We love greater L.A.! Thanks to Rally Monkeys and Mighty Ducks, Anaheim-Los Angeles is TSN's 2003 Best Sports City. Who says you need the NFL?

Sporting News, The, August 18, 2003 by Bob Hille

Take a deep breath, then, Anaheim and Los Angeles. Take a last lingering, loving look at a remarkable 12 months on the field, ice and court. For even if things don't end as happily ever after this year, no one can take away the 12 months that were, most especially the San Francisco mayor.

Enjoy your place as the Best Sports City.

The Best of the NHL

St. Paul, Minn.

Hey, our best isn't always about being the best. The Twin Cities long have labored under the impression that amateur hockey is what Minnesota is all about. Though college and high school hockey, indeed, are huge draws, try this on for size, Gump Worsley-breath: The Wild has capped season-ticket sales at 16,500 in the 18,064-seat Xcel Energy Center. The team played to 102.4 percent of capacity last regular season. The Wild, playing a disciplined style of hockey, knocked the Avalanche out of the playoffs this year and gave fans an electric, seven-game upset of the Canucks in the second round. OK, so the Ducks swept the Wild in the Western Conference finals, Even In that defeat, Minnesota gets credit for awakening Anaheim's somnolent fan base.--B.H.

The Best of Major League Baseball

San Francisco

Back in the old days--you know, way back when it was predetermined which league would have the home team in Game 7 of the World Series--scarcely anyone envisioned an all-California World Series in which games would be played anywhere south of Dodger Stadium. But this is what you get when a shrewd general manager (Brian Sabean) hands the reins to a players manager (Dusty Baker or Felipe Alou) who pulls all the right strings on a multi-talented team (Barry Bonds in, Jeff Kent out) playing before more than 3 million knowledgeable and appreciative fans per season in baseball's most gorgeous stadium in one of the world's great cities. About the only thing to complain about when it comes to San Francisco and this Best Sports City year? Parking. But, hey, take a water taxi or take a hike.--B.H.

Battle of the 'burbs

Separate Anaheim from Los Angeles this year in our rankings, and L.A. wouldn't be No. 1 on the Best Sports City list. At the other end of the country, East Rutherford, N.J.--or, more aptly, the Meadowlands Sports Complex--has a similar Impact on New York's standing. Without the Devils' Stanley Cup run and the Nets' near miss in the NBA Finals, New York slides.

OK, so what happens if Anaheim goes head to head against East Rutherford?

We'll remove the NFL teams from the equation because they insist on calling themselves the New York Giants and the New York Jets, though they, too, play in Jersey (Giants Stadium). Let's get it on:

                                  East
                     Anaheim    Rutherford

Teams                    2           2

Regular-season         .603        .633
winning percentage

Regular-season         72.35      76.85
attendance *

Playoff berths           2          2

Postseason winning     .702       .682
percentage

Championships won        1          1

* Percent of capacity

--B.H.

The Best of College Football