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Show the Giants there's no place like home

Shaun Powell

February 5, 2008

There's no worst place to be when you lose, no better place to be when you win. If the old saying about New York still rings true, then New York owes the Giants much love today.

At 11 this morning, they will ride in style down Broadway and through the Canyon of Heroes and follow the same parade path as those who came before them: Mantle, Seaver, Messier, Reggie, Jeter.

In their own way, the 2007 Giants carved out their own special place in New York sports history by surprising the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. This team will be remembered for putting heat on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, for Eli Manning's scramble and David Tyree's catch, and for the 83-yard championship-winning march that prompted a parade. But something else set this championship team apart from the others around here:

New York never had a chance to show appreciation for these Giants, until now, until today.

That's because throughout their playoff run, these Giants never felt the comforts of home. They were strangers in hostile places, fighting the other team and the elements and the atmosphere, all designed to prevent them from becoming champions. They heard few screams of support. They never left the field to the unanimous cheers of a packed stadium, or felt the warm embrace of the people who matter most to them.

They won postseason games in Tampa, then Dallas, then Green Bay, then Arizona, not New York. Not in a place that would fully appreciate them.

"Look out!" defensive end Michael Strahan screamed moments after he was officially anointed a champion. "We own New York! We own New York now!"

Truth be told, nobody around here knew the Giants existed until about a month or so ago. Back then, not even the Giants knew.

"This season, where we started and where we ended, was totally unexpected," Strahan said. "I couldn't have told you that we'd beat the Patriots."

This was a team that knew what it felt like to lose in New York. At this time last year, after they lost in the first round of the playoffs, the Giants were viewed as a disappointing team on the verge of coming apart, not together. Then they lost two straight to open this season, allowing 80 points, and their status on the sports scene was dipping dangerously in the direction of the Knicks' level.

Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, Strahan, all heroic in Super Bowl XLII, all received different degrees of scorn in September, which seems like years ago.

Coughlin? Couldn't coach.

Eli? Wasn't Peyton.

Strahan? Out of shape, shoulda been in training camp.

Those three, and others in the organization, felt the other side of New York, the side that dumps on sports teams and athletes, or even worse, ignores them completely.

That's why today is so important. It's time to show the other side. It's time to give props. It's time to collectively tell the Giants: Whoops, my bad.

The Giants deserve a good cheer because, first off, the organization is exactly how organizations should be: classy and professional. Also, when all looked bleak, Coughlin and his players never surrendered. Finally, the "ordinary guy" image fits the Giants better than most teams with a fair share of millionaire ballplayers.

This team was never widely celebrated and, in fact, was publicly doubted by its best player from a year ago, Tiki Barber. In many ways, the Giants succeeded despite the enormous number of Super Bowl doubts, both from beyond and, early on, from within.

"Doubters?" linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "Well, we had a hundred million of those."

Therefore, show some love today. It's easy to recoil at the thought, because professional athletes seem to have it all, anyway. Why the constant need to kneel at their altar? Why should an entire city worship people who are worshipped every Sunday afternoon, anyway?

Well, there's a little bit of 2007 Giants in all of us, that's why. How many of us hear skepticism, are forced to deal with setbacks and must lift our spirits off the ground once or twice? How many of us had to walk the tightrope at work, as Coughlin did?

The Giants dealt with all that, and more, and still managed to chase and realize their dreams, as we all aspire to do. From ownership on down, they're easy to like and admire and root for.

Problem was, they weren't around much during the stretch of their championship run to soak in the gratitude and acceptance of an entire city.

Well, New York can change all that today. As we know, and as the Giants are about to learn, there's no better place to be when you win.