Blogdom's Best: New England Patriots

It might not — yet — have the online fanaticism and cachet of baseball, but the NFL and its fans are starting to catch up in the world of team-devoted blogs. To this end, Deadspin salutes these modem-addled souls and proudly presents Blogdom's Best, given to the most outstanding blog for each NFL team. There are fewer than there are for baseball, but they're out there, if you look. If you would like to nominate a blog (yours, even) for selection, just let us know at [email protected]. Today: The New England Patriots.

Sure the Patriots have three recent Super Bowl trophies. But we're feeling a bit nostalgic, thinking about the old days when things weren't so good. Things we wish they'd bring back: 1. The name Boston Patriots. 2. The "Pat Patriot" helmet logo (a Revolutionary War soldier hiking a football). 3. Football games at Fenway Park. 4. Babe Parilli (the second-most famous Babe to have played in Boston). And here's your Boston Patriots quiz for today: Who is Mark Henderson? Answer at the end of this post. Now on to the blogs, and we must say, winnowing the field down to three was very difficult. Either we're getting better at finding these things, or Patriots fans are just blog-happy, because there are zillions of great ones. Blogs such as The Belly Check, The Jaded New Englander, Murphy's Patriots and Patriots Fanatic, to name a few, would all make the cut in several other cities. In addition, in the spirit of the new Harry Potter movie, we're going to depart from tradition and select the four top blogs instead of three. 4. Foxboro Nation. Nothing fancy, just consistent Patriots coverage by a fan who doesn't pull his punches. 3. Land of Patriots. A good one, part of the Sports Cartel Blog Network. Beginning of one post: "I've spent the last 2 days trying to figure out exactly what I think about Sunday's game." You gotta admire that. 2. The Patriot Act. "Having a big helping of turkey leftovers it was time today to eat some humble pie." There's no better way to sum up the Patriots' season so far. 1. New England Patriots Pulpit. Worth a trip during a game just to watch the comments section. The blog that Norm, Cliff and all the guys down at Cheers would be reading. Answer: On Nov. 12, 1982, the Patriots were tied with the Dolphins 0-0 in Foxboro during a driving snowstorm. At the Dolphins' 16 with 4:45 remaining in the game, the Patriots allowed Mark Henderson, a convict on work release, to drive a tractor onto the field to clear a spot for kicker John Smith to attempt a 33-yard field goal. It was good, and the Patriots won 3-0.

(Thursday: Atlanta Falcons)