Quick Hit: Sporting News Names Boston Best Sports City

So I get home and I see the cover of the Aug. 12 Sporting News staring up at me.

"BOSTON BEST SPORTS CITY"

I think, "Well, no duh! That's like wicked obvious!"

Ah, but the thing is: Boston is the first city to repeat as best sports city since TSN expanded its rankings in 1997, when their new formula was supposed to keep the same cities from topping the list year after year. And now, much like the New England Patriots, the City of Boston is on top three out of four years -- not coincidentally following the Patriots' three Super Bowl wins.

Among Boston's highlights are, of course, the Pats third Bowl win and the Red Sox first World Series Championship in 86 years. TSN also points out that the Celtics made the playoffs, Boston College played in a BSC bowl and the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments. Then there are the annual events like the Beanpot hockey tournament, the Boston Marathon and the Head of Charles Regatta, etc., etc., etc.

I don't know. There are 388 cities in the TSN rankings. I saw Manchester, New Hampshire, in there (No. 265) and Lowell, Massachusetts (No. 284). I didn't see Foxboro, but it was on another page listing the Best of Boston under "Best sports suburb." I guess since Foxboro doesn't have any nearby colleges to speak of or any of the other criteria, it can't really be a city. Besides, all they have are the Patriots, right?

Can you believe it? Seven pages of Boston (and Foxboro) this-and-that and not ONE mention of the New England Revolution? Correct me if I'm wrong (you'll find that to be fairly rare), the Revs have made the MLS playoffs the last three years and were in the championship game in 2002. And with the NHL locked out for an entire season, how could you possibly overlook them? Jon Meterparel will not be pleased.

This year we're looking for the Sox to repeat, which I'm sure will leave Boston as the only city to have back-to-back World Series and Super Bowl winners, and then the Pats will play about 20 one-game-at-a-times. The rest is all just drawn butta drippin off ah lobsta.

It's really not news to us anyway. I mean, three years out of four? This is the Hub of the Universe. When has Boston NOT been the best sports city?