A New Car!!

I love my 2002 Acura RSX, but there comes a time in every man's life that he needs to move on. I've owned the car for 6 years and it has almost 130,000 miles on it, so I thought it would be best to get a new car before it starts to experience real issues.

So, the wife and I went to the Acura dealership tonight - since I love Acura's so much -- and got a new black 2008 Acura TSX. It's a real smooth ride compared to my RSX and it's a lot faster too. Hopefully speeding tickets won't be in my future.

Entertain Me with Burnout Paradise

I'm usually not a big fan of car racing games so I was a little skeptical when I purchased Burnout Paradise the other day on eBay. Since I got the game though, I've thought differently about racing games.

This game is simply awesome.

First, it is fast as hell. It's so fast that it made me realize how old I am getting because I constantly crash because I don't see obstacles comign up so quickly.

Second, Burnout Paradise isn't like other racing games out there.

Unlike many racing games, Burnout Paradise is an open world sandbox type game - ala Grand Theft Auto. You don't get out of your car and shoot drug dealers and mobsters though. Instead, you drive around competing in different types of racing events from a simple race, to an event where other cars chase you and try to crash your car to an event called Showtime where you try to cause a 100 car pileup. I wouldn't try this in real life.

Because it's an open sandbox type game, there's constantly new and interesting things to do and it really never get old. For instance, if you don't feel like competing in races when you play the game, you can simply drive around -- FAST -- and screw around by jumping off ramps, finding hidden areas and crashing into cars whenever you want.

I highly recommend Burnout Paradise. It's a unique take on racing games and it will find itself as the sole game in my XBox 360 for a long time to come.

Blue Miracle

The other day I was reading a blog entry about a new book out from the New York Daily News called Blue Miracle. Blue Miracle is of course a book that includes Daily News stories and pictures from each of the Giants games this season. I was thinking about buying the book when it came out.

It turns out though that I didn't need to buy the book.

My dad works in pre-press printing, meaning that he does the layout for all types of books from kids books to sports books. Well, it turns out that his firm actually put together Blue Miracle. So, my dad surprised me the other day with literally the first copy of Blue Miracle....hot off the presses.

How's that for cool?

Is that Wedding Bells I Hear?

I heard a rumor the other day that Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson were close to tying the knot.

I guess Tony Romo wants a ring now that Eli got one this year. ...oh wait, that's right Eli got a Super Bowl Ring this past year ...

Week 1 Disaster

Last night's American Idol was disastrous to my American Idol team. There were 4 people (2 men, 2 women) voted off of the show last night and all 4 of them were on my team.

The odds of me winning an Ann Taylor Loft gift card are greatly diminished. And to think, I had an awesome pink pasmina picked out. hah.

Paperboy's Wife

1 - Michael Johns
2 – David Archuleta
3 – Syesha Mercado
4 – Asia’h Epperson
5 – Brooke White
6 – David Cook
7 – Robbie Carrico
8 – Danny Norriega
9 – Amanda Overmyer
10 – Alaina Whitaker
11 – Jason Yeager
12 – Jason Castro

Paperboy
1 – Carly Smithson
2 – Ramiele Malubay
3 – Joanne Borgella – Out Week 1
4 – David Hernandez
5 – Alexandrea Lushington
6 – Kristy Lee Cook
7 – Luke Menard
8 – Colton David Berry – Out Week 1
9 – Amy Jean Davis – Out Week 1
10 – Chikezie Eze
11 – Kady Malloy
12 – Garrett Haley – Out Week 1

This is...American Idol

With my recent slew of "I Love Eli Manning" blog posts, I sure some of my loyal readers are thinking that I've gotten a little light in the loafers. I've haven't, but this next post won't help convince you much.

American Idol is definitely one of the most entertaining shows on TV today.

I mentioned it in a previous blog post about how funny it is to see all of the freaks and geeks singing at the beginning of the season. Well, auditions are now over and it's down to 24 people competing for the title of the next American Idol.

You would think after 7 seasons the show would be a little stale, but the show consistently finds a way to reinvent itself and market itself in new ways. This year, they are offering contestant songs on iTunes. They really market the shit out of the show and this is just another example of how powerhouse of a brand American Idol really is in the U.S.

