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“World cruiserweight champion O’Neil Bell was arrested over the weekend after a sparring partner claimed he heaved a hatchet at him during a training run through the woods.”

LEEDS, Maine – A high school coach who told his players at halftime to reach into their pants to “check their manhood” before returning to the basketball court was fired.

R.I.P. Barbaro

Juan (not) Gone!

A Dutch gym plans to introduce “Naked Sunday” for people who want to work out nude.

R.I.P. Iron Mike

Andy Reid had a bad week.

Charles Barkley vs Dick Bavetta!

Peyton Manning loses a bet.

Agent Zero is still the man.

I’m there opening night.

By Robby Wellington – Staff Writer

More or less eliminated from the Fantasy Football Playoffs and not participating in basketball this season, I really have nothing to offer the fantasy world for a couple of months until baseball season arrives, and that’s only assuming that I overcome my battle with what has been an acute case of Seasonal Affective Disorder these past couple of weeks. Not surprisingly, along with my SAD (a cute acronym, I know) comes an inordinate amount of couchtime, watching college hoops and tons of other crap on television. Now I’m going to type about it (while contemporaneously watching crap on TV, of course).

College Basketball

This is the best season college hoops has had in a long time, certainly in the last seven or eight years. While the NBA age restriction policy seems preposterous, unfair and almost unconstitutional, I love what it’s done to the college game. After watching Oklahoma State’s amazing triple overtime win over Texas, Kevin Durant may go down as one of the most dominant freshmen in the history of college basketball. Look for him to average in the high 20s for the remainder of the season as Texas lands a four or five seed. While Greg Oden hasn’t lived up to expectations thus far, I look for Ohio St. to be the most dangerous team outside of Gainesville come March and the de facto one seed in their bracket. Focusing on freshmen, the Pac-10 may have the nation’s best freshman class, and is, as far as my west-coast-biased self can tell, the best conference in the country. UCLA and Arizona are Final Four threats and six other teams (all but Oregon St. and Arizona St.) are legit tournament teams. Even my beloved Stanford Cardinal has impressed so far, although they still have their toughest conference tests, and a date with Gonzaga.

Speaking of the Zags, these guys went from being the perennially underrated mid-major Cinderella story to having the sweetest deal in college basketball and underperforming in the postseason (although they actually managed a Sweet 16 appearance last year before a historic meltdown to UCLA). How did this happen, you ask? Well, after making a name for themselves in those early years, the Zags usually start the season with a lofty ranking in the top 25. Name recognition allows them to secure a tough non-conference schedule, even with some big games at home, a near impossibility for most mid-majors, and Gonzaga wins and loses against some quality opponents, their ranking sometimes taking a bit of a hit. Then it’s on to conference play, where, faced with weaker competition, the wins keep rolling in and, slowly but surely, Gonzaga continues to climb the rankings, ending the season looking better than they really are. Now I’ll eat my words when they crush Stanford by 20…

Crappy Reality Television

The Real World – After some painfully boring Outward Bound episodes (Look! they’re on a ropes course! Oh yay, another hike!), we’re back to what the Real World is all about: getting wasted, hooking up and verbal altercations. Good stuff.

The Hills – I’ve always had a thing for Heidi but was still pretty stoked to see this new guy Spencer treat her like trash as it should make for some good TV. We’ll see if he can live up to the lofty standards set by LC’s ex Jason, who had a delightful cameo to start off the season.

Beauty and the Geek – I never really dug the first two seasons, but this year is pretty good, primarily because the Beauties are actually beautiful (not to mention complete morons), and the Geeks are all likable guys. While the three biggest geeks have sadly been jettisoned, some serious talent remains on the beauty side (with the notable exception of that dog Cici, yuck!) Given the elimination format, the lack of alliances, politicking and backstabbing that goes on, especially among the geeks, is surprising and a bit annoying.

I Love New York – Like eating a whole tub of popcorn at the movies or throwing a beat, I feel a strange mix of pleasure and guilt watching this show, and absolutely hate myself when its all done. Lacking Flavor Flav’s comedic genius, this show impossibly comes across as more staged than Flavor of Love; at least half of the suitors are gay.

The White Rapper Show – As a former critically-acclaimed white rapper myself, I feel obligated to watch this show. The rest of you should feel no such urge, especially since the hot rapper chick just got the boot.

The Apprentice – My first year watching it, because it’s in LA and the friend of a friend of a friend is on it. Exciting, I know. Well, not so much, although I do admit, when Donald Trump proudly informed the winning team (comprised of all women, one gay guy and a straight guy) that they would get the pleasure of meeting Hugh Hefner and partying at the Playboy Mansion where they would be surrounded by tons of beautiful women, I lost it. Ogling silicone breasts must be very self-empowering and the perfect treat for an aspiring businesswoman.

HBO Stuff

Rome – I spent a day last week sick on the couch (as opposed to all the days I’ve spent healthy on the couch) and managed to watch the first season of Rome in its entirety (twelve hours, a prodigious feat if I do say so myself). While not quite Wire/Deadwood/Sopranos level, I found Rome to be very good and was fired up for an action-packed premiere to the second season that did not disappoint.

Extras – Speaking of disappointing, the first episode of Extras was catastrophically bad. Orlando Bloom and Ricky Gervais’ acting on the sitcom aside, I don’t think I laughed once. Depressing.

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

Yes, this is primarily a sports site, but everyone else is doing a best/worst list, and I’m starting to feel left out.

MOVIES – Overall, I think this was a pretty weak year in film. That said, let it be noted that I have been pretty slow and have yet to see Pan’s Labyrinth, Babel, Volver, Half Nelson, The Science of Sleep, An Inconvenient Truth and Letters From Iwo Jima. My list may very well look completely different a month from now.

The Best

1. Borat – Yes, there’s some decent social commentary here, but bottom line, I’ve probably never laughed harder during a movie in my life.

2. Casino Royale – I am not a Bond fan and generally not big on this genre. Still, it was the most fun I’ve had watching a movie in a while. Daniel Craig is the man.

3. The Departed – I admit, this movie is definitely over-the-top but in a good way. Martin Scorsese makes the in your face, bigger than life characters work. Again, good old fashioned, popcorn fun here.

4. Little Miss Sunshine – A little more emotional than your average comedy, making it one to remember.

5. The Devil and Daniel Johnston – OK, so I’m cheating here (2005), but it was new for me this year. Johnston is a truly intriguing character study.

