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Best
1. Jose Rijo: Whether he makes it all the way back or not, God love him for trying. Rijo is a breath of fresh air. He treats everyone from the bat boys to the grounds crew as though they are his best friends. A little Rijo rubbing off on the rest of the Reds' pitching staff would be a good thing.
2. Jose Acevedo: The kid looks like a keeper. Two wins in row is impressive. But what may be more impressive is the way Acevedo keeps the lead once the team gives it to him.
3. Patrick Rafter: The Aussie hunk made a strong play to show he's No. 1 in the world by beating Andre Agassi in the Wimbledon semifinals. Rafter was two points from defeat when he came back to beat Agassi.
4. Greg Page: You can't help but root for this guy. People are constantly talking about courageous comebacks in sports. But what Page has done in the four months since he suffered near-fatal injuries in a bout in Erlanger is truly brave. “Greg knows and understands he has come back from the dead,” said his fiancee, Patricia Love. “But I'm not sure he has a full appreciation for how far he has come.”
5. Seattle: It has become Baseball Town, U.S.A. Enjoy the All-Star Game.
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| Worst
1. Reds: How bad is it when everyone's ebullient after the team gets out of last place? Wasn't this team supposed to be competitive?
2. Baseball: Major League Baseball fined Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon $1,000 for walking off the field with first base. They should have given him a $1,000 bonus for putting a little life into the game.
3. Bobby Valentine: From here, we have to side with Cliff Floyd in the All-Star controversy. Floyd (.337, 21 HR, 69 RBI and 69 runs) deserved a spot. The fact he called Bobby V. “a stupid manager” in May probably cost him one.
4. Joe Torre: The Yankees manager will have seven of his own players on the American League All-Star team. That's a little much. But it also probably guarantees an AL victory. The Yankees win everything.
5. Boxing: Lennox Lewis wants a rematch with Hasim Rahman. Rahman wants it also. But Don King, a court fight and several million dollars are keeping it from happening. That's boxing.
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Best and worst of week in sports
