NADAL IS MOVING UP

Not only did Spanish delicacy Rafael Nadal spank Tommy Hass to make it to the quarterfinals, but he also added another notch to his Athlebrity profile. Kia Motors has signed the world’s sexiest tennis beast as a global advertising model for the automaker in TV commercials and print ads until 2008. The Spaniard will also act as a PR ambassador to promote Kia at auto shows and other events. So I suggest if you happen to notice an “auto show” in town, you might wanna check out the Kia’s to see who’s promoting them.

LETS TURN IT AROUND
“The young ones are bringing a different appeal to the tour. They’re great golfers and great people and have some character, and they obviously have the looks. I think it’s great for the game” – Annika Sorenstam, on some of the younger LPGA players being labeled as “sex symbols.”

Isnt this the way its always been? It’s okay to label the women as “sex-symbols” but not the men? How about if the PGA takes a little-look-see at who’s been crawling the greens, then we’ll talk sex symbols. The flashy styles and flawless appeal of Camilo Villegas, Ian Poulter, Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia belong on the covers of the finest magazines. We’ve been “symbolizing” them for years and not just due to their game. Does this discredit the sport? Hell no. It sells the sport beyond Tiger Woods. The young, hot, talented next generation of kittens are upon us. It’s not just your daddy’s game anymore.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF BASKETBALL

Meet your hotties as they pose GQ style prior to the opening ceremonies of the FIBA World Championship of Basketball in Sapporo, Japan. France will open the games on Saturday against Argentina- sans Tony Parker who is out with a broken finger.

If Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James would stop teasing me with provocative poses and topless images, I might be able to concentrate on the games.

YOUNG, HOT AND WET
In case you haven’t done any laps around the swimming hotties lately, you may wanna think twice. Super-fine U.S. swimmer Cullen Jones has signed a seven-year deal with Nike potentially worth more than $2M. This would make him the highest-paid sprint free-styler in the world. Jones said that he will “use the spotlight to promote diversity in swimming and popularize the sport among people of color…if I can have the success my coaches believe I can, people will be able to call me the Tiger Woods of swimming.” Before you laugh at such a bold statement, here’s a little run down.

Cullen’s father Ronald Jones can fairly be compared to Earl Woods. Being a constant mentor and supporter of his son. Ronald passed away six years ago, and Cullen now sports sexy tattoo of a large cross and `41′ (his father’s old basketball jersey number) on his back. Last March, the sleek 6’5” beast won the NCAA title in the 50-meter freestyle. In April, he set a meet record in the 50 free semifinals and finished second in the finals. He won his first national title in the 50 free at the U.S. Summer National championships. And he is poised as the next golden boy for the 2008 Olympics. Oh, and did I mention he’s hot?

Another hottie I adore is long distance swimmer Lewis Pugh. On August 6th Pugh celebrated in front of the Houses of Parliament, London, during his attempt to swim the length of the River Thames. If you’re an avid readers of my blog, you may remember Pugh as the first person to complete long-distance swims in all five world oceans? Mad love to this crazy Brit who finished the 203-mile swim in eastern England, having begun on July 17 in western England.

TOM BRADY

Once again, the media has turned a molehill into a mountain of crap. Tom Brady said that he sought out Bonds’ personal trainer, because he was “looking for a gym in the Bay Area in ‘2000 or 2001’ where he could work out,” but they “never got together to train.” Brady said, “I was back in the Bay Area and I wanted to work out for a day and I knew he had a gym. I called and he wasn’t around. That was about it.” Brady added, “I did talk to him. I think he was at spring training from what I remember. … I never talked to him again.” Oooooh, scandalous. Maybe there is a story here? The “Natural” on the same SI cover as Bonds? There must be a connection…

SKIP YOUR STARBUCKS

Remember, this week launches a campaign to recruit 100,000 donors to help fund Mutombos hospital, which benefits the poor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The big guy kicked in $15M of his own money. The least you can do is check out his site (link on the right) and consider helping the worthwhile cause. Most of us won’t notice $10 bucks a month out of our budget, but that ten bucks (or two lattes) will help ease the suffering of many. Mutombo says the hospital is in keeping with an African proverb: “When you take the elevator up to reach the top, please don’t forget to send the elevator back down.” I’m not gonna let up on this one people. Let’s help change the world.

Ask D&D is getting slammed with emails, we love it, so pa-leeze keep ‘em coming. And we have decided to continue answering your questions on a weekly basis due to the number of beotch-slaps you gave us for trying to go monthly! Questions to: delinda@athlebrities.com OR debbie@athlebrities.com

Have a fantastic hottie filled weekend. As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

HOT POINTS FOR ANDY MURRAY

Finally, someone aside from Rafael Nadal has reminded Roger Federer that he can be spanked. Murray’s victory in the second round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters ended Federer’s 55-match winning streak in North America and provided his earliest tournament exit in two years. “The streaks? I don’t care about those now that they’re over,” said Federer, who hadn’t lost in straight sets in his last 194 matches. “It’s going to be a relief for everybody, and now we can move on.” BAM! Lets move on then…

Golfsmith Golf & Tennis today announced the launch of its first-ever tennis catalog, Center Court. The catalog hawks everything from the latest in colors and fashion apparel, to footwear and accessories, and even the newest technologies in tennis racquets. But more importantly, they will be hosting a NYC Street Jam in front of the Goldsmith Store on Thursday the 24th. Battling it out: Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer. Check out www.tennis.golfsmith.com for more yummy info.

JAMES BLAKE IS TAKING OVER

From James Blake’s on-line journal: “I announced a new deal with Evian water in New York City. They put me in a bath of Evian water on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open facility. I’m already getting grief from my friends about that and I’m sure they won’t ease up. The shoot was actually pretty cool though and I am excited about having a new sponsor. I am also in the upcoming edition of Men’s Vogue, which will be on the stands this Tuesday (August 15). We did the shoot in Paris in May and I am starting to realize what a big honor this is. I can’t say I imagined the day when the editor and chief of Vogue (Anna Wintour) would be excited about having ME in her magazine. Pretty amazing.”

If the photos of Blake bathing in Evian water make you thirsty, rush out and but the September edition of Men’s Vogue. The issue hit stands today, and the sexy beast is featured in an eight-page spread. “Everyone makes fun of me for it,” says the 26-year-old spankable stud “And Andy Roddick does a good imitation of it.”

BECKHAM REPORT:
In case you’re confused with the various soccer leagues in Europe, he’s a little help. David Beckham plays for Real Madrid, and he is also on England’s roster, where he just got demoted from Captain. Due to the chaos at Britain’s airport, Becks was a no show for his England game and Real Madrid had no idea where he was. After a five-hour delay and two-hour wait on the tarmac to catch a private flight from London, Beck’s arrived at around 8pm yesterday. An hour and a half after he was supposed to be there for the club’s first session since returning from their hot pre-season tour of the US. Beck’s finally appeared at 8.30, by which time his team had departed and trained alone. The delay meant Beckham was forced to miss the first half of the England game. And it also means that coach Steve McClaren has had enough. McClaren has spanked Becks hard, trying to build a national team without the 31-year-old Real Madrid midfielder. “I spoke to David last Monday and notified him of my decision and said that I was planning for the future, looking to change things, and David wasn’t included,” McClaren said. “At the present moment I am looking to take this team in a different direction. It’s a new beginning. It’s a clean sheet of paper for everybody and that’s why I decided not to pick David Beckham.”

“Having spoken to Steve McClaren this week I can fully understand that a new manager should want to make his mark on the team and build towards the next World Cup,” Beckham said in a statement. “I’m proud to have played for England for 10 years and my passion for representing my country remains as strong as ever.”

CARMELT-IN-MY-MOUTH-ANTHONY

Perhaps this photo will explain my obsession with Carmelo Anthony?

PGA KITTENS

The 88th PGA Championship begins today and all our favorite kitty-kats have teed off. TNT will provide 18 live hours of crawling, 12 of which will be first- and second-round coverage, and hopefully all focused on Camilo Villegas. CBS will offer live coverage over the weekend, again hopefully covering our sexy Columbian beast.

WEEDING IT OUT
The Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese table tennis player Chen Qi, after losing the Asian Cup final to a teammate, “flung the ball on the ground and kicked a chair as he walked off the court.” His coaches then fined him and “decided to send him to the countryside” to weed cucumber patches. Coach Huang Biao said Chen was reprimanded “not as a punishment, but so he could see how others live, to see that he has it so good.” In case you didn’t know, in China, table tennis players “are major celebrities whose off-court antics are watched as closely as their on-court” performances. Cucumber patches in China? Who knew.

GATORADE: MISSING OUT

Due to the heat wave assaulting the NFL training camps, I thought Gatorade would have busted out a new advertising campaign by now. Gatorade: Is It On you.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

And thanks for all your emails: Ask D&D questions to : delinda@athlebrities.com OR debbie@athlebrities.com

PGA EYE CANDY
I knew there something sublimely sexy about Sergio Garcia. I just couldn’t pin it down. Was it the smile? His sense of humor? How cute he looks when chumming around with Adam Scott. The yummy connection, I have learned, is that he has the same agent as our kitty-kat, Camilo Villegas. You gotta love major talent agencies repping hot athletes. But pa-leeze, you gotta land your boys some more covers!!!!

Villegas displayed signs of frustration during the practice rounds, perhaps being too hard on himself. Our petite feline expectedly sent my libido haywire with his signature JL belt buckle which compliments his perfectly fitted Lindeberg trousers. Me-friggin-OW.

Big, big love to PGA Tour player Padraig Harrington who will donate his winnings from this week’s tourney to cancer research in honor of player Darren Clarke’s wife, Heather, who died Sunday of breast cancer. While I’d like to see Camilo, Tiger, or Sergio Garcia win the first prize of $1.2 million, I think Harrington has swung my vote. “I’d be delighted to hand it over,” said the sexy Irishman. “Darren has his choice of charity, and I’ll donate whatever I win this week. For me, it feels like I’m doing something practical this week.” Athletes who give back automatically make it on the Hot List, donating is hot. Period.

ANDY WON?

Does Andy have his mojo back? I’m not getting over excited yet, and his recent “outing” with MS has left a bad taste in my mouth, but I’d be happy if he brought it on. A-Rod spanked Daniele Bracciali of Italy during their first round match yesterday and gave an insightful interview afterwards and in particular, spoke of his alleged injury…
Q. This injury can’t get worse by playing, is that what you’re saying?
ANDY RODDICK: I hope not. I’m sure the risk is always there. But they said it’s a slow-healing injury because it’s something you use on everything. When I first did it, I couldn’t laugh without it hurting. And, you know, when it first happened, my trainer had to take off my shoes after the match because I couldn’t reach down. It’s at a point where it’s pretty much everything you do from leaning up out of bed to, you know, pretty much anything, you can’t really get away from it. I think, therefore, they say it just takes a little bit longer to heal completely.” Did he really have to mention “leaning up out of bed”…

Also spanking his opponent, sexy Spanish import Rafael Nadal. His spectacular arms and cut abs always give me the warm fuzzies. Nadal put away wild card Sam Querrey in the first round and in a very non-Federesq comment, said: “I know I was playing very badly,” Nadal said. “In the third set, maybe I improved.” Oh Rafi, just by talking you improved.

CHARGING INTO FOOTBALL

So yesterday I hit up the Chargers training camp. I was shocked. Why weren’t there more females there? Training camps are better than going to games. All the fine, fine men close enough to sweat on you while you’re reading the fine print of the tattoo that wraps around a thigh-sized bicep. Trust me people, it’s okay to objectify these men, and guess what? They love it! I have never met an athlete who didn’t respond favorably to a “Wow, nice arms” compliment.

You can’t get this close at the game, so giddy-up before training camps are over. Watching the hotties up-close is also an excellent introduction to football. Being within ear shot of the coaches gives you a little insight into what the hell they are actually doing out there. Running, grunting, smashing into things, funky ballet moves, jumping jacks -it all has a meaning…And if you live in San Diego, on August 30th, the San Diego Chargers Kickoff Dinner is going down. The event is a great way to meet the San Diego hotties and network with some cool people who’ll be there, such as myself! The kickoff dinner is managed by the San Diego Sports Council, who have been staging some of the finest eye-candy events in the city including the NCAA Basketball Championships, ESPN X Games, America’s Cup, MLS All-Star Game, and the MLB All-Star Game.

