Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Ben Roethlisberger Click photo for larger image.

Ben Roethlisberger has been enjoying the fruits of his rookie success in more ways than one. He taught his veteran receivers a new training trick with tennis balls yesterday, the same day in which it was announced he will serve as the grand marshal at a NASCAR race in June.

And then there's the new romance.

Roethlisberger acknowledged yesterday that he and LPGA pinup golfer Natalie Gulbis have been dating, confirming for the first time Internet rumors and some newspaper stories that the two were an item.

Gulbis, 22, has been called the Anna Kournikova of golf because of her good looks and the fact she has not yet won on the LPGA Tour. Gulbis, a 5-foot-9 blonde, has a calendar, an upcoming reality show on The Golf Channel and a Web site, NatalieGulbis.com, that attracted a reported 650,000 hits in 2004.

Roethlisberger denied a report early in January in the Las Vegas Review Journal that the two were dating, saying only they had talked on the phone once. Even after he played with Gulbis in a pro-am for the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Roethlisberger was coy about their relationship.

"Romantically linked to somebody? I didn't know I was," he told the Rocky Mountain News.

But a photo in the April 5 Sports Illustrated Golf Plus special edition showed Roethlisberger standing with his arm around Gulbis as she snuggled up to him after the Nabisco pro-am. And yesterday, Roethlisberger finally came clean.

"We went out and had a lot of fun," Roethlisberger said of his trip to the California desert to see Gulbis three weeks ago. "It was good to see her and hang out. I had a good time playing golf. I love playing new courses, so I enjoyed that, too."

Robert Laberge, Getty Images Natalie Gulbis: More than another golfing partner. Click photo for larger image.

He then acknowledged he is dating Gulbis, a Las Vegas resident who is in her fourth year on the women's pro tour.

Roethlisberger accepted an offer to be grand marshal at the NASCAR Busch Series Meijer 300 June 18 at the Kentucky Speedway. Roethlisberger admitted to not being a big auto racing fan but decided to give it a whirl. His main duty will be to command the start of the engines before an expected crowd of 70,000.

"I don't know too much about it," Roethlisberger said. "They contacted my agent and asked if I wanted to do it. It's in Kentucky, right near where I went to school [at Miami of Ohio]. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do, something about 'gentleman, start your engines.' I think it will be fun, exciting."

He's also taking more command around his teammates this spring. He acknowledged yesterday that as a rookie even the starting quarterback must follow certain protocol as a first-year player on a team loaded with veterans. But after nearly a full year as a starter, he said he feels more comfortable saying and doing things he would not have done last season.

"I'm not walking on eggshells anymore."

That's where the tennis balls came in yesterday.

"I started showing these guys some new stuff I did in college with tennis balls," Roethlisberger said.

His receivers lined up 5 and 10 yards from him as he fired six consecutive tennis balls at each rapidly. They had to catch the ball with one hand, drop it to the ground and then catch the next. He said it was to improve their hand-eye coordination and "just getting on the same page and having fun out there."

He also wants to pass the ball more in 2005 after coordinator Ken Whisenhunt held down the passing plays to protect Roethlisberger in his rookie season.

"I think it would be great if we can open up the offense a little more," Roethlisberger said. "Hopefully, [Whisenhunt] won't be as restricted because I will have a year of experience under my belt. Hopefully, he'll have more confidence in me and we'll have more confidence in each other."

NOTES -- Defensive end Brett Keisel, a restricted free agent, signed a one-year contract worth $656,000. Keisel was as a backup to Aaron Smith last season. ... Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, said the team will explore the opportunity to move up from No. 30 in the first round but it's likely that a trade to draft earlier will not happen. "I think there's some value in having all of your picks," said Colbert, who traded away picks to move up in the second round last year and the first round in 2003. The Steelers have eight draft picks, which includes two in the seventh round. ... WR Terrence Murphy of Texas A&M and OT Jammal Brown of Oklahoma visited the Steelers yesterday. OT Trai Essex of Northwestern visited on Monday.