That’s it. I am officially a degenerate. No, not that. Television.

This weekend past, I logged an amazing 16 hours in front of the television, watching football. Two games on Saturday. Two more on Sunday. That does not account, of course, for the hours spent watching pre-game and post-game shows, which are often far longer than the game itself.

For most people, 16 hours is a normal day out of bed.

The bad news is that I loved every minute of it. And it gets worse. I have finally succumbed to the digital generation and bought (well, charged) a Sharp Aquos, 32-inch LCD (whatever that means) high-definition television for Cobb Manor.

Hey, the Patriots are in the playoffs.

I am not alone.

While nearly 60 percent of HDTV owners are sports fans, HDTV continues to be quickly adopted by all consumers. In 2006, more than 13.5 million HDTV sets were shipped in the U.S. and the Consumer Electronics Association predicts that nearly 16 million HDTV sets will be shipped in 2007. This is 57 percent of the total digital television unit sales predicted for 2007. U.S. factory-to-dealer shipments of HDTV have exceeded 30 million units since its glorious inception.

I thought the purchase was actually conservative since the price had dropped by more than 50 percent in recent years and I didn’t get the 50-inch model I really wanted. Too big for the house. I thought about a bigger house but eventually rejected the idea.

Naturally, I had to get more expensive monthly cable service to feed the new beast. I now have the Turner Classic Movies channel and the Sundance Channel, which my beloved brother-in-law Mike tells me, is the best of them all.

Don’t ask what this is all going to cost. But I think my Social Security went up $100 a month this year. That will cover it.

The question before the Cobb Manor board of directors is now whether to cancel the membership to Netflix, that mail-order movie company to which I am addicted. At last glance, I had 409 movies in my “queue,” or order list.

I have no idea if I will live long enough to watch 409 movies, but I continue to add to my list, much as I add to my endless Amazon.com list of lurid mystery novels.

I told you I was a degenerate.

If I canceled my Netflix subscription plus that YMCA membership (where I never go), that would more than make up for the increased cable cost.

Right.

I blame it all on the Patriots. If they did not make the playoffs and did not have a better-than-even chance of another Super Bowl, I never would have taken that high-def step.

This is a magic time, one which we will never likely see again. Three Super Bowl wins in five years? Who would have predicted that, after coach Bill Belichick left the hated New York Jets for the Patriots in a press conference which looked like an audition for a mental hospital?

I believe there is balance in the universe. The Patriots have been sent by the powers that be to make up for all of the agony we suffered under the Red Sox and Bruins. The Boston Celtics, of course, don’t owe us a thing. They have won enough.

This weekend should be much easier and more productive, since there are only two games. But the pre- and post-game shows will be even longer.

I will spend “only” eight hours in front of the Sharp 32-inch LCD (whatever that means) high-definition television, eating barbecue chicken with my fellow degenerates.

The high-def was worth every nickel, especially if the Patriots get to the Super Bowl.

If they win that, I will have to consider that 50-inch model. For the bedroom.

Send complaints and compliments to Emmet Meara at emmetmeara@msn.com.