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NEW YORK (AP) — Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from "Hungry Heart" through "The Rising," died Thursday. He was 58. Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. News of his death was posted late Thursday on Springsteen's official Web site. He last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis. "Danny and I worked together for 40 years — he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much ... we grew up together," Springsteen said in a statement posted on his Web site. Springsteen concerts scheduled for Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Saturday in Orlando were postponed. Federici was born in Flemington, N.J., a long car ride from the Jersey shore haunts where he first met kindred musical spirit Springsteen in the late 1960s. The pair often jammed at the Upstage Club in Asbury Park, N.J., a now-defunct after-hours club that hosted the best musicians in the state.
It was Federici, along with original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez, who first invited Springsteen to join their band.
By 1969, the self-effacing Federici — often introduced in concert by Springsteen as "Phantom Dan" — was playing with the Boss in a band called Child. Over the years, Federici joined his friend in acclaimed shore bands Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom and the Bruce Springsteen Band.
Federici became a stalwart in the E Street Band as Springsteen rocketed from the boardwalk to international stardom. Springsteen split from the E Streeters in the late '80s, but they reunited for a hugely successful tour in 1999. "Bruce has been supportive throughout my life," Federici said in a recent interview with Backstreets magazine. "I've had my ups and downs, and I've certainly given him a run for his money, and he's always been there for me."
Federici played accordion on the wistful "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from Springsteen's second album, and his organ solo was a highlight of Springsteen's first top 10 hit, "Hungry Heart." His organ coda on the 9/11-inspired Springsteen song "You're Missing" provided one of the more heart-wrenching moments on "The Rising" in 2002. In a band with larger-than-life characters such as saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bandana-wrapped guitarist "Little" Steven Van Zandt, Federici was content to play in his familiar position to the side of the stage. But his playing was as vital to Springsteen's live show as any instrument in the band.
Federici released a pair of solo albums that veered from the E Street sound and into soft jazz. Bandmates Nils Lofgren on guitar and Garry Tallent on bass joined Federici on his 1997 debut, "Flemington." In 2005, Federici released its follow-up, "Out of a Dream."
Federici had taken a leave of absence during the band's tour in November 2007 to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano. At the time, Springsteen described Federici as "one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return." Besides his work with Springsteen, Federici played on albums by an impressive roster of other artists: Van Zandt, Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker, Gary U.S. Bonds and Garland Jeffreys.
It was Federici, along with original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez, who first invited Springsteen to join their band.
By 1969, the self-effacing Federici — often introduced in concert by Springsteen as "Phantom Dan" — was playing with the Boss in a band called Child. Over the years, Federici joined his friend in acclaimed shore bands Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom and the Bruce Springsteen Band.
Federici became a stalwart in the E Street Band as Springsteen rocketed from the boardwalk to international stardom. Springsteen split from the E Streeters in the late '80s, but they reunited for a hugely successful tour in 1999. "Bruce has been supportive throughout my life," Federici said in a recent interview with Backstreets magazine. "I've had my ups and downs, and I've certainly given him a run for his money, and he's always been there for me."
Federici played accordion on the wistful "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from Springsteen's second album, and his organ solo was a highlight of Springsteen's first top 10 hit, "Hungry Heart." His organ coda on the 9/11-inspired Springsteen song "You're Missing" provided one of the more heart-wrenching moments on "The Rising" in 2002. In a band with larger-than-life characters such as saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bandana-wrapped guitarist "Little" Steven Van Zandt, Federici was content to play in his familiar position to the side of the stage. But his playing was as vital to Springsteen's live show as any instrument in the band.
Federici released a pair of solo albums that veered from the E Street sound and into soft jazz. Bandmates Nils Lofgren on guitar and Garry Tallent on bass joined Federici on his 1997 debut, "Flemington." In 2005, Federici released its follow-up, "Out of a Dream."
Federici had taken a leave of absence during the band's tour in November 2007 to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano. At the time, Springsteen described Federici as "one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return." Besides his work with Springsteen, Federici played on albums by an impressive roster of other artists: Van Zandt, Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker, Gary U.S. Bonds and Garland Jeffreys.
