Sox' animal instincts; 'Morning' ace
WITH A LITTLE LUCK The New York press is savaging Red Sox players and management for allowing diminutive Dominican actor Nelson de la Rosa into the clubhouse the other night. (Certified by the folks at Guinness as the world's third-smallest man, de la Rosa stands 2 feet 4 inches tall and weighs just 23 pounds.) Writing in the New York Post this week, Michael Morrissey said the Sox locker room is a zoo, and manager Terry Francona the zookeeper. "The Red Sox have gathered the animals two by two," Morrissey wrote. "(The team) is a traveling carnival with as many hairstyles as personalities." And Jennifer Royle, scribbling for the YES Network Online, chastised Sox players for their "tactless" treatment of the team's new lucky charm. (In particular, she skewers picher Derek Lowe for inquiring if he could "buy one of those.") De la Rosa, 36, whose film credits include "The Island of Dr. Moreau" with Marlon Brando, showed up in the Sox clubhouse last Saturday, a guest of Pedro Martinez. (The pitcher told CBS4's Dan Roche that he met the man in Providence.) Sounds like sour grapes. The Yanks' Jason Giambi's been a chump since he chopped his greasy locks, and New York sure could use David "Boomer" Wells and his beer gut right now.
EARLY RISER Hingham's Trish Baggott and her poker-playing son chatted with Charlie Gibson on "Good Morning America" yesterday. But Jimmy Baggott, the 15-year-old featured in a recent Boston Globe story about teen cardplayers, just missed seeing "Ladder 49" star John Travolta in the green room.
RACK-ED WITH PRIDE Appearing last night at The Rack, where they were introduced by Republican rainmaker Chris Egan as "the president's lovely daughters," Jenna and Barbara Bush acknowledged it's no treat being a 20-something Republican. "But," said Barbara, "we do have a lot of great ideas on our side." The twins didn't mention what those ideas might be, but in a rare campaign appearance in Massachusetts by a member of the Bush family, the first daughters did say that their dad deserves another four years. "We're proud that he's liberated Afghanistan," said Barbara. (Apparently former Buffalo Bills star and BC alum Fred Smerlas is too, because he clapped enthusiastically.) The whistle stop by the Bush daughters lasted less than 15 minutes, but drew about 150 people including Republican Governor Mitt Romney's communication's guy Eric Ferhnstrom, GOP consultant Rob Gray, and a large contingent of Harvard students. "To all you Harvard people," said Barbara, "I'm wondering why you didn't go to Yale."
BOSTON TURNS OUT IN LA The premiere of the film based on Bishop T.D. Jakes's best-selling book "Woman Thou Art Loosed" may have taken place the other night at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences theater in Beverly Hills, but there were plenty of Boston types spotted on the red carpet. Among them were Emerson grad and star of the film Clifton Powell, along with Darice Rollins, who runs Martin Lawrence's production company and used to work at Channel 7, and Carolyn Miller, who runs Jakes's public relations arm, and formerly worked at Channel 2. Also on hand were Tanya Hart, who launched her own Hollywood media company after leaving Boston's Channel 4, Roxbury native Michael Beach (most recently of NBC's "Third Watch"), Dorchester's Philip Hart, who developed the West Angeles Cathedral that is a featured set in the movie, and Bishop Charles E. Blake, pastor of West Angeles and a recent Harvard Foundation fellow. (Several of the investors in the privately financed film also have Boston connections, including Roxbury native Peter Bynoe and James R. Kelly.) "Woman Thou Art Loosed" opens in 450 theaters around the country tomorrow, the same day Oprah Winfrey hosts Jakes and actress Kimberly Elise and producer Reuben Cannon.
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