FEAR THE FRO!

King Lebron and his Cavs were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs because they did not fear the Fro and the Pistons. The Pistons effectively schooled Lebron on how to play defense in the playoffs. On the verge of tears, King James spoke after the spanking: “They trapped me, they went under screens, they went over screens,” said James “I’ve seen almost every defense that I could possibly see for the rest of my career in this series…that’s why they’re Eastern Conference champions, and that’s why they keep winning.”

Detroit moves on to its fourth straight Eastern Conference finals, hosting the hot, hot, hot Miami Heat on Tuesday night in Game 1. Speaking of hot, the Pistons are the first team to reach the conference finals in four straight years since the Chicago Bulls did it from 1990-93. Go Pistons!

DAVID WELLS IS AN IDIOT
Why? Here’s what the bitter Mensa reject had to say about Barry Bonds…”He’s hit a few home runs off me while he was juiced. Look at him, the man is enormous…Still, he’s a hell of a ballplayer. He’s got to deal with it, not me…He’s admitted taking it, but not knowingly. I think that’s a crock, I would never take something without knowing what I was putting in my body. There’s no way. I don’t think anyone in here would put something in their body without knowing what the effect could be.” Maybe Wells should take his own advice and lay off whatever it is that’s busting his gut?

Wells also had equally as eloquent opinions on Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro. “Since the steroid scandal, the numbers have dropped. Guys have retired because they couldn’t handle the pressure and the flak they were taking. Heard Sammy Sosa’s name lately? Rafael Palmeiro? Sammy didn’t do (anything) in Baltimore. Obviously, he was guilty as charged, but he didn’t get caught. To me, if you’ve cheated as a player, that’s as bad as being a scab.” And he didn’t stop there. Wells also slammed Philadelphia’s David Dellucci and Houston’s Craig Biggio. Wells told reporters: “Did you see that little bitty guy, Dellucci, hit 29 last year? How many this year? One? I know Dave. I’ve never suspected him of doing them. Who else? Biggio. To me, the suspicion is on everybody.” And to me, this is why David Wells is a perfect fit for the Boston Red Sox.

HOW TO CATCH CAMILO VILLEGAS’ EYE
So you’re out at the golf course, stalking Camilo Villegas, Adam Scott, or Sergio Garcia, and you wanna look hot. How do you pull off a stylish-golf-course ensemble without looking like a groupie? Thanks to the Cocchia collection, our problem is solved. The new women’s golf apparel line is a San Diego based company that launched early this year. “Women’s golf is a growing industry, especially in the contemporary marketplace. But let’s face it, most golf clothing today leaves a lot to be desired,” said Lara Cocchia, founder and CEO of Cocchia. “At Cocchia, we’ve set out to reinvent the industry; to create a line of clothing that makes women feel as stylish on the course as off.” The Fall/Winter 2006 Collection but boasts low necklines, slim fits and colors such as chocolate browns, burnt oranges, matte blues, smoky charcoals which are sure to catch the eye of any hottie on the greens. “Look around: a fashion-forward line of women’s golf clothes has been a long time coming,” said Cocchia. “I think women everywhere will embrace our mission to finally bring some sex-appeal to the sport. After all, what’s style without a little swing?” (http://www.cocchiastyles.com)

NASCAR WARRIORS

Just prior to the introduction of the hot drivers in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge on FX Saturday night, the network aired a promotional tie-in featuring several hotties and video of racing action spliced into footage of the upcoming theatrical release of 20th Century Fox’ “X-Men: The Last Stand.” The voiceover: “NASCAR’s warriors, or better known as X-Men 43, are ready to make a final stand tonight in Charlotte.” Audio from the movie from actor Patrick Stewart, who plays Professor Charles Xavier, was played: “There have always been moments when the course of history shifted. Such a turning point is upon us now.” Voiceover: “It’s a tale of NASCAR’s best of the best. NASCAR’s warriors are fearless.” Actor Ian McKellen, who plays Eric Lensherr, Magneto, says, “Make no mistake, my brothers, the humans will draw first blood.” Announcer: “Powerful, and unstoppable. … And they possess guts, heart and superior skill. Tonight, it’s all in the stars as these X-Men make an All-Star stand, next in Charlotte.” Drivers featured in the promo included Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman

WORLD CUP

As the Brazilian national soccer team arrived at the airport today, Athlebrity Ronaldinho signed an autograph for an airport employee before officials realized there were no airport employees working inside the terminal.

While I’m not a huge fan of the Brazilians, they are hot and can play some wicked ball. One hottie is Brazilian player Gilberto Silva, who teases us from a window at a hotel in Switzerland.

GERMANY
Germany will play in group A against Ecuador, Poland and Costa Rica.

Germany’s goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is hot. Remember Lehman plays for Arsenal in the English Premier League, but will represent his country of Germany in the World Cup.

THE SWEDES

The Swedish National soccer team (L to R 3rd row) Petter Hansson, Teddy Lucic, Johan Elmander, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Karl Svensson, Olof Mellberg, Fredrik Stenman, Kim Kallstrom, (2nd row) Roland Andersson, Marcus Allback, Niclas Alexandersson, Johan Alvbage, Andreas Isaksson, Rami Shaaban, Markus Rosenberg, Mikael Nilsson, Lars Lagerback, (1st row) Fredrik Ljungberg, Anders Svensson, Henrik Larsson, Erik Edman, Mattias Jonson, Daniel Andersson, Christian Wilhelmsson, Tobias Linderoth

The Swedest of them all, Fredrik Ljungberg.

WEIRD STRETCHES

Aston Villa’s striker Milab Baros (left) during a training session of the Czech national soccer team. And hello-Massager Alejandro Villegas Venegas (right) does what we all wish we could do- he stretches a Costa Rica national soccer team player’s legs during a practice session in southern Germany today.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
There was a moment during ESPN’s coverage of Spurs-Mavericks game on Friday that reminded me why I want the Spurs to lose. After the network returned from a commercial break, Eva Longoria, “girlfriend” of Tony Parker, held up her Mobile ESPN phone, which displayed the Spurs name and logo. ESPN’s Mike Tirico: “Thank you for using the team product, Eva.” I don’t think he was talking about the phone.

