In the week leading up to the New York Giants' game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 28, Casio executives were toying with the idea of signing Giants rookie Jeremy Shockey to endorse an existing line of watches.

	Jeremy Shockey's outspoken demeanor has caught on with companies looking to market their products.

A potential deal seemed to make sense. The Casio watch is called "G-Shock," which the company touts as the "toughest watch in the world." Shockey, the 6-foot-5, 252-pound tight end, plays for the "G-Men" and already has gained a reputation of being a no-nonsense, spike-the-ball-after-every-first-down-catch kind of guy.

That the outspoken Shockey, whom the Giants selected with the 14th pick in this year's NFL draft, has become a favorite among New York media didn't hurt. Neither did his recent appearance on New York's WFAN radio when Shockey didn't shy away from creating bulletin board material by claiming the Eagles couldn't beat the Giants and that they "get lucky a lot." The Giants lost by 14, but Shockey caught six passes for 69 yards and made his presence felt when he was flagged for taunting. The Veteran Stadium crowd then began chanting "Shockey s----! Shockey s----!"

That was when the Casio executives knew they had their man.

With a signature shoe called the "Shockey" made by prominent shoe designer Steve Madden, a Nike endorsement deal, a memorabilia deal from Steiner Sports and the Casio signature watch deal, Shockey is making more than $500,000 off the field, said Robert Bailey, Shockey's marketing manager and a former NFL defensive back. That value would easily vault him into the top 10 most valuable NFL players off the field and would more than double the total endorsement deals accumulated by the next most marketable tight end, the Broncos' Shannon Sharpe, who has won three Super Bowl rings over the past five seasons.

"He's in the best media market in the country," said Bob Williams, president of Burns Sports, a sports marketing firm. "Combine that with his extreme confidence, his style of play and his very memorable name and he's far exceeded what you would think any top draft pick would be able to do on the endorsement front this early in a career."

Shockey's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has given Bailey the green light to sign Shockey to deals now, deviating from the recent trend of other sports agencies that prefer to ease a player into the limelight. Octagon, for example, has taken a wait-and-see approach with their handling of David Carr, the Houston Texans quarterback and No. 1 draft pick.

Improving technology

Who would have thought before the season began Marc Bulger would have a 107.4 QB rating? Sports video game fanatics often become frustrated when a player who markedly improves throughout the season is his same mediocre player throughout the season in the video game. New England Patriots fans, for example, still had to play with Drew Bledsoe last season if they wanted to win their games, since Tom Brady's rating didn't correspond to his dominance on the field and St. Louis Rams fans who play video games this season won't even think about putting Marc Bulger on the virtual field. But times may be changing, thanks to new video game technology. This Thursday, Microsoft will debut its Xbox Live, which will enable video game players to interact with others across the country by connecting their DSL or cable modem service to the back of the machine. The Xbox Live starter kit, which includes a headset with a microphone and a year of service, costs $49.99. Those who subscribe to Xbox Live might have the capability to download new playoff rosters this year and next year the service fee will include player updates in the beginning of the season, after the trading deadline and for the playoffs free-of-charge, according to Bill Nielsen, director of Xbox brand marketing. Although EA Sports' Madden franchise is available on Xbox, only Microsoft's NFL Fever is Xbox Live enabled. Football games made up the top-selling sports games category in 2001, according to NPD Group, a market research firm. Video game royalties are the NFLPA's largest source of revenue and the players union would get a cut should constant player updates become a new revenue stream in the industry, Nielsen said. -- Darren Rovell

"Jeremy's got a real spunk and charisma about him that makes his marketing opportunities limitless," Rosenhaus said. "A guy like Jeremy needs someone who analyzes opportunities around the clock."

Shockey sells. Steve Madden executives believe fans will pay $89.95 for a non-performance blue and silver shoe with Shockey's name on it. Plenty of Houston Texans fans bought jerseys with Carr's name and number on the back, but when the NFL released its list of player jersey sales on NFLshop.com last week, replicas of Shockey's jersey was the best-seller among rookies and ranked 13th overall. Fans also are ponying up $89 to buy an autographed 8-by-10 photo of Shockey or $149 for a mini helmet with his signature on it.

"Shockey's selling at least as well as Jason Kidd autographs since he came to the East Coast," said Chris Amoroso of Steiner Sports. "Like Brian Urlacher, he's a hard-hat, no-bull kind of guy who is going to tell you how he feels. People want to buy something autographed by him because they want a piece of his attitude and enthusiasm."

Shockey, who has been slowed by a nagging turf toe injury for the past month, might not be the most prolific rookie tight end this season. Miami Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael caught 28 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns. Shockey, by comparison, has 27 catches for 302 yards and one touchdown, but has certainly garnered more attention.

He got off to a great start in the opening preseason Monday Night Football game against the Texans at the Hall of Fame Game when he barreled past defenders for a 48-yard gain. John Madden compared him to former Giants great tight end Mark Bavaro and the hype machine was rolling.

