by Alejandro de los Rios

So the good folks over at ESPN the Magazine just can’t seem to give the Crescent City enough love. First their was the Tyson Chandler/Jannero Pargo video (/cough/shamless plug!/cough/) and now there’s two completely (?) unrelated rankings that put New Orleans in the top three of U.S. cities and pro sports teams.

The first, TheMag.com’s All-World Power Rankings put up yesterday puts New Orleans in first place above angry bears and referee morality, which is always nice.

The second is from the print edition of the Magazine (on newsstands now!) which features the New Orleans Hornets as No. 3 in its annual “Ultimate Standings: Fan Satisfaction Rankings.” From the Web site:

Budding star Chris Paul and his ‘mates sure help. And so do promotions like Guys Night Out Wednesdays ($44 for two tix, two beers, postgame photo with a pair of Honeybees) and Friends and Family Weekend Packs ($77 for four tix, four hot dogs, four chips, four 7-Ups). And while New Orleans Arena has a blah color scheme and mediocre amenities, management makes up for it with bobbleheads, free jerseys and the occasional $1 brewski. “The people of New Orleans don’t really need an excuse to party so you know we get into it,” says Hitley.

And yes, that Hitley they quote is none other than Ron Hitley over at Hornets247.com, making this all the more sweeter. Now if the Hornets would only give Hitley and other bloggers (that don’t contribute for ESPN the Magazine) a press pass, it might catapult them to No. 1 in next year’s rankings.