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(The (Samccock Stars of sports world ever-changing i Kyle Almond Sports Commentary While I watched my weekly picks in the Gamecock Sports Challenge crumble once again this weekend, my inflated sports ego took a serious blow. Thanks Michigan, for losing to UCLA (sarcasm). Drew Brees, is it really that hard to beat a team that went 5-7 last year? I swear, if it wasn’t for the Gamecocks pummeling Eastern Michigan Saturday night, I may well have pulled a Bobby Knight, throwing chairs, cursing everyone in sight and choking out students. But now that I’ve had time to reflect, I don’t feel as bad. I’ve realized that the sports 1 world is forever changing, and what makes it so great is its unpredictability. The super stars of yesteryear are constantly being re placed by younger, faster, more talented ath letes, and the dominant teams of the past decade are no longer untouchable. What I’ve assembled is a little list of some of the hot new stars in sports, and as a com parison, some of the athletes that have cooled I-: considerably in the last few months. HOT: Pac-10 football NOT: Big 10 football Isn’t this a prime example of role rever sals in sports? The Big 10 used to be the dom inant conference in college football, but they’ve struggled early thus far. In addition to the two losses by Purdue and Michigan I’ve already mentioned, Wisconsin had to go to overtime to beat lowly Cincinnati last week end and Penn State has two less wins than South Carolina. On the flip side, the Pac-10 has shed its label as being a weak defensive conference and its teams have registered big upsets. UCLA has beaten Michigan and Al abama, Washington upset Miami, and Stan ford knocked off Texas. HOT: Darin Erstad NOT: Ken Griffey, Jr. You don’t know Darin Erstad of the An gles? All he’s done is lead the major leagues in hits, with 221 as of Monday. Griffey has done nothing but whine since his highly publicized move to Cincinnati. He’s hitting a trifling .269 and he’s getting more boos at Cinergy Field than Marge Schott. HOT: Daunte Culpepper NOT: Kordell Stewart Culpepper is a quarterback in a line -1 backer’s body. Everyone knew he could run, but he’s surprised many with his passing abil ity. And most importantly, he’s got the Vikings undefeated after three games. “Slash” Stewart, once a threat in the NFL, has been relegated to clipboard duty with the Steelers and calls in plays to the great Kent Graham. HOT: Jalen Rose NOT: Patrick Ewing When the Pacers played the Lakers in this year’s NBA Finals, Reggie Miller wasn’t In diana’s go-to guy in the clutch. Rose has as sumed that role, trash-talking his way to the Most Improved Player award. It’s not a coincidence that the Knicks have been trying to trade Ewing all summer. He’s washed up, his knees are creaky and he’s slower than the USC ethernet. HOT:Tiger Woods NOTrDavid Duval OK, this was an easy one. And one could make a case that Tiger’s not so new. But he’s so dominant it’s un real. Plus, any athlete who signs a 100 million dollar endorsement deal deserves to be deemed “hot”. David Duval, where have you been? Evei before he hurt his back, he was struggling David, take off the shades and maybe yoi can see the flag better. Also, Tiger’s not in timidated by your Tommy gear. HOT: USC pro athletes NOT: Clemson pro athletes Gamecock Duce Staley rushed for ovei 200 yards in week one this season and ha: been tearing it up for the Eagles. Fellow USC alum Marcus Robinson is torching opposing secondaries for the Bears. Clint Mathis (USC) scored a MLS-recorc five goals in one game this season, and is i top candidate for the league’s Most Valuable Player. Another former Gamecock soccei player, Josh Wolff, is on the US Olympic tearr and has already scored a goal and an assist Uoc omirvna o rrl oa<i alumni lately? Other than pitchers Kris Ben i son and Billy Koch, the Tiger pros have been a little weak lately. i Horace Grant and his goggles need to re tire. Levon Kirkland plays for the Steelers — gross. I could go on and on with this list, but I’ll cut it short here. With my newfound respect for sports, I plan on making a stunning comeback in Gamecdck Sports Challenge. In the meantime, try not to laugh at me. / NOTE: I’m currently accepting ideas for the name of my column. Preferably cool, witty, and having nothing whatsoever to do with al- _ monds. Kyle Almond can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com. • State of the art Fitness Center 1 • Multi-station Computer Lab • Fax and modem station linked to USC campus • Study area • Two on-site laundry facilities • Spacious 1,2, & 3 bedroom apartments • Swimming pools • Tennis courts • Catering to students •Lounge Area • On-site 24hr maintenance !:_______ a Play Hockey? Owens Field Adult In-Line Hockey League, ^The 1st Official In-Line Hockey League Interested Players of all skill levels (no experience necessary) *Join in the free pickup games every Sunday at 10:00 AM* Just show up and play! _Only 5 minutes from campus contact: David Rashleigh 260-0539 ^ registration deadline: 9-29-00 ^ visit us on the web at www.eteamz/owensfieldhockey.com m Sponsored by Columbia Parks & Recreation NdUAVA Men’s Soccer Top 25 1 UCLA 2 Penn St. 3 Creighton 4 Connecticut 5 St. John’s 6 CS-Fullerton 7 South Carolina 8 Virginia 9 SW Missouri St. I 10 Portland 11 Brown 12 Indiana 13 North Carolina 14 Pittsburgh 15 UMBC 16 Duke 17 SMU 18 Marquette 19 San Jose St. 20 VCU 21 Stanford 22 Princeton 23 Bradley 23 James Madison 25 Fairfield NSCAA Women’s Soccer Top 25 1 Notre Dame 2 Clemson 3 Nebraska 4 North Carolina 5 Stanford 6 UCLA 7 Penn St. 8 Duke 9 Hartford 10 Texas A&M 11 Cal-Berkeley 12 Kentucky 13 Virginia • 14 Portland 15 Washington 16 Harvard 17 SMU 18 Florida St. 19 Santa Clara 20 Wake Forest 21 Maryland 22 Boston College 23 Southern California 24 Michigan 25 Arizona St. 25 Connecticut USA Today/AVCA Volleyball Top 25 1 Nebraska 2 Hawaii 3 Penn St. 4 Colorado St. 5 Southern California 6 Long Beach St. 7 UCLA 8 Pepperdine 9 Minnesota 10 Arizona 11 Stanford 12 Florida 13 UC-Santa Barbara 14 Wisconsin 15 BYU 16 Pacific 17 Michigan St. 18 Utah 19 Santa Clara 20 Kansas St. 21 Michigan 22 Loyola Marymount 23 Texas A&M 24 Notre Dame 25 Ohio St. LIFETIME MEMBER CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE CLUB 24 Hr, office #(803) 748-9171 Twenty-Six Years of trusted service to the university community. "Her name is her reputation. ’ For more information visit us at www.amtrak.com 'Discount not applicable on Canadian portion of joint Amtrak/VfA services, certain Metroliners, and in conjuction with certain other promotions, offers or discounts _ \ \ If you are ready fora REAL Tailgate Party, then come on by! I / tie tiirJ Gre<^t GAmecocf^ Tailgate F^rtij <j 2ooo \7 \ September 23 (USC vs. MISSISSIPPI ST.) 10:00 am - 12:00 pm J[ , featuring the band, "11 FOOT 7" J/\ \ I // Seawell’s parking lot -1125 Rosewood Drive ^ // across the street from "the ROCKET' at the State Fairgrounds. 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