Friday, April 9, 2010

Photo Tour

They conducted a media tour of the new stadium yesterday, but I couldn't go because I had to see a guy about a thing, ya know? But Patti Traina went and put together a little photo essay for your enjoyment.

And Jenny Vrentas from the Star-Ledger did an interesting piece on Bill Belichick's connection with the sport of lacrosse, which opens the new stadium tomorrow with a high-quality collegiate triple-header. Doesn't surprise me. When I covered high school lacrosse, I saw plenty of football players who used the sport to stay in shape during the spring. They were very good at it, too. And plenty of lacrosse coaches would be seen on the football sidelines handling whole units or positions in the fall. A natural overlap.

Kind of makes me wonder, perhaps ignorantly, why you never see fulltime lacrosse player being sought after as an NFL draft prospect. You see fulltime basketball players go as tight ends -- Antonio Gates, etc. -- but I've never heard of someone coming off a lifetime of lacrosse into, say, a safety spot. If a guy has a lacrosse background, it's usually because he played it in addition to football.

I think I have too much time on my hands.

EP

13 comments:

  1. Several guys I went to High School with played professional lacrosse. Two guys from my HS football team went to the NFL. The guys who went to the NFL were significantly taller and heavier than the guys that played professional lacrosse. Since I was 5'10" and 160 lbs soaking wet(at that time) and fairly slow, needless to say, my career ended after HS.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The new stadium looks vanilla and boring. The upperdeck is over with and I have as good a view from across the bridge. Those seats in Giants Stadium were awesome and hung over the field, not all pushed back. Anybody regretting those psl's yet?

    ReplyDelete
  3. i m thinking maybe i should write the giants a check and just ask them to make the improvements that wayno suggests. im sure they built a worse stadium then the one they just closed. lots of sports teams do that

    ReplyDelete
  4. Enjoyed the photos. Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Scott Unless u want a luxury box, in fact they did. Do u realize Giants Stadium was a great place to watch a football game? Newer may mean more revenue but does not mean better. Have u been to Yankee Stadium? How about during a game that meant something? There is ur answer smart ass.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i went to 6 of 8 giants home games last year. i also went to over 10 yankee games. the new yankee stadium is a much better venue, the only problem with getting rid of the old yankee stadium was the history. i also sat in the very last row of yankee stadium, behind homeplate, for game 2 of the als, the one the yanks won in 13.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wayno, I went to over 15 Yankees games last year. The new stadium is MUCH MUCH nicer than the old one. Yes, teams build their stadiums to make more money. But, they are also looking to give the fans a better experience.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Guys - I know we kinda closed this debate, but this is a fairly amusing take on the McNabb trade. No, I'm no fan of Deion. I actually think he's a windbag, but this did make me chuckle.

    http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d8176a398/Deion-on-Donovan

    ReplyDelete
  9. I loved the old Giants Stadium. I grew up at that place, and I'm going to miss it.

    That being said, let's put it in some perspective: The place was one of the worst stadiums in the NFL.

    Now, was it falling apart? No. But stuff like the sound system needed to be completely replaced. And the video boards were old and outdated and also needed to be replaced.

    Also, this new stadium allowed (or at least that's one of the reasons given) the Giants to retool the entrance ramp and parking area, which absolutely needed to be done. They also added a train stop, which is a huge deal. I know they could have done all this stuff before, but maybe a new stadium was the "kick in the pants" they needed.

    And in the old stadium there were plenty of blind spots, so I wouldn't say it was a great place to watch a game. Will this place be a good sporting venue? I have no idea, I'll let you know in the fall.

    I know our society tends to glorify the past, and Giants fans (not just Wayno) tend to embellish past franchise successes, but I don't think a handful of pictures taken by someone with a digital camera can really give you a good feel for this stadium.

    I'll withhold my judgment until September.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dan - withhold your judgement until December when those winds used make me absolutely miserable. If the new stadium cuts down the wind by 10mph in the stands, I'm all for it. Used to freeze my a** off! I always drove, so I couldn't get hammered like most of the rest of the fans around me to block out the cold. Ok, a few shots of brandy, but that was it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good McNabb stuff Dweez.

    I did not think Giants Stadium was a dump and always enjoyed sitting in the upper deck and thought I had a great vantage point. Never noticed any blind spots. Ill take ur word for it as I only went to a handful of football games.

    I have been to about 200 Yankee games including about 25 last year and I laugh at all the fans that think it is an improvement. Old Yankee Stadium used to shake and not just during Boston games or the playoffs but rather EVERY game. The new place hasn't shook once or come even close to the exciting venue it once was. Fans were hanging over home plate or on the field level right near the players and they felt it and heard it. Now u have half the amount of seats on the lower level surrounded by a 15 ft moat. They didnt even stand until the world series.

    Newer isnt better and I would have no problem with new Giants Stadium if the design enhanced the fans viewing of the game. But look at the decks.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I won't miss those winds. Sat up front in the endzone one time and the wind would drop in on you like a freight train.

    That last picture of them leveling the Gate got me a little choked up though. So many great memories of that place.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Patrick Kerney was recruited by UVA for lacrosse and played both lacrosse and football while at UVA.

    ReplyDelete