6. United 93 – Do not rent “World Trade Center,” starring Nic Cage’s terrible mustache. United 93 pulls no punches and is a poignant look at what many of us don’t want to examine.

7. Superman Returns – I hate comic book movies, but this is easily the best one ever.

8. Hard Candy – This one works better for those entering with no idea of where the film is going. It’s good but not great.

9. Inside Man – After years of never liking a Spike Lee joint, he’s now put out two that I’ve enjoyed. Inside Man was decent enough, and I contend that “25th Hour” is one of the best and most underrated of the decade.

10. TBA – At least one of the above mentioned movies I’ve yet to see has to make the cut, as I refuse to name “The Last Kiss” here.

The Worst

1. Rocky Balboa – An unmitigated disaster. While I admit the end fight sequence was good, the dialogue was so bad I was laughing out loud constantly. Treating biracialism as a complex issue, Sly inquires: “Yo, you go on a Jamaican Cruise or something?” Unbelievable.

2. Apocalypto – Um, to call this over-the-top would be an understatement. Was I supposed to be laughing? Jaguar Paw is the man, don’t get me wrong, but Mel Gibson lost me with all of those animal sequences.

3. Little Man – This coming from a guy who actually liked “White Chicks.”

4. Thank You For Smoking – This is more for being disappointing than it is for being truly awful. Still, it certainly wasn’t any good.

5. Lady in the Water – As an M. Night Shyamalan apologist, I’ll only go so far. I like how he cast himself as the soulful writer and then later has a know-it-all critic get eaten by a monster. Subtle, he is not.

6. Firewall – I swear, all Harrison Ford movies have molded into one.

7. Poseidon – Blah.

8. Date Movie – Blah.

9. Scary Movie 4 – Please stop.

10. Night at the Museum – I didn’t see this movie, but the commercial looks pretty awesome.

TELEVISION

The Best

1. The Wire – The best and most important show ever made. Period.

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm – This might have technically been last year, but its reruns still qualify it in my book. My favorite comedy of all-time, and it’s not even close.

3. Deadwood – I don’t even like Westerns, but HBO gets it right yet again. Ian McShane is brilliant.

4. The Office – Not as good as the British version but definitely the best sitcom on network television these days.

5. The Sopranos – While some grumblings have started regarding long dream sequences, Johnny Cakes and overstaying its welcome in general, there are still few shows I look forward to more than The Sopranos.

6. Lost – Although currently in the midst of its worst season, still intriguing enough.

7. Friday Night Lights – I was skeptical, but this show is pretty solid.

8. To Catch a Predator – Is there anyone more condescending than Chris Hansen? I could watch this show all day long.

9. Boston Legal – Underrated. — I would put “The Shield” on here, but I’m still waiting to watch season 5 on DVD. The Strike Team!

10. Prison Break – This show is awful, and I can’t get enough of it.

The Worst

1. Monday Night Football – It’s safe to say the announcing trio doesn’t work. And the guest cameos? Mike Tirico: “So, Christian, are you a football fan?” Christian Slater: (long pause) “I have lots of friends who are football fans.” Painful.

2. Lucky Louie – Dreadful.

3. Nip/Tuck – I used to love this show, but it was almost unwatchable this season. Listen, I’m still a fan, but my leash extends only so far.

4. Deal or No Deal – This show’s got nothing on 1 vs. 100.

5. Day Break – Admittedly, I’ve never seen this show, but the commercials were enough to warrant it making this list.

Music

The Best

1. Thom Yorke – The Eraser

2. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain

Were there any other albums released this year?

• In the ninth inning last week, Julio Franco played third base for the first time since Oct. 2, 1982.

• Give it up for the Nationals: 27 runs scored and still swept in a four-game series by the Rockies earlier this week.

• By throwing out Orlando Hudson at second base Monday night, Alfonso Soriano became the first player in major league history to have 40 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 20 outfield assists in a season.

• This is pretty crazy.

• Matt Cain has allowed one or no runs in each of his last six starts. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the only other rookie in the last 50 years to do that was the Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.

• Rich Hill struck out 10 in a two-hit shutout Saturday against the Reds, giving the Cubs their first complete game of the year to avoid being the first team ever not to record a complete game in an entire season.

• If you haven’t checked out television’s “The Wire,” I suggest you do so.

I dusted myself off after last week’s Sit/Start didn’t go so well. Remember, I’m attempting not to pick overly obvious names here:

START

Lee Evans – New England did a great job smothering Evans Week 1, but don’t forget about this third year breakout candidate. He’ll find the going much easier this week against a suspect secondary that none other than Chaz Batch picked apart last week.

Brett Favre – He throws most of his picks when he’s trailing, something Green Bay might not actually be faced with Sunday. While don’t look for the same 52-3 score as last year’s meeting, Favre should get his Sunday.

Darrell Jackson – While I am down on all Seattle receivers in general, word is Deion Branch will not be active this week, which means D-Jax has one fewer option taking away his looks. The matchup against Arizona is a great one.

SIT

Philip Rivers – I know, I know; Tennessee made Chad Pennington relevant again, and their secondary is no doubt putrid. Still, don’t underestimate Marty Ball. It’s easy to see why Rivers was restrained to just 11 throws last week with a big lead, but that same exact scenario looks likely in Week 2.

Ben Roethlisberger – While he’s fully expected to play Monday night, his matchup isn’t a good one, so give him a week to get back into the swing of things before you activate him.

Fred Taylor – While owners should only sit Fragile Fred in the form of a viable alternative, Taylor faces a tough task against Pittsburgh’s front-seven. Most owners will probably want to use Taylor while he’s healthy, however, and he is getting a full workload with no Greg Jones around.

Ladell Betts/Clinton Portis – I don’t expect Clinton Portis to suit up, but who knows? Either way, it’s a tough matchup, and a timeshare figures to ensue (if no Portis, then TJ Duckett will take some carries away from Betts this week).

• The Minnesota Twins are 69-0 this season when ahead after eight innings.

• For the first time in more than three decades, there were seven shutouts in Tuesday’s schedule. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the most shutouts on one day since there were a record eight on June 4, 1972, when 16 games were played.

• If only Dave Thomas were around to witness this.

