Author: metbaseball

Today’s NFL Draft

Posted on by metbaseball

I’ve been an avid reader of the various NFL mock drafts available on the Web. Few will be accurate. With regard to one team, the New York Giants, most mock drafts are predicting that the Giants will pick a wide receiver with their first-round pick. At least one predicted the Giants will choose a linebacker. And only one I saw predicted they will pick an offensive lineman: Eben Britton from Arizona.

I think if a quality offensive tackle is available, that’s who the Giants will select. Their current right tackle, Kareen McKenzie, will be 30 next month and did not have that good a season in 2008. Further, none of his backups have demonstrated the ability to take his place.

Then, with their first second-round pick (unless they trade for a wide receiver), I believe they’ll take either a wide receiver or a linebacker, whichever one is higher-rated on their board. With their other second-round pick, they’ll choose a player for the other position.

In the third round with their two picks, I think they will choose a safety and either an offensive guard or a center.

The fun begins at four o’clock.

Giants should stay away from Edwards

Posted on by metbaseball

Last season, after New York Giants’ receiver Plaxico Burress pulled one of the bonehead acts of the year when he shot himself in the leg, his absence caused the team to limp into the playoffs. There, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-11, despite having home-field advantage.

Given that no one knows when, if ever, Burress will return to the team, rumor has it that the Giants have tried to trade for the Browns’ Braylon Edwards. To get him, the Giants have offered the two draft picks they received from the Saints for Jeremy Shockey and either Mario Manningham or Dominick Hixon. The Browns countered by asking for Steve Smith, whom the Giants have refused to part with.

Regardless of what the Giants offered, I question why they’d want to give up so much for a receiver with butterfingers. Last season, in his first 10 games, Edwards dropped 10 passes. I wouldn’t trade two picks and a player for him even if the Browns threw in a tube of glue.

Sure, he had a great season in 2007. But after last year’s unexceptional performance, I’d just offer the Browns the Giants’ own second- and fifth-round picks (not the ones they got from the Saints). Let’s see how desperate the Browns are to get rid of Edwards.

Is it a poem?

Posted on by metbaseball

Sometimes, I read a work and wonder why it’s considered a poem. One such work is James Tate’s It Happens Like This. I invite you to read it (You can read it here.) and then vote in the poll below.

Don’t go to the Deptford Inspection Station on a Monday afternoon

Posted on by metbaseball

Last Monday afternoon I made the mistake of taking my car to the Deptford (NJ) Inspection Station for my car’s biannual inspection. I arrived at the inspection station at 2:45, later than I had hoped. As only about 25 cars were ahead of me, I figured that I’d be done in about an hour.

According to the state website, on weekdays the station’s hours were 7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. However, for the first 25 minutes, none of the cars in front of me moved. It was as if all the station’s inspectors had gone on break. Once the line began moving, each time it moved, I’d advance several car lengths and then sit and wait another 15 minutes.

When I finally reached the front of the line, I noticed that only two of the four inspection lanes were open, which partially explained why it took so long for me to reach the front position. Another was that the station seemed understaffed. Did the station’s management not anticipate that so many cars would appear on a Monday afternoon?

At five minutes before five o’clock, an inspector placed a new sticker on my car. Unfortunately, it took more than two hours to get it.

From now on, I’ll get to the station early in the morning. When I’ve done that in the past, I’ve never had to wait more than an hour to get my car inspected.