Top Five Stories From Yesterday

1. The defending champion Saints get a 37-yard game winning FG from Garrett Hartley to beat San Francisco by three as time expires, but lose star Reggie Bush to a broken leg on Monday Night Football.

2. The Yankees increase their lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East to 1.5 games on a night when New York honored its late owner George Steinbrenner.

3. Denver Broncos WR Kenny McKinley is found dead in his apartment of an apparent suicide, stunning the team which has tragically lost three players in the last four years.

4. The Phillies increase their lead in the NL East to four games after defeating Atlanta, and getting another masterful performance from Cole Hamels.

5. Jets CB Darrelle Revis may not play for one to two weeks as he still suffers from hamstring issues that caused him to leave New York’s Week 2 win over New England.

Top Five Games From Yesterday

1. Saints 25, 49ers 22: After San Francisco tied the game on a Frank Gore run with 1:19 to go, it left too much time for Drew Brees and he drove New Orleans to the SF 20 where Garrett Hartley hit the GW 37-yd FG to keep the Saints unbeaten.

2. Yankees 8, Rays 6: New York extended its lead to 1.5 games in the division, but had to hang on for the win as Tampa Bay got to within two and had the go-ahead run at the plate before the Yankees secured the win.

3. Phillies 3, Braves 1: Philadelphia got another eight strong innings from Cole Hamels, and manufactured three runs to expand their lead to four games in the NL East.

4. Twins 9, Indians 3: Minnesota broke open a close game with fours runs in the sixth inning, getting a little closer to the AL Central Title.

5. Angels 7, Rangers 4: Los Angeles got out to a 6-1 lead to best Texas, and postpone the Rangers’ march to the AL West crown.

Top Five Performances From Yesterday

1. Chris Volstad, Marlins SP: Zero runs on five hits with three K’s, and the CG shutout in FLA’s 4-0 win over STL.

2. Curtis Granderson, Yankees CF: 2-for-3 with two HRs, and five RBI in NYY’s 8-6 win over TB.

3. Drew Brees, Saints QB: 28-for-38 for 254 yards, and two TDs in New Orleans’s 25-22 Week 2 win over San Francisco.

4. Yuniesky Betancourt, Royals SS: 4-for-4 with a HR, and three RBI in KC’s 7-5 loss to DET.

5. Alex Avila, Tigers C: 3-for-4 with a HR, and three RBI in DET’s 7-5 win over KC.

Five Performances That Weren’t So Good From Yesterday

1. Jason Varitek, Red Sox C: 0-for-4 with three K’s in BOS’ 4-2 loss to BAL.

2. Danny Espinosa, Nationals SS: 0-for-5 with three K’s in WAS’ 8-6 loss to HOU.

3. Jeanmar Gomez, Indians SP: Eight runs on 10 hits in 5.2 IP in CLE’s 9-3 loss to MIN.

4. Derek Holland, Rangers SP: Four runs on six hits in 3.2 IP in TEX’s 7-4 loss to LAA.

5. Ramon Castro, White Sox C: 0-for-4 with three K’s in CHW’s 3-0 loss to OAK.

Top Five Events To Follow Today

1. MLB: Rays (89-60) at Yankees (91-59), 7:00 PM: New York tries to lengthen its lead in the AL East; (Shields (TB) vs. Hughes (NYY)).

2. MLB: Braves (86-65) at Phillies (90-61), 7:00 PM: Atlanta tries to climb back into the NL East race; (Minor (ATL) vs. Halladay (PHI)).

3. MLB: Giants (84-66) at Cubs (68-81), 8:00 PM: San Francisco looks to maintain its lead in the NL West; (Good matchup: Cain (SF) vs. Zambrano (CHC)).

4. MLB: Rockies (82-67) at Diamondbacks (59-91), 9:30 PM: Colorado tries to close the gap in the NL West and wild-card races; (De La Rosa (COL) vs. Saunders (ARI)).

5. MLB: Padres (83-66) at Dodgers (73-77), 10:00 PM: San Diego tries to get its lead in the NL West back; (Good matchup; Richard (SD) vs. Billingsley (LAD)).

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Top 5 Stories From Yesterday

1. The Phillies retake the lead in the NL East for the first time since May 30, after defeating the Marlins 8-7, while the Braves lose their second straight to Pittsburgh 5-0.

2. San Diego wins its second game and maintains its one-game lead in the NL West after beating the Dodgers 2-1, while the Giants keep pace with a 6-3 win in Arizona.

3. Trevor Hoffman becomes the first pitcher in MLB history to record 600 saves in a career, finishing off Milwaukee’s 4-2 win over St. Louis.