That’s it for today. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

CAMILO VILLEGAS TRACKER
Camilo Villegas is currently crawling the lawns during the Bank of America Colonial at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth Texas. The tournement runs through the 21st, and the sexy beast has also committed to play in next week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic at the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee (25th through June 8th )

On Tuesday, Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan had his hands full of hot PGA Tour players. Gaughan, who won a record four consecutive Craftsman Truck Series races at TMS exchanged “track tips” for “pointers” from the hot golfers. Ten PGA hotties took time off between last week’s Byron Nelson and this week’s Bank of America Colonial to visit Texas Motor Speedway and drive Nextel Cup Series cars in the Team Texas High Performance Driving School. The PGA hotties included in Kenny Perry, Bernhard Langer, Dean Wilson, Tim Petrovic, Tom Pernice Jr., Steve Jones, Mathias Gronberg, Scott Hend and Camilo Villegas. Camilo Villegas and Hend took turns showing Gaughan how to launch the ball the length of pit road. Villegas launched a hot drive estimated at 350 yards. “If they could take a picture of me swinging and then cut right to the balls flying in the air like Camilo hit it, then I would love that,” Gaughan said after watching Villegas “This is the fun part of being a professional athlete. Some days you get to go do the other guy’s stuff…I am awful at golf. So to see these pros come out here and laugh and talk and then grab a club and swing and — pow! — hit it 300 yards; that is amazing to watch.” The unofficial fastest laps of the day at 135 mph were turned in by Austin, Villegas and Gronberg.

NFL THEMED GOLF BAGS

Datrek Miller International (DMI), has entered an exclusive distribution agreement with Wilson Sporting Goods and has announced that it will offer two new models of National Football League-licensed golf bags. A limited number of bags featuring the logos of six NFL teams will be available June 1. Bags for all 32 NFL franchises will be available by October. Teams available for bag models on June 1 include the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans. Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears bags will soon follow. If ya gotta have one, check out the website at www.dmigolf.com.

FROM BALL BOYS TO ESPN

I don’t wanna be a hater, but Maria Sharapova gets way too many perks. Mainly, she got to choose which hot male models would be ball boys for the Sony Ericsson Women’s Tennis Championships. Now, an ESPN promo featuring MS will debut on Monday. In the spot, called “Seating Arrangements,” ESPN anchor John Anderson is “unwilling to let [anchor] Stan Verrett sit in the seat Anderson is saving for Stuart Scott. However, just before Scott appears with his lunch tray, Anderson gives the seat to Sharapova.” On June 19, prior to Wimbledon, two “identical spots” with Sharapova and Roger Federer will debut. Each features Scott “offering a free can of tennis balls to the player … who is startled to learn it’s a gag can filled with fake snakes.”

RED HOT NASCAR PEPPERS

The Red Hot Chili Peppers will wear not so hot custom-designed Simpson race suits when they perform at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this Saturday night as part of the NASCAR Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge. This will be the first time the band has played at a sporting event and the first time NASCAR has scheduled a performance during a race. The band will perform between the first and second race segments.

KWAME BROWN SEXUAL ASSAULT UPDATE
Weeks ago, Lakers center Kwame Brown was the subject of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault. As of today, Brown is still not off the hook. “The investigation’s continuing and we’re not going to release any information until such a time that there’s either an arrest or a prosecution,” said the po-po. Police admitted on May 2 that they were investigating a report of a sexual assault alleged to have occurred on April 29 after the Lakers beat Phoenix in Game 3 of their NBA playoff series. Police did not say when the report was filed or by whom.. Brown, 24, declared his innocence in a statement issued through the Lakers’ office May 2. “I want to assure everyone that I am completely innocent of any wrongdoing and look forward to the truth coming out when this matter is fully investigated,” Brown said.

ARSENAL WAS ROBBED

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann walks from the field after a red card during their Champions League final soccer match against Barcelona outside Paris yesterday. Arsenal lost while the skies opened up and wept during the game. Fans and players didn’t seem to pay any attention to the downpour, until perhaps the last few minutes of the match when Barcelona pulled two goals out of their asses and washed away the tears of victory from the faces of Arsenal fans. I will not give any love to Barcelona or Ronaldinho.

COOL WORLD CUP COLLECTABLES and a BIZARRE SOCCER TRIBUTE

Mad love to the Ivory Coast (left) for qualifying for thier first World Cup! A young girl (right) isnt spooked by the creepy Lego sculptures of soccer legends Birgit Prinz, Franz Beckenbauer, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Johan Crujff, Gerd Mueller, Pele, Fritz Walter, Sepp Herberger and Jules Rimet, from right, at the Legoland amusement park in Guenzburg, southern Germany. The new gallery of 25 sculptures of soccer legends made of Lego stones was opened today.

WHITE IS STILL GOLD

Athlebrity golden-boy-snowboarder Shaun White remains hot. White has inked an exclusive, private autograph signing deal with Grandstand Sports & Memorabilia. Costs will range from $99 for a signed 8-by-10 “Vertical Air” or “Olympic Medal Podium” photo to $119 for an autographed “Amplitude” SI cover. An autographed official Burton helmet costs $299, while an autographed official Shaun White model boot is $499. Does this mean he won’t sign autographs if we meet him on the street? Unlikely, Whites a good kid with a great reputation.

LANCE LOBBIES FOR CANCER FUNDING

More love for Lance. Yesterday, the Lance Armstrong Foundation was in DC and “brought in two people from each state — most of them cancer survivors or caregivers — to lobby their congressional representatives for more cancer research funds.” Let’s not get our hopes up, the monkey running the show, President Bush said: “We want to thank all the dudes and dudesses of the snowboarders who are here.” Hey- I didn’t vote for him.

PINK BATS ARE NOT COOL

Do we have a possible Mensa reject on our hands? D’Backs Johnny Estrada loved those Mothers Day pink bats so much that after driving in three runs with a Pinkie, Estrada asked to continue using the bat in upcoming games! Thank god his request was turned down by MLB. Estrada: “They said they only approved them for one day, so they didn’t let me.”

That’s it for today. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

REAL MADRID
Yesterday, Real Madrid lost to Sevilla 4-3. Real Madrid’s sexy, talented Zinedine Zidane plans to retire after this summer’s World Cup, so lets keep out fingers crossed Real isnt eliminated before hottie gets a trophy.

