@Sonic:
One thing I never understood about Bakuman was, when they do those polls at the end of each new number released, where are Naruto, Bleach and One Piece? I mean, they talk about these mangas like they exist, but they never show up…
They sort of just skirted around that issue for a long time, and kind of pretend existing series already ended for the most part. They exist in their world, (and so does Death Note, oddly) they acknowledge it by showing the art plastered all over the place and occasionally namedropping, but otherwise the entire lineup of Jump is totally different. Especially considering the series is now in 2013 I think?
It's only recently that they've conceded that One Piece is still running in their universe and constantly number 1.
Its for that reason that they're constantly battling to maintain 3rd or 4th place, and only comparing themselves to Eiji usually. Getting 1rst is a huge and rare achievement, and 1rst and 2nd place rarely ever come up as something their peer group is hitting.