SEEDS OF PEACE
This week, we’ve seen some hotties doing good things. On Monday, NBA beasts converged at the sixth annual Play for Peace basketball clinic at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine. Kids from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, India, Pakistan, and Afghan, joined together from various regions of conflict to learn the fundamentals of basketball and how to get along despite being ‘enemies’. Some of the NBA babes who gave love to the kids included: Brian Scalabrine and Ryan Gomes (Boston Celtics), Jordan Farmer (L.A. Lakers), Etan Thomas (Washington Wizards), Josh McRoberts (Portland Trailblazers), and former Bull B.J. Armstrong.

Here’s what a few of the playas had to say…B.J. Armstrong: “I’ve been a part of this camp for the last few years and I am continually amazed each year by these kids…I have really become aware of trying to hold myself up to a standard of excellence. If that is true with these kids, which I have seen over and over again, then it has to be true with me as well. It has really humbled me.” Brian Scalabrine: “They grow up as enemies of each other, yet they come to camp and become friends. They still keep in touch with email and stuff, which was so surprising to me. It shows that they can get over the fact they can have different political views and still maintain some type of friendship.” (NBA.com)

CHAUNCEY BILLUPS CELEBRITY GOLF CLASSIC

While Chauncey Billups may have signed on for another 5 years with the Pistons at a whopping $60M, don’t think all that cash is going into his pocket. This beast gives back. Billups and wife Piper held their annual fundraising Celebrity Golf Classic and the Piper Billups Hip-Hop “Tee” Party on Monday to benefit the Children’s Center. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to jet out to the Birmingham Country Club in Michigan to putt and party at the event, otherwise I’d have more info. I searched for any mention of the event, but I guess this one flew under the radar…What a shame, but love to the Billups for helping the kids.

HOMELESS WORLD CUP

At the City Hall Square in Copenhagen, teams comprised of four people (including a goal keeper) of mixed ages and genders participated in 14 minute games, with two seven-minute halves in the Homeless World Cup …England beat Canada 10 –1, Cameroon beat France 11-2 and Kenya beat Germany 5-1. But the scores aren’t important in this beautiful game. Positive change is. The President of the Homeless World Cup, Mel Young, hosted a conference with several key speakers where he discussed how the Homeless World Cup has and can help address social problems. Mel spoke about the initial aims of the Homeless World Cup; to use football as a platform to unite people in a common way of thinking and help the individual. He commented that nearly 80% of all previous participants have reported positive changes in their lives since playing in the tournament, a fact that has raised his expectations and ambitions in terms of what the Homeless World Cup can achieve going forward. ”The whole rational is to raise people out of homelessness”, he said, ”and we are using globalisation in a positive way, to create social impact.” (homlessworldcup.org) Love, love, love it.

WALKER-CURRY ROBBERIES MAY BE LINKED?
Great minds think alike…Interesting little story on AOL today about the home invasions of Walker and Curry…Chicago-area police are looking into the possibility that the armed robberies of Eddy Curry and Antoine Walker are linked. Both players were restrained and robbed at their homes by armed gunmen in separate incidents that took place within a month of each other. “Our guys are talking to Chicago to determine if it’s just a copycat or a coincidence or if there is a relationship there,” Burr Ridge police Cpl. Tim Vaclav said. Police said the gunmen - three in the Curry holdup, two in Walker’s case - probably knew exactly who their victims were. Curry used to play for the Chicago Bulls. Walker was born in Chicago and starred at Mount Carmel High School on the city’s South side. (AOLsports) Told ya so…

BECKHAM’S AND BARBER BEST DRESSED

Vanity Fair magazine released its list of the best-dressed couples and hotties. The September issue of the magazine gave nods David Beckham and Victoria for their fabulous style, as well as rock god Lenny Kravitz and ex-Giant, Mr. Smooth, Tiki Barber. “It’s not just about how much someone spends, it is about having real elegance, style, and individuality,” Vanity Fair special correspondent Amy Fine Collins said in an interview. Whatever- just keep the photos of our well-dressed benched Galaxy babe coming.

METS LOSE: MAN BEATS MOTHER TO DEATH
Mothers beware: Don’t watch sports with your crazy kids, particularly when their team loses….Michael Anthony, 25, was watching the New York Mets lose a game on Saturday from his home in Queens when he began furiously banging on the walls. His father shouted at him to stop, but Anthony punched him in the face and threw him to the ground. When Anthony’s mother, Maria Fischman, 61, tried to intervene, prosecutors said he stabbed her once in the head with a knife before chasing her into a bedroom where he struck her several times with the 20-pound barbell. (Someone smoking tweak perhaps?) Anthony is in custody and if convicted, he’ll spend the rest of his life rotting away in a prison cell where he can mourn the Mets loss. (Reuters) And oddly enough, the Mets played a double-header on Saturday (pun intended).

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

MICHAEL VICK: GOING DOWN

Oh, I love the continued fall out. One of Vicks rejects-in-crime, Tony Taylor (above) will be sentenced Dec. 14, after agreeing to cooperate with the government in the dog fighting scandal. Taylor entered his guilty plea to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities, and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal-fighting venture. He faces up to 5 years in prison, but most likely he’ll serve a lot less time and pay a hefty fine. One thing that did make me chuckle, is the sale of Michael Vick items on Ebay. For a split second, I thought there might be a few rejects out there that would actually bid for his shit. We’ve seen celebrity scandal memorabilia hawked before, but really what value do these items hold? How could anyone in his or her right mind ever walk around in public donning a Vick jersey- that’d be akin to tattooing a swastika on your face. And who wants a Vick jersey collecting dust in their closet when the reject is banished from society? The answer: not a soul.

After checking out the Vick items listed on Ebay, I found that most items have zero bids. Two of his unsigned jerseys cant even fetch the $9.99 starting bid, and only one idiot has bid on an autographed Vick jersey for a whopping $89.00. One seller though is doing the right thing. Seller ‘Dogs Deserve Better’ is auctioning off her personal items and donating all proceeds to the Human Society through the Mission Fish Charity Site. (Item number: 130138472235) Other items available from other members include conVicked T-shirts from someone in the UK, My Dog Hates Vick, and a Sack Vick PETA T-shirt (Item number 110153236891) but Im not sure the proceeds go to PETA so double check before bidding.

FIBA AND MUTOMBO

Love from FIBA in the form of $100k! The International Basketball Federation (aka FIBA) has made a massive donation to Dikembe Mutombo for his hospital in Kinshasa. “Dikembe Mutombo is one of the most outstanding personalities in basketball and a role model for all basketball players in the world – both off and on the court,” said FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann. “We are pleased to support his initiative in Kinshasa with a small contribution and hope that his projects will be a great example for others.” On the occasion of their 75th anniversary, FIBA and the French Basketball Federation donated on Saturday $100’000 to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation. The check was presented during half time of the 75th anniversary celebration game between Switzerland and France. (FIBA.com) Thank you FIBA…

CADDIE ON THE SPOT
Next time you’re out stalking our kats crawling the greens, find a hottie who’s not getting along with his caddie. The Toronto Star reports that golf-kat Jay Williamson got into a spat with his caddie and yanked 69-year-old Don Alexander from the crowd to take over the role.

“Every year I love to go out and watch a group that nobody’s going to follow except maybe their girlfriends,” said Alexander, who played in the 1962 Canadian Open as an amateur. “I love golf and I want to see how these guys make their living out here. I got a pretty good group there, with (Scott) Gump, Williamson and (John) Mallinger. They shot some pretty good scores. There were only a few of us watching them the whole way. At the 14th hole, Williamson hit it over the green and he and his caddy started having words. It got hotter and hotter and hotter. I was talking to the caddy’s girlfriend and she started giving me the background music and I thought, `Uh-oh. This isn’t good.’ At the 15th tee they went at it again and Williamson fired him on the spot. The caddy then threw a handful of golf balls into the lake and stormed off. Said he’d see him in the clubhouse, that kind of thing. Williamson turned to us – there were maybe five of us – and asked who wanted to go to work. A younger guy named Mike said he’d do it. I don’t know if Williamson didn’t want another man named Mike, or what, but he didn’t want him. I said, `I’m your man.”’ (Toronto Star)

CAPTAIN TERRY FOR FIVE

England and Chelsea babe, captain fantastic John Terry finally signed a new five-year contract with the Barclays Premier League powerhouse on Friday. “I’m really happy this has now been concluded,” Terry told chelseafc.com. “There has been a lot of speculation but these things take time and I never had any doubts I wanted to stay at Chelsea and that the club wanted me to stay. I hope the fans can see we are all trying to build something special here, both for now and the future, and I want to be a part of that. I have been at Chelsea all my career and have the privilege of being captain. Now it’s time to look forward to the new season, which we are all very confident about.”

BANDITS TARGETING ATHLEBRITY HOMES?
In 2004, Ravens defensive back Corey Fuller was confronted by two armed robbers outside his Tallahassee house. One robber chased Fuller into his house where his wife and children were sleeping, but Fuller was able to grab a gun and fire at the attackers, who then ran away. This year, Heat hottie Antoine Walker and a relative were bound at gunpoint while multiple robbers took a car, cash and jewelry from his home in Olympia Fields Illinois. And this weekend, three masked robbers broke into the Chicago home of New York Knicks beast Eddy Curry where they restrained him, his family and an employee with duct tape inside the Burr Ridge home. Luckily, no one was injured and the robbers made off with some cash and jewelry. Obviously, the bandits are getting creative and more brazen. There have been numerous reports of gangs breaking into the Hollywood homes of Los Angeles celebs to loot the mansions while the cats are away, but it seems that maybe the bandits are shifting their focus and attacking our sports hotties in their homes now. I just can’t understand why are they busting into homes when our hotties are there? Isnt it much easier to sneak in the window, grab a pair of boxers, a used towel, a few t-shirts and a Lindeberg sock and slither out before someone comes home? Silly bandits.

