The Boom boom

Unlike my friend from around the corner, A. Rory Borealis, who loves to see bright lights in the sky, I'm all meh about fireworks. Something about the loud kaboom! seems to enthrall a lot of people.  Big noise, big fun.  And these are often people who also enjoy a good mime performance, so go figure.

And the lights lighting up the sky with phosphorescent glory can never be one tenth as glorious as a sunrise or sunset, in my opinion.

Jason Pierre-Paul

So that makes it harder for me to figure why someone who has been gifted with the physique and the coordination to play football in the National Football League would jeopardize that career by playing with fireworks in their back yards, but Jason Pierre-Paul, the star player for the New York Giants, has lost a finger after a fireworks accident over Fourth of July weekend.

Pierre-Paul is currently unsigned, and the Giants had told him they'd pay him $60 million over a long term contract to keep playing for them.

Guess what they're saying now? “Given the timing of the event and the apparent judgment displayed, the Giants do not believe a long-term offer is in the best interest of those involved at this point.”

Also,  Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback C.J. Wilson lost two fingers in a fireworks accident that same weekend, per his father's account.  Curtis Wilson, Sr.,  told Charlotte TV station WBTV that the fireworks did not pop out of the canister when they exploded.

"We are aware that C.J. was involved in an accident that occurred over the July 4th holiday," the Buccaneers said in a statement. "It is our understanding that the injury occurred to one of his hands, and our primary concern at this moment is for his long-term health. We have been in contact with C.J. and are continuing to monitor the situation."

Wilson is in the final season of a two-year deal that carries a nonguaranteed base salary of $585,000 for the 2015 season.

Michael Strahan, former Giant defensive end like Pierre-Paul, said on "Good Morning America" that players know the risks in doing these things, but said "They're young; they don't think it will ever happen to them."

So, someone needs to figure out a way to tell them that it does. They call it "football," but you do need your hands to play it right.