Gusts on taunts, the Hall of Fame, and expert advice

                    

	The odor around Tom Coughlin's Giants can cause shortness of breath, as many New Yorkers know. Michael P. Malarkey/WireImage
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On Monday, Manhattan and parts of New Jersey were blanketed by a mysterious, foul stench that bore an uncanny resemblance to rotten eggs. I shared the first thought of many fellow burghers -- al-Qaeda was cooking up some malodorous madness. In fact, Manhattan smelled like maple syrup back October 2005, which likely means that Osama's crew was probably just making breakfast again. Then my inner wag intoned, "The Giants have returned from Philadelphia."

As an admitted Big Blew partisan, I'm not bitter about the exasperating way the team expired along with the clock in that 23-20 loss to the Eagles. Nearly the entire season reeked -- from the breathtakingly bonehead plays to the incessant finger-pointing to Tom Coughlin's beet-faced apoplexy on the sidelines. But what ought to wrinkle the nose of any fan is the way this team -- a supposed paragon of discipline and focus -- kept struttin' and talkin' trash even while it was going down in flames during the last nine weeks of the season.

Strut and crow if you must -- as long as you have a reason to do it -- but the fact that so many teams and athletes preen and boast and yap even when they're getting skunked, well, that is truly foul. And it's damned hard to root for them.

Speaking of foul, with Mark McGwire forced to wait outside with his nose pressed against the window for at least another year, and the steroid storm likely to claim Barry Bonds, it looks like the Hall of Fame will someday stand with its all-time hits and home runs leaders -- arguably the two most prestigious marks -- banished for their misdeeds. It's a good thing that Cy Young's 511 wins are out of reach, because the way things are going, baseball is likely to hit the trifecta.

Speaking of baseball, several weeks ago, Darryl Strawberry was visiting New York City to promote the movie Boys of Steel when he was asked what he thought of A-Rod's apparent alienation problem in the Bronx . According to the story by the New York Post's George King, Strawberry -- a notoriously prickly, malingering and even combative teammate during his glory days -- replied that the Yankees needed to embrace their besieged third baseman and make him feel a part of the team.

"The Yankees biggest problem is they don't support each other," Strawberry said. "Back when we played, we all cared for each other."

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, I s'pose, especially when they are asked for them. But in cases like this, one's first reaction tends to be a hearty roll of the ol' eyeballs.

It's kind of amazing, not to mention amusing, how we can't helping asking for and listening to the advice athletes have to offer, even ones who don't seem to be exactly qualified to address the issues at hand. Then again, maybe they are, being that they've spent a fair amount of time in the wrong side of said issues. And who is to say that one can't learn from one's mistakes and pass along the wisdom gained? Not me. Therefore, I present a few advice columns you're likely so see if you live long enough.