Giants announce 2016 Training Camp Schedule

From Giants.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants today announced the schedule for their 2016 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 29 at 10:40 a.m.

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 29-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. There will not be a post-practice autograph session on August 5 or August 6.

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.

Pallone, Menendez Call for Fairness in Daily Fantasy Sports, outside MetLife Stadium

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2015


EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Today, at a press conference outside MetLife Stadium, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) discussed Congressional efforts to ensure fairness and a level playing field for fantasy sports enthusiasts participating in online daily games, and called attention to the hypocrisy of professional sports leagues in opposing sports betting while supporting daily fantasy sports. The lawmakers were joined by East Rutherford Mayor James Cassella.

“Daily fantasy sports is an industry crying for consumer protection,” said Congressman Pallone. “Despite its explosion in popularity and the allegation of ‘insider trading’ by employees of daily fantasy sports operators, the industry is operating in a void within the legal structure – without any regulation or the necessary transparency. The backdrop of MetLife Stadium calls attention to the fact that the same professional sports leagues and teams that support and invest in fantasy sports betting, are opposed to and serve as a barrier to professional sports wagering. The illegality of sports betting has forced it to function almost exclusively through organized crime, and the lack of regulation of daily fantasy sports has left the industry open to unfair practices and consumer vulnerabilities. Both need to be taken out of the shadows and should be legal and regulated.”

“I have serious concerns about whether these online fantasy sports leagues can police themselves,” said Senator Menendez. “This is about fairness and ensuring a level playing field for fantasy sports fans. There’s a lot of money at stake, and these sites are drawing in tons of players. These players should know they aren’t being duped. I think Congress needs to look into this and see whether by exempting fantasy sports from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, we’ve created a regulatory vacuum that leaves consumers out in the cold.”

Pallone is the Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over professional sports and gambling. Last month, he requested a Committee hearing to review the legal status of daily fantasy sports.

Pallone and Menendez sent a joint-letter last week to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urging it to explore and implement necessary safeguards after it was revealed that employees of these fantasy gaming sites with access to inside information were playing on rival sites and pocketing big winnings.

Giants Open Training Camp, Announce Practice and Autograph Schedule

The past few season's I've been going up to MetLife Stadium with the kids to watch a session or two of the Giants pre-season practices. If you're a football fan you really should go, it's a blast. As a bonus, after practice players from the Giants great fans and autograph whatever you can squeeze past the hordes of other fans seeking autographs. It's fun and a true sport in itself!

Here are the schedules for the upcoming open practices and auto sessions for training camp at MetLife stadium:

NJ WATCHDOG: Christie has no receipts for quarter-million dollars in expenses

Our governor had at work with your tax dollars!

Details of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s $82,000 spending spree at NFL games remain a mystery – despite a release of expense account receipts by the governor’s office.

Receipts for Christie's purchases at New York Giants and Jets home games during the 2010 and 2011 seasons are missing from 597 pages of receipts New Jersey Watchdog obtained through an Open Public Records Act request.

The governor’s office does not have documentation for more than $247,000 in expenses – two-thirds of the $360,000 Christie has spent from his state expense allowance since he took office in 2010, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis.

“We have produced to you all of the receipts/invoices/bills that we located,” stated Heather Taylor, the governor’s records custodian and chief ethics officer. “We are not withholding any records based on an OPRA exemption.”

“Every dollar of expenses associated with the discretionary fund has been tracked and accounted for in full,” added Kevin Roberts, Christie’s press secretary, in a prepared statement.

As New Jersey Watchdog previously revealed, Christie’s debit card was used 58 times during the 2010 and 2011 seasons to charge $82,594 to Delaware North Sportservice, operator of the food and beverage concessions at MetLife Stadium. The expenses did not include his free use of luxury boxes, traditionally available to governors at the state-owned venue.

To avoid embarrassment, Christie turned to the New Jersey Republican Committee. The committee reimbursed the state in early 2012 for Christie’s bills at MetLife, plus additional charges the governor racked up at Izod Center. Since then, he has refrained from using his expense account at sporting venues.

The full report – with links to copies of the receipts released by the governor’s office – is online at http://watchdog.org/222152/christie-no-expense-receipts/.

NJ Watchdog: Christie buys $300K of food & booze with expense account

Big appetite: Christie buys $300K of food & booze with NJ expense account

Chris Christie's expense account tells a story of appetite and ambition, one that pits government waste versus the New Jersey governor's waistline.

Christie spent $360,000 from his state allowance during his five years in office. More than 80 percent of that money, or $300,000, was used to buy food, alcohol and desserts, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis of records released by the governor’s office.

The full story is online http://watchdog.org/217942/christie-nj-expense-account.

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

Chris Christie’s expense account tells a story of appetite and ambition, one that pits government waste versus the New Jersey governor’s waistline.

Christie spent $360,000 from his state allowance during his five years in office. More than 80 percent of that money, or $300,000, was used to buy food, alcohol and desserts, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis of records released by the governor’s office.

In addition to his $175,000 a year salary, the governor receives $95,000 a year in expense advances, paid quarterly by the state. In the state budget, it is listed as “an allowance of funds not otherwise appropriated and used for official receptions on behalf of the state, the operation of an official residence, for other expenses.”

While Christie returns surplus funds to the state each year, Treasury officials say he does not submit receipts or accounting for the public monies he spends. The governor’s ledger, obtained from Christie under the Open Public Records Act, offers a rare, if partial glimpse of a controversial expense account shrouded in secrecy.

Christie’s most notable spending spree occurred during the 2010 and 2011 NFL football seasons at MetLife Stadium, where the New York’s Giants and Jets play their home games. New Jersey’s governor traditionally enjoys free use of luxury boxes for games and other events at the government-owned venue, but food and beverages cost extra.

On 58 occasions, Christie used a debit card to pay a total of $82,594 to Delaware North Sportservice, which operates the concessions at MetLife. The governor’s office did not provide any receipts, business reasons or names of individuals entertained, but defended the expense....