It's funny what sticks with you, on the negative side, as a sports fan.
As a Yankee fan, you'd think that losing to Boston in 2004, blowing a 3 games to none lead would be the worst.....but, actually, the one that bothers me a lot more was losing Game 7 in Arizona in 2001. That was the only time some people (outside of Yankee fans, of course) actually pulled for the Yanks, because of 9/11. They had 2 insane comebacks in Yankee Stadium, coming off destroying the Mariners, who had won a record 116 games during the regular season. Things just seemed to be aligned.
The Yanks had won the 3 prior World Series, so you'd have to think that losing this one was no big deal, cos of the recent success. But, I was at games 1,2, 6 and 7 in Arizona, and the Yanks lost all 4. Watching them lose Game 7, with a lead and Rivera on the hill, was such an empty feeling. They were on the brink of 4 WS in a row, which is rarefied air. 3 in a row is mighty impressive, but 4 in a row in most sports is rarely seen. Typing about it reminds me of how much it bothered me. After the last out, I just fucking stood there and watched the D-Back fans, (who did not know fuck-all about the sport, sorry) go berserk. G-d that sucked ass. Then my friend and I had to drive back to LA. I wonder if Hewson experienced something similar today.
Anyway, if I were a Pats fan, I think that I'd take this loss fairly hard, since they were on the brink of immortality. I do not say this to rub it in, at all, they're a great franchise and will be back next year. I just type this because this was a different sort of loss, well, at least that's how I see it.
