Dennis Rodman being trailed for Sports Illustrated cover

Dennis Rodman is being shadowed for a potential Sports Illustrated cover story after his well publicized trip to North Korea put America's most colorful, self-named ambassador back in the public eye, reports The New York Post.

Rodman will pose for an SI shoot that will be a riff on his infamous May 1995 cover in black hot pants, a bustier and a dog collar and holding an exotic parrot, according to Page Six. 

"The piece will be about how he’s still relevant and an original," a sports spy told the gossip site.

Coincidentally, the SI crew will be shadowing the former NBA star the night Rodman celebrates his 52nd birthday at his favorite Manhattan strip club Cheetahs on Monday.

The "no holds barred" Cheetahs party is expected to involve topless dancers, sushi served on naked bodies and giveaway thongs that read: "Make Love Not War."

Not a bad night's work following The Worm. It sounds pretty diplomatic to me.

Deron Williams gets animated for Sports Illustrated cover

Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams appears on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated and gets to show off his artistry with a basketball as well as a spray can of paint. Well, sort of.

When fans download the October 15 tablet issue of Sports Illustrated, they will see that the magazine's tablet cover is more than a static image.  The enhanced video titled "Brooklyn Rising" comes alive.

Williams first appears on the cover against a white background, dribbling a basketball wearing the new Brooklyn Nets uniform.  Then, with a little help from some animated spray paint graffiti, the background changes to colorful street art celebrating the borough's legends and famed landmarks before freezing on the final cover image.

Nothing says "Hello Brooklyn" like graffiti and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Here's a look:



Rick Telander's cover story is about Williams and the Nets starting a new era in a borough where legends are made.  The writer calls Brooklyn "the cradle of the city game."

Brooklynite Jay-Z may only own a small portion of the Nets, but his influence is all over the team.

A-Rod may 'never speak to Reggie Jackson again'

It looks like Reggie Jackson has struck out with Alex Rodriguez over the comments he made about the Yankee third baseman in a Sports Illustrated article last week.

A-Rod is still angry over Jackson's remark that Rodriguez's admitted use of steroids should keep him from joining the Yankee legend in the Hall of Fame.

A source told the New York Daily News that Rodriguez is livid and if he had his way, A-Rod "would never speak to Reggie Jackson again."

"Al's a very good friend," Jackson told the magazine.  "But I think there are real questions about his numbers.  As much as I like him, what he admitted about his usage does cloud some of his records."

The Yankee slugger passed Jackson on Major League Baseball's all-time home run list in 2009— ironically the same year he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs earlier in his career.

Mr. October told Sports Illustrated that if any players linked to PEDs are voted into Cooperstown, "no Hall of Famer will attend."


"Jackson says he a good friend of A-Rod, but Alex is very, very angry," said the source.


Rodriguez was visibly disappointed after Jackson's remarks were published, the source said.  So let down, while surrounded by reporters before the July 6 game against the Red Sox in Boston, A-Rod was overheard saying, "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"


Jackson has reached out with an apology to Rodriguez, but the slumping clean-up hitter has kept the gist of that conversation under wraps.  Rodriguez told reporters last week, "We'll keep that very private."


Rodriguez and Jackson have been batting cage buddies since A-Rod joined the Yankees in 2004 but old Reggie better not stand too close to one of his swings for a while.


"In trying to convey my feelings about a few issues that I am passionate about, I made the mistake of naming some specific players," said Jackson— who is a special advisor to the team— in a statement after the article was published.  "This was inappropriate and unfair to those players, some of which are friends of mine."


A-Rod is trying to cut ties with Jackson, according to the insider.  "That doesn't mean he's not going to speak with him again, but he says he won't," he added.


Whether or not the comments are water under the bridge is anyone's guess.  Last week, after reporters asked A-Rod if the remarks and apology had any bearing on the pair's relationship, Rodriguez said,"Yeah ... Again, what we said is we're going to keep it private ... Anything that comes in the way of us winning games is white noise."


As for his relationship towards Jackson, A-Rod might be as quiet as his bat. 

Charles Barkley arrives outside studio on high horse

Charles Barkley, who was recently voted the "favorite announcer" in a player's poll conducted by Sports Illustrated, celebrated winning the showdown by arriving outside TNT's "Inside the NBA" studio the only way they do it in Oklahoma— by horseback.

Even though Barkley is technically a studio analyst— and not an announcer— he rode in on his high horse and black hat to announce his arrival as the new sheriff in town.

While head-shaking fans outside the arena— before last night's Oklahoma City Thunder-San Antonio Spurs game— watched the greenhorn try to keep from falling off Gunner the horse, you can hear one of Barkley's co-hosts from the show, Ernie Johnson, urging the stallion to "just take off."

All that was missing from the scene was Clint Eastwood's squint and a tumble weed.

In the 124 player poll, Barkley beat out some of his contemporaries like Jeff Van Gundy, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller and even the legendary Marv Albert.  Most satisfying to Barkley was probably besting his co-host and studio nemesis Shaquille O'Neal.  Sometimes there just ain't enough room in that there set for the both of them.

At least in the old west they had a hat big enough for Barkley's head and ego— the ten-gallon variety.

After seeing Barkley being guided around by like a four-year old getting a pony ride,  I think the Round Mound of Rebound should stick to studios not stables.