To spice up our watching of the show this year, my wife and I placed a $50 wager - the winner gets a $50 gift card to their favorite store (if I win my gift card is definitely going to be for Ann Taylor Loft--kidding).

We held a draft prior to last night's first contestant show and here's how each team shaped out:

Paperboy's American Idol Team

1 – Carly Smithson
2 – Ramiele Malubay
3 – Joanne Borgella
4 – David Hernandez
5 – Alexandrea Lushington
6 – Kristy Lee Cook
7 – Luke Menard
8 – Colton David Berry
9 – Amy Jean Davis
10 – Chikezie Eze
11 – Kady Malloy
12 – Garrett Haley

Paperboy's Wife American Idol Team
1 - Michael Johns

2 – David Archuleta

3 – Syesha Mercado

4 – Asia’h Epperson

5 – Brooke White

6 – David Cook
7 – Robbie Carrico

8 – Danny Norriega

9 – Amanda Overmyer

10 – Alaina Whitaker

11 – Jason Yeager

12 – Jason Castro

The Fruits of Victory

Ok, last Giants story (this week)...I promise.

On Saturday, February 2nd (the day before Super Bowl XLII) , my wife and I were walking through the Bridgewater Commons Mall and she asked me what I wanted for Valentine's Day.

At first, I told her nothing. When she pressed further, I told her that I wanted an autographed photo of Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy. As this was a day before the game happened, I was half hoping, half wishing and half praying that this Valentine's Day wish would come true.

Well, during the first week of March, guess what's coming in the mail from Steiner Sports. Yep, you guessed it ...

Rumor: Eli to Appear on Madden 09 Cover

Loyal readers...sorry for yet another blog about the Giants, but I just had to do it.

I'm hearing rumors on the Internet today that Eli Manning is in talks with Electronic Arts to be the cover boy of Madden 09. Please God, let it just be a rumor.

While my previous comment about how Eli was jinxed by being in the cover of Sports Illustrated turned out to be off (thankfully), superstitious me fully believes in the Madden Cover Jinx.

I really hope it's not true as I don't want the Madden curse to hurt the Super Bowl XLII MVP. Just look at what happens to Madden Cover Boys when they grace the cover.

According to Wikipedia: "The Madden Curse, also known as the Madden Cover Jinx, is a myth involving the video game series Madden NFL, stating that during or after the season, if a player appears on the cover solo, that player will be cursed with either an injury or poor performance.Marshall Faulk, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb, and Shaun Alexander all have suffered significant playing injuries in the season that they appeared on the Madden cover."

Read up on the Wikipedia site for more detail on the curse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_curse

I can only hope that a rumor is all that it is.

These Images Speak For Themselves

You Tubing the Giants

I think I found a reason for my psychotic madness. The last time one of my teams won a World Championship, it was the Yankees in year 2000 and I was living in Arlington, VA with a Red Sox fan.

Now that I'm living again in New Jersey exposed to it every day, I'm having a serious psychotic embolism...or something.

These are two awesome clips that I found on YouTube.

The first is the Giants final game winning drive from Super Bowl XLII from a fans camera. It's great to see Pats fans taunting Eli at the beginning of the drive and how they look at the end of the same drive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9vMKw5Ur7M

The second is a Fox News clip -- I hate those commie bastards -- of Eli and Peyton meeting for the first time in the locker room after Super Bowl XLII. It's hard to understand them with their New Orleans drawl (I think Cajun Crawfish is mentioned in there somewhere), but it's a really awesome clip of two brothers celebrating Eli's Super Bowl win: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XUdoZ4MYdo

The Rocket Explodes ....

I wish Roger Clemens wasn't lying, but he is.

I watched all 4 hours -- that's the benefit of working at home I guess -- of the Congressional hearings today of Clemens and Brian Macnamee testifying about Clemens' alleged steroid and HGH usage and I didn't believe a word that Clemens said.

I hate to say it, but I just hated the way that Roger answered questions. I hated the way that he denied everything in the face of all of the evidence. I hate how he stuttered and repeated answers -- maybe that's just something famous people from Texas do; i.e. G.W. Bush. I hated all of it, because I wanted to believe the Clemens - a favorite of mine when he was on the Yankees - didn't use any illegal substances. I wanted to believe that he has been sticking up for himself the past few weeks because he really didn't do it. But after seeing him speak at the Congressional hearings today though, I can't believe that any longer.

