It’s Time for a Giant Step in Healing Process

Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports on a most unusual letter received by Giant Coach Jim Fassel hanging in the corner of the team’s locker room.

It was a typed note from Giant fan Chris W. Vardis, reminding the team how their jobs have changed in the wake of terrorist attacks.

“There is a bond that takes more than an act of terrorism to break. Giant fans love you so much that the mere fact you’re playing will help us forget about the tragedy for a while and give us something to cheer for,” Vardis wrote. “For a brief period of time, you have the power to help us forget about this tragedy and help us heal.”

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Trivia time: Can you identify the three players who hold the NFL record for touchdowns in a game?

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Noise therapy: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Enough of the silence, it’s time for some noise. The crack of the bat, the roar of the second-guessers, the clackety smashing of shoulder pads, the thump of a good kick, the click of a Tiger tee shot, the thonk and sizzle of a Venus serve, the hopeful cry of the peanut vendor, the p.a. yammerings of the comedy refs, the catch phrases of our favorite beer commercials.

“Bring back those good noises, the ones that mean nothing and everything.”

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Lovable guy: Jeff Gordon in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Major college football returns this week, which means Florida Coach Steve Spurrier can get back to the business of running up the score on overmatched opponents like Kentucky. “‘If we can beat them pretty good,’ Spurrier said, ‘we’ll try to beat them pretty good.”’

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Air factor: Jerry Greene in the Orlando Sentinel: “In Vegas, odds on the Washington Wizards winning the next NBA championship have dropped from 125-1 to anywhere form 40-1 to an amazingly low 12-1. Wonder why?”

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More from Greene: “While watching TV this weekend, I almost bought The Fish Magnet for $14.95 even though I don’t fish. So the gizmo draws the fish to you, right? Is that ethical? For that matter, does anyone know The Fishing Code of Ethics?”

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Name, but no game: Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Robert Kitchen has quit as football coach at Canada’s 2,200-student Mount Allison University in the wake of a 105-0 loss last weekend to St. Mary’s University of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“Kitchen’s big failing, it seems, was in recruiting. Strange. What football player wouldn’t want to play in Sackville, New Brunswick?”

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Looking back: On this day in 1955, Rocky Marciano knocked out Archie Moore in the ninth round to retain his heavyweight title.

This bout turned out to be Marciano’s last, as he retired on April 27, 1956 with a perfect record of 49 wins and no defeats.

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Trivia answer: Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals in 1929, Dub Jones of the Cleveland Browns in 1951 and Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears in 1965, each with six.

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And finally: Fear of failure can be a motivational tool. Just ask Tampa Bay receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who says: “A lot of people around the league, they’ve been waiting to get me for years. Ever since I wrote a book, ever since I was the No. 1 pick overall, people have been waiting for me to have a year where they could say, ‘Oh, he ain’t that good.”’