, Wisconsin, East Lansing, Michigan and Boston. Young people are everywhere to be seen and it's a great music town.

For those of you without kids, come check the city out anyway... it just rocks.

Until next time ...

That’s it for now … more later… JB