Big Blue Huddle

You know, Lou, when I first read your suggestion about the camoflage cups, I thought: "That's a GREAT IDEA!!"

You had me going there.

I'd be glad to walk you or anyone else around and introduce you (and I'll gladly share that duty with anyone else who would enjoy that opportunity).

If we haven't already met before you arrive at the BBQ, look for me wearing my white, "PAGAN 43" jersey and red Giants dew-rag. Our group will be on the right side of the park as you enter the park road.

Actually once before, at an earlier BBQ, someone brought name tag stickers. I wonder if they are still around someplace, or if anyone has a package of them available? Should we put it on the list?

As for the pagan rituals... Lou, you bring the fruited wine and I'll bring the fatted calf. Together, we'll petition the football gods to keep injury gremlins far away from our heroes in Blue. The ceremony is not too uncomfortable. However, at one point you may be asked to expose a single, bare butt cheek.

(I promise you, that will only happen if absolutely necessary.)

pagan43

Wow, Huffster!! You are STILL our man in Albany!! That's some good recon!

Reading about how the caretaker's trailer has been removed only confirms in my mind what we already suspected; cutbacks have probably eliminated the position. Last year that could have meant weekends without a caretaker. It probably means that this year weekdays are now without a caretaker too.

It's good news to read about how that gravel parking lot was opened up during your reconnaissance trip. G-Girl and I will aim for locking up some table close to that lot, as it makes for the shortest walks and the security of keeping our vehicles within sight.

When we originally put together our shopping list we eliminated "cups", as they were barely used last year. And, it reduced the list by one less item. However, if we take your warning about keeping the brewskys on the down-low, then maybe putting "cups" back on the list isn't a bad idea.

If we all use solid color (not clear) plastic cups to hold our beverages, we should avoid any unnecessary attention from the authorities.

Thanks for asking around about a barbecue for us. That was a good idea, and maybe it's something we can try for again next year. But, we have a few people bringing portable charcoal grills, and when we combine them with the grills provided in the park, I think we should be in pretty good shape.

Now... Can you get us some good intel on what the weather is supposed to be like?

pagan43

I think it would be advantageous if we split the topics of Friday night dinner / Sunday morning brunch out to a separate thread, so that we can get a feel for consensus, and put together a pair of lists, while G-Girl wraps up the BBH BBQ coordination in this one.

Agreed?

pagan43

Jaime,

Last year the team encouraged the players to spend time after practice ended signing autographs for the fans who lined up along the fence.

Most of the players spent some time, although some did not spend a lot of time (so I was told), and some spent over an hour signing everything and talking to the fans.

I drove past it, and it was PACKED. But, it's still probably worth it to try to make it up to A-town a little earlier on Friday to take advantage of it.

pagan43

Vette,

Yeah!! It's great ro read that you and L are joining us again this year!

Dinner at the Barnsider was very good last year. They offer a pretty broad cross-section from seafood to steak, and they easily handled the separate checks for the big group. I vote for a return engagement.

I also agree that the Cheesecake Factory was an excellent choice for Sunday brunch, and wouldn't mind a return this year as well.

Count Cyndi and I in for both (where ever they are).

pagan43

Jim,

Sorry about the cornfusion. This year's BBQ is still on Aug 7.

I didn't know how to cut just Kevin's post out of the old thread.

Can you help a brother out?

pagan43

I am hoping that my cutting/pasting skills measure up, as they have been ineffective up until now.

The link I have included below is to an Archive page that was originally created by RemembersHuff for last year's BBH BBQ. It was so well done, that I was hoping we could simply reuse it, rather than reinvent it.

http://giantsfans.net/message_board/index.php/topic,5589.msg60534.html#msg60534

pagan43

Edit - Well, after posting, I used the link to successfully re-navigate to the maps and directions in the Archive. My work here is done, so I'm off to get a good mid-morning buzz on.

Well, maybe I'll hold off on the mid-morning buzz thing. I guess I've been watching too much of the MadMen marathon on AMC. I just love the way everyone smoked and drank in their offices back then.

pagan43

Edit Again - Just to point out something, and avoid any possible confusion: The maps linked in the Archive were created in 2008 for the picnic that year. The posts above and below it reference the time and date of THAT BBQ, not THIS BBQ.

Please only use the Archived post for the maps and other good information that RemembersHuff originally provided in 2008, as our local guide to all things Albany.

Sorry to join the conversation so late.

I'm ok with it too.

pagan43

Jim, you're gonna' need a new picture of you and Brody.

The little man was at least 6 inches taller than I expected him to be! (based on your avatar)

It was great to meet you and your family too. Maybe by next year you'll have a couple more cats. Remember to bring photos.

pagan43

Well, for all of those among us with inquiring minds, I will attempt to recap the recently passed BBH Annual Albany Get-Together.

