WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

What a quagmire. Be happy for James Blake at the expense of our Rafa’s loss? Or be ‘upset’ over the upset? Rafael Nadal and his biceps put up one hell of a fight against Blake, but ultimately super-fly Blake spanked our tapa 6-4, 7-6 in Shaghai. All hope is not lost for nimble Spaniard, as he can still qualify for the semifinals if he spanks the hell outta Davydenko and Robredo. I’m giddy with anticipation.

Oh god no…Andy Roddick has now lost to R-Fed in eight successive matches. As the Swiss machine celebrated his 4-6, 7-6, (10-8), 6-4, defeat over Mr. Mojo, I celebrated another Lick of the Racket Andy gave us. “I put myself in a position to win tonight, it’s tough right now … I felt like I was unlucky not to win that one,” Roddick said. A-Rod next faces Nalbandian in his last round robin match.

ADAM SCOTT

Burberry babe Adam Scott is currently ranked number four in the golf world, and with good reason. The beast had his best year ever on the PGA circuit and is favored to win the Australian Open, which takes place November 16-19th.

HELL YES

Freddie Ljungberg. His name alone sends my libido into summersaults and creates visions of Calvin Klein underwear dancing though my head. The hottest sporn-friendly soccer stud (Arsenal and Sweden) won the Swedish Footballer of the Year trophy “The Golden Ball” at the annual football gala in Stockholm yesterday. Golden Ball indeed.

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Dominican shortstop Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins won the NL Rookie of the Year award yesterday and gave us some yummy ‘celebration’ photos taken at his home in the MLB hotties breeding ground of the Dominican Republic. Hanley is precious as he kisses his son, but more importantly, who is the fine dude on the far right? I just hope he’s drinking the same water as Hanley.

THE BECKHAM RULE

So, for those of you needing an explanation of the Beckham Rule it goes something like this. MLS teams can add international hotties, like David Beckham, Luis Figo, or any of our Italian treats, to their rosters next year. The three-year initiative will allow teams to sign up to two designated players without exceeding the salary cap. Currently the cap is set at $1.9M, but it is expected to rise to $2.4M in ’07. The league, which pays all players’ salaries out of a central fund, will pay $400,000 of a designated player’s salary and count that portion against the cap, leaving owners to pick up anything beyond that amount. Blah, blah, blah…just bring on the Italian imports and I’ll pay the tariff.

YOU MUST BE JOKING

Mike Ditka has partnered with the Mendocino Wine Company to produce wines. The football Hall of Famer has developed five wines under three labels and by doing so, solidified his foothold in the Mensa reject category. Ditka has created (and I’m not making this up) bottles of Mike Ditka Kick Ass Red, Mike Ditka Chardonnay & Cabernet Sauvignon and Ditka’s “Da Coach” Pinot Grigio and Merlot. All three labels feature a simple caricature of “Da Coach.” And are perfect for smashing over some ones head when your team loses to the Bears again this season. If ya gotta get some: www.MendocinoWineCo.com or MikeDitkaWines.com. Speaking of the Bears, what the ba-jesus is going on with Rex Grossman? The Bears Quarterback will participate, with fans, in the first snowball throw of the year. But wait, its gets worse…the event is to celebrate the return of Starbucks holiday beverages. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Idiots will have the opportunity to throw snowballs through wreath targets, housed in a three-dimensional holiday-themed backdrop, with finalists earning a chance to go one-on-one in a “snowball throwing” contest with Grossman. I like the idea of a one-on-one with the hottie, but mine doesn’t include snowballs or Starbucks.

OH BY GEORGE, IT’S ABOUT TIME

Don’t ya just love George Foreman. The big, happy, pitch man, puncher, family man, rancher and preacher is gearing up for the shooting of TV Land’s newest reality show featuring the beast called “Family Foreman.” Perhaps this show will explore the differences between his children: George Jr, George the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and his daughters Michi, Freeda George, Georgetta, Natalie, and Leola. In any case, I can’t wait to see the product placements on this show.

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