Battle of the blondes
SNY-MSG war now easier on eyes

Blonde beauties Julie Donaldson and Jill Martin are back working the same media market. In the escalating war between SNY and MSG Network, The Rumble has learned, former Miami Heat TV hostess Martin has been hired as an anchor to spruce up MSG Network’s ever-evolving sportsdesk show. “MSG, NY” and SNY’s “Geico SportsNite” are engaged in a heated late-night ratings battle.

Martin became a pioneer as the NBA’s first in-arena host, running contests and doing interviews with celebrities in the crowd, for the Heat. Martin officially passed the Heat hostess torch to Donaldson during a ceremony in 2003. The success of Martin and Donaldson at Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena prompted other teams to hire in-arena hosts. Donaldson, a former Miss Florida and model, has worked as a reporter for “Geico SportsNite” for 18 months and also hosts “Mets Weekly.” Martin, a Plainview, L.I., native, worked for Miami’s CBS affiliate after leaving the Heat, and is expected to debut on MSG Network next month.

Yogi can still hit ’em

Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Yogi Berra was known as a very good “bad-ball hitter” for an uncanny ability to hit pitches out of the strike zone. However, he continues to have no problem with balls in perfect position to hit. Last Sunday a group of Hall of Famers played in a golf outing in Oneonta, N.Y., and the 82-year-old Berra won the “Closest To The Pin” contest.

“I was playing with Whitey [Ford] and got the shot 2 feet and 7 inches to the cup,” a proud Berra beamed to our George King in the Yankees’ clubhouse. “It was a 108-yard hole, the fifth hole, and I used an 8-iron.” For his accomplishment, Berra won a putter. “I told them to make sure it’s a left-handed one,” Berra said. So what did he shoot for the tournament? “I don’t want you to know,” Berra said.

Yankees cult hero Shelley Duncan stopped by socialite Annabelle Dexter-Jones’ party at The Plumm Thursday. A group of die-hard fans wanted to toast Duncan with a bottle of Cristal for his latest heroics, but the rook only clinked glasses with club soda, leaving the club by 1 a.m. to prepare for Friday night’s game … In honor of his 500th homer, the folks at Johnnie Walker, a Yankees partner, planned to present Alex Rodriguez with a rare Blue Label 1.75-liter bottle, engraved with a personalized congratulatory message.

TNT, dynamite

Some 100 runners will represent Team in Training (TNT) in today’s 13.1-mile New York City Half-Marathon. You can root them on at the TNT Cheer Zone at 16th Street and the West Side Highway, situated at mile 11. The team expects to raise more than $250,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the race.

Pick a Pack of great horse tales

Racing fans at Saratoga are in for a treat. The venerable and cantankerous Harvey Pack is once again hosting Daily Racing Form seminars at Siro’s. In his new book, “May the Horse Be With You: Pack at the Track,” Pack reflects on over a half-century of racing’s most memorable people, places and moments. A humorous group of tales from a New York racing institution.

The Race Track Chaplaincy of New York has organized an imaginative charity event to raise money for fallen jockey Andrew Lakeman, who was paralyzed in a catastrophic spill May 25 at Belmont Park. The renowned Texas Titans, a Top-5 nationally-ranked AAU team from Dallas that features Grant Troutt, the fifth-grade son of WinStar Farm co-owners Kenny and Lisa Troutt, will go layup-to-layup with the likes of jockeys John Velazquez and Kent Desormeaux in a basketball game Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs High School Gymnasium. All proceeds will benefit Lakeman. Go to andrewlakeman.com to donate.

Lookin’ good on the green

You would think it might be a dicey situation to satisfy two clothes queens like Natalie Gulbis (below) and Paula Creamer. The two LPGA stars seem to care as much about their fashion as their putting strokes and both have apparel deals with Adidas. Aside from a tournament last year where they both wore similar form-fitting dresses, their tastes vary enough to keep from clashing. “We really don’t have any issues working with the girls,” said Patricia “Tiss” Dahan, the global apparel director for Adidas. The company this week previewed its 2008 collection, which is sure to keep Gulbis and Creamer on golf’s best-dressed list.

Strike up a friendship with Mr. Wright

SNY and Locker Room Memorabilia, the exclusive memorabilia provider of David Wright, are hosting a sweepstakes on http://www.sny.tv where the grand-prize winner will be flown down to Florida in the offseason (with a guest) and provided hotel accommodations, to not only meet and hang with Wright, but also bowl with him! On a recent “Mets Weekly” episode on SNY, Wright showed off his bowling skills and discussed his passion for the sport. Enter to win at http://www.sny.tv, and click on “Bowl with David Wright Sweepstakes.” Sweepstakes ends Aug. 27.

Rangers reunion on the links

Rangers fans can start the season early by joining a star-studded list of Blueshirt greats at Vic Hadfield’s 10th-anniversary Daniella Maria Arturi Foundation golf tournament Oct. 1 at Edgewood CC in River Vale, N.J. Former Rangers captain and 50-goal scorer Hadfield will be joined by Rangers alums Emile Francis, Rod Gilbert, Dave Maloney, Nick Fotiu, Pete Stemkowski, Ron Greschner, Ed Giacomin, Gilles Villemure, Doug Sulliman, Adam Graves and Brian Mullen, with Rangers personalities John Amirante, Kenny Albert and Sam Rosen also confirmed. Other celebrities include Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita, ex-Giants Dick Lynch and Karl Nelson and ex-Jet John Nitti. The foundation funds research on Diamond Blackfan Anemia, a rare bone marrow disorder for which there is no known cure. Hadfield has helped raise $1.4 million for the foundation. Tickets for golf, breakfast, lunch, cocktails, dinner and prizes are $875, available through Hadfield at (905) 257-2334.

New Ranger Scott Gomez, interrupting the distribution to his friends of salmon he caught on a recent Alaskan expedition, attended Friday night’s concert of The Police at the Garden with the Knicks’ David Lee. Gomez, who is condo hunting in Manhattan, also had dinner with his mother and sister at the Waverly Inn.

Pearl of wisdom

Eddie Vedder, lead singer for Pearl Jam, spent time Friday with Mets first-base coach Rickey Henderson before the Cubs game in Chicago. “I love Rickey’s enthusiasm,” said Vedder, who, with the band playing in town, called the Mets to ask for a meeting with baseball’s all-time top base stealer. “I really admired the way he played the game. He had a tremendous impact on the sport. We talked a lot about the past.” Reliever Scott Schoeneweis, a Pearl Jam fan, attended its concert Thursday night.