Cleveland: City of Champions

Raise your hand if you ever thought you'd hear those four words said together.  But it's true.  It's great to be a Cleveland sports fan right now.  After waiting 50 years for a championship, they're on the verge of their second in a row.  LeBron gave the Cavs their long-awaited first-ever NBA title and now, four months later, the Indians are headed to the World Series.  Unfortunately, the Browns didn't get the memo.

It's weird that we're talking about Cleveland like this, but it wouldn't be the first time that a particular city has felt like the center of the sports world.  In fact, it's happened quite a few times that a city won back-to-back championships in the four major sports (Super Bowl/Stanley Cup, Stanley Cup/NBA, NBA/World Series, World Series/Super Bowl).  The last time was in 2009, when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup a few months after the Steelers won the Super Bowl.  Pittsburgh's not the only city that's had this kind of fun, though.  Almost every city that has multiple teams has enjoyed a time like this at least once.

Boston: Remember a few years ago when all four Boston teams were good and their fans got even more obnoxious?  Of course, the Patriots have been one of the NFL's elite teams for the last 15 years, winning four titles and losing to the Giants in two other Super Bowls.  In 2005, they won their second straight Super Bowl months after the Red Sox had their memorable 2004 championship.  The Red Sox have added two World Series wins since then (in 2007 and 2013), the first of which was followed by a Celtics title.  Oh yeah, and the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011 for good measure, making Boston the only city with a championship in each sport this millennium.

New York: We had a memorable spring of 1994 here in New York, when Madison Square Garden was being used for both the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals simultaneously.  With the number of teams that play in New York (both currently and in the past), it's not surprising that we've seen this on multiple occasions.  But New York teams haven't earned consecutive titles in 30 years.  Not since the Mets' 1986 World Series victory was followed by the Giants winning the Super Bowl in January 1987.

Los Angeles: After Magic and the Showtime Lakers won their second consecutive title in June 1988, the Dodgers won the World Series that October.  The Lakers also lost in the NBA Finals to the Celtics seemingly every year in the 1960s, when the Dodgers won two World Series and lost another.  The LA Sparks just won the WNBA championship, and the LA Galaxy are always in the mix for the MLS Cup, so a Dodgers World Series victory would put Los Angeles in Cleveland territory in terms of most successful sports cities right now.

Bay Area: People from San Francisco take no ownership of the Oakland teams and vice versa, but the A's run of three straight World Series appearances (one of which was against the Giants) corresponded with the end of the 49ers' dynasty.  The Earthquake Series came in the midst of the 49ers' run to a second straight Super Bowl title that would culminate in a 55-10 shellacking of the Broncos three months later.  The Giants and Warriors were also both the reigning champions in their respective sports for a few months last year. 

Baltimore: This one goes back a-ways, but it still counts.  Baltimore's Memorial Stadium was the place to be in 1970.  The Orioles dynasty was at its peak.  After being upset by the Mets in '69, they defeated the Reds that fall.  Then in January 1971, the Colts beat the Cowboys in the first post-merger Super Bowl.

Philadelphia: A city doesn't necessarily need to win the championships it plays for to be a part of this party.  Take Philadelphia.  The Phillies won the World Series for the first time in 1980, then the Eagles made their first Super Bowl appearance in January 1981.  Same thing in 1983.  The Sixers won the NBA title, then the Phillies were back in the World Series, where they lost to Baltimore.

New Jersey: The state where the Giants and Jets play used to have two teams to call its own (a number that has since been reduced to one).  In 2003, they were both playing in the Finals at the same time.  The Devils won the Stanley Cup, while the Nets lost to the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Believe it or not, despite having two baseball teams and one in each of the other sports, Chicago's never even had two teams in the finals in the same year.  Although, considering the history of the five Chicago sports teams, it does make sense.  Jordan's Bulls won their six titles in eight years in the 90s and the Blackhawks have had their recent Stanley Cup runs, but Chicago's never really had two of its teams be good at the same time.

Chicago isn't alone, though.  Dallas?  Nope.  The Avalanche and Broncos kind of overlapped in the mid-90s, but not enough for Denver to make a claim.  Same thing with Phoenix, which only has one championship period courtesy of the 2001 Diamondbacks.  Ditto with Houston.  Two titles for the Rockets and that's it.  Minnesota came close with the 1991 North Stars (who now play in Dallas) and Twins, but the Vikings haven't been to the Super Bowl in 45 years and the Timberwolves struggle to even make the playoffs.  Washington, Miami, Milwaukee?  All in the same boat as the others.

So, while it's not completely unheard of, it's not as if this happens regularly, either.  In other words, enjoy it Cleveland.  Because it really doesn't matter whether the Indians win or lose.  Your city is the center of the sports world right now.  A point that will be made even more clear on Tuesday night, when the Indians host Game 1 of the World Series while LeBron and Friends get their rings and see their banner raised next door.  Now THAT'S going to be a memorable night.