Monday, Nov. 22, 2004

Life in the Fast Lane Catches Up

By Barbara Kiviat

Olympic swimmer MICHAEL PHELPS slows down for no competitor--nor, apparently, for certain stop signs. After blasting through an intersection in his native Maryland, the 19-year-old was pulled over and busted for drunken driving. The pool boy had been partying with college students in Salisbury--a small town where the biggest celebrity spotting is normally of chicken magnate Frank Perdue. Phelps, who parlayed eight medals (six of them gold) and a squeaky-clean image into oodles of endorsement deals, humbly apologized. All right, but there's still the matter of those how-low-can-you-go Speedos.