• Since the All-Star break, Brad Penny has a 6.46 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP over 62 2/3 innings.

• Over his last five starts, Matt Cain is 4-0 and has yielded one run over 34 innings for a 0.26 ERA.

• 0: The number of NFC West teams that have repeated as champions since the division was realigned in 2002.

• 5: The current number of consecutive Super Bowl losers (Seahawks, Eagles, Panthers, Raiders, Rams) that have failed to reach .500 the following season.

• A couple start/sit suggestions before kick off…

Start – Chris Henry – If TJ Houshmandzadeh doesn’t suit up, Henry makes for a fine WR3 and even WR2 option against a weak Kansas City secondary.

DeShaun Foster – While most Foster owners probably plan on using him every week while healthy, his matchup against Atlanta week 1 is especially enticing. In two games against them last year, Foster gained 345 total yards and three TDs, with a 7.05 yards per carry clip.

Nate Burleson – With Darrell Jackson reportedly only set to play 25 snaps, Burleson looks like Seattle’s No. 1 WR option this week. He’ll exploit Detroit’s secondary and be worth inserting into your lineup.

Sit – Muhsin Muhammad – While the matchup against Green Bay looks good on the surface, realize the one thing the Packers do have going for them is Al Harris, one of the best cover corners in the game. Not only that, Harris typically stays with the opposing team’s No. 1 wideout throughout the game, so expect Muhammad to be blanketed Sunday.

Ahman Green – Green says he’s ready for the full load, but remember he’s barely played a snap since last October. Factor in Chicago’s stingy D, and Green is someone to avoid this week.

Steve Smith – It’s looking more and more like he’s going to be a no-go Sunday. Even if he does dress, he’ll be playing on not one but two bad hamstrings. The Panthers would be better off resting Smith and looking toward the rest of the season.

Balt/TB – Save for Caddy Williams, I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting any offensive player in this game.

• The Elias Sports Bureau reports that Dan Uggla is just the fourth player in the last 50 years to record 20 home runs and 75 RBI in his debut season in the majors.

• The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are 2-20 on the road since the All-Star break.

• Chris Young still hasn’t lost a road game since June 25, 2005. He’s 6-0 in 12 road starts this season and 9-0 over his last 21 starts away from home.

• Noah Lowry has a 10-0 record and 2.33 ERA for the month of August in his four-year career.

• The Twins are 23-2 in Johan Santana’s last 25 starts.

• Miami RB Sammy Morris was reportedly suspended for taking Sudafed.

• The Cardinals’ pitching staff could post the highest ERA in history for a team that finishes first. It’s 4.56. The record belongs to the 1997 Giants, who won their division despite a 4.39 ERA. The Giants were champs despite allowing more runs than they scored.

• Opponents have stolen 36 of 37 bases with Freddy Garcia on the mound this season.

• Cleveland’s Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a grand slam on the first pitch he saw as a major leaguer Saturday night.

• The Florida Marlins’ record is 68-68. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that means they’re the first team since the 1899 Louisville Colonels to return to .500 after falling 20 games below that mark earlier in the season.

• Despite ranking third in the majors in runs and fifth in league run differential (plus-67), the Indians are just 65-70. According to Baseball Prospectus’ adjusted standings, the Tribe should have about 11 more wins given their secondary indicators.

• Make sure Anthony Reyes isn’t available in your league, and if he is, give him a look if you could use the innings. While he didn’t overly impress his first time in the rotation, after Sunday’s performance he’s now thrown over 19 straight scoreless innings counting his Triple-A stats. He’s in the Cardinals’ rotation for good now with Mark Mulder on the shelf and possesses a real solid repertoire. He could be a difference maker for your team.

• Check in later this week for our preview of the NFL season, as we’ll predict how each division will play out this year. We’ll also give you a few over/under team wins bets that look enticing for this season.

• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, last week Dan Haren became the first pitcher in American League history and just the second overall to win a game after allowing eight runs in the opening two frames.

• Manny Ramirez reached on 22 of 23 plate appearances in the New York Yankee series last week: eight hits, nine walks (five intentional) and twice on errors. He reached in his last 19 in a row.

• The Seattle Mariners are mired in a 20-game losing streak to division opponents.

• Scott Kazmir is already the Devil Rays’ all-time strikeout leader. Coincidentally, his 378 Ks moves him past the man he was dealt for, Victor Zambrano, who had 372 as a Ray.

• During Willy Taveras’ 28-game hit streak, he has an 0-for-11 stretch.

• Dusty Baker should probably not be managing a major league baseball team at this point: “On-base percentage is great if you can score runs and do something with that on-base percentage,” Baker said. “Clogging up the bases isn’t that great to me.”

• So that’s what Albert don’t call me “Joey” Bell has been up to.

• This guy is the man.

• Is there such a thing as being in too many fantasy football leagues? I’ll find out soon enough, as last week I competed in an industry “experts” draft, and tonight I am participating in a league I have been in for 10 years, which brings my total to six leagues this year. It’s getting to the point of even if I win a league, I’ll just break even with all my other leagues’ dues. Oh well, I say fantasy football is like money, the term too much simply doesn’t apply. Anyway, here’s a link to the aforementioned experts league, and feel free to comment on how you think I did (I’m RotoWire). It was a 1-point per reception league (the only reason I drafted Westbrook in the second round, which I am already regretting) and you start 2RB and 3WR. Most of the bigger names in the industry competed in this draft, so I’d really like to win it.

• The Pirates are 7-32 when a left-hander starts against them this year.

• When David Bush singled to center on Monday night, it snapped an 0-for-43 streak by Milwaukee pitchers.

• Greg Maddux threw 64 warm-up pitches against the Giants last week. He threw 68 real ones during his eight shutout innings. The Los Angeles Times noted that Maddux “Does no doctoring but knows how to work a ball that comes to him scuffed or nicked.” Curiously, a Rockies coach noted that against Colorado a couple weeks ago, after Maddux’s last warm-up toss, catcher Russell Martin’s throw to second base bounced in the dirt. Every time.

• Carlos Zambrano leads the NL in both strikeouts (167) and walks (96).

• Matt Diaz tied an NL record with hits in 10 straight at-bats before grounding out Monday.

• Despite playing in the same division and 19 times a year, Adam Loewen Thursday became the first Baltimore pitcher since Sidney Ponson in 1998 to beat the Yankees twice in a season.

