Who's Hot
MATT HOLLIDAY
Acquired from the A's, the slugger had hit .466 with 15 RBIs in 15 games forthe Cardinals through Sunday. ("Relentless" is how manager Tony LaRussa describes him.) St. Louis led the NL Central, and for Holliday the goodnews won't end in October: A Scott Boras client, he is due to become a freeagent.
RODDY WHITE
Three days after losing wideout Harry Douglas for the season (knee), theFalcons ponied up $50 million over six years to bring back holdout receiverWhite. More than $18 million of that is guaranteed—not bad for a guy who wasgoing to make $2.28 million this season.
MARLINS
Can Hanley Ramirez (right), the NL's leading hitter at .348, goose the Marlinspast the Phillies? The shortstop's 7 for 16 (plus four RBIs and two stolenbases) keyed a three-game sweep in Philly that put Florida, home for 17 of itsnext 23, four games back in the East.
DAVID BECKHAM
The sting of the dissing he got in The Beckham Experiment may be fading: TheGalaxy is unbeaten in three games since his return, and after Becks criticLandon Donovan scored on Sunday he leaped into Beckham's arms. Said Donovan,"He has taken it like a man."
Who's Not
JOSH HAMILTON
The revelations of his January drinking escapade and those unseemly barphotos—did he really have to put a shot glass there?—are saddening; theRangers' outfielder has seemed contrite. Also hurting Texas's playoff hopes:Hamilton's .215 batting average and two homers in his last 36 games.
VINCE YOUNG
Before the preseason opener in Canton, the Titans' QB said his sights are seton getting into the Hall of Fame. He should think first about securing astarting job. His 5 for 10 with a pick against the Bills looked all toofamiliar—as did Kerry Collins's leading Tennessee to two TDs.
LIBERTY
Firing coach Pat Coyle has done nothing to lift the WNBA's losingest EasternConference team. A 1--3 start under U.S. Olympic coach Anne Donovan—includingan irksome loss in Seattle, where she won the 2004 league title—might have putthe postseason out of reach.
JIM BALSILLIE
The BlackBerry billionaire who wants to buy the Coyotes is not wanted. The NHLasked a judge to throw out Balsillie's bid for the bankrupt team after theleague's board voted 26--0 against approving him. Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobssaid Balsillie "lacks good character and integrity."
SI PLAYERS MLB POLL
WHICH OPPOSING HITTER DO YOU MOST FEAR WITH THE GAME ONTHE LINE?
Albert Pujols, Cardinals 1B 41%
Manny Ramirez, Dodgers LF 18%
Derek Jeter, Yankees SS 6%
Chipper Jones, Braves 3B 3%
Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox 1B 3%
FAST FACTS
Pujols led the majors with 100 RBIs through Sunday, becoming only the secondplayer with 100 or more in each of his first nine seasons. (Al Simmons of thePhiladelphia A's did it for 11 seasons, starting in 1924.) ... Ramirez had 21RBIs in 31 games since ending his 50-game ban for violating MLB's drugpolicy.... The Phillies' Ryan Howard, with a big-league-best 226 RBIs since thestart of '08, tied for 20th with 0.4% of the vote.
Based on a survey of 380 MLB players
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TIM SHAFFER/REUTERS (HOLLIDAY)
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KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT/US PRESSWIRE (YOUNG)
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J. MERIC/GETTY IMAGES (HANLEY RAMIREZ)
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MICHAEL DWYER/AP (BECKHAM)
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TIM DEFRISCO (MANNY RAMIREZ)
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JOHN BIEVER (PUJOLS)
