It was magical, Shakespearian, a masterpiece performance in the art of chokery. Few teams in any sport can match such ignominy. With a 2-10 record, and six straight losses, they have kept pace with the 1-10 Tennessee Titans in the race for the NFL's top draft pick - a chase that Giant fans know won't matter, anyway: They will just draft a bum.
For one queasy moment, I'd like to digress from this blog's central mission: Condemning the Yankees for the betrayal of their legacy. The Giants must be appreciated. For three years now, they've been effectively eliminated by mid-October - even before the Yankees could clock out in the playoffs. That's quality tanking!
Long ago, when I was an impressionable sprout - rooting for Mickey, Whitey and Yogi - I assumed that the Giants - with Andy Robustelli, Sam Huff and Y.A. Tittle - were the Yankees of the NFL. They would always win. When head coach Jim Lee Howell retired, the Giants had a chance to replace him with Tom Landry, the defensive coordinator, or Vince Lombardi, the offensive line coach. Instead, they chose the team clipboard, Allie Sherman. The rest is history, or maybe Drunk History.
Nearly 70 years later, I believe all NY sports teams are jinxed, due to the massive sociological, financial and sexual distractions posed by Gotham - and the old-money, white-bread, nepo-baby owners, who care more about horses, Gatsby parties and the Westminster Kennel Club. In the Big Apple, sport teams are doomed.
And yesterday... what a loss! With seconds on the clock and a three-point lead, and a chance to kick an easy field goal, the Giants opted to go for it on 4th down. They failed, of course. The Lions ran down the field and kicked a 59-yard field goal, sending the game into overtime, where they quickly won. Damn. It was magnificent.
Today, some fans are second-guessing the Giants' decision to forego the field goal. Not me. If the Giants had a six-point lead, Detroit would have simply scored a TD and won anyway. The Giants were going to lose. Everybody knew it. They are football's version of the Yankees - or maybe the Washington Generals.
Over Thanksgiving, the Giants will prepare for next week's loss. Unfortunately, their last four games include tomato cans: Washington, Minnesota, Vegas and the Cowboys - who will certainly lay down. The Giants likely will end up choosing fifth in a class of four consensus picks.
Damn, though, they are the true worst. They are incredible!
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19 comments:
Have faith, Duque. They may be tomato cans, but they'll play the Giants. Time for each of them to chalk up a meaningless win.
The Giants know how to lose. (Side note, why does the defensive coordinator still have a job?) And they prove it every weekend.
I do like these young QBs, though.
This comment has been pre-removed and deleted by its author because of . . . F o o t b a l l
I love the Giants as I love the Yankees. The difference is that Steinly Jr’s Yankees are strictly a business. They are content with second place, spending just enough to make the playoffs, and sure to paper it over by having the same predictable mediocrities run the operation year after year after. I believe John Mara does have a passion for winning, but his worldview of the NFL is stuck in the past; and like Steinbrenner, his org is run by people he’s comfortable with (in his case family members and aging cronies) who are not up to the task. No worries, their schedule should yield about 3 more wins, just enough to damage their overall viability in the draft.
For the Yankees, Steinsucker is already crying poverty, no doubt sensing that the upcoming work stoppage in ‘27 will hamper the revenue flow. A depressing state of affairs, but at least we’re well used to it by this point.
Oh, here's another good reason to find a catcher who can hit:
Posting under the handle ExYank54 on X, Ausanio wrote “I could be wrong but I really think Wells is tipping pitches.”
He followed that with more detail. “On the change up his head moves down prior to the pitch and then see on the fastball he stays tall.”
Supposedly it's something fans wouldn't pick up on even if they knew, but major leaguers would.
Oh, and Volpe sucks. Cashman is an idiot.
Bowen was fired first thing this morning..
Sorry, the Jets wear that mantle.
What about poor, poor Aaron Boone, JM ?
That never would have occured to me. The catcher is tipping pitches! Now that someone said it makes a lot of sense or at a minimum is certainly in the realm of possibility. Damn.
It's odd how being a sports fan works.
When the Yankees lose, in the playoffs mind you, I am furious. When the Giants lose, and I am just as big a fan of theirs as I am of the Yankees (although I like baseball better), I laugh.
I guess it comes down to expectation. The Yankees should be champions and when they are not it pisses me off because the reasons why are both obvious and fixable.
