Somewhere, John Madden Weeps, Silently...

The New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl. They beat the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game, 23-20, in overtime. Being a die hard Chicago Bears fan, it was hard for me to seriously root for the Packers, despite Brett Favre's incredible record-breaking season. And while I've been in NYC for coming up on 10 years, I have yet to become a full-on card carrying member of the fan base of any of the local teams. At this point in the season -- since Chicago's tragic implosion this year essentially renders last year's wild success as all but a fluke -- I'm just happy to see a close, interesting game. Brett Favre's season is the stuff great sports stories are made of: he was set to retire after a punishing season last year... came back this year to break all sorts of records... leads a newbie team to a 13-3 season and takes them on that post-season journey towards the Super Bowl. But when you look at what the Giants, and particularly Eli Manning have gone through this year -- getting thrashed on-air by former teammate turned Today Show mangirl Tiki Barber; the sports press lamenting that he doesn't have the chops to be a champion QB, etc., etc. -- you'd have a hard time scripting a better story about resilience, self-confidence, and teamwork. Pretty freaking inspirational. All apologies to John Madden, who has the most bizarre Brett Favre fetish this side of the Farrelly Brothers. The Giants are going to the Show. Congratulations.