LEWIS HAMILTON’S GIRLFRIEND

London has its fair share of tabloids, and in Sundays Mirror they ran a story that made me laugh really hard. The piece titled ‘My love for Lewis’ is embarrassing on so many levels. Lewis Hamilton’s on-again-off-again romance with Jodia Ma is the centerpiece of the article, in which she says: “I am just so proud of Lewis and always will be” and the kicker is this line: “I’m flattered that people take such an interest in US”…. Us? Note to Joia, its not an interest in “us” that’s going on, its an interest in Lewis Hamilton. You know, the man you dumped because he was so busy and then ran back to when he became ‘famous’? One can only hope that Lewis Hamilton has more of a backbone than Tony Longoria. (Mirror)

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

CARLOS MOYA: CROATIAN OPEN

Brace yourselves for what I’m about to say. My libido has been torn between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya for some time, but now, I’ve decided that Carlos Moya is indeed the champion of all things hot on the tennis court (and off). I’m not dissing our little tapa, it’s just while doing my research, Moya caused more estrogen-induced seizures than Rafa. Both beasts hail from Spain, but Moya’s got that perfectly inked up bicep and a wicked backhand that I’d like to see land on my lap. Love to the man I need Mo-Mo-Moya of for his mouthwatering victory at the Croatian Open where he defeated Andrei Pavel 6-4, 6-2 for his 5th Croatian Title. Yummy.

CAMILO VILLEGAS: CANADIAN OPEN: -10

Yes. Finally some action…our delicious feline finished in 28th at the US Bank Championships in Milwaukee last week and this weekend, I was tickled pink to see our beast make the cut at the Canadian Open and finish with 10-under to place (T)5th.

HUNTER MAHAN

The Athlebrity gods have smiled upon us and dropped a little bit of heaven onto the greens. His name is Hunter Mahan and in my book, he’s giving Villegas a run for his money. Last week at the Canadian Open, the beast became the first PGA Tour player this season to make three eagles during a round. He even holed out twice from the fairway and matched the lowest round in the event’s history with an insane nine-under-par 62. With that fabulous round, Mahan joined the 62 Club; an honour shared by only 3 others. (Leonard Thompson, Andy Bean, Greg Norman). “It’s not about shooting a great round, it’s about trying to play good for a tournament,” Mahan said. I personally would have enjoyed seeing Mahan become a member of the under 69 club, but with a 5th place (–12) finish I can wait till the next event before letting my inner cougar attack.

TONY STEWART CUSSING
Tony Stewart may have won the Allstate 400, but I suspect he and ESPN might be facing some fines? My innocent ears were oh-so-offended while watching his victory speech after the race on ESPN. Is it just me, or did Tony Stewart say bullshit? Such eloquance and class from NASCAR…

NIKE, ADIDAS, UPPER DECK SHELF MICHAEL VICK
I wanna take a minute to thank all of you who called Nike and the NFL to bitch about Michael Vick. I wanna thank all the protesters. I wanna thank Nike for suspending its contract with Vick- I can now resume buying my Nike gear without guilt, and thanks to Reebok for taking the unprecedented step of stopping all sales of his jersey. Thanks to another trading card company, Donruss, who announced they were pulling Vick’s likeness from any new packs. And finally, love to Upper Deck for removing all Michael Vick autographed memorabilia from its online store and yanking his trading card from the NFL sets scheduled to be released in October. “Of course we appreciate the fact that Mr. Vick is innocent until proven guilty, but the allegations alone have resulted in an outpouring of very strong emotion within our organization and among the collecting community,” Kerri Stockholm, Upper Deck’s director of marketing, said in a statement. “We believe collectors will agree and support this decision as being the best course of action for our football business.”
And on another note, I wanna thank Michael Vick himself for bringing to light the abhorrent practice of dog fighting. He’s done a phenomenal job of exposing the dark underbelly that some claim is a cultural ‘thing’. (Slavery was once an accepted practice in the South too, wasn’t it?) Maybe now we can abolish dog fighting, or in the least make one moron think twice before staging a fight. Power to the people! (Now if we could only join together and get that chimp impeached…)

IRAQI SOCCER UPDATE

Authorities begged the people to put down their guns, but despite the request, shots were fired and I’m pretty sure I could hear the celebratory AK-47 gunfire from here. Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to capture its first Asian Cup Sunday, which led to at least 4 more deaths and god-knows-how many injures. And in a very Pakistani-cricket sorta way, coach Jorvan Vieira, just minutes after the victory, declared he was quitting and going back to the beaches of Brazil. “Absolutely (I am quitting),” he said. Can’t say I blame him, but gotta give him credit for hanging in there since May and leading his team to victory.

In a world gone crazy, its kills me that this incredible victory has been marred by violence. “Those heroes have shown the real Iraq. They have done something useful for the people as opposed to the politicians and lawmakers who are stealing or killing each other. The players have made us proud, not the greedy politicians.” said a policeman in Baghdad…I couldn’t have said it better myself. Congratulations to all the players for this fantastic victory. (Yes, I did just congratulate Iraq.) Im not gonna get too political here, but I kinda share the sentiments of team captain Younis Mahmoud, who took this opportunity to call for the US to withdraw its troops from his nation. “I want America to go out,” he said. “Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but out. I wish the American people didn’t invade Iraq and, hopefully, it will be over soon.” (Yahoo sports)

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

BADA BLING CONTINUES
It’s a week later and I’m still in Bada Bling mode. A couple things to mention, first, the alleged fight in OPM between Zab Judah and Floyd Mayweather is being reported on various boxing sites as well as hip-hop stations, blogs etc. I posted the photos taken of the fight, and although I didn’t get confirmation from either of the horses’ mouths, my pea brain can confirm that it Mayweather was involved. Didn’t see Judah. It was just a quick, forceful squirmish between two beasts that couldn’t control themselves in public. The entire ‘fight’ lasted about one-minute before security broke it up. Really, it was no big deal and I don’t like the fact that this has marred an otherwise flawless event.

