During the NBA playoffs in the spring, cowbells were all the rage as a way for fans in the arena to audibly participate. Now, the baseball playoffs are being dominated by thundersticks, those ubiquitous plastic rods that every fan in attendance seems to be clapping together.

	Thunder Stix are a non-Ligue way for fans to stick it to the opposition.

For home-field advantage to mean something, fans have to make an impact; if nothing else, the sticks give them a way to work out their anxieties about the on-field action. The only complaint is that stickless fans' sightlines are ruined by those holding their sticks high -- how about a little respect for fellow fans?

Regardless, the baseball playoffs of 2002 will be remembered as "The Season of the 'Sticks" (which has a better ring than "Season of the Monkey"). Like any fad, who knows how long they'll last? All the more reason to check out this week's "What's Hot, What's Not" list below:

What's Hot, What's Not this week
Category	Hot	Not
Angels owner	Mexican billionaire	All-American cowboy
Rumor	Jazz selling name to Hornets	Lakers selling name to Timberwolves
Who Mets are sweet on	Dusty Baker	Lou Piniella
NCAA reform –- "The Colorado Bill"	Slap coach with sanctions -- wherever he is	Slap old team/new coach with sanctions
Tim Couch's biggest problem	Backup better than he is	Hometown crowd boos him
Charlotte's NBA attitude	We love this game!	We hate this team!
Rookie QB	Patrick Ramsey	David Carr
Where are the Expos?	In D.C. via BET	On a season-long barnstorming tour
Dynasty	Lakers	Yankees
Where to find managerial candidates	Team legends	Down on the farm
We stand corrected	Joe Mays	Billy Koch
Yankees management scapegoat	Brian Cashman	Joe Torre
What to say about the Dream?	In '95, as dominant as MJ would have been	In '84, better than Ewing
Anticipated comeback	Grant Hill	Oliver Miller
Way to score	Special-teams defense	Special-teams offense
Chicago Bears' biggest problem	Awful blue-on-blue MNF uniforms	Offense stinks
Retro MLB shirt	St. Louis Cardinals	Atlanta Braves
Where to see athletes on road	Hotel rooftop bars	Nightclub VIP areas
Arena guest	British royalty	Rock royalty
Big weekend matchup	Texas-Oklahoma	Florida State-Miami
Rockets' big headache	Francis won't pass	China won't deal
Spree's m.o.	Taking swings	Talking things out
Tiger's arm candy	a TAG	a Rolly
College bandwagon	Notre Dame	Florida
Weekend flick	"The Rules of Attraction"	"Tuck Everlasting"

Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "What's Hot, What's Not" trend-spotting list appears Thursdays. Got inside scoop on an up-and-coming trend? Want to declare something passé? Send this glimpse of your hipness to hotnotlist@yahoo.com. Don't forget to check out the NHL season preview Hot 'n' Not List!