NEW YORK — The owner of the New York Giants tried a courthouse version of the Hail Mary pass Tuesday to escape serving on a jury hearing a drug trial before a judge threw him for a loss, rejecting excuses that included the upcoming NFL draft and his role as a negotiator for team owners in the work stoppage that resulted from their dispute with players.

The confrontation occurred in U.S. District Court in Manhattan between John Mara and Judge Jed S. Rakoff after Mara was called to become the final alternate on a jury expected to hear a major international drug case for the next three weeks. Mara has served as a juror at least once before on a panel that reached a verdict in a criminal case.

“Tell us about yourself,” the judge instructed.

“I am the president, CEO of the New York Giants, for the ball team, and have been so employed for the last 21 years,” answered the 56-year-old Mara, a Harrison, N.Y., resident.

The Giants owner did not know it but he already had lost ground in his quest to avoid sitting on the jury because the judge knew Mara had a law degree from Fordham University.

“That’s correct, your honor, the law school,” Mara said.

Shortly afterward, Mara asked to approach the bench. The judge agreed.

“My only issue, your honor, is the third week in here because we’re approaching the NFL draft. It is a big, big period for us, and I need to be at my place of employment during that period,” Mara said. “That’s my only issue. If it was just two weeks, I would be OK, but the third week is problematic for me.”

The judge noted that the third week would be a short one in court because of religious holidays, including Passover and Easter.

The judge mentioned that his wife is head of the Fordham Corporate Law Center and that she had spoken “very highly” of Mara’s work for the school.

“And she wouldn’t want me to excuse you under any set of circumstances,” Rakoff said.

Then Mara realized the draft wasn’t his only issue after all.

“My only other issue with that is we’re in a lockout situation right now, which may or may not end at some point in time,” he said. “I’m one of the lead negotiators for the owners’ side, so if for some reason negotiations start again, that causes – that causes me an issue.”

The judge said he would reconsider if there was “a real emergency.”

He added: “For now, I am going to leave you on, but keep us informed if problems arise.”

As the fourth alternate, Mara will sit in the jury box above the 12 regular jurors listening to the evidence and deliberate at the end of the trial only if four regular jurors are dismissed along the way.

NEW YORK (AP) – The owner of the New York Giants tried a courthouse version of the Hail Mary pass Tuesday to escape serving on a jury hearing a drug trial before a judge threw him for a loss, rejecting excuses that included the upcoming NFL draft and his role as a negotiator for team owners in the work stoppage that resulted from their dispute with players.

The confrontation occurred in U.S. District Court in Manhattan between John Mara and Judge Jed S. Rakoff after Mara was called to become the final alternate on a jury expected to hear a major international drug case for the next three weeks. Mara has served as a juror at least once before on a panel that reached a verdict in a criminal case.

“Tell us about yourself,” the judge instructed.

“I am the president, CEO of the New York Giants, for the ball team, and have been so employed for the last 21 years,” answered the 56-year-old Mara, a Harrison, N.Y., resident.

The Giants owner did not know it but he had lost ground immediately in his quest to avoid sitting on the jury because the judge knew Mara was a Fordham University graduate.

“That’s correct, your honor, the law school,” Mara said.

Shortly afterward, Mara asked to approach the bench. The judge agreed.

“My only issue, your honor, is the third week in here because we’re approaching the NFL draft. It is a big, big period for us, and I need to be at my place of employment during that period,” Mara said. “That’s my only issue. If it was just two weeks, I would be OK, but the third week is problematic for me.”

The judge noted that the third week would be a short one in court because of religious holidays, including Passover and Easter.

The judge mentioned that his wife is head of the Fordham Corporate Law Center and that she had spoken “very highly” of Mara’s work for the school.

Story Continues →

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NEW YORK — The owner of the New York Giants tried a courthouse version of the Hail Mary pass Tuesday to escape serving on a jury hearing a drug trial before a judge threw him for a loss, rejecting excuses that included the upcoming NFL draft and his role as a negotiator for team owners in the work stoppage that resulted from their dispute with players.

The confrontation occurred in U.S. District Court in Manhattan between John Mara and Judge Jed S. Rakoff after Mara was called to become the final alternate on a jury expected to hear a major international drug case for the next three weeks. Mara has served as a juror at least once before on a panel that reached a verdict in a criminal case.

“Tell us about yourself,” the judge instructed.

“I am the president, CEO of the New York Giants, for the ball team, and have been so employed for the last 21 years,” answered the 56-year-old Mara, a Harrison, N.Y., resident.

The Giants owner did not know it but he already had lost ground in his quest to avoid sitting on the jury because the judge knew Mara had a law degree from Fordham University.