One person who did an exceptional job covering Bada-Bling is Michael Tillery. While I prefer to observe, avoid interviews and simply report the love I saw people giving back to the community, Tillery broke it down in a way I could only dream of. Please read his full article at Slamonline.com, where he hit up everyone from Chris Webber, Matt Barnes, Joakim Noah. Shawn Marion said: “Besides setting up foundations like Chris has done so well, athletes have to understand that kids see them differently than adults. We are blessed to be here and should make sure we stay relevant by giving back every chance we get.” More love from NAS: “I like what Chris stands for. He’s a good person through and through. 100%. This thing right here is all for the children. I made a record, I Can, and kids were singing that at graduation. That touched me. So anything for the children, I’m all for. I love everything that Big Webb is doing. Everything he’s doing is from the heart. It’s a piece of who he is. He’s sharing it with the world.” (www.michealtillery.com) Like I said, read his full run down at Slamonline and you just may understand why everyone loves Chris Webber.

HELP

If anyone of my fabulous readers could identify the bruthas hanging out with Doug Christie I would really appriciate it.

IRAQI TEAM
What the hell has happened to our beautiful sports world? You cant turn on ESPN without hearing about this Bonds steroids crap, doping in the Tour De Farce, dog fights, crooked NBA ref’s, rouge prosecutors, gold digging mistresses, strippers, guns and that horrible segment called Who’s Now. I thought maybe we could find refuge in a little futbol, but no such luck. My heart goes out to the Iraqi soccer team, who shocked the world by beating South Korea in a penalty shootout after it was scoreless in extra time on Wednesday, placing them on the brink of their greatest football achievement. To date, the team had only gotten as far as the 1976 semis of the Asian Cup, so this victory was astounding-especially considering their opponent, and the load these players were carrying.

No, it wasn’t a surprise that the celebration included nut balls firing assault rifles into the air as they danced in the streets waving flags. But after two massive car bombs killed 50 people, it made my heart sink. Goalkeeper Noor Sabri is Iraq’s hero and spoke about the grim personal cost his teammates have endured to play at the Asian Cup and how they are doing their best to ease the suffering for those in the Iraq civil conflict. “Four days before we came to Bangkok my wife’s brother died and my teammate Hawar Mohammed lost his step-mother,” he said. “We know we are struggling inside Iraq and we are struggling on the playing field because it is a very modest thing we can give to our people. We have to struggle, we have to show them that we are sharing all what we are achieving here. But this is historic for football in our country.” Maybe something to think about next time the Galaxy is struggling and Becks is benched?

CHINA GONE CRAZY

Manchester United held their first training session at the Guangzhou Olympic stadium yesterday in preparation for the last of their four-game Asian tour. While no bombs were detonated, I do have to give props to the fans who rushed the pitch and caused the hotties to run back into the locker room where Wayne Rooney was able to save his Macaw.

TONY HAWK IN CAMBODIA
You all know I’ve got a massive soft spot for the godfather of skateboarding, Tony Hawk. Hawk skated to the outskirts of Phnom Penh where he joined British football legend Bobby Charlton (L) and Khek Ravy (R), vice president of the Football Federation of Cambodia to lead a training session for young Cambodian players. The impoverished country is desperately trying to boost its ailing football program and massive love to Hawk, Charlton and Ravy for giving these kids hope, and for all their work as Laureus members.

In part, the press release from Laureus reads: Laureus World Sports Academy members Bobby Charlton and Tony Hawk have called on the governments of the world to do more to combat the scourge of landmines that are still crippling people and blighting lives years after fighting has ceased. The two legends of sport are currently visiting Cambodia to give their personal backing to the work of the Laureus-supported Spirit of Soccer project in the minefields near Battambang in the north of the country which uses sport as the tool for a mine risk awareness program for young people. Bobby Charlton, one of the members of the 1966 England World Cup winning team and a Director of Manchester United Football Club, said: ”It was a very emotional visit. Seeing youngsters without limbs just getting on with their life is hard to take. Coming from our world, it is difficult to come to terms with the idea that you could be in danger just walking down the street. “I am very proud of the work that the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is doing in Cambodia, but I would like to see the international community doing even more. It is awful to think that so many years after the fighting has ended people are still being maimed by landmines,” added Sir Bobby.

And skateboard legend Tony Hawk, a role model to millions of young people around the world, added: “We have many problems in our world of which I believe sport can help, but this is an immediate and urgent situation that needs international help now. It’s amazing to see how hard people are working to tackle this problem, but it’s still unbelievable that basic access for people to water, food and land to farm can be so hazardous. At the rate they are working, it could take another 100 years to clear all the mines from Cambodia. These young people deserve a safer environment sooner.” Indeed they do Tony, and once again, thank you for making the world this much better.

