VAMOS ALREADY
Don’t worry; I would never turn my back on our favorite Spanish import. After a stellar win at Indian Wells, Rafael Nadal is again battling that nagging foot injury. The injury resulted in an early exit at the Sony Open, and Rafa has pulled outta the upcoming Davis Cup in Spain. On numerous occasions, I’ve offered to help heal Rafa’s injury via an intense foot massage, a hot tub and a bottle of wine, but alas, my Rafa hasn’t called. He’s too busy giving us fantastic interviews, no? If I cant have his game, I’ll settle for his accent any day.

Here’s a portion of the March 28th interview: Q. Do you think your level was as good as the final of Indian Wells? RAFAEL NADAL: What? Q. Do you think your playing level, your standards was as high as when you played in the final of Indian Wells? RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I said to you before. Yeah, but sure, no? But he played very good. He is a very good player, so congratulate him. That’s it, no? Trying to continue to improve into one of the top players. Q. How does your foot feel? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I am fine, no? Not the day for say something about the foot, no? When you lose always you can say well, now I have pain. I say it before last days I have some pain in the foot, but I won Indian Wells with the same pain, no? So that’s not an excuse for the lose of today. Q. What are your plans now? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, go back to Mallorca. It is a good plan. (Guess Im going to Mallorca instead of the Ivory Coast now.)

COOL KICKS FROM PUMA

Two of the hottest babes on the greens, Puma Golf endorsers Geoff Ogilvy and Johan Edfors (R), will tee off at The Masters next Thursday wearing gold golf shoes. Only one thousand pairs of the limited edition Concorde Gold model will be available ($200) at Puma stores and specialty golf stores nationwide. The concept for a gold-colored shoe was inspired by recent fashion trends, which are pushing metallics on the runway this Spring, said Puma Golf Business Unit Manager Bob Philion. Philion: “We wanted to bring something that’s exploding in the fashion world and apply it to golf.” This marks the first time Puma has taken a shoe to market that was created specifically for a golfer, but Philion added, “It won’t be the last.” Thank god for that. Thanks to Puma for finally grasping the fact that we are paying attention the garb worn by our beasts.

LAN CHO
Yesterday, the NBA announced that the Magic and Cavaliers will participate in October’s NBA China Games. In Akron, Brian Windhorst writes the visit is “directly tied to LeBron James and his efforts to grow his name in China leading up to the Beijing Olympics.” James has visited China each of the last two summers, and Nike has produced special Chinese-only versions of James’ signature show and special ads for the market. James, whose jersey is the fifth-best seller among NBA players in China, said, “When it comes to business and basketball, you have to think global.” That’s another really interesting quote from LeBron, ‘think global’. James won’t confront the alleged sweatshops conditions in China used by Nike, yet he continues to be one of the most popular NBA players in China. So why aren’t the natives upset and why are they buying his gear? Don’t get me wrong, I love my Nikes, but it seems that James could step up his profile if he just showed an ounce of compassion for the people who assemble his shoes, or simply stopped ripping on Marbury or Wallace for helping produce affordable kicks.

“LeBron is really venturing into dangerous territory because you don’t want to come off as this haughty, arrogant, corporate guy” – Jay Mariotti, on LeBron James saying Stephon Marbury’s Starbury One shoe is inferior to his more expensive Nike shoe (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 3/29). Too bad for Lebron he’s way passed coming off as haughty or arrogant. Rubbing his fine-fro in the face of high priced kicks, Big Ben Wallace sported a pair of Starbury’s during the Bulls-Pistons game last night. The Bulls, Big Ben, and the Starbury shoes won 83-81.

DAVID BECKHAMS HAIR
Most of you don’t believe me when I say anytime David Beckham or Posh inhale it makes international headlines. So for all you soon-to-be-burned-out-on-Beckham newbies, the headlines today revealed that David Beckham and the waif got new haircuts.

I think I threw up a little when I read this blurb from the website ANI, which proves that the Beckham obsession continues to snowball. “The couple arrived at the Sport Industry Awards in London with seemingly matching hairdos. While Posh was seen with a stylish blonde bob, short at the back with a long choppy fringe, her husband had a toned-down version with highlights. (vomit yet?) The pair also wore matching his and her black outfits for the event. Victoria looked stunning in a simple black dress that showed off her skinny frame and golden tan and posed coyly for the cameras. (how about now?) While her husband, the wealthiest footballer in the world, was also decked out in a complimentary black suit and half-hearted cravat. Earlier this month, Victoria’s hairdresser Ben Cooke flew out to Los Angeles to create her new slick bob. But it is thought the latest blonde look was due to pressure from new friend Jennifer Lopez.” And that’s enough of that, I can’t take it anymore.

GET THERE
Obviously, I’m not following NCAA babes, but I did come across this wicked promotion. In conjunction with the Final Four, four students representing their schools will compete in the Goodyear “Get There” Blimp Shot Contest taking place today. Goodyear will give each student a chance to shoot a regulation-size basketball at a 100-foot hoop target, while flying 500 feet over it in the Goodyear Blimp. Anyone who makes the shot will win the Goodyear “Get There” grand prize package: travel, accommodations and tickets for two to attend one of the sporting events where the Goodyear blimp will be over the next year. Sounds like they need to come up with a better grand prize for making the worlds longest basketball shot? If no one makes the shot the first time, each will be given a second try.

