WHO'S Hot WHO'S Not
WHO'S Hot
Mosses
Bill Belichick is gettin' Randy! Pats coach says he has "a lot of respect" for newly acquired—and rather, um, tempestuous—receiver Randy Moss, who in turn says he's "in awe" to be headed to title-contending New England. At the same time, former Florida pass rusher Jarvis Moss is feeling the love in Denver, which traded up four spots to take him at No. 17 in the NFL draft.
Laila Ali
Her fiancé, ex-NFL receiver Curtis Conway, must be proud. As a boxer she's 24--0. As a rug cutter she was one of the final six contestants on Dancing with the Stars. And as a looker? She landed a spot among PEOPLE's 100 Most Beautiful.
Cain and Maine
A pair of aces? While the Giants' 22-year-old Matt Cain (left) had held foes to a .109 batting average through Sunday and was being hailed as the NL's best young pitcher—"He has a chance to be real special," said his manager, Bruce Bochy—Mets righty John Maine, 25, opened 4--0 with a 1.35 ERA.
Forces
The Georgia Force had raced to 8--1 in the AFL, and there was no stopping the Forces of Funny Car fame. After 24-year-old driver Ashley Force won a race at the Southern nationals by beating a 14-time champ—her dad, John—the elder Force said, "I'm O.K. with it because she's my baby."
WHO'S Not
Yankees
Is Joe Torre (left) getting antsy yet? The Yanks (9--14 through Sunday) had lost five of six to the rival Red Sox, their pitching staff was racked by injuries and ineffectiveness (5.02 ERA), and even mighty A-Rod (no RBIs in five games) had cooled off. Boss Steinbrenner (above), who says the results are "not acceptable," stood by Torre. But how long can he (and Yankees fans) take it?
Michael Vick
Some five dozen pit bulls, allegedly part of a dog-fighting ring, were found on Surry County, Va., property owned by the Falcons' QB. He may have nothing to do with it—a nephew reportedly lives there, and Vick says, "I'm never at the house"—but he's facing the wrath of PETA, which wants him suspended.
Dwyane
The bottom line in Wade's world? Last year: 16 playoff wins. This year: 0. Six weeks after dislocating his left shoulder, the superstar guard couldn't carry the Heat or raise his game (he shot 43% in the Bulls' four-game sweep). Said Wade, "This was the opposite of a storybook-written year."
Yosts
Two days after Brewers hot-hitting minor leaguer Ned Yost IV banged up his shoulder body surfing in Florida—and got a talking-to from his dad, Brewers manager Ned Yost III—his father tripped and broke his collarbone. Said the elder Yost, "I felt like an idiot."
SI PLAYERS MLB POLL
Who will be your league's MVP?
American League
David Ortiz, Red Sox DH 24%
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees 3B 15%
Derek Jeter, Yankees SS 14%
Manny Ramirez, Red Sox LF 8%
National League
Albert Pujols, Cardinals 1B 51%
Ryan Howard, Phillies 1B 17%
Carlos Beltran, Mets CF 7%
Barry Bonds, Giants LF 5%
FAST FACTS
Poll conducted in late March and early April.... Players could not vote for a teammate.... Aside from the Twins' Joe Mauer (sixth in the A.L. at 5.6%), no catcher in either league received multiple votes.... Mauer's teammate, Johan Santana (1.3%), was the only pitcher to get more than one mention.... No other Yankees or Red Sox position player was named.
[Based on a survey of 220 AL and 244 NL players] • For an expanded version of the poll, and to find out whom players picked to win the Cy Young Award go to SI.com/poll.
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BRAD MANGIN (RANDY MOSS)
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BRAD MANGIN (CAIN)
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TANNEN MAURY/EPA (TROPHY)
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TOM DIPACE (STEINBRENNER)
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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (TORRE)
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KIM LUDBROOK/EPA (ALI)
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JOHN BIEVER (WADE)
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ROBERT BECK (PUJOLS)
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JOHN IACONO (ORTIZ)