Giants announce 2018 training camp schedule

I'm marking my calendar!

From Giants.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants have announced the schedule for their 2018 training camp, which will be presented by Toyota. The camp will feature 9 practice sessions open to the public at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, which is located on the MetLife Sports Complex. The first practice session will take place on Thursday, July 26 at 2:45 p.m.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Location: All practices will be held at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

Admission: All practice sessions will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis throughout training camp (July 26-Aug. 7). Limited seating is provided alongside the practice fields. There is no admission charge for watching training camp practices. Gates open one hour before each practice session begins.

Fan Guidelines: All fans in attendance are expected to adhere to the Fan code of conduct that can be found at Giants.com/fanguide. Please Note: The training camp practice sessions are an alcohol-free and family friendly experience. This includes all activities both inside and outside the Training Camp area. All fans attending practice will be subject to security screening before entering the seating area.

Fan Parking: Parking is free and located in Lot K on the grounds of the MetLife Sports Complex. Lot K will open up for parking two hours prior to the start of practice. The parking lot will close one hour following the conclusion of practice.

Fan Amenities: Restroom facilities, concession stands, cooling tents, and a free kids' activity area will be available.

Autographs: Select Giants legends will sign autographs during each practice for all fans. A listing of those Giants legends and the dates they will sign will be released on Giants.com. Each day after practice, a rotating group of current Giants players will sign autographs for the first 400 fans age 12 and under. The autograph opportunity will take place behind the Kids’ Zone area. All kids who are interested in the opportunity are encouraged to visit the sign-up table with a guardian immediately upon arriving at the practice so that they can receive a wristband. The sign-up table will be located immediately in front of the kids’ autograph area, and all wristbands will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Once wristbanded, they can enjoy the rest of practice and are encouraged to return 30 minutes prior to the end of practice to be allowed into the autograph area. Kids must have a wristband to be permitted into the autograph area.

Kids’ Zone: Families will love the Big Blue Kids’ Zone at camp, with games, face painting, and inflatables for kids of all ages. The first 200 kids who visit the Big Blue Kids’ Zone at every practice will also receive a special gift. Families can visit the Big Blue Kids’ Zone when the gates open through the end of practice.

Inclement Weather Policy: In the event of inclement weather (including rain, wind, thunderstorms or extreme heat), practices will be moved indoors and be closed to the public. Please check Giants.com prior to every practice for up-to-the-minute changes in the daily practice schedule.

Training Camp Schedule Open to the Public*

Thursday, July 26: 2:45 p.m. – Practice
Friday, July 27: 2:45 p.m. – Practice
Saturday, July 28: 2:45 p.m. – Practice

Sunday, July 29: 2:45 p.m. – Practice
Monday, July 30: 2:45 p.m. – Practice
Wednesday, August 1: 2:45 p.m. – Practice
Thursday, August 2: 10:30 a.m. – Practice
Friday, August 3: 10:30 a.m. – Practice

Tuesday, August 7: 10:30 a.m. – Practice (End of public training camp practices)

*Schedule subject to change. For the most up-to-date information on training camp, visit Giants.com or call the Training Camp Hotline at 201.935.8111 ext. 1070

New York Giants' 2017 Training Camp Open Practice Schedule

The NY Giants head to training camp this week. If you'd like to attend one of their open practices this year, below is the schedule and further information to know before you go.  I've taken my son and father to Giants camp several times in the past. It's a great way to spend a few hours watching and talking about our favorite football team and the upcoming season.

From Giants.com:

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants announced the schedule for their 2017 training camp, which will be presented by Toyota. The camp will feature 11 practice sessions open to the public at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, which is located on the MetLife Sports Complex. The first practice session will take place on Friday, July 28 at 11:40 a.m.

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR FANS VISITING TRAINING CAMP:

Admission: There is no admission charge for watching training camp workouts. All practices will be held at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center

Fan Guidelines: Practice sessions will be open to the public throughout training camp (July 28-Aug. 14). Limited seating is provided alongside the practice fields. Restroom facilities, concession stands and a free kids' activity area will be available.

