A Tex-rrific Christmas!!

I'm more speechless today than I was after Sunday night's Giants game against the Panthers.

The Yankees continued to make a HUGE splash this baseball offseason by landing another big fish; this time in the form of All Star 1B Mark Teixeira.

It took me a few hours, but I think I finally got the spelling of his name right. For the rest of this blog, I'll just stick with calling him Tex.

This is clearly a win-win situation for the Yankees as they get a stellar defense player and run producer (.300 AVG, 30 HRs and 110 RBIs) for the next 8 years, while punching the Red Sox management in the face with the signing. The Red Sox made it clear this offseason that Tex was their top priority. Well, so much for that.

It's been a long time - since Don Mattingly retired in 1995 - that the Yankees had a solid defensive player at 1B. In his 6 year MLB career, Tex has only 39 errors and an awesome .995 fielding percentage. That's phenomenal!!

Welcome to New York, Tex.

Big Game on Sunday

Sunday against the Panthers is an important game for the Giants.

Win and they're the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC

Win and they secure an IMPORTANT first round bye.

Win and they have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

After the first 6 games of the year, the Giants - according Elias Sports Bureau - are the first team to play 10 straight games against teams with a winning record. That's a tough - as tough as any other team in NFL history - stretch there. And through eight of those games, the Giants have won 6 of 8. That's pretty good in my book. Despite how they've looked the last two games of the season.

You could say these 2 losses have to do with the loss of Plaxico Burress and I'll respond by saying it has more to do with the loss of Brandon Jacobs to his annual injury breakdown. The lose of Plax is definitely tough, but the team isn't running the ball like it did earlier in the season without Jacobs and the team has seemingly abandoned the run for long periods of times during the last 2 games. They haven't and aren't going to win games simply by depending on the pass.

Sure, the Giants haven't looked good in the last two games, but I'm confident that with Jacobs and a number of other starters coming back from injury - including Fred Robbins - that the Giants will beat the Panthers this Sunday night.

This is a BIG GAME.

Welcome to New York ... C.C. and A.J.

It was a good day for the Yanks and their fans today.

I liked what C.C. Sabathia had to say in his joint press conference and - speaking of joints - loved what A.J. Burnett had to say. That guy is so burnt, I'm going to love him.

He said today to YES's Kim Jones that he joined the Yankees because he wanted to be like M.J. -- Michael Jordan for those of you playing at home - and put up 6 fingers for the number of championships he won - like Jordan did shortly after he won his 6th NBA Championship. That's awesome.

He's bold. He's straightforward. He's cool and he's soooo burnt. Forget A.J....His nickname henceforth is M.J. (for both Jordan and Mary Jane).

Move over Joba. I love A.J. Burnett.

A Bad Day

It's been a bad day for me. My financial advisor notified me today that I lost $1.2 billion last week in a Ponzi Scheme. (insert tongue in cheek here.)

Guess I have to keep my shitty job.

Odd Headline of the Day

I saw this headline on CNN.com today and thought it was a little odd:

Nude models strip to protest low pay

Shouldn't they keep their clothes on if they are protesting their low pay??

Welcome to N.Y....Carsten Charles Sabathia

Carsten Charles Sabathia, otherwise known as C.C. Sabathia reportedly has signed a 7 year, $160 contract with the Yankees today. Wow. He's going to look good in pinstripes.

Entertain Me...

...with something other than the Plaxico Burress shooting.

Madmen – A friend of mine recommended it a few weeks ago and the wife and I have watched 5 episodes of Season 1 so far and really like it.

Click – Great movie. I always thought it would suck and avoided it like the plague. I saw it on TV a couple weeks ago and decided to tape it. Great, great movie. It was a little dusty in the room at the end.

Sunshine – Okay movie, but I got tired of it and turned it off halfway through.

Bloodsucking Fiends – I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s a superb book. I just love the way that Christopher Moore writes. He’s unlike any other writer I’ve ever seen before.

Here’s an example: And Tommy might have starved in Paris, if a cursory inspection of the Volvo had not revealed that it would not survive the dampness of the drive."

....meaning, his volvo couldn't drive across the ocean to paris because it would get wet. There are just so many things about that sentence that are so awesome and make him one of the most unique writers I've read before.

Pushing Daisies – I heard the other day that ABC is cancelling this superb show. F you ABC. Along with Friday Night Lights and Arrested Development this is another creative show that never caught on with the larger, reality-obsessed ingrates who live in America.

The Annual Guinea Pig Dinner - Along with two other couples, we spent Saturday night with Smelmooo and Tangent Woman at their annual Guinea Pig dinner. Thanks guys, the food was excellent.

I'll Take His Sloppy Seconds

I'm listening to NHL commish Gary Bettman - the man who killed the sport - talk to Mike Francesca on WFAN and I just can't believe what he's saying.

How is Sean Avery suspended for 6 games for saying that another NHL player is taking advantage of his "sloppy seconds". How is this inflammatory?

There are about 2,000 other things he could have said that were more inflammatory. I could type 10 things out right now he could have said that would have been worse.

This is coming from a toothless hockey player. Take a chill pill people...He's not speaking at the United Nations....And even if he was, it's nowhere near the story that some people are making it out to be.

Are you my Friend?

Are you my friend?

I'm not going to ask you to take a test on if you can take an educated guess about the things I like (Stephen King and video games) and the things I don't like (bug spray and suntan lotion).

I'll just ask a simple question:

If I shot myself in the leg, would you hide the gun and take me to the hospital?

Discuss...

See Ya P-money

I've been depressed for three days. ...

Plaxico let me down.

While he's always been a bit of a problem both on and off the field, I never expected him to be so dumb and bring a gun into public. Not to mention the fact that he brought two of his teammates - Antonio Pierce and Ahmad Bradshaw - into his clusterf#ck.

It's clear that he'll never play for the Giants again and after he figures out all of his legal troubles it's still unclear if he will ever play professional football again. ... I hope so.

I like Plaxico. He's a flawed figure and made a mistake....albeit a very dumb one. Hopefully this incident makes him see where he went wrong. We all deserve a second chance...even when we f%ck up royally like he did.

...and even after he was suspended from the Giants for the season and put on the trading block for my Giants team in Madden 09.

Happy Birthday to Me

I'm 31 today.

Yikes....

That's scarier than Plaxico Burress at a NYC nightclub with a loaded gun.

I'll be back tomorrow or later this week with another Random Thoughts blog. I'm getting more and more tired as I grow older.

Random Thoughts...

I'm up in Scranton again for a week long business trip, so I thought it was appropriately to break up the boredom by another random thought blog. ...

First, happy birthday to my boy Smelmooo who turns 104 on Wednesday. ...

I think it's strange that Mark Cuban is being accused of insider trading to save a mere $750k when he's a billionaire..What's $750k to a billionaire? Like $10 to a regular person. Is a jail term worth it? ...

I think it's strange that I haven't gotten a text from the Chosen One in weeks. Throughout the first 7-8 weeks of this football season, I've been getting nearly hundreds of texts from the Chosen One on every football sunday to flaunt his 2nd place Redskins and to break down my Super Bowl champs. So, that's why it's hilarious that haven't gotten 1 text from the Chosen One in the last two weeks, when his Skins were losing to the Steelers and Cowboys, and the 9-1 Giants were soundly thrashing the Eagles and Ravens. Where have you gone Chosen One? A lonely nation turns it's eyes to you.

I beat Fallout 3 in 22 hours and was thoroughly unimpressed by it. The game was made by Bethesda Studios, the makers of my favorite game of all-time: Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Fallout 3 was clearly built as a Oblivion clone with guns and while it was an okay game it nowhere measured up to Oblivion. ...

Poker game at my place on Saturday at 7 p.m. if anyone is interested ...

Movies I've recently watched that sucked: You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Speed Racer, Be Kind Rewind ...

Movies I've watch recently that were good (I rarely think a movie is great; just ask Smelmooo): 88 Minutes, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Baby Mama and The Mist ...

I thought President-Elect Obama's interview on 60 minutes yesterday was awesome. I talked to a staunch Republican today and even he was impressed by it. ...

The wife and I are very close to naming Paperbaby...not that we plan on telling anyone until she arrives. ...

I've neglected posting another Rushing blog since Week 6 of the NFL season because I got tired of watching the Giants, following my 2 fantasy teams, following 3 other games on ESPN Gamecast and typing my blog at the same time. I felt like I wasn't paying enough attention to anything. A heartfelt apology to my loyal readers ...

R.I.P. Michael Crichton...I really enjoyed reading Jurassic Park, Congo, Terminal Man, Andromeda Strain, Disclosure and Rising Sun ...

I'm done with my Facebook addiction...It was fun while it lasted. ...

I'm watching Dexter Season 2 and think it's better than Season 1. I highly, highly recommend this show. ...

And finally....

There was a time when I only read Stephen King and George R.R. Martin books - two of my favorite authors. Now, I'm reading The Exceptant Father, Be Prepared and Dr. Spock's Baby and Childcare. ...

