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After the Lakers won two straight NBA titles in the late-80's, their coach Pat Riley trademarked the phrase "three-peat" so he could cash in on merchandising associated with their third straight crown. The Pistons took them out in the Finals, though, and Riles had to wait for the Bulls to achieve the feat before seeing any return on his craftiness.

The Patriots spit on that history. The New York Post reports this morning that the team has filed paperwork to patent trademark the phrases "19-0" and "19-0 Perfect Season" in advance of this Sunday's Super Bowl matchup with the New York Giants. And, lest you think they waited until they were in the title tilt before moving forward, the team actually filed the applications three days before the AFC Championship game was played. The Pats say that the move is strictly business and not motivated by arrogance.

If you're a believer in hubris, you're probably dialing the phone to lay some heavy action on the Giants right now. They probably didn't need any more motivation to win on Sunday but, in a league where the puffery of defensive backs can lift the Patriots to one of their best performances of the year, anything's possible.

The Post, which attached an asterisk to the Patriots in the wake of Spygate, have filed their own patent trademark application. They're hoping to attain the rights to "18-1" and should the Giants pull off the upset Sunday it's a good bet they'll be making up some t-shirts to play up that angle next week.