The Planetarium at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) in North Branch will present its popular Harry Potter-themed star show, "The Skies Over Hogwarts." The show will be offered Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m., and repeated Sunday, April 27, at 2 and 4 p.m.
A spell has been cast on the Planetarium at RVCC. The candlelit halls will guide visitors through outer space to a magical classroom under the stars. Participants will join an eclectic group of witches and wizards as they guide visitors through a Harry Potter-themed show of the stars visible in the sky. Learn how Harry Potter author JK Rowling used astronomy as the inspiration for some of her characters' names.
Admission to each show is $5 per person. The program is appropriate for families with school-age children-or Harry Potter fans of any age. For additional information and reservations, call 908-231-8805.
A spell has been cast on the Planetarium at RVCC. The candlelit halls will guide visitors through outer space to a magical classroom under the stars. Participants will join an eclectic group of witches and wizards as they guide visitors through a Harry Potter-themed show of the stars visible in the sky. Learn how Harry Potter author JK Rowling used astronomy as the inspiration for some of her characters' names.
Admission to each show is $5 per person. The program is appropriate for families with school-age children-or Harry Potter fans of any age. For additional information and reservations, call 908-231-8805.
LOOK FOR THE BAND'S NEW ALBUM,AMEN CORNER,
TO BE RELEASED JUNE 10, 2008.
Anticipation has been building for a new release and for the first time in 4 years, Railroad Earth finds themselves back in the studio recording all new material. It's definitely a home-grown project, much like the band itself. Railroad Earth's new studio release, Amen Corner, was written and recorded at Lone Croft: an empty, 300 year-old house in New Jersey's rural countryside. What happened inside the building was the experience of a lifetime for the band's members, resulting in an early creative pinnacle of a gifted young band, and an album that is an instant Americana classic.Amen Corner is a collection of crisp and crafted roots, bluegrass, and acoustic sides that resonates in all the right places. The tunes breathe both on and between the notes. They hit you immediately, but then linger like a good buzz. Look forAmen Corner to hit in June 10, 2008 on SCI Fidelity Records.
Railroad Earth is currently on tour. Current confirmed tour dates include:
March 28-29 Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park Live Oak FL
April 11 Warsaw at the Polish National Home Brooklyn NY
April 17 Tupelo Music Hall Londonderry NH
April 18 Pearl Street Northampton MA
April 19 Bearsville Theater Bearsville NY
April 24 Higher Ground South Burlington VT
April 25 East Hartford Community Cultural Center East Hartford CT
April 26 IMAC Theater Huntington NY
May 03 Oberlin College Oberlin OH
May 24 DelFest Cumberland MD
May 25 Hookahville Thornville OH
June 01 2008 Crawfish Festival Augusta NJ
June 05 Variety Playhouse Atlanta GA
June 06 Riverbend Festival Chattanooga TN
June 07 Bama Jam Enterprise AL
June 13-14 Ogden Theatre Denver CO Official CD Release Party!
July 03 ROTHBURY Rothbury MI
July 04-05 High Sierra Music Festival Quincy CA
July 13 All Good Music Festival Masontown WV
July 25 Floydfest Floyd VA
August 13-14 YarmonyGrass Bond CO
TO BE RELEASED JUNE 10, 2008.
Anticipation has been building for a new release and for the first time in 4 years, Railroad Earth finds themselves back in the studio recording all new material. It's definitely a home-grown project, much like the band itself. Railroad Earth's new studio release, Amen Corner, was written and recorded at Lone Croft: an empty, 300 year-old house in New Jersey's rural countryside. What happened inside the building was the experience of a lifetime for the band's members, resulting in an early creative pinnacle of a gifted young band, and an album that is an instant Americana classic.Amen Corner is a collection of crisp and crafted roots, bluegrass, and acoustic sides that resonates in all the right places. The tunes breathe both on and between the notes. They hit you immediately, but then linger like a good buzz. Look forAmen Corner to hit in June 10, 2008 on SCI Fidelity Records.
