Giants work Buy-Back Of Eli Manning's Contract

Giants exercise buy-back of Manning's contract- see my note at the Bottom
BY ARTHUR STAPLE AND BOB GLAUBER

Giants fans have complained about the team's unwillingness to spend in the free agent market, but they've invested heavily in their own players.

They not only re-signed center Shaun O'Hara to a five-year, $19 million deal just hours before the free agency signing period began on March 2, but they also spent big money to make sure that Eli Manning remains their quarterback for the next three seasons at least.

The Giants exercised a "buy-back" of Manning's contract earlier this month, Newsday has learned, to keep Manning from becoming a free agent at the end of the 2007 season. Newsday incorrectly reported that Manning's contract had been extended through the 2012 season.

Manning is still under contract through 2009, but the buy-back was a costly one.

According to league sources familiar with Manning's contract, the Giants gave him a $5 million buy-back bonus, as well as a $3 million roster bonus. His base salary for the 2007 season will be $6.45 million. It increases to $8.45 million in 2008 and $8.95 million in 2009. The six-year, $54 million deal in July, 2004, but the deal would have voided after four seasons because Manning had achieved play-time incentives in his first season.

Giants sources last night confirmed that the move was made, and that the team had planned the transaction well in advance.

A team source said the money allocated to Manning has not been a factor in the team's reluctance to spend big on free agents. The source indicated that there were simply not enough quality players available in free agency worth pursuing, and that the huge contracts earned by some players was not in line with what the Giants believed their value to be.



And My slant: This is Gigantic(no pun meant!) for the Giants front office, as Eli would have been a Free Agent after this season. For all the crying fans are doing, for better or worse Manning is the Future of this offense, and they should make sure he's happy.

Fox News "In Focus" A Love Fest For Barack Obama - Telecast Gives High Marks To Senator

I'm watching Fox News "In Focus" where they ask the question "Will Wall Street Back Barack Obama." What I expected to be a conservative bashing of the Senator was anything but.

All of the panelists, including Steve Forbes, the Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine gave Senator Obama high marks for being a fresh face on the poiltical scene. And at least two of the panelists were quick to bash the idea that Senator Obama would be too liberal for Wall Street. But all believe that it's time for the Senator to address specific economic policies. Steve Forbes thinks that he will have to be more specific here at some point.

They also focused on Hillary Clinton and how she would react to Senator Obama's popularity. The Fox panelists observed that her campaign is "ruthless" and a "machine" and would take its shots at Senator Obama, but one panelist said that Barack was tough enough to take it and keep on going.

But that aside, it was a refreshing Fox newscast. I'm really excited that the Senator can win the Presidency. The campaign should get a clip of this telecast and have it copied.

CNN Trying To Ignore Barack Obama -- Why?

I am watching Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer right now and even though Senator Barack Obama drew a crowd of over 15,000 people in Oakland and held a massive fund-raiser at the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco, there was no mention of him in the discussion of presidential candidates on the program.

CNN didn't even report where Barack Obama was going to be on the campaign trail. They inforrmed us of Hillary Clinton's fund raiser in New York this evening and the events of five other presidential candidates. But CNN didn't even take time to report that Barack Obama didn't have a scheduled event for Sunday, and they've done that for other candidates in the past.

And when Wolf asked Donald Trump about the presidential election he didn't ask Trump for his view on Barack Obama.

It must be asked why is CNN trying to ignore Senator Barack Obama? Is it that they don't want him to win because he's Black? Hillary Clinton is not vastly ahead in any poll at all. It seems CNN has no problem focusing on Obama when someone brings up bad news -- and that doesn't stick at all.



Again, what's up? I thought CNN was supposed to be fair and balanced, and not Fox News!

"Online Marketing Buzz" - A New Blog

Since SBS' now has SBS-ON, I decided a new blog on Online Marketing -- see the caps -- was a good idea. It's designed to track trends in Internet marketing both to share and for SBS to use in its own work.

It's going to be a fun ride with this one. Check it out. I'm already a Twitter.

I'll have to report that online marketing is growing faster than the total rate of understanding of those who do it.

Twitter - Born In San Francisco

OK. Just when I thought the Bay Area was starting to lose it's dominance in all things online, we have Twitter , which grew out of the South Park area of The City, near AT&T Park, where the SF Giants play ball.

As to what Twitter is, to me it's a massive fad idea that's so simple I wish I'd thought of it. It's place to tell the World what you're doing. Period. That's all. Or as one Twitter employee put it "it's just a medium, and its relative worth lies in what's communicated."

Yep.

Twitter is a product of Obvious corporation, which reports that it's charge is to to create interesting things that matter to the world—and a great place for creative, smart people to work.

Nice.

Twitter's an interesting online social network that's all too perfectly viral. It makes me wonder what's next. My current charge is to figure out how better to mate our simulations with our blogs and message boards. I'll figure it out.

Zennie Abraham At Tadich Grill

I think everyone has a photo they think really captures who they are. For me, this is it. It was taken at one of my favorite restaurants, the Tadich Grill in San Francisco. It's perhaps the oldest eatery in San Francisco, and the food's the best. Always good quantity and quality. But what I like most is the history of the place, where it's served as host to so many San Franciscans and visitors of note and not, too. Regardless, everyone has to wait their turn!