David Beckham gets a trophy regardless. And if you are looking for free hot athlete screensavers or wallpapers, you gotta check out www.screensavers.com. They have hot athletes from every sport, including a plethora of World Cup studs.

Trouble picking a team to follow for the World Cup? How about Paraguay?

Hot Paraguayan national soccer players (L-R) Cristian Riveros, Paulo Da Silva, Edgar Barreto, Carlos Bonet, Julio Manzur, Jose Montiel and Carlos Gamarra train on the outskirts of Asuncion, May 16, 2006. Paraguay will face England on June 10 in their first match of the World Cup Germany 2006.

We can easily follow the US team via Athlebrity pin-up boy Landon Donovan. The teams World Cup training camp is at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

WEIRD FIFA STUFF

This photo illustrates a skill that every fan must learn. When you come across one of your favorite athletes in public, quietly approach him from behind, and oh-so-gently, place your hands, as illustrated, on his body. At this point, you should feel his body relax, and according to research, he will turn around and fall in love with you. *Important: The move is most effective without the white gloves.

WAYNE ROONEY IS WAXED

Thank you Madame Tussaud’s in London. This new, creepy figure of Englands little bulldog, Wayne Rooney’s is sculpted at the wax museum. The Rooney figure has taken Madame Tussauds five months to create and he’ll be sporting the new England World Cup kit. Rooney joins other hotties on display-mainly- David Beckham, Michael Owen and coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

WANT TO SLEEP IN RONALDINHO’S BED?

The Park Hotel in Weggis, Switzerland, which is hosting the Brazilian national soccer team during training for the FIFA World Cup, is auctioning off a chance to spend a night in rooms once occupied by the team. As of last night, the high bid for Ronaldinho’s double room was $415. The hotel is offering fans the chance to stay in the rooms as well as getting signed shirts. (how about signed bed-sheets?) “We just hit on the idea by chatting among ourselves in the hotel management,” assistant manager Philipp Musshafen revealed. Normally, the rooms at the luxury hotel go for around 480-780 Swiss Francs. And no, Ronaldinho does not come with the room. Check out the auction on Ebay.

THE HEAT IS ON!

Shaquille and Dwyane hug it out after spanking the New Jersey Nets in game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals 106-105 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Mad love to those Nets and Jason Kidd for giving us one hell of a great series.

Singer Gloria Estefan (R) can’t figure out what her daughter Emily Marie Estefan keeps staring at.

THE SUN MAY GO DOWN ON THE CLIPPERS

Jack Nicholson isnt too happy as he watches game five of the Suns-Clippers Semifinals. The Suns lead the series 3-2.

JUSTIN HUGHES MEMORIAL

Yesterday, Ira Newble, left, LeBron James, center, and Donyell Marshall, all members of the Cavaliers, stand outside New Sunnymount Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis following the funeral service for teammate Larry Hughes brother, Justin. Justin Hughes, 20, died May 11, 2006 following a long struggle with a severe heart condition. Members of the team left after the funeral for their NBA playoff basketball game against the Detroit Pistons Wednesday, May 17, 2006. The series is tied 2-2.

BUSH WILL DONATE REGARDLESS OF JERSEY NUMBER

After a Saints official told the NFLPA that hottie Reggie Bush would wear No. 5 for a trading card photo shoot this weekend, Bush’s marketing agent Mike Ornstein said that the team “is fine with Bush wearing No. 5, and his client will do so.” Last week, Bush said he would donate 25% of all royalties from jersey sales to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts if he could wear No. 5, but Ornstein said that Bush has “now agreed to make the donation no matter what number he wears.” Sexy number 5 appeared on NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” last night, where he said that visiting New Orleans for the first time “was a humbling experience.” Bush, on playing in New Orleans: “This is more than just football. You’re playing for a whole city, you’re carrying a whole city on your back.”

EVERYBODY WANTS THEIR 15-MINUTES
Mainly, attorney Alfred Rava. He’s the Mensa reject responsible for lawsuits against the Angels, A’s and Padres challenging the legality of gender-specific promotions. Rava, as you recall, filed lawsuits against the Angels over an ’05 Mother’s Day tote bag giveaway and against the A’s because of an ’04 bucket hat giveaway. Since the suits were filed, the Angels agreed to make the bags available to fans last Sunday regardless of age or gender, while the A’s agreed to let men attend an upcoming “Baseball 101” program that had previously been “marketed exclusively to women.” Padres Exec VP/Business Operations Jeff Overton said that his team also is no longer marketing a “women-only baseball clinic” after settling a suit with Rava last year. The Dodgers “continue to offer gender-specific promotions” like a June 18 “Father’s Day Catch” on the field and July 29 Smashbox Cosmetics giveaway. But team officials said that “moms won’t be kept off the field and men can … try to snare some lipstick.” This Rava guy makes me sick. While I understand the merits of his “claims”, I find it appalling that any MLB team would give into this needless lawsuit. “Baseball 101” clinics are rightly marketed towards women. Women have been historically overlooked as a major fan base in the sports industry. And now we have to deal with Rava who thinks this may bruise some dudes ego? Pa-leeze! It’s hard enough to join the boys club, so just keep your testosterone and sticky fingers out of our fun. I wonder of Rava has filed a lawsuit yet against his doctor because he can’t get a pap-smear or a mammogram?

Games on, gotta go. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

CAMILO VS SCOTT

It’s a tough call. Camilo Villegas or Adam Scott? Right now, Adam Scott is spanking our favorite lawn cat at the EDS Byron Championships. Scott is tied for first and Villegas is playing relatively well and tied for 19th. Although this is only the first round, don’t expect too much coverage on Villegas. The shadow cast by Adam Scott is a tough one to crawl out from under and the media is serving Scott to us on a silver spoon. While many of us feel the need for more Camilo Villegas coverage, his agent is currently “satisfied” with the amount of coverage Villegas is receiving. This makes it difficult for us; however, the pain is eased when Adam Scott tee’s off in his hot Burberry gear.

CHRIS PAUL HAS PLENTY TO CELEBRATE

Mad love to Athlebrity baller Chris Paul of New Orleans Hornets. Paul made a visit to the students of Audubon Montessori School in New Orleans on Wednesday, and was presented with a birthday cake. Hottie turned 21 on May 6th and received the Rookie of the Year award while visiting the school.

