She knows winning not only thing

Is Anna Kournikova making a comeback or what? With the U.S. Open going strong -- and being where she reached the fourth round in 1996 at age 15 -- it would appear that Annamania, or whatever you want to call it, is happening again.

Last month, she was profiled in a "Where Are They Now?" feature in Sports Illustrated. Where Kournikova is now is on the cover of the September issue of Maxim, and inside in a seven-page article with photos of her relaxing on the beach, plus a question-and-answer feature.

Kournikova, 27, touches on a variety of topics, including her marital status (single), what she looks for in a man (sense of humor), if she still follows women's tennis (yes) and if she'll ever settle down (she's hopeful).

Kournikova never won a singles title, but that hasn't hurt her post-tennis career. A model, cover girl, spokeswoman and endorser, Kournikova told the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer she wasn't caught off guard that Maxim was interested in her.

"Actually, I think it's very smart of them, so I wasn't surprised," she said. "We get a bunch of different offers, and I'm very choosy."

• NO TIME TO SWIM -- No, we can't go a day without Michael Phelps.

Simon & Schuster just gave him a $1.6 million advance on a book deal. It's supposed to be out in December, so you know what that means: He'd better dry off and start writing right away.

• HIGH FLIER -- Here's how you know you have way too much disposable cash: Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks bought a private jet for $45 million, according to the New York Post.

• LAME MARKETING -- So Major League Baseball's $65 million ad campaign to publicize the playoffs is called "There's Only One October." That's the best they can do? Like there's two Septembers or something?

If the Final Four folks hear about this, they might have to do something to upgrade March.

• KNOCKING 'HARD KNOCKS' -- Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News hasn't found much that's interesting in HBO's "Hard Knocks" series about the Dallas Cowboys: "Maybe ... these Cowboys weren't the best choice after all. Maybe they are all hat and no cattle."

• CALL YOUR UNION REP -- Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals is unhappy making $4 million this year, and Clifton Brown of Sporting News Today thinks he knows how pass-catching peers such as Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens would respond if Boldin didn't act up: "He might get thrown out of the wide receiver's diva union."

• WHO'S SPEAKING? -- Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones told USA Today he's cool with the NFL's decision to allow radio headsets in the helmets of certain defensive players this season: "I hear voices in my head all the time. I'm used to it."

• 'GO SOX!' -- Stuart Scott of ESPN asked Chicago guy Barack Obama if he would root for the White Sox or the Cubs if both got to the World Series.

"That's easy. The White Sox," he said. "You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball."

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