MICHAEL VICK: IT’S NOT ABOUT RACE

What can I say that hasn’t been said? Yes, the idiot was arraigned in front of a packed courthouse, riddled with “white” animal rights activists shouting at “black” Vick supporters…pa-leeze. Dan Wetzel on Yahoo Sports writes: The thing is, the “animal rights people” here were an estimated 90 percent white. The pro-Vick/due process crowd was probably 95 percent black. Jesus Christ, does everything have to be racial? Wetzel’s column pissed me off so bad. The last thing we need in this country is another wedge between racial groups. This is NOT a racial issue. It’s a common decency issue. I don’t care what color Michael Vick is, I only see a sick bastard when I lay eyes on him. Wetzel also writes that in front of the courthouse “impossible to ignore, was race.” No, it IS possible to ignore until the media starts fanning the racial flames. He implies that the White people at the courthouse were crazy animal activists, while the Black people were shouting for due process. Whatever, maybe they were, I wasn’t here. But I wonder if anyone considered the fact that Richmond is comprised of a population that is 57% Black and 38% White? Or that it’s a city scarred by slavery and civil war, which no doubt may have spurred more of the “locals” to scream about due process? Pa-leeze. This is NOT a racial issue. There are pa-lenty of Black animal rights activists and pa-lenty of White people screaming for due process. Everyone agrees that Vick is gonna be hung like one of his dogs, but it has NOTHING to do with his skin color. I really, really wish the media would stop muddling up the issue with race. It makes me almost as sick as Vick does.

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

KIA SHINE: SO KRISPY D&D STYLE
D&D have been saying things like “dark” and “krispy” for years. So imagine our joy when we came across Kia Shine’s new video “Krispy”. While Shine defines “krispy” differently than we do, we decided to write our own Krispy lyrics, sung to the catchy tune from Shine and describing our krispy weekend in Vegas.

So krispy, so krispy, our curves make brutha go “hit me”
So krispy, so krispy riding in the stretch, it fit me
Got my Jack got my Coke mix a nippy
So krispy, so krispy bribe the curbside valet with whisky
So krispy, so krispy got a $800 suite fo 3 50

So krispy, so krispy poker playa with the bling did bust me
So krispy had a king mutha fucker out kicked me
So krispy so krispy bottle of bub got me tipsay
Got some mooth cuz I’m feelin a bit iffy
So krispy, so krispy fine Italian named Tony who IS he

So krispy, so krispy move the rope VIP pass don’t miss me
So krispy, so krispy high heels fly dress cant miss me
Got my Dolce shoes fo 150
So krispy, so krispy hair soft porn bangs wispy
So krispy, so krispy darkness all around it don’t crimp me

So krispy, so krispy bruthas fighting grab my camera click-clicky
So krispy, so krispy no martini gonna spill from my sippy
Cuz playas on the dance floor wanna bling me
So krispy, so krispy saw Mayweather get busted in the lippy
Asked Melo for a hug and he dissed me
So krispy, so krispy bitch said my hair wild an frizzay

So krispy, so krispy Omarosa running ‘round who is she
So krispy, so krispy crazy eyes sitting down with Doug Christie
Grabben abs take a photo with me
So krispy, so krispy all da posse’s wanna get with me
So krispy, so krispy gave brutha 40 fo kush not 50

So krispy, so krispy, put your nose to my purse and sniffy
So krispy, so krispy grab the paper, grab a lighter, roll a spliffy
Wet towel cause the smoke was driff-tay
So krispy, so krispy brutha rapping like he was 50
So krispy, so krispy heard “dub” thought it was a fifty

So krispy, so krispy, sent a driver from his crib to come get me
So krispy, so krispy from behind brutha said turn around kiss me
Make a brutha run out for a safe-tay
So krispy, send a photo so he wont forget me
So krispy, so krispy D&D don’t pay our shit free

MANU GINOBILI

Ya all know I’m not a San Longoria Spurs fan, but I gotta give a little love to Manu Ginobili for his off-season work. Gino held a sports clinic for mentally handicapped children in Buenos Aires yesterday, and while there’s no mention of any other Spurs at the event, it certainly looks like a few were there. Funny thing is, while searching for more info on Manu’s good deed, I wasn’t able to find anything related to it. There may be more follow up info available on his foundations website, but its in Spanish and I only speak English, Italian and Mandarin…thanks for giving some love back Manu, you’ve earned a few hot points from D&D.

WE NEED MORE DIKEMBE’S IN THE WORLD

One of my favorite humanitarians, as you know, is Dikembe Mutombo. Aside from playing center for the Rockets, this mighty fine beast was educated at Georgetown University, speaks seven languages and has opened his hospital in the Congo. Mutombo spoke with Condé Nast Traveler’s Dorinda Elliott about why he gave $15 million to build a 300-bed hospital in his hometown, Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and what he learned from Nelson Mandela. CNT: Why do you do all this good work? Mutombo: Since I was a child, I wanted to make a difference. I decided that when I became rich, I would use some of my profits to do good, to be part of change, maybe inspire people. CNT: What were some of the most moving moments in your humanitarian work? Mutombo: I took a trip with CARE from Nairobi to the border of Kenya. We were in the middle of nowhere, and you could see refugees coming across the border from Somalia. We watched children die after walking for days and days. We were distributing food, and we thought we were doing some good. But in a situation like that, you just don’t know if what you are doing is enough. CNT: What do you think of the celebrity do-gooder thing? Angelina, Brad—everybody is out saving the world. Mutombo: I think it’s so good. I hope we can use our fame and a little bit of our fortune to touch the lives of others. We’ve been blessed. We should now bless others. (Concierge.com) And now you know why Dikembe can do no wrong in my book.

