While nearly a million Giants fans pack into Lower Manhattan this morning for a parade celebrating the triumph of one billion-dollar corporation over another, veterans of the Iraq war have yet to be honored in the Canyon of Heroes. "If a football team gets a parade, shouldn't our veterans?" asks Paul Rieckhoff, the founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Former Mayor Ed Koch agrees, and tells the Times, "I believe a parade is required, is necessary, and New York City is the place to have it." more ›

Have you heard? There is a momentous contest between two sporting teams of toned millionaires tomorrow, one of which hails from the Excelsior State! And 57-year-old Peter Serafin won't miss a minute, thanks to his $240,000, 20-hour trip across the country to Lambeau Field. Serafin, who shockingly works in finance, has filled a 70-foot RV with "two beautiful waitresses, a driver and even the executive chef at Old Homestead Steakhouse" to ferry himself and five friends to Wisconsin for the game. "It's exciting," he tells the Post, "It's like a dream come true." Yes, all our dreams involve 20 hours of being trapped in a metal box on the highway with fried chicken and "10 live lobsters." more ›

Facing charges of driving under the influence of marijuana, the trial of former Titans quarterback Chris Simms began yesterday with arresting officer Frank Acosta testifying that the son of Giants legend Phil Simms was "very, very unsteady on his feet" after being pulled over on West Houston street last summer, the Daily News reports. This was fairly vanilla compared to the things Acosta said during a pre-trial hearing, among them that the smell of marijuana was "coming from his breath. I had a headache. Even my tongue got numb…He was like a zombie." While we can't vouch for marijuana's ability to morph into garlic, we can say that Simms' mug shot is a tad damning. Maybe he's squinting because his future's so bright? Oh. more ›

The man behind the "shot heard 'round the world"—the game-ending homer that won the New York Giants the pennant over rivals the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951—died in his Savannah, Georgia home today after years of declining health at the age of 86. Bobby Thomson was a Giants outfielder from 1946-1953, nicknamed "Staten Island Scot" because of his Glasgow roots and Richmond County residence. The three-run homer he hit off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca was a timely miracle in an already miraculous season for the New York Giants, and made him an instant celebrity even beyond the sports world. more ›

Uh-oh? Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be getting an MRI on his swollen and sore foot. It was a non-contact injury; the Daily News says it occurred during the 4th quarter of the Giants' 4th victory this season, when he "planted his right leg, then hopped, then completed his throw, and immediately dropped to the ground." Manning said, "I don't think it's nothing to be worried about. It will be getting rid of the soreness," and was getting ice and stim treatment for it. Still, his status for Sunday's game against the Raiders depends on how fast it heels. more ›

A fan on the popular Seattle Seahawks message board "Seahawks Huddle" has created a stir in his attempts to goad NY Giants fans before the two teams' matchup next week by posting a collection of 9/11 jokes. The post has naturally been taken down, but not before it raised the ire of many, including today's Daily News where they call the author "a lunatic" and share a link to his email address. The jokes were posted above an image of a smoking NYC skyline following the fall of the towers and included one-liners such as "Q: What's Al Qaida's (sic) favorite football team? A: The New York Jets" and "Q: How many New Yorkers does it take to change a light bulb? A: Nobody knows since they keep jumping out the window when it gets too hot!" more ›

Yesterday afternoon, the Giants and Jets announced it ended talks with Allianz, a German insurance company that was interested in buying stadium naming rights at the new stadium. more ›

The Giants Defensive End Osi Umenyiora suffered serious ligament damage in his left knee last night's preseason loss to the Jets and will have to miss the entire 2008 season. An MRI this morning revealed that he has a torn MCL and needs surgery that will require 3-4 months of recovery time. Umenyiora was the only Giant voted into the Pro Bowl during last year's championship season. more ›

Yes and no. more ›

is out today! more ›

The football season is over, but news about the Giants and their Super Bowl win never gets old. Here's what's been happening since the ticker tape parade: more ›

Commemorative sweatshirts and hats haven't been so popular since... the Yankees won the World Series in 2000! All around the region, Giants Super Bowl XLII Champions clothing and doodads attracted long waits and some empty hands. more ›

• Clippers 103 Knicks 94: New York Giants Sam Madison, Kevin Dockery and R.W. McQuarters showed up for the game, which provided a great diversion from what happened on the floor. Leading 60-51 at halftime, the Knicks were blown away in the third quarter, getting outscored 28-14 as the Clippers cruised to the win. more ›

After the Giants' wild underdog Super Bowl win last night, it's no surprise that New York area papers are reveling in this victory. The Daily News give its readers a special commemorative Super Bowl victory cover (inside, there's a traditional front and sports back cover - sans Giants mention). Both the News and the NY Post feature Eli Manning holding the Vince Lombardi trophy. Maybe this is their way of apologizing for ragging on him mercilessly (though with reason) for his first seasons. more ›

The Giants won the NFC Championship in overtime, beating the Green Bay Packers 23-20 in overtime and overcome the frigid, below-zero conditions. They are now headed to the Super Bowl where they will meet the New England Patriots, who beat the San Diego Chargers 21-12. more ›