If you go, get any seafood dish. The pasta's excellent, too!

American Idol Has Another Sex-Related Scandal - This One Gay Involving Mario Vazquez

American Idol can't keep itself out of sex-related scandals. If it's not Antonella Barba's sexy and soft-porn photos spread all over the Internet, or Frenchie Davis' being taken off American Idol for having sexy photos all over the Web, it's now this. A Gay sex scandal involving American Idol contestant Mario Vasquez. Here's the details from AdultWebLife:

Ask yourself this – would you drop out of American Idol to “take care of some things in your life” or would you ride that potential roller coaster of fame and see where it took you? Yeah – me too. Mario Vazquez – the only American Idol ever to quit the show after making the finals – withdrew from the 4th season, being very “vague” about his reasons for leaving only saying, “it wasn’t right for me.”

Now new information is revealed that shows there was another reason Vazquez would be in such a hurry to leave the popular talent competition… A former assistant production accountant for American Idol alleges that Vazquez sexually harassed him - and that he was fired for telling a supervisor - filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles on Friday. Magdaleno Olmos is specifically suing for wrongful termination and violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Among those named in the lawsuit are American Idol Productions Inc., Fremantle Media North America Inc., Fox Entertainment Group, Inc. and Fox Broadcasting Co.

In the lawsuit, Olmos claims that Vazquez withdrew from the show after the accountant came forward about the sexual harassment. He also describes in detail an incident in which Vazquez allegedly followed Olmos into a restroom at CBS Studios, knocked on the door of the stall and “made eye contact through the space in the stall door.” When Olmos tried to leave the stall he opened the door and saw Vazquez still standing in front of him, pants down and masturbating. Olmos alleges that Vazquez then tried to pull Olmos’ pants down, touched his chest and stomach underneath his shirt and genitals as he attempted to unzip his pants. According to Olmos, Vazquez then asked him if he wanted oral sex and tried to persuade him to stay in the restroom.

Olmos said that he tried to tell his superior, Eric LaPointe, who was also named as a defendant, but that he told Olmos “he was crazy” and imagining things, warning him that, “nothing could be done” and that he would “probably be fired.” Olmos was then fired on or about May 19th, 2005.

Representatives from American Idol and Fox Broadcasting Company have not come forward with regard to this lawsuit; neither has ex-Idol contestant Mario Vazquez. We’re sure more will come out as this story begins to unravel…

2007 NFL Draft - Ohio State Pro Day Video

This is the video for the Ohio State "pro-day" where Buckeye seniors eligible for the NFL Draft show their performance capabilities for NFL scouts and executives. Ohio State's Heisman Winning QB Troy Smith posted a 4.65 in the 40. Check out this video:

Eagles Replace Stallworth with Kevin Curtis

Eagles Replace Stallworth With Curtis-see below
By ROB MAADDI
AP Sports Writer
Wide receiver Kevin Curtis agreed to a six-year contract with Philadelphia on Thursday, giving the Eagles a potential replacement for Donte' Stallworth.

Curtis' deal could be worth up to $32 million and includes $9.5 million in guaranteed money, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms of the contract weren't released.

"Kevin's a guy that we've liked all along," Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said. "He's got great speed and run-after-the-catch ability. Kevin's a calm, smart guy that just goes out and plays football. He definitely brings tremendous speed to our team."

A third-round pick in 2003, the 28-year-old Curtis spent his first four seasons with the St. Louis Rams serving mostly as the No. 3 wideout behind Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. He has 136 receptions for 1,714 yards and 12 touchdowns in 51 games. Curtis had his best season in 2005 when Bruce missed five games, catching 60 passes for 801 yards and six TDs.

"I've accepted my role and loved every minute of it in St. Louis and played with some great wideouts out there, but I'm definitely excited about the thought and the opportunity to be on the field more," Curtis said when he visited Philadelphia last Friday.

Minnesota, the New York Giants and Tennessee also were interested in Curtis, the second receiver to join the Eagles in free agency. Philadelphia also signed Bethel Johnson, a return specialist, last week. The defending NFC East champions lost Stallworth to the New England Patriots earlier this week.

Stallworth had 38 receptions for 725 yards and five TDs in 12 regular-season games in his only season with the Eagles. He also had six catches for 141 yards and two scores in two playoff games.

Curtis could compete with second-year pros Hank Baskett and Jason Avant to start opposite Reggie Brown.

"I'd like to be a starter, but I'm open to any opportunities that are out there," Curtis said. "Outcome: I want to be out on the field playing the whole game."

The Eagles also welcomed veteran running back Ron Dayne to Philadelphia on Thursday. Dayne, who spent last season with the Houston Texans, would give the Eagles the complementary back they're seeking to go along with Brian Westbrook.

"I know Westbrook's the man right now," Dayne said. "I'll compete with him if I come here, just play hard and do what they ask -- whatever they need me to do."