MATT LEINART NOT A GOOD DADDY?
According to Brynn Cameron, Matt Leinart’s infamous baby-mama, the NFL hottie “comes and goes whenever he wants”. And big surprise, Brynn wants a large monthly stipend for all her hard work. TMZ has learned that the NFL pretty boy is locked in a raging legal fight with his ex-girlfriend, Brynn Cameron, over the couple’s 9-month-old son Cole. According to sources close to the case, Brynn wants Matt to hand over more than $30,000 per month, and Leinart’s pissed — having already bought her a car, as well as voluntarily giving her around six grand a month. The two are scheduled to hammer it out in court on August 13. (TMZ)

But Matt Leinart’s not the only one who pissed, Brynn opened up to the Ventura County Star last weekend and had these biting words about Mr. Leinart: “It’s kind of hard for me as the mom — I’m with Cole probably 99.9 percent of the time — to open a magazine or read a newspaper article with Matt saying, Oh, I love being a dad. I love changing diapers. I love doing this. I’m like, Wait, what?” said Cameron, who added, “I don’t know how to word how he is about this, but it’s been hard when I’m doing all the work, but he gets all the credit for it.” Cameron says she and Leinart have Cole’s best intentions in mind, but co-parenting is a challenge with two unique individuals. “I don’t want to sit here and bad-mouth his lifestyle, but it is hard because we are different people. He likes that Hollywood stuff and I don’t like that and raising a kid together, you have to work together as parents, but we’re so different,” Cameron said. “It’s hard, but I have to raise Cole to be a strong, secure kid so he knows what’s right and wrong, what’s good and bad and what really matters in life, which isn’t what’s going on in Hollywood or who’s dating who. That’s not what it’s all about, and I think he’ll know that being raised by me.”

PHIL LAAK VS COMPUTER

Phil Laak can now preen his feathers like a peacock and strut his poker skills hard. (Where was my Antonio Esfandiari for this event?) Last week, researchers pitted two of the finest poker playas against the first man-made Poker ‘robot’. “This robot is going to do just fine,” Laak predicted. The robot, considered the best of its kind in the world, had already been beaten by Laak several years ago, and the beast was so impressed that he estimated his edge at a mere 5 percent. Laak played with a partner, fellow pro Ali Eslami. The two were in separate rooms, and their games were mirror images of one another, with Eslami getting the cards that the computer received in its hands against Laak, and vice versa. That way, a lousy hand for one human player will result in a correspondingly strong hand for his partner in the other room. At the end of the tournament the chips of both humans were added together and compared to the computer’s…Poker Pages broke down the final session for us: The players returned for session 3 on 24th July at Noon. It was Laak v Polaris on the public table, and Polaris v Eslami on the private table. After 500 hands Phil Laak had beaten the machine by $1455. In some notable hands, Phil is dealt pocket 6’s, the board show Kc Ac Ah 2s 7s, Polaris shows Queen high and Phil’s 6’s hold up, he comments “Take that Polaris punk.” Earlier Phil had a pair of queens in the hole and Polaris hits him with a check raise on the river. Polaris shows King high and Phil thinks Polaris is “sick and cracked out!” On the private table it is Polaris (playing the same hands that Phil receives) v Eslami (playing the same hands as Polaris). The machine beats the human but only by $635, meaning the human team win session 3 by $820 to set up a deciding final session.

ASIAN FOOTBALL CUP VIOLENCE

It’s a beautiful game until the guns come out. Iraq won their way into the Asian Cup final with a tension filled semi-final against South Korea in which Iraq prevailed in a penalty-kick 4-3…so I guess we could have never seen this one coming…Two suicide car bombings struck soccer fans in Baghdad as they were celebrating, killing at least 27 people and wounding more than 100. The victims were among the thousands of revelers who took to the streets of the capital. The first attack took place about 6:30 p.m. when a bomber exploded in a crowd of people cheering near a well-known ice cream parlor in Baghdad’s western neighborhood of Mansour, according to police and hospital officials. At least 11 people were killed and more than 60 wounded, the officials said. Another suicide car bomber detonated his payload about 45 minutes later in the midst of dozens of vehicles filled with revelers near an Iraqi army checkpoint in the eastern district of Ghadeer, killing at least 16 people, including two soldiers, and wounding nearly 60, area officials said. (Yahoo) Can’t we all just get along. pa-leeze.

