Looks like Derek Jeter takes care of his pals. Apparently he has such a large flock that he wanted anyone who came to see to get the best seats possible. That won’t be difficult with the new Yankee stadium. He leased a box that was ” big enough for 12” and cost in the range of “$600,000-$850,000.” Needless to say it is all luxury, right down to the opulent hot dogs and lavish beer available. (She says snarkily.)

My first question was: did he get an employee discount at least?

NOPE!

Still, good to see Jeter showing some love for his friends. Is it too late for me to be one of those?

Image: Bauer-Griffin

Did you ever hear of the group Charity Folks? They have some great stuff to bid on, including plenty of sports-related packages. The best part is the money goes toward charity. (As the name would imply.)

I was browsing the site and came across a few things I think the readers of Gossip on Sports might be interested in:

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A Tennis Lesson With Pete Sampras

You can meet Pete, get a tennis lesson, or even play a round of golf with him. The going bid at the time of this writing was $5,000.

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Swimming Clinic With Michael Phelps

All pot jokes aside, Phelps is an awesome swimmer and you might pick up a tip or two on how to win an Olympic medal. (Or at least smoke pot without getting arrested. DOH! Those pot jokes just creep right on in there, don’t they?)

Current bid for the swimming clinic was going for $2,500.

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Play Ball With Derek Jeter

Now ladies, this is meant for folks to spend a day at a baseball clinic with Derek Jeter. Not just spend the day with Derek Jeter. Although I think some of you wouldn’t mind spending some quality time with him even if it’s at a baseball clinic. Bid is at $2,500 if you’re so inclined.

Derek Jeter has finally come clean in stealing a piece of Yankee Stadium a few months ago.

GASP! What! Baseball players stealing! For shame.

What did he take? Something that meant an awful lot to him: a sign that said, “I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee” sign. It was a quote from Joe DiMaggio and was a blue sign with white lettering that hung just over the clubhouse tunnel.

Think Derek will sell it on eBay in a few years?

You’ve heard of the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? Where you name an actor and he or she is only six people away from Kevin Bacon?

Okay, so here’s the same concept, only with Michael Phelps. Michael has been a popular boy since winning all those medals this summer. He’s dated Carrie Underwood who has dated Tony Romo, who is dating Jessica Simpson……

….. to finally end up with Derek Jeter. Here’s how that chain evolves:

Merry Christmas to everyone from Gossip on Sports!

I hope you all have a happy and safe day, with lots of great food and family (and no family drama. :)

Here are a few popular posts from Gossip on Sports over the last few months. Enjoy.

Official Uses Jumbotron to Call a Play

Snowblower = 1, Joe Sakic = 0

O.J. Gets $20,000 a Month from the NFL

Funniest Cheerleader Link Ev-ah

Elisha Cuthbert Hip-Checking Yet Another Hockey Player?

Derek Jeter’s Minka Link?

Roger Clemens 10-Year Affair

Giants Superfan Booted Out of Game

You know how we made a big fuss about the Red Sox-Indians game we attended last week, the one where Boston clinched a playoff spot?

Well, we’re about to make a big fuss about the Red Sox-Yankees game we and some pals took in last night—the final game of the regular season and the final game of 2008 for a certain pinstriped New York team.

Here’s the story in pictures snapped by Johnny Pap (for Paparazzi, remember?):

“Hmm,” A-Rod thinks, “The season’s over and my wife gave me the boot. Maybe that leopard expert/former stripper is free tonight.” 

Derek Jeter drops his jaw in disbelief: He gave up a date with Minka Kelly for this?

Easily the best sign we saw at Fenway Park.

Easily the second best sign we saw at Fenway Park.

Speaking of RIP, the same might soon be said of Joe Girardi’s job if Hank Steinbrenner is as unreasonable as his father was toward Joe Torre.

All’s well that end’s well.

In honor of the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing, we decided to award a few medals of our own. The event is Athlete-Celebrity Couples, and they will be judged on Hotness, Likability, and Endurance Potential (each category is worth 10 points; a perfect score would be 30 points).