• Edgerrin James’ take on the end of Matt Leinart’s 15-day holdout: “He’s cool. I only deal with cool people.”

• Ron Artest’s take on the Malice at the Palace: “Someone started trouble and I ended it,” Artest told about 50 children Wednesday at a panel on black empowerment in Detroit.

• David DeJesus and Pablo Ozuna both hit leadoff homers in the contest between the Royals and White Sox Thursday. Emil Brown and Jermaine Dye also hit homers as the first batters of both halves of the second inning. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time the first four half-innings of a game have ever started with homers.

• Bobby Abreu drew two walks Wednesday to reach 100 for the eighth straight year. The streak matches the longest in major league history

• In 21 August starts for Johan Santana dating back to 2002, all he’s done is go 18-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 174 Ks. And at home, Santana is now 12-0 over his last 19 Metrodome starts since August 6 of last year.

• It appeared I sufficiently jinxed the Angels after I recommended betting on them, as they were six full games back of the A’s entering Friday. Now down to 4.5 games, I still have faith, but Oakland certainly gets it done post All-Star breaks year in and year out. Anaheim also faces a pretty daunting schedule ahead of them. It’s a shame two teams out of the White Sox, Yankees, Red Sox and Twins won’t make the playoffs. Not to mention a solid Angels or Athletics club. At least the Reds have a shot!

• Best. Deal. Ever.

• Since 1998, no team with the best regular season record in baseball has won the World Series.

• Fantasy Nation rejoices.

• This Maurice Clarett situation just keeps getting more and more bizarre. We have all heard the gist of his latest problems, which include a hatchet, but did you also know that he supposedly took a swig of Grey Goose right in front of the police just for the fun of it? What about the fact prosecutors are now saying Clarett was arrested near the home of a witness in his robbery trial? Unreal, this story will get beaten to death yet still be underrated in my book.

• Justin Morneau is the first Twin to slug 30 homers in a season since 1987. He also has entered himself into the MVP race. Since April ended, he’s hit .349 and since June 1, his slugging percentage is a ridiculous .702. The 101 RBI don’t hurt either.

• Jonny Gomes, on the other hand, is on the opposite spectrum. After an April that saw him hit .305, he’s hit a paltry .182 ever since. His post All-Star break numbers are especially brutal, which has seen him go 5-for-77, an .065 clip.

• When Randy Johnson struck out the first hitter he faced Wednesday, he ended a streak of 52 consecutive hitters without a strikeout, the longest such streak of his career.

• Aubrey Huff went 14 straight games without an RBI. He has nine in his last three.

• I’m not one to make steroid accusations; in fact, I care less about them than most, but if you saw Andruw Jones’ recent broken bat home run to dead center field, you know what I’m talking about.

• The proverbial rookie wall is seemingly arriving for this year’s crop all at once. Jonathan Papelbon has blown two straight saves, more than doubling his ERA in the process. Francisco Liriano gave up a career-high 10 hits in his most recent outing, which saw him leave with a sore elbow and forearm. If he returns this year at all, consider it an upset. Speaking of injuries derailing strong seasons, fellow rookie Justin Verlander had to skip his last start because of fatigue in his pitching arm. If that’s not enough, phenom Jered Weaver has a 4.97 ERA over his last three starts. Meanwhile, Cole Hamels, who has largely disappointed in his rookie campaign, has a 2.24 ERA over his last three starts and a brilliant 43/8 K/BB ratio over his previous 31 1/3 innings.

• It’s the first time in major league history that rookies lead both leagues in ERA when entering August.

• Coors Field had its third 1-0 game last week. There had been just one such game in 11 seasons of play entering this year. The stadium also has a major league leading 11 shutouts this season.

• Byung-Hyun Kim is 5-3 with a 2.75 ERA at Coors Field this season. He’s allowed just three homers in 59 innings at his home park. On the road, he’s 2-3 with a 7.19 ERA and has allowed six homers in 41 1/3 innings.

• Meet the anti-Big Papi – David Dellucci is hitting .363 with the bases empty and .231 with RISP. He’s 0-for-18 with 10 strikeouts with RISP and two outs.

• According to BoDog.com, the Royals are 1-0 when they are favorites this year.

• Jake Peavy has 10 losses or no-decisions when he has allowed three runs or fewer.

• Jake Westbrook became the first pitcher in 18 years to win despite allowing 15 hits Thursday.

• In three games against the Yankees this week, Toronto’s starting pitchers accumulated 12 innings and 243 pitches.

• Mike Gonzalez has yet to blow a save this year, as he’s 19-for-19 during opportunities.

• Jeff Francoeur has 21 home runs compared to 10 walks this year.

• Meanwhile, Barry Bonds has 88 walks compared to just 59 hits on the year.

• The last time the Cardinals had a losing streak of longer than eight games, Albert Pujols was four months old.

• Roy Halladay suffered his first loss Friday while pitching at night since June 18, 2005.

• Jose Reyes has 44 stolen bases this season after swiping 60 in 2005. He’s attempting to become the first player in more than a decade to have 60 SBs in consecutive seasons.

• Ryan Freel has been picked off a remarkable seven times this year.

• Francisco Liriano generates missed swings with 34 percent of his pitches, which is by far the most in the majors; Aaron Harang of the Reds is second, at 26 percent.

• Jeff Francis last week became the third Rockies pitcher to toss a two-hitter this year, joining Jason Jennings and Josh Fogg. In their first 13 years, the late Darryl Kile was the only Rockies pitcher to perform the feat.

• The next Twins pitching phenom to arrive should be right-hander Matt Garza, a former first-rounder from Fresno State. Garza, who started the year in A-ball, hit 97 mph in the ninth inning last week in a 1-0 shutout for Triple-A Rochester. Overall this year Garza is 13-4 with a 2.03 ERA and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

• The Padres have hit 51-homers at Petco Park this season. They hit 54 there last year and 57 in 2004, its first season.

• Johan Santana has a 1.35 ERA in his last 10 starts against the White Sox.

• This guy deserves a swift kick to the groin.

• Chris Young hasn’t lost a road game since June 20, 2005.

• If the Orioles really did turn down the rumored Tejada for Ervin Santana, Erick Aybar and Casey Kotchman deal, then they are even more insane than I gave them credit for.

• Sean Casey hasn’t homered against a right-handed pitcher in 144 at-bats this season.

