Dan Gross: Victorino set for November '09 wedding

PHILLIES OUTFIELDER

Shane Victorino

broke news of his engagement, cryptically, with a joking request for 102.9 WMGK's

John DeBella

, an ordained minister, to officiate his wedding next year. The Flyin' Hawaiian said he was getting married "maybe in the end of '09," during an interview on DeBella's morning show the other day.

Victorino and Melissa Smith will wed in November 2009 in Hawaii, Phillies fun and games director John Brazer confirmed yesterday. The couple, who live together in Las Vegas in the off-season, had a daughter Kali'a Makenna Victorino in March of last year.

Out and about

Comedian Robert Kelly, who played at Helium (2031 Sansom) over the weekend was recognized by employees of the Pita Pit (16th & Sansom) who recognized him from his appearance on Dane Cook's "Tourgasm." In a visit to Radio Shack (1616 Chestnut) Kelly was recognized by his voice by a staffer who had heard him that morning on 93.3 WMMR's Preston & Steve show.

* Flyers great Bobby Taylor, now a Tampa Bay Lightning broadcaster, and a crew of pals hit Ralph's (760 S. 9th) the other night for food, drink and shared stories of the Broad Street Bullies days. The Lightning were in town playing the Flyers last week.

Also Flyers forward Danny Briere and a large party of family dined upstairs at Ralph's Friday.

* Philly native Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke and old-school MTV VJ Mark Goodman were among those hanging with 93.3 WMMR's Jacky Bam Bam and Pierre Robert at the Hooters show at BB King's in New York Thursday. The band played their hits, songs from their new "Time Will Tell" CD as well as "One of Us," which Eric Bazilian wrote for Joan Osbourne and "Time After Time," which Rob Hyman wrote for Cyndi Lauper.

Baby boy for Keenan's owner

Congrats to Scott Keenan, owner of Keenan's Irish Pub in North Wildwood, and wife Jennifer, who welcomed a baby boy, Jack Andrew Keenan, last Wednesday. Jack weighed in at four pounds, five ounces, as he was seven weeks premature. But he and mom are well. We wrote about Keenan's last year when the bar removed all Yuengling beers from the bar after Dick Yuengling aggressively and successfully lobbied his employees to break away from their Teamsters union representation.

Local guest a 'Hardball' regular

Radio One executive E. Steven Collins will be a weekly guest, on Fridays, on "Hardball," the MSNBC show of Nicetown native Chris Matthews. Matthews meanwhile is visibly psyched to finally delve into Philadelphia politics in extreme detail on his national show.

No horsin' around, PSPCA says

Some in the animal welfare community have pointed out the curious timing of the Pennsylvania Society to Prevent Cruelty to Animals and the Department of Licenses and Inspections's bust last week of a Strawberry Mansion haven of horse horrors.

The Animal Planet channel has been taping the PSPCA recently for an upcoming special on its "Animal Cops" show.

"Oh Gosh, no. I don't know who would say that," said PSPCA president Howard Nelson on Friday when asked whether the stable-of-squalor, which his group has known about for years, was suddenly busted for the benefit of the cameras.

Nelson said it took a long time for his group, L&I and the Department of Health to all coordinate efforts to make the raid.

New honorees for Milestones

105.3 WDAS' Patty Jackson, 6ABC's Denise James and Sandra Long, of the Inqwaster will be honored by the Philadelphia Black Public Relations Society's 8th annual Milestones event Wednesday night in a ceremony at the Peco headquarters. *

Visit PhillyGossip.com for Dan's latest stories. Have a tip? Call 215-854-5963, or e-mail grossd@phillynews.com. For recent columns, visit go.philly.com/dangross.