How do you convince a football player to leave his pregnant wife and kids for somebody that is closer in age to your father than significant other?

That’s what the whole world was wondering after former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber abruptly left his wife, that was eight months pregnant at the time with twins, for a 22-year old intern named Traci Johnson that was working for NBC’s Today show at the time.

Now two years later it sounds as if their relationship has progressed quite nicely.

The couple has been together ever since and decided to get engaged over the weekend according to multiple reports:

“They got engaged,” said Mark Lepselter, Barber’s agent and a close friend the engaged couple. “[Tiki's] very happy, and he’s moving forward with his life.

The 24-year old changed her relationship status from “in a relationship” to “engaged” on Saturday afternoon. That’s as close as you can get in 2011 to confirming a marriage rumor.

The announcement comes in the middle of a rough stretch for Tiki.

He filed the necessary paperwork to get back in the NFL, yet he has only been able to muster one workout from the Miami Dolphins. It looks like it’s going to take an outbreak of injuries for a team to even consider the 36-year old back.

For Johnson, she is making an incredible leap from intern to football wife. While Barber is much maligned in NFL circles, marrying a professional football player still puts her in a very unique club.

There were reports that Tiki even slept in her dorm room back when she was college. Clearly Johnson has captured the heart of Barber despite the fact Tiki’s divorce has yet to be been finalized.

Can we blame Johnson for Tiki’s failed first marriage?

No.

But going from fetching coffee to becoming a member of the Barber family in two years means she has some serious skills when it comes to relationships.

What’s the best way to get back at an ex-boyfriend?

Strut your stuff in front of millions of people of course.

Reality TV personality Kristin Cavallari has been selected to participate in the 13^th season of Dancing With The Stars just a month after a very public breakup with Jay Cutler. 

The Chicago Bears QB was set to marry Cavallari next year in a very public wedding. The engaged couple had already posted their registry online for the world to see and everything seemed great.

Too bad this is never the case when it comes to Cutler. The QB that has a tendency to panic under pressure when lineman are chasing him got cold feet and called off the wedding and their entire relationship.

It was a crushing blow to Cavallari and something you figure will take years to get over.

DWTS is the perfect opportunity to exact some much-needed revenge. Having a 20-something dancer that is among the best in the world drape his hands all over Cavallari for 40 hours a week for potentially the next two months has got to be irking Cutler.

When asked about the announcement, Cavallari sounded almost relieved:

I’m good. I really am good.

This couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m staying busy and I’m just gonna have fun.

Nothing would help her get over this whole ordeal than wining the competition. Cutler has never been a winner at any level in his football career and if Cavallari were to win some sort of title before Cutler…it would be the ultimate form of payback.

Having Cutler turn on his TV every week to watch her in compromising positions with another man knowing that around 20 million are watching is sweet, sweet revenge.

So for all of the Cutler haters around the country…go Kristin!

Jason Smith/Getty Images

Don’t let Hope Solo fool you…she’s going to be really tough to knockout.

Solo has been selected as a member of the latest season of Dancing With the Stars and judging by the cast—this is her contest to lose.

The 13^th season features the likes of Ron Artest, Nancy Grace, Chaz Bono, David Arquette, Ricki Lake, Kristin Cavallari, J.R. Martinez, Cynna Phillips, Elisabetta Canalis and Carson Kressley.

They really are running out of big names huh?

But getting back to Solo, how can a soccer play not be the favorite to win a dancing competition?

Sure as a goalie she isn’t using her feet as much, but Solo is a nimble athlete that enters the competition in the best shape of any of the other participants.

You may remember she just completed the women’s World Cup last month when the US team lost in heartbreaking fashion. Pretty sure she’s in peak shape.

She claims that just walking in heels is problem.

I don’t buy it.

Solo is downplaying her athletic ability because she doesn’t want to come off as cocky. A smart move this early into the process, but you have to believe she is going to be one of the final contestants.

She has the strongest legs, is a terrific competitor and has the benefit of a weak field.

Her main competition will likely come from fellow athlete Artest, a forward for the LA Lakers.

Aside from him, nobody stands out as even a potential contender. Lake was on a dancing movie called Hairspray back in 1988, but that was about 100 pounds ago. Grace is going to be screaming at the judges when she doesn’t agree with the score given.

Don’t pay attention to the very down to earth Solo—she is the favorite to win this season of DWTS.

Tiki Barber doesn't have much. The former Giants running back left a fine life in the NFL, and has been regretting it ever since. It's a good thing he has Traci Lynn Johnson, until death do they part. 

