Saratoga Irish

Monday, January 14, 2008

The football season starts in the summer. The Giants start training camp at U Albany and every one's expectations are high. The preseason starts and the doubts start. With the doubts come the bickering. Eli becomes a hated QB, but it's only preseason, let's wait, and we do. The season starts with a loss in Dallas to the hated Cowboys. I put the Cowboys right there with the Red Sox, a bit lower due to the Cheerleaders but close to the Red Sox level. Week two brings the same, a loss to the Packers, in the Meadowlands, 0-2, this is going to be a long season. Then something happens, week three a win, then another and another. The Giants run off six straight wins including one in London. Hey, these guys may be real, bring on the Cowboys. OK, maybe not a great idea, a second loss to Dallas and only a shot as a wild card for the playoffs. This is the plight of a Giants fan. Just when you think and dare say out loud, they may do it, the Giants crumble. Counting the Dallas game, the Giants went on a 3-3 streak. Yes they were going to make the playoffs but like the past few years it would be a short playoff. Then halftime of the Buffalo game something happened. The Giants looked different the second half, Eli looked different the second half and the G-men pull off a win in rotten weather. Last game of the Season, New England. The Patriots, 15-0, have everything locked up for the post season, the talk all week was who they should play and who they should sit, they played the starters. The Giants, with out the cushion of a bye week, with nothing to gain played their starters. How they played. They looked like a team that could pull off a win till very late in the game, it was a loss but not one that hurt. The playoffs start with the Wild Card game in Tampa Bay. The Giants win. next the Cowboys, in Dallas. The Cowboys had a week off so QB Tony Romo went to Mexico with girlfriend Jessica Simpson. Would that be the Cowboys downfall? What happened yesterday was one of the great Playoff games in NFL history. The outcome of the game was not certain until on a forth and 11 at the 23 yard line R.W. McQuarters intercepted Romo's pass in the end zone with just seconds remaining on the clock, preserving a 21-17 Giants win.
Now I'm not saying the Giants will win the Super Bowl, or even get there for, that matter. I'm just happy that they won, and they beat the Cowboys. I haven't seen so many Cowboy shirts in a long time. The diehard Cowboy fans (sarcasm) have come out of the woodwork with that Dallas swagger. OK boys you can put those shirts away now. I do care what happens next week but I won't be too disappointed if the Packers win. The thought of a NFC Championship game on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field between the Giants and Packers, break out the retro jerseys and the memories of the last time the Giants and the Packers met in a Championship game, Lombardi, Starr, Nitschke,Tittle, Gifford, Huff. Forty five years from now will we be saying Farve, Grant, Manning, Strahan. Go big blue.

Sunday, January 13, 2008






It's play off Sunday so this will be short. New England fans are happy this moring and so to are the Packer fans. What can you say about the Packer game yeaterday. The frozen tundra of Lambeau Field snow falling and piling up as the seconds ticked by. This was a game that will be talked about for a long time. This was man's football. No indoor field. No fake grass. Just mother earth and snow, that's how football should be played. Today we have the Colts/Chargers and Giants/cowboys, sit back and enjoy.






Just a couple of reminders. I still have raffle tickets for the jumbo raffle of $5000. tickets are $10 each.



Anyone who wants to go to New Orleans this July for the national convention let me know as soon as possible so we can figure out expenses.








Monday night @7 Tapping the first keg of Hibernian Ale at the Local. Join your Hibernian brothers in toasting each other with Hibernian Ale. The Local is located at the corner of Grand Ave and Beekman St in Saratoga.









Thursday night join the Division and the Wild Irish Acres School of Dance in a free night of dance lessons at the K of C on Pine Rd. This is open to all ages and the public as well. Bring your families and friends for a night of Irish culture. 7pm FREE

Monday, January 07, 2008

The new year is upon us and so far it's not the best. My water pump went on my car and I missed two days of work. I went to the garage on Friday and they couldn't get to me until today so I missed both Friday and Saturday. I really can't complain about the car, it's a 1987 Buick Century and I've had it for two years. This is the first major repair I've had to make.


If I keep it another couple of years it will be called an antique and not just an old piece of crap.


We held our first Division meeting of the year last Thursday night and things seemed to go well. the main topic of conversation is the Family Feis (that's for you Bobby) or as I like to call it, the Family Party. Over the weekend I had conversations with a couple of members who seem to think we should taper the party back a bit from the past couple of years and do it just for our own enjoyment and not such a fundraising event. This has always been my outlook. The idea started as a way for members with small children to enjoy St. Patrick's Day without the wee ones being trampled by drunks. So this year we moved the date to a Sunday afternoon, go to mass then meet together for a party. As always the public is welcome to join in. If anyone is interested in helping out contact me or Chris Templin.


January 14, 2008 the Local is tapping their first keg of Hibernian Ale brewed by Harpoon Brewery in Boston. Join your Hibernian brothers at the Local at 7pm for a fine pint. The Local is located at the corner of Grand Ave and Beekman St. in Saratoga


On January 17th we will be holding a Learn to Irish Dance night. The Wild Irish Acres School of Irish Dance will provide an instructor for the night. This is open to all members, friends, family and anyone in the community that might want to learn to step dance. This will be held at the K of C hall on Pine Rd. in Saratoga at 7pm and is free. Tell everyone you think will be interested in the night.