Patriots Fan the Flames

I know I'm not supposed to laugh at the misery of others but what the hell. John Howe at Foster's Online has the story of some Maine Patriots fans who did not make it to the record setting 19th consecutive win against the Dolphins.

There are die-hard Patriots fans; then there are fans like David Peck, who created a $47,000 tailgating dream machine just for Sunday's game.

The RV burned clear down to its chassis on Sunday morning on Interstate 95, not more than a mile from the Hampton Toll Booth.

"The worst part is the tickets were still in the glovebox,"

Those tickets would have represented the continuance of Peck's own personal streak- 22 years of seasons tickets without missing a Patriots game, Super Bowls included.

"I spent all my money over the last six months working on that thing (the RV). I had four flat screen TVs inside with High Definition Tivo, we had an NFL Gameday subscription so we could tailgate and see all the games ... I put my soul into it," Peck recounted Sunday evening.

Also packed into "Hannah" was 150 gallons of gasoline and another 60 gallons of propane for cooking and staying warm.

With the flames doused and the vehicle totaled, Peck managed to keep a relatively up-beat attitude toward life in general, or rather, life as a Patriots fan.

"You know what? It burned, but the Pats won, so who cares. We'll start over again from here. Go Pats!"

What's the moral of the story? 150 gallons of gasoline, 60 gallons of propane, 4 flat screen TV's and zero fire extinguishers on the "Hannah". Insert your own Maine joke here.

Just Give Me the Damn Brady

Even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while. Notorious team killer himself, Keyshawn Johnson weighs in on the NFL Quarterback crop with SI's Peter King.

ON THE QB HE WISHES HE COULD PLAY WITH BEFORE HE RETIRES

Tom Brady. He has guts, courage. He's unselfish. Overcame a lot of obstacles. Came from nowhere. And all he does is win. Peyton Manning's good, but he gets too much credit. Look at the weapons he's got versus the weapons Brady's got. And come on ... win a playoff game when it counts. Win when it's time to deliver. Beating a defense like Kansas City's ... I mean, that doesn't count. Brady wins the huge games.

Hasselbeck's Guaranteed Score

Early January on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, Seattle Seahawk QB Matt Hasselbeck brashly announced after winning the overtime coin flip "I want the ball and I'm going to score." Minutes later the only score was Green Bay CB Al Harris running down the sideline past the former BC letterman on the way to the Packers clinching 33-27 playoff win.

When plan A fizzles, any solid signal caller quickly reverts to Plan B. When it comes to guaranteed scores, how can you go wrong with the generosity of one Britney Spears. Matt quickly pounced on the opportunity and threw on his used leather sportcoat and made his way to the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas for his rendezvous with the sure thing former virgin.

Patriots Set NFL Consecutive Win Record

In a grind it out victory that is symbolic of their record setting 19th consecutive win, the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-10 yesterday in Foxboro. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe leads off the coverage.

There was no champagne-spraying celebration in the Patriots locker room following their historic 24-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins yesterday. In fact, the only person who got wet was coach Bill Belichick, who received a Gatorade shower from Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison in the final seconds.

A smiling Belichick acknowledged the crowd with waves to every side of the stadium, shook hands with most of his players for their part in the 19-game winning streak, including postseason, gave out some attaboys, and then, according to Harrison, in the locker room the coach said, "However, we have a great Seattle team coming in."

End of celebration.

Michael Felger of the Boston Herald has the game story and the crypto key to yesterday's ticket.

Filling the giant hole left by the departure of Ted Washington, Vince Wilfork continues to impress in his inaugural campaign. And he hates the Dolphins to boot. Tony Chamberlain off the yachting beat for the Globe has the story.

Growing up in southern Florida and playing at the University of Miami, it'd be natural to assume Patriots rookie Vince Wilfork was a Dolphins fan. Bad assumption. Wilfork hates the Dolphins. So what kind of day did the 6-foot-2-inch, 325-pound nose tackle have against the teal and orange yesterday?

"Just think about it," said the jovial middle man who collected seven tackles (five solo) and a sack. "Being from Florida, beating up on the Dolphins, and setting the record for consecutive victories how you think I feel?"

I hope you didn't expect a celebration like the back to back wild card champs from the Fens. No Pedro mini-me Nelson De la Rosa hanging out in the Gillete Stadium locker room. De la Rosa at 28 inches and 23 pounds is the world's third smallest man, was already booked for a couple of baseball games in the Bronx early this week.

Jackie MacMullen wraps up the day with coverage of the quiet locker room festivities.

For weeks, cautious Patriots players downplayed their run at the record book, insisting their systematic construction of a winning streak dating back to October of 2003 was of little or no consequence. We were chastised for forecasting the possibilities and discouraged from attaching significance to a milestone that would not produce a championship ring.

Hey, guys. Now we believe you.