• The Yankees’ first six hitters in their batting order have the following OBPs: Damon .372, Jeter .427, Abreu .427, A-Rod .383, Giambi .402, and Posada .389. How does Joe Torre do it? Amazing what he can get out of such deficient talent in a team devastated by injuries. Maybe the fact the Yankees have $100 million more in payroll than any other team in baseball has something to do with it, but you can’t be sure. And if I hear one more “analyst” say Corey Lidle was the more important piece of the Abreu trade, I’m going to be forced to choke myself. Hope none of you expected a playoffs without the Yankees involved, because there’s zero chance of that happening.

• The Tigers became the first team in 115 years to score at least five runs in the opening inning of three straight games.

• The Astros were recently shut out for the 11th time in Roger Clemens’ 38 starts since the beginning of 2005.

• ESPN is convinced that pent-up demand for the Aug. 22 release of the videogame “Madden NFL 07″ is so enormous that it has created an hour-long pay-per-view special about the game to kick off on Aug. 4. “Inside Madden NFL 07,” which will be available for purchase for $19.95.

• More from Bristol: ESPN has been vigilant about sexual harassment because it reportedly has been a problem in Bristol for years. In 2000, the book “ESPN: The Uncensored History” reported rampant cases of harassment of women. Most prominently mentioned was Mike Tirico, who was even suspended at one point. Mike Tirico!

• Ryan Madson tied a major league record with four wild pitches in an inning Tuesday.

• So that’s what Jamal Mashburn’s been up to.

• So that’s why Ronaldinho had one of the most disappointing World Cups ever.

• Back-to-back shutouts at Coors Field this week? The humidor is officially working too well at this point.

• The Twins are 34-8 in their last 42 games.

• Switch-hitter Carlos Zambrano has four homers in 46 at-bats this season.

• The Dodgers are 1-13 since the All-Star break and are averaging only 2.1 runs scored per game.

• Alfonso Soriano had never walked more than 38 times in an entire season, and he’s got 45 already this year. Not to mention he’s nearly 30-30 while switching leagues and playing in one of the best pitcher’s parks in the game. Do not underestimate the contract year.

• San Francisco’s Eliezer Alfonzo had his second multi-homer game of the season Thursday. Barry Bonds hasn’t had a multi-homer game since Aug. 29, 2004.

• Mike Piazza has thrown out a ridiculous seven of 68 base runners attempting steals this year.

• Jeff Suppan has made 290 starts in the majors and has never struck out 10+ batters, which is the longest active streak in baseball.

• In 81 at-bats batting second in the lineup, Adam Dunn has 7 homers and a .370/.452/.691 line. Jerry Narron might want to leave him there.

• Scott Olsen has now gone 11 straight starts without allowing more than three runs. Lowering his ERA from 5.83 to 3.79 in the process.

• The Twins have won 37 of their first 48 home games. It’s the best start at home by a team since the 1998 Yankees went 40-8.

• Jose Canseco had another run-in with police this week after winning the home run derby at the Golden Baseball League’s inaugural All-Star game. Several hours after Canseco won a $250 cash prize in the contest, Chico police officers found him outside his Oxford Suites hotel room early Wednesday morning in a heated argument with a woman. Officers found the room, where the two were staying, had been damaged. Neither person was arrested.

• According to Baseball Prospectus, the list of the most abused pitchers in baseball this year goes as follows: Livan Hernandez is first, Jason Schmidt is second, followed by Aaron Harang, Carlos Zambrano, John Smoltz, Barry Zito, Dontrelle Willis, Bronson Arroyo, Curt Schilling and Brett Myers.

• Josh Beckett has allowed 27 homers this year, a career-high. His previous high was 16 with the 2004 Marlins.

• Sunday’s win improved the Twins’ record to 63-1 when leading after eight innings this season. They’re also 257-3 when leading after the eighth since the start of the 2003 season.

• Robby recently did an excellent job of pointing out the ridiculous quality of Sports Illustrated’s recent foray into the fantasy sports industry. Well, I didn’t want ESPN to feel left out; after all, we here at RotoScoop do not choose favorites when it comes to shoddy fantasy football rankings. Other than the laughable ranking of Tony Gonzalez ahead of Antonio Gates, I won’t nitpick too much with Bristol’s rankings. My main criticism is that they probably should have spent a little more time analyzing teams starters (DeShaun Foster ranked ahead of Reggie Bush, Willie Parker, Brian Westbrook, Julius Jones, Kevin Jones and Chester Taylor is a tad suspect) and less time on teams third, fourth and fifth stringers. I’m all for a thorough job, but come on, do 115 RBs really need to be listed? What about 150 WRs? I mean, I couldn’t believe that LeRon McCoy was ranked No. 140, ahead of No. 142 Skyler Green. The 77 TEs were absolutely necessary, however. When a guy who played in all 16 games and amassed 1 reception for 1 yard last year isn’t the last player on the list, it’s probably time to focus your resources elsewhere.

• My favorite part of ESPN’s fantasy coverage has to be the mock draft. It’s tough to take Bill Simmons (The Sports Guy), who is one of my favorite writers, seriously after seeing him take a kicker in round eight.

• In hindsight, I probably should have blown all of my FAAB on Jered Weaver instead of Cole Hamels. Oh well, at least I referred to Francisco Liriano as “THE steal of fantasy baseball drafts” before the season. You win some, you lose some.

• The Braves became the first team since the 1930 Yankees to score 10 or more runs in five straight games. Do not count them out of the wild card race just yet.

• The Braves’ Jorge Sosa and the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano are the first pair of pitchers with three or more homers since 1984.

• When Jason Schmidt allowed Rickie Weeks’ fifth-inning RBI single Monday, it marked the first time this season that the right-hander had yielded a hit with a runner in scoring position. Until then, opponents were hitless in 42 at-bats against Schmidt in those instances.

• Cadillac Williams on the Auburn directed-study mini-scandal: “Auburn’s a great school as far as academics and athletics … once everything unfolds, they’ll know that Auburn didn’t do nothing wrong and I haven’t did nothing wrong.”

• Jose Canseco, using his patented knuckleball, retired only one batter Tuesday while giving up four runs in the first All-Star game in the independent Golden Baseball League. Before his struggles on the mound, Canseco wowed the crowd with some titanic drives to win the home run derby. “I’m going to take these guys out and get them drunk,” motioning toward his teammates on the South team. “I’m going to buy about 400 gallons of beer.”

