The Beat

Remember the XFL's juicy pledge to encourage its cheerleaders to date its players? So far none of the XFLers are known to have taken the bait—perhaps She Hate Me?—but at least one NFL star has. Marshall Faulk has been seeing L.A. Xtreme cheerleader Bonnie-Jill Laflin. They met through friends at the Super Bowl and have been conducting a long-distance romance since. ( Faulk lives in St. Louis, while Laflin is in L.A.) For Laflin's 25th birthday last month, Faulk (below) arranged a romantic getaway: He flew her to Las Vegas, met her at the airport with two dozen roses and squired her to the posh Bellagio resort.....

John Grisham announced his newest project last week, a caper in which a pair of underdogs battle to outwit a monolithic organization. Except this time the plot doesn't involve lawyers or the mob. He's written the screenplay for Mickey, a film about a 13-year-old pitcher who, with his dad, conspires to get another year of Little League eligibility. (Little Leaguers must be 12 or under.) Grisham based the story on his experiences as a Little League coach for his son, Ty. "When a 12-year-old's season is over, there's a great deal of sadness," says Grisham....

Marlins pitcher Alex Fernandez is looking to sell his $2 million Miami Lakes, Fla., mansion. The 9,219-square-foot house features seven bedrooms, a gym, a billiards room, two pools, two outdoor bars, a four-car garage and separate staff quarters. Fernandez is going to build a new waterfront home in the Miami area. In other real estate news, Troy Aikman bought a $6.5 million house in Montecito, Calif. At least he didn't have to pay broker fees: He bought the place directly from NFL great Marcus Allen.