MIAMI - South Florida is ready for the Super Bowl party to begin.
The Saints and the Colts punched their tickets to the tropical playland Sunday, and although the game isn't until Feb.7, Miami officials don't want revelers to wait.
"The last time I looked outside, all the hoteliers were dancing in the street," said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee. "This is going to be a big shot in our arm."
The city has changed in the three years since the last Super Bowl was held here because of massive job losses, historically high foreclosures and fortunes lost.
But partygoers need not worry. Miami remains an escape, still offering dependable sun and sand, beautiful people crowding the beaches and dance floors and an international flavor all its own.
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"I'm looking out the window at Biscayne Bay, and we see a sailboat, and we see cruise ships in the port. We're looking at hotels with people by the pool," said Bill Talbert, head of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. "At the end of the day, for the Super Bowl, bottom line is it's warm here, and it's cold there."
Garcon honors Haiti
INDIANAPOLIS - Colts receiver Pierre Garcon celebrated the best game of his NFL career by unfurling a large Haitian flag Sunday, honoring his relatives and hoping to draw attention to the earthquake-ravaged country.
Moments after Indianapolis beat the Jets 30-17 Sunday in the AFC championship game, Garcon got up on a podium and dislayed the flag for the second straight week.
Garcon was born in New York and attended high school in Florida. His parents emigrated to the United States from Haiti, and most of his relatives live there.
Garcon caught 11 passes for 153 yards, both career highs. He caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning midway through the third quarter for the go-ahead score.
Three named finalists for Man of the Year
NEW YORK - Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, Browns wide receiver Mike Furrey and Chiefs guard Brian Waters are finalists for the NFL's Man of the Year Award.
The award, named for the late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, which goes annually to the player who combines on-field excellence with off-the-field community service.
This season Fletcher started a curriculum, mentoring program for 25 Washington middle school students. The students visited Capitol Hill, talked with congressmen, explored museums, distributed food to local residents and participated in a forum about peer pressure, health and education.
Furrey created a foundation and spends time supporting charitable causes. The foundation has created relationships with local kids in the community as well as with more than a dozen charitable organizations. Furrey provides inspiration for children in hospitals, serves as a mentor for kids in children's homes, tackles hunger and nutrition issues, supports neighborhood development and organizes holiday initiatives.
Waters' foundation has awarded 82 college scholarships to low-income students. Children have benefited from his back-to-school program that provides backpacks with school supplies, as well as haircuts, uniforms, shoes, immunizations and dental care.
Kurt Warner of the Cardinals won the award last year.
