Because I’m bored, let’s follow-up that Josh Hamilton post with a survey of each Major League Baseball city to see what sport -- using my totally subjective There Can Only Be One criteria -- reigns supreme in each city. Which team, if the city could vote and only keep one, would stay:
- New York: High school hoops has a rich history, but professionally I think baseball. Specifically Yankees. Anyone really disagree?
- Boston: Probably the most “all sports” town on the list, but I’d have to say Sox.
- Toronto: Leafs, Leafs, Leafs, Leafs.
- Baltimore: For a long time baseball, but I do a lot of sports radio in Baltimore and it seems like the Ravens have dominated for years. And really, before the 80s, the Colts probably did too.
- Tampa Bay: Who knows? Anyone? Not the Rays, that’s for sure. Probably the Bucs. More probably shuffleboard and bocce ball.
- Detroit: Great baseball town, but they seem to live and die with the Wings more. My relatives who live there all do anyway. I could be persuaded that Detroit is primarily a baseball town, though.
- Cleveland: Browns. By far. Even when they didn’t exist for a few years.
- Chicago: This is an interesting one. I feel like it’s a Bears city, but I’d like to hear arguments on it. Walking around there in the summer and the city just reeks baseball, so it’s probably closer than I imagine.
- Kansas City: They don’t tailgate for the Royals like they do for the Chiefs and that’s not for lack of a parking lot.
- Minneapolis: I assume the Vikings. Gleeman should weigh in, though. Youth hockey may trump it all.
- Seattle: I really don’t know, but given that they’ve sent away a baseball team and a basketball team to other cities in the past, the Seahawks probably by default.
- Oakland: Kind of weird because (a) they’re so close to San Francisco; and (b) the people who dress up and act insane for Raiders games all probably live outside of Oakland, but based just on what you see, the Raiders.
- Houston: Texas = football. Even with the Oilers leaving.
- Los Angeles: It’s a status city and good Lakers tickets have to be pretty high up there as far as status symbols go.
- Dallas: Cowboys could go 1-15 and the Rangers could win the series and it’s still a Cowboys city.
- Atlanta: Probably college football more than anything, but the Falcons pretty obviously trump the Braves. I think, as far as local support goes, it’s probably more of a front-running town than anything.
- Philadelphia: I really don’t know. All sports, to be sure. But it may very well be a baseball town more. There are no shortage of Philly people here, so you tell me. Gun to my head I say the Phillies and Eagels are close, but I don’t know if that’s been the case for all that long a time.
- Washington: It begins and ends with the Redskins and anyone who tells you differently is an insane person.
- Miami: Well, I don’t think it’s controversial to say it’s not the Marlins. Dolphins all the time, the Heat are a big deal when they’re good.
- St. Louis: Maybe the most baseball town of them all, even if I think that Best Fans in Baseball Thing is silly.
- Cincinnati: I think it’s a Reds town. I don’t know too many people here in Ohio who disagree.
- Milwaukee: It’s over 100 miles to Green Bay, but I bet it’s still more Packers than Brewers. If you disqualify the Packers for distance it’s the Brewers by default. Still a great baseball town, though. It’s not the Brewers fault that people go Packers crazy.
- Pittsburgh: A good baseball town to be sure, but it’s the Steelers by far. They’ve become a regional thing, even. It stretches well into Ohio and many points north, south and east as well.
- San Francisco: I think the Giants have to be it, at least since they moved to AT&T Park. And now the 49ers are moving out of the city, so it’ll probably become more pronounced.
- San Diego: My brother isn’t the most reliable narrator in the world but he’s lived in San Diego for almost 20 years and says the Chargers are it. Having gone to a lot of Padres games I have to agree with him.
- Denver: Broncos, Broncos, Broncos.
- Phoenix: I really have no idea. Like, no sense at all. The Suns have tenure, obviously, but I’m not sure what that means. Spring training makes the whole city basebally for a while. I know people get behind the Dbacks when they win. Man, I’m rather stumped on Phoenix.
So that’s my take. Talk amongst yourselves.