There is no way to begin this dialog without first acknowledging and sincerely thanking the people who dedicated themselves specifically to the task of making this event successful. They took the steps required, sacrificed some of their time and in general went the "extra mile" to make it all happen.

In the first place there is Ed, who I believe is a natural, and honestly seems born to coordinate! It's probably fair to say that without his dedication, the weekend would certainly have been different, and I'm pretty certain that it would NOT have been as good.

Right up there with Ed is Kevin, who has been one of our "native guides" forever. This guy sacrificed the entire morning practice session so that our place at the park was secure. And, this isn't the first time he has donated his time, often while we all relaxed.

As this is always a collaborative menu, almost everyone brings something and the variety is awesome. But I'd like to offer a special thanks to Bill and Cindy who really pitched in, stepping into the breach when some late cancellations left us with needed items, and little time.

Now, the recap:

The Friday night welcome dinner at the Barnsider was a great kickoff to the weekend. In the past I had foregone this event, as I would normally drive up in the wee hours of Saturday morning. But this year I was accompanied by my wife, Cyndi. So, we decided to attend. I don't know who first selected the Barnsider, but it was a fine choice (and apparently an Albany mainstay)! And, the restaurant obliged us with separate checks!

Their specialty is aged beef, served to perfection, and super-fresh seafood. None of the 13 people who attended were disappointed in the fare. And, certainly the company was excellent! Talk ranged from the typical getting to know you stuff for the new comers, to the hard core nuts and bolt of the Giants in camp.

Kudos to John and Rich who arrived a day ahead and gave us the advanced scouting report. The only downside to the evening was that we had to cut it off in time to get some rest before a much bigger day coming up on Saturday. I do believe some of the conversations could have gone on until the management put us out!

Saturday morning practice began at 8:35, but the bulk of the BBH crew met in the parking lot of the Dutch Quad at 7:30 and where able to get prime seating, as the crowd eventually became quite large.
The day before, John had taken his rosters to a local Kinko's and made a pile of copies (alphabetical on one side and numerical on the opposite, just like the pros do it), then he generously distributed to everyone (BBHers or not).

AM practice ran a little bit long, so it was quite a good thing that Kevin had forgone attending the AM session to be at the ice house when they opened for business that morning, purchased the ice and headed straight down to the park, arriving at around 9am.

Unlike years past, when our group dominated the area under the cedars, this time several groups had already claimed the majority of the tables and grills. When I arrived at about 11:30, with Cyndi and my brother Vinny, there was only one table available for any group that came later than we did.

But, because the layout of the park is more than adequate, none of the groups were really cramped for space. Instead, it kept our group of about 35 people more closely together. Because we didn't spread out, we had lots of great conversation and interaction. I think there were a few more ladies in attendance this year, and as usual some youngsters too.

For several years we had been successful at getting a guest speaker to attend. And, although this has always been a highlight of the event, this year we did without. And, again, instead of being a shortcoming it actually allowed us to spend more time talking amongst each other.

Of course, the highlight of any BBH Get-Together is quantity and quality of food and beverages. Finger foods and chips gave way to platters of burgers and dogs with cold salads galore. John did his usual best waiter service making the rounds with chilled shrimp and his homemade cocktail sauce (kickin'), followed by a smoked salmon plate.

I whipped out my one-of-a-kind, official New York Giants bocce balls and we started the first game of the afternoon just as everyone was loosening their belts and resting up after the opening salvo of food had been consumed. Those balls would continue to fly for the rest of the afternoon! (ps.: Rich, who claims to have never thrown a bocce ball in his life turns out to be the ringer!)

Then, Ed's ribs and Jim's chicken arrived on the tables to signal the second wave of good food. Every thing topped off with a fine selection of baked goods for desert.

The Giants switch to a late starting PM practice (6 instead of 3:30) provided us with some extra time to party and relax. Cleanup was a little less hurried, and most people actually had time to go back to their hotels to refresh (or nap) before the second practice session of the day.

And, that session turned out to be a bit more spirited than the earlier one had been. The Barden one-handed catch was certainly the highlight, but the Hedgecock/Kehl scuffle was the fireworks!

Everyone retreated to their own events in the evening following practice. For me that meant 20 year old Scotch and fine Dominican cigars with my brother, back at the hotel.

The next morning at 10 AM, a group just shy of a dozen met at the Cheesecake Factory for a fine brunch and a few more laughs before dispersing. Again, the choice of venue was perfect, as the Cheesecake Factory offers an excellent brunch menu (and again, separate checks)! From there some would head back to camp for the 2:30 PM practice, and others would hit the open road.

In the weeks ahead we will probably learn if the Giants intend to renew their arrangement with the State University of New York and return to Albany next year, or if they will begin a new chapter in their summer camps by relocating it. There was some speculation about the possibility that the G-Men will stay closer to home now that they have a state-of-the-art training facility right next to the stadium.

