Cross-sport champions: Hubs 19-24
In my exercise at finding the best city/hub in pro sports, it’s obviously theoretical, because the connected teams aren’t actually working together toward a defined goal. The Mavericks probably root for the Rangers out of local, civic pride, but the Rangers’ success doesn’t do anything for the Mavs or vice-versa.
So my ranking of the hubs this week is entirely for fun. But then what’s wrong with a little fun? (Check out the progress so far with a breakdown of the little game from Sunday, and then the bottom six hubs from Monday.) Today I’m looking at the hubs that were bad but not the worst, a bunch of teams that might have been on the fringe of playoff conversation, maybe they made the first round, in a couple of cases they even won a playoff game or two. But there were no unified contenders across all four sports in a hub in these groupings.
A reminder: The results are the teams’ combined winning percentages, with arbitrary boosts based on playoff success (from 0.01 for just making the playoffs to 0.16 to winning the title). Hockey teams get no boost for overtime games (you win or you lose), football teams get a half-win and a half-loss for ties. There’s no better way to do it that I can think of.
24. Dallas Buyers Club (Dallas combined result: 0.494)
Dallas Cowboys: 8-8
Texas Rangers: 78-84
Dallas Mavericks: 33-49
Dallas Stars: 43-39
Bonus awarded: 0.02 for Stars’ second-round playoff loss
The Cowboys were .500, the Rangers six games under, the Stars four games over. So Dallas was just about as average as it could be … except for the Mavs awful year. The team was doing much better in this season, but since this exercise calls for the most recent completed seasons, I couldn’t count that. The good news for Dallas is the Mavs should be pretty good going forward, the Stars are still good, the Cowboys are improving, and the Rangers … are also there.
23. Major League (Cleveland combined result: 0.502)
Cleveland Browns: 6-10
Cleveland Indians: 93-69
Cleveland Cavaliers: 19-63
Columbus Blue Jackets: 47-35
Bonus awarded: 0.02 for Blue Jackets’ second-round playoff loss
The Browns were hugely disappointing. The Indians, despite 93 wins, were disappointing as well (seriously guys, just try to put together some outfield and you sail into the playoffs). The Blue Jackets were fine. Really, though, it’s just the Cavs pulling this hub way, way, way down, and while the Cavs were better in this season before it got held up (already to 19 wins in 17 fewer games!), they were still the second-worst team in the NBA when everything shut down.
22. Hoosiers (Indianapolis combined result: 0.504)
Indianapolis Colts: 7-9
San Diego Padres: 70-92
Indiana Pacers: 48-34
Montreal Canadiens: 44-38
Bonus awarded: 0.01 for Pacers’ playoff appearance
The respective leagues got to 16 and 162 games for their schedules independently, as far as I know, but I do enjoy the poetry of each NFL game being worth essentially 10 MLB games, so “7-9” and “70-92” run so parallel, and I’ll miss that when the NFL goes to 17 and MLB eventually cuts back down to 144 or so. Anyway, the Indianapolis hub is utterly unremarkable in every way, which makes it so very Indianapolis that I feel like the writers room needs to take this back for a rewrite. Too on the nose.
21. 25th Hour (New York 1 combined result: 0.505)
New York Jets: 7-9
New York Yankees: 103-59
New York Knicks: 17-65
New York Rangers: 32-50
Bonus awarded: 0.04 for Yankees’ third-round playoff loss
Good lord, imagine this group without the Yankees. You remember how LeBron dragged several awful Cavs teams into the playoffs and to the finals all on his own some years? That’s the Yankees holding their teammates up. Without them, New York 1 would have a .311 combined score and be comically last.
20. Fences (Pittsburgh combined result: 0.514)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-8
Pittsburgh Pirates: 69-93
San Antonio Spurs: 48-34
Pittsburgh Penguins: 44-38
Bonus awarded: 0.01 for Spurs’ playoff appearance; 0.01 for Penguins’ playoff appearance
The Spurs were doing far worse in the current season before things all shut down, but then the Steelers should be a good bit better with Ben Roethlisberger back, so that should balance out. The Penguins being better and the Pirates being worse could balance out fairly well also, so the Pittsburgh contingent could fare about as well in the next season as it did in this most recent one.
T18. Country Strong (Nashville combined result: 0.522)
Tennessee Titans: 9-7
Chicago White Sox: 72-89
Memphis Grizzlies: 33-49
Nashville Predators: 47-35
Bonus awarded: 0.04 for Titans’ third-round playoff loss; 0.01 for Predators’ playoff appearance
The Titans didn’t make a grand contribution in the regular season, but their playoff run really salvaged thing for an otherwise-unremarkable hub. The White Sox could be much improved going forward, and the Grizzlies are improving as well, but there isn’t a real title contender in this grouping.