Between the NBA Finals starting tonight, and the World Cup seconds from kicking off, I am losing my mind. This flurry of activity has my imagination overloaded with hotties from around the globe.

In celebration of the NBA Finals, the league today unveiled a $175 limited edition black and gold NBA Finals Shoe available exclusively on NBAStore.com and at the NBA Store in N.Y. There are only 12 pairs available online and 48 available in the Store. Each shoe will be individually spray painted by an artist and will feature the NBA Championship Trophy on the under sole. These shoes are the hottest kicks I’ve seen in a long time. If you want snag a pair, act fast. Forget trying to find them on-line, just call the NBA store directly at (212) 515-6221. The shoes are only available in men’s sizes, starting at size 7, which, I believe, is comparable to a women’s’ size 8-9. And yes, I already got mine.

Sports Illustrated this week features hot Heat treat Dwyane Wade on the cover with the headline “Wade’s World … Can the Heat’s Lovable Assassin Take Down the Mavericks?” That question can be answered unequivocally with a yes- but he’s got to get over the “flu” first.

“We might change it up a little bit, but yeah, you will see something” – Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, on plans for poking fun at Shaquille O’Neal on the American Airlines Center scoreboard during the NBA Finals. Shaq reacted appropriately.

Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks taped a segment for “NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad” for NBA TV prior to Game 1 of the Finals. And when I took a gander at the Mavericks fans, it was an easy decision to hope for a Heat victory.

One of my favorite covers this week is ESPN The Magazine. The cover features PGA Tour antichrist and Athlebrity favorite John Daly with the header, “Am I Ever Going To Stop Partying?” For the love of all that is entertaining, DON’T ever stop partying, pa-leeze!

CHUNKY SOUP AND BIG BEN ROETHLISBERGER

Steelers hottie Ben Roethlisberger and his mama, Brenda, will shoot a national TV ad for Campbell’s Chunky Soup at Heinz Field next week. Also included will be teammates Alan Faneca, Kendall Simmons, Jeff Hartings, Max Starks, James Farrior and Casey Hampton. N.Y. based Go Films will shoot three separate commercials during the $2M, weeklong shoot. Donovan and Mama McNabb, as well as Matt and Mama Hasselbeck will also film spots. All three spots will debut the week of September 7, when the NFL regular season begins. Roethlisberger said he and agent Leigh Steinberg this year “figure to have only two or three national commercials, this one and one with Nike. That’s probably it. That’s the two we know we’re going to have.”

FIRED?
The D’Backs released pitcher Jason Grimsley, a day after federal agents searched his home as part of an investigation into steroid use by athletes. GM Josh Byrnes said that Grimsley “asked for his unconditional release in meetings with team officials.” This is the first smart thing Grimsley has said. Keep in mind that Grimsley sang to the Fed’s and gave up a list of “alleged” athletes using steroids. I guess some athletes will do anything for their fifteen minutes. Who wants to bet that the Mensa reject will have a book deal signed within a month?

WHAT TIME IS IT?

Don’t ask Diego Maradona what time it is. Italian police “have stripped two Rolex watches from” Maradona “to pay off some of his [$39M] in back taxes.” Maradona ran up the debt while playing for Naples from ’84-90 but feels that the club “should have paid the taxes.” Well, they didn’t. A Naples tax police officer said that the watches are worth about $12,800 combined, “but he hoped they could fetch far more on auction because of Maradona’s enduring fame.” So, $12, 800 deducted from $39M still leaves a debt of $39M. My money says those watches will have to be pried off the wrists of the Naples police before they get anywhere near an auction house.

U2 AND THE WORLD CUP: IT’S MORE THAN A BEAUTIFUL THING

In addition to U2 songs being featured in those hot TV spots for the World Cup, fans watching the games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will see most highlights accompanied by U2 music, whether recorded in a studio or at a stage. According to the “deal” ESPN has the rights to 11 U2 songs. U2 manager Paul McGuinness said the band’s payment from ESPN was “nothing extraordinary, but we did get paid.” ESPN Marketing Senior Dir Seth Ader: “If it was just a music deal, it would have been like any other campaign to pay for their music. We wanted them to be a part of it…in part because all four of its members are soccer fans from Ireland, and the global scope of the World Cup appeals to their well-known charitable endeavors, especially in Africa.”

WORLD CUP HOTTIES
FIFA for the first time is requiring players, referees and coaches to “sign pledges that neither they nor their immediate families will bet on” the World Cup. FIFA officials are “concerned about the proliferation of Internet gambling and the influence of Asian betting syndicates as well as recent scandals in Brazil, Italy and Germany.” If suspicious betting patterns are detected, FIFA officials could “take pre-emptive action, such as switching a referee before a match.” Oooh, let the games begin.

English forward Wayne Rooney laughs at all the media attention surrounding his injury. The smiling bulldog resumed training at England’s base camp in southern Germany and gave us a glimpse of his tattoo bearing the name of his girlfriend Coleen.

When asked if he felt the United States has a chance to survive the Death Group ‘E” during the World Cup, Landon Donovan (L) leaned back and laughed. Polish hotties look delicious in red. Defender Michal Zewlakow (L) and goalkeeper Artur Boruc throw a few back in a hotel bar in Essen.

WORLD CUP HAPPENINGS

I don’t know why this poster is up, but we don’t want to hear about David Beckhams wife while we are fantasizing about him. Stay home Victoria, stay home.

I don’t usually, or ever, post photos of women on my site unless it’s for a very good reason. Sister here is a Czech photographer and lets it all hang-out while taking photos the Czech hotties. Without her, we may not have any drool worthy shots of Pavel Nedved.

Pavel Nedved is practicing and recovering from his injury. I can’t say that his knee looks okay to play in the World Cup, but he certainly looks ready.

Fans write on the England flag (L) put on display in a square in the center of Frankfurt, while a scary “carnival brass band” from Switzerland (R) parades through the streets as Swiss national soccer team arrived.

Lother Buss, chef and owner of Chocolate Room in Mulheim, Germany, works on a soccer themed chocolate cake in Calcutta, India.

Pakistani girls show their painted hands and faces in support of the Iranian soccer team.

What’s with all the dummies?

“Eleven Friends” is a soccer players sculpture composition going on in Germany (L), and a worker dressed up dummies with soccer team uniforms outside the Adidas Arena in Berlin (R). The Adidas Arena is a temporary stadium in downtown Berlin where some 10,000 soccer fans will be able to watch the World Cup matches on video screens. The dummies will be hosting the bar and serving drinks to fans.

Continuing with one of the most bizarre and spine chilling events, a visitor plays “Masked Ball” (L) by Kendell Geers from South Africa. The exhibition Ballkuenstler (ball artists) is at the Leipzig museum of fine arts, in eastern Germany. Another visitor looks at The Solar System (R) by US artist Greg Coloson at the exhibit. Works of 24 contemporary international artists are showing their view on soccer for the exhibit.

The giant video screen in the river Main in Frankfurt is alive with action. The screen is used for live broadcasts of the World Cup games. For me, this just might be the coolest way to watch the games. Mad love to Germany for erecting this giant flotilla.

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