New York May Be Championship City

announcer, Bob Sheppard has watched the players come and go: Gifford and Huff, Simms and Taylor, Barber and Armstead. <br><br>He's also watched the fans come and stay: their season tickets regarded

Thursday, January 18th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

announcer, Bob Sheppard has watched the players come and go: Gifford and Huff, Simms and Taylor, Barber and Armstead.

He's also watched the fans come and stay: their season tickets regarded as family heirlooms, handed down from father to son to son, a generational gift wrapped in Giants blue and white.

``A lot of people inheriting seats from their fathers, from their grandfathers,'' reflects Sheppard, in his familiar voice, about the die-hard fans. ``And those people won't let those tickets go â€” ever.''

Those people stayed despite losing seasons from 1964 to 1980, following the team from Yankee Stadium to the Yale Bowl to Shea Stadium to Giants Stadium. Since arriving at their final stop in 1976, the Giants have sold out each and every game â€” more than 78,000 strong.

The loyalty has recently been rewarded, with three Super Bowl trips in the last 15 years.

It isn't only Giants fans smiling this year; the New York area has enjoyed an outstanding athletic run in the last 12 months, from the Stanley Cup to the Subway Series.

For the fourth time in five years, the Yankees won the World Series â€” but this time with a twist. They defeated the cross-town rival Mets as the rest of the country sat out the World Series for the first time since 1956.

Across the river, the New Jersey Devils brought home the Stanley Cup â€” their second in five years â€” after whipping the Dallas Stars. Back in Manhattan, the Knicks have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference as they look to reach the NBA finals for the second time in three years.

Though they share success with their neighbors, the Giants and their fans are historically a bit different.

The Yankees have the scary ``Bleacher Creatures,'' the Knicks fill celebrity row with Spike Lee and Woody Allen. But the Giants' fans â€” a group that for years carried the modifier ``long-suffering'' â€” remain a breed apart.

``It's a very friendly group,'' says Giants fan Andy Rooney, the acerbic ''60 Minutes'' commentator and veteran season ticket-holder. ``I have 10 people sitting around me. I can turn to them casually with a question, and somebody always knows the answer.

``I don't know all their names, but they're all my friends.''

Typically, Rooney starting attending the games with his father. Back then, the Rooneys would sit in Yankee Stadium to cheer for greats like Hall of Famer Mel Hein.

Family ties run deep with the Giants. Go up to Section 301, where Steve Kennedy once sat with his dad, Nip, and now brings his son, Ryan. Or downstairs in Section 139, where three generations of Donohues have filled the seats in Row 18.

Over in Section 134, Chris Tallman sits with his father and his two brothers. They are part of a large group whose originators first started hitting the games back in 1958 â€” the year of the Giants' overtime loss to the Baltimore Colts in the NFL championship.

``You plan births around the games,'' says Tallman, 32, whose wife is due to deliver their second child this offseason. ``You plan weddings around it. Eight games a year, and you don't miss any.''

The Giants, alone among the local sports teams, have kept their business all in the family. Co-owner Wellington Mara's father, Tim, founded the franchise in 1925. His own son, John, is currently executive vice president.

The talent pool for the next generation already runs deep; Wellington Mara has 33 grandchildren.

The players regard the Giants as a family, too. Running back-turned-broadcaster Frank Gifford was in the winning locker room after the NFC title game with his son, Cody. Eight players from the '86 and '90 championship teams turned out to boost the current Giants for that game.

``To be a Giant is very special and very dear to us,'' explained Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Sheppard and his family, obviously, will root for the Giants against the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl. But son Paul, a Wall Street broker, harbors a special interest for this game.

``If they win, I might have a shot at my father's Super Bowl ring,'' he said, hopefully. ``He's already got one from 1986.''