Plaxico: Giants are 'always a great possibility'

Another off-season and another possible Plaxico Burress return to the New York Giants.  Haven't we gone through this routine before?

It's that time of year when Burress— the former Giants receiver who caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII, shot himself in the leg, spent 20 months in jail then signed with the New York Jets— tells everyone about the prospect of his return to the Giants.

He's at it once again.  Burress, in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, today with Rich Gannon and Adam Shein, said he wouldn't mind re-signing with the Giants next week when free-agency begins.


"It's always a great possibility," Burress told the hosts.

Too bad the optimistic wide-out has probably used up his three wishes with the Big Blue genie.

Last summer— after his release from prison for weapons charges— Burress spurned the Giants after a much-ballyhooed free-agent visit to the Timex performance Center in the Meadowlands for dinner with the owners and Tom Coughlin.

The Giants offered him an incentive-based contract which Burress turned down; then promptly grabbed a guaranteed deal with the Jets.

Afterwards,  he said he never wanted to play for the Giants and had nothing but distain for head coach Tom Coughlin.

Now it sounds like the 34-year-old Burress has changed his tune... again.  The Lomabrdi Trophy can do that to a person.

"Playing in Kevin Gilbride's system is definitely one of the best," said Burress.  "You see the production those guys are having at wide receiver position.  Victor Cruz obviously with the year he had, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham.  You just look at some of the plays that those guys are making out there on the edge.  And Eli [Manning] has really just become a man of his position, leading those guys the last few games of the season, the last five or six winning, and obviously the Super Bowl."

Is there a spot for Burress on the Giants?  Probably not.

The Giants are preparing themselves for the loss of free-agent Mario Manningham but still have Cruz, Hicks and a re-signed Domenic Hixon.  There are high hopes for Jerrel Jernigan and Ramses Barden and Burress didn't exactly do anything with the Jets.

The free-agent has bandied about the names of the Giants, Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles as teams he would like to join.

Burress told a Philadelphia radio station that "Nothing would make me happier" than playing for the  Eagles, but he said that last summer too.

The Giants got over the loss of Steve Smith to the Eagles without any complications.  Burress would be a no brainer.

"I haven't been able to talk to any teams as of yet obviously because it's not free-agency time," Burress said today.  "But I'm looking at all offers , I'm just looking for an opportunity to go into an offense, have fun, make some plays these last few years and the goal is always to win a championship."

Too bad he gave up that chance last season.

Phillie Phanatic Goes Ape Over Dugout

After clinching the NL East this weekend,  Phillies fans had a lot to cheer about but why, why in the name of Mr. Met, would the Phillie Phanatic get up on the dugout and do the monkey with half-a-dozen people in chimpanzee costumes?

The bizarre scene took place last night during a game at Citizens Bank Park against the St. Louis Cardinals when the furry green mascot was joined over the Philles' dugout by the phoney primates.

Not being a big fan of mascots-- I did find this kind of funny.  You really can't go wrong with monkeys on TV anytime.

The big-headed apes didn't push any environmental issues like the Stanford Tree, a monkey movie and they aren't as scary--or peculiar--  as the 2012 London Olympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville.  Are those things remote controls or what?

Last night's dance line didn't do anything to help the Phillies though.  They were blanked by the Cards, 5-0.

The New York Mets mascot can only pine for the day when he is joined in a conga line within his lonely stadium.

Maybe Mr. Met can do the Dougie with the packs of wild dogs which reportedly roam outside CitiField.

Phillies Minor League Team's 'Road Trip' Almost Ends In Tragedy

A wrong turn almost turned tragic for a Pennsylvania minor-league baseball team after the team bus they were passengers in got lost, collided with an SUV, was pushed over the guardrail of an overpass and left dangling thirty feet over the busy highway below.

On Tuesday night, the Wiiliamsport Crosscutters-- an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies-- had just beaten the Brooklyn Cyclones (a New York Mets affiliate) in Coney Island and were headed to a Holiday Inn in Brooklyn when the driver of the bus apparently got lost.

The driver headed over the Veranzano-Narrows Bridge onto Staten Island and the driver tried to re-cross the span back to Brooklyn.  That's when the bus collided with a Lexus SUV on the overpass about 11 p.m., ricocheted off the vehicle and went up the guardrail--leaving the bus hanging precariously over the edge.

"Two more feet to the left and it would have fallen down onto the Expressway," a witness said.  "It was definitely their lucky day."

According to police,there were 52 passengers on the bus, including the entire Crosscutters team.  Two players and a coach were treated for minor injuries and released from a local hospital.

The driver of the SUV claimed the bus driver ran a red light and cut off the team's bus.

The incident recalled a more tragic bus crash.  In 2007, a Bluffton University baseball team charter bus plunged off an Atlanta highway ramp and killed six people.

The Crosscutters (26-21) recovered enough to play the next day, but lost to the Cyclones (25-22), 3-2, at MCU Park in Coney Island.  Both teams are battling for playoff spots in the Single-A N.Y.-Penn League.

I'm sure the team was counting their blessings more than their pitches the next day.