The Beat
Last week formerOhio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, 22, entered into two long-term arrangements.On Saturday he said, "I do," to the Packers (who took him fifth overallin the draft), accepting a six-year, $37.5 million offer. That was four daysafter he and Laura Quinn (below), 23, were married by a Green Bay lawyer.(Quinn, the sister of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, is best known forwearing a homemade half-Irish, half-Buckeyes jersey to the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.)The nuptials came a year after the pair started dating-and eight months beforea planned St. Patrick's Day ceremony in Columbus, Ohio. After buying a house inGreen Bay in May, they decided to move up their wedding date. "A.J. didn'twant to be living as boyfriend and girlfriend," the father of the groom,Keith Hawk, told the Dayton Daily News. "He's old school in everything hedoes, including this."
BenRoethlisberger isn't going to let a couple of nicks and bruises keep him awayfrom the camera. On July 19 the Steelers quarterback (who suffered a broken jawand chipped teeth in a June 12 motorcycle accident) joined the PovertyneckHillbillies, a Pittsburgh country band, at Heinz Field to appear in a video fortheir song Mr. Right Now. Afterward Roethlisberger-who says he is "not abig fan of country music"-invited his new friends to his house to barbecuesteaks and burgers. A week later the 24-year-old mugged for a Campbell's ChunkySoup print ad, after which he said, "I feel like I look prettynormal."
"Laguna Beachwith a little bit of football on top"--that's how one former Hoover (Ala.)High player describes the reality show Two-a-Days. MTV taped the series, whichpremieres on Aug. 23, in 2005, when the Buccaneers won their fourth straightstate championship. But Alex Binder, 18, a former Bucs safety who now playsbaseball at an Alabama community college, says the show will more likely beabout the players' personal lives. Cameras followed several, including Binder,on dates and into their homes. "I can only hope I come out looking like adecent guy," says Binder. "But I think I probably screwed up a fewtimes."
Does "MachoMan" Randy Savage wear his WWF championship belt to bed? Does Phil Hellmuthkeep a poker face 24 hours a day? We may soon find out. Hellmuth, a 10-timeWorld Series of Poker bracelet winner, will join Savage and other celebrities(or more precisely "celebrities"), including Carrot Top and DabneyColeman, this fall on the seventh season of VH1's Surreal Life.... Hellmuthdidn't have much luck at the World Series of Poker main event. He was bouncedfrom the 8,600-player field in six hours, which he wrote off to"horrendous, horrendous luck." Others sent home early included actorsNorm MacDonald, who briefly held the chip lead, and Shannon Elizabeth.Meanwhile Dax Shepard of Punk'd and comedian Louie Anderson were punished forworking blue. They each had to sit out for 10 minutes for cursing at thetable.
PICTURE THIS
No, this isn't how jockeys at Miami's Calder RaceCourse work off pesky pounds before a race. The jockey 70-yard sprint was ahighlight of the track's Extreme Day, which featured such unusual events as arace for old horses (The Methuselah) and a race for gray and roan horses (TheGray Pride). The nine-man footrace, run on a track made sloppy by heavy rains,was won by Filiberto Camacho (2), who turned out to be one fast mudder. Heedged defending champion Carlos Olivero (5) by 1 1/2 lengths.
SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE
United Airlines is sending 1,200 mechanics and otherground crew employees to NASCAR's Pit Crew U to sharpen their efficiencyskills.
They Said It
LEBRON JAMES,
Cavaliers' 21-year-old swingman, when asked on TheBest Damn Sports Show when he last looked at a price tag:
"A long time ago."
THREE PHOTOS
JIM LISA PHOTO (PICTURE THIS); JOHNNY NUNEZ/WIREIMAGE.COM (JAMES); RON ALVEY (QUINN)