FORBES EVALUATES SOCCER HOTTIES
Forbes Magazine has concluded a survey of our libidos and delivered some sporntastic results. Forbes lists Manchester United as the most valuable team in the soccer world, estimated to be worth around $1.453 billion dollars. Real Madrid is ranked second, Arsenal is third. The top ten most valuable teams list is rounded off with Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Chelsea, FC Barcelona and Schalke.

More importantly, David Beckham isn’t at the top of the pay scale. Ronaldinho is officially the highest-earning player. The Brazilian beast is worth $29.5 million, with Beckham at $29.1 million. And furthering my libido tickle, the top ten earning hotties after Ronaldinho and Becks are: Ronaldo (AC Milan), Wayne Rooney (Man- U), Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Zinedine Zidane (retired), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), John Terry (Chelsea), and Steven Gerrard (Liverpool).

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

THE VELVET BEAST

Michael Phelps. Nothing can stop this wet beast from winning gold. Perhaps establishing himself as one of the best athletes ever, Phelps set his third world record in three days. Not bad for a guy who now has 14 world championships under his Speedo. “I went out there and went after it,” he said. “Why stop something that works?” Indeed. And let’s hope he doesn’t stop soon. Phelps is 4-for-4 so far in his pursuit of eight gold medals. He still has the 100 butterfly, 400 individual medley and likely spots on the 400 medley and 800 free relays. “I’m on that track, yes, but I’m only halfway done,” he said.

DAVID BECKHAM

I was laughing my ass off at this little blurb I came across. Becks recently launched his latest line of sportswear for adidas. Fine and dandy…until I read that he wore a “beanie hat pulled low on his head, long baggy shorts and a sleeveless basket ball top.” Now get this, Becks considers himself a gangsta. He said: “It’s hip hop inspired- loose, baggy and comfortable. These are the styles that I wear day in, day out. I hope people like the range as much as I do.” Hip-hop inspired? Not sure I’ve ever seen a hip-hop inspired daisy-duke outfit before, but maybe the sneakers added the extra hip-hop flair in this old photo-shoot of Beckham? Beckham is also trying to create a “healthier generation” by teaming up with Findus. The company’s new MEGAO3 Omega-3 supplement is joining forces with The David Beckham Academy to help improve the nation’s nutritional knowledge. You can get the goods on-line at http://www.megaO3.com.

DRESSING THE TIGER
In 1997, Tiger Woods won his first Masters. To celebrate the anniversary, Nike Golf is introducing Tiger Woods Limited Edition kicks. The line includes four different styles, one for each of the four majors this season. A special “TW 10” logo is etched on the heel, and a Tiger Woods Foundation logo appears inside the spike. Woods will wear the first pair (white/dark army) at The Masters beginning next Thursday. (The shoe hits retail this Sunday.) He will sport a carmel/bronze-colored spike at the U.S. Open (retail June 1), black/varsity crimson at the British Open (retail July 1) and white/black-dusty red at the PGA Championship (retail August 1). As part of the promotion, Nike Golf is offering an online giveaway of four pairs of Woods-autographed shoes, one pair for each major. https://www.nike.com/nikegolf/index.htm

Our yearly ‘what will Tiger be wearing at the Masters’ list has been revealed. The Nike shirts he’ll wear at The Masters are available at retail for $70-80. And belive it or not, the shirts he’s going to wear at the US Open have also been selected.

EDS BYRON NELSON GETS A CHOPPER
Let’s all give a round of applause for the studs at Orange County Choppers. The beasts of bikes have announced that EDS will award a custom built chopper to the winner of the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, and will also auction off a second chopper for charity. The first place prize chopper, a PGA TOUR first, will be awarded in addition to the $1.134 million winner’s share of the tournament’s purse. The 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship is set for April 26-29 at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas.

“This breaks new ground in terms of enhancing what already is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the PGA TOUR,” said Ron Rittenmeyer, president and chief operating officer of EDS. “The prize motorcycle will be sought after by the players, and the proceeds from the online auction of the second chopper will help the EDS Byron Nelson Championship reach its $100 million milestone in charitable giving, more than any other event on the PGA TOUR. By auctioning this chopper for charity, we are helping Byron’s work for the kids continue.”
The motorcycle design includes me sitting on the back, chrome wheel spokes that individually commemorate each of Byron Nelson’s 11 consecutive tournament victories, and elements of wood and steel to reflect the irons and persimmon woods of the Nelson golf era. *Note- Orange County Choppers has also built a NHL themed chopper.

MARBURY 10, LEBRON JAMES 0
“No, I don’t think so. Me being with Nike, we hold our standards high” – Cavaliers F LeBron James, on whether he could endorse a discount sneaker like Knicks G Stephon Marbury’s Starbury line.
“I’d rather own than be owned” – Marbury, in response to James’ comments.

