Shockey shows up, speaks

The Giants' tight end didn't pull a Casino Road and scratch out of his scheduled appearance at the POWERade Pro Challenge this afternoon at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. I said I wouldn't believe he'd show until I saw it, and then I saw it -- Shockey getting out of a big black SUV, peeling off his white T-shirt and standing bare-chested in the parking lot while some of the workers scurried around the area looking for an XXL POWERade T-shirt (they eventually found one). He met with the media for a few minutes, offering only a few slivers of his feelings in what were his first public statements anywhere since before the Super Bowl.

First the statements, then you can click below for some amateur phrenology:

"The statement I would like to make about the Giants and speculation in the offseason is that whatever happens between the upper management, the lower management, the owners, any management, is gonna keep between ourselves. Unlike the Giants, I’m gonna be quiet. They’ve released multiple things about myself and if you look back into the media, there’s always a source. Well, I’d like to know who this source is and we’ll go over here and we’ll deal with it ourselves, because I haven’t said one negative thing towards the Giants in the newspapers. I have never expressed feelings of the things you guys have made up. I'm here doing a great deal with Powerade and that’s it. If I make it to minicamp you guys will have a chance to interrogate me a little more."

On his injury: "I feel like I been getting better. Obviously I’m not 100 percent and if I do show to minicamp its going to be, I wouldn’t imagine me doing much, just getting treatment on my leg. So this is the only statement I’m going to make and this is going to be between the Giants and myself and that’s really about it."

On whether he plans on being in town for a few days (minicamp starts Wednesday): "Who knows? You know me, I might go back to see my mother in Texas. I have no idea."

And later, about speculation that the Giants wanted to trade him: "Why wouldn't they want me?" He also spoke about how he's not a bad guy, never been arrested, never committed crimes. He also said he spoke with Giants owner Steve Tisch earlier in the day, holding up his cellphone from a distance as if to prove he was in communicado rather than incommunicado.What does it mean? Well, it sounds like Shockey is pretty ticked off at the Giants, or at least someone in the organization. "Unlike the Giants, I'm gonna be quiet" is pretty strong stuff. There's also that ticklish word "if" he used when discussing minicamp next week. That's kind of a strange thing for a happy player to say about a mandatory team event. My guess is he'll be there to avoid the fines, but we won't see him on the field or in the locker room -- and thus won't have a chance to further interrogate him, as he promised.

How did he look? Well, he wasn't limping. And his appetitie seemed pretty solid as he spent a good deal of his time at the event in the VIP tent chowing down. He also gave a little demonstration for some of the kids who were there on catching passes, telling them how to hold their hands and how to tuck the ball away before they run with it. I guess they ran out of time before he could instruct them on the finer points of blocking.

Oh, Antonio Pierce was there too. So was Corey Webster. AP is back from his honeymoon and will be with the team this week. No ifs from him.

A few other things I noticed: Pierce was wearing his SB ring. Shockey was not. We're not even sure if he got his yet. Neither Pierce nor Shockey were at the ring ceremony.

Also, it was interesting to see Shockey sign all of the things fans handed him, many of which had the Super Bowl XLII logo prominents displayed on them. That had to make the big guy cringe a little each time he did it.

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