Notebook: Feb. 24, 1997

WINNERS & LOSERS

WHAT BECOMES A LEGEND MOST--AND LEAST: THE WORLD OF CELEBRITY PITCHES

[WINNERS]

JACKIE ROBINSON Fifty years after batting down the color bar, he's boosting the Breakfast of Champions

SENATOR TED KENNEDY He wrote his own role for his debut on TV's Chicago Hope: health-care subcommittee chair

JAMES GARNER No smoke and mirrors as he pushes the patch--he's snuffing out 55 years of puffing

[& LOSERS]

WAYNE GRETZKY His career not yet on ice, the Great One takes heat for puffing on Cigar Aficionado's cover

PRINCESS DI She wants to pull the plug she put in Versace book featuring half-clad commoners and royals

REEBOK The shoemaker is tied up in knots over a celebrity endorsement that was cut from Jerry Maguire

WHO WILL BE THE PRESIDENT'S EYES AND EARS?

Some of the diplomatic corps's cushiest assignments are vacant or will be soon. Here's the latest intelligence from Foggy Bottom about the leading contenders. The resumes, please:

PARIS: With the death of Pamela Harriman, the diplomatic post par excellence is a toss-up between Frank Wisner, the most senior member of the U.S. foreign service, and New York financier Felix Rohatyn. But only Monsieur Felix has the means and Lazard Freres connections to entertain in the grand style of the City of Light.

OTTAWA: Canadians would love to have their own Madeleine--Madeleine Kunin, that is. Trouble is it may be hard for the ex-Vermont Governor to give up her current job by the Swiss Alps for one near the Great Lakes. America's neighbor may have to settle for Renaissance Weekend founder Philip Lader, a good friend of Bill's.

ROME: All roads leading to the Palazzo Margherita are clogged with well-connected Italian-American legislators. The triumvirate of contenders: ex-Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini, ex-New Jersey Representative Frank Guarini and Pennsylvania Representative Thomas Foglietta.

LONDON: Anglophile ex-House Speaker Thomas Foley is said to have the Court of St. James's for the taking. But the post has one drawback: the stately residence of Winfield House is undergoing extensive renovations. If Sir Thomas is not Britain bound, he could be headed for Japan, where former Capitol heavyweights like Mike Mansfield and Walter Mondale are doted on.

ENOUGH WITH THE MONEY ALREADY

Has a catchphrase ever tasted so sweet and soured so quickly? Since Jerry Maguire was released in December, its signature phrase, "Show me the money!," has been used more than 300 times in newspapers and magazines. David Letterman noted it in his Top 10. Senator Frank Lautenberg uttered it in budget discussions. Lance Alstodt shouted it when he kicked the $1 million field goal during the Pro Bowl. And, now, alas, a rash of new incarnations.

Show me the Armani! --Women's Wear Daily

Show me the funny! --Arsenio Hall, about what he wanted his producer to do

Show me the mommy! --ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, on a review of Mother

Show me the Zamboni! --Al Roker, NBC weatherman, on the ice at Rockefeller Center rink

Show us some mercy.

THUNDER FROM THE MIDDLE