Nothing Else Needs to be Said...

The World Has Changed ...

This was a - personal - email I got from Barack after he won the election. I think this email says it all. ...It says to me that the people of the United States of America will change our country for the better...led by President Barack Obama

"Friend -- I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first. We just made history. And I don't want you to forget how we did it. You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change. I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign. We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next. But I want to be very clear about one thing... All of this happened because of you. Thank you, Barack"

Meet the 44th President of the U.S.A.

Quite a historic night....

Barack the Vote!

I'll admit. I haven't hid my adulation for Barack Obama during this campaign season. My message today is a simple one though:

VOTE.

It doesn't matter which candidate you like...or who you think will be a better President....or who you believe will make your life better 4 years from now....

It just matters that you take the time to Vote.

In America you have the ability to vote for your leaders...

You have the ability to make them accountable for your actions..

You have the ability to tell them how to spend your hard earn tax dollars.

You have the ability to Rock - or...er.. Barack - the Vote because your vote does actually mean something - didn't the last two elections teach you anything?

So go out and Vote...and make a difference in this world.

Have They Lost Their Minds?

I thought it was ridiculous when both McCain and Obama kept referring to "Joe the Plumber" numerous times during the 3rd debate....

Then it stepped up another notch with the McCain-Palin ticket referring to good old Joe the Plumber every chance they got during their rally speeches....

Then they started calling out different people by their first name and occupation. ...like Tito the Builder and Mary the Teacher...you have to wonder why Eric the Red, Ivan the Terrible and Barack the Terrorist weren't at McCain-Palin rallies.

...Now McCain has Joe the Plumber on the stump with him at rallies and is saying that he's considering taking "Joe to DC with him."

Does Joe not understand that he doesn't make $250k a year and is not going to get taxed in an Obama adminstration? (Or maybe after his multiple appearances as of late the McCain campaign is helping Joe get up to that lofty sum.)

Does Joe not understand that McCain is simply using him as a cartoon of what the common man is supposed to look like?

Have they lost their minds? I can't take it anymore. This election can't come soon enough and I can only hope it finally turns out well for the good guys.

...if it doesn't, there's sure going to be a lot of shitty, overflowed toilets.

Am I Dirty or Crazy?

My wife is a teacher and is dressing up as a football player for Halloween with her other teaching colleagues. Naturally she asked me to borrow my Eli Manning replica Giants jersey. When I told her that I wouldn't let her borrow my favorite jersey and she could instead borrow my Jeremy Shockey jersey, her response was a surprising: "He's not even on the team any longer".


I disagreed with her. It is a Halloween costume afterall and Shockey is a clown....but I finally relented and told her that she could borrow the Eli jersey.

She then went to smell it and asked when was the last time it was washed.

After telling her 2 years ago, she looked at me in horror.

My explanation was that it hadn't been washed in two years because I was superstituous after the Giants Super Bowl run.

After her constant conjoling, I agreed to wash it today. And I'm not one bit happy about it. I'm literally scared that the Giants mojo will be flushed away because I was dumb enough to wash it.

So, I ask you...Am I dirty or just plain crazy?

Paperboy Endorses Obama

I’ve detested George W. Bush for the last eight years, but that didn’t prevent me from honestly looking at both Presidential candidates to hear what they had to say. And after listening to countless speeches, all three debates and reading hundreds of newspaper articles, I’ve made up my mind to vote for Barack Obama for President of the United States on November 4th.

I’ll admit that my mind was already 50 percent made up when I started my “vetting” process – a vetting process more stringent that McCain’s vetting of Sarah Palin. I’ve always been a staunch Democrat, but I honestly took a serious look at McCain.

And what I found was someone who was offering more of the same after eight years of devastation after devastation from President Bush, including:

1) The continuation of a costly and meaningless war in Iraq
2) A “go at it alone” strategy in the War on Terror, which will continue to deteriorate the world view of America
3) Tax cut upon tax cut for rich – really rich – Americans who don’t need it
4) A bad healthcare plan

5) A freeze on government spending that would hurt many beneficial government programs. Of course, there is a lot of waste and pork - like Palin's Bridge to Nowhere - but there are more beneficial than bad government programs that help hundreds of thousands of Americans.

And ultimately – especially in the last few weeks as he got really desperate --McCain is in favor of generating more fear and hate in Americans than promoting hope and dreams of how truly amazing America is and can be in the future. In the last few weeks, McCain hasn’t told America what he would do for them as the President. He and idiots like Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and The Drudge Report have simply tried to scare me and other Americans into not voting for Obama.

And I'm not having any of it.

It’s been a long time that I’ve liked my President.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been proud of my country. Yes, I know Michelle Obama said that and she was blasted for it, but I’m not backing down from that statement. George W. Bush has made me embarrassed to be an American.

I want other countries to respect us as a super power again.

I don’t think it’s “us against them”. I think it’s us working together with other countries to curtail evil in the world so it doesn’t result in the meaningless death of thousands of innocent people.

I’m tired of people caring more about the 2nd amendment than the 1st. It’s been a long time that you could even think about questioning your leadership or express a dissenting opinion without being considered anti-American and a traitor to your country. Isn’t that what free speech is all about? It’s about talking to others who may have different opinions that you, respecting their opinions and reaching a common ground that is acceptable to the general public.

I’m tired of Republicans saying that they want to keep government out of our lives and then they talk about how they want a constitutional ban on gay marriage and want to restrict a woman’s right to choose. Aren’t those two Republican tenets the very opposite of staying out of people’s lives with “big government”?

And I – and I hope all Americans – won’t stand for it any longer. And that’s why Barack Obama needs to be elected on November 4th. He inspires me in his speeches and his core belief that the U.S. isn’t made up of blue and red states, but of the “United” States. His policies will provide benefits to all Americans and help us get back on our feet.

I think this election will make the world think different of America then it has in the last eight year. Do you think – after 8 years of bigoted, "go it alone" hatred against people from other countries – that the rest of the world thinks that the U.S. is progressive enough to elect a black man? Let’s shock the rest of the world, and show them what America has always been about: A mixing bowl of people from different races, religions and beliefs coming together.

I think Obama will restore our national pride, make us again a leader in education, energy policy, economics and technology around the world. He’ll listen to his opponents and be willing to work with and accept their ideas/differences while taking responsibility for his actions. I’m hoping and praying that Obama becomes our next President on November 4th. Yes, I'm from a "blue state" and believe in God, contrary to what the McCain-Palin ticket might lead you believe..

If Obama is elected, I truly believe that he'll unite our country again and bring light to our country after years of complete darkness.

Week 6 Rushing Blog

Welcome back to the Rushing Blog. It's been a busy blogging day for the Paperboy - and for good reason! I'm down by 40+ points in both of my leagues with Eli and the Giants defense going for both of my teams tonight, but I could care less because I got the greatest news ever today that me and the wife are having a healthy, baby girl in March.

7:01 p.m. - Big game for the Giants tonight. They can further solidify their ranking as the top team in the league and they can jump out 2 games in front of the 2ND PLACE Dallas Cowboys - sans Tony Romo - the Washington Redskins - sans the ability to beat the St. Louis Rams, a.k.a the worst team in the league.

7:03 p.m. - I'm calling it right now that Plaxico Burress, off his two week suspension for "insubordination," is going to have a HUGE game tonight.

7:05 p.m. - I didn't know Brad Johnson, the guy taking over the the injured Tony Romo, was still in the NFL.

7:16 p.m. - This is the first time that I've heard Emmitt Smith speak on the ESPN pre-game show. I had heard that he was a horrible commentator and I agree with that sentiment. He was a breathtaking running back -- probably the best I've ever seen -- but he is a bumbling fool as a commentator.

7:38 p.m. - If Obama blows his 10 point lead with 20+ days until the election, it'll be worst that the Yankees blowing that 3 game lead to the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS. And that was bad!

8:10 p.m. - I wonder how Derek Anderson is feeling today...not only is Brady Quinn breathing down his neck for the starting QB position, but the Giants defense has knocked out the last two QBs (Palmer and Hasselbeck) they have faced. Both Palmer and Hasselbeck missed the game that was played the week after they faced the G-men. Maybe Anderson's hoping that Quinn starts tonight.

8:15 p.m. - It looks like the Browns took a thick sharpie marker and wrote their numbers on their helmets. Ugh.

8:28 p.m. - All of the experts on ESPN's pre-game show, sans Steve Young, are picking the Giants to win tonight. Hopefully that's not a bad omen.

8:30 p.m. - I hate Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Ron Jaworski....but I hate Troy Aikman more. Speaking of that, I've been getting more and more anonymous comments lately from readers of the WWW about my "I hate Troy Aikman" blog that I wrote last year. Maybe I'm onto something.

8:37 p.m. - Tony Kornheiser just said that Peyton - not Eli, as the pundits have said for years - is "the other Manning". I love that.

