Well, nothing I do is going to make it better. I’ve been feeling sick since Sunday night. At about 10 minutes to 10, after my favorite gunslinger threw his second pick (much worse than the first), the cheese on top of my head began to melt. For the first time in awhile, the scraggly Number 4 began to look his age, struggling like the younger Manning used to.

Nearly 280 miles away, I could hear a hoarse Bronx cheer from thousands of fans wearing red, white and gray. And when Lawrence Tynes finally hit the record breaker with 2:35 on the clock, it was the game winner, and the most important kick of his career. With that 47-yard overtime field goal, New York had itself an improbable 23-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers at frostbitten Lambeau Field. Will I blame the minus-3 degrees temperatures and wind-chill of minus-24? Nope. New York was on the same frozen field, and they didn’t freeze up.

Oh, brother! Eli, the baby of the Manning clan, has finally arrived. And he’s taking the New York Giants on one more road trip – this time to the sunny skies and balmy temperature of Glendale, Ariz.

Of course, now comes Mission Impossible: beating the 18-0 New England Patriots in a Super Bowl match up only New York saw coming. Then again, maybe not so impossible, because New York was giant in their regular season match against those lying, cheating Pats – a 38-35 victory – a shoo-in by no means at all.

Just a month ago, Eli was questioned as the Giants struggled to clinch a wild-card. He responded with the best work of his four-year career, including four touchdown passes in the season finale against the Patriots. And I hate to say, but nobody, not even league MVP Tom Brady, is hotter than Eli.

And I don’t know about you, but that ‘jinx excuse’ by the older Manning doesn’t fly with me. Does that mean he’s not going to watch his brother get another shot at New England, the first team to go 18-0? The Patriots want their fourth Super Bowl title in seven years, as well as the league’s first perfect season since Miami went 17-0 in 1972.

And don’t think the ’72 ‘Fins won’t crow at an 18-1 mark. Like they say, perfection beats domination every time. But the Patriots can’t look past New York, not the least because it’s the last game of the season. But the Giants led the Patriots by 12 in the third quarter before losing by 3.

But on Sunday night, Manning shook off conditions that would make a polar bear shiver, repeatedly putting the Giants in position to win the third-coldest championship game ever. He did more than manage the game, he and Plaxico Burress’ career-high 11 catches for 154 won the game, with a little Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw thrown in for good measure. And then thousands of Green Bay faithful watched as Tynes make his first game-winning field goal of the season in the first OT title game in nine years.

The hottest Green Bay ever got wasn’t even on the field. It was only after Giants running back Jacobs faked a Lambeau Leap after his score, incensing the full house of 72,470. I kind of wished he had jumped up there.

Of course, there is one good side to this. Favre extended his NFL record with his 18th straight postseason game with a TD pass. Then again, I’m sure Favre would tell you right now that records suck; it’s all about the ring.

Oh well. I guess there’s next year.

Oh, and could you pass the salt. This damn crow tastes like crap!