A - A-Rod. If you saw his first swing back in action on Friday night then you may think that he had never left. A-Rod clubbed that pitch deep out of Camden yards for a three-run round-tripper. Since then, though, the rust has shown through. He has just two hits in 11 at-bats - a .182 average - and he has looked far from confident at the plate. The Yankees had lost five in a row before he returned, though, and they have won two of three with him back, so there are certainly some positives to his return.

B - Boston. The Red Sox had a pretty decent week - they won a series against the Rays, and they swept the evil Yankees in the new Yankee Stadium. They also broke an 84-year-old American League record against Cleveland. Down 2-1 in the sixth at home, Boston scored 12 runs without recording a single out. The outburst obviously led to a win, and it also salvaged a win for Tim Wakefield, who is out to a very strong start for a guy in his 17th year in the league.

C - Castroneves, Helio. The Indy 500 is still two weeks away, but the pole position has already been claimed. The best dancer in Indy racing will have the best spot in the grid when the race starts. The biggest thing to come to mind when I heard this news was not about race strategy, but rather just how irrelevant the sport has become. Until I read that Castroneves had taken the pole I forgot that the event was happening. It's sad given how much Indy racing used to matter.

D - Dawson, Chad. Antonio Tarver used to be one of the biggest names in boxing, and the guy who beat Rocky with a broken hand, but now he's just a guy who can see his best days in the rear-view mirror. For the second time in seven months, Tarver lost to Dawson, the undefeated light heavyweight champion. Dawson won unanimously despite looking sloth-like and disinterested for long portions of the fight. It looks like it is time for Tarver to pack it in.

E - Endless. For a day or so I was as excited as a guy can be. Brett Favre wasn't coming back this year, and I let myself dream that he may actually finally be retired. Of course, that's too much to hope for. It seems now as if the flirtation between the ego freak and the Vikings is still ongoing, just at a slower pace. I have fully braced myself to see Favre join the team in about August and to again dominate much more media attention than he deserves.

F - Fired. It's probably not Bob Melvin's fault that the Diamondbacks have gotten off to such a bad start, but he's the one who took the blame this week when he was fired. Melvin didn't have the magic touch to inspire his team to overcome the loss of an ace and a shortstop. He also struggled to develop the young talents he had on his team. I'd feel better about the move if it weren't for who they chose to replace him - A.J. Hinch is just 34, and he has never managed at any level before.

G - Glen Davis. Big Baby has had to take a much bigger role for the Celtics with the loss of Kevin Garnett. He was generally better against Chicago than Orlando, but he was huge when it mattered most on Sunday night. The Celtics were down by one with just seconds remaining. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were the first two options to take the final shot, but they weren't open. That left Davis to take an 18-foot jumper. He nailed it as time expired, and the Celtics tied a series that was about to slip away from them.

H - Hat tricks. The series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals was billed as a gem, and it has lived up to it and more. Both Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin had hat tricks in the second game, and they have both been as good as players can be all series. Pittsburgh won three games in a row to take a 3-2 series lead, but every game has been tight and exciting. If every game was as exciting as these games have been then the NHL would be the biggest sport in the country.

I - Idiot. Manny, Manny, Manny. Just what baseball needs right now - another high profile drug cheat with a pathetic, totally unbelievable excuse for his actions. Ramirez has the distinction of being the first big star to get suspended under the MLB drug policy. He was hitting extremely well and was a big part of the reason why the Dodgers had been playing so well, so it only seems reasonable that they will struggle to some extent for the two months he is out of action. Things have been rough so far - they have lost three of four at home without the star.

J - Jeremy Mayfield. Manny's not the only drug cheat in sports this week. NASCAR team owner and driver Jeremy Mayfield has been suspended indefinitely for failing a random drug test. Mayfield says that two allowed medications combined to cause the failed test, but authorities say that that isn't a viable explanation. Mayfield is the first driver suspended under the drug policy. The length of the suspension hasn't been set yet, but I hope they throw the book at him - having a high driver flying around tracks at 200 mph doesn't seem like a good idea.

K - Kentucky. John Calipari's outlook just keeps getting brighter and brighter. Patrick Patterson had declared for the NBA Draft, but after getting a taste of the Calipari system he decided that returning to what is quickly becoming a stacked Kentucky team is a better option than staying in the draft as a marginal pick. Calipari's squad now has to be considered one of the best in the country, and it could still get better - they are in the discussion for point guard phenom John Wall, and Jodie Meeks seems likely to decide to return for another year.

L - L.A. Dodgers. Let's pretend that the whole Manny thing didn't happen for a second and celebrate what the Dodgers were able to achieve before this nightmare began. The Dodgers burst out of the gate, winning a record 13 straight home games to give themselves the best record in the league. The Dodgers benefited from some soft scheduling to put together the streak, but they still played extremely well. It could have continued for a while, too. If only...

M - MVP. LeBron James was overwhelmingly named MVP of the NBA, and he celebrated by really playing like one. On Saturday he erupted for 47 points, adding in 12 boards and eight assists, to lead his team to an easy 15-point win at Atlanta. The Cavs have now won seven playoff games in a row without anything even remotely close to a scare. At this rate they could go all the way to the end without a loss. They came into the playoffs as the team to beat, and they have only reinforced that that feeling since.