INDY 500 VIP BASH
Pure Rush, the only brand to host VIP parties at every major sporting event in the past 3 years, will make their first appearance in Indy during the 500 Race Weekend to showcase one of their legendary evenings of fun on Friday, May 26th at GELO Ultra Lounge. This hot, red carpet event will cater to the drivers, race teams, sexy athletes, and A-list celebrities in Indianapolis for the big race. Pure Rush is historically known as the “best party in sports.” Dozens of athletes, musicians and celebrities are always in attendance, and this year it’s no different. Hotties scheduled to attend this year include the 2005 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon and Carmelo Anthony. Tickets will be priced at $100 for VIP (including a private VIP reception with hosted bar from 8-10 pm) and $50 for general admission. Pure Rush: “Our company has pioneered some of the most creative and exciting parties in the sporting world. We pride ourselves on being able to cater to celebrities and athletes, while still giving fans an opportunity to be amongst the sports elite in an amazing, red carpet, event environment.” Limited tickets, sponsorships and additional details are available at http://www.PureRushIndy.com.

LANCE ARMSTRONG HAS NO FEAR

Lance Armstrong narrates the NHL’s latest “My Stanley Cup” TV ad, which debuts this Saturday during NBC’s Stanley Cup Playoff coverage. In the spot, via NHL Productions, Armstrong says, “No one remembers who came in second. There is no immortality for second best. No champagne bath. … No engraving. Just a lonely walk down a quiet hall and the silence can break your heart.” The spot also features Sharks C Joe Thornton, Hurricanes Hot-hot-hottie Eric Staal, Avalanche C Joe Sakic and Devils G Martin Brodeur, as well as Mighty Ducks D Scott Niedermayer, RW Teemu Selanne and C Andy McDonald.

A FIRST IN THE NBA

The Chicago Bulls have one hell of a hottie shooting hoops for them. Sexy Ben Gordon. Gordon is so hot that he has become the first NBA player to have his own energy drink. BG7 contains pure organic Chinese white tea and was created by Gordon along with his advisors at H3 Enterprises. Gordon said: “I would drink some other energy drink and after games I would just crash. … This gives you the boost you need, but keeps you at an even level.” Boost away Gordon and keep up the great play.

MENSA REJECT OF THE YEAR?

L.A. psychologist Michael Cohn has filed a class-action suit in Orange County Superior Court against the Angels, alleging “sex and age discrimination,” after he was “denied a tote bag during a Mother’s Day giveaway” at Angel Stadium last year. The ridiculous suit claims “thousands of males and fans under 18 were ‘treated unequally’ at a ‘Family Sunday’ promotion last May and are entitled to-get-this-$4,000 each in damages.” The big crybaby sent a letter to the Angels last June and asked for them to pay $4,000 to all males who attended the game. The Angels responded properly and sent Cohn four tote bags and a letter stating that the team ‘ran out of the item that day and had to order more.’ Proof positive that this guy is an idiot? He’s the only person to cry “not fair” about the promotion. So much for a “class-action” lawsuit.

HAVE A NASH BALL

Hot Suns Guard, and reigning MVP, Steve Nash is among several hot athletes who have contributed original artwork to an auction to benefit Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children Foundation. The exhibit opens today and runs through June 4 at Petroff Gallery in Toronto.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
Since watching movie Tiptoes, I haven’t been able to even look at Matthew McConaughey. However, he has redeemed himself in the “intelligence” arena by writing a letter to the editor of USA Today. In it, he writes: “We should — and do — all root for Barry Bonds to break every record in baseball’s home run history. It’s even more than what we love about the game, it’s what we, Americans, love about success.”

That’s it for today. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

HERE KITTY-KITTY

The EDS Byron Nelson Championships begin tomorrow in Texas, and we all know what that means. Camilo Villegas begins crawling at 10:10 am. To date, Camilo has taken us through 12 breathless events, made the cut 8 times, and earned three top ten finishes. The sexy lawn-kat tops my list of hottest Athlebrities, but can he crawl his way into victory? Todd Budnick interviewed Camilo Villegas yesterday. Budnick is a great reporter who is obviously in tune with the fact that Camilo is making a huge impact on golf, and us, the estrogen-laced fans. Q: Can you talk a little bit about the unique way you crouch lining up the putts, and what started that and what do you think you see from that angle that you wouldn’t see from another angle?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Well, last year on the Nationwide I wasn’t putting the ball very good. I thought maybe reading the greens better was going to help me. Middle of a round, go straight down, felt good, clicked, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I just think you get a better look from down there.

Q. What have been the most popular pants or outfit that you’re worn this year? I’ve seen orange and yellow. Is there anything you won’t wear? CAMILO VILLEGAS: I don’t know, I’ve had some requests for photos for the yellow ones. I think they like those.

With a little luck, and a big push, Camilo may get a Big Break?
The next season of The Golf Channel’s “Big Break” reality show will, for the first time, feature both men and women. The male winner will receive a sponsors exemption to play Champions Tour events in ’07, and we don’t care about the female winner. “The Big Break VI: Trump National,” debuts September 26, and will be held at Donald Trump’s Trump National Golf Club in L.A.

ERIC STALL GOES G.Q.

His second N.H.L. season has been hot for the 6-foot-4, 204-pound Eric Staal. Mad love to this up and coming Athlebrity, who has been credited as one of the major reasons the Hurricanes lead the Devils, 2-0, in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. More love coming his way when sexy Staal appears in a photo layout in next month’s GQ magazine!

BEN ROETHLISBERGERS FIRST TRIP OUTSIDE THE US.

Ben Roethlisberger, the super hot quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, held a media conference for the ‘Swissroots’ organization in Lauperswil, Switzerland, on Monday. This is the hometown of Bens great great grandfather. ‘Swissroots’ assists people of Swiss descent living all over the world to trace their ancestral roots.

Ben carries a fake “Unspunnen” stone, a stone that is thrown during the traditional stone throwing competition.

