The Beat

Barry Bonds has been dealing with a lot of big numbers this season, but earlier this month the figure 37 loomed particularly large. On July 3, Barry's wife, Liz, threw an early surprise birthday party at the Belly Lounge in L.A. for the slugger, who hits the big three-seven on July 24. Gary Sheffield lured Barry to the fete, where he was met by 150 guests, including Farrah Fawcett, actor Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious) and several Giants teammates (among them Rich Aurilia and Eric Davis). Bonds was particularly taken with Fawcett, holding her hand and introducing her to the other players. Bill Cosby also phoned in during the bash....

Faced with declining viewership, ESPN has decided to step into new areas of programming, announcing last week that it will produce its first made-for-TV movie. Production begins in November on A Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers, a two-hour film based on John Feinstein's 1986 book. Casting on Season, which will debut next March, has yet to begin. Might we suggest Dennis Hopper as the General (right)?...

Chris Webber has reportedly closed the deal—with Tyra Banks. The couple has been spotted acting cozy at various L.A. hot spots. Neither Webber's nor Banks's spokespersons would comment, but a source close to the model says they're keeping quiet for fear of jinxing the relationship....

Who let the Dogg out? Rapper Snoop Dogg suited up for Magic Johnson's All-Stars last week in L.A., for a Summer Pro League game. In his first three minutes Snoop was whistled for three fouls (not counting the style violation committed by his purple sweatpants). At one point the hip-hopper went up to block a shot and came down on an opposing player's shoulders. Later he hacked Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez across the nose. In the end the Dogg father acquitted himself decently on the courts: Against a squad stocked with NBA hopefuls, he finished with 10 points, two of which came on a spectacular drive through the lane. Guess his game's got bite after all.