The Giants are terrible and have been terrible for so long that I'm just happy for them when ANYTHING goes right, secure in the knowledge that they will lose anyway so there's nothing to get upset or disappointed about.
Yesterday I texted a friend after the Giants scored on the opening drive again and said we should turn the TV off now and start our week on a good note. He said we have until the 4th quarter. Yeah.
El Duque -
Yes the Giants letting Allie Sherman be the HC over Landry or Lombardi has to be one of the dumbest decisions in the history of front offices.
But whoever was running the team then wasn't done being incompetent.
The first draft five picks for the 1965 Giants
Tucker Fredrickson RB (Selected #1 overall. )
Chuck Mercein RB
Bob Timberlake K/QB
Henry Carr RB
Frank Lambert Punter
So three running backs a kicker and a punter in the first five rounds. Yikes.
BTW the #3 pick was a guy names Dick Butkus but maybe the Giants really needed a RB... #4 Gayle Sayers might have been a better choice.
First, you guys have been killing it. All of you. So sorry not to have had more time to join in. And congrats to Bitty!...
...First, a word for that old Brooklyn College quarterback, Allie Sherman. Was he THE worst choice out of Lombardi, Landry, and Sherman? Of course!
But...the Jints did win three straight division titles and NEARLY an NFL title with Allie, who had acquired Y.A. Tittle and Del Shofner, and would later hire the first two, Black assistant coaches in NFL history.
Trouble was, the team got old, and it was very hard to put it back together again, even though they were at least respectable with Tarkenton. And again, in fairness to Allie, the Jints went on being bad for a long time afterwards...
...The worst decision of all yesterday was Winston throwing on second or third down when they were at the five. NO! Detroit was burning its timeouts left and right. A run, even if it didn't get into the end zone—and the Giants were tearing up their line—would've eaten up another 30 seconds. That ended up being the game, right there.
A field goal would have also forced the Lions to go another 50 yards or so. Not saying they couldn't have done it against that defense, but still, that's the money play...
...As for the Yanks:
—No to Machado. They should've said "Yes" to Manny back around 2019, when he first came around, offering discounts. They didn't. Now...? A very good player, but, as Doug K. points out, with 8 highly expensive years still on the tab. Plus...only a lifetime .209/.682 hitter in the postseason, in 51 games.
—Tatis isn't worth the Manny burden.
—Yes, Bellinger is a terrific player, and we could put him at first. But no way Hal is going to spring for that money now that Grisham has gobbled up $22 mill.
—Yes, sign Imai with Love and Squalor! But somehow, I think we'll finish second in the bidding.
—Yes, trade Jazzy, trade Volpe, trade Wells. But we won't.
—Since we're not going to do any of that stuff, keep the young arms, and play Spencer and The Martian.
—Loved Dr. T's prescription for curing what ails this Yankees team. Though remember, when Mad George was going to sell the team...he was going to sell it to the Dolans. It can always get worse.
—Loved Doug K's "Spenser"/"My Favorite Martian" spoof, and his "Contemplations on a Lay-z-boy." Could be a book!
Crying about how awful the Giants are? Give me a break. Try being born as a New York Jets fan
I was 14 when Joe Namath guaranteed a Super Bowl victory. I suspect he made a deal with the devil: in exchange for that win, he would offer up a life of misery for Jets fans. The curse won’t be broken until Namath dies.
You Giants fans need to stop whining - at least you have some championships to look back on in your adult life. As a Jets fan, the only memories I have are the watching the Jets finding improbable and embarrassing ways to lose games.
Case in point: Aaron Rogers. After watching Hard Knocks, everyone was sky high on the Jets. Rogers would lead them to the Promised Land. Before the season started, and knowing the Jets as I do, I predicted he would break his leg before five games were played. The football gods beat me to it. You can’t make this shit up. Same old Jets.
So cheer up Giants fans. At least you don’t root for the Jets. That is my cross to bear.
Right now Dick, it’s hard to gauge which team is worse. But you guys have been stockpiling draft picks. They have to get it right.
Wondering if the Mets trade of Nimmo is a precursor for them going hard for Bellinger or Tucker. You know if the bidding gets too high the Yanks will drop out, and we’ll get Dominguez and Jones.
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