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

ESPN.com: Page 2

Wednesday, September 25, 2002
Updated: September 26, 12:53 PM ET
What's hot, not for the week

By Dan Shanoff
Page 2 columnist

Many a current lunch-table debate asks: "Schilling or Big Unit?" for the NL Cy Young Award. Hot-Not asks: Or? Why not have your cake and Unit, too? When all is equal, splitting your vote is the hot decision-making tactic. Voters had no problems with that for last year's World Series MVP; why not now?

Feel free to apply the "split-the-vote" to all your choices this week: You'd like the steak and the fish at that wedding reception ... you think Jennifer Love Hewitt and Reese Witherspoon are equally appealing ...Wendy Selig-Prieb and Dean Taylor are responsible for the sorry shape of the Brewers.

But let's say you're in a discussion with your co-workers/buddies/significant other, and they won't respect you if you don't take a stand, one way or another. Check out the list below for the latest on what's hip and passé to keep them up on what's what:

What's Hot, What's Not this week
Category	Hot	Not
Randy Moss	Leader of Planet Clown	Leave you on Planet Clown
Expos	San Juan	D.C.
Padres biggest problem	Owner John Moores' assets in a sling	Missing the playoffs
GQ sports-issue cover guy	Tom Brady	Kevin "You Missed a Few Buttons" Garnett
Pop star on sports scene	Shakira	Jon Bon Jovi
Virtual ads	Behind goal posts on kicks	Behind umpire on pitches
Who owns L.A.?	Al Davis	Jim Irsay
MJ gets 30 mpg as ...	Starter	Reserve
Reviving Catholicism	Notre Dame	The Church
Ryder Cup	Where's the national pride?	A million ways to blow Tiger's image
NBA contracts	Performance-incentive clauses	Guaranteed money
Jason Kidd	Give up the dream, Sonics fans	"But he's a West Coast guy at heart!"
Who's gotta step up for Diamondbacks	Mark Grace	Luis Gonzalez
Scott Rolen's new deal	Yeah, Philly was that bad	A dream to be in St. Louis
Mr. Panther	Lamar Smith	Rodney Peete
Reason to contract	Playoff team can't even fill dome	Payroll economics
AL MVP	Even A's players say, "A-Rod"	Yeah, but what about the winning thing?
From the "Saw This Coming" File	Tawny Kitaen taking Chuck Finley to cleaners	My wasted fantasy pick on Kurt "$#@#%%!" Warner
Heisman bandwagon	Iowa State QB Seneca Wallace	Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett
Fashion must-have	Globetrotters line by FUBU	Any current Jets jersey
Bigger injury issue, eh?	Daze	Bure
Vice sports sponsor	Liquor	Cigarettes
Weekend matchup	Patriots-Chargers	Tennessee-Rutgers
Weekend flick	Anything with Patrick "Can't Buy Me Love" Dempsey	"The Banger Sisters"
Brewers management	Ulice Payne-Doug Melvin	Keeping it "in the family"

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.Look for a special-edition baseball playoffs list on Monday.