Brian Macnamee is a complete and utter weasel. He just looks like a sh*thead. I didn't like the short, terse way that he answered the questions of Congressmen and women, but I still believe his version - distorted it may be at points -- because of the fact that his version is backed up by what Andy Pettitte said about his conversations with the Rocket.

I do think though that it's stupid as hell to think that just because Macnamee is telling the truth about Pettitte and Knoblauch that he must also be telling the truth about Clemens. I think that's flawed logic...But I still believe that Clemens was lying at today's hearing.

And it's really sad to me.

Is it Baseball Season Already?

The headline of this blog, was my wife's question the other day. ... but it could just have easily come from my mouth considering I'm still in awe of what happened 9 days ago.

Pitchers and catchers report to Baseball's Spring Training in two days - that's also Valentines Day for you single people and forgetful husbands - and I am not the least bit excited for it.

Back in November after the Yankees season ended there was a different piece of Yankees related news each day. At that time, I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to the 2008 season. But then the daily Yankees news surge dissipated and I started to pay more and more attention to the Giants.

Then when the football playoffs began, I was engrossed in them. I devoured all news coverage, watched the Giants games multiple times and was enthralled with everything and anything having to do with the team.

Since the Giants became Super Bowl XLII Champions on Feb. 3rd, I have been even more neurotic and psychotic.

A day after the Super Bowl, I walked to our local convenience store - I'm on a health kick for those of you who didn't know - and purchased a copy of every NY paper. The day after that I watched the NFL Network's 1 1/2 hour replay of the game. I watched highlights of the game on Inside the NFL.

In between, I rewatched the final drive of the game 20 different times.

I read every article about the game and the victory parade. I walked to the Kohls near my house on one day to purchase a Championship shirt. Then the next day I walked to the local Borders to buy the Sports Illustrated weekly and commemorative editions. After that, I watched the final drive another 10 times and watched and listened to YouTube clips, radio clips and anything and everything that I could get my hands on.

I'm nuts. But you already got that idea 5 sentences ago.

It's a different feeling then I'm used to though, so how can you blame me. Usually when my favorite team loses after a tough season I suffer through a few weeks of hangover - not the alcohol induced mind you, but a horrible, gut wretching, depressing sports hangover. That didn't happen with the Giants this year though. So, I truly don't know what to do with myself.

Trust me, I'm looking forward to baseball season...but right now I still can't get over the fact that the New York Giants are Super Bowl XLII Champions.

Maybe Joba's 100 mph heater will get me into the 2008 baseball season ...

Where Have You Gone Peanut Gallery?

While I did receive congratulatory phone calls, emails and text messages from Chosen One, Smelmooo, BBR and a host of other people who usually post anonymously to my blog, I'm wondering why my faithful followers aren't commenting on my blog posts after they publicly ripped the Giants and Eli all season long.

Speak up people...

Giants Ride Down Canyon of Heroes

New York City held a ticker tape parade for the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants and it was awesome. I won't do it justice in words, so I'll just post some of my favorite photos from the day. (no, these photos were not taken by me.)

Question of the Day

Do you think Tom Brady enjoys being on his back more when Giselle Bundchen or Barry Cofield is on top?

I Still Can't Believe It

No one believed in the Giants...even I sometimes had my doubts...

But I got a little confidence in the season finale against the Pats, when the starters played their hearts out. I gained more confidence when they beat the Bucs - a team that I knew the Giants could beat. I thought they could beat the Cowboys, but I was worried. And I definitely was worried about the Packers game because of the cold. After that game though, I had no doubt in my mind that they were going to win the Superbowl. I know all of the so called experts thought that the Pats were completely going to destroy the Giants. But I didn't think that. I thought it would be a close game and I wrote a blog about how the team could beat the Pats. Short of an interception that wasn't Eli's fault and some turnovers that the Pats didn't capture, the Giants followed that gameplan to a tee.

If someone would have told me that the Giant would have won the Super Bowl and Eli Manning would have won the Super Bowl MVP, I would have thought they were crazy. I had always hoped for this moment, but sometimes I never believed it would happen. I stuck up for Eli when everyone was down on him. I never gave up rooting for him. But there were times this season that I started to get down on him. Now with his leadership of the Giants last night and his big time plays on the last drive of the game, Eli Manning has become a legend forever in New York. And I still can't believe it.

