A Novel Idea

A Novel Idea

Hello Bleed Big Bluers, I was in the middle of writing my Deep Football Thoughts article for week 8, which will include some thoughts on Giants @ Eagles as well as my weekly fantasy plays and weekly picks against the spread,  and I just saw something online that gave me pause.

I didn’t realize it, but eight years ago, on October 25th we lost maybe the biggest Giant of them all, Wellington “the Duke” Mara.  Mr. Mara was a ball boy for the Giants when his father purchased the team in 1925 and he was partial owner by the age of 14 in 1930.

For 70+ years Mr. Mara ran our Giants and in the 1960’s,  he and his brother Jack, the owners of the NFL’s largest market, agreed to share television revenue on a league wide basis, dividing the amounts of money available in cities like New York with smaller market teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers.  One can argue without the foresight and unselfishness of Mr. Mara the NFL would never be as successful as it today.

We should all be proud to be Giants fans, even as the season is crumbling down all around us.  We should take this day to remind our children of a man that is probably the main reason why Sundays are what they are in this country.  Pull them away from their IPods and PS3’s and tell them that Mr. Mara was owner of the Giants at 14.  That he unselfishly took away from his own pockets for the better of the league and franchise that he loved so much and that he wholeheartedly believed in.  Tell them of the respect that Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey had for Mr. Mara, two of the most selfish Giants of all time, still going and sitting with the man that gave them a chance to be legends as Wellington was getting ready to take his last breaths.

Eight years have passed Mr. Mara and we still remember all you meant to the game and team we love so much.

That TV deal in the 60’s was the savior of the NFL and brought the league to new heights.  It seems for us football fans that the game keeps getting better, in all areas.  Visually, competitively, this league continues to thrive and make improvements in all areas when it comes to making the game better on the field for the players and off the field for the fans.  And Wellington Mara, the patriarch of the Giants, the franchise we love is the reason for it all.

Well what if I told you, there is another way we can improve this game we love so much.  What if we revolutionized the way we listen to games?

What if there was a way you can watch the game on TV, yet have a different option in reference to what announcers you wanted to listen to?  Would you?

What if there was a website where you can log on at game time and listen to real fans of your team announcing the games?

Imagine, instead of having to listen to Buck and Aikman or God forbid Dan Dierdorf  ramble on about your boys on Sunday, what  if you can log on to a site and hear professional play by play and commentary from your own.  From people who know what you are going through as you watch, people who are as emotionally invested as you are.

Would that enhance your viewing pleasure on a ton of different levels?… The passion, the honesty…the comedic value.

So while we reminisce about the past today and remember Wellington Mara as a Giant among men, let us remember his vision and where it took the game.  Let him be an inspiration to the NFL owners and the commish’s office to always keep looking for ways to improve the game for us, the fans.

I am currently writing a fictional novel based around the 2007 Giants Super Bowl run entitled Homerz.com.  Considering I Bleed Big Blue just as much as the next guy, I wanted to put this out there and see how you would react to it.   Would you be interested in seeing this story come to life?

I give you the summary of my novel HOMERZ.com with the hopes of hearing what a great frigin idea it is, both as a novel and as a way to enhance the game for fans like us in the future.  Dream a little dream….Wellington Mara did, and look how that turned out.

R.I.P. Duke, we miss you and owe you for what you have given to us all, a chance to dream and memories that will last us a lifetime.

Homerz.com

Three brothers who are die hard New York Giants fans use the inheritance from their father’s death to start a fan based website where fans announce their favorite team’s games live.

They do this to honor the memory of their father who taught them the right way to be a fan of a team, and because “these fucking announcers blow nowadays dude, where the fuck are Madden and Summeral when you need em?”

Their father’s death occurs during the first preseason game of the 2007 season. The ride and the laughs take us through the entire season, culminating with the Giants upset victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42.

Trying to recover from the passing of their father has left a toll on the close knit brothers. At the funeral, their mother informs them that she is leaving for Florida to live with her sister. “The old house has too many memories for me to be their alone boys.” She tells them. While her sons beg her to stay, she tells them their efforts are futile, she needs to go. Before she leaves, she informs them that they will each be receiving a check for 1 million dollars apiece as part of the inheritance, some smart investing by Dad and the life insurance policy.

