We're No. 8! And we feel ... great?

It's the spot where USC sits in most of the college football polls this week.
But that's not what we're talking about.
The Sporting News did its annual "Best Sports Cities" ranking. Boston, which is full of beans right now, finished No. 1, for the third time in five years.
Los Angeles ... settled for No. 8.
"The great thing about Los Angeles, as a mover and shaker in the business pointed out to me, is that you've got such iconic teams: the Dodgers, Lakers, USC football and UCLA basketball. It's just a great sports city," said Sporting News Chief of Correspondents Bob Hille, who has coordinated the rankings since their expansion 12 years ago.
There are 400 cities (and a few towns) in the U.S. and Canada ranked on the number of teams, their regular-season won-lost records, playoff berths, bowl appearances and tournament bids; championships; power ratings; competition; fan fervor; attendance; stadium/arena quality; ticket prices/availability; franchise ownership; and marquee appeal of athletes.
"When the teams in your city are doing well, you feel good about where you live, not just as a sports fan but as a citizen," Hille said.
Do we feel great about No. 8?
That's the debate.
As for the rest of the Top 10 (a link to the whole list here):

1. Boston
2. Detroit (plus Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Mich.)
3. Dallas-Fort Worth
4. New York
5. Philadelphia
6. Phoenix (plus Tempe)
7. Denver (plus Boulder)
8. Los Angeles (minus Anaheim)
9. Chicago (plus Evanston)
10. Washington

In the past, L.A. was in fact linked to Anaheim, before the Angels got good and then it look as if Anaheim was carrying L.A.

In this list, Anaheim ranks No. 17; San Jose (with Palo Alto and Santa Clara, but not San Francisco/Oakland) is No. 21; San Diego is No. 27; Oakland (with Berkeley) is No. 36; San Francisco is No. 49 (seems appropriate); Sacramento is No. 52; Las Vegas is No. 96; Fullerton is No. 145; Santa Barbara is No. 157; Irvine is No. 180; San Luis Obispo is No. 217; Riverside is No. 245; Bakersfield is No. 258; Fontana is No. 276; La Quinta is No. 301; Carlsbad is No. 309; Monterey is No. 310; Napa is No. 343; Lancaster is No. 346; Lake Elsinore is No. 351; Rancho Cucamonga is No. 355 and San Bernardino is No. 359.
Burlington, N.C. is last at No. 400.

No Long Beach? Maybe they're lumped in with L.A., but if you consider the fact there is both a Golden League Baseball team as well as a stong university and a slew of talented athletes who've come from there... something's amiss.

The full list and an expanded explanation will come out in The Sporting News' Oct. 13 issue, which hits the newsstands Wednesday.