Sports Beat

One of the first things that occurred to Rita Santos after her
husband, Jose, rode Funny Cide to victory in the Kentucky Derby
on May 3 was, "Oh, God. I'm not going to have time to get the
children dressed for the Preakness." She was right; with two
weeks of hoopla, travel and fending off silly Miami Herald
articles, who has time to shop? Fortunately, the lovely Rita has
connections at Saks Fifth Avenue of Garden City, N.Y., where she
is to appear in a charity fashion show on June 6, the day before
the Belmont Stakes. The store offered to dress the jockey's
family for the Maryland classic, which resulted in a sky-blue
Theory pantsuit for Mom and similarly smart duds for the Santos
children: Nadia, 15, Selena, 7, Jose Jr., 8, and Savannah, 5. "I
don't know what I would have done," Rita says. "They saved me."
Dad didn't look too shabby either as he steered Funny Cide to
victory wearing the maroon and silver silks of the Sakatoga
Stable.

--As part of the same NBC promotion that had Katie Couric switch
with Jay Leno, soccer star Mia Hamm and Today anchor Ann Curry
swapped jobs last week. Curry worked out with the Washington
Freedom of the WUSA, while Hamm woke early to toil in front of
the camera. Curry had trouble adapting to the Beautiful Game, but
Hamm smoothly interviewed Henry Winkler about the children's book
he has written and delivered a flawless sports report, which
included a mention of a big game by her fiance, Red Sox shortstop
Nomar Garciaparra. "That was great," Matt Lauer told Hamm. "And
I'm surprised you didn't say 'All-Star shortstop and all-around
cutie pie Nomar Garciaparra.'" Said Hamm, "We're trying to keep
it professional, Matt."

--Dennis Rodman married his girlfriend of four years, Michelle
Moyer, in Newport Beach, Calif., on May 13--his 42nd birthday.
It's Rodman's third marriage, but it doesn't necessarily mean the
Bad Boy is settling down. Rodman and his bride, with whom he has
two children, have separate homes two miles apart in Newport
Beach, Calif., and they won't cohabitate. "I like it like that,"
Rodman told the Los Angeles Times. "She and the kids come over on
weekends."

--What's a high-strung guy who served in the Marine Corps to do
when he suspects his wife is fooling around? That dilemma faces
Hall of Fame running back John Riggins, who has joined the cast
of Guiding Light. Riggins, who recently got good reviews in the
off-Broadway play Gillette, plays Mitch Hendon, a government
operative whose wife, Ramona, may or may not be having an
affair.... The Tennis Channel launched last week with a bash at
the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Guests included Dr. Phil and Rae
Dawn Chong, who won the celebrity "First Serve Contest" with a
serve clocked at 74 miles per hour. "If there's anything that we
need right now, it's being able to watch tennis for 24 hours a
day," said actress Wendie Mallick. "I think the world will be a
much mellower, happier place."... When Jay-Z was choosing a name
for his new club on West 25th Street in New York City, he wanted
to convey exclusivity. So he picked 40/40, a nod to baseball's
40-steal, 40-homer brotherhood, of which only Jose Canseco, Barry
Bonds and Alex Rodriguez are members. "It's a great name," says
A-Rod, who'll be able to slide in under the velvet ropes to get
in.

COLOR PHOTO: BILL FRAKES (SANTOS FAMILY) Tres Santos

COLOR PHOTO PICTURE THIS What do you call people who spend 200 hours building a life-sized replica of an NBA star out of Legos? Blockheads? It works for us. The NBA Store in Manhattan is displaying a Lego sculpture of Nets guard Jason Kidd (right). Dirk Nowitzki's statue is at Legoland in Carlsbad, Calif. Each contains approximately 22,500 blocks. They'll be sold after the playoffs for a price that's yet to be determined.

COLOR PHOTO: JENNIFER POTTHEISER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (KIDD) [See caption above]

COLOR PHOTO: DAMIAN STROHMEYER (CHEN)

THIS WEEK'S SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE

The minor league Bisbee-Douglas (Ariz.) Copper Kings are holding
a Ted Williams Night, on which the first 500 fans will receive
free Popsicles.

THEY SAID IT
BRUCE CHEN

Twenty-five-year-old Red Sox pitcher on the advantages of having
already played for seven teams, including five in the past 14
months:

"I tell you what, I'm getting good at packing."