Hahahahahahahahaha

Thank you, New York Giants, for scoring three more points than the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. That 17-14 win in Arizona has made you heroes in some circles.

Like Beowulf, you slew the dragon. And hopefully, like Beowulf, it's your last heroic act.

Call it karma, cosmic justice, a case of cheaters never win. Whatever it was, the end result is New England is NOT the greatest team ever.

Sure, the Giants won't get their due as Super Bowl winners. They'll only be remembered as the team that ruined New England's coronation. Well, who cares. The New York Giants saved the N.F.L. from another year of Patriots garbage.

This wasn't the greatest Super Bowl upset ever. Joe Namath's guarantee of a Jets win in Super Bowl III over the 17-point favorite Baltimore Colts was bigger. But still, this was one huge upset. New York was supposed to get killed. They didn't.

And the fact New York was the people's choice amazed me. It just showed how unpopular the smug Patriots were across the United States.

Most fans I know hate New York sports teams and root against them vigorously. Of course, normally those New York sports teams aren't decided underdogs pitted against the scariest group of men assembled since Lee Marvin led the "Dirty Dozen" to a win over the heavily-favored Germans.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, like the invasion in "The Dirty Dozen," the Super Bowl proved to be a suicide mission.

Yep, those "best-ever" Patriots are nothing more than a one-loss team with no Super Bowl win.

New England quarterback and supermodel puller Tom Brady didn't tie 49ers all-timer Joe Montana or Steelers great Terry Bradshaw with four Super Bowl wins . Good.

Patriots head coach Bill Bellicheck won't join Pittsburgh's Chuck Noll, the greatest coach of the Super Bowl era, with four wins in games with Roman numerals. Good II.

And best of all, New England won't join those annoyingly excellent 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only undefeated team of the Super Bowl era. Good god, the bargains we make.

It's not so much that I like the Dolphins. I don't.

In fact, I'd like to throw a pie at Nick Buoniconti.

Still, those guys will be dead soon. Yeah, that's dark, but dead men tell no tales, and we won't have to hear about perfection from those who achieved it once the last Dolphin floats belly-up.

Had the Patriots won, we would have to hear about 19-0 for decades. Thanks to the Giants, the Pats are just another Super Bowl loser, heavy on the LOSER part.

Good riddance, perfect Pats. Hopefully it's the end of your title run. On behalf of N.F.L. fans: We've had enough.

D.W. Norris is a freelance writer and Patriots hater living in Carbondale, IL.

dwnorris77@hotmail.com