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

ZAB JUDAH & FLOYD MAYWEATHER

So yesterday I mentioned being at club OPM for C-Webb’s welcome party. In passing, I also mentioned we were offered tickets for the Hopkins-Wright fight. Obviously, we didn’t go and as it turns out, we didn’t need to. We had our own front row seats to a throw down between Zab Judah and Floyd Mayweather inside OPM. I didn’t write about it because I though it was just a coupla random drunk dudes, but, as it turns out, it wasn’t. According to SOHH: “In Vegas this weekend at Chris Webber’s BadaBling welcome party at OPM–Zab Judah had a fight with Floyd Mayweather. He decided to do an impromptu rematch–except it wasn’t planned. The buzz around the club (after folks spotted Zab’s bloody knuckles) is that Floyd was talking sh*t per usual and Zab went and styled on him. Security had to break everything up but y”all know it took a minute. The fight happened early on in the night so I missed that mess…but Zab did confirm the fight went down later on. ” (Sohh)

LEWIS HAMILTON CRASHES AND STILL RACES

Oh my baby got hurt! Thank god I didn’t hear about this while in Vegas, it would have ruined my weekend. (But after a few Cosmos, I would have been fine). Lewis Hamilton crashed during the qualifying session of the Euro Formula One Grand Prix, however, Hamilton is such a stud that he wasn’t even hurt after the insane wipeout at 170 mph. The sexy champ careered across a gravel trap in the final 15-minute qualifying session after his front-right suspension failed. That caused a puncture and he lost control at around 170mph. Hamilton was a bit shaken as he fell to the ground and climbed outta his car. “I wanted to race,” added Hamilton. “Even when I got out of the car I asked the medical team, ’when can I use the spare car? How badly damaged is my car?’ I was wondering if I would be able to use it the next day, and what would happen. So it was great to find out that I could race.” Hamilton was kept at the hospital for observation before being realesed and declared fit to race on Sunday. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a wet-champagne podium finish, but he did finish 9th, which is cool with me as long as he’s okay. And regarding the crash, it wasn’t his fault. “It was nothing to do with Lewis, we had a gun failure. The right-front wheel wasn’t tight, we know that now as we discovered it afterwards”…and congrats to Fernando Alonso, who won the race.

NFL ORDERS MICHAEL VICK TO STAY AWAY

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has weighed in on Michael Vick’s indictment on dog fighting charges, and as a result the Falcons star was ordered to stay away from training camp until the league reviews the case. In a letter to Vick on Monday, Goodell instructed Vick to stay away from training camp, at least for now. “While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the personal conduct policy,” Goodell said. Power to the people! Since last week, more than 263,000 people have contacted the NFL after the Human Society and others prodded the NFL with a red-hot poker to banish this pathetic excuse of a human being. The HSUS campaign has generated more online actions, more quickly, than any other campaign for the organization (only Hurricane Katrina responses numbered higher). Animal advocates generated a wave of activity that shut down portions of the HSUS’ website (www.humanesociety.org). They are also renewing its call for Nike to sever its relationship with Vick. Please visit the websites, send emails, make calls, and get this monster outta the public eye…and this little blurb made me laugh: ‘The NFL and the ASPCA are working on a program to educate players about the proper treatment of animals.’ Really? Are these guys so fucked-up that you need to tell them not to hang dogs, electrocute them, or beat them to death? Come on NFL, we ain’t that stupid. Sounds like nothing but a great PR move to blow smoke up our asses.

NADAL NIBBLES MY LOINS

Grab that bottle and spray that champagne my sweet Spanish treat. Nothing makes me happier than seeing Rafael Nadal win, spray and nibble. Our sexy tapa took home the trophy and the C350 after winning the Mercedes Cup ATP Final in Germany on Sunday.

ARGENTINA UNDER 20

While I was busy awarding my own golden balls over the weekend, I missed out on Argentina’s Sergio Aguero. This sexy young thing was presented with FIFA’s Golden Ball following the final of the FIFA Under 20 World Cup. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 on Sunday. And no, I wasn’t ignoring the U20 event, I was just trying to keep my cougar-appetite somewhat legal.

KIMBERLY BELL GOLD DIGGER
Pa-leeze…one of Bonds’ former mistresses said she will discuss the couple’s relationship in the November issue of Playboy magazine. The Playboy article, accompanied by a nude pictorial of Kimberly Bell, is scheduled to hit newsstands Oct. 1. Bell said the article will cover details of her relationship with Bonds. “The opportunity was there, and I took it,” she said. The photo shoot “was one of the most liberating experiences of my life” and an obvious payback from a scorned woman who wasn’t good enough to get a ring on her finger. She declined to say how much Playboy was paying her…And yeah, I said “one of Bonds’ former mistresses.” Why? Because I know for a fact that there’s more than one out there. I just wonder how many others are sitting back and laughing at this ridiculous woman and her gold digging ways. Here’s an idea for Playboy: Why not just have a casting call for all of Bonds’ former indiscretions and publish a commemorative issue?

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

BADA BLINGING

Irony is going to Las Vegas for a weekend and finding yourself surrounded by some of the nicest, coolest, down to earth people imaginable. And this is all due to one mighty, mighty, fine man. Chris Webber. Webber hosted his second annual BADA Bling Celebrity weekend event at Caesars Palace, which included an awesome night of poker, an after party at club OPM, a golf excursion for those not too hung over from the night before and a Saturday night soiree akin to heaven.