N - NHL. The NHL doesn't need bad press or any distractions during the playoffs, but they got it anyway. The league was negotiating with Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Bulls and White Sox, to buy the troubled Phoenix franchise. Owner Jerry Moyes ignored that process and instead negotiated a deal with Jim Balsillie, the founder of the company that makes the Blackberry, and then filed for bankruptcy to expedite the process. Now the league and the franchise are stuck in court, and this thing is only going to get messier.

O - One game. The referees and their over-seers have played a big role so far in the NBA playoffs. Sometimes they have been a positive influence, and others -- like at the end of game three in the Dallas series -- they have been less so. To their credit, they have done a decent job of controlling series that could otherwise get out of control. Derek Fisher of the Lakers and Rafer Alston of Orlando both found themselves on the sideline for a game this week after doing things they shouldn't have.

P - Pedroia, Dustin. The reigning MVP in the American League suffered a setback this week, but it looks like it won't be as serious as it initially looked like it might be. Pedroia grimaced after fouling off a pitch, and left the game soon after with a groin injury. Though that's never good news for a hitter, it seems like the problem is minor in this case, and Pedroia could be back as soon as Wednesday. That's good news - the Red Sox are having enough trouble keeping up with the upstart Jays with him.

Q - Quite odd. Some partnerships make perfect sense when they are announced. This is not one of them. Jimmy Buffett and the Miami Dolphins have entered into a partnership with uncertain parameters. We know that the stadium will be renamed Landshark Stadium after Buffett's Landshark Lager. Buffett also unveiled a new theme song for the team, and more collaboration is promised. The Dolphins don't sell as many tickets as they should but this seems like an odd way to help on that front.

R - Rachel Alexandra. The biggest Triple Crown story of the week came from a horse that didn't even run in the Kentucky Derby. Super filly Rachel Alexandra, who won the Kentucky Oaks by more than 20 lengths in the most impressive performance of the year, was bought this week by Jess Jackson, the owner of Curlin. Jackson immediately changed trainers and then aimed the horse at the Preakness. She'll likely be the favorite in the race, and she has stolen jockey Calvin Borel from Derby winner Mine That Bird.

S - Santana, Johan. The Mets' ace is pitching very much like an ace this year. He is 4-1 in six starts this year, and his ERA is a microscopic 0.91. This week he tossed a seven-inning, two-hit shutout gem to lead his team past the Phillies. It seemed like just a matter of time before Santana would pick up his first NL Cy Young. Early indications are that that time could be almost here. Santana was extremely expensive, but this year he has been worth the money.

T - Triple play. The triple play isn't as rare as a no-hitter, but it's almost as exciting every time it happens. Arizona pulled off the most recent one. With runners on first and second, short stop Josh Wilson made an impossible catch of a line drive off the bat of the Dodgers' Casey Bake. From their it only took two easy throws to second and first to catch the two runners who clearly assumed Wilson had no chance on the play. It was only the second Arizona triple play ever, and the first the Dodgers had hit into since 1991. The play didn't build any momentum, though - the Dodgers won 7-2.

U - Unsweet home. I'm lucky enough to have seen a game in the new Yankee Stadium already. It's a beautiful place to watch ball. Apparently, though, it's not nearly as nice for the home team to play in. The Yanks lost five in a row at home this week - one to the Angels and two each to the Rays and Red Sox. That drops them to below .500 in the new stadium - hardly a good way to help them sell those overpriced, empty seats. A 10-game home stand looms later this week, so they had better hope they get their new digs figured out soon.

V - Very ugly. Alex Cejka had the Players' Championship in the palm of his hand. He'd never won a PGA event in 194 previous tries, but he went into the final round with a five-stroke lead, so that streak seemed about to end. But then disaster struck. Cejka couldn't do anything right, and he found all sorts of ways to get into trouble. By the time the dust had cleared, Cejka had shot a 79 and found himself eight strokes behind winner Henrik Stenson. That's a 13-stroke swing. Ouch.

W - Woods, Tiger. Things still obviously aren't quite right with Tiger. On Saturday he fought his way into the final round. He was five strokes behind Cejka, but he'd be able to stare the journeyman down. It was a spot made for Tiger. Instead of taking it down, though, Woods shot an unimpressive 73 to wind up seven strokes back. It wasn't the first time he has shot 73 in the final round, but it's the first time he has done so without winning. Tiger's knee might be mostly healed, but that killer instinct in his head seems banged up.

X - eXposed. Remember the bidding war when Jose Contreras first came to the league? Things have definitely changed. Contreras has totally lost his control, and he asked the White Sox to send him to the minors so that he could work on it. He had to clear waivers, but in the 48 hours that he was exposed not one of the 29 other teams in the league thought that Contreras was worth a shot. At this rate, you have to wonder if Contreras' trip to the minors will be on a one-way ticket.

Y - Yao Ming. The Rockets suffered a major blow in Game 3 of their series against the Lakers. Not only did they get manhandled by the Lakers, but they also lost big man Yao Ming for the rest of the playoffs with a stress fracture in his left foot. You'd think that would have been a major blow - not only do they lose their best player, but they now have a serious size disadvantage inside. Instead of struggling and feeling sorry for themselves, though, the Rockets came out in their first game without Yao and won easily.

Z - Zack Greinke. There is finally a blemish on Greinke's record, but not because he played badly. Greinke lost to the Angels on Saturday, but he was still brilliant. In eight innings, he allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out five without a walk. Unfortunately, his team couldn't score, and he lost 1-0. Greinke now sits at 6-1 on the season, and his ERA is just 0.51. Last year Greinke lasted nine starts before throwing out a clunker, so these hot starts are nothing new.