“That’s correct, your honor, the law school,” Mara said.

Shortly afterward, Mara asked to approach the bench. The judge agreed.

“My only issue, your honor, is the third week in here because we’re approaching the NFL draft. It is a big, big period for us, and I need to be at my place of employment during that period,” Mara said. “That’s my only issue. If it was just two weeks, I would be OK, but the third week is problematic for me.”

The judge noted that the third week would be a short one in court because of religious holidays, including Passover and Easter.

The judge mentioned that his wife is head of the Fordham Corporate Law Center and that she had spoken “very highly” of Mara’s work for the school.

“And she wouldn’t want me to excuse you under any set of circumstances,” Rakoff said.

Then Mara realized the draft wasn’t his only issue after all.

“My only other issue with that is we’re in a lockout situation right now, which may or may not end at some point in time,” he said. “I’m one of the lead negotiators for the owners’ side, so if for some reason negotiations start again, that causes — that causes me an issue.”

The judge said he would reconsider if there was “a real emergency.”

He added: “For now, I am going to leave you on, but keep us informed if problems arise.”

As the fourth alternate, Mara will sit in the jury box above the 12 regular jurors listening to the evidence and deliberate at the end of the trial only if four regular jurors are dismissed along the way.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AFP) – Plaxico Burress, the former New York Giants Super Bowl star jailed on a gun charge, will leave prison in June after officials agreed to shorten his time behind bars by about three months.

A committee of prison-system staff decided Burress was eligible for time off for good behavior.

That means he can be released after serving some 21 months of a two-year sentence, spokeswoman Linda Foglia said.

Burress is now slated to be released on June 6.

“He’s counting the hours,” his lawyer Peter M. Frankel said. “He’s extremely positive.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already ruled that Burress would be reinstated and eligible to sign with a team upon completing his sentence.

Burress pleaded guilty in August 2009 to a gun charge after shooting himself in the leg at a nightclub.

Burress was at a Manhattan night club when a gun he had tucked in the waistband of his trousers slipped down and discharged, wounding him in the leg.

His permit to carry the weapon — which was issued in Florida and not New York — had expired.

Burress pleaded guilty to one count of attempted criminal weapons possession and agreed to the two-year sentence with two years of supervision upon release.

Burress caught the winning touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the Super Bowl in February 2008, when the Giants defeated a New England Patriots team that hadn’t lost a game all season.

NEW YORK — New York Giants center Shaun O’Hara will undergo surgery in two weeks to clean out his ankle and Achilles.

At the moment, O’Hara has his right foot in a walking boot after surgery he recently had to place a couple of screws in to stabilize a joint so a ligament can heal after he suffered from a Lisfranc injury during the season.

O’Hara, who played in just six games last season due to injuries to his foot and Achilles, says he will be ready to play when training camp begins.

“They basically told me I probably won’t start running until mid-May,” said O’Hara, who was in New York City on Tuesday at Brian Leonard’s charity bowling event to benefit the Embrace Kids Foundation, which benefits children with cancer and blood disorders. “The one thing they assured me is I will be 100 percent healthy for training camp.”

The Giants’ center position has been decimated by injuries. O’Hara, Rich Seubert (dislocated kneecap) and Adam Koets (ACL) are all coming off surgeries and coach Tom Coughlin said last week that the position is an area of concern entering the draft. The Giants draft 19th overall in the first round.

“I understand that they need somebody there that can take snaps at center if we do have OTA’s and minicamp,” O’Hara said. “They haven’t expressed any concern to me about me being ready for the season. I will be back to my normal self and I still feel like I have good football left in me.”

The only question in O’Hara’s mind is when there will be football to be played. The Giants’ NFL players association representative is ready to fight for a new and fair deal for the players.

“Basically at this point we are heading for a lockout,” O’Hara said. “It is going to happen. I think we have been preparing for it. I am not worried about it and I don’t think the players are worried about it. It is not a surprise at this point.

“I think we are ready for it and prepared and I think we are OK with it as players because we realize that at this point in time, any deal that gets done over the next couple of days is probably going to be a bad deal for the players.”

Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com. Follow him on Twitter.

NEW YORK (AP) – A defense attorney says Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Chris Simms is innocent and will fight for “his civil liberties and his good name.”

Attorney Kim Richman accompanied Simms to a brief Manhattan court appearance Tuesday.  The football player is due back before the judge on May 2.

Simms previously rejected what prosecutors said was a last-chance plea deal in January.

The 30-year-old son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms was pulled over at a police sobriety checkpoint July 1.

An officer said a zombie-like Simms said he’d been smoking marijuana in the car.  Simms has denied saying that.