The SportingNews reports Tiki Barber became engaged to his girlfriend Traci Lynn Johnson over the weekend. This comes as a rare note of good news in a life filled with tumult and hardship.

The engagement brings memories of Barber leaving his former wife come flooding back to the forefront of public consciousness.

When Baber left his wife Ginny in 2009, it marked the beginning of the end for him as a lovable athlete. The move was seen as callous as Ginny was still pregnant with their twin daughters.   

There is also Barber's career to ruminate over. He left the NFL in 2006 for what he thought would be greener pastures on TV, only to find little green, and not that great amount of pastures present.

Barber was initially flooded with offers, only to see the job opportunities vanish as rumors of his work ethic and performance leaked. He can kiss goodbye to any future in broadcasting, which lead him to give football one last try. 

He is in the middle of a fruitless campaign to return to the NFL. A frivolous lifestyle demands an incoming paycheck, and Barber is fresh out of ideas. 

So far, no team has offered him a contract, and his prospects grow more dim as the season looms closer. 

As you can see, life is not all rosy for Barber. A series of bad decisions has left him as public fodder, but there is hope. There is nothing quite like the love of a good woman. 

So I hope for Barber's sake that Johnson is an excellent woman. The engagement is the first sign of a good news we have had in conjunction with the former running back who exuded panache. 

Everyone loved Barber. Now just one person does, Traci Lynn Johnson. That will have to do as Barber tries to rebound from five years that I assume he would rather forget. 

Say it aint Sosa.

Sammy Sosa hasn’t been in the spotlight for sometime now, but that doesn’t mean the 42-year old still can’t live it up in retirement.

Sosa was spotted at a club called Lavo in NYC on Sunday and he looked to be having the time of his life. TMZ snapped a few pictures of him and judging by the looks of Sosa’s face—he was not thinking about the rough retirement he has endured.

Belly dancer’s were all over the place and the one-dollar bills were floating across the club at a fast and furious rate.

What a way to spend a Sunday night.

It’s good to see that Sosa is still having fun with his energetic and outgoing personality.

Every since he retired with over 600 home runs, retirement has not been too kind for slammin’ Sammy. He is one of the poster boys for the steroid era and has been lumped together with the likes of Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire.

Not exactly the greatest company to be in nowadays.

He has remained mum on the whole topic—which is probably the best thing for him to do at this point.

Then came the whole skin lighting saga. A few pictures of Sosa at some red carpet event cropped up on the Internet and he looked like he was going the way of Michael Jackson.

His skin had somehow become incredibly white to the point where it almost looked like he had some sort of procedure done.

Sosa later refuted all of the rumors, but a quick google search of his name still has all of the embarrassing photos right at the top.

Sosa should find a way to make theses latest pictures the first thing to come up when you search his name.

Nothing like a good belly dancer to raise your spirits.

Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images

Ron Artest has become the most charitable man in the entire NBA.

The LA Lakers forward is going to partake in the 13^th season of ABC’s hit TV show Dancing With the Stars. On the surface you would think he’s participating in the event as a way to raise his celebrity status in order to make more money through endorsements, movies, music and other projects.

You couldn’t be more wrong.

Artest spoke with Mark Medina of the LA Times about the real reason he decided to join  the mega-hit show:

"[Diamond] said, 'Daddy, you can do it,' " Artest recalled Monday in a phone interview. "It's going to be fun."

It wasn't just a case of Artest being unable to say no to his daughter. At age 4 in 2007, Diamond was diagnosed with wilms tumor, Artest said, a kidney cancer that affects children. So in honor of his daughter successfully fighting the illness, Artest said he plans to donate the money he earns on "Dancing with the Stars" to the Cancer Research Foundation.

Artest has really turned over a new leaf since the fateful brawl at the Palace.

The money he’ll be able to donate is huge. He gets $125,000 just to appear in the show and will be receiving plenty of additional cash for every time he advances to the next show.

If he takes the training seriously, there is a good chance Artest will be raising over a million dollars for the good cause.

Artest had previously made headlines this offseason when he decided to legally change his name to Metta World Peace, which is a Tali word meaning “loving-kindness”. While he has to pay off multiple parking tickets before it becomes official…it’s another example of how Artest can certainly be wacky—but his heart is in the right place.

So if you’re voting on DTWS, take into considering why Artest is there before voting him off.

Whatever you do…just make sure to vote off Nancy Grace before Artest.

Venus Williams must like looking like some sort of American Girls doll.

That’s the only conclusion you can take from the outfit she sported at the first round of the 2011 US Open on Monday.

In her 6-4, 6-3 victory over Vesna Dolonts, she was wearing a small black dress that looked straight out of the early 1900’s in the back. The front looked more like a regular dress worn by tennis players with the traditional black cutoff sleeves.

This was certainly a tame article of clothing for her and yet, I think it’s more suited for an old lady that isn’t competing against the best tennis players in the world.

It seems as if Venus’ outfits are overshadowing her play in the last two years and that’s ok with her. The Williams’ sisters love fashion and have a long and successful career in the industry waiting for them once they decided to put away the tennis racket for good.

As a tennis fan this is frustrating.

Venus has a ton of talent and dominated women’s tennis for most of the last decade. She holds seven Grand Slam titles including two at Flushing Meadows.

But she has only won two major tournaments since 2005, as it seems she has lost the passion and focus that made her great.

I’m not so sure Maressa Brown of The Stir agrees with me:

It's funny -- it seems like one minute we're talking about her comeback to tennis and the next, it's all about the eye-popping outfit she sported on the court or on the red carpet. (Hey, I think Serena might just be the Mother Monster, aka Lady Gaga, of tennis?!) Some may think all this attention Serena gets for her sexy fashion outshines or detracts from her reputation as a serious athlete, but the opposite is actually true.

Her sense of style actually makes her a much more vibrant, fun athlete to keep tabs on, because she's giving us something to talk about both on and off the court.

Regardless of if you look at it from the perspective of a tennis fan or fashion fan…the dress on Monday was a odd one. Dressing like a doll from 100 plus years ago is not exactly the greatest way to kickoff the last major of the year.

Let’s see how she makes up for it on Wednesday.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

LeBron James didn’t choke during his double date dinner with Carmelo Antony.

Hater’s will hate, but at least he’s making progress.

New York Knicks fans still have to worry if “King James” will rub off on ‘Melo.

The Knicks and Heat have one of the fiercest rivalries in all of basketball. The only way New Yorkers would appreciate these two hanging out together is if they were teammates. The last thing tough-nosed New Yorkers want to see is their savior buddy-buddy with their arch-rival, the same man that shunned them for South Beach during the “Summer of LeBron.”

Now he wants to vacation here, eat in one of New York’s finest and priciest restaurants according to TMZ.com and cozy up with our premier perimeter scorer? Is this a covert operation by Pat Riley? Is he trying to make sure that his rival goes down choking too?

At this point, would anybody put it past Riley? He’s a maniacal genius after putting together his Big Three. He’ll do everything it takes to secure a Championship this season, which LeBron James is apparently somewhat optimistic about.

That’s all we care about at this point—making sure an NBA season commences. Enough of the overseas malarkey and let’s get everyone on the same page to make sure a lockout doesn’t cost us games.

There’s too much money to be made and too many storylines fans are salivating to see. LeBron and ‘Melo can hang out off the court for all I care, as long as they are trying to rip each other’s heads off like they did last year. As long as I get to see the Knicks and Heat square off on schedule, I’m cool with the lockout.

The lockout piqued interest in the NFL season and created a jaw-dropping free agent frenzy. NBA would benefit from such a frenzy, but would benefit more from the momentum James, Anthony, Miami and New York created last postseason.

Both superstars displayed heroics and questionable decision making during their postseason performances, but Anthony will be never hear the end of it if he chokes like James did if he brings the Knicks to the Finals.

Golf superstar Rory McIlroy and the top-ranked female tennis player Caroline Wozniacki are in love and apparently they don't care who knows it, and this could be the beginning of the next great era of sports power couples.

According to reports, McIlroy gave Wozniacki a good luck kiss in front of a large group of people on Friday and she went out the next day and won the WTA New Haven event at Yale.

"That is the happiest I've ever seen a group of guys over a kiss involving other people," wrote Chris Chase. "I've looked at wedding photos where the groomsmen have less of a smile than the Yale football players have plastered on their faces in this shot."

McIlroy is the newest golf sensation after his dazzling performance at the U.S. Open in June, and Wozniacki has won five tennis championships this year.

With Tiger Woods no longer dominating golf, McIlroy is the biggest star that the sport has. He earned  a lot of fans at the Masters when he shot an 80 in the final round but did not make excuses. He bounced back at the U.S. Open to prove that what happened at Augusta was a fluke.

Venus and Serena Williams are the two biggest tennis stars in this country, though they have reached a point where they are no longer the most dominant tennis players in the world and are venturing into other areas of interest like fashion.

Wozniacki will have to win a major or two before American fans put her on the same level as the Williams sisters, but given her new relationship with McIlroy it should not take long before she becomes a sensation in this country and around the world.

