The life of a National Football League offensive lineman is one that features few pain-free days.

Yet, Chris Snee can be counted on to be on the field with his New York Giants - on game day and in practice.

“I pride myself on myself on playing through the injuries,” said Snee, a Montrose graduate who is the starting right guard for the Super Bowl-bound Giants. “I have a lot of stuff going on every year and I kind of take pride that I can push through these things and kind of set an example for other guys.

“I’m playing with pain and I’m out there in practice.”

After making 101 straight starts in the NFL over a period of six-plus seasons, Snee was forced out of the lineup and into a period of uncertainty while he dealt with one of sports’ most dangerous and mysterious injuries, a concussion.

The brain injury knocked Snee out of an Oct. 9 game against Seattle and made him sit out the Oct. 16 game against the Buffalo Bills.

“I took a good shot late in the first quarter and, as the game went on, I was really tired,” Snee said. “I could tell I wasn’t myself.

“Then, I got hit again. I got dizzy. I couldn’t see the scoreboard.

“They had to take me off the field.”

Getting Snee off the field is not easy. He was about to leave the lineup for the first time since a serious illness shortened his rookie season by five games.

Snee was sent to the locker room for testing.

“I knew something was wrong when they gave me the evaluation inside,” he said. “I couldn’t walk in a straight line. It was real tough on me; scary.

“A simple thing like that and you can’t do it.”

Still suffering from dizziness and blurred vision, Snee was sent to the hospital overnight.

Snee used the word “scary” several times while describing the events of the next few weeks.

MRIs, CT scans, doctors appointments, including trips into New York City to see a neurologist, were all part of the program. And, the concussions tests continued as Snee’s cognitive abilities were tested against baseline results from tests taken prior to the season, before any injuries.

“After a concussion, you’ll take one every two days to see how your tests scores improve until you get back to your original score,” Snee said.

Snee said he is thankful that the NFL does such a thorough job of testing now.

“You kind of lose control of yourself a little bit,” he said of the symptoms of a concussion. “My wife (Kate) told me right away to make sure I was honest with the doctors and trainers and not try to be a tough guy and come back too soon.

“ … When you can’t memorize three words they gave you 30 seconds prior, it tells you there’s something seriously wrong with your head.”

And, that is different than battling through knee pain and the other aches that go along with a 300-pound man throwing around and banging into other 300-pound men for a living.

“You’re messing, obviously, with the most important part of your body,” Snee said.

Precautionary steps helped give Snee time to recover.

“If you let this thing recover, it usually will - sometimes in a couple days, sometimes in a couple weeks, sometimes in a couple months,” Dr. Michael Collins, a consultant with the Pittsburgh Steelers, said during a seminar about the treatment of concussions last summer in Scranton. “The biggest issue is preventing against cumulative effects of the injury.”

A bye week after the Buffalo game meant Snee had only missed one game when he was cleared to play in an Oct. 30 win over Miami.

As the Giants moved into the second half of a season that led to their Feb. 5 Super Bowl appearance against the New England Patriots in Indianapolis, they no longer faced the uncertainty of whether they would have their All-Pro guard with him.

A team that once struggled - losing four straight through the first week of December - heads to Indianapolis on a five-game winning streak.

The first four games in the winning streak came in convincing fashion, by an average of almost 18 points per game, over the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys to make the playoffs where they handled the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs,” Snee said. “At times, it was a frustrating season because we had so much talent on this team, but we never seemed to play a game together. At times, our offense would play well and defense wouldn’t and vice versa.

“We were searching for that complete game all year when all three phases would be in sync and we would see what kind of team we really had.

“It wasn’t until we were forced into a must-win situation against the Jets when we really stepped up and started playing as a team.”

The last step was the toughest, a 20-17 overtime win in San Francisco.

As the Giants neared the deciding 31-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes, they repeated runs behind Snee, trimming key yards off the winning attempt.

“At that time it was nice to have some runs called,” Snee said. “They had done a nice job stopping the run early on and had forced us to pass the majority of the game.

“Any time you get a call that you are front side of a play, you get excited about that, but you also know the situation. It’s important for us to get closer for Lawrence to make that kick.”

When the kick soared through, the Giants were in position to face the Patriots in the Super Bowl for the second time in five years.

