SANTA WADE

You can’t say Dwyane Wade, or his wife, Siohvaughn are selfish. In fact, they are just the opposite. Instead of showering each other with marvelous gifts, Wade and Siovaughn chose to brighten up the lives of those in need. In fact, they have been doing so for the last several years. “People like us ‘get’ all the time,” Siohvaughn Wade says. “Constantly getting, constantly buying stuff, always getting something for free. So for the last three or four years, we haven’t done the thing where we set a bunch of presents under a tree. We don’t feel like there’s a need anymore. Now, to be honest, we just give.” According to various reports, Wade donated more than 100 pairs of Converse shoes and clothing to the New Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church in southwest Chicago. In fact, Wade has sent shoes everywhere- to soldiers in Iraq to the Gulf Coast Katrina victims. “It’s about giving. That’s what Christmas means to me more so than anything,” Wade says. “It’s not just giving presents, giving certain gifts. It’s about giving what you can. For me and my family, it’s about giving love, about giving cheers, about giving joy, putting smiles on kids’ faces because they’re the future. Hopefully, when they get older, they’ll pass it on and it’ll keep going down the line.”

TIGER WOODS: AP MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

It was a close race, but Tiger Woods has prevailed. Tiger spanked LaDainian Tomlinson, Roger Federer (take that Roger!) and Lance Armstrong (sans McConaughey) to earn his 4th AP Male Athlete of the Year Award. With it, Tiger has tied the record set by Lance Armstrong, who won the last four years. In a startling twist, Tiger was actually surprised that R-Fed didn’t win. “What he’s done in tennis, I think, is far greater than what I’ve done in golf,” Wrong! Sorry Tiger, ya gotta have class to win these things, or at least have an ounce of humility. Clearly something I feel Federer lacks.

AS YOU WISH

And speaking of R-Fed…”Motivation is never a problem and won’t be a problem for the next few years.” Of course it won’t Roger…the Swiss beast may have inspired a few kids during his first gig as the UNICEF goodwill ambassador. On Saturday, Federer took a 2-day trip to the tsunami-hit region of southern India. More than 18,000 people in the area, mostly children, were killed or reported missing by the tsunami on December 26, 2004. “I have spent a lot of time with the children and I think I now know each of them by their first name,” Federer said on Friday. “Children are our future, and for that reason I have tried to inspire them.” Come on Roger, I’m all for the inspiration, but seriously, I’ve been to India and there is NO way you know each child by name unless there are only two kids left in the village.

TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH KOBE BRYANT

Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald recently held a Q&A with Mr. Primadona himself, Kobe Bryant. The oh-so-insightful session produced answers to such burning questions as “What’s the greatest perk involved with being Kobe Bryan?” and “ Something you believe in that very few people do?” His highness believes that the greatest perk about being himself is: “Access. To people. To things. If I want to buy something, it just takes a couple of calls and I get a great deal. I’m looking into buying a helicopter, for example. It’s going to eliminate traffic. It’ll take me only 15 minutes to get to games.” Kobe also believes in “Extraterrestrial activities. I believe in UFOs. I’m not a UFO nut, but I believe in life on other planets.”

NIKE CHALLENGE PITS SHARAPOVA AGAINST LEBRON JAMES
Nike is trying to get everyone off their asses next year by directing them to www.NikePlus.com. The site will post and document unsuccessful NY resolutions attempts. Visitors to the site can watch runners who did not live up to their challenges bob for lobsters, have their nose hairs plucked and be duct-taped to a bucking mechanical bull named Helga. Beginning today, runners can issue challenges to themselves and to their friends. After January 31st, Nike will begin posting the consequences of those unaccomplished challenges on the site as shared by the runners themselves.

But the most publicized challenge will come from tennis cutie and mojo killer Maria Sharapova who will direct her challenge to King LeBron James. The challenge is currently on the site and aired on TV yesterday. Maria’s challenge is simple. She will run more miles than LeBron in January. If she falls short, she will leave the tennis court for the basketball court and serve as LeBron’s personal water girl at a game of his choice. If Maria outruns LeBron in January, then he must downsize from basketballs to tennis balls and act as a ball boy during a match of Maria’s choice. LOVE IT!

OH GOD NO
At first glance, Johnny Damon is hot. The problem is when he’s off the field, his personality makes me cringe. Suggesting that in fact Damon’s brain is the size of a pea, it was recently announced that Global Gaming League (GGL), MLBAM and Boras Marketing have entered into a joint venture to form the Professional Baseball Video Game League, in which MLBers will play online against each other and fans. And guess who will serve as the league’s commissioner for the first season? Caveman Johnny. Other downgraded hotties participating include Josh Barfield (why Josh, why?), Prince Fielder, Derek Lowe and Mensa reject Julian Tavarez, among others.

I HAD A DREAM

I stole a screencap from my dream last night…

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