He wasn’t tested for drugs.  Alcohol tests came back negative.

The most serious charge against Simms is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

NEW YORK — It’s not easy being a long-distance fan, but it got a little easier on Saturday for hundreds of East Coast Giants fans who got the chance to see the Commissioner’s Trophy the World Series champions won and to celebrate with their team in New York.

Saturday morning’s trophy visit at the New York Hilton was just part of a weekend of festivities celebrating the Giants’ return to their roots with a World Series title in tow. Later Saturday, the trophy was also scheduled to make a stop at Finnerty’s, a known San Francisco sports bar in the city.

The 2010 title was the first for the Giants since the 1954 season, and their first in San Francisco after heading west in ’57. Before the move, though, the New York Giants were a part of some of baseball’s most iconic moments, with Willie Mays’ “The Catch” and Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round the World.”

Those moments are so intrinsic to the Giants’ identity general manager Brian Sabean felt it only right to share it with fans in New York.

“We know our history,” Sabean said. “Fortunately, our ownership has done a great job with our connection back to New York. … What’s interesting is to see how generational it is. A lot of the older folks have vivid memories, and because of those memories and the great teams they watched — including the 1954 team — they’ve gotten their families involved.”

That was the case for Charles Bartlett, who inherited his Giants fandom from his father and has passed it on to his daughter, Emily. The father-daughter pair came into the city from their home in Massapequa Park, N.Y., just to see the trophy.

In addition to taking photos with the trophy, several fans also got the chance to meet Sabean and other members of the Giants’ brass. President Larry Baer and managing partner Bill Neukom were also in attendance, shaking hands with fans who expressed their gratitude for a great season.

The Giants also met with a special group of fans earlier on Saturday morning — the New York Baseball Giants Nostalgia Society. Founded by Bill Kent, a 65-year fan of the team, the organization was treated to a visit by the Hall of Famer Mays and National League Rookie of the Year Buster Posey.

Kent, a native of the Bronx, founded the group to reminisce about Mays, Thomson and the rest of the Giants who filled the Polo Grounds with memories.

“Most of us go back to the [19]40s and ’50s, and when we meet, it’s like we’re back in the ’40s and ’50s,” Kent said. “That’s why we have the club.”

While there was a strong contingent of fans representing the old New York Giants, the crowd spanned several generations, down to the youngest fans in strollers.

To Tiffany Olsen of Englewood, N.J., a 14-year fan and East Coast convert, there wasn’t any way she’d miss seeing the trophy.

“It is amazing,” Olsen said. “I love the fact that they gave Giants fans like me, who have moved away, and Giants fans who have lived here for generations, the chance to see the trophy. As a fan, it shows they really care.”

For others, such as Lewis Xisarax of Astoria, Queens, the visit was not only about seeing the trophy, but also having the chance to show gratitude to the Giants.

“I wanted to thank the Giants organization for a great job this season,” Xisarax said. “I’ve been a loyal fan for 25 years, going through all the ups and downs and going to a game every year at Shea Stadium. And now seeing the trophy, it was just a fantastic experience.”

The snaking line to see the trophy, which at one point represented a wait time of nearly an hour, created a sea of happy fans in orange and black. One particular fan, donning a Brian Wilson-inspired fake beard he got at Game 2 of the World Series, kept the crowd around him entertained while they waited.

After a photographer snapped their picture with the trophy, several excited fans walked out remarking that hopefully they’d be right back here again next year.

Even though the event celebrated the Giants’ accomplishments last season, Saturday’s event got fans thinking about the return of the boys of summer.

“On a cold winter day like today, baseball always fills the area with sunshine,” Queens native Hector Algarroba said. “It’ll be here soon.”

NEW YORK — As the New York Jets head for Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in the AFC championship game, New York City has caught football fever.

Given that the Big Apple is known primarily as a baseball town, and given that the New York Giants are generally acknowledged as the number one football team in town, the Jets have always been a bit of a scrappy underdog when it comes to capturing the heart of the city.

At least for now, though, the heart of the city is Jet green.

Led by swashbuckling head coach Rex Ryan, and second year quarterback Mark Sanchez, the Jets went 11 and 5 during the regular season before beating both the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, both on the road, to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the second year in a row.

As the biggest and most diverse city in the country, it takes a lot to unite New York. And given that it is a two team town, it would be a stretch to say that the entire city is pulling hard for the Jets. And yet, even Giants fans are to some degree wishing their Jets fans brethren well this week.

If you live in or are visiting New York this week, signs of Jets fever are all around. After the Jets beat the Patriots on Sunday night, the Empire State Building in midtown was lit up in the Jets’ colors of green and white.

