The Beat

With the Dodgers all but out of the playoff race, Gary Sheffield can turn his attention to something really important: selling his house. Sheffield has had his 11,000-square-foot mansion in St. Petersburg on the market since last year but has been unable to find a buyer. (Not surprising, since the asking price of $4.3 million makes it one of St. Pete's costliest homes.) So on Oct. 23, Sheffield will put the place on the auction block. The lake-front, six-bedroom, 4�-bath house features a theater, a game room, a gym with massage area and sauna, a bar, a tennis and a basketball court, a pool, a man-made beach and a guest house, all on 2.8 acres. Oh, and in case you're hoping to get a sneak peek at the crib by posing as an aspiring owner, potential bidders have to pony up a refundable $50,000 just to register for the auction....

Despite the Sept. 11 attacks, Andre Agassi's sixth annual Grand Slam for Children benefit went on as scheduled last Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Agassi had considered canceling the charity concert and auction but says, "The greatest contribution we can make as citizens is to not let the fear of terrorism deter us from the things we value." Performers included Elton John, Don Henley, Ray Romano and Dennis Miller. Among the items auctioned: dinner with Robin Williams, and a performance by Kenny G. Before the auction Agassi, who donated a tennis lesson to be given by him and Steffi Graf, spoke of how his gift took on a momentum of its own: "First I offered to give a tennis lesson, then it was with Stef, and then it was with Stef in high-heeled shoes."...

Last week CBS announced the cast for Survivor Africa, the third installment of the popular reality series. Among the 16 castaways who were stranded in Kenya was Ethan Zohn, a professional soccer player who spent a season in goal for the Highlanders Football Club in Zimbabwe's top division. Zohn, who's also had stints with the United Soccer League's Cape Cod Crusaders and Hawaii Tsunami, is an assistant coach for Fairleigh Dickinson's men's and women's teams. What did he bring as his one allotted luxury item? A Hacky Sack.