Locked Up To Locked Out

Burress's catch in Super Bowl XLII is one
of the biggest in NFL history.

After serving a twenty month prison sentence former New York Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl XLII hero Plaxico Burress was released Monday and will now begin his long journey back to the National Football League. Once one of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL, Burress was originally sentenced to two years, but with good behavior he was released early and is ready to get his life back together.

    The former Michigan State Spartan was charged with possession of a firearm that not had been license in the state of New York putting his future in the league in doubt. He accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub in November of 2008, and the incident not only cost him almost two years away from the game, but also his life.

    Now at age thirty-three and the NFL in a current lockout, Burress is looking to stay in shape and show NFL teams that if in fact there is a 2012 season, he will be ready to make a major impact like he did not so long ago.

    Drafted in the first-round with the eight overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2000, Burrness developed into a solid receiver for then-head coach Bill Cowher, catching 22 touchdowns in his five seasons in the Steel City. It would not be until he signed with the Giants that he would become one of the best wideouts in the league.

    The Giants signed Burress to six-year deal worth $25 million in March of 2005, which at the time looked like a poor decision by the 6-foot-5 receiver. The Steelers won their first Super Bowl since 1979 that year without Burress, while him and his new team were shutout in the first-round of the playoffs, losing to the Carolina Panthers 23-0.

    In would not be until 2007 that Burress would get a taste of Super Sunday. Heading into the the 2007 Super Bowl the Giants were twelve point underdogs to the 18-0 New England Patriots, and when quarterback Tom Brady connected with wide receiver Randy Moss for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:42 left in the fourth quarter, it set the stage for the biggest moment of Burress's career.

    Eli Manning would orchestra one of the most incredible comeback drives in NFL history capping it off with 13-yard touchdown pass to Burress with 0:35 left in regulation, giving New York a 17-14 lead and their third Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Burress worked out four times a week
while serving his prison sentence.

A moment that should have defined Burress's career forever sadly will not.

Following their Super Bowl victory, the Giants got off to a great start, opening the '08 season 11-1 and looked primed to defend their Super Bowl crown. However, they lost Burress due to his legal issues and was later released the troubled receiver in April of 2009.

    There seems to light and the end of the tunnel for Burress and his comeback as he can learn from Philadelphia Eagles quaterback Michael Vick, who also served time for different reasons, but found a way to again be successful in the NFL, adding his name to the MVP discussion last season.

    The St. Louis Rams, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons are among the teams that would be interested in adding Burress as they have needs at the wide receiver position they are willing to address. The Rams seemed to be the mostly likely landing spot for him as their head coach Steve Spagnuolo is familiar with Burress during their time in New York together when he was Tom Coughlin's defensive coordinator.

    Whomever decides to take a chance on Burress could be greatly rewarded as he becomes a player with a lot to prove and a chip on his shoulder.

A Giant Injury

Both sides of Posey's game will be missed
by the defending champion Giants.

The San Francisco Giants took a major hit, literally, Wednesday night when their young emerging backstop Buster Posey was injured in a brutal home-plate collision. Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins tagged on Emilio Bonifacio's shallow fly ball to right field in the 12th inning, going in hard and colliding at the plate, knocking the ball away from Posey and scoring the go-ahead run in an eventual 7-6 Marlin victory.

    For any baseball fan it was hard to watch as Posey laid on the dirt in excruciating pain, he was later helped off the field. That might be the last time Posey is seen on a baseball field in 2011 after suffering severe injuries to his left leg. The twenty-four-year old catcher was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a broken left leg and torn ligaments in his ankle.

   The broken bone is in the lower part of his left leg and is expected to heal rather quickly, the torn ligaments however, are expected to require surgery and could ultimately have Posey miss the rest of the season.

    Can the Giants, who are currently first place in the National League West, defend their World Series title without their game-caller and clean-up hitter?

    A year ago the Giants did something magical as they assembled a team of misfits and cast offs that no other major league team wanted a part of and went on to won their first World Series since 1954, their first since their move to the West Coast. However, their former first-round pick out of Florida State was the key component to the success of that San Francisco team.

    Before Posey's call-up on May 29th the Giants were 25-22 through the first two months of the season and at the bottom of the standing. After Posey was brought to the big leagues they went 67-48, catching the division leading San Diego Padres the final week of the season and captured their first NL West title since 2003.

    The rookie was rewarded with the 2010 Rookie of the Year edging out Atlanta Braves' Jason Heyward, becoming the first Giant to win the award since pitcher John Montefusco did so in 1975. Posey batted .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs in only 108 games for the Giants during his rookie campaign, taking the baseball world by storm.

