Two Giants feuding; I love it!

"ALBANY, N.Y. - Tiki Barber wanted a more intense, fiery Eli Manning. The New York Giants quarterback gave Tiki what he wanted in a loud ripping voice on Tuesday.
Two days after being criticized on national television by Barber for a lack of strong leadership, Manning ripped his former teammate and current NBC football analyst for distracting the team last season with his early retirement announcement and his criticism of coach Tom Coughlin.
'I guess I'm just happy for Tiki that he's making a smooth transition into the TV world,' Manning said. "You know, I'll be interested to see if he has anything to say (about a team) besides the Giants, and what his comments will be on that."

Normally reserved and never one to criticize a coach or teammate, Manning seemed to enjoy going after Barber, the Giants' all-time leading rusher who retired after last season at age 31 to pursue a television career.
Speaking during the halftime show of the Sunday Night Football game between the Giants and Baltimore Ravens, Barber had said that Manning's attempt to lead an offensive meeting in the 12th week of the last season was "comical" at times.
Manning didn't find the comment funny.

'It's just one of those deals. I'm not going to lose any sleep about what Tiki has to say,' Manning said. "I guess I could have questioned his leadership skills last year with calling out the coach and having articles about him retiring in the middle of the season, and he's lost the heart (to play).

'As a quarterback you're reading that your running back has lost the heart to play the game and it's about the 10th week," Manning said. "I can see that a little bit at times. But I'm not going to get concerned. I'm going to go out there and play ball.'

Barber was not immediately available for comment.
Giants teammates came to Manning's defense on Tuesday.
Wide receiver Amani Toomer, who played his entire career with Barber, was stunned.
'I thought Tiki and Eli were pretty good friends,' Toomer said. "It's kind of strange to have him say something like that and to make a point of it like that. Maybe he had somebody else in his ear kind of coaxing him into saying stuff, because I don't believe he really believes that. I don't know why he'd say something like that.'

Manning's father, Archie, said at a charity bowling event in Indianapolis for his other son, Super Bowl MVP Peyton, that he had not counseled the Giants quarterback on how to handle the situation.

'He talked to me a while ago and said Tiki got after him a little bit the other night, and he said it's not a big deal," Archie Manning said. ' He told me a whole lot of people in the Giants organization were proud of what he said.

'Eli's not a controversial guy and he's not going to be. I feel like if Eli did something like that, it would come from his heart.'
Center Shaun O'Hara said that Manning is progressing as a leader, especially for a fourth-year player. 'I don't have any problems with Eli's leadership and the way he does it,' O'Hara said. 'He's doing it his way. I think players appreciate that. It's a shame everybody wants Eli to be somebody they think he should be instead of just letting him be himself.'

O'Hara noted that Manning might be under the microscope more than most young quarterbacks because he is the brother of Peyton Manning. 'For me, you can be Johnny Rah-Rah, but if you're not doing your job, if you're not pulling your weight, it doesn't matter what you say," O'Hara said. "Being loud, that doesn't make you a great leader.'

Tackle David Diehl said Manning showed his leadership Sunday night, getting the offensive lined up right when the Ravens threw a couple of new looks at them on defense.
Giants new quarterback coach Chris Palmer added that Manning does everything a coach wants.
'Everybody leads in a different way," Palmer said. 'If you buy any business books, there are 101 ways to lead. He'll lead in his own particular fashion.'

While Barber praised Manning at times for his play, he also questioned whether he could be a leader of men and make plays when the chips were down.
'His personality hasn't been so that he can step up, make a strong statement and have people believe that it's coming from his heart,' Barber said on the show.
Barber then told the story about Manning being uncomfortable talking to the offense in Week 12.

'He didn't feel like his voice was going to be strong enough and it showed,' Barber said. 'Sometimes it was almost comical the way that he would say things.'
While Barber rushed for 1,662 yards last season, the second highest single-season total in Giants history, he also was a distraction in an 8-8 season that saw the Giants make the playoffs.
He went on record in early October saying that the 2006 season would probably be his last. He also created problems for Coughlin when he criticized him for pulling away from the running game too soon in a loss to Jacksonville in November.
It was the second time he went after his head coach.

After a playoff loss to Carolina in 2005, Barber said Coughlin was outcoached by Panther coach John Fox, a former Giants assistant. While Coughlin refused to get involved in the controversy, he was happy Manning defended himself.

