Richard Seymour got the honor Friday of carrying one of the Patriots' two Vince Lombardi Trophies onto the field at Fenway Park as the Red Sox honored the NFL champions prior to their home opener.

Had I been Seymour, however, I would have asked Patriots' owner Robert Kraft one important question before emerging from behind that giant American flag draped over the left-field wall, trophy in hand:

``Mr. Kraft,'' I would have said, ``the same thing isn't going to happen to me that happened to the last guy who carried the trophy onto the field, is it?''

Those of you with sharp memories should recall that the last time the Patriots were so honored at Fenway Park, on Opening Day 2002, the player who emerged from behind the flag with trophy in hand was Lawyer Milloy.

One season later, Milloy was on his way to the Buffalo Bills -- which proves that fame is indeed fleeting. Still, it's doubtful the topic ever came up. Seymour and a bunch of the Boys of Autumn marched triumphantly across the outfield grass with the 2001 Super Bowl trophy and were met at the mound by Robert and Jonathan Kraft, who were carrying the most recent piece of championship hardware.

The elder Kraft -- who, like his son, was decked out in a bright red Red Sox warmup jacket -- wasted no time in throwing out the first pitch. In fact, he did so well ahead of the cue he was supposed to take from Red Sox TV announcer Sean McDonough, but it was almost appropriate.

After all, the Patriots got where they are today by leading, not by following.

After Kraft's ceremonial heave, the players of both teams staged an impromptu hug session at home plate. McDonough had called the Patriots ``our brothers in sport'' during their introduction, and there honestly seemed to be some truth to that sentiment as the members of Boston's two premiere sports teams greeted each other at home plate.

Of course, let's see if the love continues if the Patriots keep winning championships while the Red Sox continue to be denied them. Bob Kraft might have to buy the Sox, or at least a cluster of tickets, if he expects the Patriots to get into Fenway Park under those circumstances.

During the powwow at the plate, one Patriot seemed to get more hugs and howdies than any other, and probably for good reason. As one wag recently remarked, ``this is Tom Brady's world, folks, and we just live in it.''

Life is good for the two-time Super Bowl MVP. For some players, the offseason means appearances on TV or radio shows, at sports banquets or at supermarket openings, but Brady's recent itinerary included a stop at the Vatican.

With starlet galpal Bridget Moynahan in tow, Brady got the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul II -- although it's not known if the Patriots' quarterback hunkered down with the pontiff to discuss the latter's recent statement decrying the proliferation of sports events on Sundays and their effect upon declining church attendance.

This, folks, is the difference between these two teams nowadays. In the Patriots' offseason, their quarterback got to meet God's representative on earth. But over on Yawkey Way, the Red Sox capped their offseason by losing Alex Rodriguez to the Devil (a/k/a George Steinbrenner).

A more recent bit of good news came Friday when Brady told reporters that his throwing shoulder was feeling fine. He told one paper that the shoulder, repaired by surgery not long after Super Bowl XXXVIII, was feeling ``better than it has in two years.'' Perhaps that's another example of how winning changes the perception of just about everything.

Brady separated his right shoulder twice in 2002, once against Tennessee in early December and again against Miami in the season finale. He rested the shoulder in the offseason and played last year without a surgical repair, even though he knew soon into the campaign that he should have had it done.

But he toughed it out, made a few adjustments in his throwing style and actually seemed to be throwing the ball better than he ever had by the time the Patriots were in the playoffs. Still, to alleviate the pain he felt all season long, it only made sense for Brady to have an arthroscopic procedure after the season was over.

He did, and it was duly reported. Yet, aside from the shrill bleatings of a few TV types, there was no accompanying panic over the news that the Golden Boy QB had gone under the knife. Just about everything the Patriots touch turns to gold these days, so it's no wonder that Brady's surgery was regarded by the public at large as something positive.

By contrast, if it were announced tomorrow that Pedro Martinez was about to undergo a similar procedure for his nagging rotator cuff injury, people would be flinging themselves off the Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge in desperation. Just as everyone believes the Patriots will now find a way to succeed despite any and all obstacles in their path, the vast majority of Red Sox Nation believes that utter disaster is lurking behind every corner.

It's said that Opening Day in baseball is a day in which all seems right with the world, a day when all teams are created equal and each one has a chance to win it all.

Well, in Boston, Opening Day has always been a very positive moment in the long, long baseball season. But now it has an extra special meaning.

It's now the day when the Patriots show up at Fenway Park, to remind everyone exactly what a winning team looks like.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com