Giant Victory May Mean War Between States

They’re called the New York Giants, but they play in New Jersey. So if they win the Super Bowl, where do they hold the victory parade?

“Given the Giants’ strong ties to New Jersey, I believe the appropriate venue for a celebration . . . is in Bergen County,” William Schuber, the New Jersey county’s top official, wrote to team owner Wellington Mara.

But New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was in the Giants’ locker room after their victory over the Minnesota Vikings, talking about a ticker-tape parade down Broadway.

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The fans’ view: From east of the Hudson: “They’re a New York team, they just play in New Jersey.”

From the other side: “They play in New Jersey, they practice in New Jersey, their office headquarters are in New Jersey, they should celebrate in New Jersey.”

It will all be just talk, though, unless the Giants win Sunday’s game.

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Trivia time: There has never been a shutout in the Super Bowl. What were the fewest points scored by one team?

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Say what? Lewis Hamilton is a black teenage kart racer from England who is being touted as a future Formula One driver.

“If he’s as good as many say he is, then over time he could make Tiger Woods look like a pauper,” gushed Tony Dodgins in On Track.

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Are you sure? A fax from the Michigan Speedway public relations department: “Michigan Speedway will release all future e-mails via e-mail.”

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No problem: Winston Cup driver Mike Skinner won’t have any difficulty accomplishing his goal for the 2001 season.

“We’re going to win twice as many this year as we did last year,” he vowed.

He didn’t win any in 2000.

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Another era: Golf Digest recently used a photo of Ben Hogan with a cigarette in his mouth while striking a ball, something he often did.

Gideon Fountain of Greenwich, Conn., responded, “I was thrilled you printed those old pictures of Ben Hogan with a cigarette. I’m not a smoker and own no tobacco stocks, but I love the sheer political incorrectness of showing a smoking athlete.”

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All about money: Former U.S. Amateur champion Matt Kuchar, on the difference between playing golf as an amateur and as a professional:

“It’s pretty cool to play golf for a living, whereas most guys work all their lives to play golf on the weekend. The crowds have been the same. It’s still golf. Only you receive a check at the end of the week, hopefully.”

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More than that: There is at least one difference between being a Laker and a Bull, points out Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Rosenbloom.

“One report says Kobe Bryant contacted another team himself, trying to broker a deal that would get him away from Shaquille O’Neal. Say this for the Bulls: You don’t see Dragan Tariac and Jamal Crawford in a silly ego battle to see who ‘The Man’ is.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1986, the Chicago Bears won their first NFL championship since 1963 by setting a Super Bowl record for points scored in a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots.

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Trivia answer: Three, by Miami in a 24-3 loss to Dallas in 1972.

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And finally: Brian Pavlet is one of the champions of world long-driving competition. He regularly hits a golf ball 50 yards or more farther than John Daly or Tiger Woods.

That doesn’t relate to scoring, however. Why?

“The whole putting thing is overrated,” he says.