Charlie Voelker

Contrary to the fears of many New York Giants fans, the entire 2022 Big Blue roster is not terrible. There are talented football players that have been put in compromising positions, early in their careers by either bad coaching or awful teammates signed by the previous front office and coaching regime. Some of the veteran Giants players are taking advantage of their new opportunities and are personally making the most of them.

Wednesday afternoon, the New York Mets hosted their first-ever Women's Day. There were pre-game panel discussions featuring women executives from team's front office, as well as the wife of a well-known pitcher. The Mets players got into the action wearing special pre-game shirts that "Women in Baseball" on the back. Even the ballpark sound was different at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon, as 13 players changed their "walk-up music" to celebrate women. See which players danced to new tunes!

Some days, sports stories will hit closer to home for our radio show, The Drive with Charlie & Dan, than others. Tuesday was one of those days. Our producer jumped into the studio announced, "The Ferry Hawks needed a pitcher for a double-header and Figgy is taking the hill!" The room broke out in cheers and applause for "our guy Figgy!"

The New York Yankees won 9-4 on Monday night over the Seattle Mariners, something the Pinstripes had not done in six days. Pitcher Jameson Taillon kept Seattle in check for most of the night. At the same time, the Bronx Bombers bats were pounding out 13 hits. However, the celebrated mid-August game came with a huge loss.

People have been severely injured at Major League Baseball games, landing them in the hospital with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills. However, the teams, the players, the staff nor the owners are on the hook for any of those expenses. The “Baseball Rule” is a legal doctrine that owners and operators of baseball facilities/stadiums have a limited duty to protect fans from the risk of being hit by a foul ball and that spectators assume that risk because it is an inherent danger associated with attending a baseball game. One New York City pizza shop owner wants a little more than the baseball he got smacked with.

On Tuesday, left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery was traded by the New York Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pinstripes organization is the only baseball family that the 29 year-old ever knew. In return for Montgomery, general manager Brian Cashman acquired the Gold Glove centerfielder that he desired for his playoff run, Harrison Bader. In a strange turn of events, the 28 year-old Bader is coming home to his family in New York, which happens to be a group of Yankees fans.

General manager Brian Cashman addressed most every team need leading up to this week's trade deadline. Cashman was wheeling and dealing in order to solidify the Bronx Bombers roster with an eye to win a World Series for the first time in a dozen years. However, when trades happen, real people and real lives are effected. Friends that are like family are torn apart. Former Yankees left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery is living this disturbing circumstance first hand, as he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday for outfielder Harrison Bader.

When it comes to acquiring talent, New York Yankees' general manager, Brian Cashman, is usually operating from a position of strength, be it financially or with his strong farm system that he has carefully cultivated over the past 7-8 years. The Pinstripes own the best record and baseball and with Tuesday's trade deadline looming, the Yankees go in with plenty of chips to play with. That is why names like Juan Soto, Tyler Mahle and Frankie Montas are all within the playbook of Cashman.

After spending over a decade at the University at Albany, while hosting the New York Giants summer training camp, I fully realized the importance of the fan connection during time this crucial practice time. NFL training camps are often very inexpensive, if not free, to attend for most teams. Fans wait for hours in sometimes brutal heat to meet their favorite players and 99.9% of the time, the fan favorites deliver for their faithful fanatics, spending hours taking pictures and signing autographs throughout camp. That bond goes a long way for players and NFL organizations.

Training camps for all 32 NFL teams have opened. Veteran players were required to report to camp on Tuesday. Over the next few weeks, all eyes in New York Giants camp will be on running back Saquon Barkley and what kind of performance he is capable of in 2022. Beyond the eyes of Big Blue fans on Barkley, will be the focus of fantasy football team owners. Can the former second overall, first round pick deliver some big games/points in the upcoming season?