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If you find yourself at a cocktail party -- or by the water cooler or at the bar or across from someone on a first date -- and you want to wax wisely about the state of Major League Baseball at the All-Star Break, the conventional wisdom is very simple: "We're all talkin' 'bout Dontrelle Willis." You can't go wrong with that as your analysis.
But if you're looking for a few hip catch-phrases to throw in the mix, use the list below of what's hot and what's not in baseball at the break to fuel your conversation:
| WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT AT THE ALL-STAR GAME |
| Category |
Hot |
Not Hot |
| One-name phenom |
 Dontrelle |
 Rocco |
| Bandwagon team |
Red Sox |
Twins |
| Roto monster |
Carlos Delgado |
Derek Jeter |
| Icon |
Italian Sausage |
Rally Monkey |
| Breakout hitter |
Melvin Mora |
Josh Phelps |
| Hat |
Pinwheel |
'Trucker' |
| Closer |
One |
By committee |
| Due for hardware |
 Manny Ramirez |
 Roger Clemens |
| Historical homage |
500 HR |
300 W |
| Trade bait |
Sidney Ponson |
Frank Thomas) |
| Villain |
Underachievers |
Free-spenders |
| Already sick of... |
Pujols hype |
Dontrelle Mania |
| Managerial mind |
Felipe Alou |
Art Howe |
| Fan problem |
Drinking (Cause) |
Storming field (Effect) |
| Bat incident |
 Hitting mascots |
 Corking |
| Pitching duo |
Prior-Wood |
Schilling-Unit |
| Dream WS scenario |
Cubs-Red Sox |
Braves-Yankees |
| Asian import |
Hideki Matsui |
Kazuhisa Ishii |
| Wonderpitcher |
Esteban Loiaza |
AJ Burnett |
| Endorsement deal |
Credit cards |
Trading cards |
| Medical situation |
Corey Patterson's ACL |
Mike Piazza's groin |
| Bronx zoolology |
Torre in |
Torre out |
| Brothers |
Giles |
Giambi |
| Road-trip destination |
Wrigleyville |
San Juan |
| Bill |
James |
Beane |
| Clutch closer |
 Eric Gagne |
 Any Red Sox reliever |
| No. 1 starter |
Roy Halladay |
Any Tiger |
| Movie subject |
Stat heads |
Rookies |
| Rivalry |
Twins-Royals |
Piniella-Salon |
| Player fashion statement |
Flat-brim hat |
Chains |
| Wily GM |
Ken Williams |
Jim Bowden |
| Prospect |
Joe Mauer, Twins |
"K-Rod," Angels |
| Player angst |
Beanings |
Steroids |
| Just-say-it, don't-get-it Saber-stat |
"EQA" |
"OPS" |
| Jersey |
 Mark Prior |
 Sammy Sosa |
| Relocation |
Mon to DC |
Mo to NY |
| Seats |
Fenway stools |
Shea crap |
It wouldn't be a Hot/Not list without a few picks from Page 2 to carry you through the rest of the season:
| PAGE 2's PICKS |
| Category |
Hot |
Not |
| NL East |
Braves |
Phillies |
| NL Central |
Cubs |
Astros |
| NL West |
Giants |
Dodgers |
| AL East |
Red Sox |
Yankees |
| AL Central |
White Sox |
Royals |
| AL West |
Mariners |
A's |
| NL Wild Card |
Phillies |
Mets |
| AL Wild Card |
A's |
Twins |
| NL MVP |
Mark Prior |
Albert Pujols |
| AL MVP |
Manny Ramirez |
Alex Rodriguez |
| NL Cy Young |
Dontrelle Willis |
Russ Ortiz |
| AL Cy Young |
Jamie Moyer |
Roy Halladay |
| NL Rookie |
Dontrelle Willis |
Hee Seop Choi |
| AL Rookie |
Hideki Matsui |
Rocco Baldelli |
| World Series Champ |
"New Saber" Red Sox |
"Old Saber" A's |
Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "Daily Quickie" commentary appears every weekday morning.
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|  THE HOT LIST |  |
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