    The injury couldn't have come at a worst time, as Posey was in the mist of a thirteen-game hitting streak, raising his average to a respectable .284. Posey had struggled early on as some feared he might be going through the dreaded sophomore slump. Along with his .284 average, the Giants backstop had hit only four home runs and driven in 21 runs through the team's first 48 games. Although his outstanding .368 on-base percentage ranked 15th in the National League.

    The Giants currently ranked in the bottom half of every major offensive category including runs (29th), batting average (23rd), on-base percentage (25th), and slugging percentage (23rd), leaving tough times ahead. That being said it's Posey's leadership behind the dish that the Giants and their pitching staff will truly miss.

    It has been a completely different story on the mound as San Francisco ranks in the top ten in all major pitching categories thanks in large part to Posey's ability to call a game. You rarely see a San Francisco pitcher shake Posey off, which is a testament to the trust they have him their young catcher. His poise and ability to set-up major league hitters at such a young age is truly something to marvel at for the simple fact it just does not happen.

    Posey's defense behind the plate has also slowed opponent's running game, throwing out fifteen would be base stealers, tops in the National League.

Santana has yet to recover fully from his
leg injury suffered last August.

The injury to Posey is the second of its kind in the last nine months, when Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana also suffered a severe leg injury in late August, causing him to miss the final two months of the regular season. Santana also is one of the bright young catchers just starting his career in the major leagues, but it has been a tough road back for the twenty-five-year old. Santana is currently batting .203 with 6 home runs and 21 RBIs still feeling the effects of that broken leg. Although he has found a way to make an impact on the majors best team after hitting a walk-off grand slam earlier in the year for the Indians.

    Most remember another Cleveland catcher that was injured in a similar situation during the 1970 All-Star Game. Then Indians backstop Ray Fosse was on the receiving end of a controversial home-plate collision by Cincinnati Reds' All-Star and all-time hits leader Pete Rose during the Mid-Summer Classic and his career took a turn for the worse.

    Fosse was named to the All-Star team the following year, but never again after that. During his 1970 season Fosse was batting .307, but after the injury he would only hit .300 one more time in his twelve-year career with a minimum of 100 plate appearances.

Fosse was never the same after his
collision with Rose in 1970.

With the recent injuries to Colorado Rockies' left-hander Jorge De La Rosa and now Posey, the NL West is anyones to seize. First basemen Brandon Belt was recalled for his second stint with the parent club this year from AAA-Fresno to replace Posey on the 25-man roster. Eli Whitside, who is a .229 career hitter, will take over the full-time catching duties for Posey.

You have to wonder with the recent injury, if Posey's future is behind the plate in San Francisco.

    Who said baseball was not a contact sport?

LAPD Arrests Suspect In Giant Beating

These are sketches of the two suspects,
Ramirez, left was arrested Sunday morning.

It has been seven weeks since the San Francisco Giants opened their title defense at Chavez Ravine against the hated rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The events that took place that March night go far behind the importance of a baseball game. Paramedic and long-time Giants fan Bryan Stow drove down from his home in Santa Cruz with a couple of friends to watch his team open the 2011 season as World Series champions for the first time since their move to San Francisco. He never thought the night was end the way it did.

    Following the Giants 2-1 loss, Stow and his friends were walking out of Dodger Stadium when two unidentified males wearing Dodgers apparel sucker punched Stow from behind, knocking him to the ground. The two males continued to beat Stow while he lay defenseless on the ground. They were then picked up by a white Mitsubishi or Acrua and fled the scene of the crime.

    The driver of the vehicle is said to be a female in her 20's wearing an Andre Ethier jersey.

    Since the beating Stow, who is a father of two, had been put into a medically induced comma and is listed in critical condition. Stow, 42, suffered severe fractures to the skull and if he wakes up, might never be the same. Stow was released earlier this month from the County-USC Medical Center and allowed to be moved closer to home to continue his treatment.

    The reward for finding the two suspects had grown to $200,000 and the Los Angeles Police Department made a huge break in the case. After receiving a tip from a local parole officer, LAPD arrested thirty-one-year old Givoanni Ramirez as the primary aggressor Sunday morning. The police are still looking for the second suspect and woman who was driving the vehicle as they are still at large.

Our thoughts and prayers are
with the Stow Family.

The news comes with some satisfaction for the Stow Family as at least one of the suspects will be brought to justice. Stow's sister Erin Collins had this to say following the arrest of Ramirez, "We never  gave up hope that this day would come, that the beginning of justice being served would happen."

    If you have any information regarding the suspects and their whereabouts please contact the Los Angeles Police Department. Justice will be served with a special place in hell for people like Ramirez and his accomplices.