Українська організація батьків
дітей-інвалідів хворих на
фенілкетонурію

EAST RUTHERFORD Jon Halapio Color Rush Jersey , N.J. (AP) — over the trade of popular star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., general manager Dave Gettleman went on the offensive, saying the trade was in the best interests of the New York Giants and was a deal the organization could not refuse.Gettleman didn’t stop there Monday, speaking for the first time since sending Beckham to the Cleveland Browns last week in return for first- and third-round draft picks this year and safety Jabrill Peppers.The executive also defended quarterback Eli Manning, saying the belief the 38-year-old two-time Super Bowl MVP can’t play well anymore is a “crock.” He laughed off the idea that the trade for 29-year-old guard Kevin Zeitler and the free agent signing of 34-year-old safety Antoine Bethea gave the Giants a couple of old players, saying both are good players and good people.When pushed about what is his plan for the Giants after winning three games in 2017 and five last season, Gettleman basically told reporters it was none of their business. He said the team is building, it has a master plan that would become apparent over time, and he would be judged by how it worked out over the next few years.In discussing Beckham, Gettleman said he only approached the Bills about a deal for the 26-year-old wideout — partly because he heard Buffalo might be getting receiver Antonio Brown from Pittsburgh, and the other part was his friendship with Bills general manager Brandon Beane, who worked for him in Carolina.Gettleman did not shop the three-time Pro Bowler because he felt doing that would not give him the upper hand in trade talks. He said the San Francisco 49ers called and the teams had numerous conversations without reaching a deal.Once Browns general manager John Dorsey called on Tuesday, it took 10 hours to work out the deal. It was finalized over the weekend when Beckham and Peppers passed physicals, Gettleman said.The obvious question is why get rid of the guy who has been the record-setting catalyst of the Giants’ offense since being the No. 12 pick overall in 2014 and the Offensive Rookie of the Year that season.“That’s the question everybody asks,” Gettleman said. “After much discussion we believe this was in the best interests of the New York Football Giants. I want everyone to know this was purely a football business decision. There is no intrigue. No he said, she said. None of that stuff.”Gettleman called Beckham a tremendous talent, but said the Giants got three assets in return, at the very least.“Because of Odell’s talent and personality, this was a decision we did not enter into lightly,” said Gettleman, who has run the Giants since Jerry Reese was fired in December 2017. “There were a number of factors to take into consideration and I can assure you we thoroughly discussed them all.”The 68-year-old GM said he knows the Giants did not sign Beckham last summer to a $90 million deal to trade him, but things changed when the Browns made a value-packed offer that “knocked it out of the park” and allowed New York to address multiple positions on a team coming off a 5-11 record.Gettleman says the litmus tests for trading a star player is the value of what a team would get if it lost a player who had a franchise tag: two first-round picks. He says the Giants got that in Peppers plus the No. 17 overall pick and a third-rounder. He added that time will tell whether the Giants made a good deal.The recent personnel moves have put the Giants under a microscope, especially because the team has made the playoffs once (2016) since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012.After the past season, New York did not franchise-tag leading tackler Landon Collins — Gettleman said teams called at the trading deadline last year to ask about acquiring Collins, but no one offered enough; traded sacks leader Olivier Vernon to Cleveland for Zeitler; made the Beckham deal; and stuck with Manning, who got a $5 million roster bonus this week.“This narrative that Eli is overpaid and can’t play is a crock, I’m telling you,” Gettleman said Kerry Wynn Color Rush Jersey , adding he doesn’t mind if people disagree with him.Gettleman said it was not his responsibility to discuss the Giants’ plan for the future.“Trust me, we have a plan,” he said. “Over time, you have to be patient. Everybody wants the answers now. It’s an instant gratification society. … Over time, you will see it. You have to trust it.” DOVER, Del. (AP)The market for legal sports gambling in the United States widened significantly on Tuesday with expanded betting in Delaware, putting legal wagering within driving distance of three major East Coast cities less than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to accept the bets.Instead of flying to Las Vegas or betting illegally, fans in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington can make a short drive to legally bet in Delaware on the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final or the World Cup. More states are likely to join the action by the time the NFL starts its season in the fall.”Giants and Yankees, all day, every day,” Manhattan native Karriem Keys said Tuesday after betting on the New York Giants to win the Super Bowl next year.Keys, 53, who now lives in Dover, was one of a couple of dozen people laying down early wagers at Dover Downs as Delaware became the first state outside Nevada to offer legal gambling on individual sporting events.”In New York, we would go right to the corner store, to the bodega, and bet,” Keys said. ”That’s not legal, but, you know, everybody was doing it. But now it’s legal so it’s great.”Gov. John Carney had the honor of placing the first bet, wagering $10 on the Philadelphia Phillies to beat the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.”I’m a big sports fan, a big Philadelphia sports fan,” said Carney, who traveled to Minnesota in February to watch the Eagles win the Super Bowl.Dover Downs casino workers took in 36 bets within the first 20 minutes of legal wagering. The offerings at Delaware’s three casinos include bets on professional baseball, football Will Hernandez Color Rush Jersey , hockey, basketball, soccer, golf and auto racing.Because of a failed sports lottery experiment in 1976, Delaware was partially exempted from the 1992 federal ban on sports gambling that was recently struck down by the Supreme Court.That exemption led to broader sports betting legislation passed in 2009 and Delaware’s NFL parlay wagering system, which gave the state a head start in offering more wagers.”I just had to get in on the action, you know what I mean?” John Celatka of Dover said after betting on Tuesday night’s Colorado Rockies game and Wednesday night’s NBA Finals game.Celatka said he’s done pretty well with NFL parlay wagers and single-game wagers was a logical next step.”I’m excited to get started with football season,” he said. ”I like my chances.”Fans in three other states could be placing bets by football season.In New Jersey, which successfully challenged the federal ban, lawmakers hope to have a bill signed by the end of this week that resolves competing proposals to allow sports betting at casinos and horse racing tracks.In Mississippi, where lawmakers proactively legalized sports gambling at the state’s 28 licensed casinos in anticipation of a favorable Supreme Court decision, regulators have proposed rules that could be voted on as early as June 21. That means casinos could start taking bets in late July.West Virginia also passed a sports betting law before the Supreme Court decision, and officials there hope to have sports betting when football season kicks off. The West Virginia Lottery Commission is working on draft rules and regulations but has given no timetable for when they might be ready.”We’re not going to start until we know we can do it 100 percent correctly,” lottery director Alan Larrick has said.Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has said he wants state officials, professional leagues and casinos to reach an agreement on what the leagues have called an ”integrity fee” – money that the leagues would use to police betting patterns – but the subject was not addressed in a recent special legislative session.Thus far, no state law has made it to the books with the integrity fee attached.Pennsylvania also prospectively legalized sports betting last year, but it could be months before regulations are in place that would allow sports books to open. State officials have not produced an estimate of what sort of tax revenue the activity could mean for Pennsylvania, which already rakes in more in taxes on casino gambling than any other state. But some gambling industry officials are warning that Pennsylvania’s 34 percent tax rate – plus another small cut for local governments that host casinos – and the $10 million licensing fee will make it unprofitable to run a legal sports betting business.In the meantime, Pennsylvania gaming officials notified casinos last week they could begin applying for licenses. So far, none has submitted an application.—Nuckols reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jeff Amy in Jackson, Mississippi, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.