"People went crazy for him," said Mike Ornstein, a sports marketer who handles marketing for Sharpe and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. "He's got that blond hair and blue eyes, he's very arrogant and not only can you get away with that in New York, but people like that."

Shockey's brash attitude also has gotten him into his share of hot water. Shockey fought with linebacker Brandon Short on his first day in training camp in July, a day after he signed a five-year, $8.53 million deal. A month later, during an appearance on the "Howard Stern Show," Shockey said he wouldn't stand for a gay player on his team. Shockey later apologized, saying he was not a prejudiced person.

"Companies that want to invest in him will have to know their tolerance for risk and have to get answers to what has happened in the immediate past," Williams said.

"I tell my guys that you have to have personality," Bailey said. "If you don't have that, it doesn't matter how good you are. Look at Anna Kournikova, she has personality and beauty, but the girl has no game and makes more money in endorsements than 99 percent of the women playing professional tennis."

Craig Tartasky, president of marketing and consulting firm Vertical Sports & Entertainment and chairman of the International Sports Summit, says that Shockey's name will not help a company peddle its goods on a national level. At least not yet.

"I guarantee you that if Jeremy Shockey got up tomorrow morning and walked through the most populated parts of Washington, D.C., everyone would say, 'That's a big boy,' but they won't know who he is," Tartasky said. "He needs a couple more touchdowns, a couple more great plays on Monday Night Football, and the Giants have to win, and he'll be on his way."

Making (up) news
A new trend among publicity mongers seeking to improve their Q-rating are executives who claim to be legitimate bidders for sports teams.

	Everyone, it seems, wants in on the action now that the Angels have won the World Series. But insiders warn to beware of the supposed suitors interested in buying the team.

Chris Edwards of Price Alliance Inc., an online advertising firm, released a statement Thursday announcing that he and investment partner Shane Unruh offered $175 million to purchase the Anaheim Angels from The Walt Disney Company. Although the 30-year-old Edwards and 29-year-old Unruh explained in the release that the Angels' acquisition would be part of their plan "to overtake Bill Gates for the Guinness Book of World Records for the youngest billionaire," Edwards claimed the two are only worth about $100 million combined. Edwards said he expected to pay as much as $250 million for the team and claims he has hired attorneys at Pepper Hamilton LLP to help secure Major League Baseball approval.

However, Chuck Greenberg, chairman of Pepper Hamilton's sports practice, said his firm does not represent Edwards and Unruh. Edwards didn't return a call seeking further comment.

One investment banker who has dealt with the sale of sports teams said he is wary of those that suddenly tout themselves as legitimate buyers of a professional sports teams.

"If you want your 15 minutes of fame, call a sports team and say your bidding and then issue a press release," said the banker, who spoke under the condition of anonymity. "In all these releases, you'll never see the team or Major League Baseball involved because they would never want any interested party to do that."

That neither teams nor Major League Baseball executives acknowledge various potential ownership groups as serious candidates allows those that are not serious to gain publicity, the investment banker said.

Though a source close to the Angels' bidding process said Edwards and Unruh were not considered serious bidders to buy the team, a spokesperson with Disney refused to discuss whether Edwards and Unruh had approached the team with an offer. "As a general principle we do not negotiate business dealings through the press and this is no exception," Disney spokesperson Leslie Goodman said.

Yo Quiero Iditarod
The Iditarod, the Alaskan dog sled race that spans more than 1,150 miles from Anchorage to Nome, is four months away, but 72 mushers are working hard to raise enough the $20,000 it takes to participate in the two-week race. The entry fee is only $1,850, but if one wants to be competitive, sponsorship support is needed.

	The Iditarod may be competition on its purest level, but the cost of being competitive can still be expensive.

Most mushers like David Straub raise money item by item until the bare minimum $20,000 is raised. On his Web site, Straub lists the cost of three tons of dog food at $4,800 and roughly 1,500 dog booties cost $1,250. For the higher-profile mushers, like 48-year-old DeeDee Jonrowe -- the most notable woman in the contest who has finished in the top 10 in 11 of 18 Iditarods -- sponsor support comes a bit easier.

Although Jonrowe recently lost Eddie Bauer as her clothing sponsor due to the tough economic climate, this week Jonroe signed a deal with Taco Bell franchises in Alaska, which will pay her "in the upper five figures," according to her marketing agent, Michael Barnes. "Unfortunately, a Chihuahua (Taco Bell's mascot) won't qualify and I don't usually feed my dogs tacos," admitted Jonrowe, who said she spends about $20,000 a year on dog food.

The Taco Bell logo will be visible on Jonrowe's sled and parka, and Jonrowe also get prominent play, as well. She will be on collector cups at Taco Bells throughout the state.

Taco Bell plans to donate part of its proceeds to research for breast cancer, a disease that Jonrowe is currently battling.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn3.com