Is Tom Brady going stag to Bucs-Packers game; any odds on Gisele joining? | KEN WILLIS

Another day when the attention span is shorter than your bout with Presidents Cup fever, so let’s ride the three-dotter here and there and, along the way, pick up a 6-pack of gobbledygook . . . 

Will she or won’t she? Last week, all eyes were on the royals, with particular attention aimed at Harry and Meghan and any hint of body language suggesting bad or good vibes within the family ranks. Some would consider Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen a royal couple of sorts, and their own current drama comes to a head Sunday afternoon in Tampa . . . Not sure how much Fox Sports will play into the gossipy gold mine, but you assume there will be at least one cursory camera shot toward Gisele’s usual seat to see if she’s shown up . . . Someone, somewhere, must be offering a prop bet on that one . . .

Either never knew this or, as happens, forgot about it, but Maury Wills was a talented picker and singer. The long-ago Dodger great, who died last week at 89, was proficient on the strings, particularly the banjo, and could sing along with it . . . Confirmation? A YouTube wormhole that turned up an early-’60s Milton Berle special from the Hollywood Palace. There was Maury, in his Dodger blues, plucking the banjo and singing “Bill Bailey.” And I know what you want . . .

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No more gobbledygook!

Here we go, a top-five list of all-time Maurys: 5. Maury Buford, 10-year NFL lineman and member of the great ’85 Bears championship team; 4. Maury Deutsch, mid-20th Century trumpeter of note; 3. Maury Povich, tabloid TV star; 2. Maury Wills, whom we’ve mentioned; and 1. Maury Maverick, a long-ago U.S. congressman from Texas who resides in the deepest depths of American trivia . . .

Why? Glad you asked. It was Rep. Maury Maverick who first coined the term “Gobbledygook.” In a letter to staff during World War II, he urged everyone to “be short and use plain English. Stay off gobbledygook language” . . . Not sure where he stood on authentic frontier gibberish (a nod to Gabby Hayes, if not Gabby Harnett) . . . Maury Wills' given name was Maurice Morning Wills . . . Racing’s old Alabama Gang is still turning laps. Red Farmer became famous over the decades for his desire to keep racing, in spite of the passing years — into his 50s, into his 60s. But this is borderline unbelievable. Red, who turns 90 next month, won a heat race last week on a third-of-a-mile dirt track in Talladega. Started on the front row, took the lead in the first turn, and held it for all 10 laps . . . . I said NINETY! . . . True story: There was once a NASCAR racer named Red Ryder. Well, briefly. The records show him making just two career starts, including a 1951 dirt-track race in North Carolina, where he finished 15th, one spot behind Fireball Roberts, in a ’49 Ford owned by Pappy Hough. Good luck finding out anything else about Mr. Red Ryder. The Boys in Research threw in the towel quickly on that one . . .

Jackie Robinson-Kelly Field connection to get official recognition

It was Oct. 23, 1945, when the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson to a baseball contract and assigned him to their top minor-league affiliate in Montreal for the ’46 season. This coming Oct. 23, 77 years later, some recognition is coming for an off-Broadway stage that played a big role in the Jackie story. The old Kelly Field site, just east of Nova Road on George Engram Boulevard, will get an official state historical marker, honoring both Robinson and Johnny Wright, his fellow Negro League ballplayer who also joined the Dodgers organization that year . . .

While the ’46 Dodgers played their home spring games downtown at City Island Ballpark, the Montreal farm team played and practiced at Kelly Field — except, of course, for that March 17 Brooklyn-Montreal game that became Jackie’s first official appearance in “white baseball” . . . The Oct. 23 ceremony begins at 2 p.m. at the Midtown Cultural and Education Center . . . Bit of local trivia for any newcomers out there: The road fronting the old Kelly Field has more names than Sean Combs. Or maybe it’s a tie. Anyway, from I-95 to Nova Road, it’s Dunn Avenue. It’s Engram Boulevard until U.S. 1, where it becomes Fairview Avenue for the short jog to the bridge, where it turns into Main Street and changes personalities altogether . . .

Maury Willis, Richard Nixon . . . and the Ramones?

We always knew Patrick Reed was a tad different. This past week, at a tournament in France, he complained about a lack of respect due to his new gig with the Saudi-backed LIV Tour. “It’s a slap in the face not to invite me to the press conference, or not to have me play the pro-am and all those things,” said Reed, who became the first pro golfer in history to gripe about missing a media gathering as well as a chance to play 18 holes with some 22-handicap insurance broker from Versailles . . . Remember the original “Longest Yard” movie? Burt Reynolds’ teammates turn on him and let him get clobbered when they determine he’s tanking the big game against the guards. Currently in Cincinnati, they seem to be doing another remake, this time with Joe Burrow in the lead role. Poor Joe has hit the ground more than Joe Frazier in Kingston (ask your daddy) . . . For a brief moment, it looked like unfortunate symbolism. Tom Brady went on the Bucs’ injury report with a damaged finger. Yes, his ring finger. But no, not his left hand . . . The Hollywood Palace, where Maury Wills did his thing, was both the host and the name of the 1960s variety show held in a theater now known as the Avalon, sitting at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. You want variety: The Palace was the setting for Richard Nixon's "Checkers" speech in 1952, and the Ramones' final concert in 1996.

— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tom Brady going stag to Bucs-Packers? 'Gisele-watch' falls to Fox