MENSA POINTS FOR THE JUDGE
Love, love, love to Riverside County Superior Court Judge Paul Zellerbach who was admonished today by the California State Commission on Judicial Performance. Zellerbach had refused to return from an ’04 Red Sox-Angels ALDS game to handle a verdict in a murder trial and turned down the attorneys’ request to allow another judge to receive the jury’s verdict. I guess the legal system ain’t so bad afterall.

SNOOP-A-LOOP

I love Snoop. Especially his yearly Snooper Bowl. Today, Cutters Gloves was named as a sponsor and official glove of the Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL) and the Snooper Bowl. Snoops league is comprised of 50 football teams for boys and girls ages 7-17, and was founded by the Dogg in 2004. This is Snoops way of making football and cheerleading (for the girls) more accessible to kids. A much more efficient way than using scary videos ala Team Baby. The Snooper Bowl is held in the same city and at the same time as the NFL Super Bowl. Not fair since we can’t be in two places at once. Snoop Dogg commented, “Thank you for helping my kids out. We couldn’t do this without people like you who believe in the Snoop Youth Football League. It’s easy for a kid to join a gang - we need to make it easier to play football. The SYFL is on to something so fresh and productive for our youth, and we are also all about helping the boys and girls off the field. We thank Cutters for being a part of it. Cutters gloves are for real!” Oh, how sweet. Check out Snoops league at www.snoopyouthfootballleague.com.

HE’S BEEN QUIET FOR WAY TOO LONG

Yes, we got some Ron Artest action. The reigning King of Mensa rejects, Ron Artest had to talk to the “children” as part of his community service spanking for his part in that sexy 2004 Palacegate brawl in Detroit. In his own Artestian words: “Someone started trouble and I ended it,” Artest told about 50 children Wednesday at a panel on black empowerment at the Judge Mathis Community Center. “I would always encourage you to protect yourself but in certain situations, if you can avoid them, avoid them.” Serioulsy, when’s the reality show coming out?

Ask D&D questions to : delinda@athlebrities.com OR debbie@athlebrities.com

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

PGA HOTTIES

As the hotties continue preparations for the PGA Championships, I continue on my quest for all things Camilo Villegas. The sexy beast signed more autographs yesterday, as did eye-candy worthy Geoff Ogilvy. There is just something about his precariously perched Puma belt buckle that tickles my libido something fierce.

The always-fashionable Tiger Woods will wear a new line of Nike golf shoes this week as he tries to capture his third PGA Championship. Woods will bust out a white pair of SP-8 TW Tour spikes when the first round kicks off Thursday. Tiger will then switch it up and sport a black version for the tournament’s other two rounds. The cool kicks are part of the Nike Golf fall collection, with prices ranging from $110 to $220.

On Sunday, the beast will wear his usual Sunday red during the final round. Nike Golf officials, have Woods wearing an “atom red drop needle polo shirt” this week, a “French blue dri-fit fine stripe polo” for the first round, followed by a “dark melon brush statement polo” on Friday, and a “sail-colored tattersal jacquard polo” for Saturday’s third round. All of the shirts are available to the public as part of the Tiger Woods Fall/Winter Collection for $70-90 each.

SHAQ ATTACK

The Chinese sure know how to pick their hotties. The top ten-best selling NBA jerseys in China are: 1. Tracy McGrady; 2. Allen Iverson; 3. Yao Ming; 4. Kobe Bryant; 5. Lebron James; 6. Carmelo Anthony; 7. Kevin Garnett; 8. Shaq; 9. Steve Nash, and fittingly coming in at number 10 is Dwyane Wade.

Shaq is in China to kick off his five-year deal with Chinese sportswear manufacturer Li Ning this week. In between press conferences, Shaq had plenty of time to visit the Great Wall of China and shop for some Halloween costumes. Li Ning will produce and market the “Shaq Dunkman” line of shoes and apparel in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Only 320 pairs of the Dunkman shoes will be available when the line is launched in January, so all you sole collectors, be prepared to fight for ‘em. The NBA claims Shaq is the fourth most popular athlete in China, behind Michael Jordan, Yao Ming, and David Beckham.

BECKS NOT BOTHERED

Speaking of Beckham, I came across this fabulous story by Brandon Griggs of the Salt Lake Tribune…Apparently, while Becks and his fine-ass posse of Real Madrid boys were in town, Becks had some shopping to do…Beckham hit up the Apple store, where staffers said he bought a MacBook laptop and an iPod. He purchased the iPod after calling his waif wife from his cell phone and asking her which model she wanted. (She doesn’t have one already?) Store employees said Beckham, who was with Real Madrid teammate Jonathan Woodgate, “got a lot of stares but was not mobbed.” What the hell is wrong with you people? Even if you don’t recognize him, he is still one of the finest looking men on the face of the earth. “The world’s most famous soccer player, wearing shorts and a navy-blue practice jersey, strolled about Thursday mostly unnoticed and unmolested - something he could never do in London or Madrid.” Beckham also hit up Foot Locker and Dick’s sporting goods, where one drooling employee asked him for his autograph and earned major Mensa points with Athlebrities. “He is so hot!” said the astute Monique Appell, “He was really sweet.” But my favorite part of the story is that according to employees at the Grand America hotel, Beckham opened the box of shoes he bought at Foot Locker to discover one shoe was missing. Whether it was a mistake or not, I bet there is a happy Foot Locker employee cuddling up at night with one hell of a trophy.

DIKEMBE MUTOMBO NEEDS OUR HELP

Mad, mad love to Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo who donated $15M to the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center, named after his mother, which will open on September 2 in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Mutombo was born. Today, Mutombo is launching a campaign to recruit 100,000 donors who will pledge $10 a month to his foundation for one year. Pa-leeze people, go to his website and donate to this cause. It’s only ten bucks a month- skip your Starbucks for a day or two and donate. Ground was broken in ’01, but construction “didn’t start until 2004 because donations came in at a slower pace than he anticipated, especially from other NBA players.” Mutombo: “My expectations were a little bit higher. I was looking at it to be done through the NBA. It might have been a mistake on my part by feeling that way. It was not an obligation or a duty … to commit to my cause. But the guys have given me a lot of money.” NBA players have been generous and so far have donated about $500,000. Rockets hottie Juwan Howard donated $100,000; “He’s working night and day to get this done. I have newfound respect for him…Athletes, myself included, we give back. We do things like build centers, give money, buy books, buy warm clothing for the homeless. But here you have a guy doing something even bigger.” So do something bigger yourselves and check out www.dmf.org. I believe in Mutombo and his foundation so much so, that if you make a donation, let me know- and I’ll send you a free Athlebrity t-shirt.