• Chad Cordero has fewer saves this season (14) than he did in June alone in 2005 (15).

• Braves manager Bobby Cox is but eight ejections away from breaking John McGraw’s record for lifetime ejections. McGraw was ejected 131 times.

• Milwaukee’s Tony Gwynn Jr. collected his first big league hit with a ninth-inning double Wednesday — exactly 24 years to the day after Gwynn’s famous father recorded his first hit.

• Buck O’Neil, at 94, became the oldest player to bat in a professional game Wednesday.

• Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been named in a New Jersey divorce case as “the other man.” It has to be the hoody.

• Toronto manager John Gibbons challenged Shea Hillenbrand to a fight during a team meeting before the Blue Jays designated Hillenbrand for assignment Wednesday.

• It’s probably too late, but make sure Fausto Carmona isn’t still available in your league. Not only is he the new Indians closer, but there’s also a good chance he’s going to be quite effective in his new role.

By Robby Wellington – Staff Writer

Note: Don’t worry, this article contains no spoilers.

Last night I spent two delightful hours glued to ESPN’s “The Contender.” For those who missed Season One, the show takes 16 fairly talented and accomplished boxers who live and train together. At the end of each episode, two boxers are chosen to fight, with the winner advancing and the loser going home until an eventual champion is crowned.

The show’s first season aired on NBC but was not renewed after suffering through subpar ratings. ESPN picked it up for a second season, which features welterweight boxers instead of middleweights and has trimmed down the primetime budget. The million dollar purse has been slashed in half, the fighters’ families no longer are provided with housing nearby, the teams no longer compete in elaborate and idiotic competitions and, tragically, executive producer Sylvester Stallone no longer appears on the program, having focused his most recent efforts on the highly-anticipated Rocky VI.

This is far and away the most severe blow to the show’s enjoyability, as Sly provided pure, unadulterated comedy every moment he was on camera. My favorite Stallone moments were during the actual fights when he would sit next to co-host Sugar Ray Leonard and offer insight, matter-of-factly telling one of the greatest boxers of all-time what was going on in the match (“Gomez won that round,” or “Mora needs to use the jab more”). Clearly, the audience, and maybe Sugar Ray himself, were supposed to believe that this wasn’t Sylvester Stallone providing boxing expertise, but rather Rocky Balboa, the greatest champion ever! Anyway, Sly’s absence has forced Sugar Ray Leonard, his former second banana, to take over the hosting reigns, a job he is not at all cut out for. No doubt, the man was a great boxer, but he exudes about as much charisma as a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

So while the show’s changes appear to have caused it to drop a full grade on the watchability scale (from an A to a B), the last twenty minutes of each episode are still gold. The first ten really tug at the old heartstrings as each boxer is reunited with his family the day of the fight, a scene invariably spliced together with an emotional and tearful soliloquy, all of which is accompanied by some phenomenally dramatic music. Then, for the next ten minutes, you get to watch the two men beat the living hell out of each other. I generally think that the show chose their boxers, in large part, on fighting style, selecting only guys who are willing to wail on each other for five rounds and produce entertaining bouts. And on the rare occasion when a match isn’t entertaining, it’ll be edited enough in post-production, combinations repeated from different angles, punches slowed down and made to look more powerful, not-so-subtle sound effects and cutaways to combatants’ families, all of which may sound incredibly cheesy, but trust me, work quite well.

But enough about the show itself. I am here mainly to advocate a way to make the program even more entertaining, the same way we spice up any sport or game: gambling. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present “Fantasy Contender.”

The scoring system is fairly simple: a point for every bout your fighters win and a bonus point for picking the eventual champion. I briefly considered a 1-2-4-8 doubling format similar to most NCAA pools, but clearly whoever picked the winner would win with the owner of the runner-up getting second, and that’s no fun. You can also make things a little more interesting by choosing to have additional bonus points awarded or taken away for each platitude your contender utters (e.g. “I left it all in the ring”) as well as every time a fighter asks God to help them win.

Now, unless your league has seven participants, some teams will have one fewer boxer than others. The best solution I have for this problem is that all participants have the option to draft one point, instead of an actual boxer, meaning your team would have one fewer boxer, but start a point ahead of teams with full rosters. Granted, not a perfect solution but better than not using every boxer in my opinion.

Another problem is what to do with the boxers who already advanced. Should their owners get a point for the wins from last night or only count future victories. Since I personally don’t think that either of these boxers have a great chance of taking it all, I am inclined to award their owners a point for the first round victory, but either format works.

So now how do you prepare for your league’s draft? The best way, I would think, is to watch the first episode closely, taking note of which fighters were singled out at the beginning as the frontrunners, and which order the teams were picked (a good way of judging the boxers’ perceptions of each other). There are also a handful of Web sites that briefly profile each boxer, with ESPN’s official site being a good place to start. So just remember, you were put here for a purpose, do this for your family and for a better life, leave it all out in the ring, give 110 percent and make sure that God is in your corner because it’s win or go home when you play Fantasy Contender.

• The All-Star game matters. Home field has been fairly significant in determining the World Series champion recently. Since 1985, the team with HFA has won 17 of the last 20 World Series. Also, the last eight times the World Series has gone to a Game 7, the home team has won each game.

• For the first time in almost 28 years, Major League Baseball played a full day of games with nobody recording a save Saturday. There were six save attempts, and every single one of them was blown.

• Chipper Jones extended his streak of games with at least one extra-base hit to 13 Saturday. The NL record is 14 set in 1927 by Hall of Famer Paul Waner.

• Alfonso Soriano leads all major league outfielders in assists this year.

• The Colorado Rockies lead the majors in fewest homers allowed.

• If you have the roster room, go ahead and stash BJ Upton. Similarly, keep your eye on the White Sox’ rotation; if they do in fact trade either Garcia or Vazquez, Brandon McCarthy would become a starter and be worthy of a pick up in virtually all leagues.

• When Angels pitcher John Lackey set down 27 straight A’s after Mark Kotsay’s leadoff double, he became the seventh pitcher in the modern era to do that. He later ran his scoreless streak to 26 2/3 innings Friday.