Railroad Earth is currently on tour. Current confirmed tour dates include:
March 28-29 Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park Live Oak FL
April 11 Warsaw at the Polish National Home Brooklyn NY
April 17 Tupelo Music Hall Londonderry NH
April 18 Pearl Street Northampton MA
April 19 Bearsville Theater Bearsville NY
April 24 Higher Ground South Burlington VT
April 25 East Hartford Community Cultural Center East Hartford CT
April 26 IMAC Theater Huntington NY
May 03 Oberlin College Oberlin OH
May 24 DelFest Cumberland MD
May 25 Hookahville Thornville OH
June 01 2008 Crawfish Festival Augusta NJ
June 05 Variety Playhouse Atlanta GA
June 06 Riverbend Festival Chattanooga TN
June 07 Bama Jam Enterprise AL
June 13-14 Ogden Theatre Denver CO Official CD Release Party!
July 03 ROTHBURY Rothbury MI
July 04-05 High Sierra Music Festival Quincy CA
July 13 All Good Music Festival Masontown WV
July 25 Floydfest Floyd VA
August 13-14 YarmonyGrass Bond CO
Just click the image to download this month's issue of Upstage.
Show: The Scene
Theatre: George Street Playhouse
Date/Time: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 8:00 PM
Show: The Scene
Theatre: George Street Playhouse
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 8:00 PM
Show: The Scene
Theatre: George Street Playhouse
Date/Time: Thursday, February 28, 2008 8:00 PM
Show: The Night Reginald Filbert Called it...Quits!
Theatre: Garage Theatre Group
Date/Time: Thursday, February 28, 2008 8:00 PM
Keller’s twelfth album release, available NOW on SCI Fidelity Records, looks back at 20 years of making music. Aptly titled 12, the album features one standout song from each of his previous eleven releases. Added to the mix is one new, previously un-recorded song. Keller himself dubs this his album of “hitless greatest hits.” While the Keller Williams adventure has only just begun, 12 is a fantastic celebration of a musical milestone.
By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer
February 4, 2008
AP - Feb 3, 11:31 pm EST
More Photos
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- With the Super Bowl on the line, look who had the perfection thing down Pat: Eli Manning and the road-conquering New York Giants.
And what a beauty their 11th straight road victory was, a 17-14 Super Bowl win Sunday that shattered the New England Patriots' unblemished season.
In one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, Manning, New York's unlikely Mr. Cool, hit Plaxico Burress on a 13-yard fade with 35 seconds left. It was the Giants' fourth consecutive postseason away win and the first time the Patriots tasted defeat in more than a year.
"There's something about this team," Manning said. "The way we win games, and performed in the playoffs in the stretch. We had total confidence in ourselves. The players believed in each other."
It was the most bitter of losses, too, because 12-point favorite New England (18-1) was one play from winning and getting the ultimate revenge for being penalized for illegally taping opponents' defensive signals in the season opener against the New York Jets.
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"I don't rank them," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "It's disappointing."
The Giants had the perfect answer for the suddenly imperfect Patriots: a big, bad defense and the improbable comeback led by Manning. Yes, Eli Manning, who outplayed league MVP Tom Brady and furthered the family legacy one year after older brother Peyton led Indianapolis to the title.
"I talked to Peyton and he said, `Go in there, have some fun, you can do it."'
It was how Eli and the Giants did it.
After Brady found Randy Moss for a 6-yard touchdown with 2:42 to go, New England's defense couldn't stop a final, frantic 12-play, 83-yard drive. It featured Manning's unlikely sack-avoiding scramble and a spectacular leaping catch by David Tyree, who had scored New York's first touchdown on the opening drive of the fourth quarter.
"It's the greatest feeling in professional sports," Burress said before bursting into tears.
"That's a position you want to be in," said Manning, who followed Peyton's MVP performance last year with one of his own. "You can't write a better script. There were so many big plays on that drive."
AP - Feb 3, 11:30 pm EST
More Photos
And now the 1972 Miami Dolphins can pop another bottle of champagne in celebration of a record still intact, the NFL's only perfect season.