If this change becomes reality, we will need to begin doing some research on hotels and restaurants and parks that might offer us an opportunity to continue our annual Get-Together. Perhaps some of the local Jersey guys among us can help by making suggestions.

I know that a change of venue to New Jersey will probably allow more BBHers to attend. But, I'm kind of hoping that the Giants continue to make Albany their summer home. It really is a great place to meet and enjoy each other and our shared passion for the New York Giants!


pagan43

Quote from: LennG on August 03, 2009, 01:38:33 PM
Guys

I was scheduled to bring cups, napkins and some paper towels. Some one will have to pick up these instead.

You all can probably forget the Kosher Hot dogs

I'll bring napkins and paper towels.

What happened Lenn?

pagan43

I think we need to consider that unlike years past when our picnic took place between 10:30am and 3:30pm, which was basically the time between morning and afternoon practice sessions, this year's get together can run from 10:30am to 5:30pm because the afternoon practice will be held later.

This could mean that we will have less food and beverages left over because we will have more time to consume them.

OR

We may need to bring more of certain items (i.e. beverages) to provide more comfortably for us over the longer time period.

Just a thought.

pagan43

Cyndi and I are in for the Barnsider.

pagan43

I was invited to the BBH by Terry, who reached out to me on the BBWC. He was also looking to get the word to Boog, who had at that time dissapeared into the mountains north of Worcester, MA, while persuing his Masters Degree, and was not to be found on-line.

I regularly visit the BBWC. I just visit the BBH first. There is plenty of duplication, but there are also plenty of posters at the BBWC who are worth reading, and who do NOT post on the BBH. However, there is a definite difference in the tone of the two boards, and I think I know why, but I'll get to that in a moment.

I think that what we have here at the BBH is special (many thanks to Mighty and the Mods) for a few simple reasons. We all comment on the Respect given from member to member, the Intelligence that we display when interacting with each other, the Civility we extend even when the topics become heated, and the Honesty in our fandome of the New York Football Giants (we are R.I.C.H. because of this). And, we are right to do so. But what we are commenting upon is the symptom, not the cause.

To get to the cause we need to ask not why we are R.I.C.H., but why the other boards are not? I think there are two major reasons: (1) There are fewer chest-thumping braggarts, who by virtue of immaturity can not recognize opinions other than their own as valid. And, (2) there are no direct links to sites from fans of other football teams.

In the case of reason number 1, I think that the profound lack of low-character, internet brawlers among us stems originally from the selective manner that many, if not most of us arrived: by direct invitation. But it is maintained because we are not actively reaching out through popular avenues to the largest possible audience in hopes of bringing in as many "hits" as possible, to support our advertisers.

It's like casting a net on the Amazon. We'll likely catch some beautiful and exotic fish. But we will just as likely haul in a tangle of vicious piranhas as well. Then, we'll all have to endure their snapping and biting and thrashing about, until they can be evicted, carefully, one by one. In the mean time several of us will certainly be bitten.

But, since there are no advertisers to appease, we slip quietly down a relatively small stream without having to raise the kind of "look at us" ruckus that would certainly attract the braggarts and otherwise maturity-challenged denizens of the cyber-world, while attempting to simply pay the bills.

If we would enter into the larger, main stream, we would almost certainly attract the attention of the unwanted as well as those who would become welcome additions. So, we need to ask ourselves: do we want to risk the piranhas or not?

On the second reason, the BBWC is a member of the Scout organization. A little tile on every webpage that part of Scout links the BBWC to every other Scout web site. Since Scout hosts websites for most of the NFL teams, there is always a lighted path that directs fans of other teams directly to the BBWC.

I'd like to think that every team has a core of good natured, mature and respectable people in their fan base. But I think we all know that every "river" has it's piranhas, doesn't it?

In my experience, the most heated, least civilized and immature arguments on the BBWC occur when chest-thumping idiots butt heads with opposition fans who come trolling for a fight. If the broad channels that allow this trolling were to be shut off, then the trolls who used them would have to look harder for their opportunities. Most of them simply don't have the patience to persue their trivial goals that far. They give up, and move toward easier avenues of childish diversion.

There was one other reason that the early days of the BBH remained blissfully free of braggarts and trolls: The original name was the Big Blue Gentlemens Crew. I think that most people probably assumed that this was some kind of upscale strip-club site.

Normally porn is a fabulous attractor on the internet. But, since we are "Gentlemen", and the site doesn't scream "College Girls Behaving Badly", the porn mongers just kept on surfing by.

I like things the way they are. I don't know how we can bring in more people without risking a replay of the BBWC situation. But right now, I have to go log onto CGBB and get my fix before lunch.

pagan43

Dave

July 17

Albrightsville, PA (with a cool flat near Bollywood, in Mumbai, India)