HOT | NOT

HOT: IN THE HUNT

The Angels (71--63) won't catch Texas, but they won five straight last week and sit just 3½ games out of a playoff spot. Rightfielder Torii Hunter isn't done yet either: The 37-year-old had his fourth straight three-hit game last Saturday, becoming just the fifth player his age or older to do so since 1900.

NOT: NADAL'S FALL

Absent from the Olympics and from this week's U.S. Open, Rafael Nadal will be out at least two more months after announcing on Monday that he has a partially torn patella tendon in his left knee. Said the 11-time Grand Slam winner, "I have many years in front of me."

HOT: BIG & RICH

Led by Oklahoma State's 84--0 walloping of Savannah State, the Big 12 went 9--0 this weekend (TCU was off) and stands as the only undefeated AQ conference. Even better: The conference is reportedly close to signing a deal with ESPN and Fox Sports worth $2.6 billion over 13 years.

NOT: OUT-OF-BOUNDS

Luke Donald's frustrating weekend (tied for 24th through three rounds) at the Deutsche Bank Championship spilled over onto—what else?—Twitter when he used a derogatory term to refer to TPC Boston course architect Gil Hanse after a bogey last Saturday on 18; Donald later apologized.

HOT: CHEER THE O'S

How can you not admire Baltimore? Losers for 14 straight years, the Orioles (75--59) have won eight of 10 and are one back of the Yanks in the East. This with 40% of the Bombers' payroll. And high fives all around for Adam Jones (signed in May through 2018) and his career year—26 HRs, .829 OPS.

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PATRICK SEMANSKY/AP (JONES)

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FRED KFOURY/ICON SMI (DONALD)

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RICHARD ROWE/US PRESSWIRE (OKLAHOMA STATE)

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SIMON BRUTY (NADAL)

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JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES (HUNTER)