WASHINGTON, 31 January 2008 — As rivalries go, Boston vs. New York needs no introduction. Next Sunday, all the intensity and emotions of that big-market, Northeastern match-up will play out for the first time on the NFL’s ultimate stage when record-breaking quarterback Tom Brady and the perfect New England Patriots will take on the New York Giants in a rematch in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona.

The New England Patriots stand 60 minutes from the first 19-0 season in NFL history, with the New York Giants, their Super Bowl XLII counterpart, seeking to ruin that run at perfection with a monumental upset on Sunday.

Some are already saying that mass hysteria and chaos will ensue if the Patriots aren’t able to beat the Giants. Others, natch, are cheering for the underdogs — the Giants.

Ahhh, the Super Bowl, as one of the nation’s most significant events, sporting or otherwise, drawing nearly 100 million television viewers in the United States and spawning daylong celebrations built around the excessive intake of food and drink. Not to mention that some folk tune in — I hate to say it — just to see the multi-million dollar commercials.

But let’s get back to the most important issue of the moment: The swollen and sore question involving Patriot quarterback Tom Brady’s foot.

Brady’s status has already emerged as a dominant storyline for the week, with reports he is dealing with a high right ankle sprain suffered in New England’s playoff win over San Diego. The Patriots have kept him largely under wraps since footage emerged of Brady walking gingerly into his girlfriend’s New York apartment last week.

One Boston newspaper reported that he was spotted limping on Saturday. But he did not appear to have a limp when he appeared at a rally for the Patriots Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Hey — not to forget that Brady’s foot has won the Super Bowl three times. It has helped sell shoes and satellite radio, and it has been in the bedrooms of a Hollywood starlet and a Brazilian supermodel. And for an infamous few moments last week, it had its own paparazzi in New York, leading to a whirlwind of speculation about the walking boot it appeared to be wearing.

Questions about his foot have followed the 30-year-old New England Patriots quarterback all week, as he and his undefeated band of teammates are immersed in unparallelled hype before their National Football League championship game against the New York Giants. We’ll just have to wait until Sunday to see — and hope that none of the Giants target his foot to destruction.

As for the odds of who will win on Sunday, some will say this is the biggest disparity in SuperBowl history but bookmakers believe otherwise. With SuperBowl odds opening at -12 1/2 in favor of the New England Patriots in their game against the Giants, there have been other Super Bowls with bigger spreads — most notably Baltimore vs. The New York Jets at -17 during Super Bowl III where the underdog Jets shocked with a victory.