Rodman Moves in With Anna Nicole Smith

Dennis Rodman sure loves the spotlight, but it seems his paparazzi worth is going down the drain. Are Americans tired of The Worm? It appears that way as Rodman is headed to London to participate in an English version of reality TV show, 'Celebrity Big Brother.'

Either that or they offered him sacks and sacks of money.

Rodman will be rooming with Anna Nicole Smith, Joan Rivers, model/actress Traci Bingham and a few other D-list U.K. celebrities. In the celebrity version of the show, the money raised by telephone votes is given to the winner's charity. There's no word if the show will make its way to U.S. television, but if it did, would you really watch it? Really, you would? OK...

Snoop, Nelly, Pacman Battle Pee-Wee Style

We recently reported on the new trend of rappers coaching pee-wee league football teams and the possibility of a tournament featuring these celebrity-coached teams. Well, that possibility has come to fruition. On Jan. 14 pee-wee football teams coached by Tennessee Titan Pacman Jones, Snoop Dogg, Nelly, P. Diddy, Luke, Trick Daddy and Tone of the Trackmasterz will participate in the Battle of the Stars Youth Football Classic in Miami.

The games will start at 11AM ET at Dolphins Stadium and will raise money for various charitable organizations. For the all-day event, which includes three games and performances, is only an affordable $10 and can be purchased through most Ticketmaster outlets. So being that this is a family event, will we get 'Gin & Juice,' 'Doo-Doo Brown' or 'Tip Drill' during the halftime show?

NFL Great Lynn Runs the Steve Largent Route

It's pretty unusual to have an NFL legend run for public office, but what may stump most folks is that Lynn Swann, a Pittsburgh Steeler fan favorite, is running as a Republican for governor of Pennsylvania -- and the elephants are eating it up. Swann won the Republican caucus vote last week, which represented about 28 counties in Pennsylvania, giving a big boost to his campaign.

This may not be new info for Pennsylvania residents, since Swann has been active in the Republican Party for many years and even campaigned expansively for George W. Bush in 2004. After the election, Bush appointed Swann as the chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

A SoCal non-politician Republican winning the governor's race in Pennsylvania? That'll happen the same day a wide receiver that didn't finish in the top 50 all time or lead the league alone in any major receiving category during his career will make the Hall of Fame. Oh, wait...

One of Swann's goals during his 2006 campaign is to swing more black voters to the Republican side of things. He told the Associated Press that the Democratic Party has "taken the African-American vote for granted."

If he's anywhere as good a politician as he is a sideline reporter, he should be able to pull two to three votes. We'll take the moneyline for incubment democratic governor Ed Rendell in that one.

Damon Jones... Air Mao

In what's a first for an American NBA athlete, Damon Jones of the Cleveland Cavaliers has signed an endorsement deal with China-based shoe company Li-Ning Sporting Goods. Jones will endorse and wear Li-Ning shoes and apparel during games and during his workouts.

"Li-Ning is a company focused on performance with strong capacities for marketing, research and development," Jones said in a statement. "Wearing Asian-styled, Li-Ning products makes me different from others on the court and I am honored to be the first to wear the Li-Ning brand in NBA games."

There's no word on whether Jones will be able to design his own shoe or if one will be made for him, but Li-Ning is giving him three types of shoes in six different colors to wear on the court. The shoes also have a Cushion & Bounce technology to hopefully help with Jones hops.

"Lights Out" Lights Up

This is probably a first for an athlete as well. Nine time boxing world champion James "Lights Out" Toney has unleashed his first collection of "Lights Out Cigars." An avid collector of cigars, Toney’s cigars are handmade in the Dominican Republic and aged in Cuban seeds (does that make a difference?) and cost $15 each.

"My cigar is the best in the world 'cause I'm the best in the world," yes, that's what Toney told us. "Light it up or its Light’s out." But we don't smoke... don't hit us please. Look for Toney to hit quasi-champ Hasim Rahman plenty of times in March though.

76ers Chris Webber Starts Restaurant Chain

Former Sacramento King and current Philly 76er Chris Webber can't let go of his love for Sac-Town. The power forward announced last week that he will be opening a chain of restaurants in the Sacramento area called "Center Court with C Webb."

"I'm happy to be opening what will be an immensely successful and popular restaurant in such a family community like Sacramento," Webber said in an obvious canned statement.

The first restaurant will open in fall 2006 in The Village at Sacramento Gateway, with ten more opening in the next few years across the country. The restaurant is a family and entertainment-themed chain that will look like a basketball court on the inside adorned with priceless memorabilia and interactive displays.

During the groundbreaking last week, Webber grabbed a shovel and dug a hole in some of the mud. When he stepped out of the muddy hole, his left shoe got stuck and popped off while he hopped to dry land. Let's hope it's not a sign of what’s to come for his restaurant venture.