Federer’s loss and Sharapova’s destruction of Justine Henin (among others) has thrown open discussion about how long either will stay number one. After Sharapova’s performance down under, it would be hard to make Henin a favorite over her, except maybe on clay. Roger has never won the French (on clay) so his number one ranking may well be in jeopardy by the time Wimbledon rolls around in late June.

In golf, Tiger Woods started the year off just like he finished 2007, with a win. That’s three in a row dating back to last year, another streak started. This one came in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, his sixth win there and fourth in a row at the California course. Bad news for everyone else, especially come June when the U.S. Open will be held at, yes, Torrey Pines.

So, who is going to win the Super Bowl on Sunday? I’ll tell you one thing; there is no way I’m going to say here. I am a Giants fan and the football gods don’t look kindly on predictions of victory or loss for either team, and I am not going to be the one jinxing the outcome.

What I will say is that things are stacked pretty badly against the G-men. The Patriots have remained, fairly comfortably, undefeated. Last I checked, they have not changed out the whole team since the AFC championship, so there’s no reason to begin doubting them now.

Oh, they’re doing their usual cloak and dagger game with injuries, especially Tom Brady’s ankle. But it appears the Giants have a good understanding of how that game is played and are preparing for the usual Brady, which is to say the best quarterback in the NFL.

The G-men are not exactly the best team coming off a bye week, either. Going back over the last ten years, they are 2-8 after a week off. Despite the fact that they really needed some time to heal up, especially their defensive backfield, this does not bode well for the underdogs.

Then there is that week 17 game, which the Patriots won. Everyone is going to say that the Giants’ gutsy performance is what started them on their road to the big game. In a way it’s true. Obviously they (and New England) are being rewarded for playing all-out in a game which meant nothing but pride. But the fact is, despite playing all-out, they still came out on the short end.

I will say this. Here’s hoping that the game stays interesting and that it’s still a contest in the fourth quarter. It would be nice if going 19-0 required at least a semi-tough contest. Besides, even if I wasn’t a Giants fan, shouldn’t everyone be rooting for the underdog in this game anyway?