Your ‘best’ sports cities for 2009-10: L.A., third (behind Chicago and … Boston!) … but Lancaster is still better than Wappingers Falls, N.Y.

A single championship does not a best sports city make, says The Sporting News in naming its annual “Best Sports Cities” ranking (linked here).

Meaning, New Orleans’ Super Bowl, or Chicago’s Stanley Cup victory … or the Lakers’ repeat NBA title … isn’t a deal breaker.

But what did Boston win again to push it past L.A. into the No. 2 spot on this year’s ranking?

The list, which goes from summer 2009 to summer 2010, is based on point values assigned to various categories, including but not limited to won-lost records, postseason appearances, applicable power ratings, number of teams and attendance.

So it goes for the Top 50 (it goes all the way to Yakama at No. 402):

1. Chicago + Evanston
2. Boston
3. Los Angeles
4. Philadelphia
5. Dallas + Fort Worth

6. New York
7. Phoenix + Tempe
8. Atlanta
9. Denver + Boulder
10. Detroit+ Ann Arbor + Ypsilanti

11. Miami
12. Pittsburgh
13. Minneapolis + St. Paul
14. Houston
15. Indianapolis

16. Cincinnati
17. Salt Lake City
18. Nashville
19. San Jose + Palo Alto + Santa Clara
20. Washington

21. San Diego
22. New Orleans

23. Anaheim
24. Orlando
25. Raleigh + Durham + Chapel Hill

26. St. Louis
27. Tampa + St. Petersburg
28. Cleveland
29. Baltimore
30. Charlotte

31. Oklahoma City + Norman
32. San Francisco
33. Seattle
34. Milwaukee
35. Buffalo

36. San Antonio
37. Oakland + Berkeley
38. Columbus
39. Vancouver
40. Portland

41. Tuscaloosa, Ala.
42. Green Bay
43. Austin, Texas
44. Toronto
45. Montreal

46. Ottawa
47. Memphis
48. Calgary
49. Jacksonville
50. Gainesville, Fla.

Others:
52. Sacramento
100. Fresno
136. Moraga, Calif.
146. Stockton, Calif.
152. Santa Barbara
197. Riverside

201. Davis
203. San Luis Obispo
268. Fontana (ahead of Loudon, N.H., Martinsville, Va., Talladega, Ala., Augusta, Ga., and Bristol, Tenn., Brooklyn, Mich., Darlington, S.C., and Watkins Glen, N.Y., if it matters).
283. Sonoma

310. Carlsbad
316. La Quinta
317. Monterey
320. Palm Springs
344. Napa
347. Adelanto
350. Modesto
358. Lake Elsinore
360. Visalia
361. Rancho Cucamonga
367. San Bernardino