TRACY MCGRADY’S SUMMER TOUR
Details of the adidas’ third consecutive summer with Tracy McGrady were announced yesterday. Tracy McGrady’s T-Mac Tour begins in Seoul on August 24 and visits the cities of Guangzhou (August 26-28) and Manila (August 28-30) before finishing in Hong Kong on September 1. “This summer marks my third time to Asia, and I continue to look forward to these trips every year,” stated Tracy McGrady. “Over the last couple of years I have continued to gain great respect and love for everyone in Asia. I appreciated all that my fans have done for me on these tours and look forward to meeting more of them this year and thanking them for their support.”

OH GOD NO

Former NFLer Emmitt Smith will be a contestant on the third season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” How did this show even make it to a third season?

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

MEOW

Everyone seems to be excited about Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson meeting at this weeks PGA Championships (play begins the 17th), but the only thing my libido cares about is Camilo Villegas. The lawn-crawling beast missed the cut at the International leaving us with a thin roster of eye candy. This doesn’t matter anymore, because the beast arrived for practice at the Championships this morning. His cat-like eyes and innocent undertones leave me to believe that he remains untainted by an over inflated ego. And it makes me want to eat him alive. I say goddamn kitty-kat, you better be careful, some one is gonna pounce on you one day and that someone just might be a crazy red-headed blogger…

Spanish import, and owner of the hottest bicep’s in tennis, Rafael Nadal arrived at the Western & Southern Financial Group Master tournement this morning. Pa-leeze Rafi, spank your way to this title. Back-up hotties James Blake and Carlos Moya are also scheduled to play.

HOOPS HOTTIES

Looks like the Men’s National team is having a blast in South Korea. Melo and his fine posse of ballers participated in the Hoops for Troops event with members of the armed forces, and not surprisingly, they look equally as hot in fatigues as they do in suits or jerseys.

Dwyane Wade and Carmelt-in-my-mouth-Anthony were interviewed this morning. It’s not important what was said, it is important that they gave us some stellar images for our sporn collections.

I FEEL YA

Sexy Knicks Guard Stephon Marbury has been signed by Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear as its first Athlebrity endorser. Their first major product launch, this Thursday, includes Marbury’s “Starbury One” shoe. The cost of the shoe? $14.98. The company said that the construction of the shoe “is comparable with that of high-priced sneakers.” Marbury will actually wear the shoes during games and is not “being paid upfront and will be compensated based on how well the shoe sells.” Hoodies, jeans, T-shirts and other apparel that “wont break the bank” will be available soon. Check out www.Starbury.com for more info.

RICK FOX GETS DIRTY

I wasn’t a fan of his greasy hair on the court, but maybe I will be off the court, although I doubt it. The Hollywood Reporter notes that former NBA hottie Rick Fox has signed on for “a multi-episode arc on FX’s upcoming drama series Dirt, in which he will play a high-profile basketball player who has marital problems. Don’t think Fox is gonna have to tap into any stellar acting skill to play this part. Dirt also stars Courtney Cox as the editor of a tabloid magazine.

HOT LIST WINNERS

Hotties from Germanys national football squad attended a ceremony at Berlins Bellevue castle, where German President Horst Kohler awarded them the silver laurel in recognition of their efforts during the World Cup. I am awarding all of them gold medals for being so fine. (From L) Jens Nowotny, Jens Lehmann, Lukas Podolski, David Odonkor and Mike Hanke.

Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 over the weekend. Sure, the loss stings, but the pain from any Chelsea loss instantly melts away when I see Andriv Shevchenko waving at me or taking his shirt off.

Admittedly, I’m a bit rusty on hockey hotties, but this little nugget caught my eye. Gotta give love to Canadian captain Angelo Esposito and his crew after they won the final match of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tourney in the Czech Republic. Canada’s 3-0 victory was a delicious way to introduce us to this hottie, who is 6’1”, weighs 174 and plays for the Quebec Remparts. Canada has won the tournament, sometimes called the junior World Cup, nine of the last 10 years. Way to go boys!

The San Diego Chargers earned a few hot points after they performed a walk-through last Friday on the deck of the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. I’m fairly certain that I don’t need to sell you on this one.

In case you missed it, a link has been added to the blog for Ask D&D’s column. We love you’re questions, so keep ‘em coming. delinda@athlebrities.com OR debbie@athlebrities.com

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

Welcome to our inaugural ask D&D Q&A page.
This may be a new addition to my blog, but it is not a new addition to my life. Debbie is my Wonder Twin. We’ve been activated in many different forms over the years…meeting, touching, diagnosing, rating and admiring the hotties. We’ve got stories to tell and egos to burst. We’ve received a ton of email regarding Athlebrity status, which makes us oh-so–proud. Your emails also suggest that my sporno-hungry readers can accurately ‘read between the lines’. This week we’re going to start with a few of the most common questions:

Q: “Who would you say is the hottest Athlebrity you have actually met and what made them so HOT in person?”

Delinda: Without hesitation I would say Tiger Woods. Aside from his obvious sex appeal, the man has an aura, which you can actually feel as he approaches. He reeks of class. His body is outrageous. His smile is sincere and he is one of the most down to earth hotties I’ve ever encountered. I certainly wasn’t expecting someone of his stature to be so real, but what really and truly blew me away about this sexy beast, was his focus. And by focus, I mean eye contact. I’ve met a number of hotties in my time, and most of them are so wrapped up in themselves that their eyes are continually scanning the crowd for something bigger or better. Not Tiger. He is the only Athlebrity I’ve met who really looks you in the eye and makes you feel like there is no on else in the room.

Debbie: Damn are you kidding? They’re all fine! I’d have to say Kyle Korver was the most recent hottie to send me over the edge. Why? Because he showed two sides. First his grungy just rolled out of bed look with tussled unkempt hair under a ball cap as he concentrated on his poker hand - oh so hot. Then later that evening all cleaned up, styled, and sharp in a sexy suit that fit just perfectly. What a difference a day makes…mmmm…mmm…mmm

Delinda: Oh, hell yeah. Yummy Kyle. What makes him even hotter is the fact that he has absolutely no clue how super FINE he.

Q: “Have you ever met an Athlebrity who was hot at first but not after you met him? Who and why?”

