Bye Plax, AI, K Grady, and Shef to the Mets

Plaxico was someone I have been a fan of for many years. Liking MSU I watched him in college and loved what I saw. If ever my fandom was in question about him it was all put to rest in the Gator Bowl where he was the main reason MSU beat FL, in a very good college football game, one that turned out to be Plax's last. He then was drafted by the Steelers, I am not going to pretend I am a big Steeler fan, but I have no problems with them, and because he was a MSU guy and not going to a NFL team that I hated, cowboys, skins or phili especially, I continued to follow his career, collect his sports cards and memorabilia and cheer him on. Then a great move in the off season happened. The Giants, my favorite professional team in any sport signed Plax as a free agent. This was the best thing for me, a tall talented wide out for my New York Football Giants, and it was a guy who went to MSU and someone I have liked and followed since his freshmen year of college. It went well, Plax put up some good numbers, which helped not only the Giants win a lot of games, but many of my fantasy teams as well. The highlight of course would be catching the game wining touchdown in the super bowl against the undefeated, at the time, Pats. It was extra special since he predicted the Giants would win, and even came up with a score. That was laughed at, but it turned out he was very close, and in fact the Pats even scored less then he predicted. So things are going great for me, my favorite team wins a super bowl, and I am happy, the next year they start off great, they are playing like one of the best, if not the best, team in the NFL and looked to have a major chance to repeat. Even during a one game suspension by the team for missing a meeting, or showing up late, or what ever he did, wasn't a problem, the Giants rolled in the one game without him. But then it all went wrong. Plax went out to a club, fine, but he had a gun in his pants, not good, and the gun went off, really not good, and he shot himself, really really not good, and kind of embarrassing. So he is hurt, and can't play anyway. The Giants suspend him for the rest of the year, which they basically had to do, and a team that is rolling stumbles a little in to the playoffs, and then after a first round bye, loosing at home to the Eagles, a team they have already beaten twice by the way. So the year is lost, and Plax shooting himself had a lot to do with it. There are not a lot of sure things in sports, and I am not going to say if the shooting didn't happen the Giants would have won the Super Bowl, because no one can say for sure, but they would have had a lot better chance. In sports you don't get a very big window to win championships, and the fact that they won one does make me happy, but we had a real good chance to win back to back, and because of Plax, we lost that shot... sorry, bad choice of words, but I had to. So today he was released by the Giants. I can't really be upset about that choice. As much as I love Plax, lets be honest, he is going to have to spend some time in jail, and if not, he would still face a suspension by the NFL, and could even after he gets out of jail. This is just a sad end to something that was so promising. The Giants number one need is now a big time number one wide out. I don't care who, Bolden would be great, or if they are still there getting a Hicks in the draft, but they need a big time guy. I like Hixon, and S Smith is a good possion 3rd down guy, but they need a legit deep threat, and a legit number one, or they will be lucky to win 10 games next year. So long Plax, I wish you well, I hope you turn it around somewhere... just not for Dallas.. or it's over between us.

It was also announced today that AI will be out the rest of the reg. season with his back injury. I would like to be the first to call shenanigans on this. His back may not be 100%, in fact, I know it's not, but he can play. This has to do with his little outburst about rather retiring then playing so little, so the Pistons said ok, you can. If I had to bet on it, I would bet a lot of money on the fact that AI will not play for the pistons ever again. He will not be on the playoff roster, even if they actually start playing and don't miss out on the playoffs. I still think they will make it. I also still think AI could help them make a run in the playoffs this year. But there are a few problems, one, he is upset about his minutes and coming off the bench, so I am not sure if he will play hard even if giving the chance, and two, Curry may be the worst coach in the NBA in a long time. He may someday be a good coach, but a rookie coach with a veteran team, who then is forced to play a 2n year pg is a bad combination. It doesn't work, if anyone ever thought it did, just look at the 2009-2009 Pistons and you will know it doesn't work. Rookie coaches usually take over young teams, they can make mistakes together and grow. Curry took over a team who has won 50+ games for 7 years, and wanted to make one last run. If you were going to do this, trade them all away for picks and young guys, keep Ta Ta, Stuck, AA, Amir and Max, and everyone else can be new. I liked Byum and Herrmann, so they can stay, and give good minutes as your 11 and 12 guy on the bench... not as a starting pg for you, which Byum has been sometimes this year. This will also go down as a tough year for them. The problem with me, and being a fan, and of what they have done the last 7 years, I still think they can make a run. Especially if they are lucky enough to get the Magic in the first round. If that somehow happens, they will win that series. The Magic can not beat them, they have lost to them the last few years in the playoffs, usually in 5 games, and are even 0-3 this year against them. With how bad they are playing the Pistons do still have talent, which makes it that much harder, as a fan, you still see a chance for them to figure it out and make a run, and when they don't, you are even that much more upset, because you know they have some good pieces.

The Mets signed Gary Sheffield today, great move. Nothing like a guy who is basically just a DH now, because he can't move and play outfield anymore in the NL where there is no DH. So the Mets will do one of two things, use him in the outfield for the first 4 or 5 innings of games, before you have to put in a defensive replacement, or he can just be a pinch hitter for the pitching spot, during a pitching change. Great move. nothing like having a pinch hitter with 499 home runs on your bench. The Mets continue to run their team like a fantasy or video game team, big names, that look good, but don't mesh.... they will not make the playoffs.

Sticking with Michigan things, Kelvin Grady is going to leave the Michigan basketball team. Though he is fast, and has some talent, he is turnover prone, and it really isn't that big of a lose. I will let a few of my friends who are Michigan fans give their thoughts:

Me: So what do you think about Grady leaving
Chaz: Yeah it really hurts to lose your 3rd string pg, who is undersized and a turnover waiting to happen... It's a big lose, I don't know how we are going to recover.

Me: Hey did you see Grady is leaving Michigan
Phil: Overdue. We should have known he'd suck, he went to EGR


Phil's EGR line was purely sucking up, since EGR, which is East Grand Rapids, is the rival high school to Forest Hills Central, a high school which I am a proud 2001 graduated of.


either way for the Friday before the final four, this turned out to be a big sports day, at least for guys with Michigan ties. BTW if you didn't see the college 3 point and dunk contest last night, you should watch it when they re air it. The dunk contest was very good. I'm right, you're wrong.