The Sports Corner

Cities of champions?

It has only been for just two years, but there seems to be a developing annual trend of winning cities.

And we’re not just talking about one sport.

This year is a no-brainer, as Pittsburgh would definitely claim a Cities of Champions award if there was one. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup, while the Steelers won the Superbowl.

If you throw in the State, you can add the Philadelphia Phillies to that list as they won the most recent World Series title.

There just might be a little too much celebrating in Pennsylvania this past year

Now limiting this down to the four pro-team sports -and just in case you are confused, it’s the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL- there have been certain cities which has stood out in the athletic world as of late.

Last year would have been the year of Boston, as the Celtics earned their first NBA Championship title since 1986 while the Boston Red Sox won their second World Series in four years to bump their all-time total titles to 11.

Throw in the New England Patriots, who lost their only game of the entire season in the Super Bowl finals, and the start of a successful regular season by the Bruins, and Boston-ians really had lots to cheer about in 2007-2008.

Although they might not have a specific year to themselves, Detroit has had plenty reasons to celebrate over this decade. The Detroit Pistons went to the finals back-to-back in 2004 and 2005, with them winning the first time around. The Red Wings have always been dominant in the regular season and playoffs, winning the Stanley Cup in 2002 and 2007.

The Detroit Tigers made it to the World Series finals in 2006 before losing 4-1 to St. Louis, while the Lions, well, they were forgettable.

Chicago had somewhat of a stretched out celebration as well with the White Sox winng the World Series in 2005, while the Bears made it to the Super Bowl, losing in 2007.

If you want to make this a State-wide consideration, think big, think Texas with the Spurs (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007), Mavericks (runner-up 2006), Stars (1999, runner-up 2000) and Astros (runner-up 2005).

Or California with Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002, runner-up 2004, runner-up 2008, 2009), Ducks (runner-up 2003, 2007), Angels (2002), and Raiders (runner-up 2003).

Keeping it within the city is pretty tough to do, but certain places produce champions. Having said that, which city will have the best chance at winning multiple championships next year?

Let’s hear your predictions