Hey remember I didn't start the thread.
Arrington Segways to First Camp as Giant
Big Blue's tech-savvy linebacker eager to get started.
By Aron Angel, Giants.com
July 27, 2006
ALBANY, N.Y. - Watching the Giants players move into their new living quarters here at the University at Albany, you see a wide array of vehicles. Of course you have your SUV’s—mostly Escalades and pickups—convenient for moving a month’s worth of clothing and accessories up from the Tri-State area. There are also the expected sports cars—Mercedes Benzes, BMW’s and the like. Michael Jennings did his best to attract attention by showing off his green ‘95 Chevrolet Caprice, outfitted with 26-inch rims on wheels that raise the car about three feet off the ground.
Then there was Lavar Arrington, turning heads by riding up to his dorm this morning on a Segway.
“I have 48 acres at my home in Annapolis,” said Arrington. “So when I’m feeding my dogs and different things like that, instead of walking back and forth the whole time, you jump on that. Or when I go down to the dock. I crab a lot. I like crabbing.”
So if you come up to Albany in the next month to watch the Giants practice, don’t be surprised to see Arrington riding around campus on two wheels.
“If I can’t get a ride, if I need some early attention to my body or anything like that, I’ll probably just jump on that,” he said. “I just don’t want to use any gas.”
And while the rest of Arrington’s teammates will be paying over three dollars a gallon to drive back and forth from the practice field, the environmentally and fiscally conservative Arrington will be plugging his Segway into the wall every night.
“I don’t want to concern myself with trying to get to a gas station when I can plug in,” he said. “I value the dollar. I really do. If I don’t have to go fill up on gas, if I can’t hitch a ride, I’ll just jump on my little (Segway).”
The only question that remains is what Coach Coughlin had to say about Arrington’s new piece of technology.
“He already saw it,” said Arrington. “We already talked.”
As long as he avoids any deer-something his teammate Sam Madison wasn’t able to do on his drive up to training camp.
“He hit a deer,” Arrington said of Madison, who, riding with teammate Gibril Wilson, apparently collided with a small deer while driving on I-87 last night. “I don’t think I’ll be moving fast enough for me or the deer to be in any kind of danger. One of us has got a problem if we do collide.”
Madison and Wilson drove off unscathed. The same can’t be said of Madison’s car. Barring any more deer incidents, Arrington anticipates his tenure with the Giants will be relatively problem free. He expects to make an impact on the field and become an important element in coach Tim Lewis’ defensive schemes.
“I don’t want to be a focal point, I just want to be a part and fit in the way I need to fit in,” he said. “I think with the personnel that we have, there are so many good players, there’s great talent. And I’m just excited to be a part of that. That’s what I’m excited about. Not being a focal point, just making this defense a focal point.”
Nevertheless, Arrington—with his Segway and his personality—is already making his presence felt here at training camp. As well as in his dorm room.
“I needed a lot of smell-good stuff. I got some Fabreeze for the couches, just in case we do some lounging, 'cause there’s more than one of us in the room. I got some Glade candles. They’re working pretty good. The smell is starting to take over now. Then I got one of those things that spray on a timer. You don’t have to plug them in, they’re on battery. They’re battery powered and (spray) every half-hour, 18 minutes. What a world of difference.”
Arrington hasn’t yet spoken to his roommates, Brandon Short and Jay Feely, but he hopes they’ll appreciate his contributions to their new living quarters.
“Brandon is a bachelor, so he might not care either way,” said Arrington. “But I’m sure he’ll enjoy it by week two or something. Jay, he’s a married guy like me, so I think he’ll enjoy it. Gives a little bit of a softer feel. I might grab some flowers on the way back from practice; put them in a vase or something.”
Flowers. Scented candles. A Segway. Is this the mark of a ferocious linebacker? Or are we just witnessing a changed man in Lavar Arrington?
“This is the best I’ve felt emotionally in a long time,” he said. “Just being in the right state of mind to play football, and to build camaraderie with my teammates and my coaches. I’m excited about it. That’s something I haven’t felt in quite a while. So this is good. It’s a new beginning, a rebirth, and I plan to make the most of it.”