8:45 p.m. - Giants defense needs a big stop as Edwards 49 yard reception puts the Browns on the 25 yard line. Why Coughlin declined the false start penalty on the first play of the game is beyond me.

8:47 p.m. - Another Browns false start - this time it was accepted! - and a fumble by Anderson leads to a FG to put the Browns up 3-0.

8:54 p.m. - Nice catch by Steve Smith - the former No. 2 WR at USC. He's been a really great addition since last year for the Giants. I haven't heard about how Dwayne Jarrett - the No. 1 USC Trojan - is doing with the Panthers. Does that guy have a catch in two years?

8:57 p.m. - It's taking 4 or 5 Browns players to take down Brandon Jacobs tonight. Do you think he's amped up after the Browns trash talked him all week long?

8:58 p.m. - Bad pick by Eli. I don't remember his first pick this year, but this one was pretty bad as he overthrew Burress.

9:05 p.m. - The Giants defense looks very mediocre when they face an offense that plays dink and dunk. Shh...don't tell the rest of the league.

9:09 p.m. - No good FG from 51 yards by Phil - don't call me James Vanderbeek - Dawson. Giants have great field position at their own 42 yard line and need to grab hold of this game right here.

9:10 p.m. - My grandfather John Carney is starting over Lawrence Tynes again. I heard Tynes isn't injured, but Carney was chosen to start over him. Interesting.

9:13 p.m. - Is anyone else surprised that Pacman Jones got into trouble again only a 1/3 of the way through the season. Didn't think so.

9:14 p.m. - It seems that Derrick Ward runs for like 15 yards every time he comes into the game. He just ran for 17. Nice change of pace from Brandon Jacobs.

9:17 p.m. - Big 7 yard run from Jacobs as he takes the toss and he runs right over a Browns CB for a TD. Being down by 40 points in both of my fantasy leagues makes me care less about Jacobs -- and not Eli - scoring that TD there (insert inside joke here if you read my other Rushing Blogs). Giants up 7-3.

9:27 p.m. - After a 70+ yard throw to Edwards, Jamal Lewis runs in for a TD. Glad I didn't start him on my fantasy team this week. 10-7 Browns.

9:37 p.m. - Tony Kornheiser is an idiot as he compares Plaxico to T.O. in terms of Plaxico demanding the ball.

9:40 p.m. - I need to see a big stop from the Giants defense right here. The problem is that they haven't had pressure on Derek Anderson the entire night.

9:43 p.m. - The announcers have talked about Tony Romo's injury for literally 5 minutes. That's unacceptable during the middle of the game.

9:49 p.m. - The Giants look like crap right now as the Browns take the ball down the field to make the score 17-7. I told you it was a bad omen. The Giants need to wake the fuck up.

9:52 p.m. - Giants start from their own 20 yard line. I need to see a patented Eli Manning 2 minute drill right here where they get some points to cut the deficit before the half - and maybe get the momentum back.

10 p.m. - Shawn Rogers is one ugly dude.

10:03 p.m. - Eli has been pressured way more times tonight than any other times this season

10:05 p.m. - Welcome back Plax. Eli runs the 2 minute drill in the only way he knows -AWESOMELY - and throws a 3 yard TD to Plaxico to indeed cut the deficit to 17-14 Browns.

Half - It's been a bad half for the Giants defense. They haven't been able to stop the Browns offense, which up until tonight's game, has been inept this season. The offense has been decent, but the line isn't giving Eli anytime to throw and when that happens he's prone to make a mistake. The Giants definitely got the momentum back before the end of the half and will receive to start the 3rd Quarter. I'm hopeful for a better 2nd half.

10:17 p.m. - There was a election type poll at the half that asked who was the better Manning. Eli won 51 to 49 percent. I didn't vote in it. Awesome.

10:18 p.m. - The Rays destroyed the Red Sox today to take a 2-1 lead in the ALCS. That's even more awesome.

10:22 p.m. - Even more awesome is that I am going to be a father to a healthy baby girl in March. Did I mention that?

10:23 p.m. - Dear Giants, Let's go out there with a strong drive to start the 3rd Quarter, okay? Got it? Sincerely, Concerned Fan

10:24 p.m. - Why is Eli throwing a bomb down the field to start the half. That doesn't work as he's intercepted for the second time tonight. Guess they missed my memo

10:26 p.m. - Why is it that the Giants play awesome when no one respects them and crappy when everyone respects them??

10:30 p.m. - Refs miss a blatant holding call on the Browns allowing them to drive down to the Giants 8 yard line before they settle for 3 points. They really let the Giants off the hook there. 20-14 Browns.

10:31 p.m. - I think the Giants should get back to actually running the ball. That's what got them here, right?

10:35 p.m. - Kornheiser just stole my magic marker comment. Bastard.

10:40 p.m. - I don't get the play calling tonight. They abandon the run after running the ball well early and then call a run on 2 and 12th?

10:44 p.m. - Is a turnover from the Giants defense too much to ask for? Ahh.....

10:58 - The Browns have 8 false starts tonight and a ton of other penalties and they are still making the Giants defense look bad.

11:01 p.m. - 27-14 Browns. I'm speechless. This is why the NFL is so intersting because any team can win any week.

11:03 p.m. - There's no way the Giants can win tonight if their offense doesn't wake up and the defense doesn't stop someone.

11:15 p.m. - Just a bad overall game for the Giants as Eli throws his 3rd pick and the Browns take it back for a score. 34-14 Browns. What a debacle. I'm changing the channel with 8 minutes to play. Ugh!

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It

Paperboy and his wife are proud to announce that the stork will deliver a healthy, baby girl on March 3, 2009. ...or March 1...or March 2....depending on which healthcare practioner you ask.

Tony Romo Goes Down!

I heard today that Tony Romo has a broken pinkie on his throwing hand and is out for 4 weeks.

That's really sad news. So sad that I laughed out loud when I heard it.

This presents a dilemma for Tony Romo.

No, I don't mean how the Cowboys are going to survive without him.

The true dilemma is do you think he's going to wear his promise ring from Jessica Simpson on his ring finger or just store it in his Terrell Owens jewelry box until his pinkie finger is healed.

More Terrifying than McCain-Palin

There's only one thing that is more frightening to me than a McCain-Palin ticket in the White House in January...and that's the scariest/most terrifying movie I've ever seen before: The People Under the Stairs.

I saw it when I was 15 or so and didn't watch it again until just last week. Because it left such an undeniable scar on my psyche. After watching the movie again last week on Netflix.com, I'm still scared as hell about the movie.

It is demented and unforgiving and I recommend it only to people who can deal with it.

Week 5 - Paperboy's Rushing Blog

Welcome back to Paperboy's Week 5 Rushing Blog. I guess you could call it Week 5. I didn't write one in Week 4 of the NFL season because of the Giants bye, so I guess you could call it Week 4. It's a busy day for Paperboy and his wife today. Cleaned up around the house this morning, watching the Giants game at 1 p.m. and then headed out to a 6 p.m. wedding in Short Hills.

11:51 p.m. - Both of my lineups are set for this week with one exception. I have John Carney, the old man Giants kicker starting for my team Road Warriors and I'm waiting to find out whether or not it's him or Lawrence Tynes - who's back from injury -who is kicking today for the team. You know my opinion: Carney is 9 for 9 this season as the placekicker and I don't think he should lose the job to Tynes, who is wildly inconsistent. I've heard the argument that the starter - Tynes - shouldn't lose his job because of an injury and I've also heard that while Carney is 9 for 9 early in the season, the Giants are worried that he is going to wear down - because of his age - as the season moves on. I don't buy either.

11:54 p.m. - This morning, I'm finishing up People Under the Stairs for the second time in my life. I remember watching it when I was 14 years old and having it scare the bejesus out of me. It took me 16 years to watch it for the second time and I'm definitely as scared as I was when I was 14. I'll be back (shaking) in a half hour or so.

12:27 p.m - In the first half hour of the Fox Pre-Game (a show I never watch) they've talked about the Redskins and Cowboys and still haven't talked about the Giants. The Super Bowl Champs get no respect.

12:45 p.m. - I've already written about the Plaxico Burress suspension, so I'll just say that I think that the team will miss him, but I think Domenick Hixon and Steve Smith will fill in just find for Burress.

12:57 p.m. - People Under the Stairs is one scary, demented movie. Kinda like future movie about the life of Al Davis.

1:01 p.m. - This is a big game for the Giants. They've started the season 3-0 and are historically bad after their bye week. The Seahawks are 1-2 and also coming off their bye week, so hopefully that helps Big Blue.

1:06 p.m. - On their first drive of the game, Matt Hasselbeck goes down on 3 and 5 and screams as loud as Elizabeth Hasselbeck does about Sarah Palin in The View. That can't be good for the Seahawks.

1:13 p.m. Nice 44 yard run by Jacobs followed up by a phenomenal 33 yard Touchdown pass from Eli to Domenick Hixon. Plax who? 7-0 Giants.

