The 10 Spot: July 26, 2005

Every Tuesday, the 10 Spot will present our list of the 10 hottest people, teams or trends in the world of sports.

1. Cyclists: Lance Armstrong might be relieved to head into retirement with his seventh straight Tour de France victory, but not nearly as much as the rest of the peloton. With Armstrong finally rolling off into the sunset, all the riders who have been choking on his dust the past seven years can actually aspire to wear the yellow jersey for themselves. If they're smart, they ought to chip in for a nice retirement gift to keep Armstrong happily on the sidelines.

2. Killer B's: The Astros have long trotted out sluggers with surnames beginning with B, going back to the troika of Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Derek Bell (remember him?), as well as more recent additions Lance Berkman and even (briefly) Carlos Beltran. But none of them did what Biggio and Berkman did Monday night in Houston when the duo twice connected on back-to-back homers in a 7-1 win over the Phillies. Biggio now has homered 249 times, 19 fewer times than he's been hit by a pitch, proving that he can dish out punishment nearly as well as he can take it.

3. Afternoon golf: It just seems unnatural to play golf at night, unless it involves putting with the 15-year-old daughter of the dean. Monday night's Battle at the Bridges, won by Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen over Tiger Woods and John Daly for those few who are still keeping score, marks the end of primetime golf for a while. It seems that Woods is tired of the made-for-TV exhibitions, and going forward without golf's biggest star is about as appealing an idea as Caddyshack 2.

4. Escalade dealers: With the first pick in the NFL draft, quarterback Alex Smith, agreeing to terms on Monday, expect a flurry of signings now that the bar has been set. Only two first-round picks came to terms before Smith signed what is reported to be a six-year, $57 million deal that should set the pecking order in the follow-the-leader NFL. That means that soon, some very large young men will be purchasing (or paying off) some very large rides.

5. Real relievers: Relief pitchers who argue that the bullpen is a demanding job and not simply a refuse bin for failed starters can now use the struggles of Curt Schilling as Exhibit A. Schilling, who is pitching out of the pen as he rebuilds his endurance, must be eager to return to his starting slot after losing his second game on Monday night in eight relief appearances since the All-Star Break. He might want to smear some blood on his sock before his next outing. This should also serve as a warning to the Cubs, who plan to use Kerry Wood out of the bullpen when he comes off the disabled list.

6. Gary Hogeboom: The former NFL quarterback could never quite hold on to the starter's job with the Cowboys in the mid-'80s, but he did survive 10 seasons in the league. Let's see how well that experience prepares him for Survivor. Hogeboom will be a contestant on Survivor: Guatemala, which is currently filming and will debut on CBS in mid-September. How long will it take his fellow competitors to oust him as a physical threat?

7. A's: It's the second half, which means it's time for the Moneyball mavens to make their move. Oakland clobbered the Indians 13-4 on Monday night to win its seventh straight game. The A's are now 27-6 in their last 33 games and lead the wild-card race by a half-game over the Twins after a typically atrocious start. Maybe this is the year the spreadsheet-savvy squad finally extends its success to the playoffs.

8. Slow golfers: Their patron saint, the snail-like Ben Crane, completed a leisurely wire-to-wire victory on Sunday at the PGA's U.S. Bank Championship. Maybe the key for Crane is to make it into the final pairing, where he doesn't have to face the withering stares of backed-up golfers waiting for him to hit the darn ball.

9. Hockey owners: They managed to stare down the players union without ever dropping their gloves and are now jettisoning high-priced players faster than Britney Spears goes through marriages. Of course, the old system was such a mess that high-revenue teams such as the Rangers could spend their way to certain success while small-market teams such as the Lightning had no chance to succeed. At least, that's the story that the owners are sticking to.