It's them again.
Not only does the Patriots' Super Bowl opponent tomorrow hail from the city designated the unofficial villain, but there's a measure of revenge involved. It was the Giants, after all, who managed an incredible (how did he catch that?) victory in Super Bowl XLII, beating the up-to-then-perfect-Patriots.
Jennifer Little at Zollo's Barber shop in Danvers has been listening to her customers and promises "everybody is looking forward to the rematch." And she's not only predicting victory but offering, "There's nothing to be nervous about."
She counts herself as excited as she was in 2002 when the Patriots won their first championship. The New York opponent might have something to do with that, Little concedes.
"It's two major cities, close together," she says.
Ask her if there's something about that New York character that contributes to this, and she smiles broadly and says diplomatically, "I don't want to say."
Shawn Dyer of Shining Star Tattoo and Body Piercing in Peabody knows his customers well enough to be carefully watching for the Super Bowl outcome. People come in at all times to get Pat Patriot or Flying Elvis inked on their forearms, he says.
A Patriots' Super Bowl victory promises a strong uptick in football tattoos.
"Oh, sure," Dyer says. "Usually after winning, they come in. I did a lot of Bruins last year."
One thing he's never done is a New York logo. Fans would have to be looking for trouble to wear one, he says, smiling.
Bob Whittet, an associate professor of Christian ministry at Gordon College, is in a position to judge all this heated animosity. It might seem harsh, even unChristian, but as long as it stays within bounds, he sees little to condemn.
But then, Whittet admits he's a recovering Giants fan himself.
"I grew up in New York City and New Jersey," he explains.
He attended the 1987 Super Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., to see the Giants beat the Broncos for their first Lombardi trophy. Yet, after 25 years in New England, he traded his allegiance to the Patriots, much to the horror of his father.
Whittet puts a theological slant on tomorrow's game, noting, "It reminds me of the Old Testament and the story of David and Goliath." In this case, he explains, David is named Tom (Brady). Goliath's arrogance on seeing his opponent is reflected in "the-Patriots-are-not-worthy" attitude by New Yorkers.
"Everyone looked at Goliath, and they said, 'Look how big he is.' David said, 'He's big. So I can't miss.'"
The New York transplant dismisses the notion that Gotham sneers at the rivalry with Boston. A quick glance at the New York Post or Daily News ought to tell anyone how much it matters to them, he says. "And it sells newspapers."
Jamie Lampert at Todd's Sporting Goods on Cabot Street in Beverly isn't even a Patriots fan. His game is hockey. He watched the Bruins while the Patriots played in the AFC Championship a few weeks ago.
As for rivals, he says, "Our rival is the (Montreal) Canadians."
But then he thinks about it and admits, "I do like it when the Bruins beat the (New York) Rangers." And he will be watching the Super Bowl.
Marblehead School Superintendent Greg Maass, a Wisconsin native, narrowly missed controversy when the Green Bay Packers failed to reach the Super Bowl.
If the Patriots had squared off against Aaron Rodgers and his green-and-gold cohorts, Maass would have rooted for a close game "with the Packers winning by a field goal in the last seconds," he says.
That might not have gone down well. But it helps that Maass will be rooting for a Giants defeat without reservation. And why not? The rivalry between the Giants and Packers is older than the Patriots' American Football League franchise, which got its start in 1960.
The Packers whipped the Giants 37-0 in a legendary National Football League championship game in 1961 that saw the temperature drop to 13 below zero, Maass recalls. "The Ice Bowl." Overall, they've beaten New York four out five times in championship games going back to 1938.
With a record like that, Patriots fans might forgive the superintendent his loyalty to the Green Bay team.
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