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The hottest team in the league, by a country mile, is the Manhattan Gray Sox. Since the midway point, the Dingy Hose have gone 19-6 in July and 19-8 in August, have overtaken the Toronto Polar Bears for 3rd place in the East, and have climbed to within two games of the division-leading Detroit Griffins.

Manhattan's rise has combined with Detroit's slump to create on one the most compelling division races in recent years. Heading into the final month of the season, which consists solely of divisional games, there are four teams within two games atop the hotly contested East Division, with just three playoff bids up for grabs.

Manhattan's August run was fueled by 33-year-old LF Joe Carter. Already hot in June and July—when he batted around .350 with an OPS around 1.000—Carter's hitting went into overdrive in the dog days of August.  Carter hit .481-14-27 with a 1.572 OPS in the month, putting up C-Rob-esque numbers and turning in one of the best batting months in UL history. His batting exploits reached an apex Aug. 28-29, when in back-to-back games Joe hit 7-8 with 5 HR and 8 RBIs.

The 24th overall pick in 1983, Carter has been an perennial underachiever. In his first five seasons in Atlanta, he batted just .241 with an OPS of .648 and and OPS+ of 79. His one year in Washington was slightly better, but he found his grove in the Big Apple, where he has hit .283 with and .832 OPS since 1989. His .316 average this year is 40 points over his career average, and he has already achieve career highs with 31 HR and 79 RBI.

Tom Brunansky also had a big month in August (.349-8-26, 1.032), while starters Jim Gott (2.72) and Matt Young (2.78) both posted ERAs under 3.00—no small feat in one of the league's most hitter-friendly ballparks.

The three-way race in the West has resolved to a two-way contest between the Chicago Colts and Los Angeles Outlaws. While the Colts pursue their first division pennant in 14 years and the Outlaws look to return to the World Series, the jockeying for third place has become the biggest race.

St. Louis was a horrific 11-16 in August, including a six-game skid Aug. 24-29. Where the offense faltered at the beginning of the month, it was the pitching that suffered in the last two weeks. Barry Bonds, who had 41 home runs in the first four months, hit just three in August. Tony Phillips hit .270 the first four months, and hit just .209 in August. Dave Schmidt went from 10-6, 3.74 to 1-4, 9.75. Closer Rob Dibble went from 1.00 to 4.15. In short, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

The question now is whether August was just a bad month and St. Louis will resume their winning ways? After all, the Dark Reds won 20, 17, and 16 games in the first three months of the campaign. If, on the other hand, the slump spills into September, then St. Louis may be at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

As of Sept. 1, the upstart Florida Flamingos sit just three games back of St. Louis. Florida was 56-104 last year, but has turned the corner in a big way in its fourth year in the league. After finishing dead last in pitching last year, the Pink Birds' staff ranks #8 this year. The starters' ERA of 3.62 is 7th best, led by staff ace Mike Mussina. The third-year righthander, who was the #1 overall pick in 1991, is 13-8, 2.70 and leads the league in WAR.

On the hitting side, the addition of Ivan Calderon and Mark McGwire has  given the lineup a shot in the arm. Calderon is batting .318-21-78, while Big Mac is at .260-28-88.

The Maroons are still clear favorites to capture the third playoff spot, with 80% playoff odds to Florida's 15%. But going into the final 27 games, this is a race to watch.

• Three batters hit homer hat tricks in August. On Aug. 12, Atlanta's Manny Ramirez hit three in an 8-3 win over Havana. On Aug. 25, Havana's Shane Mack paid it forward, delivering three dongs in a 9-8 loss in Philly. Three days later, Joe Carter hit three in a 14-6 rout in Seattle (and followed it up with two more the next day, see above).

• Pedro Martinez (ATL) and Jim Gott (MAN) each had two-hit shutouts in August, while San Francisco's Frank Castillo struck out 11 in an 8.2-inning two-hitter. The 24-year-old Castillo (15-5, 3.53) is leading the Spiders' charge for their first winning season in four years.

• Another Spider in the news was shortstop Barry Larkin, who won Player of the Week Aug. 23 (.462-3-9).

• Preseason Rookie of the Year favorite Ryan Klesko finally won his first Rookie of the Month, batting .311-11-30, 1.090 in August. Klesko's 3.0 WAR now leads all rookies, with Atlanta's Rondell White second with 2.5 WAR.

• Which qualifying batter has the lowest batting average? Washington's Mitch Webster (.190).

• Which qualifying pitcher has the highest ERA? Seattle's Mike Mason (5.82).

• Which batter has the most PA without a home run? Keystone's Jody Reed (190).

• Which pitcher has the most starts without a win? San Francisco's Woody Williams (6).