April 8
Dick's Stock Watch identifies whose stock is up and whose is down over the past week across the world of sports.

STOCK UP: Bonds, Kings, Islanders
Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants are off to a great start! Bonds hit four home runs in his first two games and then hit a game-winning blast for his fifth of the season. The Giants opened 6-0 and manager Dusty Baker's team has also enjoyed solid pitching.

The Sacramento Kings are riding an eight-game winning streak after blowing out the Knicks on Sunday night. The Kings have the best record in the NBA right now. So what if Chris Webber took a pay cut to come to the NBA from Ann Arbor!

I don't know much about red lines and blue lines, but the New York Islanders had the worst record in the NHL last season. This time around, they are in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1994, so the team deserves a salute.

I also want to salute the city of Sarasota, Fla. for hosting a terrific pro tennis event. I was at the finals Sunday, when Jelena Dokic was so impressive in capturing the championship of the WTA tournament down here.

STOCK DOWN: Smoltz, Giambi, Asencio
What happened to John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night? Look at this line: two-thirds of an inning pitched, eight earned runs, 36 pitches. Wow, that was a tough outing.

Hey Yankee fans, lay off my paison, Jason Giambi. He will start hitting, don't worry. Before you know it, he'll be at .300 and hitting the ball over the short porch in right field.

You had to feel for Kansas City Royals rookie pitcher Miguel Asencio. In his major-league debut against the White Sox, he threw 16 pitches -- all balls! He walked all four batters he faced and then left the game. Talk about a rough debut, baby.

Then there are the Detroit Tigers. I sat next to their dugout when they were down in Florida facing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Manager Phil Garner's team got off to a rough start last week, going 0-6 while being outscored 40-13!