Phelps gives NBC ratings lift

Olympic sensation Michael Phelps is home, and his media tour began Thursday morning with an appearance in New York City on NBC's "The Today Show."

The eight-time gold-medal winner at the recently completed Summer Olympics continues as the best thing to happen to the peacock network.

He had a brief studio appearance when he touted a program of introducing swimming to inner city communities, a serious endeavor.

The most hard-hitting question: What was your first meal upon arriving home?

Answer: cheeseburger.

NBC will continue its ratings romance with Phelps when he hosts the Sept. 13 episode of "Saturday Night Live."

All of his "Phans" hope he doesn't look like a fish out of water.

• PILOT IN STITCHES -- While Phelps hopes his pending dive into comedy leaves his audience in stitches, gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson already has evoked that reaction.

But the stitches she caused were sutures.

Johnson said she boarded a flight Monday in Chicago bound for New York and an appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

The pilot, she said, apparently hit his head when getting up to meet her. Fortunately, the plane was on the ground.

"I guess he just like freaked out and hit his head,'' she told a crowd of about 7,000 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, that welcomed her home Tuesday. "They had to take him to the hospital for stitches.''

She was to lead the Pledge of Allegiance on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where Barack Obama will give his presidential nomination acceptance speech.

Although she is certain to "stick" the performance, Republican judges most likely will award low scores.

• MANY WINS, FEW FANS -- The Tampa Bay Rays are first in the American League East, and entering Thursday's games they were tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the most victories in the league with 80.

Their first playoff run is not resulting with a mad run to the turnstiles.

The crowd for Wednesday's win over visiting Toronto drew 12,678. The day before, the crowd was 13,478. The Tampa Tribune reported the Rays were outdrawn by San Diego, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Washington.

"It's embarrassing," Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir said.

Tribune columnist Martin Fennelly wrote, "The Rays are looking at a 95-win season and still getting some 100-loss crowds."

• BYU IN 'FRAUD FIVE' -- The Philadelphia Daily News is not among those respecting the prospects of this year's Brigham Young football team.

The Cougars are favored to win the Mountain West Conference, but the newspaper lists them among its five most overrated teams in its "Fraud Five."

Joining BYU on the list compiled by Mike Kern at Philly.com are preseason No. 1 Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma and Clemson.

COMPILED BY JEFF WOLF REVIEW-JOURNAL