Fan Parking: Parking is free and is located in Lot K on the grounds of the MetLife Sports Complex. The lot will open to the public one hour before the scheduled start time of practice and the gates will open 30 minutes before practice begins. The parking lot will close one hour following the conclusion of practice. All fans attending practice will be subject to security screening before entering the seating area.

Autographs: Select Giants legends will sign autographs during practice each day for all fans. A listing of those Giants legends and the dates they will sign will be released on Giants.com.

Each day after practice, a rotating group of current Giants players will sign autographs for the first 400 fans age 12 and under. The autograph opportunity will take place behind the Kids’ Zone area. All kids who are interested in the opportunity are encouraged to visit the sign-up table with a guardian immediately upon arriving at the practice so that they can receive a wristband. The sign-up table will be located immediately in front of the kids’ autograph area, and all wristbands will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Once wristbanded, they can enjoy the rest of practice and are encouraged to return 30 minutes prior to the end of practice to be allowed into the autograph area. Kids must have a wristband to be permitted into the autograph area.

Kids’ Zone: Families will love the Big Blue Kids’ Zone at camp, with games, face painting, and inflatables for kids of all ages. The first 200 kids who visit the Big Blue Kids’ Zone at every practice will also receive a special gift. Families can visit the Big Blue Kids’ Zone when the gates open through the end of practice.

Rain Policy: In the event of inclement weather (including rain, wind, thunderstorms or extreme heat), practices will be moved indoors and be closed to the public. Please check Giants.com prior to every practice for up-to-the-minute changes in the daily practice schedule.

NFL Wild Card Weekend Playoffs: Who Will Win?

The NFL playoffs are upon us! If you're a fan of the NFL, this is what you've been waiting for. The final 12 teams left standing, slugging it out until there are just 2 teams left standing. They will meet on February 5th, on a field in Houston for the title of  Super Bowl LI Champion!

This weekend is the Wild Card round of playoff games for 8 NFL teams and Yahoo Sports attempts to answer the question, Who Will Win?

Below are the 4 games that will be played over the course Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, let's see how well Yahoo's experts did figuring out the winners.

Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders



Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions



Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers



New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers

Popeye The Sailor: The Football Toucher Downer

The football season is well underway, I wanted to post this classic Popeye cartoon a few weeks past but I just never got around to it. Seeing how it's never too late to post a classic cartoon (and there is quite a long ways to go before the season is over),  here's a favorite Popeye cartoon of mine to get your afternoon football fix off to a great start.

And remember, eat your spinach and you never know what will can happen...

Saturday Morning Cartoon: A Guide To American Football

In honor of the start of the 2014 NFL season, here's a primer for those who have absolutely no idea what football is or what it's all about.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Screwball Football

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Roger Ramjet - Football

Here's video of the first interplanetary Cosmic Bowl, eat up those Wheaties and enjoy the game

Saturday Morning Cartoons -Freddy the Freshman

Here's a little cartoon to help you get ready for the big game on Sunday between the Giants and 49ers.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Football Toucher Downer

Go Giants!!

With Week 7 Pick Princess Looks to End Two Game Losing Streak; Take The Chargers Over The Jets She Says

After starting off the football season with a perfect 4-0 winning streak of picking winners of NFL games this year, Princess the Camel of Popcorn Park Zoo, has had a little bad luck lately. She is now looking to reverse a two game losing streak after choosing the Jets to beat the Oakland Raiders in week 5 and the Buffalo Bills to defeat the Giants last week.

In an attempt to get back on track this week, Princess has decided that the San Diego Chargers will beat the NY Jets to bolster her record of picking game winners to a very respectable 5-2 by the end of Sunday's game.

In speaking about Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan and the Jets in general Princess had this to say about why she chose the Chargers this week, "... with his team in disarray. You never know what to expect from him or them."

Is she right or will her losing streak continue dropping her record fall to 4-3 after Sunday? If you're a Jets fan I know you think she is wrong, but we'll have to wait until Sunday to find out.

