An open letter to God: Dear God, On behalf of all of us long-suffering New England professional sports fans, thank you very much for the New England Patriots. It is truly appreciated.

Thank you for The Kick.

Not the one Adam Vinatieri made on Sunday that won Super Bowl XXXVIII or even the one he booted that won Super Bowl XXXVI.

The Kick refers to Vinatieri’s field goal through a driving snowstorm that tied the Oakland Raiders in their AFC playoff overtime win two years ago.

There certainly had to be divine intervention. You came through big-time.

And thanks for Tom Brady’s non-fumble in that same game.

If it wasn’t for The Kick, we probably wouldn’t have had a chance to celebrate any Super Bowl championships.

The Patriots have helped us deal with the Red Sox’s 85-year drought, including last year’s devastating loss in Game 7 of their American League Championship Series against the Yankees.

I’m not complaining, mind you, but didn’t you feel compelled to intervene and push Boston manager Grady Little into making right decision by going to his bullpen in the eighth inning instead of sticking with Pedro Martinez?

Or how about putting just a little extra tail on those 0-2 pitches Martinez made to Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui that resulted in pivotal hits during the rally? Then there was that pathetic bloop double off the bat of Jorge Posada that tied it.

Sorry. I don’t want to sound like a spoiled child. All of us in New England are sincerely grateful for the Patriots.

Thanks for Tom Brady’s poise, as well as his precision passing, and for his fearless receivers.

And let’s not forget about the no-name offensive line that never allowed a postseason sack and enabled the Patriots to rack up 481 total yards against Carolina. Not even staunch Patriot fans can name the members of the offensive line.

Of course, the defense was the primary reason the Patriots had the opportunity to play in a second Super Bowl in three years. They had an off game against a very good Carolina team, but it doesn’t matter.

Thanks for steering John Kasay’s kickoff out of bounds with 1:08 left in regulation, giving the Patriots possession at the 40-yard line.

Thanks for innovative Bill Belichick and his superb coaching staff and the business-like attitude that has become part of Patriot lore.

It’s so refreshing to follow a team that possesses a quiet confidence and allows its on-field performance to do its talking for it. It is a team New England can be proud of off the field as well as on the field.

Thank you for the resiliency of the Patriots along with the fans who packed Gillette Stadium during snowstorms and through brutal wind chills.

It has been an unusually harsh winter.

But you already know that.

The Pats had more than their share of injuries but never complained. Between the Patriot players’ willingness to accept their roles and the coaching staff’s ability to devise schemes that put the players in situations to utilize their strengths, they put together a remarkable 15-game winning streak. A 15-game winning streak is very difficult to attain in a sport where injuries are so prevalent.

Anyway, thanks again.

Sincerely, Larry Mahoney.

P.S. How’s the golf game? Is there any way you can help us this baseball season or have we run out of favors?

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.