This is one of the sweetest sports moments that I've ever experienced before. I never thought that my in person witnessing of Aaron Boone hitting a homerun off the Red Sox in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS would be beaten, but this experience has crushed it.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!

Ladies and Gentlemen....the New York Giants are your Superbowl XLII Champions!!

Wow, what a game tonight against the once undefeated Patriots. I can hardly believe that the Giants beat the Patriots 17-14 tonight and are Super Bowl Champions. It has been an incredible season capped off by an amazing game tonight.

While Eli won the MVP, one that he deserved, the MVP award could totally go to the Giants defense who played a lights out game, holding the NFL highest scoring offense to just 14 points. Wow. That did definitely not look like the same high powered Patriots offense tonight. And it was because the Giants defense played a wonderful, inspired game tonight.The defense rushed, sacked and hassled Brady all night long and really got into his head. Brady didn't complete one long pass all night and it really was a result of the Giants tremendous pass rush. Everyone on the Giants defense tonight was simply incredible.

Eli Manning, the guy that I always cheer for no matter what, finally answered his critics going 19 for 34 for 255 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT, helping him take home the Super Bowl MVP, one year after his brother Peyton did it. Is Eli in Peyton's shadow any longer? I don't think so.

Eli led a historic drive that will remember for the rest of my life. With just 2:45 left in the 4th quarter, Eli lead the Giants down the field with a 12 play, 83 yard drive. On one play, he somehow avoided a near sack to complete a 32 yard circus pass to David Tyree - who we haven't seen all season long. Manning then completed a 13 yard WIDE OPEN Touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress for the big, big Giants win!

What a crazy, ridiculous, unbelievable, awesome, joyous, wonderful, incredible....game.....It's a game that I'll never forget for the rest of my life.

How the Giants Can Win Superbowl XLII

I'm not big on predictions, so I'm not going to make a Plaxico Burress like prediction. I'm not going to say straight out that the Giants are going to win Superbowl XLII. What I will say is that the 18-0 Patriots can be beaten. It's true they haven't been beaten yet, but there's been moments in games against the Ravens, Giants, Eagles, Jaguars and Chargers where the other team could have stepped on the throats of the Pats and just didn't do to.

I watched Inside the NFL last night and Cris Collinsworth had a bunch of things that the Giants could do to beat the Pats.

Here were his keys to success against the Pats:

1) Hit Tom Brady

2) Bump Moss off the line

3) Stop the Screen.

All things that are easier said than done.

Here's my opinion on what I think the Giants have to do in order to beat the undefeated Pats :

1) Like Collinsworth, I believe that the Giants have to pressure Brady. They don't have to sack him every single time, but they need to get in his head, hit him a couple times and try to re-hobble Mr. "Panties in a" Bundchen's ankle.

2) Play great defense - The Giants completely smacked the Packers in the face with their smothering defense. They stopped the run and limited big gains from the Packers. They limited the powerful Cowboys offense and the secondary has come up big all postseason long. Corey Webster, Antonio Pierce and Justin Tuck have really played out of their mind this postseason. There's been a ton of energy from the defense before the play. If you see that same energy against the Pats, watch out. The saying goes: "Defense wins championships" and if the Giants continues it playoff run of holding down powerful offenses, I can see big things for the Giants.

3) Play great special teams - This entire postseason, Dom Hixon, R.W. McQuarters and Ahmad Bradshaw have put them in great field position with their punt and kick returns. This needs to continue against the Pats. Jeff Feagles - who will probably retire after the game - needs to hit a bunch of coffin corner kicks to back up the Pats offense. And Lawrence Tynes needs to come up big. He won't be getting 3 chances against the Pats.

4) Limit the mistakes - Eli hasn't thrown a pick or given up a fumble all postseason long. On his way to finally becoming a cult hero in NYC, he's done a terrific job of managing the Giants offense and executing on first downs. If he limits his mistakes in this game and executes the gameplay, he gives the Giants a great shot to shock the world.

We'll see what happens on Sunday night. I've had a good feeling all postseason long and I'm hoping that the Giants momentum continues through this game.

Go Giants!!