SheikYerbuti Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 (edited) Yesterday during their minicamp, the New York Giants held a 'casino night' at the Meadowlands. They brought in a group of casino employees from the Borgata to run the games. As a Giants fan since I'm 11 years old (yup, the infamous 3-12-1 year), I got myself in on the gig. It was labeled as a 'team-building' exercise, but the truth is the guys just had a lot of fun playing poker, blackjack and craps. I didn't want to talk X's and O's with them and seem like a pain in the arse, but here's a few impressions I got of them as people. Michael Strahan - He is clearly the Leader of the team. You could tell the other guys looked up to him the way kids look up to their older brother. He has a fantastic presence in the room. When he flashes that gap-tooth smile, everyone around him smiles. He didn't even want to play any of the games. He tried desperately to go broke in the poker game, moving all-in on the first hand with J6. Naturally, he trippled up with it, leaned back in his seat and yelled "NOOOOOO!!!". Funny stuff. Brandon Jacobs - Very quiet, and he is hugh. We thought he was a D-lineman before we found out who he was. We asked about the new baby. He said everything is good, the baby is 3 months old and weighs 20 pounds. I complimented him on the football-under-the-jersey TD celebration in honor of his wife being pregnant. "I paid 5 grand for that one" he said. Sam Madison - This guy LOVES action. None of these games were for real money, but watching Sam you'd think his game checks were on the line. He rolled craps for over 20 minutes without a 7, and the whole table was loving it. Then at the poker final table he caught a 3 outer to bust 2 people. Youd'a thought he just returned an INT for a TD in the Super Bowl. Very awesome. RW McQuarters - We couldn't find him for hours. Turns out he shaved off all his dreads this off-season. Eli Manning - Tried desperately to hang on in the first poker game he played in. He held on to his last 3 chips hoping to outlast other guys. On his second try at poker, he beat the whole table. Overall, he was very quiet and unassuming. He just seems like a Good Ole' Boy. Amani Toomer - Easily has the best sense of fashion on the team. 99% of the guys were in sweats and jeans. Amani had on a black and grey silk shirt and dress pants. He exudes self-confidence. Reuben Droughns - Very friendly guy, and clearly has played some poker before. I thanked him for being on my Super Bowl fantasy team last year. Of course I didn't have the heart to tell him he was my #4 RB and used him strickly for trade bait (I never managed to trade him). We asked him "who's the starter this year?". "Guess it's between Brandon and me. We're fighting for it" he said with a smile. Jeremy Shockey - Came in at the very beginning, had a bite to eat, and then disappeared. Didn't partake in the games at all. Maybe he's nursing an injury? If I had to guess, it was more likely disinterest. It's always fun to watch people out of their element. These guys are at the top of their profession, but watching them play poker was really funny. They fumbled around with the chips, they needed help telling who won the pot many times. They made all the goofy bets on craps (the hardways were jammed up with bets) All in all, it was an interesting experience. I don't think anyone asked for or gave out autographs. But the players were nice, friendly and receptive. I almost wanted them to be meaner. . . . As we were leaving OC Kevin Gilbride thanked us for coming. I said "You can thank us by beating the Eagles twice this year". Edited June 15, 2007 by SheikYerbuti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spain Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Good story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 a black and grey silk shirt I don't think Hankk would stand for silk shirts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spain Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I don't think Hankk would stand for silk shirts... I think his clothes are from "The Gilthorpe Collection." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Nice way to spend an evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Nice, a buddy of mine went to the HS right next to Toomer and played against him. Droughns is from my old stomping grounds in OC, Cali. Not surprising that Strahan was so affable and Shockey bailed early. Surprised he even showed up, period. Good stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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