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It’s hard to blame New York Giants center Shaun O’Hara for being stunned by his team’s offseason free-fall. Only three-and-a-half months ago in Super Bowl XVII, the Giants knocked off a New England Patriots team that was regarded by some as the greatest of all time.
But in the all-important ESPN.com spring Power Rankings, the Giants are clinging to No. 6, and at least one voter had them at No. 10. This outpouring of apathy toward a world title wasn’t lost on O’Hara, who sits on coach Tom Coughlin’s leadership council.
“I don’t study all the rankings, but I’m aware of what’s going on,” he said. “We were a week or two removed from the Super Bowl and everyone starts predicting the Cowboys to win the NFC East. You almost have to laugh. You just won a Super Bowl, and it’s like, ‘Hey, what do we have to do to get that respect?’ “
After spending a couple of months on the banquet circuit, O’Hara and his teammates officially will reunite at a ring ceremony May 29. Several players skipped the club’s voluntary workouts this offseason and a subsequent trip to the White House, but it’s unlikely they’ll forget to pick up their jewelry.
For the players who’ve been working out, Coughlin already has passed out this season’s first inspirational T-shirt. In 2007, Coughlin began the season with the T-shirt slogan “Talk is Cheap, Play The Game” and then followed it up with a new one every four games. Borrowing from his mentor Bill Parcells’ long list of hokey motivational ploys, Coughlin came up with “Mental Toughness,” “Prove it” and “Together We Are One.” Rumors that he used puff paint on the shirts were later proven false.
Two weeks ago, he handed out a batch of XXLs that read: “It’s a Whole New Season.” Don’t you love it when Coughlin gets crazy like that. He almost seems like a “whole new man,” but I think we wrote that story like 437 times during Super Bowl week.

sports.espn.go.com

BOSTON — When Fenway Park, all 96 years old of it, opens its doors Tuesday afternoon, the temperature will be in the 40s and the wind will be swirling enough to make it feel even a little colder. But you can be sure that there will be a different kind of chill in the air, the type that puts goose bumps on the skin of players past and present, as well as ownership and front-office members, the coaching staff and the ravenous fans who will pack the fabled yard.
For the second time in four years, the Red Sox will be commemorating the start of a new season by celebrating the one that just went by. That’s what happens when you win the World Series.
“That’s going to be special,” said Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. “Last year was an unbelievable time. We were the best team all year and we proved it there at the end. I’m excited. I don’t know what it’s going to be like. I was talking to a couple of guys about it yesterday on the plane and they said, ‘It’s just going to be an unbelievable experience for you and not a lot of people get to go through that,’ so that’s going to be real fun for us.”
The ceremonies should kick off about an hour before the 2:05 p.m. ET first pitch against the Tigers. In other words, the Red Sox are strongly advising fans to come to the game early. Gates open at 11:35 a.m.
Some of the events have been made public, such as the fact that all the returning players from last year’s team — and also former catcher Doug Mirabelli and retired utility infielder Royce Clayton — will collect their rings as part of the poignant pregame ceremony.
But the Red Sox also have a couple of surprises up their sleeve. Who will throw out the first pitch?

mlb.mlb.com

I’ve got “It’s a Small World” running through my head.
My friend called me last week to tell me about this very strange phone call she had gotten at work.
The person asked if she was so-and-so and if her maiden name was so-and-so. Then he asked if she went to such-and-such high school, which is actually no longer a school since it merged with another local school the year after she graduated.
At this point she was getting really nervous, asking who it was that was calling her and wondering what exactly he wanted of her.
He gave her his name and said he’d talked to her sister-in-law and sister to track her down. She was getting even more nervous.
Turns out he found her high school class ring about 5 years ago with his metal detector. He put it away, thinking nothing of it until his kids found it recently and asked whose it was. Then his search began, bringing us to his phone call to my bewildered friend.
Her ring was lost at least 15 years ago on a local school’s football field. Getting it back after all these years was the equivalent of winning the lottery.
Even more amazing than that is the fact that they actually know of each other. Their kids go to school together and they live about a mile apart.

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