And, Snee was back in position to try to repeat the most satisfying moment of his professional career.

Snee’s memory is as clear as can be when he thinks back to the victory over New England in 2008.

“After the game, we had won and confetti was flying in the air,” Snee said. “I knew where my wife and son (Dylan) were sitting, but I couldn’t quite find them. Then, when I turned around, they were right behind me.

“It was an exciting time to celebrate with them.

“To watch my son do snow angels in the confetti on the field, that was special.”

WEEK IN REVIEW

The Montrose girls are the last remaining unbeaten in Lackawanna League basketball after the Scranton and Holy Cross boys suffered their first divisional losses.

The Lady Meteors ran their regular-season Lackawanna League Division 3 winning streak to 18 games by opening the second half with two straight victories.

Montrose beat Lackawanna Trail, 63-39, and Elk Lake, 56-28.

Dallas Ely hit five 3-pointers and scored 34 points against Lackawanna Trail. She scored 23 against Elk Lake.

Montrose finished the week tied for first in the division with Lakeland.

In boys’ basketball, Blue Ridge is tied for first with Lakeland and Lackawanna Trail at 2-0.

The Raiders defeated Elk Lake, 61-54, and Susquehanna, 83-72.

Lackawanna Trail edged first-half champion Montrose, 45-41.

In the American Hockey League, the Binghamton Senators defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 7-4, Saturday night in the final game before the all-star break.

David Dziurzynski, who had two assists, and Andre Petersson each scored two goals for the Senators.

Binghamton reached the break in last place in the East Division at 20-24-1-1.

Even with the loss, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton remains in the division lead at 26-13-2-4.

COLLEGE CORNER

Brackney Brotzman, a senior field hockey player from Montrose, was one of 37 Keystone College fall athletes honored with selection on the Colonial States Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.

Athletes are selected if they have a grade point average of 3.2 or higher during their season.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Blue Ridge is at Lakeland Friday in a Lackawanna Division 3 boys’ basketball game.

The teams entered the week in a three-way tie with Lackawanna Trail, the team Lakeland was scheduled to face Tuesday.

TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com or followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.

All About Nascar, Danica, And The Busch Boys

The state of NASCAR, Danica Patrick, and the Busch boys was the central theme during this year’s Annual Media Tour in Charlotte.

Brian France and Mike Helton, the two top dogs in the NASCAR organization said they intend to build on the success of 2011 as the new season begins with the Feb. 26 Daytona 500.

NASCAR CEO Brian France and Pres. Mike Helton.

“The sport is in a very good place and we’re going to work even harder to achieve the very best things for the sport of NASCAR well into the future,” said France.

France pointed to initiatives begun a year ago - a simplified points structure in all three national series and a “Wild Card” twist in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup that placed a greater emphasis on race victories - which culminated in what France called “a championship battle that will be talked about for decades to come.”

While the 2012 season will be one of continuity rather than major change, NASCAR will introduce electronic fuel injection into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and implement rules designed to restore traditional “pack racing” at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

“We have had a breathtaking number of close finishes at those tracks, but the fans want a mixture of styles including a return to a more traditional ‘pack racing’ and that close side-by-side competition that’s unique to Talladega and Daytona,” France said. “NASCAR and the teams are working hard on this and based on the test earlier this month, we’re encouraged that we’re making progress.

“The industry has never been more united in growing the sport.”

France said the organization is “very encouraged” by increased television ratings across its three national series - Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. He also pointed to attendance gains at a number of venues.

“While we are still in a tough economic climate that is still difficult, we are pleased with some positive steps we saw last year,” he said.

NASCAR will continue to fine drivers who do not speak well of the sport, but the penalties will no longer be secret.

“If you challenge the integrity of the sport, we're going to deal with that,” France continued. “What's really interesting is I can't tell you how many owners or drivers come up to me and say, 'Thanks for doing that because some of these comments were irresponsible and unhelpful to growing the sport.' Now, having said that, you can be critical of things you don't think we're doing well, in particular a race call. You can say, 'I don't think I was speeding; I disagree with that.' We understand that. It's when you go after the integrity of the sport is where we will step in, and they will be public.