DAVID BECKHAM ON WAYNE ROONEY

David Beckham spoke. God had this to say about that little injured bulldog Wayne Rooney. “We are a better team and squad with him (Rooney)…What we have to remember is we have other great players and other captains - great midfielders, defenders and forwards in our team. We’ve got players who have played in big games so we have to step forward now…People have said there is a lot of pressure on Wayne Rooney. But he is a footballer for Manchester United and England - of course there is a lot of pressure…He is the best young player in world football at this present time and there is a lot of expectation there…We can talk about it and talk about it until he is fit for hopefully one of the games in the World Cup but we’ve all got to stay positive. I know he’ll stay positive and that is the most important thing because of course we need Wayne Rooney - you want your best players on the team and he is one of our best players…I spent many years at Manchester United and the medical staff are very good there…They will look after him, the manager will look after him and make sure he is not going anywhere unless he is fit because I’m sure he doesn’t want him coming back next season having the same problems…He needs to take care of himself which he will do. He’s working very hard to get himself fit because he knows what it means to himself, the team and the country but I think the most important thing is his health.” Uh, sorry Becks, were you speaking?

CAMPIONATI INTERNAZIONALI D’ITALIA
Tennis hotties are in Rome Italy spanking each other on clay courts.

Sexy Rafael Nadal of Spain (left) smiles after wiping the court with fellow hot, hot, hot, countryman Carlos Moya during the first round of the ATP Rome Masters on Tuesday. Nadal moves on to face Filippo Volandri. And Andy Roddick (right) defeated someone! Marcos Baghdatis went down during the second round to Roddick 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. And as usual, the AP insists on taking photos of Andy ala St. Vitas Dance.

I WISH I DIDN’T SEE THIS

Yesterday, Manu Ginobili was treated by a team trainer in game two of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals. What he should have been treated by was a DENTIST! I love ya Manu, but pa-leeze clean up those pearls.

HOT ATHLETES IN DEEP WATER

Glaceau, makers of Vitaminwater, Fruitwater and Smartwater, has signed endorsement deals with the following hot athletes: David Ortiz, Brian Urlacher, Ray Lewis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson, Baron Davis and Ray Allen. As part of the deal, Glaceau “offered ownership” in the company, which is reportedly worth more than $350M.

McGrady: “I was drinking it for a long time, and when I heard they were willing to give me ownership, it made a lot of sense.”

ANYONE WANNA BUY DEREK JETERS BIG PINK BAT?

MLB has granted permission for players to use phallic pink bats on Mother’s Day this Sunday as part of a weeklong program to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. More than 400 bats were dyed at the Louisville Slugger factory for use by 50-plus players including Derek Jeter, David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds, Marcus Giles, and David Ortiz. The bats, (pink) home plates and (pink) lineup cards, will be autographed by the teams and auctioned off later with the proceeds going to the Komen Foundation.

NEW FATHEADS

Fathead.com is now carrying NBA hotties. Some of the hot pin-up athletes include Ben Wallace, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Shaq, and even a Kobe Fathead (target practice?) If you haven’t gotten yourself one of these life size wall stickers, check out www.fathead.com. Fathead has answered the pleas from fans of hot male athletes and has given us a way to bring them home. Fathead has also added NASCAR products, however, no drivers yet, just the hot-rods they drive.

That’s it for today. As Always, thanks for reading. Delinda

CAMILO VILLEGAS GETS CRAWL TIME
May 11th through the 14th Camilo will be crawling the greens at the EDS Byron Championship for his chance at the $6.2 million purse. The match takes place at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Irving, Texas. The contact number is (972) 717-1200.

TV coverage is as follows: Thursday, 5/11: 4-6 p.m. ET on USA; Friday, 5/12: 4-6 p.m. ET on USA; Saturday, 5/13: 3-6 p.m. ET on CBS; Sunday, 5/14: 3-6 p.m. ET on CBS. If the stations don’t give us enough Camilo coverage, which they never do, you can contact CBS Sports at (212) 975-5230, or email them at firstinitiallastname@cbs.com, attention Vanessa Hambidge (Director of Programming and Marketing.) If the USA network overlooks Villegas, their contact info is (212) 664-7121, or email a request for more coverage to the attention of J. Kevin Landy (V.P. Sports programming) at firstname.lastname@nbcuni.com. It’s vital to our emotional well being for tournement executives to know how many of us are following the hot Columbian rookie. Without an established and growing fan base, Camilo may not get the coverage he deserves. Power to the people, let’s bring Camilo Villegas to the limelight, enough is enough!

**DAVID BECKHAM ALERT**

adidas is taking no prisoners in its pre World Cup advertising battle against Nike. Adidas bought the largest outdoor poster site in Europe (Birmingham, England.) The space is bigger than a soccer field, takes up nearly an acre of advertising space, and is visible from more than a mile away. Best part, the hottest adidas endorsers David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Gary Neville are featured in the ad. The images of the athletes have been used to make the poster look like a World Cup sticker book. Individual pictures of each hot-hot-hottie are depicted side-by-side, with a final space for one further “sticker” to be collected with an outline of the World Cup showing the missing image awaiting the England team’s victory.

GOT BECKHAM? Yes! After years of waiting, David Beckham has finally shot an ad for the Got Milk? campaign. I am awaiting a copy of the ad and will “share” it with you as soon as I get my paws on it, drool for a while, and then post it. The ad is scheduled to run at the end of August in conjunction with the World Cup.

WAYNE ROONEY GOES TO THE MARKET

The UK-based supermarket chain Asda signed England’s hot bulldog Wayne Rooney to a $5.57M deal less than a month before the little guy broke his foot. An Asda spokesperson said that the injury “did not change the importance of the deal.” Rooney has already starred in his first campaign for the company and “will do some other things as the summer progresses. He’s still very well known, he’s a star player and there’s no change there.” Despite his injury, Rooney is on England’s World Cup roster, which was released yesterday.

SPEAKING OF THE WORLD CUP…we’ve all noticed that the monkey who’s running this country has spread world-wide anti-American sentiment. I can deal with it but not when it affects the safety of our hot athletes. For “security reasons,” the U.S. team’s bus at the World Cup “will be the only one for the 32 teams that will not have the nation’s flag adorning the outside of the vehicle.” Hey Bush, thanks for ruining the fun.

