Are You Talkin' to Me?
RYAN BRAUN
BREWERS THIRD BASEMAN
RYAN BRAUN
ROYALS RELIEVER
BOTH ARE a shade over six feet, 200-plus pounds and Caucasian, but, explains the Brewers Ryan Braun, "I'm much better looking." That didn't stop the printing of a baseball card with the Royals' Braun on the front and the Brewers' Braun on the back. K.C.'s Braun says fans will interweave their pasts. "[Someone will think] I went to Miami [Brewer Braun], transferred to UNLV [Royal Braun], was drafted in the first round [Brewer Braun], then became a pitcher in the minors [Royal Braun]," he says. "It's pretty cool—bordering on science fiction." The Brewers' Rookie of the Year candidate Braun (left) is hitting .350 with 18 homers, while his Royals' counterpart has a 7.88 ERA. Still, Milwaukee's Braun won't trash-talk about a potential on-field showdown with K.C.'s Braun. All he knows, he says, "is that Ryan Braun will win."
TONY PEÑA
DIAMONDBACKS RELIEVER
TONY PEÑA JR.
ROYALS SHORTSTOP
FORGIVE THE pitcher for being hesitant to discuss his name—he's the guy who got in trouble for signing his 2002 D-Backs contract with his nephew's name. Then, he was Adriano Rosario, 17. Now, after returning to his native Dominican Republic to straighten things out, he's 25 with a 1.95 ERA. The 6' 1", 220-pound righty is also "bigger than me," says the slimmer (6' 2", 180 pounds) Pe√±a Jr., son of the ex-big-league catcher and current Yankees coach. Yet the Royal (left) who had just two homers in 400 career at bats, "hit a home run off [Pe√±a] in winter ball. He throws 97, 98. I got lucky." The pair haven't met, but they've often been confused by fans, and Arizona's Pe√±a recalls an autograph-seeker presenting him with a card of Kansas City's Pe√±a. Did he again sign something under false pretenses? Says Pe√±a: "No."
3 √ó 1,000 = 1
Few have even come close to gaining 1,000 yards in a season for three teams
Tailbacks Travis Henry and Reuben Droughns are two of 30 NFL or AFL backs to have rushed for 1,000 yards for two teams. This season both will try to pass the milestone with a third team: Henry (right) with the Broncos and Droughns with the Giants. If either does it—Droughns, slated as a backup, seems a long shot; Henry, featured in Denver, seems a good bet he will go where only one man has gone before. Of the 11 players to join a third team after gaining 1,000-plus yards with two others only those listed above have gone on to top even 200 yards in a season.
Ricky Watters
Seahawks, 2000 • 1,242 yds.
Terry Allen
Patriots, 1999 • 896 yds.
Eric Dickerson
Raiders, '92 • 729 yds.
Antowain Smith
Saints, '05 • 659 yds.
Earnest Byner
Ravens, '96 • 634 yds.
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JASON WISE/MLB PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES (BREWERS BRAUN)
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RICK SCUTERI/GETTY IMAGES (ROYALS BRAUN)
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RON VESELY/MLB PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES (DIAMONDBACKS PENA)
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LARRY GOREN/ICON SMI (ROYALS PENA)
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DENNIS WIERZBICKI/CAL SPORT MEDIA (BRAUN PLAYING)
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CHRIS BERNACCHI/SPORTPICS (PENA PLAYING)
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JACK DEMPSEY/AP (HENRY)
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TAMI TOMSIC/WIREIMAGE.COM (WATTERS)
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MATT YORK/AP (ALLEN)
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LOUIS RAYNOR/SPORTSCHROME (DICKERSON)
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ALLEN KEE/WIREIMAGE.COM (SMITH)
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MATTHEW STOCKMAN/ALLSPORT (BYNER)