Page 2's Power Poll dares to rate the teams that are currently wielding the most power in the entire sports universe.

TEAM		PAGE 2 SAYS	MO' METER
1. Los Angeles Lakers		Sliced through the 2001 playoffs (15-1) like a hot knife through butter, and seem even stronger this year. Barring a catastrophic injury to either Shaq or Kobe, they look almost unbeatable as they go for a threepeat.
2. Duke men's hoopsters		Like the Lakers, they romped to a title earlier in the year, and seem poised to repeat in the year ahead.
3. Arizona D-backs		A 35-1 preseason long shot to go all the way, the D-backs edged the mighty Yankees in the World Series -- whipping the "untouchable" Mariano Rivera in the process -- to deprive the Bronx Bombers of their fourth straight championship.
4. Miami Hurricanes football		The 'Canes should have been in the BCS championship game last year; they will be this year after finishing as Division 1's only unbeaten team.
5. The legend that is Tiger Woods		Once again, the no-question Golfer of the Year for, among other things, completing the first Tiger Slam. Could be higher, but by his standards, it was an off year.
6. The legend that is Lance Armstrong		Maybe the most extraordinary athlete in the world, and possibly the only one who really deserves to be called a "hero." Unfortunately, except in France (where he won his third straight Tour de France), Belgium and a few other small Western European countries, cycling doesn't get much love.
7. Baltimore Ravens		Came out of nowhere (8-8 in 1999) to win the Super Bowl, destroying good teams in the process with some of the best D ever played in the NFL. Still a factor for this year's playoff race, but without running back Jamal Lewis and Ol' Reliable Trent Dilfer at QB, their offense seems too inconsistent for their own less-dominant D to overcome.
8. Colorado Avalanche		Everyone outside of New Jersey wanted them to win a Stanley Cup for Ray Bourque ... and that's just what they did.
9. St. Louis Rams		Only they can beat themselves.
10. New York Yankees		Came within two outs of winning their fourth straight World Series title, then signed Jason Giambi in the offseason. Yes, America, they could be back on top soon.
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: 2001 Seattle Mariners, 2001-02 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2000-01 New York Giants, 2000 Oklahoma Sooners, 2000-2001 Philadelphia 76ers, 2001-2002 San Antonio Spurs, 2000-2001 New Jersey Devils, 2000-2001 Notre Dame women hoopsters, 2001-2002 UConn women hoopsters, the feel-good comeback of Jennifer Capriati, "Shrek," "Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone," "Friends," the reputation of George W. Bush, New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, patriotic music at sporting events

TEAM		PAGE 2 SAYS	MO' METER
5. Miami Heat		What the heck happened to Pat Riley, genius? Despite the presence of Alonzo Mourning, Brian Grant and Eddie Jones, the Heat are one of the worst teams in the NBA.
4. Detroit Lions		Hired a new president and coach, and went from a team that just missed the playoffs to a team that just missed being the first NFL team ever to go 0-16.
3. Portland Trail Blazers		As recently as two seasons ago, they were favored to win the NBA title and were the darling of local fans, who had no other pro franchise to squander their affections upon. Now, despite a payroll second only to the New York Knicks, they've become the poster boys for spoiled millionaire athletes who don't care about anything but themselves -- including winning enough games to make the playoffs.
2. The Major League Baseball establishment		Can't these people get their stories straight: Is the game in financial trouble, or are the Red Sox really worth almost $700 million?
1. Notre Dame football		Slipped into mediocrity, failing to get a bowl invitation for the second time in four years, fired their coach, hired a new coach, who was forced to resign four days later for falsifying his résumé, have been turned down by everyone from Jon Gruden to Rick Neuheisel ... in short, they've gone from legend to joke, which is a very long journey.
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Minnesota Vikings and Randy Moss' reputation, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, the XFL, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, the Almonte family, Chicago Bulls, 2001-2002 North Carolina men hoopsters, "Freddy Got Fingered," "Inside Schwartz," the Taliban, the economy, Nate Newton, Ian Woosnam's ex-caddie

Mo' Meter explained:	No mo'; holding	Climbing the charts	Peaked; all downhill