JEREMY BLOOM IS QUIET

Hot Eagles draft pick, sexy Jeremy Bloom has been “declining most interviews since he was drafted.” Icon Sports Group CEO Andy Carroll, who reps Bloom for marketing, said Bloom “doesn’t want to be a distraction” to the Eagles. Carroll said of Bloom’s earnings through endorsements: “seven figures is a fair number.” Bloom has deals with Under Armour, Rip It, 24 Hour Fitness, and others. Carroll said of Bloom’s endorsement opportunities: “My phone has been ringing a lot, but we want to get him in Philly, settled down and make sure his teammates are comfortable with him. … We want to minimize the sideshow effect.” Am I going to have to publish Mr. Carroll’s phone number so we can support the sideshow? After all, what’s an Athlebrity without some off-field love?

RANDY MOSS CANS DANTE DITRAPANO… Randy Moss has canned agent Dante DiTrapano and made Tim DiPiero, of DiTrapano, Barrett & DiPiero, his sole agent. Great idea- stick with the same firm! As you all know, DiTrapano and his wife Teri were busted in March on felony crack cocaine possession charges. DiPiero has represented Moss as an agent and attorney since ’95 and allegedly DiTrapano, Barrett & DiPiero has “distanced itself” from DiTrapano, “taking his name off the sign outside the Charleston offices and removing his biography, but not his name from its Web site.”

RANDY JOHNSON GETS YANKED AND SPANKED… Crusty Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson “abandoned a legal demand” that his baby mama repay nearly $100,000 in day-care expenses. A Washington state court clerk said that Johnson’s motion seeking the repayment was dismissed after it was laughed out of court.

CUTE NEW BOBBLE HEADS

The Double-A Eastern League Connecticut Defenders, (who?) formerly known as the Norwich Navigators (that doesn’t help) will have a bobble head promotion called the “Rehab Series.” The bobble heads of Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Roger Clemens and David Cone, (all of whom played for the Navigators during their rehabs) “will sport a band-aid in the area where the player’s injury occurred.” Too bad none of these hotties pulled a groin muscle.

DEREK JETER A HOMEBODY?

Super fine Derek Jeter appeared on CBS’ “Late Show” last night where he thanked Letterman for inviting him on the show. Jeter: “You haven’t had me on since we won in 2000. When you start losing, you can’t get back on the show.” Jeter was asked what he does after a night game and said, “Is this currently or like a couple of years ago? … I’m a homebody now.” Not buying it Jeter!

That’s it for now. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

RATINGS DROP WITHOUT CAMILO VILLEGAS COVERAGE?
CBS earned a 2.3/5 overnight Nielsen rating for its coverage of the final round of the PGA Tour Wachovia Championship, down 39.5% from last year’s 3.8/9. Here’s a thought…why not give more “coverage” to the new breed of young, hot, hip golfers? Ratings would have been though the roof if CBS tapped into the overlooked and often forgotten audience of women who want to watch great golf, but prefer it were delivered via Camilo Villegas(left) or Adam Scott (right).

THE TRUTH OR A FREE CONDO?
Athlebrity baller Paul Pierce recently purchased a Boca Raton Luxury Condominium in Las Vegas as a second home. Pierce chose the Caravella model, which is a two-story condo with a private entrance and parking space.

The hot 28 year-old Boston Celtic has been an NBA All-Star for five consecutive seasons. (Take that Steve Nash) Pierce, who was given the nickname “The Truth” by Shaq, spoke about his latest purchase. “I’ve always loved Las Vegas, and I am excited about my purchase of a home at Boca Raton,” Pierce said. “During the off-season I want to be in a place where I can relax yet still be close to the action, and with everything that Boca will provide, I know I will be set.”

SUPER-FIGHTERS UNITE, FORM OF…
Superfighter is a new sports entertainment event serving us the talents of some of the world’s hottest heavyweight fighters in an atmosphere ala “gladiator meets Mad Max.” Scheduled for July 9th at Melbourne Olympic Park, the live event will be broadcast for our viewing pleasure on the eve of July 8th. Here how it works: 8 of the world’s top heavyweight boxers duke it out, all on one card, all in the one day…8 men enter…one stud comes out. The event lasts four hours and the winner will have spanked three opponents in one day before being crowned World Superfighter Champion and getting a piece of the $20 Million prize money. Any bozo, of any fighting discipline and technique can make a stab for a spot in the inaugural event. The official news conference and launch will take place on May 22 at Gotham Hall,1356 Broadway at 34th St at 11:00 a.m (EST) in New York City. All of the hot fighters in the July 9 tournament are expected to be on display during the launch. For more info check out http://www.superfighter.tv

GUYS LOVE GRADY SIZEMORE TOO
The Indians have got a hot commodity on their hands. Center Fielder Grady Sizemore. He’s young, hot, loaded with charisma and is driving the ladies wild. He’s so hot that he turned down a college football scholarship for baseball.

The team drew 37,496 fans on April 29 for a Sizemore bobble head giveaway, the largest non-opening day crowd in April at Jacobs Field since ’01, and the team’s souvenir store sold out of $279 three-foot bobble-heads of Sizemore last month. Anyone out there wanna send one my way? And how about those t-shirts I mentioned a while ago? Yes, the hottest selling T-shirt in the stores read ‘Mrs. Sizemore.’ Adding a somewhat more interesting layer to this craze is the fact that a “growing number of boys are wearing ‘Guys Love Grady, Too’ T-shirts.

ESPN2 F***S UP!

ESPN2 really needs to check the credentials of its announcers. Last Tuesday on “SportsCenter,” soccer analyst and eternally hot Athlebrity Eric Wynalda was deciphering the U.S. World Cup roster for us, problem is, the ESPN Mensa reject who introduced “Wynalda” made a major mistake and introduced him as “Wylanda.” You may think this is no big deal, but even my dog knows that Eric Wynalda is the U.S. national team’s all-time leading goal scorer-and an employee of ESPN2.

BECKHAM COMING TO MIAMI?
We all should send thank you cards to Dr. Ismael Roque-Velasco. Why? Because the doctor has teamed up with Real Madrid and the city of Miami to put on a summer soccer camp called the Soccer Academy of the Americas at the Orange Bowl in July. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz said that this is “just the start of a long-term partnership” between the team and the city. Diaz said Real Madrid “wanted to get a foothold in the [U.S.], and what better place than Miami, the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean…kids from Latin America coming up to train here with Real Madrid coaches, the Real Madrid team playing friendlies here, it could be really exciting.”

