Go Giants!

We had a Super Bowl party at our place last night. This was probably one of the best games for it. Everyone at the party was rooting for the Giants - either because they were underdogs, because of issues with some of the Patriot's players and/or the way the whole team does business, or rooting for the hometown (Bay Area) boy - the Giants' Amani Toomer, who is from SF originally (not Tom Brady, who is from San Mateo - no offense, San Mateo). It's funny, too, because 3 out of the 10 of us are actually from New England. I am not the kind of person who blindly cheers for a team just because I happen to be from the same part of the country, and I usually go for the underdog. Plus, the Patriots were going to move to Connecticut at one point and then reneged, so they are on my bad side, anyway. (For more about why that pisses me off, see: Patriots Nix Hartford, Stay in Foxboro)

The Giants fought every step of the way. They came out fighting. They didn't shrink from the challenge. They believed they could do it. And that's what I love.

The Giants scored first, but the Patriots slipped a touchdown in at the end of the first quarter. The score was 3-7, Patriots for the longest. I almost thought that was going to be the final score for a while. But the Giants weren't going to have it. Even when it got down to seconds, the Giants were still putting their all into plays like this amazing catch by Tyree (see photo - thanks to S.I.) that set them up to win. He would not let that ball go, slamming it against his helmet while falling backwards over Patriot Rodney Harrison's knees (that had to hurt) and still holding on. By the time Plaxico Burress caught the winning touchdown pass, we were riled up, ready for it, and still shocked. Shocked that the Giants pulled off one of those amazing Hollywood sports movie type wins. But this time, it was real.

I'm not a football fan so much as a Super Bowl fan. I love watching the best put everything out there to win the title. It's inspiring. I usually don't have much of a clue of all the statistics and I'm still baffled by all the first and 10, down this and down that talk - what does that mean, really? I have still yet to get an explanation that I can understand. I do understand fighting to be the best, though. I get that.

I do have an issue with some of the coverage. I felt like ESPN's post-game coverage smacked of fair-weather friend attitude. To say that the Patriots whole season is now a failure is b.s. Let me repeat, I am not a Patriots fan. But did people forget that before last night, they were 18-0. That's not shabby. At all. Of course people are going to remember that David killed Goliath. People were making them out to be indestructible. But now, after the game, they want to say that everything else they did doesn't count. Fair is fair. Give Goliath his credit. And give the Giants their trophy. Ho-oh! :)

As for the commercials...Mostly, I wasn't that impressed. I guess the great commercials that I've seen in the past have spoiled me. Some of them really left me baffled or with my face screwed up. AMP, anyone? Among the best: The E-Trade Baby (amazing work to fit all his motions and the voiceover and make it look so real), Dwayne Wade and Bugaboo Charles Barkley for T-Mobile (their T-Mobile commercials are always funny. Remember "is this your dad?" Or "sexy!"), and the Thanksgiving Parade Balloons (Underdog and Stewie) fighting over a balloon bottle of Coke. You can watch all last night's Super Bowl commericals and vote here for your favorite: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22844081/



SPOILER ALERT - Balloon Charlie Brown appears out of nowhere and ends up getting the Balloon bottle of Coke - it's about time poor Charlie Brown won at something!

Just in case you love the Barkley/Wade T-Mobile commercials like I do, or if you have no idea what I am talking about: Here's a link to "Is That Your Dad?"and"Sexy".

Enjoy!