I really don’t read Bill Simmons anymore.   But today a couple readers forwarded me his latest article he wrote about the Patriots and then I just saw it again on the front page of ESPN.com.    And since most of the country views Bill Simmons as the voice of the Boston sports fan despite the fact he lives in Hollywood, I felt I needed to weigh in on it.   Here is an excerpt from his article;

After one of the greatest victories in Patriots history, after one of the defining Sundays of the Belichick-Brady Era, after an absolute roller-coaster ride of a win, after one of the more memorable they-had-absolutely-no-business-winning-that-thing games in recent memory, I turned the television off, pulled off an awkward high-five with my father and waited for the phone to ring.

And I waited.

And I waited.

Nothing. None of my friends called. My mom never called. None of my editors called. I even checked the ringer on our phone to make sure it was working. Yup. It was working. I jumped online and only two friends had sent along their congratulations (mainly because they had both wagered on the Pats). That was it. I briefly zoomed through reader e-mails and was shocked to see the same three themes over and and over again: either "You guys are so freaking lucky," "The Chargers freaking choked" or "Just kill me, now I have to sit through another freaking week of Pats-Colts hype."

At this point, I was starting to get bummed out. How could people not appreciate an undermanned, banged-up underdog that persevered simply by playing well together, by being well-coached and well-prepared, by pulling off all the Little Things and by believing in one another and steadfastly trusting they could pull out any close game? How could people not appreciate Troy Brown's supernatural strip of Marlon McCree (one of the greatest heads-up plays in Boston sports history), or Brady's slogging through a dog-crap game and having the balls to zing that ridiculously clutch throw to Reche Caldwell on the winning drive? How could they fail to be impressed that Belichick and the Pats knocked off a 16-1 team, a 16-2 team, a 15-3 team, a 14-2 team, a 14-3 team and a 14-4 team over the past five Januarys?

Then I realized something horrible.

Wait a second ... am I rooting for the football version of the Yankees?

I felt like Steve Martin realizing he was white in "The Jerk." And the thing is, I could see this coming for three years. People expect the Patriots to pull out close games. They're bored of watching it happen. They're tired of Patriots players and fans playing the "nobody believed in us" card. They're tired of writers and talking heads breaking out the popsicles for Brady and Belichick every January. It's becoming a formula -- nobody thinks the Pats can pull it off, the odds are impossible, MY GOD THEY DID IT AGAIN! -- which is unfortunate because formulas become boring pretty quickly.

Still, if the Pats really have turned into the football Yankees, then everyone outside of New England believes that ...

A.Rooting for the Patriots is like rooting for the house in blackjack.

B. An entire generation of fledgling NFL fans is being raised to root against them as we speak.

Just writing those last two sentences gave me the Manning Face. How could this be? How did we get here?

Let me start by saying Bill Simmons is officially out of the loop in terms of having a grasp on the pulse of the Boston sports fan.   I am borderline shocked that admits that he didn’t talk to anybody after the Pats beat the Chargers.  This makes it seem like we have become Atlanta Braves fans. That we yawned as the the Pats went for the two pt conversion and fell asleep as Brady connected with Reche Caldwell to put us in field goal position.   This couldn’t be further from the truth.  I and everybody I know was on pins and needles the entire game.   I know that I was on the phone with my buddies and my family throughout the entire game.   I assume everybody else was too.  Last week’s victory was undoubtedly one of the most remarkable wins in the history of the franchise.   I don’t think anybody took it for granted or was ho hum about it.   Just look at our freaking blog.   We could barely contain ourselves.  So I think the fact that Simmons didn’t talk to anybody after the game just shows how removed he is from Boston.   

Okay moving on.  I agree with his main point of the article that the Pats have become like the Yankees.  They are the team that everybody expects to win.   But the fact that he views this as a bad thing is ludicrous.   What sports fan doesn’t want to root for the dynasty?  That’s the dream!   It’s the pinnacle of being a sports fan.  So my question is why is Simmons upset that the country views the Pats as the baseball equivalent of the Yankees.  That’s like the highest compliment anybody can pay us.   And let’s clear up one thing.   Rooting for a dynasty isn’t boring.  I love how everybody hates us. I love how everybody whines and moans after we beat them. Being the big bully is a million times more fun than being the plucky underdog.   

Furthermore sports in general is more interesting when a dynasty is involved. The rest of the country isn't bored with the Pats. They may hate us, but hate breeds interest.  Whenever a Dynasty is in the mix, regardless if it’s the Pats, the Celtics, the Yankees, the Canadians etc., it’s more exciting because everybody has an opinion.  You're either with us or against us. There is no in-between.    When I was growing up I hated the 49'ers and Cowbody because they always won. I hated their players, their fans and everything about them. There was nothing I rooted for more than to see them lose a big game which they rarely did. But that's what winning does. It makes you a target but it also makes it fun.  Let me put it this way; would you be more interested in a World Series that featured the Yankees vs. Cardinals or Tigers vs. Cardinals?    It’s a no brainer.   People want to see what happens with the Yankees.  It’s the same thing with the Patriots.   And I don’t know anybody in Boston who is tired of this run.   The bottom-line is that winning never gets old.   It only gets better and sweeter as you piss off more and more people and ruin more and more dreams. So if Simmons and his buddies can’t get excited about beating the Chargers last week than maybe it’s time for him to retire his pen.