RAFAEL NADAL BITES BACK

Rafael Nadal is hot, but when the beast bites back, he’s sexier beyond his years. Why? Because he is too nice and too friggen cute when he tries. After Czech player Tomas Berdych spanked our tapa in the quarterfinals at Madrid last week, he was taunted by the Spanish crowd and put a finger to his lips to try and silence them. Nadal told Berdych he shouldn’t have done it and was “a bad person.” (How cute is that?) Spanish fans then badgered Berdych during his semifinal loss. “It is better we don’t speak about that. Better to speak about Paris and the next tournament,” Nadal said. “Something happened on court, but let’s forget it. I don’t want to think about Berdych.” Nor do we. Instead, let’s focus on what went wrong. “I had a lot of matches in the first half of the season and my muscles were very tired,” Nadal said Tuesday after failing to contact me for a massage. Hopefully, Nadal is rested and those ‘muscles’ he speaks of are ready for next weeks Paris Masters. The defending champion of the tourney? Shhh, Tomas Berdych.

IAN POULTER GETS SPOONED

What I wouldn’t give to be in Spain right now. The Pro-Am Volvo Masters in Cadiz Spain to be precise. Why? Because sexy flash-kat Ian Poulter is in a playful mood. In need of some love, Poulter danced with DJ Spoony (Jonathan Joseph) on the 10th hole. The sexy Cobra endorsed hottie might also be the only one who can pull off those pants. (Actually, I’d be more than happy to, but I was referencing the style). And tomorrow, the 2006 Chrysler Championships begin in Florida. Athlebrities will closely follow all crawling by Camilo Villegas and each breath taking swing by Burberry babe Adam Scott.

DEPUTY SHAQ O’NEAL KNOCKS ON WRONG DOOR
I love Miami and it’s daily roster of madness. Adding to the entertainment value of the city is Deputy Shaq. We’ve all anxiously awaited his first big “bust”, and now that it’s happened, it might be safer to keep the big guy on the court. According to various reports, last month, Shaq was part of a botched raid in Bedford County where he’s a reserve deputy. In an attempt to catch a predator, an Internet crime police unit was sent out to search the house of an alleged child porn freak. Shaq and the unit “raided the house of a local farmer but the police had the “incorrect physical address.” O’Neal said, “it wasn’t me” when asked about the raid, but later made reference to “knocking down the wrong door.” A.J. Nuckols, the innocent farmer, said he’s filed formal complaints and wrote in a letter that he and his family were “scared beyond description.” The farmer described being “held at gunpoint, taunted and led into the house,” and said the home was ransacked by a “paramilitary search-and-seizure team” that took computers, cameras, DVDs and VHS tapes. (VHS tapes still around?) Oddly enough, Nuckols said that he didn’t specifically see the 7-foot-1, 325-pound Shaq Daddy in all the commotion.

DWAYNE WADE AND SPIKE LEE

Dwyane Wade is featured in a Q&A with Newsweek, and when asked why he signed with Converse, Wade said, “You get your pitches (from different athletic shoe companies). What I heard back, I didn’t like. I decided I was going to wait until the right thing came along. … I understood where Converse came from.” In addition, he gets to work with Spike Lee, who is directing the TV spots.

HOW’D THEY DO THAT

Soon, levitating will be against the NBA rules, so let’s enjoy it while we can. Working their magic are Celtics’ Rajon Rondo (L), 76ers Andre Iguodala (C) and Monte Ellis of the Golden State Warriors.

ROBERTO CLEMENTE AWARD

Each year, MLB awards the Roberto Clemente Award for on-field performance and community service. This year’s recipient, Carlos Delgado rightfully earned the award. Among other things, delicious Delgado donated $500,000 over the last five years to his child-focused Extra Bases foundation. With the Award, Delgado earns mega hot points

SEE HOW ALBERT PUJOLES LIVES

Hell yeah! The newest AT&T Home Turf webisodes features MVP Albert Pujoles. Check out the hottie in his home, meet his family, and learn all about his dedication to charity. You all know how much I love this campaign, especially since we have about two weeks until the See How Camilo Villegas Lives spot breaks. Check out http://blueroom.att.com/sports/home/index.php.

DUEL AT THE DOCKS
“Spectators will be amazed by these supermoto racers,” says Gavin Trippe, the original creator of supermoto in 1979. “In a single lap, they catch tremendous air over jumps, battle it out through banked dirt turns, then reach speeds of over 100 mph on a pavement straightaway. There’s something exciting happening during every second of every race.”

On the first weekend of November, Troy Lee’s “Duel At The Docks” supermoto race roars onto the Queen Mary pier. Hot racers from around the globe will compete in the U.S. championship final of the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) Supermoto series. The interesting part of this event is that it’s a first of its kind. It’s a hybrid event where racers compete on tracks that are part dirt, (motocross) and part pavement (road racing). The course layout includes a narrow tunnel, (a supermoto track first) and a 40-foot bridge that will catapult the hotties sky-high. The track borders the Long Beach Harbor waterfront, with the downtown city skyline and Queen Mary as the Backdrop. Hotties named to compete: Jeff Ward, Doug Henry, Mike Metzger, Ronnie Renner, Carey Hart, Johnny Murphree, Danny Eslick, Josh Hayes and Billy Hamill. For more info: www.troyleedesigns.com

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.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. So, 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