King James earned Mensa reject status a while ago. Add Baby James sitting courtside, his remarks about Marbury or gay NBA players, coupled with a lack of action or intelligence, and James lands among the top five rejects. Before the Cav’s –Pacers game Tuesday night , the idiot made it clear that he won’t respond to several letters he’s received from political activist Ralph Nader, who urged James to take a public stance in support of workers’ rights at overseas plants that produce the shoes he endorses. “No, I haven’t responded to it,” James said. “But I think Nike’s a great company and they would respond if need be.” Um, didn’t you just say that ‘we hold our standards high’? Yet you can’t even respond to a simple letter asking for help? Hey James- ever heard of something called Independent Thought? Ya might wanna try it sometime.

BEAST O BURDEN

Didier Drogba visited Bouake to show his 2006 African Golden Ball to his supporters in the north of the country. Bouake is the second largest city in the Ivory Coast, and if Drogba is a fair representation of the city, I’m booking the first flight outta here. Unless, of course, the beast hauls his Golden Ball straight to mama.

MARADONA BLUES

So it seems that our little spitfire, Diego Maradona has been partying it up a bit too much. The furry firecracker was taken by ambulance, against his will, to a health clinic yesterday because of problems caused by excessive eating, drinking and cigar smoking. Maradona’s doctor said that the former soccer player “wasn’t in any danger,” but was about 8.8 pounds over his usual weight. “It wasn’t an imbalance in his blood circulation or with his heart, but was a product of an incoherent regimen of excessive eating, drinking and smoking.” At least Maradona has a doctor tipping the ‘scales’ in his favor. 8.8 pounds overweight?

HAMM AND NOMAR

Retired soccer player Mia Hamm gave birth to twin daughters late Tuesday. Daddy is Dodgers cutie Nomar Garciaparra. Congratulations and thank you for populating the earth with beautiful athlebrity off spring.

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

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY

The sun is shining, the dolphins are leaping, a warm ocean breeze is beckoning me outside and Roger Federer lost for the second time this month to Guillermo Canas. Indeed it is a beautiful day. The upset ended Federer’s bid for a third successive Key Biscayne title. Maybe R-Fed should spend more time concentrating on his game instead of lurking around the greens?

PGA TOUR GOES MILE HIGH
The PGA Tour Travelers Championship will make a 150-seat plane available during the 2008 (San Diego) and 2010 (Pebble Beach) tournaments to fly hotties and guests from the U.S. Open in California to its event in Connecticut. The plane was not available Monday for Tiger Woods, Charles Howell or Nick O’Hern, who arrived at the Tavistock Cup at Lake Nona in Florida.

Keeping our sports in the air, JetBlue offers 36 channels of DirecTV on its flights, and a spokesperson for the company said that ESPN is “consistently ranked among the three most-watched channels.” Earlier this week, Setanta Sports and JetBlue reached a deal in which Setanta’s int’l soccer and rugby programming will be available on JetBlue flights! Not missing out on the mile high viewing, a spokesperson for Frontier Airlines also said “ESPN was the most-watched station by far.”

RUDY GAY MILE HIGH

Another mile-high related hottie story comes outta Memphis. The Grizzlies have launched a campaign featuring a “brochure in the form of an airline ticket” to promote Rudy Gay for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. The brochure’s “in-flight services say there will be highlight reel dunks, blocks and game-winning shots featured every flight.” Pictures of his “favorite destinations” highlight Gay’s top performances. A pair of pilot wings attached to an air-sickness bag say, “Rudy Air. Taking flight, every night.” Also included is a luggage tag touting Gay for the award. (Memphis Commercial Appeal.)

PRINCESS EARNS ANOTHER TIARA

This time, PK earns another tiara for his off court activities. Did you know that the Lakers beast has met or scheduled to meet every child who has ever asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation for him? The total number of Make-A-Wish requests that Princess has completed is nearing 100.

ERIC BYRNES ME UP
Saturday at 5:00pm (MT) a new show will be premiering called “The Eric Byrnes Show Presented by Alltel.” And I’ll tell you, that this girl will be setting her DVR for this pending sportastic program. Thanks to FSN Arizona for signing the ultra sexy ML Babe to host the half-hour show. The blond libido tickler will become the first local player to host his own show on the RSN.

BIG BEN WALLACE STEPPING UP

Bull beast Ben Wallace will begin wearing Steve & Barry’s Starbury II shoes for Thursday’s game against his old teammates, the Pistons. Big Ben and his Fro are also launching his own line, called Big Ben, which is set to be released by next season. The kicks will cost $14.98, and like Marbury, Wallace took no up-front money to endorse them. (He will get a cut of the sales.) Wallace: “With something like this, you either feel it in your heart or you don’t. I know the stress my mom felt buying shoes for eight boys, three girls.”

