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| Associated Press |
| Chicago and Baltimore have long NFL histories, but which one comes out on top? |
The collective fan bases in Chicago and Baltimore can breathe easy, as Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte and Baltimore Ravens running back Ray rice signed long-term deals on Monday. Good news for two of the better fans bases in the NFL.
And while most people are trying to figure out which team got the best deal, I wonder which city has the edge when it comes to football, food and pop culture. The only way to decide this one, is to take it to the grid.
And without further ado â¦
| City: | Chicago | Baltimore | Give it to ... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Football team: | Chicago Bears | Baltimore Ravens | Push. I'm from L.A.; I'm just envious of any city which has an NFL team. |
| Greatest moment on the Gridiron: | Super Bowl XX | Super Bowl XXV | Push. I should have included a nod to Jim O'Brien, but I'm still looking at Super Bowl XXXV. |
| Best defense: | The 1986 Bears | The 2000 Ravens | Baltimore. Many forget this, but it was the 1986 Bears who once set the NFL record for fewest points scored in the season. That was the team the Ravens topped in 2000. |
| But what happened to? | The 1986 Bears | The 1969 Baltimore Colts | Baltimore. The Bears' loss in 1986 wasn't too shocking considering Jim McMahon was knocked out because of a cheap shot. But the Colts upset loss in Super Bowl III still lingers. |
| Seemed like a good idea at the time: | Super Bowl Shuffle | Joe Flacco's mustache | Push. Both were for charity. |
| Gone but not forgotten: | Chicago Cardinals | Baltimore Colts | Baltimore. The lasting of those Mayflower moving trucks still haunt Baltimore, while the Cardinals' stint in Chicago is actually forgotten by everybody outside of Charley Trippi's family. |
| NFL titles: | 11 | Four | Chicago. Even the Cardinals chipped in with a pair of titles. If you want to include the Colts NFL title in 1969 (they lost to the Jets in Super Bowl III), that's cool. Still doesn't make it any closer. |
| Coach: | George Halas, Mike Ditka | Don Shula | Chicago |
| Total sports titles: | 26 | 8 | Chicago |
| Claim to fame, greatest of all time (football): |  Walter Payton |
 Johnny Unitas |
Push. Yeah, it's really hard to make a case against either guy. |
| Claim to fame, greatest of all time (non-football): | Michael Jordan | Cal Ripken Jr. | Chicago. Even if you want to include Michael Phelps for Baltimore, this easily swings to Chicago's favor. |
| Great ballpark: | Wrigley Field | Camden Yards | Chicago. It's a classic against one designed to look classic. The true tragedy was tearing down Comiskey Park, which was much better than in some ways to Wrigley. |
| Still vilified: | Steve Bartman | Robert Irsay | Baltimore. Leave the poor Bartman kid alone. He wasn't the only one going for the foul ball. |
| TV Show: | "Good Times" | "The Wire" | Baltimore. Confession: I've never seen "The Wire," but people are crazy for the show. |
| Actor: |  John Belushi, Steve Carrell, John Cusak, and Harrison Ford |
 David Hasselhoff |
Baltimore. Just kidding. Wanted to make sure you were still paying attention. This goes to Chicago. |
| Movie based in the city: | "The Untouchables" | "Hairspray" | Chicago |
| Music: | Nat King Cole, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy and Eddie Vedder | David Byrne and Ric Ocasek | Don't say it -- "but Kayne is from Chicago." Yes, but Chicago still wins despite this. |
| Wrestler: | CM Punk | Nikoli Volkoff | Chicago. Volkoff was technically from Yugoslavia, but he's spent time in Baltimore. But you're not going to beat the "Best in the World." |
| Food: | Deep-dish pizza, hot dogs | Crab cakes | Chicago |
All right, let's stop at the food (obviously something close to my heart). Baltimore puts up a valiant fight, but Chicago wins this one going away, despite having to claim James Belushi and "According to Jim."
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