Morning briefing

Kicker gets some giant laughs now

New York Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes went from goat to hero after missing two go-ahead field-goal attempts before making a game-winner in overtime Sunday in the NFC championship game, and he appeared on “The Late Show With David Letterman” Wednesday night and discussed what was going through his head after the misses.

“What’s it going to be like to live in Green Bay?” he said.

Letterman joked that Giants fans everywhere had the same thought when the Giants got into field-goal range in overtime: “Please don’t send him in again, for the love of God, if there’s an ounce of mercy in your soul, don’t send him in!” Letterman said.

To which Tynes responded: “I would agree with that.”

Letterman continued, “The first one looked like I kicked it, for God’s sakes -- no offense.”

Tynes replied, “No, no, I would say the second one probably looked like you would have kicked it.”

Trivia time

Ten years ago today, the Denver Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers, 31-24, in Super Bowl XXXII for their first Super Bowl victory and the first for the AFC in 14 years. Who was the game’s most valuable player?

An added plus

A special airing on CBS Saturday night at 8, with Jim Nantz and Daisy Fuentes serving as co-hosts, allows viewers to vote via cbs.com on the greatest Super Bowl commercials.

The winner the last six years was the Mean Joe Greene spot in which the former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end offers his jersey to a young fan who has given him a cold bottle of Coca-Cola.

Bob Horowitz, co-executive producer of the special, says, “The Super Bowl is probably the only show on television that would deliver a lower rating if you pulled out the commercials.”

Major transformation

The U.S. Open is almost five months away, but Steve Williams, caddie for Tiger Woods, found out this week that Torrey Pines Golf Course is already becoming the major championship venue it will be in June.

Williams was sifting through the right rough with his feet looking for a sprinkler head he would use to determine yardage during a Buick Invitational practice round. He recalled that the sprinkler was easier to find in his last visit.

“It was in the fairway last year,” Williams said.

Money for nothing

The New York Yankees’ run of nine consecutive American League East Division titles ended last season, but they are still the champions of spending.

Their record $218.3-million payroll marked the ninth consecutive season the Yankees have had the highest payroll in baseball.

The World Series champion Boston Red Sox were a distant second at $155.4 million and the Dodgers were third at $125.6 million.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays had the lowest payroll at $31.8 million.

The air up there

One of the countries under consideration for a team in a proposed new baseball league in South America and the Caribbean: Bolivia.

The Bolivian capital, La Paz, is 11,800 feet above sea level, which dwarfs Denver’s famous 5,280-foot elevation and raises the prospect of mammoth home runs.

The Colorado Rockies countered the effects of dry, thin air by storing baseballs in a humidor. In Bolivia, they may want to soak the balls in a bucket of water overnight.

Trivia answer

Terrell Davis, who had 157 yards rushing and three touchdowns, although John Elway’s head-first spinning dive for a first down is the lasting image of the game.

And finally

Paul Goydos, a two-time winner in 14 full seasons on the PGA Tour, was laughing about Tiger Woods critics who like to point out that although Woods has won 13 major championships, he has never come from behind to win one.

“I’ve never won a major from behind either,” Goydos said.

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peter.yoon@latimes.com