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.