Yankees are America's Team

More evidence of George Steinbrenner's legacy: A Harris poll of 2,227 adults conducted last month found that the Yankees are the favorite team of more Americans than any other for the eighth year in a row.

Second: the Red Sox, naturally.

The rest of the top six included the Braves, Phillies, Cubs and Mets, who were up from 11th last year to sixth.

The Blue Jays finished last, but that's a little unfair given that only Americans were polled. The Marlins were last among U.S.-based teams.

Overall, 36 percent of Americans said they follow MLB, down from 41 last year.

The regional divide in the sport's following is dramatic: 48 percent of Easterners said they follow the sport compared to only 29 percent of Southerners.

Speaking of the Mets' popularity, their games have averaged 3.3 percent of New York-area homes through the break on SNY, a high for the network.

YES is down modestly for Yankees games compared to last year at this time, averaging 4.38 vs. 4.63.