With that said, I have to take a minute to thank Chris Webber for all his hard work and love for the kids. Also, the people that run his foundation did a truly amazing job this year and should be applauded for all their hard work. Cadillac had rides for everyone, Vitaminwater was free flowing and BET was in the house. If friends are a reflection of who you are, then C-Webb has some serious love around him. Everyone involved in this event was real. Real meaning they were there to raise money for Webbers foundation. Real because they didn’t have attitude. Real because they made everyone feel welcome. Real because they all really do care.

POKER EVENT

Friday nights Poker tournement was littered with celeb’s…Webber, Rip Hamilton, Bobby Jackson, Moses Malone, Joakim Noah, Finesse Mitchell, Chauncey Billups, Jalen Rose, Matt Barnes, Steven Jackson, NAS, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Bobby Jackson, Doug Christie and more. Debbie hung in at her table but was wiped out by Bobby Jackson. Debbie commented on her loss: “It was really great, I didn’t go with my intuition, I thought I had it, I had top pair and a really high kick, but he had two pairs, so what am I gonna do?” (Yes, I quoted Debbie but not Bobby Jackson).

I did speak to some serious arms, bling, tattoos and fine ballers, but those quotes are stashed away in my secret garden. I will say that Joakim Noah was a sweetheart. Yes, I busted my arms around his waist, gave him a tight squeeze and said, “You are one mighty, fine, tall, gorgeous beast.” When I saw him later at Soiree said he was gonna “hit up every club possible in Vegas” and had his very young, fresh posse with him. He was extremely nice, approachable, personable, not yet jaded by fame, and his lips deserve an honorable mention as well as his abs. Look for him tearing up the court with the Bulls, where he’s looking forward to hooping it up alongside Ben Wallace and Gordon.

OPM

Friday night at OPM was an interesting experience. The VIP only event was again brimming with ballers, babes, and big beautiful men. As Rasheed Wallace sat next to me, it was all I could do not to ask him for his hat. I opted instead to tell him I love him and left him alone. The dance floor was pumping and alcohol was flowing. Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick the Ruler provided the sounds to keep us going. Damon Stoudamire was bumping with me and let me wear his bling before he ditched me for a top shelf-sista who didn’t give him the time of day. I was already getting busy with a new posse who gave D and I ringside seats to Hopkins-Wright fight when I saw Melo and his do-rag walk into the club. Oddly enough, I didn’t even break a sweat. Yes, hands down, Melo is fine as hell, but (prepare yourselves) he was an asshole. Yeah I said it so sue me. Melo was hanging in his own little area, seemingly enjoying the velvet rope separating him from the general public. Since I had met so many of Webbers supporters and friends, I assumed Melo would be as down to earth as the rest of them. Instead, I was given the clear impression that he was there for the publicity and not to support the foundation. Sorry Melo, you’ve Caramelized yourself off my blog.

THE SOIREE

Red carpet arrivals, cocktails, seafood buffet, dinner, an auction, live music from Howard Hewitt, Raphael Saadiq and the Isley Brothers. And a heartfelt speech from Chris Webber that made Debbie and I cry. As he spoke about encouraging and motivating kids to read, distributing books and fighting illiteracy, I couldn’t help but think of the teachers I know. I’ve heard so many horror stories about the state of education in this country and how so many children are suffering. Webber didn’t give a rehearsed speech, he gave one from the heart. Everyone, and I mean everyone that night was there to make a difference and to support Webbers Foundation. The live auction included a private dinner with Chris, a spa party, courtside seats, jewelry, Suits from Jared M (outfitter for our NBA hotties), private basketball lessons for kids, an ocean view villa in Cabo, pimp your ride and a guest commentary spot with Kenny Smith of TNT sports.

Some of the high bidders who forked out thousands for these items were Doug Christie, actress Regina King, the Maloofs, Gabriel Union, Bobby Jackson, Julian Peterson of the Seattle Seahawks, and Baron Davis- who gave a great speech after winning the courtside seats for 24k. “This is for the kids” he said. Also entertaining the crowd was funny man Charlie Murphy, who kept everyone in stitches with his commentary. Sultry soul singer Howard Hewitt dropped in from heaven and melted the room with his voice. A voice so smooth you could practically hear the panties drop while he was singing. Like so many others there, Hewitt donated his time to perform at the Soiree and I highly recommend going out and buying his album for your next romantic encounter.

As Webber spoke about making donations for his charity, he wasn’t just looking for money. “If Julian Peterson could come to my camp and talk to the kids, that’s a donation.” Indeed. Another guest at the event deserves some love, Frances from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Like so many others, she affirmed all the great work Webbers done for kids, as well as many other athletes who don’t get the recognition they deserve- something which I aim to change. If we had just a few more people in the world like the ones I met this weekend, we really could and can make the world a better place. Next time you see an event listed on my charity events calendar page, save your money, make a donation and go support the event. Because really, its all for a good cause. For more info, how to donate, photos, videos and date of the BET special of Webbers Bada Bling, please visit his website and share the love. www.cwebbsbadabling.com.

Also, more photos and interviews can be found at William McCray’s site, www.Obnoxiouxtv.com. Mr. Bowtie had it going on and I anticipate a fantastic write-up from this charismatic beast…Wire Image also has several photos galleries from Bada Bling…And finally, you can access my Bada Bling photos on Shutterfly.com.

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