C.J.: Is romance with gay athlete bookworthy?

Carolyn Moos appears poised to chew the cud a bit over her relationship with Jason Collins.

Moos is a former Blake basketball player and former fiancée of Collins, a former Timberwolf, who became the first active player in professional team sports to announce he's gay.

In this space last week I wondered if a book from Moos could be in the works.

I was right. The New York Post, under the headline "Moos milking it" — an udderly predictable pun — reported Wednesday that Moos sent an e-mail to journalists, including that paper's Kirsten Fleming, saying:

"I am in the process of making sense of my emotions and on a journey of healing … about the recent news. I will be writing a book and would like to reach out to you for quotes from pro athletes, coaches, relationships and topics [including] what it means to have a certain orientation and be a pro athlete. … This will just be one chapter … but your input is highly appreciated."

Moos is approaching her book in a rather lazy manner if she is in fact asking journalists to help her with collecting information. I hope she realizes that most readers are interested only in snapshots about her life (no matter how compelling she thinks it is), and only when Collins is in the frame.

On Moos' website fitt4Life.org, where she posted a message about writing a book, she also asked for questions from the public.

Today's Tipster 101 lesson is taught by a Jim Rowader via e-mail.

Rowader had a hunch he saw the Hennepin County sheriff doing something he shouldn't. "Just watched Rich Stanek very casually park personal car (no police markings whatsoever — MN License [info withheld]) in clearly posted NO PARKING spot by police order at 11th and Nicollet Mall at 12:20 pm and walk into Vincent for lunch. Life with those kinds of privileges must be nice! He looked at me with a bit of a smirk as he got out of the car because I was crossing the intersection at that very moment and looked from his car to the NO PARKING by Police Order sign."

Attached to Rowader's e-mail was a photo documenting the vehicle's location. He sent it to me while the sheriff was still at the restaurant.

My call to Vincent just missed the sheriff; he had left to return to the office. When I called Stanek's office, I was told he was in a meeting. Our sheriff must moonlight as Superman to have been in a meeting that quickly, I thought.

A spokesman for Stanek said: "The vehicle was an unmarked squad car. It is appropriate to park at a location where it remains close in view because it is fully equipped, just like a marked squad car."

"Sounds like they are dancing angels on the head of a pin... Thx for your efforts!" wrote Rowader.

O.J. Simpson cannot be blamed for Christie Prody's current legal problems.

He's been in prison while his Nicole Brown Simpson-look-alike former girlfriend's been getting into trouble for stealing painkillers from an elderly couple in Moorhead, Minn., and snatching a purse in Fargo, N.D.

According to the AP, Prody has "pleaded guilty to felony burglary and drug possession in a Minnesota case, two months after getting a suspended sentence in North Dakota for trying to snatch someone's purse. In March … she didn't admit guilt but acknowledged there likely was enough evidence to convict her [of felony robbery for the purse incident]. She was given a four-year suspended sentence and ordered to serve two years of probation. The Forum newspaper reports she's to be sentenced June 28."

Simpson began dating Prody after he was acquitted of killing his ex-wife and her friend, Ron Goldman.

She was a doll at the MOA in August when she was in the Twin Cities to promote her book, "Not Young, Still Restless." The octogenarian was touching her fans too much, but that's how she conveyed affection. She was in poor voice, as you can hear from my startribune.com/video. After being playful with me from the stage she agreed to do an interview after signing books. Unfortunately, I couldn't wait because I was headed to another interview.

Rest well, Mrs. Chancellor.

C.J. can be reached at cj@startribune.com and seen on Fox 9's "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject; "Hello" does not count. Attachments are not opened.