BOSTON
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IF BOSTON IS CITY OF CHAMPS, NEW YORK IS CITY OF ALSO-RANS

ForsbergBy Gordon Edes
ESPNBoston.com
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Andrew, you surprise me. You're too clever to be roped into championing lost causes. I do not use the word "champion" lightly, of course. I won't embarrass you by rattling off all the titles that have kept the duck boats churning regularly down the Charles River, while your, ahem, Canyon of Heroes has been exposed as just another place for tourists to experience Manhattan gridlock.

Every Boston team has played for a championship since 2004, and the Patriots, Red Sox (twice), Celtics and Bruins have all won. That makes six Super Bowls in the last 15 years for the Patriots, which equals the number of Super Bowls New York teams have ever played, and you have two teams. And you wonder why Bill Belichick quit on his first day on the job as Jets head coach?

Since 2001, the Yankees have spent just under $2 billion and have one title to show for it. Where did they learn that business plan, from Lehman Brothers? And the Mets? You don't really want to go there, do you? Boston fans used to hate the Mets because of '86. Now they just pity them.

In fact, every Boston professional sports team has outperformed its New York counterpart over the last decade. Even if you combine the Jets and Giants and Yankees and Mets, the Patriots and Red Sox have won more titles than all four of those New York teams combined since 2001. Anyone who argues New York is a better sports town than Boston just doesn't have a leg to stand on.

But we haven't even come to the truly great separator between Boston and New York as sports towns, which has nothing to do with their fans, which we can agree are rough equals when it comes to passion, knowledge and yes, obnoxiousness. Two words: James Dolan. He is the gold standard for incompetent, ego-driven franchise-killing ownership. And not just one team, but two, the Rangers and Knicks. Our bad owners, we let them go to other cities and ruin teams, like Frank McCourt did with the Dodgers.

I suppose you're going to bring up the Red Sox collapse last September. I wouldn't go there, if I were you. Not when Boston fans can point to 2004 and the ultimate choke job. Bogie always had Paris. Boston will always have that celebration in the Bronx.

Gordon Edes covers the Red Sox for ESPNBoston.com.

BOSTON? BOOOOORRRRIIIINNNNNGGGG!

Andrew MarchandBy Andrew Marchand
ESPNNewYork.com
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Gordon, we are bigger and bolder. There are no dreary nights in New York sports. We are a tabloid town and our sports are made for the back pages and for instantaneous sites like this one.

Look at the boldface names we boast, from Alex Rodriguez to Rex Ryan to Carmelo Anthony. We are always a destination for big-time athletes who want the brightest spotlight.

We never say, "Nothing is going on tonight." There is always a smoldering, bar stool conversation to be had with a home team on TV every night. The emphasis is on every night.

We are more robust than your little town, so it is never quiet here.

While there are games every other week, on average, at Fenway Park, we have a baseball game every day in two new stadiums. Every night.

It is like that in the winter, too, with hockey and basketball. You have two pro teams. They are both winners, but we have five teams (Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders and Devils) to pick from and we still have our Garden.

So even without better teams, we are a better sports town. If our teams actually won like yours, then this wouldn't even be worth the pixels.

Let's be honest: For the most part these days, New York is a sports town filled with loser teams. We don't win many championships.

Yes, the Yankees are the most successful American sports team in history. The Giants are again in the Bowl and could add a fourth Lombardi to their collection.

But after that? Come on. New Yorkers can't kid themselves. Our teams don't win it all. We can lay claim to the Devils, I guess, but the Rangers have won once since 1940. If you are 37 years old or younger, you have never been alive for a Knicks or a Jets championship. Since the Nets moved from the ABA to the NBA, the "N" has stood for "Nada" in terms of titles.

Still, there are great stories every day in our town. There is always drama. An A-Rod or a Rex keeps us entertained in our 24-7 news cycle.

We are not only bigger, but bolder. And we can pronounce our Rs.

Andrew Marchand covers the Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com.

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