OH GOD NO

First it’s Joumana Kidd. Now it’s Lebron James. In thinly veiled marketing efforts, Lebron James has been selected to host the ESPY Awards show with Jimmie Kimmel. Although Lebron is only the second athlete to host the show, after Lance Armstrong last year, I’m not really buying it. Jimmy Kimmel I’m cool with, Lebron, not so much. Especially after reading an article where Brian Windhorst cites an NBA source as saying that the league office “spoke with the Cavs about Lebron James Jr. sitting in the team bench area with his dad in the closing moments” of Friday’s Knicks-Cavaliers game. The NBA “asked that it not happen again, but the league did not issue a fine or formal reprimand.” Did Joumana ruin it for all courtside offspring? And did I see the Swiss-Miss sitting courtside? (Wouldn’t be surprised)…more King James news. The blueprints for James’ new home in Bath Township, Ohio, call for a 35,440-square-foot structure that includes a recording studio (Oh God NO), two-lane bowling alley (yawn), a casino (Nice!), a 26-by-63-foot theater (awesome), a sports bar, aquarium and barbershop (huh?). He paid $2.1M in 2003 for the now demolished home on the property so he could build his own private universe. With a house like that, I’d expect that Baby James would wanna stay home?

BLOOD CRICKET

Pakistani cricket players spent two days in London before heading home. Hotties should have stayed in the UK a bit longer because the shit hit the fan the second they touched down. A crowd of about 100 psychotic fans told Pakistani cricketers to go to hell and heckled them after they landed at Karachi international airport. The unsolved murder of coach Bob Woolmer and their humiliating Cricket World Cup 2007 exit has set the stage for more than we could have bargained for. And I seriously hope all the players survive. One players has already has his house burned down, but luckily he wasn’t home.

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

PEYTON MANS SNL

I’ve heard the hype and seen this kid in action, but I wasn’t a fan of Peyton Mannings until I watched SNL last weekend. Anyone that can make fun of themselves is all right by me. Manning wasn’t just funny, but extremely likeable as well, making me eat my “I don’t like Peyton Manning” words. In his opening monologue Manning said, “It’s been a fun year for me as I accomplished two of my life goals: One, I appeared in half of America’s television commercials and two, my team, the Colts, won the Super Bowl.” Manning’s first skit was a parody of a United Way ad where he taught kids to play football. He drank beer, swore and repeatedly threw passes into the kids and chastised them for failing to make catches, saying to one, “Get your head out of your ass. You suck.” The spot ended with the voiceover, “The NFL and the United Way. Spend time with your kids so Peyton Manning doesn’t.” You can view the skit here.

ANDY RODDICK GETS TEA’D

The AriZona Beverage Company is quenching my thirst with a long-term endorsement deal that has Andy Roddick using his mojo in efforts to sell a new drink that will launch later this year. “I’m thrilled to work with an innovative company, like AriZona,” said Roddick. “They continually bring great beverages to market and I’ve enjoyed assisting them with their latest beverage.”

GET YOUR CROSBY BEFORE ITS TOO LATE

Today, Upper Deck is launching a limited-edition action figure of Sidney Crosby. The company only produced 1,500 home and 500 away versions of the 11-inch figurine, which retails for $49.95. Ya better hurry if you want one, judging by ticket sales, these cuddly Sidney dolls wont last. Yesterday the Penguins sold out of approximately 4,000 tickets to the team’s first two playoff games in 13 minutes.

NEW RED PRODUCTS
Converse and the Gap have unveiled two limited edition Converse (PRODUCT) RED Chuck Taylor All Star shoes, which are only available only at select Gap stores. The kicks will be available this month at more than 180 Gap stores nationwide with a suggested retail price of $67, with 5% of Converse’s net wholesale price of the shoe going to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Additionally, 50% of the net profits of Gap’s sales of Converse (PRODUCT) RED shoes will go to the Global Fund. For more information log
onto http://www.converse.com, or http://www.gap.com.

MICHAEL PHELPS’ GOLDEN YEARS

If you’ve never met an Olympic swimmer, you’re in dire need of getting your ass to an event. A long time ago, I dated specimen from this sport, and let me tell you, the beauty is real. They spend so much time in the water that their skin feels like velvet. The physique and stamina can’t hold a candle to the velvety, soft, skin that covers every inch of their body. So when I saw Michael Phelps make history, I couldn’t help but wonder how velvety this beast might be.

The water babe became the first man in history to go under 1 minute, 44 seconds in the 200-meter freestyle at the world championships, breaking sexy Ian Thorpe’s world record. “That was probably the single most incredible record in the books,” American backstroker Aaron Peirsol said. “He put it to rest.” Obviously, Phelps got a gold and then led off the victorious 400 free relay on Sunday. “I’m 2-for-2. The ball is rolling,” he said. “Let’s keep everything rolling.”

ITALIAN FEAST

Team Italy…Allesandro Del Piero, Luca Toni, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta and the entire posse of the mouth-watering beasts are training for their Euro-2008 Group B qualifying match against Scotland on March 28th. All players have already pre-qualified for my libido.

HUNGRY?
I really hope Didier Drogba is hungry on July 21st. Various sources are reporting that David Beckham will make his LA Galaxy debut against Chelsea on July 21st. Sultry Jose Mourinho said he was looking forward to the idea of feeding Beckham to his players: “We are happy that we are going back to the US for pre-season and we have done it every year since my arrival. This season will be a bit more special because of our links with the Bluewings and Beckham is there which brings something extra to the tournament and to the game. This gives me the chance to wish him big success in the United States. He will be important for US soccer and for the relationship between US and European soccer.”

SERGIO GARCIA AND HIS SPIT
“I didn’t spit, I just let it go down, but anyway, its no big deal.” Famous last words from the reigning golf-course Mensa reject.