4. There are reports that the Heisman Trophy Trust will vacate the 2005 award, and strip Reggie Bush of the title, but there has been no official decision made yet.

5. Boise State remains at No. 3 in the new AP poll, but they do pick up seven more first-place votes than the previous week.

Top 5 Games From Yesterday

1. Phillies 8, Marlins 7: A Placido Polanco RBI single in the eighth inning propelled Philadelphia to the win, and back into first place in the NL East.

2. Rockies 4, Reds 3: Miguel Olivo had the game-winning double in the bottom of the sixth as Colorado hung on for the win to keep pace in the NL West.

3. Padres 2, Dodgers 1: San Diego got its runs early, and a great performance from Mat Latos to hold onto its slim lead in the NL West.

4. Blue Jays 8, Rangers 5: Toronto jumped out to a big lead, but had to hang on after Texas scored two in the ninth, and had the tying run at the plate before securing the win.

5. Mariners 7, Athletics 5: Seattle was cruising before Oakland scored three in the ninth, and had the bases loaded before David Aardsma came in to seal the win for the Mariners.

Top Five Performances From Yesterday

1. Vernon Wells, Blue Jays CF: 3-for-3 with two HRs and two RBI in TOR’s 8-5 win over TEX.

2. Mat Latos, Padres SP: one run on four hits with 10 K’s over seven IP, and the victory in SD’s 2-1 win over LAD.

3. Raul Ibanez, Phillies LF: 3-for-4 with a HR and three RBI in PHI’s 8-7 win over FLA.

4. Michael Bourn, Astros CF: 3-for-4 with three RBI in HOU’s 7-3 win over CHC.

5. Carl Crawford, Rays LF: 4-for-4 with two RBI in TB’s 14-5 win over BOS.

Five Performances That Weren’t So Good From Yesterday

1. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox SP: eight runs on eight hits over 4.2 IP in BOS’ 14-5 loss to TB.

2. Brian Bannister, Royals SP: seven runs on eight hits in 2.2 IP in KC’s 10-3 loss to MIN.

3. Carlos Silva, Cubs SP: six runs on nine hits in 5 IP in CHC’s 7-3 loss to HOU.

4. Andre Ethier, Dodgers RF: 0-for-4 with three K’s in LAD’s 2-1 loss to SD.

5. Francisco Rodriguez, Angels RP: four runs on hits hits, facing four batters in LAA’s 6-1 loss to CLE.

Top Five Events To Follow Today

1. MLB: Marlins (70-68) at Phillies (80-60), 7:00 PM: Philadelphia tries to hold onto its small half-game lead in the NL East; (Miller (FLA) vs. Hamels (PHI))

2. MLB: Rangers (75-63) at Blue Jays (72-66), 7:00 PM: Struggling Texas tries to right the ship as its tough road trip continues; (Holland (TEX) vs. Rzepczynski (TOR))

3. MLB: Rays (84-54) at Red Sox (77-62), 7:00 PM, ESPN: Tampa Bay tries to gain on the Yankees in the AL East; (Garza (TB) vs. Wakefield (BOS))

4. MLB: Reds (79-59) at Rockies (74-64), 8:30 PM: Colorado looks for its sixth straight win against the NL Central leaders; (Arroyo (CIN) vs. Cook (COL))

5. MLB: Dodgers (69-70) at Padres (78-59), 10:00 PM, ESPN: San Diego now looks for its third win in a row against the fading Dodgers; (Billingsley (LAD) vs. Luebke (SD))

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

You have been hearing about Stephen Strasburg since he burst onto the scene throwing fireballs at San Diego State.

The hype has been building ever since he was taken first overall in the MLB draft last season by the Washington Nationals.

Well, guess what?

The wait ends tomorrow, when Strasburg is expected to finally make his major-league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 21-year-old certainly will feel the pressure in front of a sold-out crowd and a full media lineup (over 200 press releases requested).

You will have to tune in tomorrow night to see if he actually lives up to the hype in his first performance, but rare is the athlete who lives up to the enormous expectations that tower over him.

With the ESPN machine running in overdrive these days, there is no shortage of hype for phenom athletes making their debut on the big stage in the past decade.

So where does Strasburg’s debut rank on this list?

Note: These are professional debuts in America, not debuts for a new team (Brett Favre the past two seasons, A-Rod in New York, etc.) or after a long layoff (I’m looking at you, Tiger).

And unfortunately, a lot of deserving hyped players were left of this list. Feel free to let me know who you think belongs here.

Now, let the hype begin.

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