FULL MOON FRIDAY

I say goddamn! My libido has missed Rafael Nadal, especially when he does THAT! The sexy beast got down, dirty and flexed those arms while roaring in celebration of beating some not-hot Italian dude at the Davis Cup. And with that, Rafael Nadal has officially replaced David Beckham as the reigning god in the church of Athlebritology.

David Nalbandian beat super stud Mark Philippoussis and gave us a good reason to stand behind our ‘we pick ‘em cuz they’re hot’ attitude. Watching the match, was my all time favorite Athlebrity gone crazy, Diego Maradona.

The US Davis Cup team took another tough loss as James Blake was defeated by (hate to say it) that sexy Russian spitfire Mikhail Youzhny. You all know I got nothing but love for James Blake, but let’s be honest here for a second. Youzhny is not only an outstanding and worthy opponent on the court, but he is also one of the freshest and most enticing men off the court. He is what bringing ‘sexy back’ is all about.

And just when we thought we were back on track with Andy Roddick and his mojo, we get derailed again. Marat Safin and his scary facial hair spanked Andy 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.

THE WILLOW FOUNDATION
The Willow Foundation is a UK based national charity dedicated to improving the quality of life of seriously ill adults through the provision of special days. The special days give those who are ill time to spend with family and friends. They pay for everything from transportation to food-in essence; they are making the world a better place. Today the foundation is proud to have been nominated as Arsenal Football Club’s Charity of the Year. Speaking at the launch Arsenal Captain, Thierry Henry: “It was great to meet special day recipients and representatives from the Willow Foundation today. It really helps the players understand the charity and puts the partnership into context. We look forward to working with the charity during a very exciting time for the Club. I hope supporters will welcome the Willow Foundation and show the same enthusiasm they had for our previous charity partners.” Oh we will…especially if we get to see more events like the Art Initiative?

During the launch, Thierry Henry kicked painted soccer balls onto a canvas and created a piece of art almost as hot as himself. The Willow Foundation are inviting 50 athlebrities to create pieces of art for their Art Initiative which will be auctioned off to raise money for the charity. For more info and upcoming hottie-created artwork check out their website at www.willowfoundation.org.

VERSUS WHAT?
If you are looking for OLN, watch out, they will officially change its name to Versus on Monday. The name change brings about some interesting new programming as well. Over the next ten weeks, OLN Versus will run a series of profiles called Soul of a Champion. On Sunday, Versus will premiere the series in a 60-minute special. Watch the show in its regular time slot starting next Tuesday at 10:00 pm ET. Hotties who got Soul include Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (airdate 9/26); Mariano Rivera (10/10); Tom Brady (10/31) and Jeff Gordon (11/14)

BUY PAPI’S BALL

Starting today, big, sexy, edible Red Sox beast David Ortiz is auctioning off home run ball number 50 at www.redsox.com. The bidding closes at 7PM next Tuesday. And of course, proceeds from his ball will benefit several charities-the Boys and Girls Club of America, and the Plaza de la Salud Hospital de Niños, in Ortiz’s hometown of Santo Domingo.

COCO CRISP GETS A HOOD

HP Hood, a dairy products company, announced today that it has signed edible treat Coco Crisp to serve as a spokesman. “Living in Boston and playing at Fenway, it was clear to me that Hood plays a big role in the lives of our fans and their communities,” said Crisp. “I really appreciate how much Hood has done to support children’s hospitals in New England. I’m excited to go to bat for Hood.” I’m sure Coco is delicious when served with some ice cold milk poured over him…

HOT ROCKETS SHANE BATTIER & TRACY MCGRADY

Shane Battier, the newest slab of fresh meat on the Houston Rockets, had his feet imprinted during an endorsement ceremony with a Chinese shoe company, in Beijing. Beastly Battier has inked a deal to wear a Chinese basketball shoe during the upcoming NBA season. And when the Adidas Sports Performance Center opened in Hong Kong last month, Tracy McSpankme Grady was on hand to kick off the celebration.

RUGBY BURNS

Now this is what I’m talking ‘bout. It’s called a Tip-Off. It’s when you, one of my readers sends me an email plea for coverage of a hottie who has skillfully dodged my libido. And today’s tip-off comes from Jill, an astute reader with a trained eye. Let’s put our hands together for Jill, and for Mr. Ben Cohen, perhaps the hottest creature to sell the sport of Rugby.

Cohen, who plays for the Northampton Saints (UK) not only feeds our needs with sexy photos, but he also teases us with his endorsements. One such extraordinary tease comes in the form of his hot tub. The Spaform Anniversery Spa is, as we speak, heating up in the beasts backyard. The ‘semi-sunken in custom built decking, covered with an ornamental wooden gazebo-style hood’ is perfect for an Athlebrity who schedules three training sessions a day to keep that body in fantastic form. “I would recommend any sportsman to get a hot tub because it is all about relaxing the muscles and getting the weight off in soothing warm water.” I’m sold, but right now, I need some cold water…

DAVID BECKHAM DETHRONED
I said it once, and I’ll say it again, section 2, paragraph 5 of D&D’s Hot List requirements specifically ban any hottie from “being linked to baby Suri in any way, shape, or form.” I have done my best to turn a blind eye and give David Beckham every opportunity to re-gain his appeal. However, he has been dethroned as the God in the church of Athlebritology and replaced by our little Rafa. Why? Because word on the street is that Katie-Hubbard Holmes is allegedly going to play Victoria Beckham is an upcoming film about Becks. Tom isnt gonna play Beckham because of their “marked physical differences.” An “insider” says: “Tom has a brilliant grasp of what the public want to see (LOL) and thought David’s story was wonderful. A football star emerges from humble origins, there’s drama within the matches and romance in his love affair with Victoria at the height of her pop star fame.” Insert finger down throat now.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda
delinda@athlebrities.com