1:23 p.m. - Helped by a dumb personal foul call on Kevin Dockery, the Seahawks cut the score to 7-3 Giants.

1:28 p.m. - A sweet 15 yard end around rush by Dom Hixon - I've decided to call him Dom. This guy is something. Strahan called him a future superstar in the Fox pre-game show. You know, when they finally talked about the Giants at 1:47 p.m.

1:32 p.m. - I keep talking about it - and you can tell me to shut up - but since last year's regular season game against the Pats there's something different about Eli Manning. He actually stands in the pocket now, throws the ball off his front foot with force and is not scared by the pressure. I don't know what happened, but he's been a different QB since that game.

1:33 p.m. - 3 yard TD run by Jacobs, 14-3 Giants. Again, I was wishing that it was Jacobs that scored the TD, but instead Eli throwing it - since he's my QB in both leagues. Again, I'm sick.

1:38 p.m. - After a quick 3 and out by the Seahawks, Manning hits Hixon on 41 Yard bomb on the first play of the Giants series.

S-U-P-E-R-S-T-A-R.

1:43 p.m. - My fantasy starter John Carney nails a 29 yard FG and puts the Giants up by 2 TDs, 17-3 Giants.

1:48 p.m. - Another 3 and out by the Seahawks. The Giants defense looks really good today.

2:00 p.m. - 2nd TD of game for Jacobs after Hixon comes up just short of the goal line on throw by Manning. You would think I was rooting against the Giants! 24-3 Giants.

2:04 p.m. - John Carney has been rough on kickoff today as his kickoff lands just in front of the 20 yard line. That's definitely a positive in Tynes "Pro" column. He is better than Carney on kickoffs.

2:08 p.m. - Another 3 and out for the Seahawks offense. They are 0 for 5 on 3rd down today. The Giants offense, who has scored on their first four possessions will take the field again. They must be tired.

2:20 p.m. - Carney nails a 33-yard FG to put the Giants up 27-3. He then kicks the ball out of bounds on the kickoff. Not a good thing to do with 47 seconds left. The last thing the Giants need to do now is give the Seahawks life.

2:24 p.m. - 2 separate, dumb personal foul face mask penalties by the Giants defense gives the Seahawks life -- and 30 yards -- and they cash in with a field goal. 27-6 Giants.

At the half - Giants have 342 yards of offense in the first half...the most of any team in the league this year and most by a Giants team in 17 years. Thanks to Kenny Albert for those two morsels of information. Eli has his most first half passing yards in his career. Strahan says during the half-time show: "Giants are a new team. This is not even the team that I played on. They don't need me. They don't need Osi. They don't need Plaxico. The team really believes that they can win with whoever they have in there."

2:47 p.m. - A wide open 23 yard TD pass from Eli to Sinorice Moss. Did you hear that the Giants use to have a WR named Plaxico Burress? 34-6 Giants. According to Kenny Albert, the Giants have scored on all 6 possessions. Thanks again Kenny.

2:52 p.m. - Another 3 and out for the Seahawks. They are a pitiful team that has only been helped by Giant penalties.

2:55 p.m. - The Giants offense takes the field again. Boring. Where's Ahmad Bradshaw today? He hasn't seen the field once in a running situtation today.

2:57 p.m. - The Giants are denied on 3rd down! ...and Jeff Feagles comes in to punt for the first time today.

3:02 p.m. - Seattle is 0 for 7 on 3rd down as Kevin Dockery intercepts Hasselbeck and runs it back 30+ yards.

3:08 p.m. - 35 yard FG by my fantasy guy John Carney to make it 37-6 Giants. That's 3 FGs and 4 XPs by Carney today. That's nice.

3:15 p.m. - Hasselbeck is taken out of the game for Seneca Wallace. Presumably so he doesn't get hurt in the Giants blow-up win.

3:23 p.m. - Coughlan makes the same decision and takes out Eli. I think that's a great decision despite the fact that Eli won't be getting any more fantasy points for me today.

3:24 p.m. - Bradshaw finally gets into the game and is running like a madman.

3:27 p.m. - Bradshaw just rushed for 30+ yards like he was a player in Madden 09. He was spinning and stiff arming and kicking butt.

3:28 p.m. - 2 TD of the game for Sinorice Moss and it's 44-6 Giants. Do you remember way back when the Giants won the Super Bowl on that last minute TD catch. Who was the WR who caught that pass, again?

3:29 p.m. - Alright, I need to get ready for this wedding we're going to and with a 38 point lead and 9 minutes left in the game, I'm pretty sure the game is well in hand.

Way to Go Joe!

Sarah Palin did a great job last night (reading her cue cards word for word).

For the first half hour of last night's debate, she was CRUSHING Joe Biden, who was flat and boring and produced more misstatements than did Palin. It was apparent that she "studied" for the debate and knew where the appropriate cue card was in her packet.

But then something changed....maybe she ran out of cue cards?

At about 9:31 p.m., Sarah Palin had a moment that she looked like she was a Fembot who's head was about to explode. Gwen Ifil, who did a horrible job last night (more on this later), asked Palin and Biden about climate change and it was obvious that Palin had either lost that cue card or simply hadn't prepared for the question because she produced a Katie Couric interview type answer that left me - and probably the rest of America - puzzled.

And then Sarah Palin started bringing out the old Reagan cliches, turning on the drawl, winking at the camera, giving out shoutouts to her family and brother's 3rd grade class. I thought to myself: "Am I really watching a VP debate or a H.S. debate?

And that's why I thought Joe Biden, despite a slow start, won this debate handily.

The pundits are also saying this morning that Biden won the debate and I agree. He did bad in the first hour and for the next hour after that he went on the attack of John McCain and performed wonderfully. It is truly sad that some people are saying this morning that it was a tie because Palin put together a coherant sentence and didn't make any huge gaffes. That's just plain wrong.

My favorite moments of the debate were:

1) When Biden got choked up talking about his son who almost died. Palin didn't even acknowledge this after his comments and went on to spurt nonsense about John McCain and her being a maverick.

2) After the 60th time that Palin mentioned that John McCain was a maverick, Biden shot back. "Let me talk to you about how John McCain isn't a maverick." That was a great moment and I literally jumped out of my seat when he said it.

3) Biden talking about how Palin hadn't mentioned how the McCain-Palin ticket would do things differently than Bush did. His repeating of the phase: "I haven't heard how they are going to do things different than President Bush" was a powerful moment.

Other questions about the debate:

1) How could Gwen Ifil not ask about the candidates views of Roe v. Wade?

2) Why was Ifil so timid last night? Did the Republican smear campaign on her book actually affect her?

3) How could Palin dare say that Obama-Biden talk about change all of the time, yet they are living in the past by mentioning the mistakes of the past 8 years. How, may I ask, does this logically make sense? In order to effectively "change" something, don't you have to acknowledge the things that went on in the past in order to promote actual "change."

4) One thing you might not have noticed: I don't believe Sarah Palin called Barrack Obama...Senator Obama once last night. That's a sign of disrespect and I guarantee it was intentional. And I don't believe that Joe Biden called Palin....Sarah once last night. Everytime he addressed her and her views specificially he called her Governor Palin. That's a sign of respect.

After watching the Couric interviews, I laughed (a lot) because it was apparent that Sarah Palin didn't know anything. Last night, despite her good acting job, confirmed it for me. I'll be terrified if her and John McCain are elected in November and will be longing for the days of George W. Bush. And that is something I thought I would never say.

The Dumbing Down of America

I think Sarah Palin is going to do a fine job tonight.

I’m a staunch supporter of Obama-Biden ’08, but I believe all Palin needs to win tonight’s debate is make some salient points and string together a few coherent sentences.

The public’s expectations of Sarah Palin are so low it’s ridiculous. The public is expecting to be entertained by her nonsensical answers tonight and if she simply puts together some coherent thoughts – a questionable feat after hearing what she named her kids (you thought I was going to say something about the Katie Couric interviews, didn’t you) – she’ll wildly exceed everyone’s expectations. And that’s sad since she’s the Republican VP candidate who is – watch for the cliché – one heartbeat away from being the President.

Short of her running off stage tonight like her hair is on fire, screeching “I have people skills, damnit!” I think the – liberal, elite, pro-Obama (tongue in cheek) – media will declare her tonight’s winner.

I hope I’m wrong. It’ll make for entertaining television if am.

I See Dead People

It's ridiculous that Al Davis - Skelator - said yesterday that former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin - who he fired yesterday - was an embarrassment to the team. He should look in his undead mirror to see who's the true embarrassment to the team.

A Family & National Emergency

It was a rough and confusing day for me. My tooth hurts like hell, my head hurts worse and I am simply dumbfounded by the actions today of both Plaxico Burress and John McCain. No, Plaxico is not McCain's Republican running mate, some experienced politician from our country's most sparsely populated state is.