Delinda: I hate this question! Most of the Athlebrities I meet act in one of three ways. They either treat me with respect, question my ‘motives’ via ‘let’s get naked’ or challenge me to a game of ‘sports trivia’. I’m not going to stoop to the level of naming anyone, but I can say that I recently met several ‘bad apples’ that challenged my integrity and insulted me on various levels. (The jury is still out on whether I’m going to post the highly suggestive photos we took of them.) In any case, these guys gave a questionable impromptu interview before one of them dropped his shorts and bared it all. Hands down, dude owns one of the finest bodies in sports, but come on, I don’t care who you are, keep your delusions of grandeur to yourself and your shorts on until the interview is over and your groupies arrive.

Debbie: Girl, we’re on the same page here! Let’s just say that hockey player looked oh so good holding his stick. But his arrogant attitude left a very bad taste in my mouth - especially later that evening when we ran into each other at a club. In the short, he’s permanently banned and his name is not worth mentioning - yet!

Delinda: Great minds think alike!

Q: “Do you ever post pictures from your readers?”

Delinda: We’d love to! When Chelsea was practicing at UCLA, one of my readers sent in photos of the hotties. With so many Athlebrities and so little time, we need as many eyes out there as possible.

Debbie: For sure. If anyone has a story to tell and photos to share, send it in. We’d love to post it and share your hot encounter. And you’ll get a free T-shirt for showing your Athlebrity support.

Q: “Is there anyone who you have met that did not live up to their image in the media?”

Delinda: I’ve been very vocal on this subject for years. Barry Bonds for sure. His skewed media-image has been created by a bunch of scorned writers who often misrepresent the big guy due to his lack of social interactions with them. If you actually listen to the people who know him, you’ll be hard pressed to find a negative comment.

Debbie: Agreed. This alleged hot-tempered and arrogant home run leader is really one of the nicest, funniest and most generous Athlebrities I’ve encountered. He opened up to us and let us into his life with no strings or expectations attached. His media image is nothing but bull.

Q: “You claim not to be groupies, what makes you so different?”

Delinda: First, let’s define “groupie” here. Groupies are well known for thier long-standing tradition of being available for, and willing to have sex with “famous” people. Some groupies trade sexual favors for rewards, trophies, bragging rights, or their 15 minutes of fame. We operate a little differently. Most importantly, neither one of us has ever “put-out” to get close to an Athlebrity. Not to say that oppportunies haven’t come our way, but in our line of work, the saying “don’t shit where you eat” goes hand in hand with self-respect. We have partied with some of the hottest Athlebrites and managed to indulge in their beauty with our clothes on and feet on the floor. And that, my friends, is what it’s all about.

Debbie: Damn straight girl! Groupies are desperate and will do anything to meet their celebrity. We never stoop to anything that will compromise our morals, and we’ve never had to.

Q: “How do you choose which hottie to write about each day on your site? It seems like there are so many sports hotties?”

Delinda: Any hottie chosen for the site must have ‘celebrity status’ in the sports world. Status is bred from wicked athletic skills, a fine-tuned body, class, personality, marketing potential, entertainment value, the “It” factor, and income.

Starting this week, D&D will let you know who’s made our “Hot List” and who’s been downgraded. Our “Hot List” has very strict and well-established guidelines for making the cut. In order to be considered for the List, an Athlebrity must meet the following criteria, in order of importance:
1. Body and looks- these guys have got to fuel us with photos, keeping it hot and sexy.
2. Appeal on and off the playing field-mandatory to look good both in and out of the uniform.
3. Entertainment value: they must make personal appearances, host charity events, and never, ever say no to Calvin Klein or Ed Hardy.

Q: “How do the hotties stay on your ‘hot-list’?”
If an Athlebrity wants to be on top – and stay there for a while, he must keep us interested in his game. We’ve been known to grant additional “points” if an Athlebrity woos our libidos with some of the following:
1. Any positive interaction with D&D at any game, event, or bar.
2. Doing anything ‘accidentally’ sexy, like pouring cold water down his bare chest during practice on a scorching hot day.
3. Being quoted as saying anything sexy or witty, such as “Damn baby you fine, but you ain’t no Janet Jackson.”
4. Participating in community activities and outreach- boys, you gotta give something back once in a while.
5. Giving us cool ‘trophies’ like jerseys, dog tags, sunglasses, or a bottle of Belvedere with incriminating fingerprints on it after a major league game of ‘spin-the-bottle’.
6. And just because we say so, no reason needed if you’re that hot.

Athlebrities can also downgrade or permanently ban an athlete for:
1. Dissing D&D in any way, shape or form.
2. By not trying to be on our hot list.
3. Selling out to funky brands like ‘Avon’.
4. Dating anyone from the cast of Desperate Housewives, etc.
5. Being linked to baby Suri in any way, shape, or form.
6. Being caught driving under the influence with a hooker in the car.
7. Being too arrogant for your own britches, or ours.
8. Lying about steroid usage.
9. Admitting steroid usage.
10. Not maintaining any of the criteria for making the list (e.g. getting out of shape, dressing like a fool, purposely staying in seclusion with your new actress girlfriend, or making smoothies at your own juice bar.)
11. Just because we say so. We can downgrade or ban without explanation…if you don’t make the list, we’re not gonna tell you why, so figure it out and work on it baby- we love anyone that tries.

We love answering your questions, so check back every Sunday for our Q&A session. And pa-leeze, we want to know what YOU think. Agree with us? Wanna downgrade a hottie? Have an encounter to share? Hit us up.
delinda@athlebrities.com OR debbie@athlebrities.com

And yes, we will answer stat related questions, but we don’t care about how many passes Tom Brady completed in his rookie year, what we do care about is the number of magazine covers he’s graced. And no, we didn’t “go to the game,” we went to “batting practice”…hello! Why don’t we see more of you out there watching these hotties limbering up prior to the game? A herd of super-fine athletes, enduring the heat of the summer, basking under the sun like a pride of lions. It’s a no brainer. Remember, it’s about loving the athletes, not just the games.

Till next week, thanks for reading. D&D.

