Local fans show NFL allegiances

It's no secret Las Vegas is home to fans from virtually every NFL team. But which NFL team has the strongest allegiance from Las Vegas fans?

DirecTV did a survey of its Las Vegas customers who subscribe to the satellite provider's "NFL Sunday Ticket" package. The survey revealed that four teams -- the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers -- had the highest percentage of displaced fans living in Las Vegas.

A similar survey was done in Orlando, Fla., where the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions topped the list.

DirecTV surveyed more than 1 million Sunday Ticket subscribers nationwide to identify the cities that had the highest percentage of fans for each NFL team. Ironically, Washington, D.C., had the highest percentage of displaced Dallas Cowboys fans.

There's a "Ultimate Displaced Fan" contest under way, running through the end of November with the winner getting a trip to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla.

• BRONX PILGRIMAGE -- Jim Gemma, the Las Vegas 51s' media relations director, is a big baseball fan. But he has never been to Yankee Stadium.

That will change this week when Gemma, thanks to his boss, 51s president Don Logan, will get to see the big ballpark in the Bronx during its final weekend. Gemma will take in Thursday's Yankees-White Sox game and games with the Orioles on Friday and Saturday.

"A lot of it is my parents' roots are in Connecticut and my dad was a big Yankees fan," Gemma said of his decision to visit the stadium. "He was a huge Mickey Mantle fan. I figured I better see it before they tore it down. It is a baseball shrine, just like Fenway (Park) and Wrigley Field."

• REDEEM TEAM AUCTION -- For the first time, USA Basketball is auctioning off game-worn uniforms from its 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning men's and women's teams.

Bidding began Monday and runs through the end of the month. As of today, Kobe Bryant's No. 10 jersey had the highest bid at $1,620.

To participate, go to USA Basketball's Web site (usabasketball.com) or NBA.com and click to the link for auctions.

• MIKE VS. MAD DOG -- For 19 years, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo teamed to form perhaps the best duo in sports talk radio on New York's WFAN.

They went head-to-head Monday as Russo launched his "Mad Dog Unleashed" show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Francesa was in his regular afternoon slot, flying solo. Frankly, it was hard to tell the difference between the two shows as both hosts were fielding calls on the Mets' bullpen imploding, the Yankees missing the playoffs and the Jets' loss to New England.

With Francesa, that's understandable given his show is based in New York. Russo, who is doing a national show, tried to steer things outside the Big Apple, taking dead aim at NFL referee Ed Hochuli, who has been the favorite piñata of every talk-show host coast-to-coast after he blew the fumble call late in the San Diego-Denver game Sunday.

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP REVIEW-JOURNAL