Princess The Camel Chooses Jets over Pats in Week 5

Week 5 of the NFL season is upon us and after starting the year off with a perfect 4-0 record, Princess the Camel of Popcorn Park Zoo, has decided to take the NY Jets this week over the New England Patriots with her weekly game pick.

Why is Princess taking the Jets over the Pats you ask after the Jets have lost their last 2 games? Well is seems that Princess is a big fan of the Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan and has this to say about him, "... Good old Rex Ryan has been jumping up and down, stomping his feet and screaming an hollering all week at Jets practice. He’ll have them ready. The Patriots won’t know what hit them"

Princess may be right about Ryan's ability to scream and holler all week, but the Patriots won't just roll over and make it easy for the Jets after losing last years playoff game against them. This will be a tough game that could go either way and will come down to turnovers in my opinion.

This week I think the Patriots will come out on top in that take away department and win the game handily, so we'll see who is right on Sunday, Princess or me.

Associated Press NFL Week 3 Preview

From: AssociatedPress

AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner previews three top games this week in the NFL, including a meeting of undefeated teams as Buffalo takes on New England. Redskins visit the Cowboys and the Panthers tangle with the Jaguars.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Football Now And Then

While eating your "breakfast of champions this morning" in anticipation of tomorrow's big game, why not see how today's football players differ from those old-timers from days gone bye?

What's The Latest News On The Lincroft Sports Complex?

So what's the latest news swirling around the proposed Lincroft Sports Complex? In each of this weeks editions of the Independent and the Two River Times are articles dedicated to the happens at the most recent Middletown Workshop Meeting that took place on March 1st. Both articles are well written and represents what took place pretty well.

The Independent focus was on the on going negotiations between the Board of Education and the Township over a shared service agreement that would allow the Pop Warner Football League to play games at Middletown High School South before getting into the meat and potatoes of the nights events, while the Two River Times jumped right into it.

Here are excerpts from each article:

The Independent - Talks between the Middletown Township Committee and the Board of Education will reopen to discuss allowing local sports associations to use fields at Middletown High School South.

A preliminary design plan for West Front Street Park was placed on the Middletown Township website for the public to review. The existing soccer fields would be replaced with a synthetic turf field.

Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger and Deputy Mayor Anthony Fiore announced at the March 1 Township Committee meeting that they would be meeting with members of the board to discuss field usage on public school property.

“We sent a letter to the Board of Ed. today officially asking to allow the Pop Warner leagues to use High School South for their games,” Scharfenberger said. “I think that would go a long way to solve a lot of the problems and would be the best solution for all the parties involved.”

He added, “I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

The township has proposed a plan for West Front Street Park, off Crawfords Corner/ Everett Road, to replace the existing soccer fields with a synthetic turf field designed for football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse to be used by the public and local sports associations.

The proposal also calls for the Croydon Hall Complex, located on Leonardville Road, to have its football field replaced with an artificial turf field. A total of $2.5 million in unspent recreation funds would be used for the two projects.

The letter reads, “Specifically, the Township would like to request that the River Plaza/Lincroft Pop Warner Football program be permitted to utilize the football field and associated facilities at High School South for their five to six annual home games that take place on Sundays. Practices and other activities would still be able to take place at their current field while the West Front Street filed is resurfaced with turf for use by other leagues, but the need to utilize lighting, a public address system and concessions is lessened.”

Laura Agin, Middletown Board of Education president, said negotiations are under way.

“We’ve worked with the Township Committee and with shared services,” Agin said on March 4. “We’ve had concessions with them about the fields, and I think we will continue to work with them.”

However, a group in the Jersey Shore Football League weighed in on the controversy at the March 1 meeting....

The Two River Times - Controversy continues to swirl around a proposed plan by the Middletown Township Committee to construct a multi-purpose athletic field at the intersection of West Front Street and Everett Road in Lincroft.

Residents from the potentially affected area once again came out en masse to voice their opposition to the proposal as it currently stands and urged the committee to reconsider constructing the field at a different location.

However, this round of rhetoric included supporters of the proposal primarily from active Pop Warner families, athletes, coaches, and members of the Middletown Athletic Club.

The most telling message sent to the committee might have come from Kevin O'Reilly, Vice President of the River Plaza Chargers, whose future home has been an ongoing topic of conversation among the committee members, the board of education, and area residents but has not, until Monday night, included the River Plaza Chargers organization.

Middletown Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger opened the meeting by allowing those in attendance to speak to this issue but not before he addressed the crowd with an update from the committee's perspective.

"We sent a letter to the Board of Education today officially asking them to allow the Pop Warner league to use High School South for their games. I think that will go a long way to solving a lot of the problems and be the best solution for all parties involved," Scharfenberger said.

Deputy Mayor Anthony Fiore also offered an updated position on the issue.

"My position (at the previous meeting) was to find a way for River Plaza Pop Warner to play five or six games at High School South. From what I understand it's not feasible to redo the facility at Trezza Field (the Chargers current home field). It's my viewpoint, if we are able to work with the Board of Education and potentially make improvements to their field we would not have to have lights or a P.A. system at West Front Street," Fiore said.

Fiore added that the idea would be that the Pop Warner teams practice at Trezza and play their games at High School South. Fiore also noted that the existing soccer fields at West Front Street would still be resurfaced and improved but without lighting and a public address system.

"I think that pretty much satisfies everything I've heard over the last month," Fiore said.

Not according to O'Reilly.

The River Plaza Pop Warner league sent a letter to the Township Committee outlining eight needs of the league to continue operating regardless of its location. One of those needs was a fully functioning snack bar. Additionally as important were adequate restroom facilities.

According to O'Reilly, the Pop Warner league exists solely on the revenues generated by the operation of the snack bar of which High School South does not provide.

"I wish you people would speak to us because Middletown South doesn't work," O'Reilly said. "We play on Saturday, we play on Sunday, we play on Monday, and we also sometimes play on Wednesday and all of our revenue is from the snack bar."

The money generated by the snack bar, which can range between four and seven thousand dollars each game day goes toward operational costs to run the league according to O'Reilly.

"To redo the helmets is thousands and thousands of dollars," O'Reilly said....

So what have I heard over the past few days? As I said, it has been quite but here are a few things:

The meeting between the Mayor and Deputy-Mayor with the Board of Education on Thursday March 4th didn't go as well as the Independent may have made it out to have mainly because the Pop Warner Chargers have made it loud and clear that playing football at High School South would not benefit their organization at all.

Contrary to what Mayor Scharfenberger and others who represent the Township say a wetlands study of Trezza Field, the home of the Pop Warner Chargers, was conducted back in June of 2007 by the Township's engineering firm T&M and it seems to confirm everything that the football people have been saying all along, that Trezza Field can be expanded and resurfaced as originally planned. The Chargers, with help from their own engineer, came up with a new site proposal for Trezza Field and shared it with Mayor Scharfenberger earlier in the week. The site proposal will be introduced to the Committee Monday night at the next scheduled Committee Meeting.

And members of SONIC are still gathering petitions signatures against the sports complex to be presented at Monday night's Township Committee meeting. SONIC members will be out in force that night to once again voice their concerns.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Magilla Gorilla

It's Saturday morning, my favorite time of the week is about to start.

Football season is just around the corner. NFL and College training camps are opening up all around the country, what better why to enjoy my "Post Toasties" than watching Magillia Gorilla play some football.

Townships Presentation to Middletown Board of Education A Lot About Nothing

I returned home a short while ago from the Township's' special presentation to the Middeltown Board of Education concerning the installation of artificial turf fields on the campuses of Thorne and Thompson Middle Schools. To be frank, It was a waste of time. The township had no real plan to present and no real answers to questions.

It seemed as if Township Administrator Tony Mercantante was somewhat unprepared, he had a few ariel shots of the proposed sites with superimposed rectangles to simulate where the fields would be installed and not much else.

Mercantante basically just asked the Board of Education if they would like to partner up with the township on this project. When BOE members asked specific questions he answered that all the details would have to be worked out during land lease and partnership negotiations and that problems would be ironed out then.

