I love it when the underdog wins. Like the Giants who just won the Super Bowl. And I love the stories that are pulled from that victory like colorful threads.

One story is the amazing play of Eli Manning at the end of the season. The Giants lost their first two games, then won six in a row. Next, they lost a big game to Dallas, won against Detroit and then got creamed by the Vikings. With one game left in the regular season, they were 10-5 and headed to the playoffs. Not an outstanding season, but not too shabby either–it’s never shabby to make it to the playoffs.

They played the Patriots in their last game of the season. There was a lot of talk about whether or not Coach Coughlin would play the starters. Since they were already in the playoffs, this game really didn’t matter in that regard, so some people questioned whether the team would risk injury to their top players going against the top team in the league, who needed just one more win to complete a perfect regular season.

The Giants didn’t just play their starters–those starters played to win. To me, it was the best game of the whole season. Very much like David and Goliath. They were pesky, those David-ey Giants. They played with heart, but unfortunately their stone fell just a bit short, and they lost.

But they came so close, and it was like they realized in that loss just how good they actually were. They played strong, determined and unified throughout the playoffs, and earned a trip to the Super Bowl to face Goliath one more time. That last time, their stone hit the target, and they felled Goliath.

Back in November, when the Minnesota Vikings beat the Giants 41-17, things were not looking so good for the Giants or for their quarterback, Eli Manning. It was the worst game of the season for him; he threw four interceptions, and the Vikings converted all four into touchdowns. One fan questioned not just his play, but his entire vocation:

“Is it me, or does it look to anyone else like Eli Manning just HATES football altogether? The poor kid always looks miserable, never happy with a play whether good or bad, has zero passion and looks like he just has no personality whatsoever. I think he could be amazing if he would just get out of his own way and start having FUN, but frankly, I think he is only an NFL quarterback because that’s the thing to do when your dad is Archie and your brother is Peyton.”

This was in Peter King’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” column on www.si.com. I like the Mannings, but I agreed with this fan. Eli just seemed indifferent. And then came that last regular-season game against the Patriots, and he was like a different player and maybe even a different person.

Makes me wonder what brought about such a change. Was it the competition or something else about that game that showed him how to tap into his superpowers? Inquiring minds want to know.

One other amazing turnaround on the Giants team this year: Michael Strahan, one of their veterans. Late last summer, he was showing up on DIY Network, building sports structures or play areas in people’s back yards, while his teammates were sweating it out in training camp. Then he decided he wasn’t quite ready to retire, so he comes back to play. Next thing you know, ole Jed’s a millionaire and Michael Strahan has one of the best seasons in his 15 years in the league. He anchored the defense with his leadership and experience, and they snuffed out the Patriots high-powered offense all game long in the Super Bowl.

At the beginning of the season, no one was really sure if Strahan still wanted to play. And toward the end of the regular season, people questioned if Eli really wanted to play too. Now at the end of it all, they won the biggest game in their sport and were cheered by thousands of people in New York City today. And it just goes to show ya, you just never know how things are going to turn out.

If only this could encourage me when it comes to dating.