In case ya missed it, Sergio Garcia missed a putt at the 13th hole of the Doral Open and after he got his bogey ball out of the hole, he spit in the cup. Unfortunately for Garcia, he just doesn’t get it. I’ve heard of golfers spitting in the cup before, but NOT on national television and NOT on the pro-circuit. This one classless and simple lapse of judgment could be the defining moment in his career. I for one, won’t be able to look at him the same again. And I can’t help but wonder if Greg Norman is celebrating the fact that his daughter Morgan dumped Garcia’s sorry ass after dating him for ten seconds.

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

RAFAEL NADAL
As our Rafa continues his quest for victory at the Sony Open, I continue my quest for hot Nadal quotes. Rafael never lets me down with his interviews, and my libido danced after reading, in part, this interview on March 24.

Q. Indian Wells, the air is very thin and the ball seems to fly a great deal. Here do you find that the ball stays in the court more easily? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, the ball doesn’t take the same spin like in Indian Wells. But it’s difficult to measure here today because with the wind it was tough. But after I feel better in the second set. But I was touching very well the ball. I have a lot of problems with the wind. I all the time I don’t touch the ball in the place. Well, when I was placed for touch the ball, always the ball go into the place or go into my body, so it was very difficult.

ANTON HAIG

On Friday, Anton Haig had an interesting round during the CA Championships. Hottie had to take a drop on the 18th hole after his ball landed behind the grandstands during the second round. He also gave us yoga golf lessons while driving my hormones right up that tree. Going into today’s round, the beast is currently in 36th place.

Also justifying my “In the hole” attitude is Ian Poulter. Dressed to impress in his baby blue shirt and plaid pants, I have trouble taking my eyes off that belt buckle, which should be available on his website in the near future.

FEDERWOOD

What a shocker. Tiger Woods and Elin watched R-Fed win his match last night, on day four of the Sony Open. If you hadn’t noticed yet, the PGA Tour has debuted six 30-second ads during NBC’s coverage of the WGC-CA Championships this weekend to promote the FedEx Cup. The campaign cost $55M, but don’t think one cent is going to Tiger, the mighty beast acted in the spots for free.

KOBE EARNS A TIARA

I can’t deny Princess Kobe his tiara. He’s more than earned it this past week. The Princess and his wicked skills have scored four straight games of at least 50 points. Tonight, PK will attempt to extend his 50-point streak to five games. If he does this, Princess would tie Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest such streak ever. (Chamberlains record is record seven straight 50-plus-point games in December 1961.) “I don’t know. I don’t care,” Bryant said after practice Saturday when asked if he could catch Chamberlain. “I see everything in slow motion, like I never have before,” he said. “Pretty trippy. My release on the ball feels fine, the arc feels good. I’m extremely comfortable with my jump shot.”

CRICKET FANS GONE CRAZY

Is anyone else paying attention to the ongoing chaos with the cricket shit in India? Talk about a great script. On March 23rd, chefs of the Culinary Academy of India made a 15-foot tall and 2-foot wide edible cricket bat with the names of the national cricket team in icing. It took them 120 hours to make this wonderful creation to wish the Indian cricket team the best of luck during the Cricket World Cup 2007 currently being played in the West Indies. This seems weird to me, considering that the team was eliminated, the coach was murdered, and the fans are setting fire to everything related to the players on the team.

As Jamaican police hunted for clues about the killing of coach Woolmer, Pakistan’s cricketers headed home after police interviewed three team members for a second time, but said none of them were suspects. The po-po believe that Woolmer probably knew the killer who strangled him in his hotel and fans went ballistic over rumors of match-fixing gangs that might have be involved with the murder.

The fans are not only rioting and burning, but they are dying as well. P. Raju allegedly died of a heart attack after watching his team lose. And in England, these fans painfully remind me why I don’t watch cricket.

EURO QUALIFIERS
I couldn’t even begin to explain to you how the Euro qualifiers work in one post. So go here for more info. What I can tell you is that the fans are going crazy.

The match between Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina ended in an evacuation. Reportedly Bosnians rejects traveled to the match in Oslo and threw fireworks on the pitch, apparently targeting Bosnian goalkeeper Adnan Guso. Rejects could hardly wait to begin their antics, it took just 50 seconds into the match before they began throwing large amounts of fireworks onto the pitch, which had to be evacuated.

Near the Oldtown square in Prague, the po-po had their hands full as well. Small groups of Czech and Germany fans clashed together in the Czech capital. There were a several injuries and at least 60 persons arrested.

WALLBANGERS

Sometimes I find it hard to understand what all the fighting is about…until I see my Allesandro Del Piero. The Italian football stud ignites fireworks in my loins each time he inhales. And now, the beast can be yours. I’ve given props to Wallbangers before , and I’ll give ‘em again. With the newest Banger coming in the form of an Italian stud, how could I not? In case you’re not familiar, a Wallbanger is a life-size, live-action, self-adhesive vinyl wall graphic of your favorite team crest or player. Printed on a tear-resistant, durable vinyl that can be removed and replaced again and again, and yes, they adhere to your skin as well. Give it a try, and if you do, email me first, Wallbangers have graciously offered an exclusive discount to my readers.

