It’s Like The Mean Joe Greene Coca-Cola Ad Just Without The Kid . . . And The Coke . . .

. . . and the good cheer . . . and no one really gives a shit about the jersey because, well, the Giants totally blew it against a team that tied the Bengals this year — a Cincinnati team that lost eleven games — and that Super Bowl win last year was obviously a fluke:

An hour after Philadelphia eliminated the Giants from the N.F.L. playoffs, beating them in a divisional-round game, 23-11, Brandon Jacobs walked toward the Giants Stadium exit.

Over his shoulder was his blue jersey. But as he passed through a narrow doorway, a gust of wind blew the shirt to the floor. Jacobs did not notice, so a man handed it to him. With his head bowed, Jacobs left with the shirt in his hand.

It was that kind of day Sunday for the Giants, who were looking to successfully defend their Super Bowl championship. They shouldered big hopes but let things slip away against the Eagles, who intercepted Eli Manning twice and came from behind three times.

New Year, Newfound Shrugging Respect For The Future

After being barraged with “scary” new improvements and “privacy-limiting” geegaws, cab drivers apparently have finally stopped spitting in customers’ faces when asked to use technology:

One year after taxis were outfitted with machines so passengers can pay with plastic, drivers admit they might not like the new system, but they can live with it.

When the high-tech GPS and credit card devices were first installed in the city’s 13,000 cabs, there was fierce opposition from many drivers.

They would openly grumble if a passenger did not have cash — or sometimes lie that the machine was broken.

Drivers also railed against the company that had installed the machines, saying they lost money because it got to pocket 5% of each credit card fare.

“When drivers say it’s not working, they just don’t want you to use it because of the price they have to pay. But what you gonna do?” said cab driver Jean Francois after taking a reporter on a $3.70 ride from Chelsea to the West Village, earning himself a $1.30 tip.

“It’s business. Sometimes you lose; sometimes you win.”

During more than a dozen cab rides across the city over the last week, the Daily News found drivers now seem resigned to the new system.

When asked if it was okay to use a credit card, some replied: “Sure, no problem,” while others greeted their passenger with a more subdued nod of the head and “Uh-huh.”

“Mostly, the people still pay cash,” said another driver who took a reporter across midtown Manhattan. The ride cost $7.30, and he received a $1 tip.

“But I guess it’s good for those that don’t have any.

“I try not to worry about it. It’s just the system.”

The Taxi and Limousine Commission says drivers should embrace the machines, as figures show the average tip is now 19%, compared with 12% to 15% before the machines were installed.

“We have moved beyond the point of some drivers expressing a fear of the unknown about these systems … with most drivers truly appreciating their benefits,” Commissioner Matthew Daus said.

Sounds Like The Greatest Job Ever!

What happens when the boss is under house arrest:

Every day, dozens of employees of swindler Bernard Madoff’s firm report to their Midtown offices. They’re still paid — but they do no work.

The phones at Madoff Securities are turned off. The few computers that remain aren’t plugged in.

“It’s pretty bad,” one employee said. “We can’t conduct any business. We basically get there at 9, hang around, and go home at 5. It’s surreal. It’s also scary, because we don’t know what’s going on.

“We’re basically just sitting around and waiting for the call that dismisses us,” he said.

The Bloom Is Off The Berg

I buy it.

I Used To Be Carried In The Arms Of Cheerleaders

Richard Martin, the craziest super in Bay Ridge, has been fired:

“I’m losing my job as super of the building,” 72-year-old Martin told my esteemed colleague, Matthew Lysiak. “I’m being fired. It’s because of you and all that coverage – some Russian lady is buying the building and she asked me to leave. That means I’m losing my apartment — and my $150 a week — everything. I’ve done nothing wrong — I told the truth.”

By the “truth,” Martin apparently included signs he posted describing the tenants of 278 91st St. in Bay Ridge as “morons” and “retarded.”

. . .

“Fourteen years, 9-1/2 months,” he said. “The new landlord figured I was too much trouble. You know, Russian people don’t mess around.”