Many people don't realize another major sporting event is today, too. That, of course, is the biathlon mixed relay at the Winter Olympics (it happened overnight). But there's a football game, too: Super Bowl LX, matching the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks (NBC, 3:30 p.m.)
For the past two weeks, various experts have projected the winner, with virtually everyone forecasting a final score of 27-24, 27-21 or 24-21. It happens every year and the "experts" are never right.
But I'm always right because I use science. Yes, science. Or math, at least.
Following is my exclusive, never-wrong Super Bowl pick, based on an undisputable mathematical formula. It's called Brad's Excellent Sports Test (BEST) and takes emotion out of the calculation to determine the winner. The formula? Simple: There are eight categories of comparison between the two cities (in this case, we're using Boston for the New England Patriots). The sum of each team's points is the final score.
Today's BEST results:
Most iconic movie: There are many movies based in Boston (including "Mystic River," "Spotlight" and others), but is there a more Boston movie than "Good Will Hunting?" No. Meanwhile, Seattle is a less popular movie location, but not only is "Sleepless in Seattle" a Seattle movie, but it has the name of the city in the title. Bonus: It's on Mrs. Brad's frequently watched list. Seattle 4.2, Boston 3.4.
Musical acts: The Cars are from Boston. Donna Summer was from Boston. Not surprisingly, so is Boston. But the most iconic Boston band is Aerosmith. Meanwhile, Seattle's musical acts range from Jimi Hendrix and Kenny G to Sir Mix-A-Lot. The most famous Seattle-related band is Nirvana. It comes down to Nirvana vs Aerosmith, so it's Boston 4.2, Seattle 2.3.
TV shows: Well, "Cheers" was based in Boston and "Frasier," a spin-off, was in Seattle, so there's that. But Boston has "St. Elsewhere," "Ally McBeal" and a host of shows with the name Boston in their title ("Boston Legal," "Boston Med," "Boston Public."). Seattle has "Here Come the Brides, (Bobby Sherman!)," "Weeds," "iCarly" and more. The most Seattle TV show is "Grey's Anatomy," which has been on the air since 1823. Nice, but it's not "Cheers." Boston 4.2, Seattle 3.1.
Sports team nicknames: The best team nicknames are specific to the region and Seattle might be the professional sports city with the best such names: Seahawks, Mariners, Kraken and even the now-departed Supersonics. The Patriots and the Celtics aren't bad Boston-centric names, but Bruins? Red Sox? Nothing special. Seattle 5.3, Boston 1.7.
Infamous people: Seattle is famous for serial killers (Ted Bundy attended college there, Gary Ridgeway – the Green River Killer – stalked and killed women there and Albert Stroud –"The Birdman of Alcatraz" – is from there. Boston? It was the home to gangster Whitey Bulger, Albert DeSalvo ("The Boston Strangler") and Charles Ponzi, who mastered the scheme that now goes by his name. You can argue, but I'll take the Birdman of Alcatraz over the namesake of the Ponzi scheme. Seattle 4.8, Boston 2.1.
Historical moments: Boston was crucial to the American Revolution, the home of the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre and Paul Revere's ride. Seattle has . . . uh . . . Ken Griffey Jr. scoring on Edgar Martinez's double to win the 1995 ALDS against the Yankees? Boston 5.3, Seattle 4.7 (the Griffey slide was really cool).
Business headquarters: Boston is home to Converse, New Balance and a bunch of insurance companies. Oh, also Gillette, the shaving razor brand. Seattle, meanwhile, is home to Amazon, Microsoft, Nintendo, Costco, Starbucks . . . You get the idea. Seattle 7.8, Boston 2.3.
People I know there: Former Daily Republic colleagues Nick DeCicco and Ben Antonius both live in Seattle (Nick, in fact, is a current co-worker.) My oldest sister lived in Boston in the 1970s, but not now. Seattle 5.8, Boston 0.8.
Total: Seattle 46.3, Boston 30.8. And that's your final score: Seahawks 38, Patriots 24.
If you disagree, don't complain to me. Complain to BEST. Complain to science and math.
Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.
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