"As for the 1972 Dolphins, I don't take joy in the fact the Patriots lost -- period," said Jim Mandich, the tight end on the 17-0 team. "But I do relish and savor the fact that there has only been one unbeaten team in the history of the NFL, and it is the 1972 Miami Dolphins."
The Patriots were done in not so much by the pressure of the first unbeaten season in 35 years as by the pressure of a smothering Giants pass rush. Brady, winner of his first three Super Bowls, was sacked five times, hurried a dozen more and at one point wound up on his knees, his hands on his hips following one of many poor throws in New England's lowest scoring game of the season.
"They played well," a dour Belichick said. "They made some plays. We made some plays. They just made a few more. We played as hard as we could. We just couldn't make enough plays."
Hardly a familiar position for the record-setting Patriots and their megastar quarterback. This time, it wasn't the Patriots but the Giants making the game-winning rally. This time, the unflappable quarterback making the clutch play wasn't Brady but Manning, who had been booed by Giants fans for most of his four seasons for a lack of emotion.
Oddly, it was a loss to the Patriots that sparked New York's stunning run to its third Super Bowl and sixth NFL title. New England won 38-35 in Week 17 to finish the spotless regular season. But by playing hard in a meaningless game for them, the Giants (14-6) gained something of a swagger and Manning found his footing.
Their growing confidence carried them through playoff victories at Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay, and then past the mightiest opponent of all.
"Every team is beatable, you never know," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "The right moment, the right time, every team is beatable."
Not that the Patriots were very mighty this day. They even conceded with 1 second on the clock as Belichick ran across the field to shake the hand of Coughlin, then headed to the locker room, ignoring the final kneeldown.
That it was Manning taking that knee was stunning. He showed the maturity and brilliant precision late in the game usually associated with, well, Brady.
AP - Feb 3, 11:16 pm EST
More Photos
Peyton Manning was seen in a luxury box jumping up and pumping both fists when Burress, who didn't practice all week because of injuries, caught the winning score.
"We just hung in there on offense, kept executing," said Burress, who wasn't far off on the 23-17 prediction he made a few days ago. "It came down to one play and we made it."
The Giants became the first NFC wild card team to win a Super Bowl; four AFC teams have done it. They also are the second wild-card champions in three years, following the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2005 season.
"It's the way we went about our work," Coughlin said of the 11-1 road record. "The road signified the coming together of a team. We rode that emotion all the way through."
The upset also could be viewed as a source of revenge not only for the Giants, but for the other NFL teams over Spygate back in September. That cheating scandal made headlines again late in Super Bowl week, and could have placed an infinite cloud over New England's perfection.
Until the frantic fourth quarter, the only scoring came on the game's first two drives.
The Giants did almost exactly what they sought with the opening kickoff, using up nearly 10 minutes to go 63 yards. Almost exactly, but not quite, because they settled for a 32-yard field goal after converting four third downs on the 16-play series. The 9:59 drive was the longest in Super Bowl history.
That 3-0 lead lasted for the rest of the quarter, but only because the Patriots were stopped at New York's 1 as the period expired. On the next play, Laurence Maroney scored.
New England's 12-play drive was aided by a 16-yard pass interference penalty on linebacker Antonio Pierce in the end zone. It began with Maroney's 43-yard kickoff runback.
It was the fewest possessions in the first quarter of a Super Bowl.
AP - Feb 3, 11:15 pm EST
More Photos
New York's first series of the second quarter looked dangerous after Amani Toomer's lunging sideline catch for 38 yards. But rookie Steve Smith mishandled Manning's throw at the New England 10, Ellis Hobbs intercepted and returned it 23 yards.
Those are opportunities teams can't waste against a strong opponent, let alone the Patriots. It was Manning's first interception of the postseason, albeit entirely not his fault; the last was by Hobbs in the season finale.
The Giants survived rookie Ahmad Bradshaw's fumble, which he recovered, on their next series, because their league-leading pass rush came alive when the Patriots got the ball back. New York sacked Brady on successive plays, forcing a punt, but the Giants' were hurt by an illegal batting of the ball penalty on Bradshaw after reaching the New England 25.
