Men's Fitness magazine has issued its annual list of fit and fat cities, and Honolulu ranks second only to Baltimore.

Baltimore? That city would appear to have more in common with the No. 1 fat city, Chicago, not Honolulu.

While we are capable of being good sports in accepting our fate as the runner-up in fitness (for the second straight year), can we possibly accept being No. 2 to Baltimore?

A recount is definitely in order.

Baltimore boasts a native son named Babe Ruth, hardly a paragon of fitness, and no Duke Kahanamoku.

One of Baltimore's famous sights is a tower dedicated to Bromo Seltzer, a fitting landmark in a city with a whole section devoted to the eating of heavy, starchy Italian food.

Meanwhile in Honolulu, we may like our loco-moco, but we're so healthy our favorite drink is Bud Light, bucket ice. Now that's fitness.

The editor of the magazine defends his choice of Baltimore, citing its public parks, access to healthcare and air quality. (Did he ever hear of trade winds?) The magazine also de-emphasized climate, negating our edge and lifting Baltimore, where the temperatures were in the mid-30s last week.

Curiously, a rival magazine, Men's Health, graded Baltimore an "F" in health and quality of life and a "C+" for fitness, ranking 93rd overall on that magazine's list of "100 Best Cities for Men."

Honolulu, again, was No. 2, but this time to San Francisco.

The truth is magazine ratings help sell magazines and start bar fights. Any real scientific survey on men's fitness would be overwhelmed by our male demographics especially high in Asians who like their tofu and vegetables.

And any ranking of best cities for men need only look at Honolulu's female population to see our superiority.

It's hard to top paradise.