Rising
•Dwyane Wade: The Miami guard recently signed a marketing deal with the William Morris Agency. Is there an easier job in sports? Wade is so popular right now he could start wearing Depends on the outside of a three-piece suit, and it would become a fad.
•Christmas shoppers: Electronic Arts is reducing the price of several video games including the current versions of the sports titles “Madden NFL,” “NBA Live” and “Tiger Woods.” The Associated Press reported Tuesday that this is a bad sign and that EA might miss its third-quarter forecast.
Holding steady
•Larry Johnson: Jay-Z’s album “American Gangster” hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart. LJ is in the video for “Roc Boys,” but his foot is still all busted up.
•David Beckham: The Galaxy midfielder made “People” magazine’s sexiest man alive list and is going to endorse Armani underwear. Please wake me when he does something on the field.
Slipping
•Sheryl Crow: The singer’s ex-boyfriend Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion, is said to be dating Ashley Olsen, one of the Olsen twins. Crow, 45, updated her blog to deny reports that she was mad about the supposed relationship. Armstrong, 36, told the New York Post on Friday that he and Olsen, 21, are just friends. Right.
•Phil Jackson: “We call this a ‘Brokeback Mountain’ game, because there’s so much penetration and kickouts,” the Lakers coach said to reporters Tuesday.
Yeah, GLAAD didn’t like that too much. Jackson, in his apology Wednesday, offered this: “It’s societal right now. We have to understand as coaches that some people can do it and some people can’t. Coaches can’t do it. Jay Leno and David Letterman can.”
I’d like to add that the joke was as classy as a high school on a Saturday and offered no opportunity for reward. Jackson isn’t famous because he’s funny. Besides that, “Brokeback Mountain” came out two years ago. If it takes you two years to come up with an inappropriate, bad joke, that’s even more reason to keep it to yourself, Coach.
•Jon Bon Jovi: The old rock star and co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the AFL got a little out of control with his praise for QB Tony Graziani and newly signed offensive specialist Chris Jackson.
“In our league, these two players are comparable to Hope and Crosby, Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, even Bon Jovi and Sambora,” Bon Jovi said to the AP on Tuesday.
No he didn’t just put himself on that list.
•Us: Norman Mailer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, died Saturday. He was 84. Among his novels was “The Fight,” which is considered the best description of the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman 1974 title bout.
