“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” ~ Ben Franklin

Yes, Mr. Benjamin Franklin did say that. And if what he says is so, then any self-respecting Giants fan, not currently attending A.A., has ample reason to drink up. In light of the incessant, annoying jabber (and whining) about the loss of Plaxico Burress, I’ve decided to to take my lemons and dice’em up for Coronas; in short, a new drinking game is in town. God willing, it’ll only last the season. If you haven’t already gathered, here’s the gist of the game: every time you hear Plaxico Burress’ name mentioned, drink. You’ll be guaranteed plastered before the start of third quarter. I wish I’d counted the individual references to Burress in the last game, that tensely amazing triumph over the Cowboys. Nevertheless, by sometime mid second quarter at the merest hint of the former Giants WR, I was set to throw chicken wings at the flat screen. Then my girl suggested this new drinking game. It certainly took the edge off. Personally, I like a darker beer, like Guiness or even Yuengling’s Black & Tan, for a game.

Harsh Words: Giant Idiot?

The way the sports commentators go on and on about Burress I’ve begun to wonder. Are they high? Are their neuro-pathways calcified, do they have nothing intelligent to talk about?

Oops, my bad. Stupid question.

It’s not just the sports commentators though, not really. Sports media is saturated with Burress. To the right are headlines from last December, when the incident actually occurred.

This morning first thing I did when I sat down to work, naturally, was to look up the latest scoop on the Giants. Everywhere I turned, the biggest thing is still Plaxico Burress. This morning’s headline? This from TMZ.com:

Team/Player Photos: New York Giants Team / Player Photos on Jul 23, 2010

Plaxico Burress Pleads Guilty to Gun Charge

And what’s this latest? What has he done now? He’s pled guilty and he’ll be sentenced today.

Not only that, Burress was one of the top trending topics on Twitter and made Yahoo news headlines this morning. So, my question is this, in light of the Giants’ wins over the Skins and Cowboys and in light of how well their passing game is improving (from one game to the next!) why are we still talking about Mr. Burress as if he was the linchpin holding the team together? What’s more, his former teammates could barely put up with Burress, even before the incident. Tim Hasselbeck said of Burress: “I played with the guy. I was in the locker room with him for two years. He’s a disaster as a teammate. He’s a disaster as a guy that you have to coach.” Whatever. I’ve said my piece. I, for one, am not complaining anymore, as long as the beer keeps flowing. Thank goodness for silver-linings. And hey, if you want to drop by, it’s BYOB.