I FOUND THE BALCO LEAK

The S.F. Chronicle and reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada received subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury about “leaked court documents used as the basis for articles that linked well-known athletes to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.” The subpoenas tell the pair “to provide any grand jury transcripts in their possession” related to the BALCO investigation, and also asks them to “provide the packaging in which they received any transcripts, as well as any information they have regarding the identity of the person or persons who leaked the documents.” If only the grand jury could see the obvious, the writers simply pulled the information out of the their assess.

ITS GOOD TO SEE BARRY BONDS SMILING
BARRY BONDS countdown continues…the hot slugger hit his 713th homer Sunday night, moving within one of tying Babe Ruth for second place on baseball’s career list.

“It’s overwhelming,” Bonds said. “It’s a little bit larger than a single-season home run record. It’s big. It’s really, really big.”

OSCAR DE LA GOLDEN BOY

Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya and his CEO have made it their mission to clean up the corrupt image of boxing. “The public perceives boxing as a circus, and that’s the problem. You must view boxing like a stock. From an investing point of view, I found it to be like a highly mismanaged and neglected asset.” De La Hoya said, “Once [promoters Don King and Bob Arum] hang up their hats, it’s going to be a lot easier to approach network television, to approach corporate America. That’s one of the primary reasons why we became promoters, because the promoter has a lot of power. I’m going to use it as a vehicle to clean up the sport.” Hopefully, De La-Licious will wipe the face of boxing as brilliantly as he wiped the ring clean with Ricardo Mayorga last Saturday night.

**TV REMINDER**

Tonight, don’t miss sexy David Blaine emerge from his water-filled sphere after a week in the aquarium. Blaine says he’s in “pretty bad shape” as he nears the end of his latest feat, but vowed to go through with his finale of holding his breath underwater for nearly 9 minutes. “Everything is still on as planned, and I’m going to give it my best shot,” Blaine said Sunday. The sexy man of mystery told AP Television News he “will do his best” to complete the feat despite peeling skin, sharp pains in his joints and a severe earache. Blaine plans to put on 150 pounds of chains and handcuffs, remove his oxygen tube and then escape while holding his breath longer than the record of 8 minutes, 58 seconds. “If I don’t get out of the chains and I black out in 9 minutes, which is about the length of time it would take these guys here (who) have been preparing a stretcher to pull my body out and do what they have to do, so I have to have faith that they know what they are doing,” Blaine said. “Drowned Alive” airs tonight on ABC.

That’s it for today. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

Camilo Villegas needs to stop flirting and get his game back on the golf course. Athlebrities favorite kitty-kat didn’t make the cut at the Wachovia Championships but did make the cut in photographs. It was a struggle to get my paws on new images of Camilo, and after some crafty searching I hit the Camilo Villegas photo jackpot.

In order to ensure that Camilo Villegas is properly photographed, followed and fed to us on a silver spoon, I urged you to contact tournaments and organizations to voice your need for Camilo coverage. I want to thank all of you who wrote to me and requested contact information for his upcoming tournaments. Prior to each tournement, I will post the pertinent information and we can all strike at once.

SAYING GOODBYE TO EARL WOODS
On Friday, May 5th, Earl Woods was laid to rest. Following the burial, a reception was held at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in California.

Tiger Woods, center, and wife Elin Nordegren, left, and his mother Kultida arrive at a reception.

Left to right, Hot Athlebrity surfer Laird Hamilton and wife, Gabrielle Reese , former basketball player Charles Barkley, Peter Ueberroth, former baseball commissioner and current chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and his wife Virginia also attended.

LAKERS GET SPANKED OUT OF FINALS

Hot Arizona Cardinals quarterback, and Josh Duhamel look-a-like, Matt Leinart watches the Los Angeles Lakers get spanked out of the first-round NBA playoffs.

Kobe listens to the sound of defeat as the the Suns spanked the Lakers 121-90 and Steve Nash earned the MVP Award for the second consecutive year.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA TKO

Ricardo Mayorga, right, falls victim to Oscar De La Hoya during the sixth round of their WBC super welterweight championship boxing match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas last night. Mayorga was TKO’ed by De La Hoya during the hot testosterone-gone-crazy event.

DAVID BLAINE DROWNED ALIVE

David Blaine is so hot I cant belive the water isnt boiling. In his latest stunt “Drowned Alive” David Blaine slid into his snow globe-like “human aquarium” last Monday at Lincoln Center in NY, and has been submerged since then in the water-filled sphere.

This weekend a spokesperson for Blaine said: “Doctors are concerned that he’s weakening. They are going to work with him through the weekend, trying to stabilize both his diet and his training regimen…his skin is peeling very badly on his hands. Those are our biggest concerns right now,” The spokesman said Blaine, 33, is “telling the people ‘I feel great,’ … and he’s determined” to see his seven-day stunt through to the end.

Tomorrow night, the sexy man of mystery will remove all his tubes and attempt to hold his breath underwater for a minimum of 8 minutes, and possibly break the world record of 8 minutes, 58 seconds. While doing so, he will also try to escape from 150 pounds of chains and handcuffs during the breath-holding finale, which will air live in a two-hour ABC special, “David Blaine: Drowned Alive.” “As a kid, I always was obsessed with Houdini,” Blaine said last week, “I don’t think about death, but I am prepared for it,” he said, adding that his only fear is “the fear of the unknown.” Blaine started his training in December, with help from some hot U.S. Navy SEALS. He lost 50 pounds so that his body would require less oxygen and the water in the sphere has been kept at a balanced temperature to help keep his core temperature near 98.6 degrees.

And Kelly Ripa (above) landed the interview of a lifetime when she took a dip inside the sphere to an interview the sexy Blaine for “Live with Regis and Kelly.” Don’t miss the stunning and yummy finale, Monday night on ABC.

That’s it for now. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

Mad love to those crazy Philly fans for being the most creative hecklers in sports.

Barry Bonds made his seasonal debut on the East Coast today while enduring some of the best steroid-related heckling yet-to-date.

While in left field, Mensa rejects in the bleachers behind him chanted, “Just retire” and “Just inject me.”

