Who's Hot / Who's Not

WHO'S Hot

Cust
Striking gold in the Bay Area! In his first 46 at bats with the A's, former Padres farmhand Jack Cust (above) had eight home runs (one of them a walk-off winner) and was building a legend. Explained Cust, 28, "I can hit the ball, and this is what I want to do."

Simmons
Texans defensive back Jason Simmons (left) wore number 30 until newly acquired running back Ahman Green wanted it. It's yours, said Simmons, who's active in charity work, if you put a down payment on a home for a needy, as-yet-unspecified single parent. "Easy," said Green, who agreed, "he's... help[ing] them get their life started."

Rangers
Texas's tepid offense (Hot Not, May 14) broke out for 14 runs to stomp Houston on Sunday. And in Chandler, Ariz., Cowboys lineman Leonard Davis rescued a horse named Ranger from a sinkhole, pulling it free with a tractor. Said Davis, "No big deal."

Brandon Phillips
Despite the "black cloud" that Cincinnati first baseman Scott Hatteberg says is following the last-place Reds, second baseman Phillips (right) shines. He'd hit in 22 straight games through Sunday—the longest big league streak of the season—and had clubbed eight home runs.

WHO'S Not

Zito
Fool's gold in the Bay Area? Nine starts into his seven-year, bazillion-dollar contract, Giants lefty Barry Zito (above) was 3--5 with a 5.13 ERA and had gotten shellacked by his old team, the A's. Says Giants G.M. Brian Sabean, who signed him, "There's a little concern."

Carters
Former Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter (right) is in trouble again—he was suspended by his minor league arena team (that's arenafootball2!) for missing two practices. The Nets' Vince Carter coughed up the ball late in Game 4, then scored just 11 points during New Jersey's season-ending (and perhaps Vince-era-ending) loss in Game 6.

Rockies
Colorado (25th in the majors in runs scored) kept spinning in last place, losing two of three at home to the Royals. And Rocky himself got convicted: Sylvester Stallone, nabbed for importing human growth hormone into Australia, was ordered to pay a fine of more than $10,000.

Rickie Weeks
On a first-place Brewers team sparkling with bright lights (like Prince Fielder, page 34) second baseman Weeks's star was dimmed. His. 232 batting average included one RBI in 15 games leading up to last week, when he was sidelined by a sore wrist.