Plaxico was suspended for 2 weeks (1 game plus the Giants bye week) and docked 2 weeks pay ($235k) for insubordination. He skipped two days of practice and didn't tell the team about it because of what he says was a family emergency. After reading about 65 pages of his new "self serving" book "Giant" about his life, I totally know this excuse is complete crap. I forgive him though because he caught the game winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII.

He could streak naked on meth through a crowd of nuns walking through Times Square and I would forgive him.

Equally confusing and bizarre to Plax's behavior was John McCain's call today for the Friday night debate to be postponed so both candidates could help solve the nation's financial crisis. This makes no sense to me? How exactly could these two senators help solve the nation's crisis? Are they are on banking committee?

What is going on with this guy? I could see a call for postponing the debates if they were scheduled on September 11, 2001 or if someone famous was assassinated or something, but this makes less sense than Plaxico's excuse ... What is he thinking?

I know these two men are separated by 200 years of age, but they are frankly very similar because of just how confusing they acted today.

Shockey to Miss 3-6 Weeks

I laughed out loud today when I heard that Saints TE Jeremy Shockey will miss 3-6 weeks after sports hernia surgery. Of course, he will. Thanks for the 2 draft picks, Saints.

Week 3 Rushing Blog

11:51 a.m. - Welcome back to the Week 3 Paperboy's Rushing Blog. I've got another fantasy dilemna today. Adrian Peterson vs. Ryan Grant. Normally this wouldn't be a question at all because Peterson is superior to Grant, but I heard that Peterson was limited in practice all week long. He's starting today, but has a hamstring injury.

11:54 a.m. - We had a bang up 60th Surprise Birthday party for my Dad. He was completely surprised. Before the party, I took him out to see Righteous Kill. I was the decoy basically. The movie was decent, but it had the same premise as Dexter. Guy kills bad people, so he thinks it's okay.

12:04 p.m. - I watched Meet Bill on Netflix Watch Instantly late last night and thought it was thoroughly entertaining.

12:07 p.m. - Ed Hocholi should not be suspended or fined or fired as just mentioned by the ridiculous huge Fox Pre-Game Show. The guy made a mistake, has apologized to EVERYONE and has taken enough guff this week. We should forgive him now. Even Chargers fans.

12:15 p.m. - I think I'm going with Peterson this week. He's active and playing today and that's good enough for me.

12:32 p.m. - I am so psyched to see Ironman on DVD on September 30th. I never saw it in the movie theaters because of scheduling issues, and totally can't wait to see it on DVD. A bunch of friends saw it and thought it was awesome. I might even buy it when it comes out. That's how excited I am.

12:53 p.m. - Another interesting matchup for the Giants. It has the same feel as last week's game against the Rams: Defending Super Bowl Champ vs. subpar early season team. The Giants players talked all week long about how they were not overlooking the 0-2 Bengals. I think that's definitely the case.

12:56 p.m. - God, I hope Troy Aikman and Joe Buck aren't doing the Giants-Bengals game today.

12:59 p.m. - I forgot the game was on CBS today. Thank God!

1:03 p.m. - Oh no! It's Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf! Hopefully they are better than Troy and Joe. Although they aren't great commentors. I like guys like Phil Simms, Gus Johnson and Jim Nance better.

1:14 p.m. - Great first stop by the Giants defense on the first drive by the Bengals. 2 sacks on the first drive. That's nice for my fantasy team.

1:20 p.m. - Eli and Toomer aren't on the same page for about the 10th time this season. I'm not sure what's going on with those two guys this season.

1:24 p.m. - I hate when commentors call players by their wrong name. Joe Gumbel... I mean Greg Gumbel calls Chris Perry... Chad Perry.

1:25 p.m. - Greg Gumbel apologizes for the error. I feel bad now.

1:31 p.m. - Nice stop on 3rd and Goal for the Giants defense on the 3 yard line. Shayne Graham makes a 22-yard FG, despite me dropping his ass from both of my fantasy teams last week. I hate that guy. 3-0 Bengals.

1:32 p.m. - For the first time in 71 minutes and 35 seconds (2 games and almost 1 quarter) the Giants are losing.

1:42 p.m. - Eli chucks a great 21 yard pass to Kevin Boss for his first catch of the season. I don't see Jeremy Shockey doing that for the Saints! Kidding.

1:45 p.m. - Brandon Jacobs rushes in for a 1 yard TD. On the play before, Eli threw a pass to fullback Madison Hedgecock and he was stopped at the 1. Eli's my fantasy QB again today on both teams. I'm upset that he didn't get this touchdown and it was instead a 1-run run by Jacobs. That's sick. 7-3 Giants.

1:50 p.m. - Kerry Collins is doing a good job of leading the Titans against the Texans today. To be honest, I didn't know this former Giant was still in the league.

1:56 p.m. - Chad...er Chris Perry runs 25 yards for a TD and the Giants defense looks pretty poor on that drive. 10-7 Bengals. Yikes.

1:59 p.m. - Excellent 40+ kickoff run back from Reuben Doughns to tear the momentum away from the Bengals.

2:02 p.m. - It's amazing how subpar Randy Moss is with a below average quarterback.

2:07 p.m. - Eli misses a touchdown pass to Plaxico by a toe. Carney knocks through a FG to tie the score, 10-10.

2:12 p.m. - My fantasy teams are performing so poorly today that I've turned off the score trackers for both games.

2:16 p.m. - The Giants secondary looks like crap today.

2:17 p.m. - Is it Chad Johnson or Chad Ocho Cinco? Gumbel and Dierdorf just called him Johnson after he clearly fumbled the ball on the 5 yard line. Plus it says Johnson on his jersey. What an embarassment.

2:22 p.m. - I love it how Shayne Graham has 2 FGs today when he only had 1 in the last 2 games. 13-10 Bengals.

2:28 p.m. - At the half it's still 13-10. The Giants offense and defense need to wake the hell up like they did last week against the Rams.

2:45 p.m. - There was a heated dispute at last night's party about Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. I don't believe John McCain was discussed. Is he running for President?

2:46 p.m. - While I'm excited about the Sept. 30th release of Iron Man, I think I'm more excited about the first presidential debate between Obama and McCain. Finally, America will have a chance to hear about the real issues. The question is do they care more about the issues that affect their lives or who they'd more like to have a beer with. How did that work out the last eight years?

2:48 p.m. - Brandon Jacobs honestly needs to learn how to catch the damn ball.

2:55 p.m. - I heard earlier this week that Microsoft is dropping its Seinfeld-Gates commercials. Thank God. They sucked.

2:59 p.m. - Nice punt return by Dominick Hixon. Eli needs to lead the Giants for some points on this drive.

3:00 p.m. - Ronnie Brown has 4 TDs today (3 running and 1 throwing) and he's sitting on my bench. It's not like I thought for a second to start him.

3:06 p.m. - Giants receivers are not catching the ball today as Plaxico drops another one. That's about the 4th or 5th drop today.

3:07 p.m. - John Carney knocks through a 46 yard FG after the referee misses a clear late hit on Eli. Tie ball game, 13-13.

3:07 p.m. and 30 seconds - I heard that Lawrence Tynes was warming up before the game today and is close to coming back as the Giants regular place kicker. I have no idea how they could let this happen. Carney is perfect so far as the Giants place kicker this season and I have no confidence that Tynes would have made the same kick that Carney just did.

3:15 p.m. - Domenick Hixon is really playing so well this season. 3 catches for 28 yards today plus some nice returns on special teams. I think he's the heir apparent to Amani Toomer.

3:17 p.m. - 5 TDs (or 37 fantasy points) by Ronnie Brown today. Damn. Honestly, I didn't think for a second about starting him. ...and frankly, I'm mad as hell about it.

3:20 p.m. - Did you hear about the Mentalist on CBS? What kind of a name for a show is that?!It's going to be on for 2 episodes before getting cancelled. Although, CBS doesn't cancel shows like Fox does. It just deals with the bad ratings.

3:25 p.m. - Earnest Graham has 8 carries for 1 yard today. Glad I started him!

3:28 p.m. - 26 yard FG by Carney. He remains perfect and old. 16-13 Giants.

3:40 p.m. - The Giants defense looks atrocious today. They are being totally exposed by short passes by the Bengals.

3:43 p.m. - T.J. Housh (I can't spell his name) scored and the Giants are down 20-16. That's rough...manzadeh.

3:44 p.m. - Shows you how much fantasy football "experts" know. A lot of them this week ranked Matt Cassel as the top QB starter this week. Late in the 4th, Cassel was just pulled in favor of Kevin O'Connell with the Patriots trailing 38-13. This is an unmitigated for Randy Moss.

I literally don't care about one of my fantasy teams any longer.

3:45 p.m. - Eli leads the Giants from the 31 yard line with 4:31 left in the game. Let's go Giants!

3:46 p.m. - Huge run by Derrick Ward gets the Giants to the Bengals 46 yard line.

3:47 p.m. - Finally a nice catch from Toomer to the 32.