Creative points to the fan that wore a white T-shirt in which he wrote in orange and black marker, “Giant Cheater” on the front and “Disgrace” on the back above the No. 25.

No creative points to fans that carried signs with that tired old asterisk on them.

Cute move by the guy who wore a fat suit that was supposed to represent Bonds with the Giants, and his skinny friend who was the pre-pumped Bonds with the Pirates.

Nice try to the fan who wasn’t allowed to bring in a sign that read: “Got Roids?” But, props to the dude who snuck passed security with a sign that said: “Got Juice?”

Now this is creativity at it’s best.

But the award for most creative heckling while capitalizing on the steroid issue goes to Mike Hayes. The genius sold foam rubber syringes outside the stadium before the game between the Phillies and the Giants today. Brilliant!

Hey Philly, thank you for bringing some fun back into the game.

As always…Delinda

EL HOMBRE ARANA
Camilo Villegas is in great shape as he crawls the greens at the Wachovia Championships, unfortunately, his game isnt going as well as his social life. As Villegas stood on the ninth tee yesterday, a young woman standing along the ropes said, “Camilo, are you going to hit your driver?” After hitting his shot, Camilo cheated on us and “drifted over to the ropes” and chatted with this beotch and her three “attractive” friends.

I have a strong suspicion that there is a conspiracy among PGA photographers at the tournament in reference to Camilo Villegas. Why? Because finding fresh pictures of Camilo Villegas is like finding a needle in a haystack. As evidenced by the throngs of horny woman hot on Camilo’s trail, he is the ideal poster child to sell Golf. I suspect the PGA is attempting to hide the sexy Columbian in order to avoid distractions on the course. I urge all of you Camilo Villegas fans to contact every tournament he plays in, and bombard them with emails, letters and phone calls pleading for more coverage of him. Power to the people, we want our Camilo Villegas, and we want him crawling.

DID NIKE BREAK WAYNE ROONEY’S FOOT?

With one great twist of an ankle, Nike gets in trouble. Last Saturday, England’s little bulldog, Wayne Rooney, broke his foot during a match in which he wore his new Nike’s for the first time in competition. Now, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will ask Nike to review the Total 90 Supremacy football boot which Wayne Rooney was wearing he broke his metatarsal, in order to determine whether the shoe played any part in the injury. Nike insists that the new boot was not responsible. “Wayne was involved in the testing for the boot,” said a spokesperson. “Neither he, nor any of the other players who tested the boot, experienced any problems in testing.” But Ferguson is hot on the heels of Nike to scrutinize the boot’s performance again. “I watched the video again and he has come down heavily on his foot and at speed,” said Ferguson. “I have complained [in the past] about the type of boots that are coming out and in particular the type of studs they are using now. Over the last few years these boot companies have been coming out with some nonsense - fancy white boots, red boots, tartan boots, you name it. Everything is coming out to sell it to young kids. But there has to be a dividing line between what is marketable and what is sensible.”

IS WORLD CUP TRAUMA INSURANCE SENSIBLE?
Nut-ball English football fanatic Paul Hucker has shelled out $195 for an insurance policy with britishinsurance.com “in case he suffers mental trauma if England gets knocked out in the early stages” of the ’06 FIFA World Cup. If England is eliminated in the first round, the insurer “will turn to five sports commentators to judge if their exit is premature.” Hucker would then have to prove, medically, that he has suffered severe mental trauma as a result to get his seven-figure payout. He whined: “I find when it goes to penalty shoot-outs it gets very difficult and I wanted to insure myself against psychological trauma.” *The policy does not cover England failing to progress through the tournament as a direct result of players being out due to metatarsal injuries ala Wayne Rooney style.

OAKLAND A’S GET DOWN AND DIRTY

In conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, Oakland A’s third base coach Ron Washington, left, and hot pitcher Huston Street helped build a new home to benefit a displaced family affected by Hurricane Katrina prior to the game against Cleveland on Wednesday.

NO TRAIN RIDE FOR ALLEN IVERSON

Athlebrity favorite, Allen Iverson lost his bid yesterday to give testimony in Philadelphia instead of Washington in a lawsuit stemming from a fight in the Eyebar club in Washington last year. Two patrons and two security guards at the club joined together in the suit after alleging Iverson and his security entourage assaulted them during a confrontation over seats in the bar. Allegedly Iverson whacked one of the patrons over the head with a bottle for not giving up the seat, which is understandable. The “victim” Marlin Godfrey, claims he suffered a concussion as well as injuries to his eardrum and right eye. The U.S. Magistrate-Judge pooh-poohed the crying by Iverson’s lawyers that the hottie would have to get up early and hire a driver to bring him to the deposition May 10. Poor baby.

CROWN YOURSELF ROYAL

Oh how I love me some Crown Royal. Especially now! Diageo, which makes the yummy Crown Royal whiskey brand, will run a contest giving a fan a chance to have his/her name as part of the title of the spring ’07 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Richmond. The race will be called “The Your Name Here 400 presented by Crown Royal” until next year’s Daytona 500, when a winner will be selected from a pool of ten finalists. The winner’s name will be “recognized by NASCAR and on television as the race’s official name,” and the winner is also “expected to present a trophy to the race winner in Victory Lane.” Now how hot is that!

OSCAR DE LA HOYA ICELINK WATCH

IceLink Watch will sponsor Saturday’s Oscar De La Hoya-Ricardo Mayorga boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Sponsorship terms for the fight, which marks delicious De La Hoya’s first ring appearance since ’04, include 750 hot, limited edition watches, which are available at the MGM Grand and select Las Vegas jewelry stores. Guess who wants to get her paws on one of these!

MARK PRIOR GETS FOULED OUTTA COURT

In Will County Illinois, Judge Herman Haase ruled that Cubs P Mark Prior “owes nearly $31,000 to a Naperville store that paid him to sign autographs for fans.” The judge however, didn’t believe that Prior “used profanity and acted rudely” toward fans who attended the ’04 autograph session.

BJORN BORG TO BE ASSIMILATED?

The Swedish tax office claims that tennis hottie of yore, Bjorn Borg, owes more than $1.9M in unpaid taxes after the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported Borg put royalties from Borg-branded products in a bank account in the Dutch Antilles. Looks like we may be back to selling those Wimbledon trophies after all?

That’s it for today. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda