Super Bowl Fever Grips Hub!

And the hands doing the gripping belong to Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, whose outsized mitts were the subject of a story in Thursday’s New York Times (an honorary local daily by way of its New England edition).

From the Times:

Gronkowski’s Hands Are Key to His Success

INDIANAPOLIS — The legend of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski includes the most scrutinized left ankle in town, a nickname befitting a caveman, and hands as large as a cereal box. Or a laptop. Or a legal pad.

From thumb to pinkie, Gronkowski’s hands measure 10 ¾ inches — nearly as long as a football.

Graphic:

But, wait – the Boston Globe has its hand up with this this piece:

Giants’ Hakeem Nicks may be a handful for Patriots

When it comes to the tools of his trade, Nicks has a little something extra on the competition

The dead-tree edition of the Globe also includes a lifesize graphic of Nicks’s hand, but for some reason the web edition doesn’t.

Regardless.

How strange is that: The New York broadsheet features a Patriot’s hands, while the Boston broadsheet features a Giants’ hands.

Thursday’s Boston Herald, meanwhile, had no hand in the hand coverage.

Making the feisty local tabloid – you’ll excuse the expression – the hands-down loser in this instance.