GRAND SLAM AGASSI
Saturday evening, Andre Agassi held his yearly Grand Slam for Children event to benefit at-risk kids in Southern Nevada. I can’t imagine there are any kids left ‘at-risk’ after the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation raised more than $8.6 million during the event. Held at the MGM Grand Arena, guests enjoyed performances from the Counting Crows and a special acoustic performance by John Mayer, among others. “Every year, I am overwhelmed by the tremendous support the Grand Slam for Children receives from the Las Vegas community, business partners and the entertainment industry,” Agassi said. “It is gratifying to know that 100 percent of the money we raised tonight will directly benefit children who require our assistance.”

The best part of the auction was when a bidding frenzy started for two Agassi rackets, the one he used to win his first tournament title and the racket he played with in his last match at the 2006 U.S. Open. But wife Steffi wasn’t going to let the rackets out of the family. She walked onstage, offered $360,000 to keep the rackets and that was the end of that. For more info, check out http://www.agassifoundation.org.

TENNIS HOTTIES

Rafael Nadal and fellow Spanish hottie Feliciano Lopez met with (yuck) Brazilian transvestite Ronaldinho Sunday on the eve of the Stockholm Open. I would have booked a room a year in advance, had I known that Brazil’s national team was staying at the same Stockholm hotel as the ATP hotties. Our Rafa loves his soccer and has said Real Madrid is his favorite, but he has a great deal of respect for Ronaldinho and the Brazilian team. I don’t. But I do have great respect for the yummiest tapa alive, who is working those stellar biceps on the court right now. BETTER THAN VODKA: Like sweet icing on a cake, the Kremlin Cup has also started. Mikhail Youzhny didn’t have enough juice to win his first match, but made me sweaty just thinking about it . Obviously, I have a newfound love for Russian exports. Aside from Youzhny, Marat Safin is driving my libido insane. Safin is currently slamming balls in Moscow for the Kremlin Cup, but prior to that, he had to crawl under a towel, lay face down, strip down, display his tattoo and tease the hell outta us with a oh-my-god-don’t-look-at-me-like-that-or-I-will-jump-you-photo.

THE BALL

The SBJ reports that before Sunday’s exhibition game in Paris between the Spurs and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, NBA Mensa reject Commissioner Stern “conceded for the first time that reverting to the old leather ball is a possibility if the rigorous testing he has just ordered validates the widespread complaints” about the new composite ball from Spalding. Stern: “Right now our plans are to stay the course, but we will monitor it and if we find there is something to it and it is a serious issue, we will take the appropriate steps because the most important thing to us is the game.” While some players have been quoted as saying ‘I hate that Ball,’ there are those who love the Him. PETA, for example, is celebrating the change to a non-leather ball by offering the chance to win two tickets to any NBA game and a new ball from Spalding. Love to PETA for their humane ways. Check out www.cowsarecool.com for your chance to win tickets.

ITS NOT JUST A BUILDING

From the outside, it doesn’t look like anything special, but inside the Coliseo De Puerto Rico arena, things are heating up. Not only are my Pistons happy to be back on the court, but we also got the Heat in da house!

The Heat hosted the Miami Heat Special Olympics clinic, where Dwyane Wade and James Posey spread the love, while I curse my inability to have an outer body experience and transport myself to the arena.

In Germany, members of the 76ers and Suns partook in a dedication for a NBA Cares Play Space at Kinder-und Jugendhaus Neubruck in Cologne.

A PLUS

Nick Swisher, Barry Zito, and Huston Street. Oakland A’s. Game one against the Tigers in the American League Championship Series today. Any questions?

LETS COMFORT LARRY FITZGERALD

AZ Hottie Larry Fitzgerald and his dreads are out for a few weeks due to a hamstring injury. “I was trying to crack back on a guy, and he just kind of moved out of the way at the last minute,” Fitzgerald said. “When I was lunging, he wasn’t there. I felt it pop on me.” I’ll pop all over you Larry, with a bottle of lotion and a fierce rubdown of your hamstring, we’ll get ya back on the field in no time.

FREE TOM BRADY FATHEAD
In the spirit of sharing, I’m giving away a Tom Brady Fathead. Yes, 100% free. If you are not familiar with these wall-mountable-life-sized edible shrines, check out www.fathead.com. Starting today, through October 31st, send me an email telling me what turns you on about this NFL hottie. I’m looking for that one special reader who can best describe why Tom Brady is worthy of our love, on & off the field. The winner may also have their “observations” published on my site. Now, write-away my hungry little sporn kats, and Tom Brady might just end up being mounted on your wall. (This promotion is not affiliated with Fathead…just me being nice)

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