Justin Tuck's second sack, in the final seconds of the half, forced a fumble recovered by New York teammate Osi Umenyiora. The Giants' celebrated defensive line controlled much of the half, holding the most prolific offense in NFL history to a measly 81 yards and seven points. New England had the ball only 10:33.
"We played them five weeks ago and it was a three-point game," Brady said. "And they made enough changes and really eliminated what we did offensively."
But New York's mistakes left the Giants with just three points at halftime -- and there are no moral victories in Super Bowls.
So the Giants got a real one as the maturing Manning hung in to find Tyree for a 5-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive for a 10-7 lead.
Pressed unlike they are accustomed to, the Patriots responded with their own 80-yard march as Brady finally got some time. Moss, who caught a record 23 of Brady's record 50 TD throws this year, scored with 2:42 to go when cornerback Corey Webster fell. The first 19-0 season was right there.
Eli and the Giants snatched it away.
February 4, 2008
AP - Feb 3, 11:31 pm EST
More Photos
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- With the Super Bowl on the line, look who had the perfection thing down Pat: Eli Manning and the road-conquering New York Giants.
And what a beauty their 11th straight road victory was, a 17-14 Super Bowl win Sunday that shattered the New England Patriots' unblemished season.
In one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, Manning, New York's unlikely Mr. Cool, hit Plaxico Burress on a 13-yard fade with 35 seconds left. It was the Giants' fourth consecutive postseason away win and the first time the Patriots tasted defeat in more than a year.
"There's something about this team," Manning said. "The way we win games, and performed in the playoffs in the stretch. We had total confidence in ourselves. The players believed in each other."
It was the most bitter of losses, too, because 12-point favorite New England (18-1) was one play from winning and getting the ultimate revenge for being penalized for illegally taping opponents' defensive signals in the season opener against the New York Jets.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I don't rank them," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "It's disappointing."
The Giants had the perfect answer for the suddenly imperfect Patriots: a big, bad defense and the improbable comeback led by Manning. Yes, Eli Manning, who outplayed league MVP Tom Brady and furthered the family legacy one year after older brother Peyton led Indianapolis to the title.
"I talked to Peyton and he said, `Go in there, have some fun, you can do it."'
It was how Eli and the Giants did it.
After Brady found Randy Moss for a 6-yard touchdown with 2:42 to go, New England's defense couldn't stop a final, frantic 12-play, 83-yard drive. It featured Manning's unlikely sack-avoiding scramble and a spectacular leaping catch by David Tyree, who had scored New York's first touchdown on the opening drive of the fourth quarter.
"It's the greatest feeling in professional sports," Burress said before bursting into tears.
"That's a position you want to be in," said Manning, who followed Peyton's MVP performance last year with one of his own. "You can't write a better script. There were so many big plays on that drive."
AP - Feb 3, 11:30 pm EST
More Photos
And now the 1972 Miami Dolphins can pop another bottle of champagne in celebration of a record still intact, the NFL's only perfect season.
"As for the 1972 Dolphins, I don't take joy in the fact the Patriots lost -- period," said Jim Mandich, the tight end on the 17-0 team. "But I do relish and savor the fact that there has only been one unbeaten team in the history of the NFL, and it is the 1972 Miami Dolphins."
The Patriots were done in not so much by the pressure of the first unbeaten season in 35 years as by the pressure of a smothering Giants pass rush. Brady, winner of his first three Super Bowls, was sacked five times, hurried a dozen more and at one point wound up on his knees, his hands on his hips following one of many poor throws in New England's lowest scoring game of the season.
"They played well," a dour Belichick said. "They made some plays. We made some plays. They just made a few more. We played as hard as we could. We just couldn't make enough plays."
Hardly a familiar position for the record-setting Patriots and their megastar quarterback. This time, it wasn't the Patriots but the Giants making the game-winning rally. This time, the unflappable quarterback making the clutch play wasn't Brady but Manning, who had been booed by Giants fans for most of his four seasons for a lack of emotion.
