RAFAEL NADAL WINS PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

There are so many things I can say about this photo, but I’m not even gonna go there.

The last time we were privy to watching Rafael Nadal drop to his knees, pump his fists, and relish a victory, was last years French Open. Today, Nadal won his 18th ATP Singles title with an unbelievable spanking over Novak Djokovic. (Djokovic has proven himself a serious contender, now ranked in the top ten.) Harmonious grunts came from both sides of the court (as well as my house) while Rafael defended his title and never broke serve. The highlight of the match though, was Rafas post-match interview. I think when he say he play very good opponent, yes, that accent is good, no? He play hard and is very nice, no, but he to make me feel so warm, yes, and to win so sweaty make better for us, no?

CRICKET CAN KILL YOU

Cricket is not to be taken lightly in India. To say it’s the national sport would be an understatement. It’s ingrained into the culture the same way that soccer is in Italy. As with most countries, the victory or loss of a team can have devastating consequences. Admittedly, I don’t follow cricket. But I do follow events in India. After traveling there, I understand the importance of the sport to the culture. And I can see why the natives are going nuts. The ICC World Cup matches are underway and in a stunning upset, Bangladesh clinched a sensational victory over Pakistan (India) to send the former champions crashing out of the World Cup.

“Such a poor performance by the Indian team in its first match, that too against a weak team like Bangladesh, has broken our hearts as we organized havens for the success of the team in the World Cup,” said a fan in Jalandhar. Fans protested by setting fire to everything from bats to newspapers to an effigy of cricket team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq (above). And I really hope dude is in hiding right now. Why? Because the Pakistani coach has been found dead.

Conspiracy theory? Less than 24 hours after this shocking loss, Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer (R) has died. Seriously, coach Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room at the age of 58. The cause of death has not been released.

FORMULA ONE WINNERS

Hot, hot and hotter won the Australian Grand Prix. Finish beast Kimi Raikkonen, won the event driving a Ferrari, defending world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain came in second (driving a McLaren) and hot Brit Lewis Hamilton finished third (in another McLaren.) These top three hotties are also the youngest podium in the history of Formula One. (Alonso is 25, Hamilton is 22, Kimi is 27). Hamilton’s third place finish has been called “one of the most stunning debuts in sports history.” Indeed! “I think this is probably beyond my dreams,” he said. “To be in Formula One was obviously a dream, but to come into your first race and have such a smooth start is something you don’t expect, but something we had been working towards. I’m loving it.”

Celebrating in true Athlebrity fashion, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso popped the bubbly and gave us a sporntasticly wicked celebration.

And NOT to be ignored, the winner (L) and Felipe Massa. Massa is such a stud, that he and his Ferrari went from dead last to a sixth place finish. “After what happened in qualifying yesterday it would have been difficult to do any better than this sixth place. I was able to run at a good pace even with a full fuel load facing a race that would be one long climb through the field. The F2007 was very competitive and so I am optimistic about the next few races. But I cannot forget the disappointment for the failure in qualifying, which meant I had to start from the back of the grid. If not for that, I would definitely have been fighting for the win. But I am happy with the overall result in terms of what it means for the team and I am happy for Kimi who won on his debut with Ferrari.” Not only is Massa hot, but the beast is eloquent as well!

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