GIANTS LOVE NEW STADIUM

It was only a minicamp practice, but the small and vocal group of Giants fans at New Meadowlands Stadium treated it like game day on a Tuesday. For many, it was their first look at the team’s $1.6 billion stadium. Hundreds took the day off work, and many tailgated in the parking lot before the free practice. For fans who could not afford the personal seat licenses needed to buy season tickets, it was a rare chance to roam around the new stadium, which is a few hundred yards from what remains of the nearly demolished Giants Stadium. The several thousand Giants fans who filled the lower bowl also worked on getting their vocal cords in shape. At one point, they heckled a cameraman who wore a Philadelphia Eagles cap. The main attraction, though, was the 2010 squad, which includes promising rookies and many veterans eager to erase memories of last year’s lackluster 8-8 record. “Coming off of last year and the disappointing year, we’re definitely chomping at the bit to get out there and play good football,” defensive end Justin Tuck said after the team ran drills for about two hours. On Tuesday, the biggest questions were as much about the playing conditions as about the team. Eli Manning said that the wind swirled differently and that it would blow even harder as the cold weather approached. Becoming used to running plays with the crowd screaming also helped him focus, he said. The FieldTurf surface took some getting used to as well. The big casualty was Domenik Hixon, who caught his spike in the turf while returning a punt. He crumpled to the ground, where he lay for a couple of minutes. He walked off the field on his own but sat out the rest of the practice with an ice pack on his right knee. “We’re hoping it’s not something serious,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “Domenik is a tough guy. He has fought his way through some things in the past.” The Giants’ top draft pick, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, also played tough. In one scrimmage, he grabbed the jersey of an offensive lineman, leading to a miniscrum that ended with some shoving, and finally some laughter. (NY Times)