Sports Beat

Foxy sportscaster Lisa Guerrero figures to turn a few heads when she takes over as ABC's Monday Night Football sideline reporter this Monday, but she's on the verge of becoming officially taken. Guerrero, 39, has been seeing Orioles pitcher Scott Erickson since the fall, and last week said, "We'll probably have a ring on my finger by the start of the season. We've been looking at rings, and we just bought a house together in Malibu." The pair was set up by a mutual friend, and their first date came after a World Series bet. Because the Angels beat the Giants, Erickson, 35, who lives in Northern California, had to fly to Guerrero's hometown of L.A. for their first date: dinner in West Hollywood. Erickson, who is out all season after having surgery on his pitching shoulder, has received Guerrero's father's blessing, and the couple (left) hopes to get married in Hawaii around the Pro Bowl, which Guerrero will cover for ABC.

?Hang on to your Matthew Modine baseball cards. The 44-year-old actor (Full Metal Jacket, Any Given Sunday) has been cast to play Honus Wagner in TNT's forthcoming The Winning Season, a flick about the Hall of Fame shortstop. Modine is pals with Cal Ripken Jr., who offered him the chance to prepare for his role by suiting up with the Aberdeen Iron Birds, the Class A New York-Penn League affiliate of the Orioles that the Ironman co-owns. Modine had a weeklong stint as a minor leaguer, taking infield and batting practice and dressing for games (but not playing). The toughest part was learning to field a ball with the kind of glove Wagner used in 1909, with no webbing and the fingers not stitched together. "In the beginning [my IronBirds teammates] thought it was some celebrity b.s.," says Modine, "but they've seen me take my bruises, take my shots in the cup, and they know I'm putting in the work."

? Dan Duquette spent eight years cursing the damn Yankees as G.M. of the Red Sox. Now hell have musical accompaniment. Duquette will play fictitious Washington Senators manager Benny Van Buren in an outdoor production of Damn Yankees in Pittsfield, Mass., this week. To prepare, he's been taking acting and voice lessons. "It's a challenge, but it's a lot of fun," said Duquette, 45, who was fired by the Sox last year. "If George Steinbrenner can get in a conga line with Derek Jeter, why can't I do this?"

?Last week Jamiko Sapp, wife of Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp, filed for divorce after five years, citing the marriage was "irretrievably broken." He's the second Bucs player to be involved in a divorce recently. Receiver Keyshawn Johnson split with his wife, former Tampa TV newscaster Shikiri Hightower, last December. Since then Johnson has been coy about his relationship with Serena Williams, but others haven't been. At the ESPY Awards, host Jamie Foxx serenaded Williams—but only after apologizing to Johnson. The song? A bawdy number called Can I Be Your Tennis Ball?... Miami Heat boss Pat Riley's love for the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, shows no signs of abating. Riley attended five of Springsteen's first seven shows at Giants Stadium. "He's the best motivator in the world," Riley said as he mingled on the field before the fifth show. Riley plans to be there when the Boss returns for three more gigs this month.