These two can be the preeminent power couple in sports if they are able to make this thing go the distance. Judging by Wozniacki's inspired performance after McIlroy's kiss I would say they just might make this work out.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

They had a good run, but Derek Jeter and Minka Kelly finally broke up this week. After three years of being tied to one of the most desirable women in the world, Jeter is single again.

But Kelly? Maybe not so much.

According to a report from People, there are rumblings about Kelly spending an inordinate amount of time with her Charlie's Angels co-star, Ramon Rodriguez. There are whispers of it being a "growing late-night friendship," and one source indicated that the signs are there that the two are more than just friends.

"We have seen Minka and Ramon talking in his trailer way after hours, and often late into the night," said a source. "They have been together long after they need to be for the show."

Very interesting. Two actors on the same show together in the same trailer for long periods of time? That there's suspicious...

Then again, it might not be. While one source seems to think there's something going on between Kelly and Rodriguez, another is not so sure.

"They're just friends. Ramon is basically the only guy on set so of course they all hang out with him," said the skeptical source.

That would make sense, but there is no denying that there is something to be said about the timing of Kelly's new, ahem, friend and her big breakup with the New York Yankees shortstop.

In other words, there might be a kind of Domino effect going on here. Given the circumstances, is it possible that the end of Jeter's relationship with Kelly might have something to do with her friendship with Rodriguez?

Obviously, one can only speculate. Since I am one with speculating power, my guess is that this is probably not the case. While it may be possible that Jeter got jealous and called the whole thing off, it's just as likely that he called it quits with Kelly because he felt it was time for a change.

We know this because Jeter tends to do this when it comes to his personal life. He's been linked to all sorts of high-profile, high-beauty women during his career. And despite seemingly constant rumors of him being engaged to Kelly, it never was easy to believe that Jeter would finally settle down.

As it turned out, he didn't. And going forward, he probably won't.

As for Kelly, well, she's free to be with whoever she pleases.

Except maybe Alex Rodriguez. Jeter probably wouldn't stand for that.

Let me welcome you into the world of the absurd, where producers are questioned on details of matrimony, and prenups are more assured than the longevity of the marriage. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were wed last weekend, and they spared no expense in doing so. 

Slowly but surely, the details of the second-greatest wedding of the year are leaking out. It is exactly as bad as you thought it would be. 

A professional basketball player in Kris Humphries, marrying a gray train passenger in Kim Kardashian, was bound to cross the line of elegance well into exorbitance. 

US Weekly reports Kardashian was privy to celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic. The artist did up the whole party, and was just one part of the wedding extravaganza. 

That part alone cost a gaudy sum of $150,000. The wedding cake, that thing that gets eaten in the span of an hour, cost $20,000.

In all, the couple plunked down in the upwards of $20 million. If that doesn't drive you mad, perhaps the fact that Kardashian will actually make a profit on the affair.

The Washington Post reports People Magazine have spent $1.5 million for the exclusive photos of the wedding, photos that will no doubt be leaked anyway.

The two have also entered into the wonderful world of prenuptial agreements. While smart, it only further puts a finger at what is wrong with all of this.

Where the hell is the love? Where the hell is the romance? That cover of People features Kim K, by herself. Her husband is nowhere to be seen. That is because the event was just that, and event, not a wedding. 

At the forefront was the Kardashian name and image. Underneath was the need to milk this affair for money, and then in a distant third, there was Kris Humphries and the love these two share. 

It is any wonder why we are all so cynical about love these days. We have taken what would be a very lovely moment, and ripped every shred of dignity form it. The wedding was one big commercial, and I fear millions will buy into it. 

There is just one rule us guys hold as sacred. If you have the skinny about your buddy having a lady on the side, you keep your mouth shut. Shaquille O'Neal once called out Kobe Bryant for his violation. We now have to hold the big man for his. Yes, Shaq is no better than Kobe. 

The Miami New Times have uncovered some emails that paint a picky picture of Shaquille O'Neal. First let me stress that the emails are from 2008, before O'Neal found his newest shorty, Hoopz. 

The correspondence takes place between Shaq and Newsweek senior staff writer, Allison Samuels. Here is Samuels attempting to hook O'Neal up with some fine ladies. 

Shaq: Sesslie aintdat fine whts robins last name

Samuels: You are so wrong! Robinne Lee_she's on Tyler Perry's show sometimes. Do you know Lauren London_I don't_but I know James Lassiter knows how to reach her. You ever dealt with her_is she cool? Sharon Leal??

