Who's Hot Who's Not
Who's Hot
WRATH OF KHAN (AND KHANE)
British sensation Amir Khan (right) knocked out Zab Judah in Vegas, earning a possible dance with Floyd Mayweather Jr. And in NASCAR, Kasey Kahne miraculously walked away after his car somersaulted into a retaining wall at a World of Outlaws race in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
"REHAB"
Will the Mets make the playoffs? No, no, no, we think. But ace Johan Santana has begun throwing (he says he "feels good") and will start minor league rehab this week. Also: David Wright (right) ended two months of lower-back rehab and homered on Sunday in his third game back.
WILL POWER
The aptly named driver won the Edmonton Indy by .8 of a second; Reds pitcher Dontrelle Willis took a big step in his comeback with a strong game against Atlanta; and how else to describe Man City GK Joe Hart (right), who saved two PKs then scored a spot kick to beat L.A.?
UPTON THE YOUNGER
Since being snubbed as the home D-Backs' rep in Arizona's first Home Run Derby, Justin (right), the baby Upton bro, has crushed it in the desert. In six games last week he hit .609 (14 for 23), smacked two dingers and drove in 11 runs. And you know this kid's only 23, right?
Who's Not
STAR TREK
The World Football Challenge, in which luminaries like Real Madrid and Manchester United visited for a round of MLS friendlies, was particularly brutal for the U.S., whose teams went 0--6. Meanwhile, in an unrelated friendly last week, Man U whipped Seattle 7--0, leading Sounders coach Sigi Schmid to apologize to fans.
"YOU KNOW [HE'S] NO GOOD"
The Nats' successful—by their standards—season has little to do with off-season pickup Jayson Werth, who's hitting .172 with only three HRs and a paltry .303 OBP in 45 games since June 1. The worst part? Washington still owes him $112 million over the next six seasons.
BULLCRAP
The flailing Red Bulls are winless (0-2-7) in their last nine away from New York; goal-scoring has dried up—only Thierry Henry and Juan Agudelo have netted over the last four games; and costly new German keeper Frank Rost was lit up in his second outing, a 4--1 loss to Colorado.
UPTON THE ELDER
Trade rumors—Giants? Indians? Nats?—continue to swirl around B.J., who since July 10 is hitting .186 with no HRs and a .222 OBP for the Rays. Says the soon-to-be-27-year-old of possibly being dealt, "If that's what they want to do, that's up to them. It's totally out of my hands."
SI PLAYERS MLB POLL
WHO IS THE MOST ENTERTAINING PLAYER TO CHAT WITH ON THE BASE PATHS?
Orlando Hudson, Padres 2B 23%
Derek Jeter, Yankees SS 6%
Adam Dunn, White Sox DH 5%
Nick Swisher, Yankees OF 3%
Torii Hunter, Angels RF 3%
FAST FACTS
Omitted above is Manny Ramirez, who received 5% of the vote but retired in April.... Veterans make good company, apparently: The five players listed above average 33 years of age, and all but three of the top 17 (Prince Fielder, 27, Casey McGehee, 28, and Adrian Gonzalez, 29) are at least 30.... Jeter is the favorite of the 25-and-under set, receiving 24% of their vote; Hudson is tops among everyone older.
Based on 241 MLB players who responded to SI's survey
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ANDREW COULDRIDGE (KHAN)
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TOM DIPACE (WRIGHT)
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KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES (HART)
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MITCHELL B. REIBEL/AI WIRE/LANDOV (UPTON)
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JOSH THOMPSON/CAL SPORT MEDIA (HUDSON)
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FRED THORNHILL/REUTERS (SWISHER)