About two dozen residents voiced concerns about the projects and asked the BOE to keep in mind the hidden costs that may associated with this plan. A couple of other residents mentioned the safety and injury concerns associated with artificial surfaces.

Overall though, it was a waste of time for the public to invited to hear because there was just not enough details and as I stated earlier, there are many questions that need to be answered like, who would be responsible for maintaining the fields? What about insurance liabilities? Who would be responsible for supervising or policing them during off hours? Who gets preference of use, the school system or sports leagues? Who replaces the carpet when it wears out in 10 years do to over use? What about lighting, concessions, locker rooms and bathroom facilities? All of these questions and more need to be answered before this project can move forward, not just brushed over with false statements or promises that can not be kept.

So let it be known that I am not opposed to the fields per say, I think that it is a good idea, a win-win situation for both the Township and the Board of Education, but it has to be done right all of the I's need to be dotted and all the T's crossed before I feel comfortable with giving this matter my unconditional support.

There is also the problem that I have with this years township budget. How can we spend money on obvious luxury items around town when we can't balance our budget? The adoption of the budget is almost 6 months late and have a proposed 9.2% tax increase associated with it. if we have money lying around for 3 athletic fields maybe we should drop the idea for the 3rd and use that money to off set the shortfall in the current budget.

One thing that was lost at the meeting, which I feel that I should mention is that even if these fields are not approved by the Board of Education, the Township seems to have every intention on moving forward with installing an artificial surface over the football field that is located at Croydon Hall. This is the 3rd field mentioned and is used by Pop Warner teams in town.

It's Dynasty vs. Doormat in the Super Bowl

By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer

TAMPA, Fla. – Dynasty vs. doormat. The Pittsburgh Steelers have signified success in the Super Bowl era with their stable ownership, brilliant coaching and throwback style. A victory Sunday will give them a record sixth Super Bowl title, and they are 6 1/2-point favorites to get it against the Arizona Cardinals.

Yes, those Cardinals — a franchise that has defined dysfunction since the 1950s.
If it's easy to believe the Steelers are back in the big game three years after winning one for the thumb against Seattle, it's just as difficult — nearly impossible, actually — to believe the Cardinals are providing the opposition. This is a classic yin and yang setup: the defensively miserly AFC champs against the offensively potent NFC winners. The team with the proud history against the club with the forgettable past.

As if any of that matters now.

"Legacies are something you kind of worry about after the season," Steelers All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu said.

When that season ends Sunday night, the Steelers will be judged by a commitment to excellence — sorry, Al Davis — established by the Steel Curtain teams of Chuck Noll in the 1970s and carried on through the Bill Cowher years. It is not something they can ignore, even if their coach, Mike Tomlin, has been on the job only two years and has few ties to Noll or Cowher.

Read More at Yahoo Sports >>>Here

Super Bowl XLIII Stats and Figures: GOODMagazine

The Super Bowl is an advertising bonanza, a snack food orgy and—oh yeah—a football game. An original GOOD Video gives us few stats and figures about the Big Game on Sunday.

Princess the Camel Picks The Giants Over the Eagles This Weekend

This is welcomed news if you are a Giants fan, the prognosticating camel of Popcorn Park Zoo, Princess, has chosen the NY Giants over the Philadelphia Eagle in this weekends NFL playoff matchup of  NFC East Division rivals according to the Asbury Park Press.  

Princess's record in predicting the out come of NFL games this year stands at 15-3.  John Bergmann, the general manager of the Popcorn Park Refuge has been quoted as saying "This is Princess' third year of picking teams. She's always had an edge, but this year is unbelievable, no human can predict, no computer can calculate winners with such accuracy."

As a big Giants fan myself, I love this prediction and will take good news anywhere I can get it. If memory serves me correctly, I believe that Princess also picked the Giants over the Patriots in the Superbowl last year.  

To be fair to Eagle fans, I must mention that Princess split this years games between the two teams this year, her pick of the Giants over the Eagle in week 14 was wrong, the Eagles won that game 20-14. So I suppose the Eagles still have a small chance at victory.