The all-new, somewhat-competent Eli Manning is to Giants fans what the bracingly fresh smell of YB's Phoenix digs is to me after 12+ hours in the Yardbarker RV. Not that I expected cheap beer, Doritos, Johnnie Walker and sunflower seeds from the best Chinese karaoke bar in North Beach to create a pleasant aroma when swilled with 5 dudes and a microwave on wheels… but a kid can dream, right? Wrong. Just like one year ago when this same kid dreamt of Rexy Grossman and the Bears racing past the heavily favored Colts in Miami… Reality caught right up to Hope and left her in his dust. The RV did stink. So did Grossman. So will young Manning. Giants fans - you have been warned. Or you can dream a little dream and hope young Manning harnesses the power of brotherly ambition. You can hope that Shockey's injury lets Eli climb out of his one-receiver rut and onto the road to self-confidence. You can hope all his maddening moments of utter confusion evaporate into one game of clarity. You can hope young Manning finally grows up on the day it matters most. But be ready for the smell if he doesn't. BTW – you have to check out YB headquarters PHX. It smells fantastic. We have a huge rock patio and a stainless steel barbecue apparently named "The Bullet" overlooking an ample pool, all generously tucked under a fully-laden grapefruit tree. And that's just the backyard. Talk about low-hanging fruit. -- nic