Tony Harrington is the only person on the North Shore to be able to say he ‘Beat Burt’ in Week 1 of the NFL season.
The 83-year-old from Rockport correctly picked 13 of 14 winners, the best week he believes he has ever had.
“If the damn Patriots had won, I would’ve aced it,” said Harrington, who retired after 33 years with UPS.
Harrington bought a home in Rockport in 2007 from Boston area legend Rex Trailer. He then started subscribing to the Gloucester Daily Times, and the rest was history.
Harrington resides in Rockport only in the summers, usually heading back to his hometown Westford in the next few weeks.
“I don’t have any secrets,” he said. “I just pick the games I like, home teams a lot, and I almost always pick Green Bay.”
Harrington guesstimates he’s won six ‘I Beat Burt’ T-shirts over the years and looks forward to adding to his collection.
“The contest keeps me interested in the games,” said Harrison. “I watch football on the weekends, following my picks. I really enjoy it.”
Butcher Boy Market of North Andover sponsored Week 1 of the “I Beat Burt” contest. Each week an employee of that week’s sponsor will make their picks against me and Butcher Boy’s Don Snow, a butcher, made a nice run. He won 11 of 14 games but I had 12 wins, including a loss on Monday night.
The Patriots, as Harrington noted, will be an interesting option this fall. After Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, it will be interesting to see how readers view them in so many expected close games this fall.