2008 headliners good, bad sports

Sports stars led the way in our annual recap of celebrities who made headlines in Las Vegas, usually for out-of-bounds behavior or finding trouble.

The Five (Hundred) Diamond Award: Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker, no stranger to mugging in NFL secondaries, ran into some really bad characters in June. He was found unconscious in a driveway behind the Strip hours after spraying bottles of champagne into a crowd at the Hard Rock Hotel's Body English. The No. 1 theory: All the bling he was wearing made him a target.

The Rescinded Knighthood Award: Partyhound Sir Charles Barkley has been veering off the rails for some time. It's never a good idea to go after two of the most powerful men in Las Vegas. That's what happened in July when he told KWWN-AM, 1100 he was going to "get" Clark County District Attorney David Roger for the way he handled the collection of a $400,000 gambling debt with Wynn Las Vegas. Barkley said he "didn't appreciate" Steve Wynn taking the debt to Roger. "They will get theirs at some point," said Barkley, who was arrested Wednesday in the Phoenix area on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Champagne-on-Ice Over-Confidence Award: O.J. Simpson was so confident he was going to beat the rap for armed robbery and kidnapping that a victory party was planned. He was convicted.

Our On-the-Brink Award: Mike Tyson has made a career of courting trouble. He's been under court-ordered sobriety since a Maricopa County judge gave him three years probation for drug possession and driving under the influence about a year ago. There have been sightings that he's fallen off the wagon and hitting the club scene again. A reader sent Vegas Confidential a photo of Tyson at Luxor's LAX nightclub holding a glass with a towel over it. Who covers their drink if they're drinking Red Bull? The photo by R-J reader Aaron Perez was taken well past 1 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, hours before Tyson knocked down a gate with his Escalade.

If an Oregon man is truthful, Pete Rose gets The Uncouth Award. Jim Scornerston of Talent, Ore., said he approached the baseball great on Oct. 4 at Field of Dreams sports collectibles store in the Forum Shops at Caesars to "let him know I was a fan." Scornerston said Rose mocked his lisp, saying, "Did ya thee me on Thaturdayth? With your thithter?" After leaving the store, Scornerston said he looked back and saw Rose staring at him and make a wincing expression. Then Rose waved his hand behind him, liked he had passed gas.

MAY I RECOMMEND

The pajamas-optional Sunday brunch at Simon at Palms Place confirms chef Kerry Simon's approach to fun dining: The carb-loaded menu includes fried chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, barbecue ribs and corn muffins, egg dishes and coffeecakes. Food servers wear everything from Hugh Hefner and Bart Simpson-style jammies to flannels. Sexy nurses, on call for the hung-over crowd, await in the bar, where vodka bottles hang with IV's attached. The kids menu includes peanut butter and jelly "sushi" and Mickey Mouse pancakes. $38 for adults, $12 for kids and $7 all-you-can-drink Bloody Marys.

SIGHTINGS

Carmen Electra shopping at Annie Creamcheese in The Shoppes at the Palazzo on New Year's Day. She ended up buying a pair of vintage red boots. ... At Carey Hart's Wasted Space (Hard Rock) on New Year's Eve: Pink, singing from her album "Funhouse." She was joined onstage by Hart for the midnight countdown. They were spotted later at Nobu. ... At the Kid Rock show in The Pearl at the Palms: Olympian Michael Phelps and Denver Broncos Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. Afterwards, Phelps headed for Moon nightclub at the Palms with girlfriend Caroline "Caz" Pal. ... At Simon at Palms Place for a private New Year's Eve dinner with Palms owner George Maloof: Phelps, rocker Benji Madden, Indy racer Marco Andretti and Hollywood hunk Brody Jenner, who brought along girlfriend 2008 Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole and his mother, Linda Thompson, Elvis Presley's former girlfriend.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Club soda plus nail polish remover equals homemade champagne." -- From David Letterman's "Top Ten Ways To Make Your New Year's Eve Party More Exciting

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.