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

MAXIMUSLY HOT CAMILO VILLEGAS

Oh yes, the world is starting to take notice of our feline extraordinaire, and the beast has now signed with Medicus Golf to endorse their line of products. Camilo Villegas, who could sell ice to an Eskimo, is the company’s new Medicus Maximus man. As a Maximus-hottie, the beast will endorse the line, which includes the new Medicus PowerMeter and Maximus Driver along with the original Maximus irons. The new line is designed to help golfers improve their swing speed and accuracy and according to the company, ‘plays an important part in helping Camilo Villegas maintain his powerful golf game.’ Bob Koch, President of Medicus Golf said: “Camilo is a great ‘fit’ because he represents the discipline, power, and persistence it takes to improve in this game.”

NBA COURT-TURE FASHION SHOW

The NBA has teamed up with men’s clothing chain Rochester Big & Tall and designer Jared M. to deliver us hotties on the runway. Yesterday, they served up Court-Ture ’07, a men’s runway show featuring current and former NBA beasts, as well as models, at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue. The event was supposed to showcase the new line but I didn’t even notice what they were wearing while they strutted their stuff. Participants included Basketball HOFer and MSG Knicks analyst Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Knicks babes Jared Jeffries (L), Channing Frye (C), David Lee, Kenyon Martin (R) and Antoine Wright. (Highlights of the show are available on NBA.com.)

FIBA AMERICAS IN VEGAS?
The 2007 FIBA Americas Championship for Men will be played from August 22nd to September 2nd in Las Vegas with 10 teams from the Americas zone. A live draw for the event was held yesterday in Sin City and I can’t help but wonder why the event is being held there after all the hoopla surrounding All Star Week. In any case, I’ll be front and center.

A little background on The FIBA Americas (Pan-American Basketball Confederation). It’s a non-profit organization that represents the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), in the American continent, with jurisdiction from Canada to Argentina. (Yeah I know, too much info, so I’ll get to the game). Basically, a bunch of International hotties go to Vegas, play wicked hoops against each other, and hope to make it to the final. The first two teams in the final places automatically qualify for the 2008 Olympic games that will be held in Beijing. Now book your rooms for Vegas and Ill see ya at the games.

BLOOD SPORT

Jamaica’s Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields held a press conference regarding the death of Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer in Kingston on Tuesday. The death of coach Woolmer is now being treated as suspicious: “The police suspect that Woolmer may have been murdered. They have started an investigation,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Pervez Mir said. If you’ve been under a rock, or not reading my posts, Woolmer died after being found unconscious in his hotel room in Jamaica on 18 March, a day after his team were dumped out of the World Cup after losing their second match to outsiders Ireland by three wickets. And what’s this all for anyway? Diamond cricket balls. Two of them to be exact. This doesn’t sit right with me, especially after watching Blood Diamond last night. The balls, released to capture the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 fever, will be presented to the best Indian cricketer and the best international player of the World Cup 2007 tournament, which is currently being played in the West Indies. The studded balls, comprised of 5,728 natural diamonds with 82.2 grams of gold seams, cost about 70k each. (excluding the lost limbs it took to gather the diamonds). It is part of the sports collection released by one of India’s largest integrated diamond manufacturers, the Gitanjali Gems group. Tsk-tsk.

*UPDATED 3/22/07 6:00PM
Pakistan’s cricket coach Bob Woolmer was strangled in his hotel room after the team’s shocking World Cup loss to Ireland, police said Thursday. Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas said in a statement that the pathologist report found Bob Woolmer’s death was due to “asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation.”

TONY LARUSSA

I’m thinking it was Tequila shots, but I could be wrong…St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was arrested this morning on a drunken driving charge after the po-po said they found him asleep inside his running car at a stoplight. La Russa gave two breath samples and had a blood alcohol content of 0.093 percent. (Florida’s legal driving limit is 0.08 percent.) Undercover officers saw La Russa’s car sitting partially in an intersection around midnight and not moving despite two green lights, police said. Officers knocked on the window and La Russa did not initially respond. To read how to achieve reject status, go here.

ZITO IS GROWING ON ME

Pretty boy Barry Zito donated $200 for each of his 151 strikeouts last season to Strikeouts for Troops (that’s about a 30K deposit into my libido). And, he’s even said “I’ll be increasing my donations.” The beast signed a seven-year, $126M contract with the Giants recently, the largest ever for a pitcher. Zito also plans to work with the Giants to build youth baseball fields in the Bay Area…for this, he gets a what a mighty, mighty, good-man nod.

TIGER AND THE SWISS MISS
I’m having a hard time enjoying Tiger Woods because everywhere he goes in Florida, Roger Federer is tagging along. Im not gonna question Tigers friendship with the Swiss-Miss, if he’s cool with it, I’ll swallow my distain and accept that Federwood is a reality.