“In the past two years, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman were punished for making comments that NASCAR deemed detrimental to its brand. Keselowski privately was fined $25,000 for criticizing the switch to fuel injection during a fan forum at the NASCAR Hall of Fame last November. When news of the penalty leaked, it drew plenty of derision from fans and news media.

“In terms of going public with it, we didn't have a real strong position on that. It seemed to bother some people in November when we talked about this. So we didn't feel strongly (about the fines being private). If (making them public) is something that people think is a good thing, we were happy to do it.”

As ususual, Danica Patrick was swarmed over by the media.

She said she is skipping the Indy 500 and temporarily giving up on her dream of winning it to run the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and use the Memorial Day weekend to focus on NASCAR.

She is also beginning to start reading and believing her own P/R.

“The cars are very fast, as you guys saw at the test, so I feel good about that race,” she said. “I feel good about Daytona and I think there’s a real chance, if luck falls our way, [that we can] perhaps win. A guy like Trevor Bayne last year showed that.”

Patrick will be in the spotlight all season and will struggle at times as she continues to adjust to stock cars. We’ll have to see how well she can hang in there during the actual races.

Maybe after a couple years she will be ready to challenge for a win.

While Kyle Busch is trying to clean up his act after being suspended for a Cup and Nationwide race late last year, Kevin Harvick, who had a couple run-ins with him, didn’t hesitate to express his dislike for his biggest rival and to continue to stoke the fire.

“He’s just such a jerk most of the time,” Harvick said. “… He’s really the only guy in the sport, the one guy that I just don’t like.”

Busch must try his best to stay out of trouble this season - and Harvick knows that - but he has never backed down from anyone and likely won’t stand for Harvick continuing to ridicule him.

If Harvick continues to be a thorn in his side, Busch likely will strike back, stirring up more trouble and continuing the long-running feud.

Kurt Busch also was a hot topic during the media tour, with much talk about him losing his ride at Penske Racing at the end of last year and his outlook for 2012 at Phoenix Racing.

Though Busch is driving for an underfunded, single-car team, don’t be shocked if he does much better than expected.

Phoenix Racing has Hendrick Motorsports cars and engines and has hired several experienced crewmen. Don’t be surprised if Busch wins a couple of races and maybe gets into the Chase.

Racing Trivia Question: Who won the 2011 Daytona 500?

Last Week’s Question: What year was the first Daytona 500 held? Answer. 1959. It was won by Lee Petty.

You may contact the Racing Reporter at hodges@race500.com.

The Super Bowl is America’s most popular national sporting event. All across the country, millions of people gather to socialize and watch the big game. The U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with support from the National Football League (NFL) and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition, have joined forces with highway safety and law enforcement officials to spread an important safety message to the public about designating a sober driver on Super Bowl Sunday - “Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.”

In 2010, alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 31 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States.

Driving while impaired could result in a loss of your driver’s license or even possibly the loss of your or someone else’s life. On Super Bowl Sunday, make it a team effort to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe. If you plan on driving, plan not to drink alcohol.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:

Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers before kick-off or help arrange ride-sharing with sober drivers.

Find unique ways to recognize the designated drivers at your party. Give them a great spot to watch the game. Whatever non-alcoholic beverage they are drinking, make sure their glass is always full. Let them have the first pass at the buffet table. Make sure their cars are easy to access when it is time to start driving people home.

Serve plenty of food.

Offer a variety of non-alcoholic choices like soft drinks, juice, and water.

Serve one drink at a time and serve measured drinks.

Only serve alcohol to guests over 21 years of age.

Determine ahead of time when you’ll stop serving alcohol, such as one hour before the party ends or at the end of the third quarter (just like NFL stadiums) and begin serving coffee and dessert.

Add the numbers of local cab companies into your phone so they are just one touch away.

Take appropriate steps to prevent anyone from drinking and driving.

Be prepared for guests to spend the night if an alternative way home is not available.

Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in a drunk-driving crash.

If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant, please follow these guidelines to make sure you enjoy Super Bowl XLVI responsibly:

Designate your sober driver before the party begins.

Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself - eat enough food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.

If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.

Always buckle up - it’s the best defense against other drunk driving.

Take appropriate steps to prevent anyone from driving while impaired.