3:49 p.m. - Clutch 3 and 10 catch by Steve Smith puts Giants on 18.

3:50 p.m. - Great 15 yard burst up the middle by Ward puts Giants on 3.

3:54 p.m. - 6 YARD TD PASS TO THE FORGOTTEN KEVIN BOSS! THAT'LL SHOW THE NY MEDIA. GIANTS UP 23-20. Eli does it again (helped by some nice running by Ward) going 69 yards in 2:41! !

3:59 p.m. - Greg Gumbel just called Carson Palmer ...Chad Palmer. He must have a love affair with Chad Ocho Cinco

4:00 p.m. - Giants defense needs a stop. Something they haven't done all day. 51 seconds left and the Bengals are driving again.

4:01 p.m. - I might throw up.

4:04 p.m. - The bane of my existence Shayne Graham to attempt a 20 yard FG.

4:05 p.m. - Graham makes it and the game is going into OT. Why couldn't he do that while he was on my fantasy team.

4:06 p.m. - Giants win the OT coin toss and the crowd goes wild!

4:07 p.m. - I'm as nervous as I was during Super Bowl 42.

4:08 p.m. - Eli and the Giants start OT from their own 20 yard line.

4:12 p.m. - Giants offense falls short on a 3rd and 6 and is forced to punt the ball. Can we please get a stop from the Giants defense??

4:15 p.m. - Great block by Sam Madison and the Giants get the ball back on their own 34 yard line.

4:17 p.m. - Big catch by Plax puts Giants at the Bengals 38 yard line.

4:20 p.m. - Eli stands in pocket amidst crazy pressure and Toomer makes his first good catch of the day.

4:20 p.m. - Carney comes out for the field goal and is iced by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis who calls a timeout.

4:22 p.m. - Carney knocks through a 22 yard field goal and Giants win, 26-23!

End of the game - This was a rough game. Sure, the Giants are 3-0. The defense played horrible...probably as bad as I've seen them play in a long, long time. Eli and the offense played well at the end of the 4th and in overtime to win. Thankfully the team has a bye next week so they can work out some of their kinks.

I'm going to throw up now.

My Yankee Stadium Memories

It seems like every sports radio talk show this past week has had callers call in to talk about their memories of Yankees Stadium. So I thought I’d join the funeral and share my thoughts. There are so many memories that I have of games at Yankees Stadium, but for this blog, I’ll only share my top 5 moments when I was actually in attendance at the game.

#5: Watching Joba Chamberlain’s 2nd major league start against the Royals – In the grand scheme of things it was an insignificant game during the season, but I’ll never forget this game because it was Joba’s 2nd major league start and I think he’s the true No. 1 starter for the future Yankees.

#4 - Don Mattingly’s 200th career homerun. Believe it or not, I was at the Stadium for Don Mattingly’s 200th career homerun. Mattingly hit a blast to right center and when it was posted on the screen, the Yankees rose to their feet. In the next instance Danny Tartabull hit a homerun and the Stadium’s noise level ramped up to another level.

#3 1996 Opening Day – There’s an entire, long story that goes behind this game to how I surprised my dad with opening day tickets to how it snowed – yes snowed in April – for the entire game. It was effectively the start of the Yankees’ latest dynasty and a game I’ll never forget because it was one of the many I spent with my dad.

#2 – My first game at Yankees stadium in 1987 against the Minnesota Twins – As so many early childhood memories are, this one is hazy, but I do remember walking out and seeing the Yankees Stadium field for the first time. It was something magical. And I’ve gotten the same exact feeling every time since.

#1: I was at Yankees Stadium in the left field bleachers for Aaron Boone’s 11th inning solo homerun off Tim Wakefield in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series. I’ve blogged about this moment countless times before so I won’t bore you. I’ll just say again it was the loudest and brightest I’ve ever seen Yankees Stadium. It was also probably the loudest and brightest experience of my life.

I look forward to making new memories at the new Yankee Stadium – if I can afford a ticket – but I’ll never forget these memories.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy 60th Birthday to my dad!

I can't believe we're both so old!

Things Heard During the Cowboys-Eagles Pre-Game

Things heard - or not - during the Cowboys-Eagles Pre-Game Show on ESPN:

Stuart Scott: These are the two best teams in the NFC East even though both teams haven't won the Super Bowl in the past 10 years.

Chris Berman: Eagles fans are the most patient fans in the NFL.

Steve Young: Tony Romo is the best QB in the NFL never to have won a playoff game.

Emmit Smith: Isn't Tony Romo so dreamy?

Ron Jaworski: Did you hear that Jessica Simpson caught Terrell Owens making out with "his quarterback" and "his teammate" Tony Romo?

........................................................................................................................................................

It sickens me that both the Eagles and Cowboys are getting more coverage/credit this year than are the Giants. Both teams haven't won anything and they are already being christened as two of the best teams in the league. That's ridiculous.

24 is Coming Back!

After a 1 1/2 year hiatus, my favorite show is coming back! Last night, I saw a 2 minute preview of Season 7 of 24, which comes out in November, and am psyched.

Season 7 takes place an entirely new location. I think it's somewhere in Africa, but I don't have solid details on that; at least it's not in Los Angeles. After the horrible Season 6 debacle, the show needed to shake itself up. I even stopped watching it (depending on your perspective) halfway through the day - if you Jack Bauer - and halfway through the season - if you're the American viewing audience.

I totally foggy on details, but it involves Jack Bauer getting tortured and shooting people all while screaming damnit 500 times during the day. It's just a typical day for Jack Bauer.

Week 2: Paperboy's Rushing Blog

Back by popular demand, it's the Paperboy's Rushing Blog. ...I really don't like the name of the blog though, so if you have any suggestions, let me know. ...Also, the wife suggested changing the format of my posts so people can read from top to bottom, so I've changed it.

12:10 p.m. - Welcome back...Last week was easy for me to handle this blog while I was watching/commenting on the game and related commercials, because I didn't need to deal with looking at the progress of my two fantasy teams. So, this rushing blog could definitely suffer this week as I try to keep up with everything -- usually what happens when you are spread too thin is that you don't end up enjoying or devoting enough time to ANYTHING.

12:16 p.m. - Last week, I made the bad choice of selecting Carson Palmer as the starting QB on both of my fantasy teams over Eli Manning. I ended up winning in both leagues, but gave up 10 or so points on each team. This week, my lineup on my Road Warriors team is set. I'm having some difficulty though, selecting a guy for the RB/WR position on my The Paperboy team. It's between Ryan Grant - who has an easy opponent in the Lions and a banged up hamstring - or Chris Johnson who is facing the Bengals and had an awesome Week one. I'm leaning toward starting Chris Johnson because Grant's injury will most likely limit him. Will this last minute decision come back to bite me - AGAIN? We shall see. I have another 30+ minutes to decide for sure.

12:29 p.m. - Chris Johnson is the selection. Wish me luck!

12:35 p.m. - The wife and I are watching a True Blood-Lines: A New Type. It's an interesting take on how vampires have been shown in popular culture. This show is an extra for the new HBO show True Blood...a campy and awesome new show about vampires.

12:52 p.m. - It'll be interesting to see today how the Giants play after a 10 day layoff. It feels like it has been forever since they played the Redskins on Opening Night. Hopefully there's not a letdown from the Super Bowl Champs.

12:56 p.m. - Why do I have to hear Joe Buck and Troy Aikman do another Giants game. I really hate these guys. Buck needs to stick to calling baseball games - where he does much better play-by-play....and Troy Aikman should just stick to sucking.

1:05 p.m. - Oh, by the way. I'm starting Eli over Palmer on both of my teams today. It's going to turn out good for me this week. I just know it!

1:11 p.m. - The Rams have an offensive lineman named Richie Incognito. I wonder if he gets noticed a lot.

1:14 p.m. - Right now, I'm typing this blog entry, eating cheese and crackers, watching the Giants-Rams game, watching the Bengals-Titans game on ESPN GameCast and keeping track of the scores of both my fantasy teams. On one hand, you could consider me to be a good multi-tasker...and on the other hand you could say I have Attention Deficit Disorder.

1:20 p.m. - Wow, what an awesome touchdown pass by Eli Manning! He felt the pressure, stepped up in the pocket and lofted a sweet 33-yard TD pass to Plaxico Burress. Last year in the regular season, Eli would have never felt that pressure and would have taken a sack and probably would have fumbled the ball. 7-0 Giants.

1:25 p.m. - Near the end of the first quarter, Ryan Grant has 5 carries for 4 yards and Chris Johnson has 4 carries for 3 yards. Damn, I knew I should have started Grant. Kidding...

1:31 p.m. - Whose idea was it to put together these annoying and long Bill Gates-Jerry Seinfeld "normal people" commercials. They are horrible.

1:40 p.m. - 3 and 2 for the Rams from 32 yard line and Danny Clark makes a nice stop to drop the Rams back. 54 Yard Field Goal try is still good. Damn. Giants 7-3.