In fact, as the Jets’ charter flight made the short trip down from the Boston area, the pilot of the plane contacted Newark airport and asked for permission to fly an alternate route, closer to the building so that the players could get what must have felt like a close up look at their colors. Newark Airport controllers called LaGuardia Airport, which actually is responsible for the space around the area, and the players got a thrilling view. Ryan told the pilot to tell the air traffic controllers that they were ‘awesome’.

The Empire State Building will be decked out in green and white all weekend long leading up to, and during, the game on Sunday night.

All over town, Jets banners are decorating storefronts, bars and restaurants. The impact on their business is undeniable. New York City’s sports bars are seeing a huge uptick during the playoffs as they are full for the games during times in which they would otherwise be nearly empty.

Finally, a huge pep rally, attended by hundreds of fans was held in Times Square on Thursday night…both Senator Chuck Schumer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke.

The Jets are slight underdogs to the Steelers, but most agree they have an excellent chance to beat the Steelers; a team they beat during the regular season.

Of course, as excited as New York City is now, if the Jets beat the Steelers on Sunday and advance to the franchise’s first Super Bowl since 1969, it truly will be the town that doesn’t sleep…at least for a couple of weeks.

Ron Hart is a New York City resident and long suffering Jets fan.

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - This is where 81-year-old Bill Kent first fell in love, at the site of the old Polo Grounds.

WCBS 880′s Peter Haskell reports

That’s where the New York Giants baseball team played until 1957.

“It’s as if you remember your first girlfriend. Willie Mays was our first hero,” Kent told WCBS 880 reporter Peter Haskell.

Now Kent and the other old timers will get a chance to meet Mays.

The site of the Polo Grounds is seen from Chopper 880 – New York, NY – Nov 2, 2010 – Photo: Tom Kaminski / WCBS 880

The now San Francisco Giants are having an event in the New York City with Mays and the 2010 World Series trophy.

Kent and other old Giants fans have been invited.

He says, “I think it’s amazing. I think it’s lovely. It’s great. We’re flattered.”

The event takes place Friday, January 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at P.S. 46 in Manhattan.

NEW YORK GIANTS (9-6) At WASHINGTON (6-9)

Sunday, 4:15 p.m., FOX

OPENING LINE—NY Giants by 3 1/2

RECORD VS. SPREAD—NY Giants 7-8; Washington 8-5-2

SERIES RECORD—Giants lead 91-62-4

LAST MEETING—Giants beat Redskins 31-7, Dec. 5, 2010

LAST WEEK—Giants lost to Packers 45-17; Redskins beat Jaguars 20-17 OT

GIANTS OFFENSE—OVERALL (3), RUSH (5), PASS (9)

GIANTS DEFENSE—OVERALL (6), RUSH (9), PASS (8)

REDSKINS OFFENSE—OVERALL (19), RUSH (29), PASS (10)

REDSKINS DEFENSE—OVERALL (32), RUSH (25), PASS (31)

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES—Giants need win and Green Bay loss (not counting tie scenarios) to avoid missing playoffs for second straight year. … Last 10-win Giants team not to make postseason was 10-6 squad in 1988. … New York has won five straight in series and eight of last nine. … Giants lead league with 35 forced fumbles and 20 fumble recoveries, but also lead league with 17 lost fumbles and 41 giveaways. … QB Eli Manning(notes) needs 241 yards passing to become first Giants QB with consecutive 4,000-yard seasons. … Redskins have lost three straight vs. NFC East by combined score of 123-65. … Washington’s last four wins have all been by margin of three points, including three that went to overtime. … Redskins coach Mike Shanahan needs win to avoid matching worst record in 17 seasons as NFL coach. He went 6-10 with Denver in 1999. … NFL teams have forced 10 turnovers this season when other team has first-and-goal from 5 or closer; Redskins have forced three of them. … Washington QB Rex Grossman(notes) last started against Giants in December 2007, when he passed for 296 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for Bears in a 21-16 loss.

After the Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a miracle to beat the New York Giants on Sunday, the New York Post ran a headline “Giants Dog It” on its cover and replaced two Giants players’ heads with dogs.

Vick threw two touchdown passes and ran for another late in the fourth quarter, but it was DeSean Jackson’s walk-off touchdown on a punt return that won the game for the Eagles.

Vick spent 18 months in prison and two months of home confinement after pleading guilty to running a dogfighting operation.

He has since apologized and told TheGrio.com last week that he would love to get another dog in the future.

However, Humane Society of the United States President Wayne Pacelle said that it’s too early for Vick to have a dog.

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