- Publish date:
Who's Hot / Who's Not
Who's Hot
Rockies pitching
Eight shutouts anda 4.13 ERA, second-best in the NL. In homer-happy Denver? Some say the ballsstored in the Coors Field humidor don't travel, but Colorado's staff, includingJason Jennings (above), is mile-high. Manager Clint Hurdle: "Our guys ...take a lot of pride going out there."
Oakland
Raiders begantheir latest incarnation under Art Shell (below) by beating the Eagles 16-10 intheir preseason opener-hey, after going 13-35 the past three years RaiderNation will take what it can get. The A's swept the Mariners to tighten theirgrip on the AL West.
Dodgers
The trade deadlinewas very, very good to them. They'd won nine straight through Sunday, led byimports Greg Maddux and Julio Lugo.
AthleticScents
Blue Jays pitcherGustavo Chacin has a cologne (SI PLAYERS, June 26) and Yankee Derek Jeter(left) does too-Driven, which, the maker says, smells of "ambition,courage, passion and confidence." Surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost an armin a shark attack, has a perfume: Stoked.
Who's Not
Cardinals pitching
A league-low 643strikeouts and a 4.55 ERA, eighth in the NL. Is this the look of a pennantcontender? Cards' woes are such that they're still starting Jeff Weaver (4-12,6.71 ERA, right). Said manager Tony La Russa, "Is he the only guystruggling? No, he's not."
Georgia
Tough times forUga (left)-football Bulldogs now have four suspended players after CB ThomasFlowers got a two-game boot for breaking team rules. In Atlanta the Braves keepscuffling, losing seven of 10 to fall back in the wild-card hunt.
Red Sox
Struggling to staynear sizzling Yankees, injured Sox, who whiffed at the trade deadline, now prayfor a Big Papi miracle every night.
Kasey Kahne
Brickyard favoritehad a sudden setback when he smashed into the wall on the last lap inIndianapolis. That meant finishing 36th and dropping from seventh to 11th-thatis, out of Chase position-in the standings. Said Kahne, "I can't believe ithappened."
SI PLAYERS MLB POLL
Who is the fastest every-day player in baseball?
Carl Crawford, OF, Devil Rays ...37%
Joey Gathright, OF, Royals ...21%
Jose Reyes, SS, Mets ...16%
Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Mariners ...11%
Who is the slowest?
Bengie Molina, C, Blue Jays ...56%
Paul Konerko, 1B, White Sox ...7%
Sal Fasano, C, Yankees ...6%
Johnny Estrada, C, Diamondbacks ...4%
FAST FACTS: Of the 15 players who drew"fastest" votes only two were teammates: Reyes and Carlos Beltran (onevote).... Crawford's 33 stolen bases were seventh in the majors through Sunday;Reyes led with 45.... The White Sox' Scott Podsednik, who had a big-league-best129 SBs in 2004-'05 and 32 this year, was ninth on the fastest list (1%)....Molina has two SBs in his eight-year career.... All 14 players who got three ormore votes for "slowest" are catchers, first basemen or DHs.
[ Based on a survey of 415 MLB players ] For anexpanded version of the poll, go to SI.com/Players.
EIGHT PHOTOS
GREG FIUME/NEWSPORT (JENNINGS); KYLE ERICSON/AP (WEAVER); MIKE CARLSON/ICON SMI (UGA); BOB CRAIG/AP (KAHNE); LOUIS LOPEZ/CAL SPORT MEDIA (MOLINA); CHUCK SOLOMON (CRAWFORD); STUART RAMSON/AP (JETER); KEVIN TERRELL/WIREIMAGE.COM (SHELL)
