Lowell bats first ...

Iggy,

This is the first installment of our ongoing debate about sports - although, honestly, we've been arguing sports since the day you learned how to speak. I want to say right off the bat, I'm right and you're wrong.

What am I right about?

Everything.

In this case, I'm right about the Super Bowl. I'm picking the Patriots and you're picking the Giants and I'm so sure I'm right I want to send you to your room and give you a time out.

I honestly thought about picking the Giants. I wanted to pick them. I'm from New York as you know - remember all those times we ate pizza on Avenue M in Brooklyn. But the Giants really are New Jersey, which means they're not the real thing.

They've done better than anyone expected in the playoffs and I admit the Patriots haven't been spectacular the past month. They sure struggled against the injured Chargers. But come on, two things matter in the Super Bowl - head coach and quarterback.

The Patriots murder the Giants in those departments. Admit it. It wasn't so long ago the Giants were thinking of firing coach Tom Coughlin. And it wasn't so long ago, quarterback Eli Manning looked like a startled squirrel as he cringed in the pocket. I think Manning will revert in the Super Bowl and make unforgivable mistakes.

Anyway, Tom Brady is a better quarterback than Manning. Don't argue with me on that one. Brady might be better than Joe Montana, and Eli Manning is no Joe. And Bill Belichick is hands down a better coach than Coughlin. I'm not saying Belichick is better dressed than Coughlin. Wearing that old sweatshirt, Belichick looks like someone they just pulled out of the clothes hamper. And he has a rotten personality. Well, that's not exactly true. He has no personality. It's like someone stole his personality at birth and left him a blank.

But he's a football coach, not a male model or a talk-show host. And as a football coach, he's the best thing since Bill Walsh, which means he's creative and gets everything out of his players. He'll coach the pants off Coughlin - actually, I'd hate to see Coughlin lose his pants on national TV. Let's just say Belichick will overwhelm Coughlin, especially with two weeks to make his game plan.

I'm interested to hear how you'll defend the Giants - even though you're wrong. And, by the way, clean your room and take out the garbage.

Iggy responds ...

Dad,

I love you.

If you tell me to clean my room, I'll do it. I'm twenty years old and if you sent me to my room today I'd go and I'd think about what I did. You're the Alpha-Cohn and I have the utmost respect for you as a father and as a columnist.

Now, if we were arguing about the Super Bowl in the privacy of our home, I'd tell you that your argument is ridiculous and that you don't know anything about football. But since people can read this, I'm going to choose my words carefully. I don't want people to think you're a soft father who can't command respect from his kid. So I'll approach your argument like you would approach a piece of writing done by one of your graduate students at USF.

First, what was good about it?

I loved your Patriots - 49ers analogy. I think it's important in writing to stick with what you know, and you know the 49ers. I think you could even broaden your use of this analogy. Bear with me, as you would say. You could argue that There Will Be Blood will win the Oscar for best picture because Daniel Day-Lewis is the Joe Montana of acting and Paul Thomas Anderson is the Bill Walsh of directing. That would be effective.

OK, how could you improve?

It's shallow to say that the Patriots will win because Brady is good and Belichick is good. There's more to football than the quarterback and the coach.

The most important thing is that these two teams played each other a month ago and the Giants almost won. The Patriots had to score 38 points and Brady had to lead his team from behind late to win. Belichick and Brady absolutely will not come close to scoring that many points again for four reasons:

One. The Giants are hot and the Pats aren't.

Two. The Giants have the best pass rush in the league. Brady won't be able to slip away from them with his hurt ankle. He's going to get hit.

Three. The Patriots defense won't have the luxury of playing with a lead, a luxury they've had all year, which has ultimately masked the fact that they're a mediocre group at best.

Four. The Giants have nothing to lose. The Patriots, on the other hand, have everything to lose. The perfect season. Their legacy as the greatest team of all time. If the Giants have the lead in the fourth quarter, which they will, the Patriots will panic and they will lose.

So that's why you're wrong and I'm right. I hope I haven't offended you with my tone. I didn't mean to take a tone with you. I love you dad. This was a lot of fun.

Oh and by the way, do you think you could float me twenty bucks?

• OK, who do you think won? Hit the "add comment" button and cast your vote.
• And check back next week for another installment.