Watching a few minutes of Golf Channels ‘Golf Central” last night, I was confronted with a Federwood interview. Woods, on their connection as high-profile athletes: “I think that’s one of the great things about our friendship is that we do understand and we can relate on different levels that most people really can’t.” Federer, on the “Who is more dominant?” debate: “We don’t talk about it too much. I think it’s more the media who hype it up all the time.” (You know you talk about with your woman R-Fed, don’t lie…) Apparently, the Federwoods dined on Tigers yacht Tuesday night before R-Fed watched Tigers practice round Wednesday morning. Woods fixed it so Federer could walk inside the ropes, a clear violation of PGA Tour rules. “I’m sure I’ll get fined,” Woods said. “It’s pretty neat when you have probably the most dominant athlete on the planet out there in your gallery. What he has done over the last three years is pretty good.”

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

BITE ME PA-LEEZE
The Sony Ericsson begins today in Florida where defending champ, Roger Federer just may come face to face with our revived tapa, Rafael Nadal. The Spanish beast, fresh off his victory at Indian Wells, gave a post-win interview that belongs in the Hall of Dancing Hormones.

Q. That’s a big whale, isn’t it? RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, it’s tough. Q. You didn’t bite it, did you? RAFAEL NADAL: What? Q. You didn’t bite it. You normally bite — you didn’t bite? RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I did. Q. You did? RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Q. I missed that. RAFAEL NADAL: You missed, you missed. Always. Q. How will you celebrate the title and where does that trophy go? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I gonna celebrate after Miami. I have important tournament in Miami right now, coming with good confidence after this win, and just try to continuing playing good in Miami. So after Miami, when I (lose) in Miami, I can — I gonna days for celebrate this title. Well, in the same place like others, no? I have a room, my room, my bedroom, and after I have a room upstairs in my house. I have one little bit gym for practice sometimes, and I have (Spanish), sofa, television… – One question: Where the hell can I find this ‘room’?

STALKING THE TIGER

After the Swiss-Miss lost in the second round of the Pacific Life Open, he headed to Florida to defend his Sony Ericsson title. But not before he and his woman stalked Tiger at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa. We all know that the ‘worlds number ones’ are friends, but really, keep it on the court R-Fed. The Swiss Miss walked with Tiger Woods for the final 9 holes of Tigers final practice before the CA World Golf Championships, which begin tomorrow.

Also competing in the yummy Florida event are Anton Haig, Ian Poulter and Adam Scott. Notably absent is our kitten Camilo Villegas, so I’ll just have to hone in on my other libido ticklers.

ALL FOR THE KIDS

CA, one of the world’s largest management software companies, is hosting the World Golf Championships and is giving a lot more to the community than just a roster of exceptional golfers. David Howell hosted a golf clinic for more than 20 young golfers from Miami First Tee and the Miami-Dade NW Boys & Girls Club, and CA is also making donations including fourteen sets of youth Cobra golf clubs, golf bags and hats, valued at $2,500, to the 2-year-old Miami Boys & Girls Club golf program. “CA is extremely excited to drive our relationship with Miami and its residents well beyond the green,” says Bill Hughes, senior vice president of CA Corporate Communications. “CA is committed to giving back to the community as the title sponsor of the CA Championship. CA is also committed to partnering with community organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club and the Miami First Tee to better the lives of children in the Miami area.” And, the CA Championship, in conjunction with the PGA TOUR, will donate $500,000 to The First Tee program for the development and enhancement of The First Tee programs around the country….And, following the tournament, CA will donate the contents of a six-foot tower full of golf balls to the Miami Boys & Girls Club and the Miami First Tee organization…And, they are also donating 600 daily passes to the local charities….and, I wish I were there.

KELLY SLATER NOT MCNAUGHTING?

We may never know for sure what’s really going on between Kelly Slater and Eric McNaught, but according to the newspapers in Sydney, Erin McNaught flew back to Sydney at the crack of dawn on Monday to reassure boyfriend Braith Anasta that she hadn’t had a fling with pro-surfer Kelly Slater. (She earns Mensa reject stauts if she didn’t) McNaught and Slater’s apparent chemistry was the talk of the Grand Prix festivities in Melbourne last weekend, but her spokesperson claims: “She’s very much taken with her current man, I can assure you of that.”

FRANK LAMPARD ATTACKED

Chelsea and Manchester United have both advanced to the semis of the Football Association Cup with wins on Monday night. But Monday night wasn’t just about the victory for Frank Lampard, after two ‘fans’ ran onto the pitch after the final whistle and assaulted our Chelsea babe. *Note: Any hottie who removes his jersey after the match is fair game. I would have done the same thing if Drogba were taunting me with his physique.

Lampard was celebrating the victory over Tottenham Hotspurs, when a Spurs fan ran towards him and threw a punch, but the England beast was too spry for the reject and ducked out of the way. The offender, 18 year old Timothy Smith, was then wrestled to the ground by Chelsea fitness coach Rui Faria. Television pictures showed Lampard, Didier Drogba and other Chelsea babes trying to get to the idiot before he was led away. Lampard said: “You don’t expect it but I’m pleased I got out of the way and that nothing serious came out of what could have been a bad situation. We have to set a precedent to not let it happen again. They’re treating it seriously. It was strange. It was awkward, someone running at you like that. Fans have come on the pitch before but not with that kind of aggressive nature. Emotions run high and I don’t want to stand here and criticise too much. People talk about celebrating in front of the fans and getting stick, which is part of the game, but that was over-stepping the mark. I hope it doesn’t happen again. Of course, measures need to be taken.” Measures have been taken, and Tottenham has imposed a lifetime ban on the reject, who is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. He is accused of encroaching on to the pitch, but not assault.