Dayne had 612 yards rushing and five TDs while averaging 4.1 yards per carry for the Texans. A former first-round pick, the 29-year-old Dayne played five seasons with the Giants and one season in Denver.

___
So Dayne and Curtis will add Power and Grace to the Eagles offense, Which is fitting. Curtis might be the missing piece of the puzzle, and Dayne will have fun playing against his old Team(the Giants) Twice a season.

SXSW - Austin, Texas Swings Digital Media South Away From SF Bay Area

Now, I've been to Austin and went to the University of Texas at Arlington just up the way between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Austin was always called "The Berkeley Of The South" but that was from the perspective of nutso Texas conservatives. Now, I think Austin should be seen as a national capital of digital media, or at least the presentation of it. Just look at SXSW.

South By Southwest has been going on since 1987, but since it added the film and interactive media festivals it's really taken off and now with the growth of digital media, it's growth is viral. Viral because it's a festival about content related for digital media, and digital media itself, and then it's reported about using, you guessed it, digital media. A unique convergence. Take a look at this video blog:



I increasingly get the idea that the excitement in digital media is as much in cities like Austin or New York as it is in the Bay Area. We've got nothing like SXSW and yet it's something perfectly Bay Area. I think the main problem here is the cost of living is driving away the creative people that feed the digital media community. What's more the problem is that the Bay Area leaders are too out of touch to see this as a crisis.

When more cities -- or maybe that one city like Austin -- starts luring Bay Area firms away, then they'll wake up. But California's lost a lot of movie production activity for the same reason, so maybe not.

CB Nick Harper Jumps From Colts to Titans

Nick Harper Leaves Champs for Titans See my comments below
By Associated Press


NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nick Harper is going from the Super Bowl champion Colts to a division rival, the Tennessee Titans.

The free-agent cornerback agreed to a three-year deal with the Titans on Tuesday, agent Ian Greengross said.

"Nick was impressed with what he saw when the Colts played the Titans," Greengross said. "They played the Colts close the first time and beat the Colts the second time. He likes where they are heading."

The 5-foot-10 Harper spent the past six seasons with Indianapolis. The 32-year-old had three interceptions and 58 tackles last season as a starter.

He visited Tennessee last week and said the Titans were his top choice.

That could be in part because the future of cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones' is in question after a series of off-field incidents. Titans coach Jeff Fisher recently expressed his displeasure with Jones for failing to inform the team of two arrests last year in Georgia. Jones also was interviewed by police after a triple shooting at a Las Vegas strip club on Feb. 19.

Harper has been the Colts' most consistent cover cornerback in the past few seasons.

So Harper Is taking the Money. I can understand that. The part i can't understand is how horrible a situation the Titans are in with Jones, and were they think Harper will "take over" for Jones. Even though we heard published reports last night that he was "obtained" for "Insurance' Purposes". Sure, and i have a Bridge to sell you that connects the Bronx to Long Island.

Seahawks' Tight End Jerramy Stevens Arrested.

Seahawks Jerramy Stevens Arrested "Under the Influence" Of What?? see my end comment at the VERY Bottom


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens was accused of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana after police stopped his car in downtown Scottsdale early Tuesday.

A Scottsdale patrol officer noticed the car traveling erratically and made the stop about 2:15 a.m.

Stevens, an unrestricted free agent after five seasons with Seattle, told the officer he had "four of five margaritas" at Salty Seniorita, a downtown Scottsdale bar.

According to the police report, the officer smelled alcohol and noticed Stevens' eyes were "bloodshot and watery and half-closed. Spoke with slow, slurred speech."

As he got out of the vehicle, the report said, Stevens "dropped his cell phone and wallet on the ground, bent down to pick them up, then stutter-stepped to walk" toward the officer.

A second officer arrived and began a field sobriety test, but after Stevens "almost fell down" during the "walk-and-turn" test, the player declined to participate in any further testing.

Police said they found a "leafy green substance" believed to be marijuana in Stevens' pocket.

Stevens refused a breathalyzer test and declined to give a blood sample until police obtained a warrant about 5 a.m., the report said. Stevens was booked and posted bail and an initial court appearance was set for April 2. The blood test results haven't yet been released.

Stevens has had other run-ins with the law.

In June 2003, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a plea deal after being stopped in the Seattle suburb of Medina on investigation of drunken driving. He got a two-day jail sentence for that offense.

He received another five days in jail for violating his probation after he drove into a nursing home in 2000 in a hit-and-run case. Stevens was a student at Washington at the time of that incident.

The 6-foot-7, 265-pound player was a first-round draft pick by the Seahawks, the 28th selection overall, in 2002. He had a career-best 45 catches for 554 yards, a record for Seattle tight ends, in the Seahawks' 2005 Super Bowl season.

Last season, Stevens caught 22 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns.


Ok, so let's tell the cop that pulls us over "Yah Officer...i had about 5 Margaritas..and i'm crocked"
Then don't drive Jerramy! it's that simple....
And what about this "Leafy Green Substance" Oh come on now...It's bad enough you were drunk, so you were stoned too??
Nice,..did some american Indian give you the Pot?? because it would help your visions? Nice excuses there son.....