Apparently not satisfied with bedding one-third of the Paris Hilton-Britney Spears-Lindsay Lohan axis of skankiness, Matt Leinart reportedly tried to increase his completion rate to 67% Friday night at the Jackrabbit Lounge in Scottsadle, Arizona. At least, that’s what gossip blog PerezHilton.com is saying:

The quarterback, previously linked with Paris Hilton, plays for the Arizona Cardinals.

And Friday night he was playing Britney Spears!

Sources tell us that the pair were flirting hardcore on the patio area all night long, bumping and grinding and whispering in each others’ ears.

(Hat tip: Toni.)

But alas, it looks like Leinart wasn’t able to connect on this 4th-and-9 pass: Britney reportedly spent her last night in Arizona sans Matt.

Spears is expected to be in Vegas tonight for New Year’s. Of course, who knows whether Leinart might be in the vicinity as well. It’s not like he has a playoff run to get ready for! He could easily fly up to Sin City after the Cardinals’ season-ending game in San Diego this afternoon. He’s certainly familiar with Vegas, as it’s where he and Paris got hot and heavy earlier this year. Anyway, if Leinart’s New Year’s resolutions for 2006 included making it with two Hollywood floozies, he’d better hurry!

P.S. Just to make this story all the more trashy: Leinart’s a new dad. His “girlfriend,” USC women’s basketball player Brynn Cameron (I was under the impression they had broken up, but not according to Us magazine; there are even rumors that they’re engaged), gave birth to 6-pound-7-ounce Cole Cameron Leinart on October 24.

Of course, Britney Spears has a history of dating (and marrying, and divorcing) guys who have babies at home and/or on the way…

Just got back from golfing on the Prospector Course here at Superstition Mountain. I teamed up with Ginny in a friendly scramble against Ted and Casey, and we won by four strokes, thanks mostly to my amazing golf skills. :) Okay, okay, the vast majority of the shots we used were Ginny’s (that would be the same Ginny who competed in the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur earlier this year), but I did make a few putts — and gave Ginny a good “read” on several other putts that I almost hit — and I even got in a couple of decent drives, despite being generally pretty awful (and, perhaps more to the point, inexperienced; I’ve only golfed a few times in my life, and not at all in the last couple of years).

For some reason, I was much better with the pitching wedge today than with any other club; it got to the point where I was using it to tee off on par-3s and short part-4s. (The preceding sentence is gibberish to non-golf types, but I think it will be hilarious to avid golfers.) With the driver and other long clubs, I was more liable to either whiff or seriously mis-hit the ball, or else make solid contact but hit it waaaay off to the right. (Apropos of which, I hit a house off the right fairway of one hole, and almost hit another. Hehe. Luckily, no damage was done.)

Anyway, it was fun. Here’s a photo of Casey teeing off, with Ginny watching in the foreground, and the Superstition Mountains in the background:

We went hiking again today, this time with the parental units coming along as well, and this time on a much longer and more challenging trail than the previous day’s trek. As opposed to our 50-minute stroll on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day we did the Bluff Spring Loop, which is a 9.1-mile trail with several relatively steep uphill sections. (Here’s a map.)

It took us just over five hours, which is exactly what the book says it should — not bad! (We usually take a good 125% or more of the recommended time.) And we saw a tarantula!

He was pretty small. Here’s a video:

Creepy crawly creatures aside, it’s a damn scenic hike. For example:

More pictures in the full photo gallery. And you can also view photos of the same loop in 2004 when just Becky, Ginny and I hiked it.

P.S. If you’re wondering why we were hiking at 9:00 AM instead of opening presents or going to church… it’s the Zak family tradition to open presents on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas morning. It’s taken me a while to adjust to this, but I’ve finally gotten used to it. :) As for going to church, Ted and Ginny went to the Christmas Eve vigil mass Sunday night — and, well, Becky and I didn’t go at all, but personally, I think spending some quality time appreciating the awesomeness of nature is at least as good a way of giving glory to God as going to church.

Anyway, speaking of Christmas presents, I got a bunch of cool stuff, but of particular note (in addition to the NCAA Tournament tickets mentioned previously) is the Apple Store gift card from Ted and Ginny, which will allow me to buy an iPod with video — my first non-Shuffle iPod ever. So, stay tuned for some giddy posts about that in the coming days. :)

Becky got an iPod, too — a blue nano, from me (but also sort of partially from Dane, since his wedding gift card helped pay for it; thanks, Dane!) — so we’ll both doubtless have tons of fun buying cool iPod accessories and such. That’s an aspect of the Apple experience that I’ve been missing out on until now, but not anymore! Woohoo!

Oh, and I also got a copy of the Spike Lee movie that I was in. Hehe.

Becky, Casey and I went hiking on a short loop near the First Water Trailhead this afternoon. ‘Twas fun, and a good opportunity to engage in a little good-natured schadenfreude toward people in colder climes who are huddling around a fire this Christmas Eve. Hehe.

More photos in my full photo gallery.

The Phoenix Suns (whom I’ve adopted as my NBA team) are going into overtime at home tied at 127 (!) against the Washington (DC) Wizards.

The Wizards are 13-12 coming in; the Suns are riding a franchise-record 15-game win streak and sit atop the Pacific Division in the Western Conference at 18-6.