Shaq: Loren is d wade's girl im not wrong sesslie aint my type u r

Samuels: What about Gabrielle and Dwyane?

Shaq: He gottem all I want u or rihanna

Samuels: Rihanna is too young_19-- she is just legal and you know I'm very chatty and you said you didn't like that!!!!!

Shaq: Yeah but I told u had a crush on me and u wouldnt chat about us i kn o u

Samuels: No_I'm chatty in a relationship_not to others. You just decided I had a crush on you huh?? When did you decide that?

There is your brief look into Shaq's game. The one outside the arena that is. O'Neal is so enamored with Samuels that he shoves all other potential ladies to the side. Well, except Rihanna. He makes sure to assure Sameuls that he would hook up with the sexy songstress.

There is another thing he forgets to do, keep quiet on another man's relationships. In the heat of the moment, Shaq mumbles (at least that is how I would read his emails) that Wade has the best of two worlds. 

The insinuation is that he is dating both Gabrielle Union and Lauren London. He also just told that to a major writer for a big magazine. 

It is any wonder that it is taking this long to see the light of day. Wade may have some explaining to do this week, and its all because Shaq could not honor the most basic of man codes. 

Somewhere, Kobe Bryant is grinning a sly smile at this very moment. 

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Blake Griffin is catching the Hollywood bug.

The LA Clippers star has plenty of down time during the current lockout and while other players have decided to play cameos on TV shows and movies—Griffin is going to be an intern.

He will be just another 22-year old completing a internship for the comedy website “Funny or Die”. Griffin calls the site one of his favorites.

He will be involved in the entire process of production, learning how to write, shoot, edit and most importantly…. act.

While it’s unclear if this is a paid internship or not, the experience is going to be extremely valuable to Griffin down the line. Living in LA opens up an incredible amount of opportunities for an athlete—especially for one that is as exciting and personable as Griffin.

Sure he can be the token basketball player in a cookie-cutter movie, but learning the tricks of the trade behind the scenes means Griffin can potentially start his own comedy production company.

Baron Davis, a former Clipper, has his own, and is making tons of money off the documentaries that have been produced.

Griffin showed a glimpse of his comedic potential with Kevin Love at the ESPY’s,  but working with some of the top talent at “Funny or Die” will be a huge help.

I’m not saying Griffin is going to have a feature role ala Shaq in “Kazaam” anytime soon, but this internship will provide the groundwork for a hobby that can transform into a second career.

With so many celebrity cameos in the videos on “Funny or Die”, we can expect Griffin to make an appearance in one of them very soon. It will be his first test to see how much the internship has taught him.

If Griffin can convince his bosses to create his own video, it will essential act as his demo reel for web companies around the country.

Besides, who knows how long this NBA lockout will last. Griffin may have an entire year of free time to emerge himself in the world of comedy.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

What do Kobe Bryant, Scott Caan, Jay Mohr and The Strokes lead singer Julian Casablanca all have in common?

They are all celebrating birthdays on August 23^rd.  That would be one heck of a group birthday party.

But that’s not what the LA Lakers star is worried about. Now that Kobe is 33, he has some serious reflecting to do.

As the NBA lockout rolls on, he may be losing an entire season of his fading prime. At this point in his career it’s something that will severely damage his attempts to catch Kareem’s 38,387 point milestone for most points scored in the history of the game.

Right now Kobe is sitting on 27,868. If he continues to average around 2,000 points per season, he will still need six highly productive seasons.

Can he make it that far?

Ego-checks on Kobe’s behalf are going to be necessary if he wants to make it. The biggest sacrifice he will be making for the rest of his career comes in the playing time department.

Bryant has been dealing with nagging injuries for two years straight and refusing to rest them forces Kobe to deal with a large amount of pain. While it’s incredible that he can still score 25 points a game like this—his body is breaking down faster in the long term.

Bryant needs to let new head coach Mike Brown keep him on the pine for a longer period of time in the middle of games. That also means skipping regular season contests to ensure finger and ankle injuries have the proper amount of time to heel.

This won’t be an easy task for the most competitive player in the entire NBA.

If Bryant continues to keep his eyes on the all-time scoring title regardless of the consequence, he is doing his body a strong disservice. This will ultimately shorten the length of his career and his odds of breaking the record will go out the window.

Sure the shot of getting another ring will be motivating him as well, but the cloudy future around the team suggest his window for championships may be closing rather quickly.

How long will Bryant continue to play?

That answer is entirely up to him.  If he starts to listen to the aches and pains of his body more often, he could be playing in 2019. If he ignores the bellowing of his body then we may be looking at yet another historic career cut short because of their body.