The Patriots are in the Super Bowl again, and unfortunately, it doesn't look I'll be there this time.

That's right. The last time the Patriots played for the whole ball of wax, I followed the squad down to Jacksonville, Fla., for Super Bowl XXXIX.

But I didn't go to cover the game or support the Patriots. Instead, as a native of Wilmington, Del., I flew down to support the underdog Eagles. You see, growing up as a sports fan 20 minutes from Philadelphia, I made certain promises to myself.

One is that when a professional sports team from Philadelphia wins its first championship since 1983, I will be there.

So I flew down to Jacksonville - without tickets - determined to attend my first and perhaps only Super Bowl.

The weekend turned out to be a disaster.

Thousands of other Eagles fans went down to Jacksonville with the same plan. Everybody needed tickets. Nobody had them.

My brother, who was attending University of Florida at the time, picked me up at the airport with news that tickets were going for no less than $2,000.

I ended up spending four days in Jacksonville to watch an Eagles loss in a sports bar a few blocks away from the stadium.

On the Tuesday following the Super Bowl, I returned to Logan Airport with hopes of taking the train to my apartment in Cambridge. Instead, the route of the train stopped four stations short of its intended destination, letting me out in Government Center. When I asked an MBTA official if a bus would be running the rest of the route, he answered, "Not today. The Patriots parade is just passing by."

To review: I attended my first Super Bowl in January 2005. Actually, I didn't attend - I couldn't afford tickets. Instead, I flew over 1,000 miles to watch the game in a sports bar. And when I returned to Boston, I stumbled upon a parade for the opposing team.

Why am I bothering to tell this story?

Because everybody has Super Bowl stories, and I would assume Patriots fans have more than any other fan base thanks to the team's recent success. We want to hear your Super Bowl stories.

Next week - as the big day approaches for the showdown with the Giants - we'll feature Patriots fans who have been to recent Super Bowls, fans who have plans to attend this Super Bowl or even fans that plan to host/attend the most unique parties in the area.

So if you have any connection to the New York Giants, we'd love to hear from you. If you've been to every Patriots Super Bowl win, we want to hear your story. Or even if you've never been to a Super Bowl but have a good Super Bowl story - hopefully better than mine - please contact me.

Send e-mails to dguttenplan@ecnnews.com. We'll run the best stories next week.

Dan Guttenplan is the sports editor of The Daily News. E-mail him at dguttenplan@ecnnews.com.

Super Bowl Stories

Do you have a fond memories of a Super Bowl? E-mail Daily News Sports Editor Dan Guttenplan at dguttenplan@ecnnews.com. We'll feature the best stories next week.