Text size:

LIers late but loud

BY CARL MACGOWAN AND BRANDON BAIN | carl.macgowan@newsday.com
and brandon.bain@newsday.com

February 6, 2008

Long Islanders played hooky from work and school yesterday to join thousands of other fans in a gigantic celebration of the Giants' stunning Super Bowl triumph.

Fans filled Penn Station in Manhattan with chants of "Go! Big! Blue!" and giddily recounted Sunday's winning touchdown drive led by their new hero, quarterback Eli Manning.

Some wore necklaces studded with blue beads at New York's version of Mardi Gras.

Giants fans wearing their team's colors rode the LIRR into Manhattan, some drinking beer and reminiscing about the final seconds of the historic win. The railroad scheduled 14 extra trains to help bring fans to the parade.

Some fans, however, arrived at the parade later than they wanted because of signal problems on the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches. The delays lasted up to 30 minutes and affected at least eight trains, including two of the extra trains, said LIRR spokeswoman Susan McGowan.

For true blue fans, Fat Tuesday was really Giant Tuesday, and there was no way they were going to miss it.

"As soon as Eli drove for that touchdown, I texted my boss," said Tony Bicchetti, 26, a Port Washington banker whose boss changed his schedule so Bicchetti could go to the parade.

Nick Benedetto, 37, of Wantagh, said he went to his institutional sales job yesterday, but his co-workers told him to go to the parade. "I gotta support my team," he said.

Some fans thought the parade might be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

"Who knows when this is going to happen again?" said Tom Vidder, 42, an appliance store worker from West Babylon. "But it's New York and you gotta be there."

Parents said they let their children skip school so they could witness a little bit of New York sports history.

Joe Delio, 35, a retail manager from Lindenhurst, took the LIRR into Manhattan with his son Joey, 6, who wasn't born when New York held its last ticker-tape parade, for the Yankees' World Series win in 2000. "I thought it would be a great opportunity for Joey," Delio said.

Maria Basile, 45, a personal trainer from Port Washington, started work at 5 a.m. yesterday, then canceled her appointments after 8 a.m. She picked up her son, Christopher, 14, at home and they took the train into Manhattan. "Probably won't see a thing, but that's OK," Maria Basile said before the parade.