| | | Page 2's Power Poll dares to rate the teams that are currently wielding the most power in the entire sports universe.
Each week, our poll will rank the 10 teams at the top of the power heap -- and the five teams that have lost the most power in the past week. And, by the way, Page 2 uses its own definition for a "team" -- any group of two or more bonded together for the common purpose.
Our Momentum Meter also predicts the direction these teams will be heading in future weeks (see the bottom of the page for a full explanation).
If you've got anything to say about our Top 10 or our Bottom 5, click here to comment -- or forever hold your peace.
TEAM
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PAGE 2 SAYS
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MO' METER
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| 1. Seattle Mariners |
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They've lost one game since our last poll ... and even that was historic. |
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| 2. Bay Area Baseball Teams |
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A's have won seven straight and are only ½-game back in AL wild-card race. Giants have won 11 of 13 and sit just game back of NL wild card. |
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| 3. All Women Sprinters Not Named Marion Jones |
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After 55 straight wins, 42 in finals, World's Fastest Woman is suddenly beatable. |
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| 4. TV-Watching NBA Fans |
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Charles Barkley, one of funniest and most honest men on television, aborts his comeback and will return to TNT. |
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| 5. Los Angeles Dodgers |
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Talk about worst to first, here's a team that went from Most Dysfunctional to Plucky Little Maimed Bunch --in half a season. |
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| 6. Baseball Commissioner's Office |
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Thanks to allegations in Vanity Fair of investing in drug deals, corked bats and huge bets on baseball -- this from his "best friend" -- Pete Rose takes a few giant steps backward in his P.R. battle with baseball's hierarchy over fitness to enter Hall of Fame. |
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| 7. Augusta National |
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Most staid organization in sports adds 300 yards to its beloved icon in attempt to combat tyranny of technology over precise shot-making. |
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| 8. Cursed Baseball Teams |
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Cubbies hanging tough with 2½-game lead in NL Central; BoSox clinging to wild-card lead and only 3½ back of Yanks -- with Pedro on the way! Maybe. |
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| 9. L.A.'s Pro Hoop Teams |
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Sparks (26-3, with 17 wins in a row) dominate WNBA; Lakers (with addition of Richmond, Hunter and Walker) only stoppable if Shaq or Kobe get seriously injured. |
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| 10. Anti-Aging Superstars |
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Bonds fastest ever to 48 homers; Maddux breaks NL no-walk record; Clemens on pace for sixth Cy Young; Big Cat keys Giants' surge. |
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| ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins (still in it), "Rush Hour 2," Bill Clinton the author |
TEAM
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PAGE 2 SAYS
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MO' METER
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| 5. Texas Rangers |
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A typical night for "Worst Team Money Can Buy": They gave up 13 runs in ninth inning of 19-6 loss to Detroit on Wednesday. |
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| 4. Oakland Raiders |
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Some experts' hot Super Bowl pick is already in midseason form with substance-abuse suspension of DT Darrell Russell, and Al Davis playing self-destructive mind games by not extending Jon Gruden's contract. |
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| 3. Cincinnati Reds |
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Junior's whining and threatening to retire, GM Jim Bowden is getting a divorce and dating one of team's minority owners, Larkin and Harnisch are out for season with hernia and exploratory elbow surgery, respectively, and Pokey's gone from untradeable to unbearable. Could be a long century for heartland fans. |
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| 2. NFL Trainers and Conditioning Coaches |
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Here's an idea, fellas: How about a little less macho and a little more attention to signs of physical distress? |
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| 1. Baseball's Unwritten Rules |
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Indians' late comeback from 12 runs down against Mariners suggest many of game's "unwritten rules" ought to be rewritten. |
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| ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Colorado Rockies, New York Liberty, non-sprinting U.S. track & field team members, Wilt's bachelor pad, Cisco stockholders, "Original Sin," CNN's "new" Headline News
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| Mo' Meter explained: |
No mo'; holding
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Still climbing the charts |
Peaked; all downhill
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