SEAN TAYLOR: SHOT & KILLED
“It’s hard to expect a man to grow up overnight,” said teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who played with Taylor at Miami. “But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child.”

Sean Taylor: April 1, 1983 - November 27, 2007. He had a bright future ahead of him, but now 24-year old Washington Redskin, Sean Taylor leaves behind a plethora of grieving family and friends after an intruder shot and killed him in his own home. The attack comes just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor’s home. Flash-forward to Monday, when the police were sent to Taylor’s home at about 1:45 a.m. after Taylor’s girlfriend called 911. She said the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor. Taylor’s 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house, but neither she nor Taylor’s girlfriend were injured. (sports.yahoo) There are plenty of news stories with all the details so I’m not gonna get in depth about it. Its simply too sad and a painful reminder of how precious life is. Rest in Peace Sean Taylor, rest in peace.

DAVID BECKHAM DOWN UNDER

It feels perverse to glorify the hotness of David Beckham (and others) while I’m still trying to process the whole Sean Taylor murder, however, I cant think of anyone better to transition this blog from ‘sad’ to ‘oh-yeah’ than Becks.

On Monday, David Beckham spent the day at the Sydney Harbor, where he and several other hotties kicked soccer balls on a pontoon…he then frolicked with Sir Elton John and other celebrities at the Foxtel is Football party. “‘Allo, Golden Balls,” exclaimed the Rocket Man as he greeted Beckham. Ian Thorpe and Sydney FC co-owner Anthony LaPaglia, were also in attendance.

The next day, Beckham swiped his tux for a uniform to give a Sydney crowd of 80,295 a goal from a trademark curling free kick. Yes, he bent it after limping around for almost 20 minutes on a sore left ankle and delivered the Galaxy’s only first-half goal in the exhibition against Sydney FC on Tuesday. “I was worried at first because I thought I’d twisted my ankle again and done the same injury as I’d done on the last day of the season with Real Madrid, but thankfully it wasn’t as bad,” he said. Ultimately, though, it wasn’t enough and the Galaxy lost 5-3. “It was an entertaining match for the 80,000 fans. That’s what they wanted, to see some goals and to see a bit of an exhibition - they got that.” But apparently some didn’t get what they wanted. According to a piece in USA Today, Beckham “failed to acknowledge” young cancer survivors waiting to greet him Sunday outside his hotel in Sydney. Beckham: “I would never have done that,” Beckham said. “Never have done, never will do. I’m more than willing to meet them wherever they want and at whatever time that they want. I apologize, but like I said, I didn’t actually see them.” (USA Today)

OH PA-LEEZE

Good try Bud Selig. The reigning Mensa reject MLB Commissioner recently invited “all of today’s prominent African-American players” and other MLB big-wigs to join him in a conference call so Selig could “receive information from the group on what it considered as the reasons for the drop in African-American players,” according to Terence Moore of the Atlanta Constitution. Seems that old Bud has gotten his panties in a twist and cant figure out why only 8% of MLBers are bruthas compared with 27% in the mid-70’s. Selig said, “I want to build more baseball academies, but I also want to know what they want us to do, and what they are willing to do with us, too.” I’ve got an idea Bud- stop crying over the repercussions of the Mitchell floodgate you opened or better yet-resign. Lets put a brutha in charge of MLB. I mean, really, who wants to play in a league riddled with government interference, witch-hunts, and George Mitchell’s latest attack on foreign-born players and their ‘visa restrictions.’ It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out Bud. The NBA is taking all the talent.

Except, of course, for the golden child of MLB. Selig has given the thumbs up to Alex Rodriguez’ new ten year $275M-plus contract. Even before Selig was finished destroying Barry Bonds, he had begun to scout out a new home run king. God forbid we get an arrogant Home Run King. A-Rod, for the most part, has a squeaky-clean image (minus the classless wife and hooker scandals) and sex symbol appeal, making him the ideal poster child for any sport. According to the NY Times, Rodriguez will “share in revenue the Yankees generate by marketing his home run milestones.” Rodriguez, who has hit 518 career home runs, will receive $6M when he ties Willie Mays’ 660 home run mark, Babe Ruth’s 714, Hank Aaron’s 755 and Barry Bonds’ 762, as well as when he breaks the record. He will also get “marketing money in exchange for making certain appearances linked to his home run milestones over and above what players are required by their contracts to do.” The Yankees and Rodriguez “had to keep changing the nature of the agreement to gain approval because players cannot receive bonuses for achievements like home run totals.” (N.Y. TIMES, 11/25)

BLACK ENTERPRISE 2007 HOT LIST
For the first time in Black Entertainment magazines 37-year history, the December issue will hit newsstands with five exclusive, consecutive covers featuring LeBron James, Pop/R&B god Chris Brown, Queen Latifah, Wyclef Jean, John Legend, and Venus Williams. In it, they give mad props via the BE Hot List comprised of ultimate achievers under the age of 40 in media, music, entertainment, and sports. “These celebrities have shrewdly leveraged their fame to build multimillion-dollar empires that will sustain them beyond their careers in sports and entertainment,” says be Editor-at- Large Carolyn Brown. “Plus, this year’s list goes outside the box to include business executives, top-ranked money managers, and medical researchers whose impact on our world is undeniable.”

The 2007 HOT LIST includes some of my personal favorites: Tyra Banks, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown (C) (the youngest on the list at 18 years old!) Nick Cannon, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Thierry Henry, Lewis Hamilton, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Phil Ivey, Timbaland, Wyclef Jean, John Legend, Queen Latifah, Usher, Will Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, Kanye West, skateboarder Stevie Williams, Venus Williams, and last but not least, Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. (prnewswire).

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.