I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT

Rafael Nadal lost to Tomas Berdych 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 in the third round of the ‘Rogers’ Cup…

BECKHAM GETS SPANKED

After the news broke about Baby Suri and her crush on Becks, it seems that he’s not only dangerously close to being banned from Athlebrities, but has also been “dropped” from England’s soccer team. Word is that new coach Steve McClaren spanked Becks outta the club, but according to Page Six, Becks is said to be working with his PR peeps to get out the word that it was his decision to leave. “McClaren wants to decelebritize the England team,” a source said. “He wants to get back to basics - the game of football without all the distractions. He’s also making a new rule: no more wives or girlfriends traveling with the team. That’s out.” I don’t know about you guys, but I like the new rules. Props to McClaren for eliminating the competition.

But I wonder if McClaren really said ba-bye to Becks because he came across these old cringe-worthy-oh-no-he-didn’t-GQ-Becks-photos?

I LOVE WHO THEY ARE

Thank god for Reebok. Today marks the debut of its football (soccer) “I Am What I Am” campaign. The front man is sexy Arsenal forward Thierry Henry: “Reebok has tremendous credentials in sport and I am really looking forward to this partnership,” said Henry. “The first time I saw Reebok’s ‘I Am What I Am’ campaign was in an ad featuring Allen Iverson. I thought that ad was brilliant because it showed a whole new side to him that was just so natural. Reebok celebrates individuals for who they really are. I am so excited to show people a whole new side to Thierry Henry. Football is my job and I love it, but there is so much more to my life than just the sport.” Henry’s campaign includes the beast proclaiming “I don’t go anywhere without a good reason” and “See, I did sign for a new team this summer.”

And the sporno doesn’t stop there. Joining Henry, will be smoking hot Chelsea forward Andriy Shevchenko and Real Madrid’s Iker Casillas (r). Shevchenko’s and Casillas’s ads will be revealed on August 14th at an exclusive Rbk event. Check out the treats at www.rbk.com.

SWITCHING GEARS

After Steve Nash cut his hair, I didn’t think he would make the Athlebrity cut anymore, but he’s earned some Mensa points due to his interest in soccer. Nash trained with the MLS Red Bulls Thursday morning in preparation for their game against Barca on Saturday. Nash, who grew up playing soccer, said “I had a blast…it’s a dream come true for me. I’m just a converted soccer player.” Which one is it Nash, you grew up playing soccer and you’re a converted soccer player? Either way, the NBA’s MVP is helping fuel the increased popularity of soccer with his presence. Thanks for the boost Nash, now pa-leeze grow your hair back.

TOUR DE OXNARD

I love me some T.O…. making fun of himself and the fact that the majority of his training camp time has been spent on a stationery bike, T.O. wore a silver cycling helmet, a jersey and sunglasses for the first 15 minutes of practice Thursday. It was the eighth day he’s been on the bike instead of me due to a sore left hamstring. “Tour de Oxnard,” Owens repeatedly said as he began pedaling, smiling the entire time. Later, he called it “my little kickoff for the Tour de T.O. Comeback…I’m just trying to have fun, trying to make the most of pedaling on that bike every day,” said Owens, who missed his 11th straight practice. “It gets boring. So it’s something to get my mind off it.”

How about getting your mind off of food production? On T.O.s website, he is selling bags of “exotic” popcorn for $34. Exotic flavors include Amaretto, Kahlua, Blackberry Brandy, Cotton Candy, Banana, Pina Colada and Jersey Sweat. You can also purchase T.O. wristbands, a No. 81 Cowboys throwback jersey and yes, your own plastic T.O. cups. (Drinking cups that it) Owens’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said, “The Cowboys are brilliant when it comes to marketing their brand. Terrell will be able to help himself in that capacity.” True dat Drew, but only when he takes his shirt off.

TWO DAYS AND COUNTING….until D&D answer your questions….Email us your best: delinda@athlebrities.com OR debbie@athlebrities.com

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

While watching a training camp report on the hot, bulky San Diego Chargers, I fell off my sofa and landed on my knees while they were interviewing linebacker Steve Foley. Number 53, 6’4”, 265 pounds of yummy. I don’t care about his injuries, stats, past DUI’s, or marital status. When Foley was asked about the rigors of training camp, he gave perhaps the sexiest and most eloquent tease to ever come out of a hotties mouth: “The worse part about all this though man is those hotel beds, you up in the morning pretty stiff, and then you have to hit the hot tub, and you know, sit back and relax in the hot tub, kinda loosen up in the hot tub…” One question: Where the hell is this hot tub?

DAVID BECKHAM
So David Beckham and his squad of Real Madrid hotties played to a 1-1 draw in an international friendly with D.C. United in Seattle. Scores of adoring young face-painters turned out to cheer for the hottest Athlebrity alive. This is all fine and dandy. But a much more disturbing story surrounding Becks, has caught my attention, and very well could knock him off my blog permanently.

Reports are flooding in that (oh god no) Tom Cruise has invited Becks and his anorexic wife to visit the aloof Baby Suri. (insert fingers down throat). And the “visit” comes with a list of how to behave around the baby. A source told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper: “David and Victoria are honored that Tom and Katie have asked them along. (major Mensa points lost for Beckham). “However they were a little shocked by the list of rules they’ll have to follow. Apparently they can’t take any photographic equipment, they’re banned from touching Suri and they’re not allowed to do any baby-talk around her because Scientology does not allow cooing over babies as they think it may effect their development.” Baby Suri Hubbard was unavailable for comment.

THAT’S CAPTAIN JOHN TERRY TO YOU

In the absence of David Beckham and his loss of Mensa points, coach Steve McClaren has made a stellar choice to fill the position of England’s Captain. Mr. John Terry. “Choosing a captain is one of the most important decisions a coach has to make,” McClaren said. “I’m certain I’ve got the right man in John Terry. (hell ya!) I’m convinced he will prove to be one of the best captains England has ever had.” Ditto that McClaren. Terry has been Chelsea captain since 2003, and led the Blues to back-to-back Premier League titles. “It is the ultimate honor to be the captain of your country and I am very proud to be given this great opportunity,” Terry said. In March 2006, Oliver Derbyshire penned Terry’s biography, titled “Captain Marvel.” Indeed.

Aside from gathering red-cards quicker than I collect sporn photos, another British Athlebrity is making news, that spitfire of a bulldog, Wayne Rooney. The beast has just released his biography “My Life So far” at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester England. Rooney is only 20-years old so what could he possibly write about? Pint drinking contests? The price of prostitutes? Anger management classes? The thing that caught my attention is that in the book, Rooney discusses his role in the 2006 World Cup. Didn’t he play for about ten seconds? Does he discuss his over-hyped injury prior to the Cup? And seeing as we’re fresh off the heels of the WC, how could he have possibly written anything other than “it was fun.” Sorry little man, ain’t buying this one.