The three new millionaires are guilt ridden that their financial troubles are gone because of their father’s passing. They are having trouble accepting their new status in life. They are trying to think of a way to use the money to make their father proud.

As they try to cope with the pain, the guys take their minds off things with a private preseason party. It’s the three of them and 6 “dancers for hire” to watch the Giants game. After the blunts and beers start flowing, the two younger brothers, David and Peter, are distracted by the women and cannot see the TV for a crucial 3rd and 6 play. Then it happens.

“Give us the play by play you fuck, we’re occupied at the moment!” David tells his older brother, Jimmy.

“OK douchers..here we go…Eli breaks the huddle, it’s gona be a third down and 6 yards to go for a first from the Jaguars 16 yard line. Shotgun set…Jacobs the back with Plax and Toomer split out wide and rookie Steve Smith in the slot. Eli reads the defense and looks to be changing the play…he takes the snap and drops back, he’s pressured…steps up and throws….complete to Plax at the 9…he breaks a tackle at the 8…to the 5…and heads for the far pylon at the 1….did he get it in? Looks like Plax tried to get the ball over the far pylon by reaching the ball out across the plane of the goal line before stepping out of bounds….the refs are discussing…annnnd it’s a touchdown. The referees’ hands reach for the sky and BOOM YOU FUCKS!!!…TOUCHDOOOWN GMEN!!!!! On a 16 yd pass play from Manning to Plaxico!!”

After the play, Jimmy and David celebrate by giving “motorboats” to the dancers and starting a conga line. Peter, the youngest of the three, has not joined them. He is sitting quietly with a bizarre look on his face. Peter has just had an epiphany.

Peter gets his brothers alone by sending the girls in to the other room to “entertain” each other while he speaks to his brothers.

He tells them they should use the money to start a website where “real” fans can listen to the play by plays of their favorite team’s games provided by fans like themselves.

It doesn’t take Peter long to convince his brothers that with his vast computer knowledge and the money from the inheritance, he can have a site ready to go by opening day. The brothers all come to the agreement that they are homers. A homer is a person whose team can do no wrong. They stick by their team through thick and thin. With that conclusion, they agree to call the site Homerz.com.

The brothers buy in and the hilarious adventure begins. They quickly realize that only having Giants games announced is no way to get a big following so they decide to bring in some friends to assist them. They gather a group of eccentric characters who are fans of the NY Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots.

Using Facebook and Twitter, the brothers are trying to get the word out about the site.

“DO YOU LOVE YOUR TEAM? DO YOU WEAR THE SAME JERSEY EVERY WEEK? ARE YOU UP ALL NIGHT AFTER THEY LOSE A NAIL BITER? DO YOU WAKE UP AT 8AM, FIRED UP FOR A 4 O’CLOCK START? CAN YOU NOT BE AROUND OTHER TEAM’S FANS DURING THE GAME? DO YOU HATE YOUR TEAM’S RIVALS?

IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO THESE QUESTIONS, HOMERZ.COM IS THE PLACE FOR YOU!

WHY LISTEN TO TWO ANNOUNCERS WHO DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT YOUR SQUAD? THE GAME IS JUST ANOTHER ONE FOR THEM AND EVERYTHING TO YOU. SO WHY NOT SHARE IT WITH YOUR OWN? WITH A PROFESSIONAL BROADCAST TEAM OF “REAL” FANS WHO WILL LIVE AND DIE WITH EVERY PLAY…JUST LIKE YOU! WHO AREN’T AFRAID TO CALL THE GAME THROUGH THE EYES OF A REAL FAN! LIVE THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF EVERY FUMBLE, INTERCEPTION, LONG TD RUN AND LAST MINUTE VICTORY WITH YOUR OWN AT HOMERZ.COM. THE WEBSITE FOR THE FANS, BY THE FANS”

They continue their efforts up to the opening kickoff of week one and during the game as well. As the games begin, Homerz.com is streaming live and the brothers are thrilled to see the site receiving more hits with every passing minute. It’s their knowledge of the game mixed with the raw passion and intensity of a real fan that draws people in.

