Avery fashion forward

This is a plot line headed straight for TV's "Ugly Betty."

On the surface, NHL forward Sean Avery is every bit your average hockey player -- tough as nails, surly, no-nonsense.

And he knows a great Prada bag when he sees one.

Avery, who signed a four-year, $15.5 million contract with the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, wrote a letter to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour detailing his desire to intern for the fashion magazine.

Apparently, there's more to Avery than just pucks and goals and body-checks. Namely, purses and shoes and bow ties.

"What started innocently enough with my first tie-dyed Chip & Pepper shirt at age 12 has evolved over a decade and a half into a closet full of Dries Van Noten, YSL, Dior and Costume National, to name just a few," Avery wrote in the June edition of Men's Vogue. "... Somewhere along the way, this love of clothes led me to what's become known as 'the bible of fashion.' "

Wintour took Avery up on his offer, putting him to work in the magazine's New York offices during the offseason -- for minimum wage.

• GUILT BY ASSOCIATION? -- Should a felony gun charge and abuse allegations really cause neighborly discord?

In ritzy Gladwyne, Pa., the answer is yes.

As former Philadelphia 76ers forward Aaron McKie's mansion nears completion, a neighbor on Youngsford Road is going to drastic measures to preserve the sanctity of his street.

Neighborhood residents recently found anonymous flyers in their mailboxes that read: "Attention please, read if you care about your neighborhood!!! How can we prevent Aaron McKie from moving into our safe and peaceful neighborhood? His house is almost complete on Youngsford Road. Let's prevent another Iverson from moving in!"

• RAVEN MAD -- The Baltimore Ravens might be taking this whole mascot thing a little too seriously.

The Ravens have hired wildlife expert Daniel Walthers to train actual ravens to fly out of the tunnel at M&T Bank Stadium, beginning with the team's season-opening game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.

"The reason we did this was it's another way we can connect with our fans," Gabrielle Dow, the Ravens' vice president for marketing, told The Baltimore Sun's Ken Murray last week.

• THE COMPANY YOU KEEP -- Alex Rodriguez's Rolodex just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

Three weeks after the New York Daily News disclosed the friendship between the Yankees slugger and disgraced hit king Pete Rose, Rodriguez is in the news again because of his companions.

A source told USMagazine.com that Rodriguez was at Madonna's Central Park West apartment shortly after the birth of his second daughter, possibly even the night after.

Madonna, whose marriage with director Guy Ritchie has been rumored to be on the rocks, had no comment when confronted by reporters Tuesday.

COMPILED BY JON GOLD REVIEW-JOURNAL