STERN MAKES LOSING BETTE ON ALL-STAR ANTHEM: David Stern wants Bette Midler to sing the national anthem before the NBA All-Star game, which is no big surprise, considering Stern was overheard this week ordering tickets to Elton John’s “Red Piano” Las Vegas revue.

Bette Midler as the center stage performer for the NBA’s signature event reminds […]

COSTNER LOSES SPOT ON CAL’S CASTING COUCH: Your leader in the clubhouse to be cast as Cal Ripken in the ironman’s inevitable biopic, Michael Chiklis:

BASEBALL THAT’S BOUND TO OFFEND SOMEONE: Former major leaguers Ken Holtzman, Ron Blomberg and Art Shamsky have been hired as managers for the first season of what’ll be called the Israel Baseball League.

Meaning, there’ll be a place for Scott Schoeneweis, Mike Lieberthal, David Eckstein and Shawn Green to play someday.
Six teams — the Bet Shemesh […]

VEGAS MAYOR SLIGHTS HIP HOP AS CITY HOSTS NBA: Numerous outlets reported this week that NBA Commissioner David Stern has directed Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman to make the league a formal offer in order to secure an NBA franchise.
Goodman and Las Vegas city officials will make that proposal at a league owners meetings on […]

The MIAMI HERALD reports that after a gay support group threatened to boycott a South Florida car wash named after Tim Hardaway, Hardaway’s name was removed from the business over the weekend (login/pass):

Meanwhile, The Mighty MJD has this gem on the postrace embrace of Dick Bavetta and Charles Barkley:

“If Bavetta wasn’t the loser, though, who […]

ESPN HOST HAS NEW TWIST ON FANTASY GAMING: ESPN Radio afternoon drive host Steve Mason of KSPN-AM’s “Big Show” has an interesting new spin on the fantasy game genre.

Mason, who also owns a string of SoCal movie theaters, has created FantasyMoguls.com, “where you can play in a free fantasy movie league. It works like fantasy […]

UPCHUCK:

THE WIND BENEATH MICKELSON’S WINGED FEET: Kevin Modesti of the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS reports that Phil Mickelson has been commuting in a private plane from his Rancho Santa Fe, CA., home to the Los Angeles-area Nissan Open this week.

The ASSOCIATED PRESS reports that because of Phil’s flyover, he reaches his home in Rancho Santa […]