Sports Beat

? Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher's blue-collar image took a bit of a hit last week after he was spotted spending part of his bye week in Las Vegas with socialite Paris Hilton, one of the two hotel-heiress sisters who inhabit the gossip pages and are frequently lampooned on Saturday Night Live. Urlacher, who recently filed for divorce from his wife of three years, Laurie, reportedly was seen giving Hilton a piggyback ride at a nightclub in the Bellagio after her sandal broke. "I get to meet a lot of cool people, obviously with what I do," says Urlacher, who has parlayed his lunch-bucket style into endorsements with Old Spice, Campbell's soup and McDonald's. "It was a coincidence that I got to meet her in Vegas, and we kind of hung out a little bit and that's about it."

?In what sounds like fodder for a Visa commercial, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is planning to vacation after the postseason on Necker Island, a 74-acre retreat in the Caribbean owned by Virgin CEO Richard Branson that has a 12-bedroom villa and a 20-member staff. The rate is $23,000 a day, but, according to the island's website, "Sumptuous Balinese silks and linens, warm Caribbean breezes and a dedicated staff welcome you." It is unclear who will accompany Jeter, though chances are it won't be George Steinbrenner.

?Dogs may be man's best friend, but in the case of Nip, a two-year-old German shepherd owned by PGA golfer Ken Green, it might be the other way around. Green says that last Friday Nip chased a ball into a canal behind their house in West Palm Beach. A moment later Green heard another splash and saw a six-foot alligator going in after her. When Green saw the gator take Nip underwater—alligators usually try to drown their prey—he jumped in. "I just grabbed the sucker and held on," says Green. "We were tussling, and I took it and flung it as hard as I could. I guess the gator was just as surprised as I was." The alligator took off, and Green whisked his dog to the vet. Nip needed about 25 stitches, but she—and Green, who was bruised and scratched—are doing fine.

?Yoga, we've heard, makes you stronger, more limber and helps you have better sex. But if you're still not convinced of its benefits, check out Real Men Do Yoga. The new book by journalist John Capouya has testimony from 21 big-time athletes—among them Titans running back Eddie George (above), Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett and Coyotes goalie Sean Burke—who swear by the ancient practice. "It helps my whole body," says Mets lefthander Al Leiter, whose team was a downward dog this season. "I do one workout between every start. It's absolutely the best, no bull [flop]."...

That sound you hear is Howard Cosell spinning in his grave. Half-time of Monday Night Football will now include an American Idol-like event in which NFL players jam with recording artists as part of a seasoning competition. (Players can sing, play an instrument, deejay or dance.) Fans will choose between two acts, with the winner of an online vote advancing. Coming up on Monday: Rams tackle Kyle Turley with 3 Doors Down versus placekicking brothers Martin and Bill Gramatica with Carlos Santana....

Things tend to go pretty well when Denzel Washington stands on a football sideline. That's where the Remember the Titans star was last Saturday as his son, John David, a sophomore at Morehouse College, set a school record with 242 yards rushing against Johnson C. Smith.