1:52 p.m. - Eli is throwing down the field a lot today, but for some reason the Giants call a running play on 3rd and 9. It leads to a 39 yard field goal attempt by my grandfather John Carney and it is GOOD just insides the upright! 10-3 Giants.

2:02 p.m. - Giants offense takes the field again after a nice stop by the defense. About 6 minutes left in the half. Another score by the Giants offense before the end of the half would be nice.

2:08 p.m. - Right after they allow the Rams to convert a 3rd and 17, Antonio Pierce bursts through the middle untouched and gets the 4th Giants sack.

2:10 p.m. - Rams line up for another 54 yard Field Goal attempt and Coach Scott Linehan tries to ice his own kicker by letting the clock run down to the 2 minute warning.

2:13 p.m. - Unfortunately, Linehan's strategy (my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek) doesn't work and the Rams cut the score to 10-6.

2:14 p.m. - Troy Aikman criticizes the Giants for beating the Redskins. Apparently they didn't win by enough points last week.

2:16 p.m. - With 2 minutes left in the half the Giants break out the no huddle offense. An offense that Eli succeeds with consistently.

2:18 p.m. - Giants are driving toward the goal line led by some nice 10 yard passes by Eli and runs by Derrick Ward.

2:21 p.m. - 33 yard try by Carney is good. I love this guy. He's perfect so far as the Giants kicker. Can we put Lawrence Tynes on the injured reserve this season? 13-6 Giants.

2:23 p.m. - The half ends and Joe Buck again gives the Giants a nice backhand by saying that the score is closer than anyone expected. Thanks Joe. I don't think anyone expected the Rams kicker to hit two 54 yard FGs either. The Rams haven't done anything today except hit those two LONG field goals. They benefited from one big 3rd and 17 yard play and a 15 yard facemask penalty on Justin Tuck. Other than that, they haven't been great. The Giants offense has stalled during various parts of the game and Eli hasn't succeeded at throwing the ball more than 30 yards down the field. That's not his strength. I know the Rams secondary is suspect, but the team should totally stick with what is working in this game and has worked in the past.

2:25 p.m. - Fox has entirely too many people on their half time show. There's Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan. I think Strahan needs to unretire from football.

2:28 p.m. - At the half, Ryan Grant has 9 carries for 12 yards. His coach said before the game that he'll only get about 15 carries this game. Chris Johnson has 8 carries for 67 yards - highlighted by a 51 yard scamper near the end of the half. I think I made the right choice.

2:32 p.m. - Adrian Peterson, who has the pleasure of being on The Paperboy team -- and also the displeasure of being on the real life Vikings -- has 118 yards rushing in the first half of the game against the Colts. This guy is totally sick. The Vikings shouldn't even throw the ball.

2:42 p.m. - I have New Orleans against the Redskins in my one free survivor football and the Saints are only up 10-9 at the end. Yeesh!

2:46 p.m. - Nice 30 yard run by Brandon Jacobs. As I was cheering for his run, I thought in the back of my mind - "Shit, the guy that I am playing in fantasy this week has Jacobs in his lineup." That's sick.

2:54 p.m. - Great play-action Touchdown...Manning to Toomer. Excellent throw. Excellent catch. 20-6 Giants.

2:58 p.m. - Eli's older brother - you might have heard of him - Peyton and his Colts are really playing poorly this season. They got surprised by the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and are losing to the Minnesota Vikings - 15-0 late in the 3rd Quarter. That's a shock.

3:04 p.m. - It's a bad sign when Joe Buck tells you that the Rams punter has been a bright spot for the Rams today.

3:13 p.m. - Troy Aikman makes another stupid comment and I continue to hate him. The question is did I hate him more as the Cowboys QB in the 90s or as his current stint as Fox's "top" color commentator.

3:15 p.m. - I have the answer. I respected him as the Cowboys QB. I despise him now in his role as Fox's most biased color commentator.

3:20 p.m. - Aikman is clearly rooting for the Rams today. He just sighed when Marc Bulger overthrew a wide open Dane Looker.

3:26 p.m. - Torry Holt catches a B.S. touchdown that bounces off his chest when he's on the ground. The referees figure its a touchdown and call it so. The Giants don't have it reviewed. That pisses me off. 20-13 Giants. Joe Buck reminds us again that he thinks the Giants suck.

3:33 p.m. - I watched Fringe last week on Fox and thought it definitely was an interesting new show. Let's hope Fox doesn't cancel it just as I'm getting into it. I'm still bitter about them cancelling Drive from a couple seasons ago.

3:37 p.m. - I really like Ahmad Bradshaw. He runs with a full head of steam and reminds me a lot of Tiki Barber.

3:40 p.m. - Bradshaw scores on a 20 yard TD pass from Eli. 3 TDs from Eli today. Nice score by Bradshaw, 26-13 Giants.

3:45 p.m. - The Rams have literally been in 3rd and more than 10 yards six or seven times today. They've scored on two 54 yard FGs and a questionable, a bobbling TD pass that wasn't reviewed by the Giants. They are hideous. I think their coach Scott Linehan is the first on the chopping block this season.

3:46 p.m. - Speaking of hideous: Have you seen Carson Palmer's numbers today. 134 yards passing and 2 Interceptions. That's 1 fantasy point for those counting at home. Eli's got more than 25 fantasy points. Nice!

3:45 p.m. - Great athletic batted ball/interception by Justin Tuck. He runs it back 42 yards for a touchdown. 34-13 Giants.

3:45 p.m. and 30 seconds: Did I mention the Giants defense is on both my fantasy teams?

3:55 p.m. - Nice 32 yard TD run for Bradshaw. 41-13 Giants. Are the Giants a good team now Troy and Joe?

4:00 p.m. - Who will get fired first? Scott Linehan or Raiders coach Lane Kiffin?

4:03 p.m. - 15 carries for 20 yards for Ryan Grant and 19 carries for 109 yards for Chris Johnson. I thankfully made the right choice.

4:05 p.m. - 20 of 29 for 260 yards, 3 TDs and a 131.4 passer rating for Eli. Giants offense and defense played a great game. They started slow and probably kept the inept Rams in the game for too long. But in the 2nd half they played really well and ended up winning 41-13.

That's it for now guys and girls. Thanks for reading. Sign up as a follower of my site on the top right handed corner. Thanks.

9-11-01

Will it always feel like September 11, 2001 just happened yesterday?

It didn't though.

It happened seven years ago today.

I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday, but the memories from that day seven years ago are still so fresh in my mind.

I wrote a blog about it last year where I shared my experiences from that day so I won’t rehash my thoughts again here. If I did, I’d probably write the same exact thing I wrote last year.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day.

I finally did watch a September 11th related movie – United 93 – a few months ago (I think I blogged about it) and it was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to watch. I never thought that I would watch a movie about the events that day. But I finally did.

I finally let myself relive part of that day …even though it wasn’t from the same perspective as the one that I have in my head. Maybe that was a step in the right direction of me moving on.

When will September 11th just be a normal day again?

Lipstick on a Hottie

Good for Barack Obama! Finally a Democrat stands up to a Republican and doesn't run away with his tail between his legs!

I was disgusted to hear this morning that the McCain campaign is making a big deal out of Obama's comment that he was referring to Palin when he used the phrase "lipstick on a pig" at a speech on Tuesday.

When the McCain Camp claimed outage, Obama shot back - unlike anything that John Kerry, Al Gore or any other Dem had done in the past -- saying: "I don't care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics. Enough is enough," he said.

Good for you Barack!

I'm tired of the "fake" controversies that Republicans have been spinning for years to win elections. They should be talking about real issues that affect real Americans. Like the fact that paying for health insurance at my company is just as expensive as paying for Cobra coverage. That's B.S.!

Plus, Sarah Palin isn't close to being a pig. She's a full fledged hottie who faked her own pregnancy, believes in Alaska seceding from the union and believes in building bridges to nowhere until it's deemed a bad idea by the rest of the country.

Congrats Matt and Kate!!

My buddy Matt and his wife Kate - who just happens to also be my wife's cousin - gave birth to a brand spanking new baby boy this afternoon around 5 p.m.

Ben Drake Chiller entered the world today at a healthy 6 lbs, 5 oz - or about the same weight as Tom Brady's new metal knee.

Matt is a huge Boston fan and I lived with the guy for 7 years before we moved on and ended up marrying our wives. Congrats buddy! My best to you, Kate and your new baby boy!!

Karma's a Bitch

Maybe Earl Hickey from My Name is Earl was on to something when he said: "You know the kind of guy who does nothing but bad things, and then wonders why his life sucks? Well... that was me. Every time something good happened to me, something bad was always waiting around the corner. Karma. That's when I realized I had to change. So, I made a list of everything bad I've ever done and, one by one I'm going to make up for all my mistakes. I'm just trying to be a better person. My name is Earl."

I'm sure Mr. Brady and Mr. Belicheat were thinking about karma yesterday as Brady went down for the season in Week 1 with a torn ACL.

