Holmes catches more praise

A few weeks after being feted at a parade in his honor at Disney World, Super Bowl XLIII Most Valuable Player Santonio Holmes also received the royal treatment at Pittsburgh Municipal Court.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver entered the courtroom Thursday to answer a charge of marijuana possession, Deputy District Attorney Christopher Avetta stopped him.

"That was a good catch," Avetta said as he shook hands with Holmes, who made the winning touchdown catch in the final seconds of Super Bowl XLIII.

The defendant reeled in more praise from District Judge Gene Ricciardi, who then arraigned Holmes and released him on his own recognizance. "I want to commend you for donating your receiver gloves to charity," he said. "It shows you have a strong character."

Holmes declined comment afterward to a throng of reporters, but his attorney, Robert Del Greco, said the reception didn't surprise him.

"It's the Steelers. Is anything else important?" he told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Pittsburgh police charged Holmes, 24, in October after officers said they found three marijuana-filled cigars in his sport utility vehicle. Police said they were searching for a similar vehicle in an unrelated incident.

• THE REAL-LIFE WRESTLER -- In a case of life imitating art -- in this case actor Mickey Rourke's portrayal of a past-his-prime professional wrestler in the acclaimed film "The Wrestler" -- pro wrestler Michael Taris has "fallen on hard times."

Taris, 34, from Levittown, Pa., allegedly "staged a fall" at a 7-Eleven in an attempt to collect $50,000 in damages, state Attorney General Tom Corbett said Wednesday.

Despite claims of an injured neck and back, investigators say, Taris continued to wrestle and also worked as a male escort and massage therapist.

"Mr. Taris was hoping to make fast, easy money at the expense of others," Corbett said. "... He was never able to profit from his deception."

Taris was arrested Wednesday and charged with insurance fraud and attempted theft, reported the Philadelphia Daily News.

The criminal complaint states Taris staged the 2007 fall in a "small splash of coffee" on the tiled floor of a Levittown 7-Eleven. Taris, who wrestles for the National Wrestling Superstars, later admitted he had filed the bogus claim because he had "fallen on hard times" and needed money.

• (BLANK) YOGI -- Before a collector could purchase a Mickey Mantle baseball that was signed "(expletive) Yogi" Berra, the Mantle family reportedly bought it from Grey Flannel Auctions for $2,750.

Had it not sold by Friday, the ball would've entered the auction with a $1,000 reserve price.

The Mantles, who raised $3.25 million in a 2003 auction of about 300 items from Mickey's career, apparently wanted to take the ball off the market to help preserve the legacy of "The Mick."

Mantle, who reportedly was inebriated when he signed the aforementioned ball, died in 1995.

COMPILED BY TODD DEWEY LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL