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No. 7 New England Patriots
How does a team that missed the playoffs the previous season (granted they were just the second 11—5 team in NFL history to do so) rank as the seventh best team right now in America? Two words: Tom Brady.
Actually, the return of what many New Englanders believe may be a superhero, isn't the only reason the Patriots make the list. Add a plethora of Belichick offseason moves, a draft most experts would rank in the top five, and a new sense of purpose, and you've got a team with some big goals.
No. 6 Los Angeles Dodgers
The National League leading Dodgers slide into sixth with the best record in all of baseball. With a run differential of plus 82 (also best in baseball), the Dodgers have to be one of the World Series favorites right now.
If they can keep it up, LA might be bragging about two titles by the end of the year.
No. 5 Boston Red Sox
If the Dodgers have the best record in baseball why aren't they ahead of the Sox? Well, Boston leads the American league and is nipping on the Dodgers heels for the best record. The decision to put the Sox above LA is based mostly on the question: what have you done for me lately?
Boston is 11—3 in June while the Dodgers are 8—5. With that said, they're both pretty good clubs and a Boston—LA World Series isn't crazy.
No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers
While the Vegas odds makers think the Patriots are the best team, (and they may be right) it's the Steelers that rank as the highest NFL team here. The defending champs will look very familiar next season as they try and repeat.
It won't be easy, but the Steelers are for real and should be in any Super Bowl conversation for 2010.
No. 3 Florida Gators
You'd have to do some pretty thorough Google searching to find a college football poll ranking the Gators anywhere but number one. And why not, Florida returns almost every member of last year's dominating defense as well as that guy named Tim Tebow.
Besides a trip to Death Valley, not much stands in the Gators way of what could be an undefeated national championship run, though nobody will have a bigger target on the back than Florida.
No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins
The Stanley Cup champs grab the number two spot thanks to Max Talbot's two game seven goals. Oh, and the stellar play of stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, in one of the best NHL playoffs in years.
Pittsburgh's young talent will ensure the Penguins are a force to be reckoned with for years to come. There's no reason to believe they couldn't be playing in their third straight Stanley Cup in 2010.
No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers
Say what you will about Kobe and the Lakers, you don't have to like them, but you should respect their game at least. The NBA champions claim the top spot not only because they're the most recent champion among the major North American team sports—they clinched the title in just five games, playing three of those five on the road.
The Lakers should contend for a several more years if they can keep the pieces together, but a newly playoff—hardened Orlando, a Cleveland team set on making a key addition, and the return of Kevin Garnett to the Celtics won't make it easy. Never mind just getting past the talented and deep Western Conference.
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