From the Carrier Dome to Bracco's Bed

Here's a great heads-up from a tipster: Former Syracuse guard Jason Cipolla — who hit a huge shot against Georgia in the second round of the 1996 NCAA tournament; the Orangemen eventually made the national championship game — has been dating "Sopranos" head shrinker Lorraine Bracco for about three years.

We usually don't report too much on "who's this athlete dating" and so on, but we thought this one was good for several reasons.

• Cipolla is 32 years old. Bracco is 50. • They met on the set of "The Sopranos;" Cipolla is a member of the theatrical teamsters union Local 817, which means, of course, he wasn't actually doing much work. • Cipolla now works as a driver for "Sopranos" creator David Chase, which is probably why Bracco's character has remained on the show despite somewhat outlasting her utility. • Cipolla knows what happens on the next season of "The Sopranos." Which means it won't be long until the truth spills out; if you're telling the drivers, it'll be on the Web before you know it.

Shooter and the Shrink [Syracuse Post-Standard]

(By the way, that photo is from the 1992 movie Traces of Red, an erotic thriller starring Bracco and ... Jim Belushi. Awesome.)