Oddly, it was a loss to the Patriots that sparked New York's stunning run to its third Super Bowl and sixth NFL title. New England won 38-35 in Week 17 to finish the spotless regular season. But by playing hard in a meaningless game for them, the Giants (14-6) gained something of a swagger and Manning found his footing.
Their growing confidence carried them through playoff victories at Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay, and then past the mightiest opponent of all.
"Every team is beatable, you never know," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "The right moment, the right time, every team is beatable."
Not that the Patriots were very mighty this day. They even conceded with 1 second on the clock as Belichick ran across the field to shake the hand of Coughlin, then headed to the locker room, ignoring the final kneeldown.
That it was Manning taking that knee was stunning. He showed the maturity and brilliant precision late in the game usually associated with, well, Brady.
AP - Feb 3, 11:16 pm EST
More Photos
Peyton Manning was seen in a luxury box jumping up and pumping both fists when Burress, who didn't practice all week because of injuries, caught the winning score.
"We just hung in there on offense, kept executing," said Burress, who wasn't far off on the 23-17 prediction he made a few days ago. "It came down to one play and we made it."
The Giants became the first NFC wild card team to win a Super Bowl; four AFC teams have done it. They also are the second wild-card champions in three years, following the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2005 season.
"It's the way we went about our work," Coughlin said of the 11-1 road record. "The road signified the coming together of a team. We rode that emotion all the way through."
The upset also could be viewed as a source of revenge not only for the Giants, but for the other NFL teams over Spygate back in September. That cheating scandal made headlines again late in Super Bowl week, and could have placed an infinite cloud over New England's perfection.
Until the frantic fourth quarter, the only scoring came on the game's first two drives.
The Giants did almost exactly what they sought with the opening kickoff, using up nearly 10 minutes to go 63 yards. Almost exactly, but not quite, because they settled for a 32-yard field goal after converting four third downs on the 16-play series. The 9:59 drive was the longest in Super Bowl history.
That 3-0 lead lasted for the rest of the quarter, but only because the Patriots were stopped at New York's 1 as the period expired. On the next play, Laurence Maroney scored.
New England's 12-play drive was aided by a 16-yard pass interference penalty on linebacker Antonio Pierce in the end zone. It began with Maroney's 43-yard kickoff runback.
It was the fewest possessions in the first quarter of a Super Bowl.
AP - Feb 3, 11:15 pm EST
More Photos
New York's first series of the second quarter looked dangerous after Amani Toomer's lunging sideline catch for 38 yards. But rookie Steve Smith mishandled Manning's throw at the New England 10, Ellis Hobbs intercepted and returned it 23 yards.
Those are opportunities teams can't waste against a strong opponent, let alone the Patriots. It was Manning's first interception of the postseason, albeit entirely not his fault; the last was by Hobbs in the season finale.
The Giants survived rookie Ahmad Bradshaw's fumble, which he recovered, on their next series, because their league-leading pass rush came alive when the Patriots got the ball back. New York sacked Brady on successive plays, forcing a punt, but the Giants' were hurt by an illegal batting of the ball penalty on Bradshaw after reaching the New England 25.
Justin Tuck's second sack, in the final seconds of the half, forced a fumble recovered by New York teammate Osi Umenyiora. The Giants' celebrated defensive line controlled much of the half, holding the most prolific offense in NFL history to a measly 81 yards and seven points. New England had the ball only 10:33.
"We played them five weeks ago and it was a three-point game," Brady said. "And they made enough changes and really eliminated what we did offensively."
But New York's mistakes left the Giants with just three points at halftime -- and there are no moral victories in Super Bowls.
So the Giants got a real one as the maturing Manning hung in to find Tyree for a 5-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive for a 10-7 lead.
Pressed unlike they are accustomed to, the Patriots responded with their own 80-yard march as Brady finally got some time. Moss, who caught a record 23 of Brady's record 50 TD throws this year, scored with 2:42 to go when cornerback Corey Webster fell. The first 19-0 season was right there.
Eli and the Giants snatched it away.
Eli, Giants Head to Super Bowl
By BARRY WILNER
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Eli Manning has arrived, just in time to take his New York Giants on an improbable trip to the Super Bowl.
