JT the Brick

Get ready for two of the most passionate and intense fan bases to collide at the Super Bowl — Boston vs. New York. A southwest Super Bowl will be dominated by East Coast fans.

I know this will be tough to swallow for the fans who live in the greater Phoenix area, but they have no choice. The residents of this part of Arizona better get ready to deal with all of these arrogant East Coasters.

I am an expert on this topic, being a New Yorker who has also interacted with fans on the radio in Boston for close to 12 years. I have a love-hate relationship with Beantown, because I will never root for any of their teams, but I respect all of their accomplishments.

It wasn't too long ago that the Red Sox were looking for their first World Series title since 1918, but they have won two of the last four championships and look to be as dominant as ever. The Celtics are widely considered the best franchise in the history of the NBA and look like the favorite to win the Eastern Conference and advance to the NBA Finals. And how can I forget the 18-0 New England Patriots who are on course to becoming the greatest team in the NFL if they knock of the New York Giants on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz. I feel like I'm stuck in a bad dream, and no one is going to awaken me any time soon.

The fans from New England that have made this trip to Arizona are a much more confident bunch than the small group of Patriots fans that made their pilgrimage to New Orleans in January 1986. They walked into a buzz saw and watched their team get embarrassed by the Chicago Bears 46-10. Much has changed since that dark day when a fan by the name of Robert Kraft used to watch his team from the stands of Foxboro Stadium and dreamed of better days. It took a while, but now the Patriots are the best-run franchise in professional sports.

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Now there are thousands of die-hard New Englanders who are walking the streets of the Phoenix area with more confidence than quarterback Tom Brady heading into a game against the Buffalo Bills. They will have names like Sully and Patty and they live in towns such as Revere and Brookline. They will have thick Boston accents and a cold beer in their hands. They are not quiet, but will respect you if you don’t bait them into an argument about Spygate. They will have no problem getting in your face and reminding you that they are the best team in the NFL ,if you bring up the topic, and will tell you that the Patriots should easily cover the point spread (12). Many of them are wearing Red Sox gear to remind every Yankees fan that they are the reigning World Series champs and that Alex Rodriguez still is looking for his first ring.

I know these fans from Boston, and clearly see how much they are enjoying their time in the sun. Any Red Sox/Patriots fan who is older than 35 remembers the tough times and the pain that surrounded their beloved franchises while the Yankees and Giants were winning championships back in the day. This is payback for all New England fans who had to sit back any take the heat from every arrogant New Yorker who loved to rub it in the face of Boston when things were going good.

I’ll be rooting for the Giants on Sunday, but realize that the Patriots are clearly the better team. If for some reason New England loses the Super Bowl, get ready for the biggest backlash of negative sports coverage since Babe Ruth was traded to the Yankees.