Who's Hot Who's Not
Who's Hot
PURPLE POP
The 14 round-trippers in 15 games bashed by hot-blooded Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (right) matches a record shared by Albert Belle (1995) and Barry Bonds (2001). Says teammate Ubaldo Jimenez, "Every time he comes to the plate, we expect a home run."
FOOTBALL APPS
File this under "keep to self": Bloomberg's spiffy new numbers-crunching NFL fantasy app ($7.95) takes into account factors such as the opposing defense and weather when advising you on whom to start.
STEEL CURTAIN
Pittsburgh's on its fourth QB, but the D is stepping into the breach. Linebacker James Harrison (right) led the charge in a 19--11 win over Tennessee, logging a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery (one of the Titans' seven turnovers).
Who's Not
PURPLE POPS
Hattiesburg is sure lookin' good right about now, eh, Mr. Favre? The 40-year-old finally acted his age, throwing three INTs and fumbling in his own end zone (combined, nearly half as many turnovers as he had in all of '09) in the Vikings' 14--10 loss to Miami on Sunday.
DEFENSES LAPSE
Cornerbacks were crummy in D.C., where the Texans and the Skins passed for 923 yards, and in the Meadowlands, where the Jets' Darrelle Revis hurt his hammy and the Pats' Darius Butler got danced on by TD-happy Braylon Edwards (left).
A WORLD OF HURTIN'
For a terrifying view, do a Google search on any of these just-injured athletes—the Eagles' Leonard Weaver, the Texans' Connor Barwin, Man U's Antonio Valencia and Barcelona's Lionel Messi—and try not to cover your eyes. It's not pretty.
SI APOLOGY INDEX
Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl recently wept while saying he was sorry for lying to NCAA officials about recruiting. (Niftily, he beat the NCAA to the punch.) Meanwhile, former USC running back Reggie Bush provided a modified limited hangout: He turned in his 2005 Heisman Trophy without accepting blame in the NCAA's finding that he had broken rules by accepting cash and gifts while a Trojan. Here's how Pearl and Bush stack up among recent sports apologists:
WE DON'T BUY IT
SINCERITY
WE BELIEVE THEM
EASY
DIFFICULTY
HARD
A-ROD
STEROIDS
BUSH
PAYMENTS
S. WILLIAMS
TANTRUM
ARENAS
GUNS
MCGWIRE
STEROIDS
PHELPS
MARIJUANA
WOODS
INFIDELITY
PEARL
RECRUITING
HENRY
HAND BALL
PITINO
INFIDELITY
PETTITTE
HGH
ODEN
X-RATED SELF PHOTO
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BARRY GUTIERREZ/AP (TULOWITZKI)
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HEINZ KLUETMEIER (EDWARDS/BUTLER)
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HEINZ KLUETMEIER (PHELPS)
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AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES (HARRISON)
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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (PEARL)
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JOHN BIEVER (PITINO)
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VICTOR BALDIZON (PETTITTE)
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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (ODEN)
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CARLOS M. SAAVEDRA (HENRY)
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JESSICA KLUETMEIER (WILLIAMS)
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BOB ROSATO (BUSH)
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ROBERT BECK (RODRIGUEZ)
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SIMON BRUTY (ARENAS)
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MARK WILSON/GETTY IMAGES (MCGWIRE)
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MIKE EHRMANN (WOODS)