“We gotta go for it here Dave on 4th down, don’t you think?  Trailing like this with the way the defense has played tonight” Jimmy says as he looks towards his brother.

“The fucking defense can’t stop anyone so our only chance is to outscore them, but if we don’t make this Jimmy we are fizucked.  Did I mention I hate the fucking Cowboys.” Dave replies.

The next morning, the site is hit with an influx of emails from fans all over the globe who want to announce their favorite teams’ games.
Jimmy turns to his little brother Peter, “We may have something here you fuck.”

With every passing day, the brothers have thousands of fans trying to join them from different teams and different sports. The site explodes with recognition. People aren’t listening to the TV announcers anymore, they instead now watch with the game on mute and listen to the site for the play by play.

By week six, the brothers have an announcing team for every NFL Team. They are looking to expand the site by adding more sports other than football.

“Think of the possibilities, baseball, basketball, any sport all over the globe. This is huge.” Peter explains to his older brothers.

The NFL and the other sports organizations do not like this at all and attempt to shut down the site by gaining a sanction from the courts in week 13 to immobilize Homerz.com until a hearing to be had a week before the playoffs start.

At the hearing, the brothers show up with their entire network of announcers. Each wearing their teams colors proudly.

Asked to explain themselves by the judge, Jimmy takes the stand. “Do you see all these people here with me today? We are a brotherhood of crazy individuals who love our teams. That is all this site is. My father loved his teams. He passed them on to me, and I to my brother David and
we both passed it on to our youngest brother, Peter. This is as much about family as it is about sports. After my father’s untimely death, we just wanted to do something to honor his memory. It wasn’t supposed to get out of hand like this. We just wanted to provide a service for people like us. If the NFL would see what we have here, and think outside the box, we can help each other. Why not let the fans just listen to who they want to, give them the choice. We aren’t disrespecting the game, we are merely looking at the phenomenal product they have provided with a different set of eyes. Eyes that aren’t getting paid to be there to give their views and opinions, but honestly, have no choice but to be there watching. We have no choice because these team’s colors, whatever team you cheer for in any sport, we…we bleed them. I’m proud of what we’ve done. We have freedom of speech in this country, and to be honest your honor, an issue like this is a waste of your time. This is a game for the fans. We don’t want to take it and change it, merely enjoy it with the people like us. The New York Football Giants fans!”

The Cowboys announcers from Homerz.com stand up, “And the Dallas Cowboys fans”

The Ravens announcing team stands next, “And the Baltimore Ravens fans.”

The Jets announcing team stands, “And the New York Jets fans!…We’re with you, Jimmy!”

The crowd in the courtroom erupts.

After a brief recess to stop the ruckus, the brothers are sitting in a back room when the commissioner of the NFL walks in. As it turns out, he worked with their father some years ago and even met Jimmy as young boy.

“I worked with your Dad years ago, has to be 30 years now maybe. We were young attorneys just trying to make it to tomorrow at the time. He went one way and I went the other, but he was a good friend, he loved you Jimmy, and he was a huge Giants fan.”

He decides that Homerz.com can operate but under the authorization of the NFL.  Jimmy, of course, lets him know, “Oh and Commish, we may want to put up a disclaimer, some language may not be suitable for young audiences.” The commissioner laughs and replies, “You let me worry about that, you guys get ready for Tampa Bay.”

With the new sanctions in place, the announcers now employed by Homerz.com have full access to the press box at the stadiums. The brothers take all the Giants fans through each week of the playoffs, again culminating in the Giants upset victory over the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl 42.

Our story ends in celebration in Arizona as the boys get to celebrate with the players, and even hold the Lombardi trophy to the heavens in memory of their father. Homerz.com has now become a worldwide site where fans can announce any team of any sport all over the world.

“Think about the possibilities of this site as a revolutionary form of sports entertainment never seen before, a site for the fans by the fans. Homerz.com”

What do you think Bleed Big Bluers?…Do we got something here?  Would you be a Homer?