Who's Hot Who's Not

WHO'S Hot

Rays
What the devil's going on? Tampa Bay's newly rechristened baseballers had won six straight through Sunday and were off to the best start (14--11) in their 11-year history. One ace ( James Shields, above) two-hit Boston to complete a sweep. Another ( Scott Kazmir, last year's AL strikeout king) could be back this week, recovered from elbow trouble.

John Calipari
He's feeling wanted. The former U-Mass, former Nets and current Memphis coach—he's gone 104--10 over his last three years there—signed a five-year extension that averages $2.35 million and should keep him put: He gets a $5 million bonus if he stays to the end of the deal.

Ashley Force
Danica's got company! Force became the first woman to win a Funny Car race, beating papa John, among others, at the NHRA's Southern Nationals. After Ashley did a quarter mile in 4.837 seconds in Atlanta, proud John evaluated: "She did her job. She didn't do anything stupid at the starting line.... I love her."

Kenji
Not a bad weekend for Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima. His batting average didn't swell much (he was at .197 after a 1 for 4 on Sunday), but his wallet did: Seattle gave him a three-year, $24 million extension.

WHO'S Not

Rangers
A familiar scene in Texas: The Rangers (9--17 through Sunday) were dead last in the AL West. Who to blame? Hitters like Ben Broussard (.173 batting average)? Pitchers like Jason Jennings (above, 7.46 ERA)? Team president Nolan Ryan, explaining a 2--8 slide: "[We] had a total breakdown in all aspects of our game."

Sam Vincent
The coach was axed by the Bobcats after just one season. Why did they shove him? Let's count the ways: A 32--50 record didn't sit well, nor did Vincent's ripping his team for not wanting to win, nor did his rankling of star players, nor did his clashes with the front office....

Tony Stewart
His win in Saturday's Nationwide series was overshadowed by rumblings about his wanting out of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, his losing the pole position late during qualifying for the Sprint Cup race at Talladega and then this: a crash and a 38th-place finish on Sunday that kept Stewart winless in his career at 'Dega's main event.

Papi
A weekend to forget for Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz. After going 0 for 6 on Friday night, Ortiz—whose batting average slipped to .177—sat out the next two games with a bruised knee.