Original Issue

Who's Hot / Who's Not

Author:
SI Staff

WHO'S Hot

A's

Bay Area beauties.Three straight wins at Yankee Stadium put Oakland back where it belongs: in thethick of the AL West race. Starter Esteban Loaiza (above) won his first gameoff the DL, closer Huston Street saved four games in four days, and, throughSunday, Oakland was 8-2 in June. Outfielder Milton Bradley to the San FranciscoChronicle: "We're riding high."

Hopkinses

Bernard (right)put a whuppin' on Rocky VI star Antonio Tarver to win the light heavyweighttitle, then said he'd retire on that high note. And his nephew, Demetrius,keeps living up to the family name: He K.O.'d Michael Warrick to go to24-0-1.

Navy Lacrosse

Talk about a hotdraw. The team led the nation in average attendance (4,321), and playing forthe Midshipmen must look good on a résumé: Ex-attackman Perry Taylor got hiredas part of Britney Spears's security detail. (Taylor's at left with her baby,Sean.)

Millwood on theRoad

Rangers rightyKevin likes to roam: He was 5-0 with a 2.44 ERA away from Arlington.

WHO'S Not

Giants

Bay Area bummer.Three straight home losses to the lowly Pirates dropped San Francisco threegames back in the NL West. Barry Bonds, nursing a sore side, recently saw hiscareer average slip below .300, and a groin injury could land first basemanLance Niekro on the DL. Manager Felipe Alou (right) to The Sacramento Bee:"We look tired."

Matsuis

The Yankees'Hideki is still nursing that broken wrist, and countryman Kaz's slidecontinues. The former Japan League MVP (right, no relation to Hideki) wasbatting an even .200 when the Mets shipped him to the Rockies, who sent him tominors.

Royals

Awful to worse.Even when this 16-45 team turns a triple play, as it did on Sunday againstTampa Bay, it loses. And they may be getting prickly: The Royals revoked presscredentials of two radio reporters who asked tough questions at theintroduction of new G.M. Dayton Moore.

Millwood atHome

Kevin keepsgetting messed with at Ameriquest, where he was 2-3 with a 7.23 ERA.

SI PLAYERS MLB POLL

Which baseball record do you think will never bebroken?

Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played
42%

Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak
23%

Cy Young's 511 career wins
13%

Pete Rose's 4,256 career hits
7%

FAST FACTS Nolan Ryan's career strikeouts (5,714) wasfifth (2.5%).... Hank Aaron's career home runs (755) was eighth (1.9%); BarryBonds trailed him by 39 homers through Monday.... In the last 75 years WarrenSpahn (363 wins) is the only pitcher to have come within 150 wins of Young'srecord.... Among active players, the Astros' Roger Clemens leads with 341 wins,his teammate Craig Biggio leads with 2,861 hits, and the Orioles' Miguel Tejadaleads with 982 consecutive games played.

[ Based on a survey of 470 MLB players ]

• For an expanded version of the poll, go to SI.com/players.

PHOTO

TOM CAMMETT/WIREIMAGE.COM (LOAIZA)

PHOTO

AL TIELEMANS (ALOU)

PHOTO

TOM BRIGLIA/WIREIMAGE.COM (HOPKINS)

PHOTO

RICH KANE/ICON SMI (MATSUI)

PHOTO

WHA/FINALPIXX (TAYLOR)

PHOTO