Best New England sports team

Despite its 80 years without a world championship, and a still-harrowing 1986 World Series loss that might have forever broken the spirit of any other baseball team's fan base, the Red Sox remain the best-loved and most-revered institution in the city. Not that there aren't still some unresolved issues relating to the Buckner episode (one respondent wrote "You're joking" in the space for "Best New England sports team"), but bitterness and despair are as much a part of Red Sox tradition as the harsh yet witty remarks that punctuate home-game commentary in the bleachers at Fenway Park -- which, as everyone knows, is the single best place in the world to watch major-league baseball.

Foxboro Stadium -- home of the New England Patriots, the runner-up in this category -- doesn't quite elicit the same boast from fans of the team. What with the Patriots' Super Bowl appearance two years ago, their hotshot quarterback, and their strongest team in 10 years, some folks are clamoring for a new venue to replace the old, cramped quarters where the team presently kicks NFL ass. Perhaps another Super Bowl appearance this season will decide that question once and for all.

Boston Red Sox, 24 Yawkey Way, Boston, (617) 267-1700; New England Patriots, Route 1, Foxborough, 1-800-543-1776.