The Jews of New York (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., WLIW; Thursday, 9:00 p.m., Thirteen) Ed Koch, Russ & Daughters Appetizers, Mount Sinai Hospital, and the creative team behind Fiddler on the Roof are profiled in this one hour overview of the history and impact of the Jewish community in New York. The show has some great New York City history content, although it seemed like it should have been a bit longer so they could get a bit more in. Still it is an interesting look at the contributions of New York’s Jewish community through the years. more ›

After news that a Green Bay Fox affiliate would not be showing Seinfeld because it's Giants quarterback Eli Manning's favorite show (the Giants are heading to the land of Cheeseheads to play the Packers in the NFC Championship), it was up to Jerry Seinfeld to rise to the occasion. The Mets fan told the Post, "I'm going to send Eli a complete collection of 'Seinfeld' DVDs and a partial collection of 'Hogan's Heroes' for inspiration!" We think Eli's gonna have to ask Archie about Hogan's Heroes. more ›

While much of the football excitement this weekend surrounds the New York Giants' game versus the New England Patriots tonight, the Jets still have an interesting Week 17 matchup. more ›

NBC in addition to the NFL Network, WWOR and WCBV in Boston. more ›

There have been a few ads in the NY Times weddings section that spoof the real wedding announcements. For instance, we believe we recall a few for divorce services, but less ironically, there have been ads for marriage-related movies, like The Starter Wife. And this week, there's an ad for an upcoming wedding on the ABC comedy Ugly Betty. Of course, the ad is a lot wordier than the usual NY Times wedding announcement, but any mention of Wilhemina assistant Marc St. James is worth the extra ink. more ›

The Red Sox has permeated nearly every facet of Bostonist's lives. When they're not live-blogging the games, waxing poetic about the games, thanking Curt Schilling for his splendid work, or telling Dane Cook to watch his hair, they're watching certain presidential candidates hop on the Red Sox bandwagon (sorry, Gothamist). The Sox are so branded on the local brain that people are using the Series to spice up their sex lives. Speaking of spice, Bostonist is really sick of that taco promo. And, while they're proud of John Williams, Bostonist is still trying to figure out Williams' "Very Special Arrangement" of the "Star Spangled Banner." more ›

A spin class member at an Upper East Side gym became so enraged at the vocal exercise style of a nearby man that he got off his bike and threw the man against a wall earlier this month. Stuart Sugarman was the victim and the New York Post reports that the 48-year-old hedge fund manager admits that he was probably the noisiest guy at his gym. "He grunted a lot, admittedly. He war-whooped. He hollered, 'Great song!' and 'You go, girl.'" All of which became apparently too much for 44-year-old Christopher Carter. The Manhattan broker "snapped" and threw Sugarman and his stationary bike against a wall, causing a concussion and spinal injuries. more ›

It seems when tragedy writ large strikes, local news crews are dispatched to the scene no matter where it is. This week’s bridge collapse in Minnesota was no different with, as of last night, WCBS, WNYW, and WABC shipping reporters off to cover the death and destruction live. It seems more like vultures flocking to the carcass instead of legitimate coverage. more ›

If you're itching for some baseball during this season's All-Star break, and hate the Yankees too much to endure a rebroadcast of last night's premiere of The Bronx is Burning, The New York Sun recommends an HBO documentary on the Brooklyn Dodgers that will premiere tomorrow night. "Brooklyn Dodgers: The Ghosts of Flatbush" chronicles a decade of seasons (plus one) for the team and the borough it belonged to, from 1947 to 1957. more ›

Times Square has always offered a nice dose of "weird," whether it be in the pre-Giuliani days or its now more Disney-fied incarnation. Now some more strange will be saturating the area, in the form a famous Odditorium. Yes, tourists will be able to see things like locks of Abe Lincoln's hair after having a nice meal at the Olive Garden. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing child at Richmond Terrace and Franklin Ave. on Staten Island, a stabbing on Blake Ave. in Brooklyn, and a patient went missing at Parkway Hospital at 113 St. and 70th Rd. in Queens.
• Physicist Stephen Hawking is writing an adventure novel aimed at middle-grade readers called "George's Secret Key to the Universe."
• After-school programs at city schools, which help kids with academic tutoring and offer music and art instruction that are no longer part of schools’ curricula, will likely have to close due to lack of funding.
• Former New York Giants linebacker LaVar Arrington was injured in a motorcycle accident, after he lost control of his bike and hit a guard rail while exiting I-495 in Maryland.
• Sean Bonner’s list of vegan restaurants and places with vegan menu offerings around NYC.
• New York City pools open June 29th, and the Parks Dept. has a borough-by-borough guide to all 51 one of them.
• Elle magazine editorial coordinator Nina Weiss is letting local students and teachers conduct their classes in her Brooklyn apartment - 9th grade boys in the living room, 6th graders in the kitchen nook - after they lost their usual space in a nearby church to a fire.
• Curbed notes that lawyers for 1 Sutton Place are suing New York, after plans were announced to make the building’s formerly private park on city-owned land open to the public.

A look at some noteworthy programs this week:
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A look at some noteworthy (and mainly regifted) programs this week: more ›

When the dust cleared after the elections on Tuesday, the Democrats were the last party standing. Even in a blue-leaning state like New York, Democrats had to play hard in their quest to dominate the old boys' club known as the Republican party. As Dems claimed victory in every state race, Republicans retreated and joined the ranks of some other New York losers. more ›