Wankers

La première étoile: Marcus Thames. The Detroit Tigers slugger hit a monster, ninth-inning homerun against the San Francisco Giants last night-his fifth consecutive game with a dinger. Not impressed? Try this: his last eight hits have all landed on the other side of the fence. Thames is so hot these days that a bunt attempt would probably clear the wall. And in case you haven’t noticed, folks, his once-foundering team is riding his hot bat up the A.L. Central standings. The underachieving Tigers have won seven of eight, and now sit just 6.5 back with plenty more to play.