It has been the story for more than two months now: Just as the scab begins to heal, there’s a Patriots fan there to pick at it.
The latest example came from Monday’s Boston Marathon, where there was the amusing little story of the fellow who posted up along the route with an inspirational message for those runners who were beginning to flag. The theme of his message was: Even if running 26 miles seems silly when it is so much easier to take Uber, don’t give up. It’s never over. Take heart.
The sign simply read: "NE 3. Atl 28. 3rd. 2:12."
Of course, the reference was to the third-quarter Falcons lead in the Super Bowl that vanished in what was the single most dispiriting moment in Atlanta sport.
Gee, thanks for the reminder. Almost went a whole couple of days without thinking about the blown lead, having been distracted by an interstate that burned like kindling and the ceaseless ads of a congressional proxy war.
Naturally, any marathoner from around here immediately stopped and took a seat on the curb as soon as he or she saw the poster. Because it is common knowledge that in Atlanta, as the Falcons proved, you stop running exactly at the moment when running is most called for.
We all know that one man’s torture is another man’s triumph. It’s just that New Englanders seem particularly insufferable in their triumph.
It’s not just the occasional story about the Pats fan who got the 28-3 butt tattoo – and, yes, those existed. It’s the fact that score seems more important to that fan base than the final one – 34-28. Which speaks volumes to the level of glee they take in another fan base’s misery.
The greatest example of that came on March 28 – 3-28, get it? – when Pats people took to social media in great numbers to celebrate what they called “Falcons Day.” Even the city of Boston’s Twitter account wished all its followers a great 3-28.
That was just uncalled for. That’s signing you’re No. 1 with the middle finger, a trait that fits in nicely with the general Everybody Hates New England theme that resonates through the rest of the country.
The fans of New England have celebrated 10 world championships in the Big Four sports thus far in the 2000s. You’d think they’d be getting less annoying at it by now.
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