A Grateful Nation Rejoices

Wow!

• A thinking football fan would say I should have been happy if the Patriots had won and decisively proved their worth as the best team in the past however-many years. Yes, I would have dryly appreciated that. But on a purely emotional and more powerful level, I’m incredibly happy that the Giants won, and in spectacular fashion. Congratulations to my old city of residence.
• Props to Rob, Paul and my other New York friends on the win. As Paul said, “It’s nice to see the country lined up behind an NYC team for once.” The Giants and Steelers are now 2-0 in Super Bowls in which Rob and I text each other ongoing football analysis throughout the game. His final message: “Did that just happen?”
• My friend Billy said today that the Patriots’ linebacking corps was too old and gassed to last through the game, and that the Giants could potentially get yards up the middle through the short- to medium-range passing game. Oddly enough that happened more at the game’s beginning than at the end, when the Giants were driving with midfield passes and off-tackle runs. That didn’t get them the points, and the fact that those points came on long passes over the Patriots’ big-time secondary made this more of a surprising win.
• Despite such a fantastic fourth quarter, the primarily turnover-free defensive battle beforehand led me to text my bro at halftime that the game was “boring as s—“. In hindsight, keeping the score so low is what allowed the Giants to take a shot into the 4th quarter.
• My vote for most-valuable player would have gone to Justin Tuck or Osi Umenyiora, but that’s not to take away from Eli’s very un-Eli performance. He earned a “Go Team Manning!” from G. Does “Eli-like” have to be retired as a negative comparison?
• I was surprisingly touched by Plaxico Burress’ postgame interview. He was the last person I would have expected to get emotional like that.
• And the obligatory commercial notes:
  1. The Audi Godfather ad: supreme. The “Rocky” Budweiser horse was solid. Props from G to both that ad, the Coke parade floats and the yelling squirrel.
  2. G disliked the Will Ferrell Bud Light ad, but man, that was hilarious.
  3. I’m a little lost on how associating Doritos with random, brutal beatings is a desired thing. Same with Toyota and face-shredding badger claws. Questionable calls there, ad execs.
  4. We also must like hearts exploding out of chests and walking around the hallway. That was disgusting.
  5. UnderArmour: for ripped denizens of a 1984 world? But the reappearance of “Protect This House” guy was a tremendous upshot. I love it.
  6. The Tide stain thing worked cleverly. And I liked Charles Barkley with the phone.
  7. That was definitely Donkeylips from Salute Your Shorts fame in a commercial for Amped energy drink. Nice! Even if it made me seriously uncomfortable to see him clamping jumper cables on his chest.
  8. Iron Man has definite coolness potential.

Party on, New York.