BARRY BATS AND BALLS
In an effort to promote his exotic car dealership, Marc Chase, the winner bidder of Barry’s 715th home-run ball, is holding a press conference today at Lamborghini Las Vegas. Mr. Chase has disguised his self-promotion as an effort “to bring the ball back to the community that helped give him the opportunity to purchase the historic item.”

Barry’s bats in shortage? In S.F., Henry Schulman must have been in dire need of a story. He reported that Barry Bonds is “running out of this year’s shipment” of bats, as he puts each bat he hits a home run with in his memorabilia collection. Bonds has been using Louisville Slugger bats during some at-bats because he is “afraid of running through his supply before another shipment arrives.” Um, okay…
.
NO MORE RHINESTONES FOR THIS COWBOY

The afterlife of professional athletes can be painful to watch. After witnessing Randy Moss make smoothies for his Inta Juice franchise, I’m afraid we’re about to see Karl Malone flipping burgers. Mr. Malone has officially closed on a future Huddle House site in his home state of Louisiana. The full service “family restaurant” is projected to open sometime before the end of 2006.

A TRIBE CALLED COOL

2K Sports publishes all kinds of interactive video games, from baseball to hockey. In mid January MLB cover boy Derek Jeter and Red Sox nugget Josh Beckett shot the TV commercial for MLB 2K6. If giving us two of the hottest Athlebrities alive, at the same time wasn’t enough, 2K Sports has given us something else. The reuniting of legendary hip-hop-hotties A Tribe Called Quest. Tribe will headline the first leg of the 2nd Annual 2K Sports Bounce Tour in 15 cities. “I’m excited for me and my group to be a part of the 2K Sports Bounce Tour,” said Phife from ATCQ. “It’s a win-win situation for Tribe because we get to be a part of such a dope game, and we get to reach out and touch our fans in these 15 cities. I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. Also, I’m excited because everyone knows I am a sports nut, so being down with the game and also being a character in the game is crazy to me.” Me too Phife! For tour dates go to www.2ksports.com.

I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN
Round one of the PGA International is underway at Castle Pines in Colorado. Our sexy Lindeberg beast, Camilo Villegas, is currently crawling his way around the greens, and tomorrow I will give you a delicious report on all his movement. PGA.com reports that “Villegas probably needs a win to claim Rookie of the Year honors, and this is an excellent opportunity. The scoring format caters to his aggressive style (eagles are worth five points), producing more leader board volatility than usual and, at least theoretically, alleviating some of the pressure on the kid if he’s in contention down the stretch.” For a full report on the tournement, go to www.pga.com.

TOUR FOR THE CURE

Gotta give props to filmmaker Cass Sapir and his brother Tim. So far, the two have raised more than $36k for the Jimmy Fund by raffling off autographed bats, balls, bobbleheads, jerseys, T-shirts and hats. These lucky, and smart, brothers are on a five-month, 189-stop trip to all U.S. MLB and minor league ballparks. Their gig? The Tour for the Cure to raise money for cancer research. Check out their website and open your wallets for a good cause. www.tourforthecure.org.

THREE DAYS AND COUNTING….until D&D answer your questions….Email us your best: delinda@athlebrities.com OR debbie@athlebrities.com

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

YES!

Spanish delicacy Rafael Nadal played his first match since the Wimbledon final and spanked Nicolas Massu outta the Rogers (Rafis) Cup. “I played a normal match, a simple match, it’s very good for my confidence after a month off,” Nadal said. Indeed. It’s also good for our photo collections, libidos, and pa-leeze beat Roger prayers. I’ve never said this about an Athlebrity before, but damn, even Rafi’s feet are hot!

Speaking of the oh-so-arrogant one…of course he won his first match, and he did it on his 25th birthday.

GET REAL

Saturday evening, those of you in the Salt Lake area should already have your tickets to THE game. Real Salt Lake will take on the hot-hot-hotties of Real Madrid in an exhibition game. And yes, a handful of tickets remain available for the game, although I don’t know why. Hello, the game is serving-up a Beckham-Cannavaro sandwich and there are still tickets available? Shame on you Salt Lake.

LUSCIOUS LUCA TONI

The last few weeks have been riddled with speculation that one of Italy’s finest men wanted out. Thankfully, Luca Toni announced that he would remain with team Fiorentina. Lovely Luca was the Series A’s top scorer in 2005-2006 with 31 goals, and led Fiorentina to a 4th-place finish and spot in the Champions League during his first year with the club. He also finished among the top ten on the finest Athlebrities alive list.

CARMELTED OUT

The hot USA ballers beat the Brazilian National team 90-86 yesterday, but not without incident. Carmelt-in-my-mouth-Anthony suffered a knee injury during the game. “All initial reports were that it was a mild hyperextension,” Nuggets athletic trainer Jim Gillen said. “There was no structural damage. He is day to day. (It’s) good news.” Don’t worry Melo, Mama’s coming to rub you down.

CASH MONEY DONATION
This made me laugh. One of the largest record companies around is Cash Money. The company is run by Ronald “Slim” Williams and his brother Bryan “Birdman” Williams. Both have enough money to rebuild New Orleans and feed a third-world country for the next ten years. In an effort to give back, they are donating a whopping $3000 on behalf of their charity Cash Money For Kids to the Morningside Park Soccer Program in Miami. “We always believe in giving back to the community, and we want to make sure the kids have recreational outlets that may help them stay out of trouble,” said Slim. Birdman said, “It’s important for young kids to be able to play safe and have fun. Hopefully this will help the children of Morningside Park enjoy their day a little more.”

Why did this make me laugh? The above photo was taken by yours truly while riding around Miami in the back of “Baby’s” Maybach. Maybach’s cost upwards of $400,000. And this was just one of the many rides available from their fleet. My chuckles continue, because recently Baby had his $250k “grill” upgraded to a sparkling new one at the cost of $500k. Great job on helping the “kids” with your donation boys. If I remember correctly, wasn’t our bar tab around $3k for all that Cristal?

