First Think, THEN Ink.

This particular game, the fifty-second version of this championship, is basically a nightmare for New Yorkers. Boston and Philadelphia are our closest "big city" neighbors and there is a constant sense of rivalry between them and us, especially when it comes to our sports teams. It's not really football so much that caused the rivalry, but more MLB, NBA and NHL.

The Yankees and Red Sox and the Mets and the Phillies have had their rivalries going for a long while, with the Bronx Bombers and the BoSox dating back to the days of Babe Ruth. Though sometimes these things crossed over, like in 1986 when the Mets beat the Red Sox in the World Series, or in 2009 When the Yanks defeated the Phils. The Yankees have won more Championships in their sport than any team, anywhere on the planet have done, and they're kind of the early odd-on favorite to finally reclaim the crown in 2018. We'll see how that starts to shape up during Spring Training, next month.

Our local "pro" basketball team has been in disrepair since 1994, the last year the Knicks got to the NBA Finals, and really since 1973, the last time they won. It's the second longest stretch of going without a championship for any NYC team. The Boston Celtics are among the most decorated teams in the NBA, and the Philadelphia 76ers also have at least made the playoffs more frequently than our local team.

And yes, there's also the Nets, Originally out on Long Island, then shifted to New Jersey and now residing in the borough of Brooklyn. They really haven't made much of a wave, except for the black and white uniforms, caps and other accessories that make them look cool, whether or not they win any games.

The Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers were part of the "Original 6" NHL teams, with the Philadelphia Flyers entering at the first expansion. Again Boston leads the way with six, the Rangers with four and Philly with two.

And that brings us to the focus of the day, The Gridiron, and these two teams. The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. It doesn't get much more USAcentric than those two mascots, on this, our unofficial American Holiday.

There is a bit of an issue with NYC and the NFL, since neither of the New York football teams plays their home games in New York. They are at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. And there was a suggestion that they change the name of the Giants to the New Jersey Giants or the NY/NJ Giants for awhile there. That didn't stick.

The Giants did upend the perfect season of the Patriots exactly ten years ago, yesterday. And what a fantastic way to do it! It was the ultimate triumph for a team that wasn't expected to do nearly so well that season. But ten years seems like a decade ago, and the Giants haven't won since.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have been to The Big Game twice since then and won both, and are favored to win again today. So the threat of more Boston Bragadocio is certainly there.

But Philadelphia has the most horrific and ugly fans in sports, and they somehow seem pretty proud of it.

For example, when Destiny's Child came out to perform songs during halftime of Game 4 of the 2001 NBA Finals -- 76ers against the Lakers, Beyoncé wore a "NBA Finals" jersey, Kelly Rowland wore a "Sixers" jersey and Michelle Williams wore a "Lakers" jersey. The home town crowd, angry that there was any representation of the enemy team in their performance, booed the group loudly and long afterwards.

That's one of the milder stories, actually. Fans who are unfortunate enough to wear the road team's uniform to a Philadelphia sports venue have been known to have wound up covered in popcorn kernels, peanut shells, beer, spit, or other bodily secretions. That's the kind of people who live in the City of Brotherly Love, and the cheaper the seats you're in, the more likely you'll get trashed by the nearby fans.

So who does a New Yorker hope to win this game? It's seriously a case of wanting both teams to lose.

At least we can enjoy the commercials, huh? Or we can even watch them HERE.