A suddenly matured Manning guided the Giants to their 10th straight road win Sunday, a frostbitten 23-20 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers for the NFC championship.
Now comes Mission Impossible for Manning and the Giants, who will play the unbeaten New England Patriots in two weeks for the NFL title.
After Lawrence Tynes missed a 36-yard field goal at the end of regulation following a bad snap, he got a reprieve in overtime following Corey Webster's interception of a struggling Brett Favre. He nailed a 47-yarder on his third attempt to win it, then sprinted directly to the locker room as the rest of his frozen teammates celebrated on the field.
The Giants grabbed their first NFC championship in seven years, capping a monthlong surge that reversed a trend of mediocrity built around Manning's inconsistency. He has been a revelation in the playoffs, however, and his calm leadership keyed New York's turnaround.
Manning shook off below-zero temperatures and a wind chill that would make a Siberian husky shiver. He repeatedly put the Giants (13-6) in position to win in the third-coldest championship game ever — and certainly the most frigid of his young career.
And then he saw Tynes make his first game-winning field goal of the season in the first OT title game in nine years.
It was the second NFC title game to go to overtime. Atlanta beat Minnesota in 30-27 in 1999.
One year after older brother Peyton finally won a Super Bowl, earning MVP honors to boot, here comes Eli.
Just a month ago, Eli's moxie was being questioned as the Giants struggled to clinch a wild-card berth. He responded with the best work of his four-year career, including four touchdown passes in the season finale against the Patriots.
He and the Giants are getting another shot at New England, the first team to go 18-0. The Patriots will be after their fourth Super Bowl title in seven years on Feb. 3 at Glendale, Ariz., as well as the first completely perfect season since Miami went 17-0 in 1972.
But don't discount New York, which led the Patriots by 12 points in the third quarter before falling 38-35 on Dec. 29.
(This version CORRECTS Giants 23, Packers 20, OT; SUBS 2nd graf to correct to 10 straight road wins for Giants; UPDATES with details.)
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Eli Manning has arrived, just in time to take his New York Giants on an improbable trip to the Super Bowl.
A suddenly matured Manning guided the Giants to their 10th straight road win Sunday, a frostbitten 23-20 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers for the NFC championship.
Now comes Mission Impossible for Manning and the Giants, who will play the unbeaten New England Patriots in two weeks for the NFL title.
After Lawrence Tynes missed a 36-yard field goal at the end of regulation following a bad snap, he got a reprieve in overtime following Corey Webster's interception of a struggling Brett Favre. He nailed a 47-yarder on his third attempt to win it, then sprinted directly to the locker room as the rest of his frozen teammates celebrated on the field.
The Giants grabbed their first NFC championship in seven years, capping a monthlong surge that reversed a trend of mediocrity built around Manning's inconsistency. He has been a revelation in the playoffs, however, and his calm leadership keyed New York's turnaround.
Manning shook off below-zero temperatures and a wind chill that would make a Siberian husky shiver. He repeatedly put the Giants (13-6) in position to win in the third-coldest championship game ever — and certainly the most frigid of his young career.
And then he saw Tynes make his first game-winning field goal of the season in the first OT title game in nine years.
It was the second NFC title game to go to overtime. Atlanta beat Minnesota in 30-27 in 1999.
One year after older brother Peyton finally won a Super Bowl, earning MVP honors to boot, here comes Eli.
Just a month ago, Eli's moxie was being questioned as the Giants struggled to clinch a wild-card berth. He responded with the best work of his four-year career, including four touchdown passes in the season finale against the Patriots.
He and the Giants are getting another shot at New England, the first team to go 18-0. The Patriots will be after their fourth Super Bowl title in seven years on Feb. 3 at Glendale, Ariz., as well as the first completely perfect season since Miami went 17-0 in 1972.
But don't discount New York, which led the Patriots by 12 points in the third quarter before falling 38-35 on Dec. 29.
(This version CORRECTS Giants 23, Packers 20, OT; SUBS 2nd graf to correct to 10 straight road wins for Giants; UPDATES with details.)