'Well, he thought about what he was going to do, and he decided he would say exactly what he felt," Coughlin said. "More power to him.' "

I would like to thank the AP for the above story. I love it when two Giants are fighting. (God I hate the Giants!)

As an Eagles fan, this is a sad day for me, because the Trot man-Jeremiah Trotter-was given his release today. OK, that's a nice way of saying he was cut.

I sure hope the birds know what they are doing. From all accounts had lost more than a few steps, and teams were exploiting him when he was on the field. But the guy was a real leader in the locker room, and was a pretty good run stopper against North and South runners.

So Andy, I hope you know what you are doing, and I hope Omar Gaither will be able to step in. If not, I am afraid that those stinking Giants up the turn pike will have the last laugh.

Man he is good!

So Tiger hangs on to win his 13th major in 100 degree heat. The guy was just making pars all day and it was still enough to win. The more I watch Woods, the more I have to wonder if there aren't guys on the tour with just as much talent. The problem is, no one has that laser like focus and the determination that he does.

Do you see what usually happens to guys that play with him when he is in contention on a Sunday? They fold like a dress shirt in a Macy's display. Today some poor Canadian guy had to take his lumps under the scrutiny, and it was sad to watch. "Big Easy" (Ernie Els) made it fun for a minute, but you just knew it was Wood's day all along.

Nice to see that Roger Federer is human too. He finally lost a tournament today in Montreal to a guy with a name I can't even remember. Still, he is my favorite to win the U.S. Open.

Can anyone stop the Yankees? I promise you that if you asked people in Boston right now, if they would be happy just to make the playoffs as a wild card team, they would say yes. Why, because everyone in Beantown knows that the Yankees will catch them and take the division, that's why. Then they will have to hold off Seattle, Detroit, or Cleveland just to make the playoffs.

It should be a fun September.

756!!!

Way to go BARRY, you are, quite frankly, the greatest baseball player in my lifetime. Steroids or no steroids.

To all the Bonds haters out there, consider this: Before 1998, he had 3 MVP awards, 8 all star appearances, and 8 gold glove awards. So excuse me if he put up freakish home run numbers after 1998, when he was supposedly on the juice. I am going to guess that quite a few players doing that time period were juicing, including the happy twins; Sosa, and McGuire, not to mention a few pitchers. (Some quite famous ones included) Oh, and if we are going to put an asterisk next to Bond's accomplishments, why don't we just put one next to every payer who played before 1947? But somehow I doubt that will happen, because we are such hypocrites in America, and our memory can be so selective.

So America, get over the hateration [like that word woozie?] of Bonds. We know it's because he is supposedly a jerk, and not fan friendly, and he is mean to sports writers. Who gives a shit? Yeah that Ty Cobb was a real Prince charming wasn't he? The last time I checked, that racist jerk was in the Hall, and America still loves him.

If Bonds is not a first ballot Hall of Famer, it will say more about the frauds who run American sports than any steroid scandal ever could. I am just glad Hammering Hank acknowledged the whole thing via video, he was starting to come up pretty small.

Oh just shut up!

Hey Bob, let it go now will ya please? Yes Barry might have taken the juice, so f*****g what?

I have a news flash for you. Probably 40% of the players during that era juiced; including some of your favorite pitchers. So shut the f**k up!

Besides, can you stroke a 98 MPH fastball 400 yards even if you were juicing every day of your life until now? Yeah I didn't think so.

RIP

Bill Walsh.

I was never a big fan of your "West Coast" offense, but you won three Super Bowls and spawned some pretty good coaches. More importantly, you seemed like a decent person, and a pretty good human being.

You will be missed.

I HOPE THE NBA COMES DOWN ON THIS GUY IF IT'S TRUE

I know players have been behaving badly of late, but now it seems some of those charged to control the games may be behaving badly as well.

Tim Donaghy is from my hometown of Philadelphia, and now finds himself under the gun so to speak. As it turns out the feds have been investigating some not too nice characters, and referee Tim was drawn into that net righ along with these other charecters. Now the question is; how many more are involved? I know the NBA is hoping that not even one more of their referees have this problem. Because if they do; then the pro game now has a serious issues. Much more serious than a few players behaving badly.