Champions of the World

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2007-2008 NFL World Champions: the New York Football Giants!

Holy shit. I mean, honestly... HO..... LY...... SHIT. Did that just happen? Did I just hallucinate that whole thing?! The Giants won the Superbowl?! The Giants WON the Superbowl! Hahahahahaha..... Ahahahahahaha.... Ha. I just can't express the magnitude of the sports-gasm I had on the night of February 3rd, 2008. Truthfully, there is a small, 15-second, blackout in my memory following the gatorade being poured over Coughlin's head. One moment, I'm sitting on the couch, preparing for the massive coronary that was undoubtably on its way... and the next, I'm outside, running up and down the street screaming "WORLD CHAMPS! WORLD CHAMPS!". Grown men crying... airhorns bellowing... and obnoxious, bragadocious cell phone calls to friends from anywhere north of Durham, CT.

Let's recap:
1) Sunday, January 6th... The New York Giants defeat the overrated Tampa Bay Bucs, 24 - 14, winning their first playoff game in the Coughlin-Manning era, thereby securing their own jobs (which, at least in the case of Coughlin, would've been lost almost defintely had this game been lost) and sending the Giants to an unprecedented playoff meeting with their rivals, the heavily favored Dallas Cowboys. Already, in the eyes of most Giants fans, this season is a success.
2) Sunday, January 13th.... The New York Giants defeat the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys, 21 - 17, inflicting the most soul-crushing loss upon Dallas in the last decade, perhaps ever. Eli Manning outplays Tony Romo, who is considered by most of the professional football establishment to be the young Quarterback that Manning was once supposed-to-be. R.W. McQuarters intercepts the ball in the end-zone with 26 seconds remaining to seal the biggest upset of the season, sending the G-Men to the legendary home of the Green Bay Packers and pitting young Eli against the greatest Quarterback thus far in NFL history, Brett Favre.
3) Sunday, January 20th.... The New York Giants defeat the mythic Green Bay Packers, 23 - 20, by an overtime, 47-yd field goal by Lawrence Tynes, after the kicker had previously missed two significantly closer attempts in the fourth quarter. This time, Eli outplays the God of Football, Favre, himself. This NFC Championship, fought on the famous/infamous "frozen tundra of Lambeau Field" becomes an instant classic... and suddenly the Giants are showing an signs of a team of destiny.
and then....
4) Sunday, February 3rd... The New York Football Giants defeat the previously-undefeated New England Patriots, 17 - 14, to accomplish the greatest upset in football history and claim the Superbowl Championship. Following the exponential improvement of his postseason journey thus far, Eli Manning does the impossible, according to the sports media of the world, and outplays Tom Brady. The Giants come together as an epic force of pass-rushing, sound running, and impeccable passing offense... and unseat a team that was only sixty-minutes earlier regarded as the best single-season team of all time. Manning's great escape, and impossible connection with relatively-unknown David Tyree on 3rd and five during the game's final moments, will be a moment remembered in New York until the day the city is razed to the ground... and probably long afterwards. Seconds later, Eli connects with Plaxico Burress for the game-winning touchdown and a trip into history... a history where they will be somehow better remembered that the Patriot team with which they contended.

Honestly, I could rant a hell of alot more... and probably will before next season starts. But I'll wrap this up with the bullet point version of why this victory is so sweet, and then let any Bostonian tell me that they've had a moment in sports that even comes close to equaling something with so many, sweet, sweet layers of celebration:
- "The Miracle in the Desert" - Eli Manning to David Tyree.
- Eli Manning... Superbowl MVP....
- ... the year following his older brother, Peyton.
- Strahan finally gets his ring... alongside the greatest rushing companions he's ever possessed in Tuck and Umenyiora.
- Tom Coughlin has become the leader New York has craved since Parcells left. Given a few years more, maybe better...
- The Rebirth of the New York "Fuck Boston" sports moment, dead since 2004.
- The Greatest "Fuck Boston" Moment yet. Worse than Buckner, worse that Bucky Dent, worse than Aaron Boone.
- Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs wear Championship rings now... Tiki Barber does not...
- ... and almost certainly will never go to the Hall of Fame now.
- Eli Manning, NYG Franchise Quarterback.
- "The Giants Secondary actually played the ball on Brady's last moment hail mary passes!"
- Shoving Brady's arrogant scoff at Burress' prediction right back in his face... sorry Tom, you didn't even score 17.
- I wish I could taunt the Patriots coach after this game... but he suddenly disappeared from the field with 1 sec. left...
-... and only showed up a few days later to answer to allegations of cheating...
-... and blew the game by going for it on 4 and 13, as he had all year to great, if unsportsman-like, success instead of going for a field goal... which is the exact point difference they ended up losing by...
-... and was overall, thoroughly outcoached by Tom Coughlin.
- The Patriots dynasty is now immediately lowered to below that of the 49ers and Steelers, and now can never attempt to equal them again.. unless they start all over again.
- The Giants dynasty is just getting ready to begin.
- We "Stomped You Out"!
- Eli outplays Romo... then Favre... then Brady. Suddenly, that Manning name makes sense.
- "The Miracle in the Desert"... two miracles, one play... deserves to be mentioned twice.
- The Parade in the Canyon of Heroes, where I stood five yards from Strahan, Manning, Coughlin and the Lombardi Trophy.
- and, of course, because the New York Football Giants are World Champions.

I can't wait for next fall.