• Alex Rodriguez recently collected his 100th homer as a member of the Yankees. A-Rod, who also has more than 100 homers with the Mariners and Rangers, is one of three players to have 100 homers with the three different clubs. Reggie Jackson (A’s, Yankees, Angels) and Darrell Evans (Braves, Giants, Tigers) are the others.

• Chicago’s Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club, a gay bar, is offering an Effen Ozzie Guillen-tini made with Effen vodka and fresh fruit. The drink will set you back $8.50 but at least it comes with a free copy of the Sun-Times, whose columnist Jay Mariotti started the whole flap with a column critical of the White Sox manager.

• Curt Schilling was 4-1 with a 3.11 ERA against teams with winning records in the first half. The rest of the Red Sox’ starters were 11-14 with a 6.75 ERA.

• Andy Pettitte has the best career winning percentage after the All-Star break in the history of MLB.

• Trot Nixon’s batting average dropped 11 points after his 0-for-9 showing in the Red Sox’ 19-inning loss to the White Sox last weekend. Only five hitters since 1957 have had more hitless at-bats in the same game.

• The Mariners players have spent just 76 days on the DL this year, fewest in the majors. The Nationals lead the way at 846.

• If you’re as bored with TV this summer as I am, give “Rock Star” a try. With Nirvana, The Killers, Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand on the play list, it’s certainly more appealing than “American Idol.” Plus Dave Navarro and Tommy Lee are involved, so high comedy is abundant.

• The best dunk ever?

• The Tigers had a three-year record that was the worst in the game and now have a midseason record that’s the best in the game.

• As much as I like the Oakland A’s squad, the Angels cannot be counted out at this point. Name a better rotation than Jered Weaver, Santana, Colon, Escobar and Lackey. Not to mention their bullpen and even more talent just waiting for their chance in the minors. Speaking of, if you have roster room, go ahead and stash Howie Kendrick, you’ll thank me later.

• It’s pretty ridiculous that a team featuring Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano and last year’s deserving MVP-winner has the third worst record in baseball at the break. The Cubs figured they could be the next team after the 2004 Red Sox and 2005 White Sox to break a curse. They figured they could stay healthy, too.

• One of the biggest story lines in the second half has to be whether Joe Mauer can flirt with a .400 average or not. Hopefully he at least keeps it close for a while.

• With all the grumbling over All-Star snubs, including me, one forgotten name is Jim Leyland. It’s safe to say he’s done a better job managing than Eric Wedge has this year.

• Even though they haven’t won since 1996, maybe there’s hope for the NL All-Star team this year, as they are a career 4-0 in All-Star games played in Pittsburgh.

• A’s GM Billy Beane recently banned beer from the Oakland clubhouse, home and away. For home games, the visitors clubhouse will be dry as well. This was a reaction in part to Esteban Loaiza’s recent DUI but also something Beane said he should have done years ago.

• A GQ Magazine article reports that NBA groupies target bad boys like Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace, with GQ writer Lisa DePaulo proclaiming that this “isn’t just kinky, it’s smart business.” Of course.

• With the recent talk of baseball betting here at RotoScoop, I thought it’d be interesting to take a look at tonight’s opportunity – the home run derby. First off, let’s take a quick glance at PNC Park. The power alley in left, which reaches 410 feet at its deepest, and the 21-foot wall in right can be a challenge for tonight’s hitters. However, there is a short porch in right, seemingly benefiting left-handed hitters. David Ortiz could do some damage with the 320-foot line down right field. But at BoDog.com’s modest +270 line, and Big Papi’s past poor derby stamina, there might be a better bet out there.

• Remember, there is a six-foot wall in left, so a right-handed batter winning this competition isn’t completely out of the question. I’m thinking Troy Glaus for a couple reasons. Mainly, this bet is difficult and pretty much a crapshoot, but Glaus is for some reason the least favored of all the participants. He has been bothered by some leg injuries and has only two home runs in his last 17 games. Still, one of them came Sunday, and the guy has one of the best power strokes in the game. Don’t go crazy or anything, as this type of bet is obviously not a very safe one, but Glaus is listed at a lucrative +1000. With only one returning bomber from last year and a field that is very open, go Glaus and at the very least, the derby will become even more watchable.

• Injury of the week (if not the year): Brewers reliever Matt Wise is temporarily shelved after an injury caused by a pair of salad tongs. He cut the middle finger on his pitching hand while reaching for the aluminum tongs in the postgame spread. This is the same Matt Wise who strained his shoulder on a railing in early May. He was in the Brewers’ bullpen in San Diego, heading for the bathroom.

• With Jose Canseco now a San Diego Surf Dawg, getting paid $2,500 a month, he’ll be subject to the Golden Baseball League’s drug-testing policy. Steroids are banned, and every player in the GBL is tested. Canseco will be a designated hitter and “showcase his knuckleball as a member of the pitching staff,” according to a press release.

• 383 – Triple-A hitters Jeremy Sowers faced this year while allowing one home run.

• 2 – Homers Sowers allowed in a span of four batters in his first start for the Indians.

• This catch is legit.

• Orlando Cabrera has reached base safely in 61 straight games, giving him the longest such streak since 1960. The major league record is 84 games by Ted Williams

• Jason Marquis has 10 wins on the season despite a 5.78 ERA. Meanwhile, Todd Jones has 22 saves despite an ERA of 6.00.

• Chicago Bulls mascot charged with attacking an off-duty officer after driving a mini-motorcycle through an outdoor festival.

• Nomar Garciaparra tied a major league record when he was hit by three pitches in Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks.

• USATODAY has a poll asking, “which do you think was the worst MLB All-Star snub?” They list eight players, including the likes of A.J. Pierzynski; Travis Hafner, however, isn’t one of them.

• Make sure Erik Bedard isn’t available in your league. After a rough two months to start the season, he has a 1.24 ERA in his past four outings, with a 32/6 K/BB ratio. The opponents included the Mets, Phillies and White Sox, so it wasn’t against weak competition either. Maybe he is finally harnessing his stuff, which is definitely good enough to excel in the majors.

• Sammy Sosa told a Korean newspaper he’s not retired and might return to action next season, but he nearly ended the interview when asked about steroids.

• Check out Tom Cruise night at a minor league park.

• Forget Pickle Girl; it’s all about Balloon Girl.

• Honestly, this never gets old. Check out Bird Girl and Mustard Girl.

