ESPN.com - What's hot, not for the week

ESPN.com: Page 2

Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Updated: August 16, 12:39 PM ET
What's hot, not for the week

By Dan Shanoff
Page 2 columnist

There is a look for late summer, and it replaces soccer shorts with a wetsuit. Shark attacks are out, and surfing is in. Take a cue from the three surfer-babes in "Blue Crush," opening this weekend.

Though it's dominated by good-looking people, surfing isn't just about hotties -- it's a low-key mentality coupled with an athletic challenge. The cool kids are jumping off land and into the water.

We're proclaiming right now that the "Aqua X Games" -- surfing, water-skiing and wakeboarding, among others -- will be the event of the summer in 2003.

Now that you've got the scoop on one thing that's trendy, check out the rest of what's hot and not this week. You may even convince someone to throw on a wetsuit for you.

What's Hot, What's Not this week
Category	Hot	Not
Little League World Series	Bashing Harlem	Covering 12-year-olds like pros
MLB strike conventional wisdom	Light at end of tunnel	Aug. 30 is it
"Get me the damn ball"	Hines Ward	Keyshawn Johnson
The fix is in	NFL rookie contracts	Olympics
Forum for Magic	NBA studio show	Still those pesky late-night talk shows
Shaq's drama	A new TV series	Upcoming toe surgery
Serena Williams as actress	Career-enhancing hobby	Career-killing distraction
Hot young pitchers	Curb their innings	Showcase them as club saviors
MLB postseason secret weapon	Randy Myers	Cliff Floyd
California-based wild card	A's	Dodgers
Baseball hotbed	Czech Republic	Western Europe
NBA head-coaching material	Low-profile career assistants	High-profile TV guys
Stupidest USA Basketball idea	Asking MJ to play	Asking any Dallas Mav to play
Stadium refreshment	Beer (it's healthy now, you know)	Espresso (aren't you wired enough?)
Weekend flick	"Blue Crush"	"Signs"
How to fine athletes	Let sponsors do it	League office does it
Place for college football trash talk	Media guide	Under the pile-up
The Backup's Backup QB	Shaun Hill	Shaun King
Who to introduce you at Hall of Fame ceremony	Rival	Coach
Baseball gimmick night	"Welcome Back, Team Alumni!"	James Traficant Night
Stadium naming-rights	At high-schools	In pro leagues
Ranking	FIFA Top 10	AP Top 25 anything
PGA Championship	Take the field	Tiger a lock

Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "What's Hot, What's Not" trend-spotting list appears Thursdays. Got inside scoop on an up-and-coming trend? Want to declare something passé? Send this glimpse of your hipness to hotnotlist@yahoo.com.