C.J.: Ta-var-i-us or Tar-var-is? Just call him Dad

Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson II is "10 weeks old," his proud pop confirmed.

Did we miss an announcement about Tarvaris Jackson's new baby? I asked the Vikings QB Wednesday at Winter Park. "Nah, I didn't make an announcement, but, you know, some people knew," he said.

When in Montgomery, Ala., for Thanksgiving, I met someone who told me that Jackson had a baby with a friend of hers. Proud as Jackson seemed, I didn't get the idea that the baby was causing Dad to hear wedding bells.

Jackson did seem to be smarting ever so slightly about his alma mater's Alabama State Hornets, who ended the season 5-6, getting de-stingered 64-58 in triple overtime by archrival Tuskegee University in the Turkey Day Classic. The animosity between ASU and TU is starting to resemble the hatred between Alabama and Auburn.

He's family ... sometimes Tarvaris Jackson was unaware of his performance-based relationship to ESPN football analyst Tom Jackson.

In a broadcast last Sunday before Tarvaris and the Minnesota defense shocked the heck out of everybody by beating the pants off the N.Y. Giants, Tom referred to the QB as a now "distant cousin." Previously when Tarvaris has played well, Tom has jokingly called Tarvaris a cousin.

While meeting the local media Tuesday, Tarvaris was asked if he knew about his demotions to "distant cousin." Tarvaris smiled and said, "Oh, no, I'm not aware of that." Tarvaris said he confines his attention to what sports reporters have to say about other sports, not football, to avoid building resentments.

Turkey Day at KG's Laura Raposa, Inside Track gossip columnist at the Boston Herald, told me that Thanksgiving dinner at Kevin Garnett's house featured a lot of faces we used to see in the Twin Cities this time of year.

"KG had a house full," wrote Raposa via e-mail. "His wife's parents were there along with Jimmy Jam and Brandi's sister [aka Lisa Harris, Jimmy's wife]."

When I telephoned Raposa to ask how she knew who was at KG's for dinner, she said: "I talked to Brandi's sister. She said she made some stuff and Brandi made some stuff and their parents made the rest of the meal."

On Friday KG's rellies sat courtside at the new Garden "to watch the Celtics pummel the Lakers," Raposa told me. At the game, KG's family members rubbed elbows with "California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver; 'Grey's Anatomy' star Ellen Pompeo and her new hubby, Chris Ivery; Donny Wahlberg; pop princess JoJo Levesque," and "a pack of New England Patriots."

Lisa Harris' gossip affections seem to have been traded to Boston along with her brother-in-law. Sniff sniff.

Because this is the season of giving, Lindner, the news director, even promised me a huge April Fool's-like raise. While teaching colleagues how to post material on the Web, he said, "Ms. Jane Helmke, your dear friend ... types up fake headlines. She hit the post button just to [demonstrate that] if I hit this button it goes on the front page of the website. And then she pulls it right off. I suspect she left this one on a little bit longer. I said, 'Jane, I didn't know you went into fiction writing. You're a good journalist; what are you doing writing fiction?'"

Helmke's not in any trouble. "It's a funny bit," Lindner said. "People were passing it around here the other day. People were getting a chuckle out of it. "And John Croman, in his infinite computer ways, takes that same phrase and changes that word raise to huge hugs. John's got enough to do, I think. Busy fellow. I'm not giving out raises right now."

Lindner wondered whether a KARE staffer had tipped me off, because the headline was only out there briefly. I don't think so, because when I asked eagle-eyed e-mailer Deb B. about that, she replied, "KARE-11 is my home page -- I saw it and showed everyone in my office."

Helmke is my "dear friend," I guess because a long time ago, she and photog Jeff Wiltgen were the two "A Pat Miles Special" staffers who followed me to Alabama to interview my mother when I was featured in one of Miles' Barbara Walters-like shows. By the way, that Miles segment carried the hour ratings-wise for KARE-11, as did the FOX9 piece, still on the Web, that anchor Robyne Robinson did on me last Sunday, according to news director Bill Dallman.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on Fox 9 Thursday mornings.