The Beat

Diamondbacks reserve outfielder David Dellucci may not have gotten a lot of exposure during the World Series, but his girlfriend more than made up for it. Dellucci is dating Gena Lee Nolin, star of TV's Sheena and Playboy's December cover girl. The two met in July when Nolin (below), who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., went to BankOne Ballpark for a Giants game. Recalls Dellucci, "I can't remember much of the game because she sat right behind the dugout." As for having his date on display in Playboy for all to see, "I tried to buy every copy in Arizona," says Dellucci. "I was feeling good until we went to New York. There are too many newsstands in New York."

... Michigan State hoops coach Tom Izzo is a pretty hip dude, but he's not exactly a hip-hop dude: "I was walking into the gym the other night, and our dance girls started laughing. I said, 'What are you laughing about?' They said, 'Listen.' " Playing over the sound system was rapper Jay-Is Izzo (H.O. V.A.). The chorus of the song goes, "H to the Izzo, V to the Izzay," a play on Jay-Z's nickname HOVA. (Try reading it without the izz.) Says freshman guard Kelvin Torbert, "We throw it on in the locker room and say, 'Coach Iz, here's your song!' He doesn't get it." After being clued in to the izzy biz, Izzo asked, "Do I get royalties?"

... Devils rookie center Mike Jefferson suffered abdominal injuries in September, so he did what any wounded athlete would have done: He headed to Hollywood to audition for the role of the teenage Austin Powers in the upcoming Austin Powers in Gold-member. (All right, so maybe that's not what most injured jocks would have done.) Jefferson says he went to L.A. mainly to get a second opinion on his injury. Problem was, he didn't tell the team about the trip, and G.M. Lou Lamoriello suspended him for going AWOL. Jefferson didn't get the part, either. To paraphrase a certain International Man of Mystery, That's rotten, baby!