In no particular order: 

Derek Jeter and Minka Kelly
Hotness: 9.7  Pretty boy + cutie pie=A darn respectable score. 
Likability: 9.0 She OK but hey, he’s a member of the New York Yankees. We’re Boston Red Sox fans. ‘Nuff said.
Endurance Potential: 4.6 Playboy boy + cutie pie=A good time had by all. For a few months anyway.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen
Hotness: 9.9 Brady is a doll. Gisele is a supermodel (but we docked her .1  ’cause we think she’s overrated. So there).
Likability: 9.2 We’re all about the New England Patriots, but that Bridget Moynihan baby mama situation was U-G-L-Y. And does anyone really have a sense of Gisele’s personality, anyway?
Endurance Potential: 8.1 These two are jet setters and a paparazzo’s dream, but together forever? Meh, we doubt it.

Marko Jaric and Adriana Lima
Hotness: 9.6 She’s a Victoria’s Secret model (better than Gisele!) and he’s not shabby, either.
Likability: 9.6 She’s a od girl and he’s a good sport.
Endurance Potential: 8.8 They’re engaged, but they haven’t been in the game quite a year yet. We shall see.

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham
Hotness: 9.8 Men’s Health cover boy Beck gets a perfect score; points off for Victoria’s grumpy no-smile policy.
Likability: 9.1 We repeat: Beck gets a perfect score; points off for Victoria’s grumpy no-smile policy.
Endurance Potential: 9.6 They’re solid here, having weathered rumored affairs and dealing with the media. That smokin’ photo shoot they did last year was pretty convincing, too.  

Tony Parker and Eva Longoria
Hotness: 9.7 He’s not too bad and she’s an absolute doll, even with the weight gain and haircut for Desperate Housewives.
Likability: 9.8 He’s a good guy and, TMI tendencies aside, Eva sparkles.
Endurance Potential: 9.4 They’ve survived the rumor mill and crazy schedules. We never say forever in celebrity-land, but they’re A-OK for now.

Dion Phaneuf and Elisha Cuthbert
Hotness: 9.9 No complaints here. Even Elisha likes to check out her own rack.
Likability: 8.3 Maybe if Elisha’s character on 24 hadn’t become so annoying after season 1, we’d give them a higher score.
Endurance Potential: 4.5 Sorry, but PDA aside, Elisha goes through hockey players the way Paris Hilton goes through BFFs. 

Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker
Hotness: 9.8 She’s a swimsuit model and he’s a cutie, too, even if we do wish he’d ditch the baseball cap.
Likability: 9.7 We don’t really know her. We do, however, appreciate Andy’s great sense of humor and self-deprecating manner.
Endurance Potential: 8.6 They recently got engaged, but we can’t score them too highly. She’s only 19 and “time will tell” fits these two best.

Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson
Hotness: 9.6 She’s easy on the eyes with classic good looks. He’s not as hot as Tom Brady but is much better looking than Peyton Manning and his putzy little brother, Eli.
Likability: 8.7 Serious deductions here thanks to Jessica’s cheesiness and whining about what people read about her. Further points taken off for her claims to be just like the rest of us.
Endurance Potential: 7.3 Rumors abound about the status of their relationship, which has had more ups and downs than a shot glass in a Warsaw bar. Even if they tie the knot—another source of they will/they won’t rumors—we don’t see it as a forever kind of thing.

Mike Comrie and Hilary Duff
Hotness: 9.4 Decent, but they don’t exactly fog up the camera lens when a shutterbug catches them together.
Likability: 9.7 HD’s long-standing reputation as a good girl is appealing, and the recent interview we read in Allure confirms it. He seems like an OK guy.
Endurance Potential: 8.9 He bought her a Mercedes for her birthday last year, and the Duffster isn’t a serial dater. But forever AND ever?

Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian*
Hotness: 9.0 Reggie is fine. As for Kim, we don’t care what anyone says. We like curves, but her tush is not as great as she thinks it is.
Likability: 8.4 Again, Reggie is fine. Kim’s responsible for the point dip, between a why-does-she-even-have-it reality show and head-scratching fashion choices.
Endurance Potential: 7.6 They appear to fall in that “it’s fun for now” category rather than the “togethah forevah” one.

* Sadly, we had to include these two, despite our reluctance to refer to Kim Kardashian as a “celebrity.” If Lance Armstrong and Kate Hudson hadn’t taken the Last Train to Splitsville recently, they would have been contenders instead.

Quiet, please. The judge is tallying the scores.

And the winners are . . .

GOLD: Tony Parker and Eva Longoria

SILVER: David and Victoria Beckham

BRONZE: Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen

Congratulations to the winners! Everyone else: Better luck in four years. If you’re still a couple.

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In the mood for a contest? Check out our post on the Samsung Fun Club summer promotion!

Photo credit: Newscom

Forget pity parties. Alex Rodriguez can’t even throw a genuinely festive bash after the All-Star game and have people show up.

His New York Yankees teammates blew him off as did Madonna (yes, he had the stones to invite her, according to the New York Post via Yahoo!). Mom-Rod was there as well as Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes.

Apparently—and this is almost too weird to be true, but you never know—there were plenty of well-endowed ladies shaking their groove thang to Material Girl. (What, no one tripped the light fantastic to Hung Up?).

Derek Jeter, however, threw a well-attended shindig that included rumored squeeze toy Minka Kelly, Michael Jordan, and Yankees superfan Billy Crystal.

Image: Used with permission of www.splashnewsonline.com  

Derek Jeter, smiling in advance of the All-Star festivities. You can tell he knows that no one’s going to A-Rod’s party.  

Speaking of parties and squeezes, we’re pretty sure former NESN reporter Hazel Mae got her skank flirt on at the going-away (”But not fast enough,” said the bloggerette) party she threw for herself in Boston. Thanks to vigilant Prospero for the heads-up.

Those of you keeping track of Derek Jeter’s extensive collection of celebrity girlfriends (and if you need to brush up, there’s a gallery here) may be able to add Minka Kelly to the list.

According to Page Six of the New York Post, the Friday Night Lights cutie pie was spotted out and about with the New York Yankees shortstop in NYC.

Will Minka Kelly’s Friday Night Lights be the ones at Yankee Stadium? 

Image: Used with permission of www.splashnewsonline.com  

Kelly’s mouthpiece is tight-lipped about the rumor, but someone who plays the field—um, literally on and off the field—as well as Jeter can never be dismissed as a suitor to the stars. This bloggerette is always in favor of athlete-celebrity hookups, natch. (Kudos to faithful reader Caesar for spotting this one!).

Given the uncertain fate of our favorite snark target couple to monitor, Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo, we’re on the lookout for potential substitutes. If Derek’s performance with the Yankees starts to tank (something our Sox loyalty compels us to wish for anyway), we may have ourselves a winner.

You know how the “house” always wins at the casino? And how, luck and (sometimes) skill aside, the “little people” don’t really have a chance?

Playing the role of the “house” today is Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees (Bobby Abreu serves as understudy). Derek Jeter is stepping into the role of the “little people.”

That roundabout analogy describes a bet among the trio of Yanks: Who would tie the knot first? The first to take the pledge till death do us part collects cash from the other two.

Matsui won (he made an altar run the other day). And if we were Jeter, we’d run to the nearest mirror and check for a “Kick Me” sign on our backside. Seriously, Matsui and Abreu had to know this was easy money for one of them.

What are the chances your going to lose to someone whose playboy reputation is a pop culture wink? Remember that Derek Jeter-George Steinbrenner Visa ad that “ended” their feud about the shortstop’s partying ways?

And to think, all those trips to Sin City and he still doesn’t know how to gamble. Apparently it’s true that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas . . .