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ESPN.com: Page 2 | [Print without images] |
| WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT FOR BASEBALL 2003 | ||
| Category | Hot | Not Hot |
| Bandwagon team | Philadelphia Phillies | Minnesota Twins |
| Seats team |  Green Monster barstools |
 D-Backs hot tub |
| Stadium giveaway | Bobble-bellies | Bobble-heads |
| Icon | Anything but the Rally Monkey | That frickin' Rally Monkey |
| Breakout HR hitter |  Josh Phelps (TOR) |
 Jay Gibbons (BAL) |
| Breakout pitcher on a bad team | Kris Benson (PIT) | Mike Maroth (DET) |
| First-name superstar |  Magglio |
 Andruw |
| Asian sensation | Hee Seop Choi (CHC) | Hideki Matsui (NYY) |
| Minor-league franchise | Brooklyn Cyclones | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 1-2 combo | Oswalt-Miller (HOU) | Schilling-Johnson (ARI) |
| Hat | Anything pinwheel | Black K.C. Royals |
| GM |  Theo Epstein (BOS) |
 J.P. Ricciardi (TOR) |
| Endorsement contract | Book Clubs | Video-game headliner |
| Ballpark food | Retro (Good ol' hot dogs) | Asian-themed food |
| Place to catch homers | Great American Ball Park | Waveland Ave. (Wrigley) |
| Hobby for ex-players | Broadcast booth | Minor-league ownership |
| Medical situation | Groins | Shoulders |
| Brothers |  The AL East Giambis |
 The Montreal Hernandez's |
| Players' road-trip must | Puerto Rico nightlife | Montreal nightlife |
| Starting pitching | Pair of aces | Depth |
| Clutch bullpen | Closer-by-committee | Smoltz's double-nickel |
| Movie subject | Umpires | Way-too-old rookies |
| He's due for hardware ... |  Manny Ramirez |
 Scott Rolen |
| We're already sick of ... | Talk of a Ken Griffey revival | The hype around rookie Marlon Byrd |
| Rivalry | Angels-A's | Yankees-Red Sox |
| Music played before at-bat |  50 Cent |
 Creed |
| Players' electronic must-have | GameBoy Advance SP | Color-screen celly |
| Pitch | Pure heat | Nasty slider |
| Historical homage | Bonds passes Mays in HR | Goodbye to Minny baseball |
| Fashion trend | Brims ultra-flat | Back pocket inside-out |
| Jersey |  Phillies Thome |
 Rangers A-Rod |
| Relocated player | Billy Koch (White Sox) | Livan Hernandez (Expos) |
| Development trend | Asian poaching | Latin "academies" |
| Lating America pipeline | Cuba | Panama |
| Fan distraction | War with Iraq | Contraction |
| Cubs savior |  Mark Prior |
 Kerry Wood |
| Managerial mind | Mike Scioscia (ANA) | Joe Torre (NYY) |
| Who gets the credit? | It's the GM | It's the manager |
| Who gets the blame? | It's the manager | It's the owner |
| PAGE 2' PICKS | ||
| Category | Hot | Not |
| NL East | Phillies | Braves |
| NL Central | Cubs | Astros |
| NL West |  Dodgers |
 D-Backs |
| AL East | Red Sox | Yankees |
| AL Central | White Sox | Twins |
| AL West |  A's |
 Angels |
| NL Wild Card | Mets | Cardinals |
| AL Wild Card | Twins | Mariners |
| NL MVP | Jim Thome | Jeff Kent |
| AL MVP | Magglio Ordonez | Rey Ordonez |
| NL Cy Young | Mark Prior | Randy Johnson |
| AL Cy Young |  Pedro Martinez |
 Mike Mussina |
| NL Rookie | Marlon Byrd | Hee Seop Choi |
| AL Rookie | Brandon Phillips | Hideki Matsui |
| World Series Champ | Low-budget A's | Big-budget Yankees |