Cap'n Crunch

When Giants manager Frank Robinson appointed Jack Clark team captain last week, the initial reaction had to be, "You've got to be kidding." The two openly feuded at times in Robinson's first three seasons, and the Giants actually traded Clark to the Pirates last August, only to have National League president Chub Feeney void the deal.

But Clark, who's coming off his poorest season (.268, 66 RBIs), has been a boy scout so far and is hitting .326 with seven homers and 29 RBIs—one of the few bright things about the last-place Giants. "I know what some guys are saying, that I'm the captain of a sinking ship," Clark says. "The truth is, I'm proud of this."

"He's been working hard, he's leading by example," Robinson says. "The team needs something to give it some spark. He has not only turned over a new leaf, he's reading from a new book."