After last year's Spygate controversy, it just shows you that the karma gods sure have a wicked sense of humor.

Paperboy's Rushing Blog - Giants vs. Redskins

Welcome to the inaugural edition of "Paperboy's Rushing - Not Running Blog"!

It's the Giants' first game of the season against the Washington Redskins as they attempt to valiantly defend their Super Bowl XLII Championship.

Hopefully the blog and game is not too boring. I'll try to sprinkle in some non-football-related off color humor. ... Start from the bottom and read up...like you're reading chinese.

10:04 p.m. - The Republican National Convention is starting. I'm not watching it. Let me know if McCain croaks.

End of the game - The Giants played just well enough to win tonight. In the beginning of the game, they had four strong drives, all of which should have ended in TDs (only one did). Eli had a so-so game. Plax and Jacobs both were strong. The Redskins simply played atrocious and were stymied by the Giants defense for most of the night. The only reason they scored on the defense was because of the nice kickoff return near the end of the 1st half by Rock CARTWRIGHT 4!!

10:03 p.m. - Game ends and Giants win 16-7!!

9:53 p.m. - Jacobs carries 3 Redskins players 4 yards to nearly get a game clinching first down for the Giants. It's now 4th and inches. Up two scores, Coughlin makes the smart decision to punt.

9:51 p.m. - I heard John McCain and John Carney attended an AARP meeting together last week.

9:45 p.m. - Nice stop by Kenny Phillips on 3 and 17 with 2:09 left in the game. This kid has been all over the place tonight and is going to be a special player.

9:40 p.m. - Chris Cooley just made his first catch of the game with 3:39 left in the game. That's ridiculous considering that he's thought of as one of the top TE's in the game. It sure shows you to look at the quality of the team's QB when you are drafting a WR or TE.

9:39 p.m. - Giants defense needs to come up with a big stop here to seal the game. People everywhere - I was not one of them - who took the Giants and gave 4 points are pooping in their pants right now.

9:33 p.m. - Eli's had a few ill advised passes tonight. Overall, he's been decent, but not great. Maybe Carson Palmer will validate my decision to start him over Eli this Sunday. Still, I can't complain. He was the Super Bowl XLII MVP. Did you hear?

9:30 p.m. - The Giants start another offensive drive with about 9 minutes left in the game. They need to close it out right here.

9:29 p.m. - The writers of Unlawful Entry need to sue the writers of Lakeview Terrace for copywriter infringement. The movies look exactly the same.

9:28 - Pete Kendall just ripped off Antonio Pierce's helmet and head butted him when his helmet was off. I have no idea how that wasn't a penalty on the Redskins.

9:15 p.m. - The 3rd quarter ends with the score the same: 16-7 Giants.

I think this running blog is getting too long. I'm losing fans in droves...I'll pause for 10 minutes (or more) unless something amazing happens or I come up with a witty comment...both of which are entirely possible.

9:12 p.m. - I heard John McCain just got up from his nap and put his dentures in.
9:10 p.m. - Another Heroes preview. This one was different than the first. Wow, I am psyched for this season!

9:03 p.m. - The Giants defense is just dominating tonight. Another 4 and out for the Redskins offense.

9:02 p.m. - Bad interception by Eli as he is rushed and throws off his back foot. Damn.

8:58 p.m. - I think they've run out of names for movies. But I've thought that for the past 5-6 years.

8:57 p.m. - Ditto for Righteous Kill.

8:53 p.m. - I'm kinda interested in seeing Eagle Eye.

8:51 p.m. - Jason Taylor tries to sack Eli Manning and instead Eli gets rid of the ball first and Taylor instead spins him like he's on Dancing with the Stars again.
8:41 p.m. - The second half starts. Let's hope that the Skins didn't take the momentum with that late first half drive.

8:35 p.m. - Some dude named Chuck Todd is talking about the Republican Convention. I hate people with two first names.

8:33 p.m. - Bob Costas looks rough. I think he's still on Beijing time.

8:29 p.m. and 30 seconds - Back to Back Eli commercials! This one is about that dumb Oreo playoff thingie. I hate those commericals.

8:29 p.m. - Great Eli-Toyota Commercial where he's buying a car and his salesman walks away and Eli seens on the guy's computer screen that he's trading him from his fantasy team. The salesman returns and hilarity ensues. ...

8:28 p.m. - Good first half for the Giants. Nice command by Eli. Solid first half by Plax and definitely a great job by the defense.

8:27 p.m. - Santana Moss scores on a wide open pass and the Redskins cut the Giants lead, 16-7 Giants.

8:19 p.m. - Nice kick return from some named Rock Cartwight. Everytime I hear that name, I scream out loud CARTWRIGHT 4!!....from Seinfeld fame...from a time when Jerry wasn't doing 10 minute Microsoft commercials.

8:18 p.m. - That was a hideous, non sensical, 10 minute Microsoft commercial with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld.

8:16 p.m. - 47 yard FG goal from John Carney!! This guy just outkicked his age!! 16-0 Giants.

8:08 p.m. - I just convulsed after watching the preview for Season 3 of Heroes. I'm so excited for it. I can say convulsed right? I had a few seizures as a child so that makes it okay, right?

8:07 p.m. - I hate these crappy Coors Light commercials where they do those fake Coors Light press conferences using football coaches quotes from real press conferences. Shitty commercials. Shitty beer.

8:02 p.m. - Did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared in 42 movies as an actor? I had no idea. (I found that out when I was looking up the name of True Lies.)

8:02 p.m. - I'm definitely giving this new Christian Slater TV show My Own Worst Enemy a try this season. Stupid title for a show and it's a premise that has kinda been done before. ... Kinda part Bourne Identity, part True Lies. But I'll give it a shot.

8 p.m. - They grew another leg for Carney and he knocks through a 25 yard FG and then walks off the field with the assistance of a walker. 13-0 Giants.

7:56 p.m. - Another great juggling catch for Plax. 5 catches for 84 yards. He's earning his new contract.

7:53 p.m. - Isn't tonight's 1o p.m. speech way past John McCain's bedtime? That's about 4 hours past the time that he usually goes to sleep or about 1 hour before vampiress Cindy McCain opens up her coffin to look for blood.

7:51 p.m. - I may be a mean, heartless bastard, but I think the "GU" patch on the player's uniforms to celebrate the life of Gene Upshaw, former NFL player and president of Players Association is WAY too big. It's like the size of a coffee saucer!!

7:48 p.m. - Nice first quarter for the G-men. 10 points and 1 first down -- because of the personal foul penalty -- and NO POINTS for the Washington For...I mean...Red....skins.

7:42 p.m. - A great 2nd drive stop by the Giants defense is negated by a dumb personal foul penalty by new Giant Jerome McDougle. I can't even spell his name. That's how new he is.

7:37 p.m. - 44-year-old John Carney knocks through a 24 yard FG for the Giants. His leg then disintegrates. 10-0 Giants.

7:33 p.m. - Jacobs just ran over Redskin Laron Landry. Landry promptly asks a guy on the sideline when did they start letting Mac Trucks into football games.

7:31 p.m. - Brandon Jacobs can't catch a pass for shit. He's dropped or missed three passes from Manning so far tonight. That's going to be a problem this year again.

7:27 p.m. - Great way to start out the season for the Giants defense that everyone ripped after Osi's season ending injury. On the first offensive play of the Redskins' drive, Justin Tuck beats a double team and rips down Jason Campbell down by the front of his jersey.

7:22 p.m. and 1 second - 68 passing yards and one rushing TD on the first drive. That's 8 Fantasy Points. Damn, I should have started Eli.

7:22 p.m. -Great first drive of the season by the Giants sees Eli running a bootleg into the endzone for a touchdown. I think he had 1 running TD last year and that was in rainy London. What a great way to start the season. 7-0 Giants.

7:02 p.m. - Awesome introduction of the Super Bowl Champs before the game by retired Giant Michael Strahan.

6:59 p.m. - One minute before the fantasy lineup deadline, I decide to stick with Carson Palmer as my starting QB this week. I have a feeling that it could be a mistake.

6:55 p.m. - Just found out that Plaxico Burress signed a two-year contract extension making his total contract 5 years for $35 million. Good for him. Now, he won't be a distraction this season. Probably the best thing to happen for the team this offseason.

6:45 p.m. - I've been debating for the past 2 hours whether or not I should start Eli Manning over Carson Palmer tonight. I'm always wrong in my picks so I'm flip flopping quicker than John Kerry.

6:40 p.m. - I listened to Chris Russo - The Mad Dog - for 5 minutes or so on XM's Sports Nation - Channel 144 - and thought he was the typical annoying Mad Dog. I probably will listen to him sometimes, but like a child living with one of his divorced parents a majority of the time, I'll probably spend more time with Mike Francesca.

6:35 p.m. - Here goes: The start of the inaugural edition of the "Paperboy Rushing - Not Running - Blog"...