UPDATE | 11:00p | Diaw just made a layup to make it 129-127.

UPDATE | 11:01 | 131-128, Suns leading.

UPDATE | 11:02 | The Wizards’ Jamison just missed a field goal.

UPDATE | 11:04 | 131-132, Wizards leading, after two patient field goals. Phoenix taking a timeout.

UPDATE | 11:07 | Nash just made a three! Now 134-134. He has 39 pts, 12 ast, 3 rebs.
*oops* Now 134-136.

UPDATE | 11:08 | Arenas, the Wizards’ top scorer with 54, (!) just made a three of his own to push the lead to five.

UPDATE | 11:10 | Stoudemire made two free throws to cut the deficit to three at 136-139 with 22.6 left in OT.

UPDATE | 11:12 | 136-141.

UPDATE | 11:16 | Nash makes another three, now has 42, and it’s 139-142. C’mon!

FINAL UPDATE | 11:18 | Finished at 139-144, so the winning streak is finished.

Initial thoughts: Can Phoenix defend? And Arenas is establishing himself…I’m pretty sure he had 60 the other night!

Arizona is now the fastest-growing state in America, surpassing Nevada. (Hat tip: Jay.)

Its population will be growing by two more, albeit temporarily, later tonight, as Becky and I fly in for the holidays. I arrive at 11:10 PM MST; Becky arrives at 12:25 AM MST.

The Baseline Killer, in custody since Sept ‘05, is expected to be charged shortly. He has a long criminal record going back to ‘89.

There are 71 (!) counts recommended by prosecutors.

UPDATE, 7:09: The CNN article linked to in the first comment is much more informative. Thanks!

Only in Arizona:

SIERRA VISTA - A grandmother found with a trunkful of marijuana was convicted of drug running in what prosecutors said was an attempt to earn cash for a bingo habit.

State troopers found 10 bundles of pot totaling 214 pounds hidden in Leticia Villareal Garcia’s car trunk last year when they stopped her outside Bisbee, in far southeastern Arizona.

Villareal, 61, told jurors before they convicted her Thursday that her only regular income was a $275 monthly welfare check, but she frequently played bingo and occasionally won thousands of dollars.

Heh. (Hat tip: BK.)

Texasyank gives us an in-depth look at another big rivalry game that’s being played today: Arizona vs. Arizona State.

I don’t have strong feelings about either team, but since Becky got her Master’s at ASU, I suppose I should root for the Sun Devils… and besides, there’s something wonderfully entertaining about the possibility of a five-way tie for fourth place in the Pac-10 among a quintet of teams with 4-5 conference records. ASU needs to win (and then USC needs to beat UCLA next Saturday) to make that happen. So… go, Sparky, go!

I love Arizona.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… well, a bunch of planes, actually:

That’s not a strange constellation in the sky over Phoenix — it’s a line of planes, five of ‘em, approaching Sky Harbor Airport from the east on this busiest (or possibly second-busiest, depending on whom you believe) travel day of the year. Photo taken from near Becky’s parents’ house in Gold Canyon, 40 miles east of the airport.

It’s not just the skies that are crowded, of course. Here’s a look at the traffic we faced on I-90 in Chicago en route to O’Hare Airport after our little mix-up this afternoon:

But as Andrew says, we’re lucky we only had to deal with Chicago traffic, and not L.A. traffic.

In an reprieve for Jenna Jameson’s strip club (possibly NSFW), the residents of notoriously snobby Scottsdale, AZ voted no on 401 yesterday, rejecting the city’s proposed stricter strip-club restrictions by a 53% to 47% margin. According to the Arizona Republic, “Proposition 401 would effectively ban lap dancing in Scottsdale by requiring a 4-foot barrier between dancers and patrons.” Apparently that was just a bit too prudish for Scottdale’s voters! Excerpt:

Tuesday’s vote marked another chapter in the ongoing saga over Scottsdale’s efforts to revise its sexually oriented business ordinance.

Scottsdale decided in 2003 that recent court rulings had rendered its current ordinance unenforceable. But public debate did not begin until a little over a year ago, when adult-film star Jenna Jameson announced that she had purchased part of Babe’s, 2011 N. Scottsdale Road.

City officials insisted the timing was a coincidence. But worries that Jameson’s planned renovations would hinder the revitalization of south Scottsdale made revising the ordinance a top priority for the council.

Scottsdale hired an expert in regulating adult businesses to write its new ordinance. In December, the council voted unanimously to pass the revisions after limited public discussion.

Some voters said Tuesday that they voted no on 401 to discourage the council from making decisions without first getting input from those affected.

“I don’t feel the City Council can just do whatever the heck they want, especially without consulting the businesses themselves,” resident Ericka Cero Woods said.

Those who voted for 401 tended to favor strong regulations for sexually oriented businesses.

“I want it to be as strict as possible,” resident Betty Shay said after voting at the Paiute Neighborhood Center.

“It’s not as if these businesses don’t have somewhere else to go, like the bottom of a mine shaft.”

Heh-heh, heh-heh, she said “shaft.”

Anyway, all I have to say is… take that, Osama! :) It’s a victory for freedom!!

P.S. Remind me again why I didn’t have my bachelor party at Jenna’s? I mean, the rattlesnake was nice and all, but… ;)