Giant demand for Giants merchandise on LI

Alfred Davidson, right, of Wyandanch joins Giants fans checking out team merchandise at Modell's Sporting Goods in Farmingdale. (Jan. 23, 2011) Credit: Steve Pfost
Blue was the dominant color on Long Island Monday -- specifically the deep, rich hue favored by the Super Bowl-bound New York Giants.
A day after "Big Blue" cemented their improbable trip to the big game against the New England Patriots in two weeks, pumped-up Giants fans on Long Island bought Giants jerseys, hats and T-shirts.
A few of the more dedicated even chose to fly their Giants colors permanently with a tattoo. And others rang up travel agents with what -- in less celebratory times -- was likely an unusual vacation request for early February: plane tickets and hotel reservations for Indianapolis, site of the Feb. 5 Super Bowl.
"Today it's hard for me to find air travel," said Viviane Gringer, an agent with Power Travel International in Plainview.
Gringer said demand for tickets is nearly as steep as the price -- some airlines are charging more than $2,000 round-trip. Still, Gringer said, clients weren't discouraged by the hefty fare, telling her "just get me there."
Area travel agents said that even if Giants fans are willing to pay the price for a flight, once they land, getting a hotel room will be about as easy as keeping Patriots quarterback Tom Brady from completing a pass.
Most hotel rooms in the Indianapolis metro area are already booked for the game, agents said, and unless Long Island Giants fans have corporate connections, the nearest available rooms may be at least an hour away.
Some fans eschewed travel in favor of ink. Mark Goldhaber of Top Hat Tattoo in Rocky Point, said one woman and three men -- all in their 20s -- came into the shop last night to get an assortment of Giants logo tattoos.
For those fans just wanting to bask in the glow of the newly minted NFC champs, Modell's Sporting Goods Store at Farmingdale's Airport Plaza was ready by 6 a.m. Monday, said store general manager Jeff Giamanco.
"We do it every year, when a local team wins," Giamanco said of the store's decision to open its doors three hours earlier than usual to accommodate an expected giant demand for Giants merchandise.
Mike Johnson of Brentwood said spending about $200 for T-shirts and caps was "a lot less expensive" than traveling to Indianapolis.
And with plans to ship them to her brother Ron Pagnotta, a Giants backer now living in suburban Atlanta, Linda Salute, 62, of Woodbury, spent $114 on five T-shirts for him.
Not much of a football fan herself, Salute said the Giants' big win stirred her regional pride.
"When New York teams win," she said, "I support them."