The rest of the best

Sporting News, The, June 30, 1997

Minuses: Kirby Puckett, player; the Humpty-dumpty Dome; Gophers football; no NHL team `til the 21st century; late spring/early fall.

The Dish: Clem the Gem helps the Twin Cities jump into the Top 20, even with the "we're in, we're out" hockey thing.

1995: 30 1994: 26 1993: 21

19. Salt Lake City

Pluses: Stockton and The Mailman"; Runnin' Utes hoops; the Wasatch range.

Minuses: The ratings Golden Sombrero -- no NFL, NHL or MLB team. Enough said.

The Dish: We like Keith Van Horn and love Rick Majerus (and we rated Provo on its own), so if it weren't for the sweet jazz this season, Salt Lake City would fall faster than you could say, "One-team town."

1995: 29 1994: -- 1993: --

20. Milwaukee

Pluses: Packer Backers (but don't let it go to your cheeseheads); Ray Allen; brats and beer; "Scrapiron" Garner; Cheese League football within an easy drive.

Minuses: Bud Selig, commish pro tem; no NHL team; the Bucks; County Stadium; early fall/late spring.

The Dish: The ripple effect of the Pack's title helps buoy a city that has no skaters, wins with mirrors in baseball and is stuck in neutral in basketball.

1995: 23 1994: 22 1993: 23

TSN's BEST SPORTS CITIES

5 TO WATCH

Some cities flare high in the ranking and flame out quickly. You may have noticed Charleston, S.C., comes in at 24. That's genteel nod to Charleston's outstanding college basketball season, when that Southern city of 300,000 landed two teams in the 64-team men's NCAA Tournament.

Who then should we pinpoint in a group of climbers and shakers, contenders to unseat Denver as the Best Sports City in 1998? Here's our best Sports City in 1998? Here's our best guess:

CITY                   '97 RANKING           THE SKINNY

Miami                            3   If those coaches -- Jimmy
                                     Johnson, Pat Riley and Jim
                                     Leyland -- are as good as
                                     their salaries, you can expect
                                     big things from South Florida.

Detroit                          6   Bobby Ross coaching Barry
                                     Sanders; Grant Hill's Pistons
                                     and Stevie Y's Red Wings are
                                     back. If the Tigers get it
                                     together and UM stays clear of

Baltimore-Washington             7   The house that Jack Built
                                     opens; the O's push for a
                                     Worlds pull a few tricks out
                                     of their pointed hats?

Phoenix                         14   Hello MLB; now if the existing
                                     franchises can just get it
                                     together.

Minneapolis-St. Paul            18   The NHL returns; that vaults
                                     the Twin Cities back into
                                     four-sport territory. Now all
                                     they have to do is win more
                                     games.