Perhaps the Cash Money crew can learn a lesson from David Einhorn? Einhorn is a 37-year-old hedge fund manager from N.Y. who finished 18th in the main event of the World Series of Poker. And, he is going to donate his $659,730 in winnings to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for the study of Parkinson’s disease. I guess “athletes” are more genourous than rappers?

HEY DADDY, WANT ANOTHER?

St. Louis Rams’ Jimmy Kennedy, left, visits with his 2-month-old son, Devan, while sexy Washington Redskins kicker John Hall, right, gives his son Brady a drink of Gatorade. I got your Gatorade right here daddy…

Mad love to all you sporno loving, Athlebrity worshipping readers who have sent in questions for Sundays inaugural ask D&D column. Debbie has been my wing girl for years. We’ve got stories to tell and questions to answer. We’re about finding the hottest male athletes alive. We meet them, touch them, diagnose them, rate them and lick their salty bodies. And make no mistake, we are by no means ‘goupies.’ The Greeks invented the Olympics to celebrate the beauty of male athletes, and that’s all we are: modern day Greeks…so bring it on people! Email us your best: delinda@athlebrities.com OR debbie@athlebrities.com

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda

BALLERS WITH BIG HEARTS
Last week, Houston Rocket Tracy McGrady held his charity softball event in Houston Texas. As with most Athlebrities and their foundations, T-Mac’s focus is to have a positive influence on children. His foundation supplies gifts for needy children, and is making efforts to develop and lease affordable housing for those less fortunate.

It’s fair to say T-Mac’s event was successful. The beneficiary of the event, the Betsy Ross Elementary School received a check for $150,000. There were several “shocking” incidents during the event. Firstly, Rockets forward Chuck Hayes was sitting next to a water cooler in the dugout when he received an electric shock. Not actually sure how this happened, but Hayes was rushed to the hospital and released with no injuries.

The second shocking incident? As we see the big-boys of the NFL dropping like flies during this heat wave, the NBA hotties are holding their own. No ice buckets or heat exhaustion here, just a little courtesy. As displayed by Damon Jones of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who brought Laker Sam Cassell a glass of water during the charity event (R) and T-Mac’s daughter who fed daddy some ice-cream.

NAVIGATE ME PLEASE!

Dwyane Wade and his luscious lips are featured in one of four new ads for the ’07 Lincoln Navigator. The ad shows Wade driving the redesigned SUV through an urban section of town when he sees a makeshift basketball court with children looking up at a broken hoop. Wade steps out of the car and calls the kids over to help pull out a new basketball hoop and basketballs for everyone. Wade then pulls a bike out of the car and throws the keys of the car to the coach and says, “My dream is to leave the world better than I found it.” Damn baby-boy, you did that the day you were born…look for the ad’s later this year and online at www.lincoln.com/extras/tvads.asp.

FLOYD LANDIS
While most of the world has already crucified Floyd Landis and labeled him a cheater, I was beginning to think I was the only one, aside from my mother, who stood by Landis and his innocence. Thankfully, I am not. OLN cycling analyst Phil Liggett “still believes Landis did not cheat and called for the French lab conducting the test to be decertified by the [UCI] for repeated violations of confidentiality protocol.” Liggett, citing leaks to French newspaper L’Equipe around Landis and Lance Armstrong, said, “The lab has proven it’s very unethical in the way it does its testing.” THANK YOU Phil Liggett for swimming upstream with me on this. Landis, in his first interview since a second test, said he has been treated unfairly and can’t properly defend himself against the accusations. “There’s some kind of agenda there. I just don’t know what it is,” he said. “I put in more than 20,000 kilometers of training for the Tour. I won the Tour of California, Paris-Nice and the Tour de Georgia,” Landis said. “I was tested eight times at the Tour de France, four times before that stage and three times after, including three blood tests. Only one came back positive. Nobody in their right mind would take testosterone just once. It doesn’t work that way.” Please people, weight the facts before joining the media lynch mob. He was tested 8 times during the Tour and the only test to come back “positive” stems from the most historic comeback stage of the race? Don’t you think all eyes were on him? When could he have taken them? Why didn’t anything show up in any of the other tests administered? And in his owns words, it doesn’t work that way. Pa-leeze, do your own research and form your own opinion, that’s all I ask.

HAPPY 50TH TIGER WOODS

Oh that Tiger has me purring…Woods spanked the greens at the Buick Open earning him his 50th PGA Title. As I desperately beg my Wondertwin powers to activate…form of…that cake, I give mad props to the classiest man in sports and his astonishing achievements. Woods finished the tournament at 24-under and also became the seventh, and youngest, member to win 50 PGA Tour events. I must also give some love to our kitty-kat Camilo Villegas who finished 17-under and tied for 11th. Pretty impressive since smoking hot Puma pin-up boy Geoff Ogilvy finished at 6-under tied for 60th.

ROGERS OR NADALS CUP?

Last years Rogers Cup winner, Raphael Nadal begins his third appearance at the event, which runs today through August 11th. Headlining the day tomorrow are Roger Federer who is set to take on Paul-Henri Mathieu, and our little Rafi who will face Nicolas Massu. Of course, the oh-so-arrogant Federer was under the impression that the event was named after him, because after all, he is the best. “I’ve had a nice, hot build-up,” Federer told reporters. “My holidays were nice and relaxing. I was surprised at how well I felt. (Of course you were) After the long clay season and then playing on the grass I didn’t feel tired. (Yawn) That was a great sign. I was ready to go to the beach after three days. (in a speedo?) Usually I can’t move for a week. I didn’t have to heal anything…I’ve had the best start of my career…I’ve played three grand slam finals and won two of them, losing to only one player.”

And we all now who that one humble player is…Our sexy Spanish beast spent some time off and even hit up Euro-Disney with his family. “I didn’t miss tennis, I don’t need it all the time,” Nadal told reporters. “I have played a lot in the last months. I was a little tired and had problems with a hand. I needed to stop. After one month away, I’m ready to begin a new season. It’s tough to get the rhythm back quickly, but I will try my best.” Rafi, I’d be more than happy to help you get your rhythm back. Just pa-leeze spank the hell outta Roger and let’s rename the event the Rafi-Cup. By the way, these drool worthy images were taken during his Nike photo shoot and many more are available on Rafi’s website…

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” - Sun Tzu

Remember, our ask D&D column begins Sunday. Keep your hottie questions coming…Delinda@athlebrities, or Debbie@athlebrities.com.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda