LEADING OFF

Getting Underfoot

Nothing comes between the Yankees' Mark Teixeira and first base—not even spikes. The Gold Glove first baseman barely beat the Royals' Mike Aviles to the bag at Kauffman Stadium on Aug. 12. The Yanks won, but they didn't exactly trample small-market K.C. this year. They won five of eight.

Full of Dread

For rookie defensive tackle Ricardo Mathews, a tackling-dummy drill at Colts training camp was a hair-raising experience. His braids will bounce again if Mathews, a seventh-round pick, makes a big play this year. "I've got a little boogie," he told The Indianapolis Star. "I'll dance if I get a tackle for loss."

Wheeling Wall

It's Advertising 101: Get your product in front of the public. To drum up business, the owners of a bike shop in Altlandsberg, Germany, nailed 120 cycles to the exterior of their store. A note to co-owner Christian Petersen (in the window): Clever idea, but there's a better way to peddle bikes—take bespoke orders.

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Photograph by William Purnell/Icon SMI

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Photograph by Darron Cummings/AP

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Photograph by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters