Giants win the NFC Championship--What's with the short sleeves?!

Sunday, January 20

It may strike some of you as out of character, but I am a fan of a brutal sport which results in frequent orthopedic and neurological injuries. Today I watched my hometown team the New York Giants beat the Packers in a nail-biter.

Don't worry--I didn't chow down on buffalo wings with blue cheese dip, pizza, and nachos. Instead, I had arugula salad and nice, hot home made chicken soup--a good thing, because just LOOKING at the game, the coldest in Giant football history, made me feel cold.

I felt challenged just dashing out on the patio (wearing a flannel shirt) to turn off the light after the game with temperatures in New York City in the relatively balmy teens.

The Giants played their coldest game in team history, with temperatures at Lambeau Field in Green Bay ranging down to -3F, with wind chills down to -23F! And there's this crazy new shtick where the offensive linemen, and some of the other players, demonstrate their machismo by wearing just short sleeves!

It's said that the tradition began in 1982 at what has come to be known as the "Freezer Bowl"--the 1982 AFC championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Chargers. The temperature then was ten below, with wind chill estimated to minus 40! The Bengal offensive line amazed Cincinnati fans and their opponents by running out on the field wearing short sleeves. It is said that an inebriated Bengals fan died that day of hypothermia after sitting out one quarter bare-chested--a bad idea since booze makes you oblivious to the cold, but causes your blood to rush to your skin surface, resulting in a rapid and sometimes fatal loss of body heat!

Now I understand that this is a show of toughness. I guess the idea is that, if you're cold, you're just not maximally hustling.

But the short sleeve thing is gonna make it a lot harder on the mothers of America. Just imagine all those kids emulating their favorite football stars! Bad role models!

I remember rushing out to play (in Southern California, where the temperature NEVER drops below 45!) with my mother calling after me: "Puleeeez! You must be crazy! It's chilly {a term reserved for any temperature below 66 degrees)! You need a sweater! You're gonna catch your death of pneumonia!"

The truth: Researchers have investigated the effects of cold on respiratory infections in experiments where they immerse volunteers in ice water. NO increase in colds or flus was seen.

What DOES account for the increased frequency of viral infections in the cold weather? New studies have just shown that rhinoviruses and influenza viruses thrive in cold, dry conditions that prevail in winter months.

But I have another theory: Lack of sunlight in winter creates a deficit of vitamin D, a powerful immune-enhancing vitamin. My solution is to take extra vitamin D in winter, go to the tanning parlor once or twice a week, and, if I feel like I'm coming down with a bug, I load up on extra vitamin D for a few days. The result: fewer, milder colds.

So here's a tip for the victorious Giants: Hasten from Green Bay to Arizona, the site of the Superbowl, and get some healthy rays!

PS: Congratulations to the New York Giants, now reigning Super Bowl Champions!