Oct. 1
Each week I post my "Dick's Dow Jones" report on whose stock is up and whose is down from across the world of sports.

Stock up: Gators, Gamecocks
The Florida Gators had something to prove against Mississippi State. Remember, Jackie Sherrill's team put up 47 big ones on Florida last season.

Florida QB Rex Grossman showed why he is now up there with David Carr of Fresno State, Ken Dorsey of Miami and Chris Simms of Texas as one of the nation's top quarterbacks. Grossman had his fourth straight 300-plus-yard passing game in leading the Gators to the rout of the Bulldogs.

You have to give Lou Holtz a lot of credit. South Carolina has won at Georgia and Mississippi State, and now the Gamecocks are 3-0 in SEC play after rallying from 36-24 down to edge Alabama.

St. Louis manager Tony La Russa is doing a great job; the Cardinals are now just a game behind the Astros in the NL Central. Matt Morris, the former Seton Hall pitcher (I have to take care of my alma mater, baby!) has had a super season with 21 wins.

Rickey Henderson is closing in on Ty Cobb's career run record. It's amazing that he keeps going strong at age 42.

Stock down: Bucs, Beavers
The Tampa Bay Bucs had so much hype going into the season. The loss at Minnesota Sunday has me wondering if my Bucs will be 9-7 again and falling short of the anticipation.

Who would have thought that Notre Dame and Penn State would both enter the month of October with a big zero in the win column? The Irish are 0-3 for the first team ever and the Nittany Lions can't seem to get that win to allow Joe Paterno to tie Bear Bryant on the all-time Division I-A win list. Now Penn State has to take on a tough Michigan team this weekend in (not so) Happy Valley.

Then there is Oregon State, picked No. 1 by Sports Illustrated before the season. The Beavers were blown out at home by UCLA. The Bruins did a great job in holding running back Ken Simonton in check.

The Astros have been struggling and now the Cardinals are right back in the NL Central race.