If you thought, as I did, that Shaughnessy had retired the trophy for contempt toward his readers among Boston sports columnists, think again. Helium-voiced, uninteresting Herald columnist Tony Masseroti has a screed in today's paper so full of obvious contempt and undisguised resentment toward Patriots fans, that you half expect at the end he's going to call for us all to be sterilized:

• "...New England, now the official home of yahoos, hero worshipers and gutless suck-ups. "
• "To this entire group, it was all about whether there was a tape; anything else doesn’t matter so much. "
• "Try to discern... which of your pathetic, repressed middle-aged neighbors wear their Tedy Bruschi erseys on Sundays."
• "...take time to wonder if those same neighbors are blogging and posting on message boards while spending hours on hold so they might hear their voices on the radio."
• "These are the people who preserve the sports fantasy world that justifies their own sorry existence."

But Mazz' hatred isn't reserved for just the people who buy his paper and spin the turnstyles at Gillette. He hates anyone in the media who hasn't been screaming for Belichick to be lured into room with a plastic tarpcovering the rug and given two in the hat:

• "The media is a sordid business. Professional and personal relationships frequently collide... Belichick gives Christmas gifts and holiday cards to some members of the media, cyanide-tipped glares to others."
• "You’re either a Belichicklet or you are not."
• "Try to discern which members of the media show up to work wearing Patriots Super Bowl jackets..."

Geez, any idea who he could be talking about there? Or the more pertinent question is: What put such a hair across Masseroti's ass? Is he mad that his own paper published a fake news story that was damaging to the Pats the day before the Super Bowl? Apparently not. He's cheesed off that fans and some of the guys in the media have defended the Patriots on this. In spite of the fact that they were completely exonerated. I suppose he hates the people who stood up for the Duke Lacrosse team too.

But I love the rampant hypocricy here. Masseroti is furious that some bloggers would be pro- Patriots, in an era where they're the most successful team in all of sports. Or that some media figures would be on good terms with Belichick. This coming from a guy who wrote a book with David Ortiz. So I suspect that if Papi is caught juicing or corking his bat or something, Bastion of Integrity Tony will attack him with the same venom he has toward Rodney Harrison. That the long time Sox beat reporter who's appeared at the Fenway Writer's Series dinners would go after Terry Francona if the Sox were caught with a camera in centerfield.

I know I'd defend both guys, because they're winners and I like them. Just like with the Patriots. Which apparently in Mazz's eyes makes me a "gutless suck up." If that happens, I'll be the pathetic, repressed middle aged one in the Tedy Bruschi jersey.