Show N New w Englanders stick by Kevin Baxter Los Angeles Times Is it Watergate Or simply water under the bridge and That depends on whom where where Because al though the rest of the country was nearly universal in its condemnation of Patriots Coach Bill Belichick and his sideline-filming sideline caper last week opinion in Boston is split heading into Sunday nights night's first season regular-season home game against the San Diego Chargers a team with which New England has a completely different set of issues From now on his name is Fred a former fonner high school football coach said as he lie waited for a seat at the Cask n V Flagon a venerable Boston sports bar He Ie 1 doesn't know what hes he's talking about shot back Nick Durso a Concord NH banker standing in line next to Were behind Belichick Absolutely And so it goes on sports radio in the sports pages and even in the Patriots Continued on Utes beat UCLA 6 44 Continued from A I 1 bleachers at Fenway Park after the unprecedented penalties imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell who fined Belichick and the team and docked the Patriots at least one high pick in next springs spring's draft after determining they violated league rules by videotaping defensive signals during last Sundays Sunday's rout of the New York Jets Its been blown a little out of proportion said Ben Holland an electronics technician from Boston who wore a Laurence Maroney Patriots jersey to his right-field right grandstand seat for Fridays Friday's Red Sox- Sox Yankees game Its just one incident If If this was happening all along and they prove that I can see them saying its it's a black black- eye But it is a black eye argues Boston Herald columnist Tony Massarotti And what's more he said it was an unnecessary wound that has marred BostonI Boston I dont don't think there theres s sany any question it is an embarrassment Massarotti said Especially since the sideline filming incident comes on the heels of safety Rodney Harrisons Harrison's four- four game suspension for using per performance enhancing f 0 en ee-en h anc i ng drugs and reports that Belichick forced linebacker Ted Johnson to practice last season despite the fact that he had a concussion This perception that the Patriots are perfect is not realistic Massarotti said had their share of problems here the thelast thelast thelast last couple of years But because they win games nobody pays attention to it And its it's not right Its It's not fai fair r. r And it probably wasn't necessary either cither The cheating that is The Patriots after all have won three of the last six Super Bowls and are 71 26 under Belichick since 2001 I. I So the idea that New England must cheat to compete is like saying baseballs baseball's best player needs steroids to play well OK bad example But you get the point I always think theres there's theresa a c certain segment of the population when youre you're talking about fans that will support the team no matter what Massarotti said completely blind when it comes to stuff like this Its all about the team and winning games They dont don't care eare how how- how Some fans do But even those fans remain loyal Its really disappointing to find out that the Patriots are doing something below the belt But I still love them John Foley a part- part time waiter and college student said as he stood along Lansdowne Street hoping to get a ticket for Fridays Friday's game Im against cheating I think it teaches the kids who watch sports negative That images she said being said the Patriots are area a good team And I think the fact they are such sueh a good team is part of the reason people want to cut down on them more So the argument goes the problem really wasn't the cheating It was uncovering the cheating and then writing about it Just ask Boston Globe columnist Jackie MacMullan whose mails e-mails this week have been heavily favorable toward Belichick The overwhelming feeling is that the medias media's out to get him and that we dont don't like him she said nothing really got to do with anything The guy cheated It was the wrong thing to do Even more wrong when you consider the NFL issued a memo to the Patriots and every other club days before last weeks week's season openers specifically warning coaching staffs of sanctions if they did what the Patriots did |