It has been said that if one really wants to know what is going on in a city, the best thing one can do is travel to that city and ask a taxi driver: “How ’bout dem Yankees (insert ballclub name here)?”
I couldn’t find confirmation that conversation starter had its genesis in a New York taxicab, though it is assumed Travis Bickle must have used it to break any number of awkward silences after he asked if you were talking to him.
But if you want to know what is going on with a city’s sports teams, it is probably best to ask a beer vendor.