I See Giants

Well I managed it. I've tried before but never made the end of the first quarter, but last night for the first time ever I stayed awake for the whole of the Superbowl. It was past 3 a.m. by the time it finished and I loved every minute of it.

Not being a fan of either team, or the sport for that matter, I done my ususal and decided to support the underdog. Which in this case was the New York Giants, the New England Patriots having dominated the season undefeated up till the final.

Even to a novice it soom became apparent that the Giants "wanted it" that little bit more. Defensively they were superb, whatever the Patriots tried the Giants were equal to and more, seeming to anticipate every play. The BBC used the breaks in play well, explaining things in a way a newcomer to the game could appreciate what was happening without seeming patronising to those that fully understand the game.

The Giants soaked up everything thrown at them and slowly but surely I could sense them taking control of the game. And when with only a few minutes left Manning ( I was even getting to know the names by now) managed to somehow avoid 3 Patriots attempting to tacle him and kept his feet long enough to launch a 32 yard pass in the direction of Tyree. Amazingly he managed to pluck the ball from above his head at full stretch and keep hold of it as he crashed to the ground surrounded by opponents. It wasn't a scoring play but even watching my first game I knew that I had just witnessed something rather special ("one of the finest catches in Superbowl history" says the BBC website today) . It also turned out to be the pivotal moment of the game and the Giants went on to score a last minute touchdown to become worthy winners.

After just this one game I'm now looking forward to the next season of a game I used to ridicule as "not proper sport" . With proper (English) football becoming more boring by the season this could prove a welcome distraction.