Tale of the tape: Seattle or Pittsburgh - which city is better?

Rock/pop stars

Pittsburgh:

Christina Aguilera

Seattle:

Take your pick — Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Heart, Alice in Chains, Queensryche ...

The edge goes to:

If this game had been played 60 years ago, Perry Como (born in nearby Canonsburg, Pa.) would have given Pittsburgh the advantage. But, in 2006, there's a guy who hasn't showered in two weeks playing his guitar outside EMP right now who could take this category for Seattle.

Baseball

Pittsburgh:

The Pirates were 67-95 last season.

The Mariners were 69-93.

The edge goes to:

Hey Bud, could you move the Pirates to the AL West? The Pirates have more tradition, of course, but they haven't had a winning season since 1992, back when Barry Bonds was skinny.

Seattle wins, Seattle wins.

Pro basketball

Pittsburgh:

The Xplosion plays in the ABA. Back in the original ABA's glory years, the great Connie Hawkins played for the Pittsburgh Pipers.

Seattle:

Sonics are struggling this season, but Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis (and lately, Luke Ridnour) are worth watching. And the Storm could probably give the Xplosion a good game.

The edge goes to:

Seattle, but Xplosion forward Armon Gilliam, at age 41 and out of the NBA for six years, is probably still better than any of the Sonics' big men.

Favorite kiddie show host

Pittsburgh:

Fred "Mister" Rogers

Seattle:

J.P. Patches

The edge goes to:

Tough luck for Seattle, going against the only city in America that could have beaten the beloved J.P. Patches. This one hurts, but, edge to Pittsburgh .

College graduate who starred in '60s sitcom

Pittsburgh:

Barbara Feldon, Carnegie Mellon grad, Agent 99 on "Get Smart"

Seattle:

Dawn Wells, UW grad, Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island"

The edge goes to:

Couldn't go wrong with either choice here, but "Get Smart" was the better show, so the slightest possible edge goes to Pittsburgh .

Rivers

Pittsburgh:

Monongahela. Allegheny. Ohio.

Seattle:

Does the Duwamish count?

The edge goes to:

Pittsburgh takes this one by about the same margin Seattle won the battle of the bands.

Sounds

Pittsburgh:

Seattleites don't really understand what confluence means; Pittsburghers don't know what a Sound is.

Seattle:

A little thing called the Puget Sound.

The edge goes to:

Well, if rivers is a category ... Seattle gets even in the bodies-of-water division.

Funniest nickname

Pittsburgh:

Pittsburgh is most often referred to as the Iron City. But in 1868, James Parton wrote in Atlantic Monthly that Pittsburgh was "Hell With the Lid Taken Off." Ouch.

Seattle:

The Emerald City, Jet City, Rain City.

The edge goes to:

Sure, "Hell With the Lid Taken Off" is not a fair description of Pittsburgh now, but it may have been in 1868. And it's a term that has never been used to describe Seattle. Winner, Pittsburgh .

Beer

Pittsburgh:

Iron City

Seattle:

Redhook

The edge goes to:

They've been brewing Iron City Beer in Pittsburgh since 1861. Redhook has an elephant standing on two beers on its Web page. Edge, Seattle .

Traffic/commute/public transportation

Pittsburgh:

We've heard rumors that free, all-day parking spaces exist in this place you call Pittsburgh.

Seattle:

What monorail crash?

The edge goes to:

Pittsburgh .

Pop-culture museum

Pittsburgh:

Andy Warhol Museum

Seattle:

Experience Music Project

The edge goes to:

Well, The Warhol is a pretty cool place if you're a fan of Andy Warhol. EMP has a little more variety, so we're giving the edge to Seattle .

Rich guys

Pittsburgh:

Andrew Carnegie

Seattle:

Bill Gates

The edge goes to:

Gates has given billions to promote health and education worldwide. But you could say Carnegie wrote the book on philanthropy. In fact, he did, "The Gospel of Wealth," in 1889. He said all personal wealth beyond that required to supply the needs of one's family should be regarded as a trust fund to be administered for the benefit of the community. Edge, Pittsburgh .

Elvis connection

Pittsburgh:

A New Year's Eve show in 1976 has been one of the most bootlegged concerts of the King's career.

Seattle:

Elvis played Seattle, too (including his first show here, in 1957 at Sicks' Stadium).

The edge goes to:

The movie "It Happened at the World's Fair," starring Elvis, the Space Needle and the Monorail, swings this category, and the ballgame, to Seattle .

Total

The Seahawks' hometown edges the Iron City by a 7-6 score.