Sox wives take a spin to fight ALS

As Shonda Schilling was preparing to head off on a 50-mile cycling trek yesterday to raise money for ALS research, she said she hopes her participation in such events serves as an example. "I'm just a regular person," said Schilling. She and her husband, Sox pitcher Curt, got involved in raising money to fight Lou Gehrig's disease in 1992 when they met a man with the illness. "I'll ride today, but others might help in volunteering or doing some of the other work. It's all important." Some of those following Shonda's example are Dawn Timlin, wife of Sox pitcher Mike. In 2001, Mike's mother was diagnosed with ALS. "For me it's personal, but yet so many others are affected. I'm physically fit and I can do this. Every little bit helps," said Dawn before taking off from the Longfellow Club in Wayland to cycle with Schilling. (Coincidentally, Timlin pulled Curt Schilling's No. 38 for the ride.) Others who participated, riding various distances yesterday, were Sox wives Ashley Papelbon and Kelli Pedroia , the Schillings' daughter Gabby , and Shonda's mom and brother, Patsy and Michael Brewer.

Nantucket wine fest raises $200,000

By the time the Nantucket Wine Festival wrapped things up late yesterday, an estimated 3,500 people had enjoyed a meal, attended a fund-raiser, or raised a glass -- or two. The wines of Marchese Ferdinando Frescobaldi, who winged in from Tuscany for the fest, were up for auction on Saturday night and raised more than $200,000 for the Nantucket Historical Association. Also spotted: Channel 5 anchor Natalie Jacobson, the BSO's Mark Volpe, chefs Marc Orfaly, Michael LaScola, Barbara Lynch, Chris Schlesinger, restaurateur Garrett Harker, and former "Melrose Place" actress Daphne Zuniga. . . . Also on the island was Pats coach Bill Belichick, spotted with his girl friend, Linda Holliday, going into the eatery the Brotherhood of Thieves yesterday.

Pats are good buddies to charity

Patriots QB Tom Brady and lineman Dan Koppen traded their football helme ts for bicycle garb at Saturday's Volvo Best Buddies Challenge that raised $2.5 million for charity. A record-breaking 900 riders participated in the Boston to Hyannis Port trek to support Anthony Shriver's Best Buddies International, which works to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Brady teamed up with Best Buddies participant Katie Meade and Koppen was joined by his sister Leah on a closed- course race that, we're told, ended in a tie. Joining in the fun were "The Bachelor" Lieutenant Andy Baldwin, actors Maureen McCormick and Greg Germann , and Patriots Ellis Hobbs and Ty Warren. Senator John Kerry pedaled the 90-mile course and was rested enough to make it to dinner at American Seasons on Nantucket that night.

Show axed, but Clarke’s still a ‘Winner’

"The Winner," the Fox TV show that Lenny Clarke starred in with Weymouth native Rob Corddry was canceled last week, but that didn't stop Clarke from smiling at a fund-raiser the other night. "It's a crazy business," said Clarke, who MC'd the Bridge Over Troubled Water s event. " I got to work with Seth MacFarlane and now I'm going to be doing the voice for a character on 'The Family Guy.' " And Clarke is working for his pal Denis Leary's show "Rescue Me." "I've done a couple of months of filming," said Clarke, who plays Uncle Teddy. "It's the greatest character you could ever hope for."

Boston band Bang Camaro -- the five-piece rock band that boasts 20 lead singers -- was in New York on Friday to film a segment for the TV show "American Chopper." The show's director, Adam Moyer, is not only a big fan of Bang Camaro, he recently completed the band's video. For the hit cable show, the band was filmed while performing three songs from their self-titled debut release. . . . Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton and his wife, Terry , know how to work a room. The long time supporters of YouthCare, which aids children with autism to develop social skills so that they can succeed, helped raise a record $350,000 at the nonprofit "Give Children a Chance" benefit at the Cyclorama the other night. The bassist and his bandmates are featured in the Sports Illustrated 2007 swimsuit issue. So Tom enlisted the mag's help for auction items and support for the fund-raiser. . . . After her performance at the KISS Concert, Hilary Duff grabbed a late dinner at Todd English's Bonfire in Park Square. A convenient stop , since the actress and singer stayed overnight at the Park Plaza Hotel. . . . Actor John Larroquette, whom we love for being the irascible assistant district attorney on "Night Court," had dinner with his family over the weekend at Osushi in the Westin Copley Place hotel. . . . Actor John Malkovich , who lives in Cambridge, stopped by Top Shelf , the Beacon Hill food and liquor store on Cambridge Street near the T stop, the other day. . . . Celtics legend Bill Russell , who was Suffolk University's commencement speaker , was at the Oak Room in the Fairmont Copley Plaza on Saturday. Russell's dinner was repeatedly interrupted by fans requests for autographs and photos, which he cheerfully obliged. . . . Museum of Fine Arts curator Janet Comey gave a tour of the Edward Hopper exhibition to Red Sox chairman Tom Werner and Sue Selig , wife of baseball Commissioner Bud Selig , the other day.

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