WHO'S Hot
Jake Peavy
Nothing knocks the Padres righty off his game. The NL strikeout leader (201) beat the D-Backs a day after slicing his left hand while opening a can of green beans. After getting stitched up at a hospital, he requested a tetanus shot in his left arm instead of his right, telling the nurse he had a game to pitch. "She kind of laughed and said, 'He's not pitching in no ball game tomorrow night,'" said Peavy, who'd also had wisdom teeth pulled three days earlier. Master of pain has a 1.31 ERA in his last three starts.
Marcus Vick
It's all about the brother. With older sib Michael whooping it up on the sideline, 21-year-old Virginia Tech junior Marcus scrambled and passed the Hokies to a come-from-behind victory in his first college game as a starting quarterback. Said Marcus, "It was everything I expected."
Sania Mirza
The 18-year-old hottie (she wears a T-shirt that says i'm cute? no s---) became the first Indian woman to reach the U.S. Open's fourth round (she lost to Maria Sharapova) and has ignited a tennis mania in her home country. (She has two bodyguards.) Now ranked No. 42 (14 months ago she was No. 430), she already has endorsement offers from 18 companies.
Steve Spurrier
South Carolina's savior (SI, Aug. 22) got his first NCAA win in nearly three years, and he has a head for business. The Spur's Lid he invented--a floppy tennis hat with the top cut out--is a must-have item in Columbia, S.C., at $24.95. Spurrier, who came up with the hat on a trip to the beach, will donate profits to women's sports programs at the college.
WHO'S Not
Sidney Ponson
The rotund righthander was released by the Orioles after getting busted for DUI. Baltimore hopes not to pay Ponson the $10 million he was to make in 2006, believing the pitcher's behavior--he also got a DUI last January and, last December, was jailed in Aruba after punching a judge--violates a conduct clause in his contract. Team general counsel H. Russell Smouse said the Orioles "were compelled" to let Ponson go. Hmmmm. Wonder if his unsightly 6.21 ERA was a factor.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Forget the Chase. A season after battling for the championship until the final race, Junior blew out an engine on the California Speedway and was officially eliminated from NASCAR's playoffs. Running with a new crew this year, he has had just five top five finishes in 25 races and has led for only 17 laps all season. Of Sunday's 38th place finish he opined, "We ran like crap."
Serena Williams
One of her $40,000 diamond chandelier earrings fell to the court, holding up her first-round match against Yung Jan-Chan. She got zinged in the press for pledging $100 per ace to Katrina relief (critics said it was chintzy), and then she slipped up in a sloppy fourth-round match with big sister Venus, losing in straight sets.
Jesse Palmer
Reality still bites. The world's most lusted-after quarterback (sorry, Tom) thanks to his stint on ABC's The Bachelor is now an out-of-work TV star. The Giants cut the rose-bestowing backup--who then rejected wooing by CFL teams. Said Jesse's father, Bill, "His NFL days are not over."
SI PLAYERS POLL
Based on a survey of 450 MLB players
For an expanded version of the poll go to SI.com/scorecard.
Which player chatters the most on the field?
Sean Casey ...21%
Reds first baseman
Miguel Tejada ...13%
Orioles shortstop (right)
A.J. Pierzynski ...8%
White Sox catcher
Orlando Hudson ...7%
Blue Jays second baseman
FAST FACTS: Casey, fourth in the NL with a .321 batting average, got 56% of the votes cast by fellow first basemen.... Three of the top nine finishers were Red Sox: Kevin Millar (4%), Manny Ramirez (3%) and Curt Schilling (2%).... Marlins closer Todd Jones has said, "Sean Casey might get you picked off because he's talking to you."
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CHUCK SOLOMOM (PEAVY)
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KEVIN C. COX/WIREIMAGE.COM (VICK)
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AP PHOTO/JULIE JACOBSON (MIRZA)
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MARY ANN CHASTAIN/AP (SPURRIER)
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ADRIAN WYLD/AP (TEJADA)
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CHRIS GARDNER (PONSON)
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MANNY MILLAN (WILLIAMS)
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BOB D'AMICO/ABC (PALMER)
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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (CASEY)
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