Sonics Winners At No. 2

Overlooked and underestimated, the No. 2 gets no respect in America.

Until now.

To celebrate the Sonics’ second place in the NBA playoffs, here’s a list of some of the world’s notable second-besters, winners all.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: In a Top 10 list of the world’s greatest composers, he placed second behind Johann Sebastian Bach.

Chocolate: It came in No. 2 in ice-cream flavors. No. 1: Vanilla.

Los Angeles: The country’s second-largest city is also one of its hippest. No. 1: New York.

The brain: Second-biggest organ in the human body, behind the liver.

Bill Gates: Microsoft chairman listed as second-wealthiest businessman in U.S. This week, Time magazine names him second-most powerful individual in the country. No. 1 in bucks: investor Warren Buffett. No. 1 in power: President Clinton.

Ford: Our country’s second-best auto maker, according to one list. General Motors took first.

George Washington: He came in right behind Abraham Lincoln in a best-presidents poll of historians, authors and political scholars.

Coca-Cola: The No. 2-rated beverage company. No. 1: Pepsi.

John Wayne: America’s No. 2 favorite dead celebrity, behind Elvis.

“Huck Finn:” Rated the second-greatest children’s book of all time by Dr. Benjamin Spock. Buddy “Tom Sawyer” took first.

Major league baseball: It was rated second in a Top 10 list of spectator sports. Horse racing came in first; NBA basketball wasn’t on it.

KFC: Kentucky Fried Chicken came in second in Top 10 fast-food chains, behind McDonald’s.

Hillary Clinton: No. 2 in a Gallup Poll of most admired woman in the world after Mother Teresa.

“My Way:” The country’s second most popular karaoke song. “New York, New York” took No. 1.

“Hamlet:” Shakespeare’s second most-produced play, behind “As You Like It.”

K2: The second-highest mountain in the world (28,250 feet). Highest is Everest (29,022 feet).

Sources: “The Book of Lists,” “The Top 10 of Everything,” “The Best and Worst of Everything,” Seattle Weekly, The Associated Press.