None finer: Duke-Carolina Andrew Wagaman, The Morning Call

The best rivalry in sports is in college because of the real affiliations to teams in addition to the national interest they garner.

Duke and North Carolina are only eight miles apart, yet the intensity based on the school pride of a relatively small number of students and alumni is embraced by an entire nation of fans.

The only thing I remember about a friend's Bar Mitzvah is sneaking into the country club kitchen to watch overtime of one game. We were junior high kids with no real relationship to either team, yet something about seeing those Cameron Crazies made us want to either join them or hate them.

College football has so many such rivalries that one doesn't really distinguish itself. Duke and UNC have won four of the last 10 national basketball titles, so the rivalry is relevant too.

It's the best in all of sports.

Oh, Babe: Yanks-Red Sox Paul Doyle, Hartford Courant

Let's sum up the greatest rivalry in sports with two words: Babe Ruth.

Arguably the most famous athlete of the 20th Century, the Bambino is at the heart of sports' best rivalry. When the Red Sox sold Ruth to the Yankees in 1919, the key was turned and a century of hatred was ignited. It took the Red Sox 86 years before they won a World Series. And for much of that time, the Yankees were winning titles and establishing themselves as one of the most successful franchises in sports.

From Williams vs. DiMaggio to Fisk vs. Munson, from Bucky Dent's home run to Curt Schilling's bloody sock, this rivalry has more memorial moments and unforgettable games than any other. And this isn't manufactured. Just look at the number of on-field brawls between the teams.

Lakers-Celtics rules Dave Johnson, Newport News Daily Press

The easy answer would be Army-Navy or the Red Sox-Yankees. Or maybe LeBron James-Dan Gilbert-Jesse Jackson.

But let's pick a rivalry that goes back five decades and has decided 12 championships, one that has featured Hall of Famers and packed the stands with annoying celebrities.

We're talking, of course, the Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the old days, it was Cousy and Russell vs. Baylor and West. In the '80s, Bird took on Magic. And in two of the last three NBA Finals, it was The Big Three vs. Kobe. The TV audience for Game 7 last month was the largest in 12 years.

OK, maybe it's not as intense as when McHale clotheslined Rambis and Bird jawed with Kareem. But it still rules.

Army-Navy a civil war Ethan J. Skolnick, Sun Sentinel

In an era when athletes have as much allegiance to agents and shoe sponsors as to teams, it's hard to find a professional sports rivalry that means as much to those playing as those cheering. So while many will say Red Sox vs. Yankees or Lakers vs. Celtics, the best active pro rivalries come in the individual sports, with Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer and Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson currently atop the list.

But I'll go into the college ranks, and not for Ohio State-Michigan or Oklahoma- Texas. Rather, Army- Navy, in which the latter holds a 54-49 lead.

The competitors aren't household names, and that's part of what makes it special. This game is the pinnacle for the players. You want passion? Pride? Since 1890, this rivalry has represented the best of what sports can be.