Leading Off

Head Strong

Giants catcher Bengie Molina, frustrated after lining out to Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar in the seventh inning of their game in Atlanta last Thursday, couldn't even get the satisfaction of snapping his bad-luck bat. Molina went 0 for 5 and stranded five base runners, but the Giants won 5--1, to deny the Braves a sweep of the four-game series.

Wave Goodbye

Nine-time world champ Kelly Slater steered clear of the pier in his upset loss to Brazil's Adriano de Souza in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Sunday in Huntington Beach, Calif. With waves as high as 12 feet during the competition, Brett Simpson of Huntington Beach beat Australian Mick Fanning for the championship and $100,000—the largest winner's check in surfing history.

Power Steering

Dan Barner of Hershey, Neb., improvised a one-armed, one-handed technique—without losing his hat—during the steer wrestling competition at the Cheyenne Frontier Days outdoor rodeo and Western celebration on July 20 in Wyoming. Barner got down and dusty but did not finish among the top steer wrestlers.

Split Precision

France's synchronized swimmers aligned 16 legs and 80 toes as best they could during the team free event at the 13th FINA Swimming World Championships last Saturday in Rome. Russia won the gold medal, and the Frenchwomen finished ninth.