HELLO!

UK celebrity magazine Hello! is dishing out about $3M for exclusive access to the wedding of Manchester Uniteds little bulldog, Wayne Rooney and his fiancée, Coleen McLoughlin, the “most the magazine has paid for exclusive access to a celebrity wedding.” Rooney and his chick have one upped Becks and Posh, who were paid about $1.75M in 1999 for full access to their wedding by Hello!

EBAY THAT BBQ

Red Sox beast, Manny Ramirez acknowledged that he is helping a Weston, Florida, neighbor sell his Jenn-Air grill on Ebay. Manny agreed to advertise the grill as his own to drive up the price. “Hi, I’m Manny Ramirez,” read the ad, listed under the seller “mannyramirez1524,” a member since March 18. “I bought this AMAZING grill for about $4,000 and I used it once. But I never have the time to use it because I am always on the road. I would love to sell it and you will get an autographed ball signed by me =) Enjoy it, Manny Ramirez.” As of midnight ET last night, someone had bid $99,999,999. The listing has since been removed.

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

THE MOST MARKETABLE ATHLETES
The Sports Business Daily recently concluded a survey which asked 65 sports business and media executives to rank, in order, the five athletes they believe are the most marketable in three categories. Active, retired, and future. Points were awarded on a five-point scale, with five points for a first-place vote, four points for second place, three points for third, etc. Rankings are based on percentage of total points received.

ACTIVE HOTTIES

Tiger Woods tops the charts in both the “active and future” categories. The Daily writes: Tiger Woods is not only the most marketable active athlete for brands trying to reach North American consumers, he’ll remain in that position for the next five years. Scott White, Dir of Marketing for Callaway Golf, a competitor of Nike, a brand Woods endorsees, said, “Tiger transcends all races, income levels, ages and gender. Ten years ago everyone wanted to ‘Be Like Mike.’ Now everyone wants to be like Tiger regardless of whether they play golf.”

Following Tiger Woods, spots 2-10, respectively, go to: *Peyton Manning, Lebron James, Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tom Brady, Shaq, Maria Sharapova, and tied for 10th are Princess Kobe, Brett Favre and Sidney Crosby. *Manning has high-profile deals with Sony, Reebok, Gatorade, Sprint, MasterCard and Kraft.

Noting Lebron James’ Nike ad campaign in which he plays a variety of characters, Rocky Mountain News columnist Dave Krieger said, “If the LeBrons haven’t made a movie by then (2012), he should get another agent. They’re already funnier than Eddie Murphy’s multiple character movies.”

Shaun White made the list tied for 13th, Jeff Gordon and LaDainian Tomlinson T15, Roger Federer 17th, while Kelly Slater and Tony Hawk both ranked 18th. (Where’s our kitten Camilo Villegas?)

RETIRED HOTTIES

Retired athletes considered to be the most marketable are: Michael Jordan, Cal Ripken, Jr. Charles Barkley, Jack Nicklaus, Lance Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, Dan Marino, Wayne Gretzy, Arnold Palmer and Andre Agassi.

FUTURE HOTTIES

The top-ten beasts considered to be the most marketable in the future: Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Reggie Bush, Peyton Manning, Sidney Crosby, David Beckham, Matt Leinart, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and finally Vince Young. (Still no Villegas?) Other hotties to keep an eye on: Shawn White (12th), Brady Quinn (17th), Tony Romo (23rd), Philip Rivers and Carmelo Anthony (T29th), and Ryan Sheckler came in at 32nd, tied with Princess Kobe and Eli Manning. *Note: Love the fact that Ryan Sheckler even made the list. I predict that this very young skateboarding beast is going to be bigger than Tony Hawk. He’s got the skills, and by-god, the looks to go along with it. Only if he were just a little bit older…Just for the record, my top ten active and future beasts with the most marketing potential are: Camilo Villegas, Lewis Hamilton, Andy Roddick, Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Jose Reyes, Tom Brady, Kelly Slater, Paulo Maldini and Felipe Massa.

LEWIS HAMILTON: SHOULD HAVE MADE THE LIST

I’m willing to bet that the only reason Lewis Hamilton wasn’t named on SBJ’s list is because he is so fresh. Yesterday, Hamilton took third place in his first Formula One race at the Australian Grand Prix, and dude is so hot, that he’s already being called the ‘Black Beckham.’ This label basically translates to ‘a hot-famous-British-sports-beast’. If Hamilton were white, they’d be calling him Beckham on wheels. The comparison is due to the marketability of Hamilton, who has the potential to earn more off the track than he does on. Lets hope the young buck can handle the impending Athlebrity status and all the pressure that comes with. Hamilton, along with Fernando Alonso have captured the attention Tag Heuer and been named brand ambassadors.

NOT MARKETABLE

Smart move by Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistani cricket team captain announced his resignation after his team lost, fans burned a likeness of him, and the coach died. (See yesterday’s blog for more info)…

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