Sports Illustrated doesn't stop the Linsanity

For the second week in a row, Jeremy Lin will grace the cover of Sports Illustrated— the first New York athlete to ever achieve that honor.

Joe Namath, Derek Jeter or Eli Manning never did it.

It's hard to believe all of all the phenomenal New York sports stars who join those three champions on that  list: Mantle, Reed, Gooden, Rivera, Messier, L.T. and Ewing.

Now comes Lin with two covers during his three week old legacy.

The story of the undrafted benchwarmer, bouncing around the NBA, sleeping on his brother's couch and waiting for his shot has been played out to almost exhaustion.

Now the overachieving and humble Lin has an apartment at the Trump Tower in White Plains and is planning on renting a place in Manhattan's ritzy W Hotel— just for home games.

There are even odds on who he will be dating.  By the way Kim Kardashian is still the odds-on-favorite at 4-1 with Jennifer Aniston pulling up the rear at 25-1.

Mark Sanchez gal leads Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover race

Mark Sanchez paramour Kate Upton is the odds-on-favorite to grace the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

The smoking-hot Victoria's Secret model— who has been linked to the New York Jets quarterback— is the front runner for the coveted spot, according to the New York Post.

Sources told the Post's Page Six that Upton's blond, all-American looks made her a top contender even though the magazine crowned Russian lingerie model Irina Shayk, the girlfriend of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, its cover girl last year.

Even when Sanchez's Jets don't make the playoffs, he gets hurt and talk is swirling that the maligned quarterback might be replaced by Peyton Manning next season, he still comes out a winner.

Sanchez was spotted making late night arrivals— incognito— at Upton's Manhattan apartment last season and scooting away before morning.

The Michigan-born Upton, 19, who made her SI Swimsuit debut last year, is apparently no Rex Ryan when it comes to predicting the chances of her landing on the legendary cover.

At a ceremony to kick off the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center yesterday, Upton was humble about the chances of her photo gracing the cover and giving her career a gigantic boost.

"All I can say is that I'm in the issue," she coyly told the Post.  "Fingers crossed!"

Other cover girl candidates include swimsuit veteran Chrissy Teigen, the fiancee of R&B star John Legend and Russian Victoria's Secret model Anne V. who is dating singer Adam Levine.

Pulling up the rear are South African beauty Genevieve Morton and California's Alyssa Miller.  Both beauties made their Swimsuit issue debuts last year.

A source told the Post," There's no clear cut front-runner" for the cover.  "There's a lot of talk about Kate in general.  But the idea of American versus international has never been part of the [debate].  It really comes down to the best picture wins."

The issue is ready to go to press and the cover will be unveiled  Monday on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

The Post said a SI rep declined to comment.

Eli Manning Named 5th Most Overrated Player?

By Tony Mangia

HE'S NOT PEYTON BUT HE'S NOT OVERRATED

In a Sports Illustrated poll voted by 239 of his peers, New York Giants QB Eli Manning showed up as  the 5th "Most Overrated Player" on the list.  Manning trailed only Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Mark Sanchez and Albert Haynesworth.  Manning took a step up---last year he was number four on the list.

Four  years ago,  Manning deserved to be on the list. He was a hugely-hyped number one draft pick who played erratically and looked befuddled both on the field and sidelines.  He was drafted alongside Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers and was the younger brother of Robo-QB, Peyton.  His draft mates got off to quick starts while Eli struggled to find his way.

Since 2006, Manning has a Super Bowl trophy and game MVP by pulling off one the greatest upsets in the game's history and, since he first started in 2005, is second to only Peyton in games won with 53.  He has one Pro-Bowl under his belt is on pace to surpass Giants great Phil Simms in every quarterbacking category.

Why is Eli always called overrated?  Maybe disgruntled ex-Giant--an Eli Manning critic-- C.C. Brown stuffed the ballot box.  Eli will always be compared to his incomparable brother, but to lump him in with the aforementioned group?  Romo may have a flashier style and bigger numbers but his post-season record speaks for itself.  Sanchez is considered to be the beneficiary of an awesome D while T.O.'s and  Haynesworth's blather can't conceal their downswings. Even the highly-regarded Rivers should get votes before Eli.

Eli has played in 86 straight games and, in that time, has had a 4,000 yard season and thrown for 20 or more touchdowns five years in-a-row.  Most importantly, he has shown progress in every aspect of his game.

To be fair, the poll was taken before the season began and after a year the Giants didn't make the playoffs.  The New York spotlight could be partially to blame.  Remember back in 2008 when Derek Jeter was voted the most overrated player in the major leagues.  All he had on his resume were a dozen All-Star games and four World Series rings.  Nothing breeds negative comparisons like positive results.

The bottom line is that Eli Manning has become a winner.  He is 58-42 for his career including the playoffs.  He is having an excellent season despite all of the interceptions--blame his slippery-handed receivers--and has the Giants tied for the NFC East lead with a record of 4-2. He is in the NFC's top five in completion percentage, yards and touchdowns.

Eli will never be piled into the same group as Peyton or Tom Brady or Drew Brees and he'll never have the numbers of Aaron Rogers or Romo but he will end up the greatest Giant quarterback with at least one Super Bowl ring on his finger. He's durable and plays Giant football--get the ball into the gut of your running back, keep the defensive backs on their heels and win.  If that's overrated, we'll take it.