Sports Beat

Olympic figure skating champion Scott Hamilton is often flawless
on the ice, but his performance at Cleveland's Gund Arena on
Sept. 21 may have been his best yet. After skating in the Scott
Hamilton and Friends on Ice benefit show, the 44-year-old star
gathered the cast at center ice. While addressing the audience,
Hamilton introduced his girlfriend, Tracie Rose Robinson, a
32-year-old former nutrition coordinator sitting in the front
row, then asked the crowd if he should marry her. When it roared
in approval, Hamilton turned to Robinson and said, "Will you?"
Shocked, Robinson composed herself and accepted. "It was the
right place and right time," says Hamilton. No word yet on how
the French judge scored it.

--New York Giants rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey showed he still
hadn't learned the playbook during his Sept. 10 appearance on
Howard Stern's radio show. When asked by the shock jock if there
are gay players in the NFL, Shockey said, "I hope not," and added
that if he knew there was a gay player on his college team, he
wouldn't "stand for it." He said, "They're going to be in the
shower with us and stuff, so I don't think that's going to work."
Shockey's words were played up on outsports.com, and he later
told New York's Daily News, "I guess I do regret saying it. I
didn't think anyone was going to make a big deal out of it."

--If Jason Statham seems to be diving headfirst into his acting
career, it should come as no surprise. The 35-year-old Brit, who
stars as an underworld courier in the upcoming action film The
Transporter, spent 12 years on England's diving team and finished
third in their Olympic trials three times. Statham, who played a
con man in 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, is also
filming The Italian Job with Mark Wahlberg and Ed Norton, and
Statham's girlfriend, Kelly Brook, was recently voted by Maxim to
be the sexiest British woman of the past 50 years. It seems he's
scoring perfect 10s away from the pool.

--Speaking of perfection, the 1972 Dolphins were to be feted on
Oct. 4 in South Beach. Nineteen players from the 17-0 squad have
confirmed for the event, including Jim Kiick, Mercury Morris,
Paul Warfield and Garo Yepremian. The Dolphins will sign a team
photo and a replica jersey (number 72), both to be auctioned to
raise money for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Current
Dolphin Ricky Williams was also set to attend.

--In the couples corner, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and longtime
girlfriend Tiffany Stewart were married in a private ceremony at
the lush Royal Pavilion Resort in Barbados. They'd planned an
extravagant wedding in the mountaintop compound of Silent Waters,
near Montego Bay, Jamaica, but were rained out by Hurricane
Isidore. About 20 friends and family members attended.

--Bjorn again? Former tennis ace Bjorn Borg told a Swedish
newspaper last week that he and his wife, Patricia, are expecting
a baby in May. Borg, 46, and the former Patricia Ostfeldt, 35,
were married on June 8 on an island near Stockholm. Don't be
surprised if the newest Borg heads into the family business.
Bjorn's 17-year-old son, Robin (from a previous relationship with
model Jannike Bjorling), is ranked among the top 25 in his age
group in Sweden.

THIS WEEK'S SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE

The English soccer club York City, in an effort to enhance the
presence of its home crowd, is piping in canned
cheering during matches.

COLOR PHOTO: LISA O'CONNOR/ZUMA PRESS (ROBINSON AND HAMILTON) ROBINSON AND HAMILTON

COLOR PHOTO: YUN JAI-HYOUNG/AP (PICTURE THIS) PICTURE THIS Eight is enough... for a serious backache. A Chinese acrobat held firm as some of her Tinkerbellian peers walked all over her last Thursday during a festival in Seoul. This act was part of a celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea.

COLOR PHOTO: BRIAN BABINEAU/GETTY IMAGES/NHLI (STOCK)

THEY SAID IT
P.J. Stock

Bruins forward, praising the crowd at Boston's FleetCenter: "In
most rinks the real sports nuts are up in the bleachers
half-cocked. Boston's great because our businessmen are just as
cocked--from the bottom of the rink to the top."