• The Red Sox set the major league record for consecutive games without an error at 17 Friday.

• Johan Santana lowered his ERA to 2.59 with seven shutout innings Wednesday. Amazingly, it was his first outing all year long in which he didn’t allow at least one run.

• Speaking of Johan, he finishes June with a ridiculous 1.05 ERA and 0.67 WHIP in 43 innings. In 2004, he went into the All-Star break with a 3.78 ERA, and in 2005, he finished the first half with a 3.98 ERA. If he has a second half this year that even resembles his last two, his final numbers will be eye-popping. This is why I advocated him as the No. 3 pick overall.

• San Diego’s Chris Young has a 0.93 ERA is his last six starts.

• Curt Schilling has pitched at least five innings in 134 consecutive starts.

• NL-only leaguers need to pounce on Tom Gorzelanny. Mixed leaguers should pay attention to him as well.

• The Minnesota Twins are now 18-2 in their last 20 games. They gained one whole game on the Detroit Tigers in the process. With Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano and their bullpen, absolutely no team would want anything to do with the Twins come playoff time. Since May 1, Joe Mauer is hitting .418. As of now, they look like one of the better third place finishing teams in recent memory. Actually, I still say they can make a run at the Tigers.

• At least it didn’t take too long for the Angels to recognize the error in their ways; bringing back Jered Weaver was an absolute must. It seems to me older brother Jeff would benefit from a switch back to the NL.

• I recommend making sure Jeremy Accardo is owned in your league. He just finished up June with a horrendous 7.94 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, so there’s a decent chance he’s available to be picked up. He still has a nifty 32/10 K/BB ratio on the year, so it hasn’t been all bad, but most importantly, the Giants view him as their closer of the future. While Armando Benitez is due to come back any day now, remember he is pitching with a sprained elbow ligament. If that’s not bad enough, Benitez has alienated himself so badly in the Giants’ clubhouse that there are even rumors of him possibly being released.

• Now is the time to make an offer for Cole Hamels. He has been extremely disappointing so far, with a 5.50 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. Still, he’s seemingly healthy, still has dominant stuff, and with the Padres and Pirates coming up in his next two starts, his numbers could get better in a hurry. Make an offer before it happens.

• Eddie Griffin has left me speechless.

• And finally, I’ll leave you with two more ridiculous YouTube clips, enjoy: Japan Prank Show and Rogue Helicopter Pilot.

• Maybe it’s time to reevaluate how valuable Jamie Moyer is as a fantasy pitcher, at least if you play in a daily transaction league. The sample set is large enough now to realize the home/road splits are not a fluke and can be fully taken advantage of. Since last year, Moyer has a 5.79 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 121 2/3 road innings. At home, he has a nifty 2.85 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 183 1/3 innings. While not a big strikeout contributor, Moyer is seriously a valuable commodity if used right.

• Jonathan Papelbon tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief Saturday, and the outing lowered his ERA by 0.01 points. Unreal, all the way from 0.25 to 0.24. The second place finisher for AL Rookie of the Year (Francisco Liriano) is going to have some pretty ridiculous numbers for a non-winner.

• In case you haven’t seen the footage yet, check out Minor league manager Joe Mikulik’s recent tirade.

• Defenses get edgy when Ichiro Suzuki hits. He has reached base on errors seven times this year, more than any other AL player.

• Ryan Anderson was the Mariners’ top draft pick in 1997, and he was called the “Little Unit” because he was a 6-foot-10 lefty who threw a triple-digit fastball and emerged as baseball’s best prospect. But he never made the majors, having undergone three shoulder surgeries. Now he’s a student at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute and hopes to be an executive chef and restaurant owner.

• Jason Johnson was a bust in Cleveland after signing for one year and $4 million. Before being traded to the Red Sox, he basically served as a batting-practice pitcher. Check these numbers: .341 (opponents’ batting average), .403 (average for lefties), .469 (average for hitters swinging at the first pitch), .447 (average for hitters leading off innings), .387 (average for No. 9 hitters) and .467 (average for No. 8 hitters). Good luck, Boston.

• The Twins have won 15 of 17 games but gained just .5 game in the standings on Detroit and 3 on the White Sox.

• Last year the Angles allowed the fewest unearned runs in the majors – this year, the most.

• Not only does Jose Reyes have more walks this year than all of last, but also his June has been white-hot. Check out these numbers: .430/.480/.720 for a 1201 OPS. He’s also chipped in 14 stolen bases. In mid-season leagues, he looks like a top-5 pick.

• Fox Sports Network, which failed miserably in attempts to challenge ESPN’s SportsCenter several years ago, will try again at 11:30 p.m. starting July 3. But this time, there’s a catch – FSN’s program will feature nothing but highlights. In other words, no ponderous lead-ins from anchors trying to show us how clever they are. The concept just might work, though it’s unrealistic to think it will challenge SportsCenter in the ratings.

• Barry Bonds is a 13-time All-Star but will probably have to make it as a reserve this year, as he stands ninth among outfielders in the latest balloting. Will National League Manager Phil Garner take him? As vulnerable as Bonds has looked at times, his .476 on-base percentage towers over the leading vote-getters among N.L. outfielders: Jason Bay (.407), Carlos Beltran (.395) and Alfonso Soriano (.340.).

• When the Baltimore Orioles took a chance by signing Russ Ortiz Sunday, both sides touted the way pitching coach Leo Mazzone worked miracles with Ortiz in Atlanta. In 2003, Ortiz finished fourth in Cy Young balloting behind Eric Gagne, Jason Schmidt and Mark Prior. But the Mazzone magic has yet to follow the coach to Baltimore: The Orioles’ 5.19 ERA is second-to-last in the majors. If Russ Ortiz isn’t the very worst pitcher in the AL from here on out, Mazzone is a genius.

• The Dodgers’ starting infield Saturday and Sunday consisted of four shortstops: Nomar Garciaparra (1B), Ramon Martinez (2B), Cesar Izturis (3B) and Rafael Furcal (SS).

• Tim Hudson is 90-4 in his career when given four or more runs to work with.

• The Marlins have the best record in baseball over the last month-plus, at 22-9. All of a sudden, Willis, Josh Johnson and Scott Olsen shape a formidable trio. They have plenty of more talent in the farm system as well. Maybe this rebuilding thing won’t take nearly as long as most anticipated.