Educating Flozell Adams

On a day when the shooting star that was Plaxico Burress began his two-year prison sentence, the biggest issue for the current Giants team was the status of Justin Tuck's left shoulder. The Pro Bowl defensive end injured the shoulder when he fell on it in the second quarter of the G-Men's 33-31 win over the Cowboys.

How did he fall? That depends on whom you ask.

To the naked eye, the referees, and millions of NBC viewers, Tuck was tripped by Cowboys' left tackle and resident dirty player Flozell Adams. Tuck had beaten Adams on an inside move, and Adams stuck out his right leg and tripped him like a bully on a playground. The Giants confirmed the story en masse, as Tuck said the play was "bush league" and defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka called out Adams on Monday.

In the face of overwhelming criticism, Adams didn't back down. Instead, he took a jab at Tuck's unique choice of words. "I never heard of [bush league] before," he told reporters. "I'm curious. What is it?"

I'm glad you asked, Flo.

The term "bush league" was coined early in the 20th century when smaller pro baseball leagues began to spring up as farm systems for the majors. With a fraction of the MLB's resources, teams in these leagues often played without stadiums, on ballfields that were literally fields. There were often bushes surrounding these open fields, and the term "bush league" was born.

To put it in terms you can understand, Flo, bush league means low-level, minor league, inferior. And considering your NFL-worst 29 penalties since 2007, maybe the bush leagues are where you belong.