New York Giants fanatics have waited seven years to celebrate a Super Bowl appearance, and it's been 17 years since their team won the big game.
So, getting ready for this year's battle with the undefeated Patriots calls for careful planning.
Ben Morrison admits to Giants mania and says he caught the madness from his mother, who introduced him to her obsession with the team when he was 10.
Morrison, of Oneonta, said his mother, Judy Keating of South New Berlin, has always been a "die-hard Giants fan."
Morrison, 29, said he began prepping his 2-year-old son, Makya, to be a passionate fan when he was still in onesies.
"He has already had a couple of jerseys, and he started out in Tiki Barber onesies," Morrison said. "I hope he can be a little Eli Manning. He has jerseys he isn't even big enough to wear yet."
Little Makya isn't the only member of the Morrison family that will be sporting Giants gear. Morrison said he had Super Bowl shirts printed for the whole family, downloading the Super Bowl and Giants logos from the Internet and printing them onto iron-on transfer sheets, which he used to produce the shirts.
Morrison is so sure of his team, he has the championship shirts ready to be worn through the streets.
"Mom is so excited," Morrison said. "My wife, Lauren, isn't really a fan, but she hangs in there, and now that they are in the Super Bowl, she is happier to wear her hat."
Morrison said he has been discussing game strategy with his mother up to three times a day since the Giants clinched the playoffs. He added that Keating's husband, John, isn't as thrilled because he is "a Jets boy," but he has agreed to wear his Giants shirt.
Morrison's friends may choose to steer clear of him before the game, he said, because he has chosen some extreme measures to ensure he doesn't affect the outcome.
"I was lucky enough to go to the Super Bowl in 2001," Morrison said. "I was living in Florida, about five hours from Tampa. Unfortunately, I got to see them lose (to the Baltimore Ravens)."
To guard against a loss this time, Morrison has decided to wear the same unwashed jersey he wore when they won during the playoffs, and he doesn't plan to have his hair cut or to shave.
"I would hate to do something and then have to think God, I think I jinxed them," Morrison said.
His only regret is that he didn't make a second set of shirts to jinx the 18-0 Patriots.
"I should have made shirts that said Nobody's Perfect,'" he said.
Josh Gregory, 26, of Oneonta, has also been a lifelong Giants fan, and said he, too, was introduced to the game by his mother.
When Gregory was growing up, he said, his birthday treat every year was a trip to the Giants-Jets game, which was always scheduled near his Aug. 24 birthday.
"When I was 12 or 13, we moved to New Jersey and lived 15 minutes from Giants Stadium," Gregory said. "I even got to play on the Giants' field when my high school team won the state championship."
Gregory said he is such a dedicated fan that he normally watches the games alone so he won't be annoyed by people talking. However, he has decided to break with tradition and go to a party this year.
"I have a friend who has a new 50-inch flat screen TV," Gregory said. "And I will be wearing my Jeremy Shockey jersey during the game."
Brian Davis, 26, of Oneonta, labeled himself a die-hard Giants fan and said his passion began when he was about 7 years old.
"I was a small kid, and growing up, I related to (former running back/returner) Dave Meggett, who played for the Giants, because he was a small guy, too," Davis said.
Davis said his favorite player now is defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
"Osi is a young guy and I like the way he plays, but you never hear about him," Davis said.
He added that he thinks if the Giants score first, they will go on to win the game by a score of 38-34.
Davis said he loves the Super Bowl and the fact that is gives everyone a chance to get together and party.
Aaron Lathan, 25, of Oneonta, said he can't really explain his dedication to the Giants.
"It's just a feeling that I have always instinctively had in my heart," Lathan said. "I have always been dedicated to my team, and I have had an eerie feeling all season long that they would win. They won 10 straight road games this year, and technically, they are the visitors in the Super Bowl."
The game is played at a neutral site, this year's location being Glendale, Ariz.
Lathan said he will be at home, watching the game with his father, Bob.
"I think we will be snacking on a few delicacies like spiedes and enjoying a cold, refreshing beverage," Lathan said. "I will be wearing my Giants hat during the game and I will take a win, 28 to 21."
G.X. Cramette and Alec Pitel are Giants fans who were members of the former Otego Monday Night Football Club, which ceased to exist several years ago when people got too busy to keep getting together, according to Pitel.
Pitel said he is "absolutely thrilled" that the Giants are back in the Super Bowl.
"It's very exciting," Pitel said. "A few of us will be getting together to watch our team."
Cramette said he believes the Giants "may be able to pull off a win, but he feels bad for Jeremy Shockey because he can't play."
Shockey is sidelined with a broken leg.
"I will probably just be catching the game at home quietly," Cramette said.
Walton Mayor Ed Snow said he has always been both a Giants and a Jets fan.
"I think they have a good chance of winning," Snow said. "My son and daughter, who are both Giants fans, too, and a few other people are getting together at my house to watch the game.
"It's nice that we have another Manning in the Super Bowl," Snow added. "We had Peyton last year, and now we have his brother, Eli."
When asked if there was anything else he would like to say, Davis replied, "Go Giants."
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Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
