WHO'S Hot
Philadelphia
The Phillies are surging in the NL East (12 wins in 13 games), and even during an NHL lockout this is a hockey town: The Phantoms won the AHL's Calder Cup before a record crowd of 20,103. Said Phantoms coach John Stevens, "Philly loves a champion." Meantime the buzz gets louder for Live 8--50 Cent, Bon Jovi among headliners--to be held here and simultaneously in Berlin, London and Paris on July 2.
Maurice Greene
The 2000 Olympic gold medalist nipped fellow American Shawn Crawford to win the 100 meters in 10.08 at the Reebok Grand Prix. Later Greene declared, "My top-end speed is better than anyone," to which Crawford, who won the 200 meters in Athens, said, "You're lying."
Barry Zito
A's hard-luck ace finally got run support in 11--5 win over Braves; he's also up to 62 strikeouts this year and for each one donates $100 to soldiers in need. This Sunday, ties he designed (left) will be given out for Father's Day at Oakland's McAfee Coliseum.
Nebraska Baseball
Cornhuskers swept Miami to reach the College World Series for the third time in five years: They'll play Arizona State in Omaha. It's good to be Nebraska's All-America third baseman Alex Gordon: He has a team-high 19 homers--and the Royals took him second overall in the draft on June 7.
Melvin Mora
The Orioles' third baseman is hitting .333 in June, and his team is in first place. He's also looking at the mother of all Father's Days. Melvin and his wife, Gisel, have six kids--including three-year-old quintuplets--and, yes, the O's play at home on Sunday.
WHO'S Not
Atlanta
The Braves are sinking in the NL East (seven losses in 10 games); Georgia Tech got swept out of the college baseball playoffs (by Tennessee) on its home field; and the AFL team, the Georgia Force, lost the title game. Even drearier news: With heavy road construction under way, officials say to expect a brutal summer of traffic.
Marion Jones
The three-time Olympic gold medalist continued her slowdown, finishing fourth in the 100 meters in Monterrey, Mexico. Her 11.40 seconds was well off her personal best of 10.65, and she's not optimistic about her chances to qualify for the nationals this month, saying, "I will ... try to pull off a long shot."
Jason Schmidt
Giants putative ace got roughed up in 7--6 loss to Indians, raising his ERA to 6.12. He hasn't made it past the fifth inning in five starts, his velocity is mysteriously down, yet he's trying to stay chipper. He told San Jose's Mercury News, "I really don't feel as bad as I did earlier in the year."
NBA
This should be party time--the Finals! Instead TV ratings are way down (24% from last year), and commissioner David Stern warned that the NBA may be nearing a long hiatus. Said Stern, "If July 1 comes and there's a lockout, the union will have made a mistake of epic proportions."
Rory Sabbatini
Irked that his Booz Allen Classic playing partner Ben Crane was playing slowly, Sabbatini shattered golf etiquette by putting out of turn on the 17th then deserting Crane on the fairway to go to the last tee, where he was greeted by a booing gallery.
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BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES (CELEBRATING PHANTOM)
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JEFF CHRISTENSEN/REUTERS (GREENE)
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COURTESY OF THE OAKLAND A'S (NECKTIE)
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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (CROUCHING BRAVE)
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STEVE DESLICH/KRT/ABACA (SABBATINI)
