NBA’s GOOD BEHAVIOR

Am I the only one surprised that there wasn’t more ‘tomfoolery’ during All Star week in New Orleans? After last year’s extremely dark shenanigans in Vegas, I was sure we’d have some misbehaving headlines to gossip about. But the New Orleans Police Department reported only 98 arrests related to All-Star festivities Friday-Sunday, and 502 arrests citywide. Last year in Vegas, police made 1,039 arrests during the four-day event, 392 were directly related to the All-Star weekend. Maybe everyone was busy with the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service, in which an estimated 2,500 volunteers helped with various community service projects? But maybe, just maybe, the city itself infused a little juju into NBA Cares slogan ‘Where Amazing Happens’. Indeed.

DWIGHT HOWARD’S NO JESUS

Dwight Howard issued a collective ‘holy-shit’ via his insane Superman Dunk. (Ironically enough-Howard is repped by Goodwin Sports Management, which includes DC Comics as a client). Aside from his adidas endorsement deal being among the most lucrative at $36M over six years, dudes got the personality, smile, body, skills and charisma to melt a polar ice-cap, so I find it crazy that anyone would dislike him. But let the Crusades begin. Howard has irked a certain magazine focused on Christian athletes after they discovered he had an (oh-god-no) unplanned pregnancy with a former Magic dancer. The magazine dropped a scheduled article about him after learning of this mortal sin. Howard: “I’m not Jesus. You make a mistake, it’s about how you deal with it.” Speaking of Jesus, I came across an interesting tid-bit on Jacoby Ellsbury…

BABY JESUS IN CLEATS

Hudson Morgan begins his article on Red Sox CF Jacoby Ellsbury in the latest edition of Men’s Vogue with the line; “It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment that Red Sox Nation realized their rookie Jacoby Ellsbury was the Baby Jesus in cleats.” Yes, I had to. Baby Jesus in cleats is about as funnny as touch-down Jesus…in any case, Baby Jesus in cleats is featured in a several-page spread in the new issue of Men’s Vogue. Not sure if it’s a sin to appear in that magazine or not, but maybe the unnamed Christian magazine can get Baby Jesus in cleats for an interview?

LAUREUS WINNERS
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way little else does. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair.” Nelson Mandela.
Last week, a panel of the world’s leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters from over 120 countries voted on a list of nominees in various categories including; Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Laureus World Team of the Year, Laureus Sport for Good Award and Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year. And this year’s winners? Swiss Mister Roger Federer nabbed his fourth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and as painful as it is to report, Federer made history by becoming the first winner of four awards. Federer: “I had hoped that they might not think three is enough - and indeed, they gave me a fourth. That’s awesome!” Yes Roger, we know…Justine Henin walked away with the Sportswoman of the Year award, Brendan and Sean Tuohey, who in ‘01 founded the basketball-based humanitarian project Peace Players International, were awarded the Laureus Sport for Good Award….

And the World Breakthrough of the Year Award went to the classy and humble Formula One babe, Lewis Hamilton. “I remember last year I was in Bahrain for a test and watched the Laureus Awards on the television in my hotel room and now I am here with all these amazing people,” he said. “It has been a fantastic year and I am very grateful for this award. Actually I feel a bit overwhelmed as looking around the other nominees I didn’t think I deserved it but I am really happy.”

ALOHA BECKHAM

David Beckham. Just the name itself can induce a hot flash. As expected, the kids in Hawaii are going nuts for Sir Golden Balls…hot stuff took part in a community soccer event held at Waianae High School on Tuesday.

THANK YOU

Just wanted to send a shout-out to photographer Glyn Kirk for snapping a much-needed image of Paulo Maldini for my hormones.

FAN OR FOE?
There are some whacked out idiots out there claiming to be fans of Chelsea. The problem is, these “fans” have been bombarding Chelsea’s Israeli manager Avram Grant with anti-Semitic e-mails and letters. Aside from the anti-Semitic death threats, someone sent a suspicious note containing powder to Grant at the teams training facility, which led to an emergency evacuation. A police source was quoted today as saying that the note to Grant included the words: “You are a back-stabbing Jewish b******. When you open this letter you will die a very slow and painful death.” Grants wife, Tzofit, has also been pulled into this disgusting display of hate, as she has been receiving “death threats of a sexual nature.”

Grant has been a target of racists since he was appointed the club’s boss last September. Now, MP’s are calling for a specific campaign against anti-Semitism in soccer to go alongside the ‘Kick Racism Out of Football’ project currently in operation. One message, sent to the MP, Grant and Abramovich, forwarded to Times Online, said: “I have been a Chelsea supporter since 1968. And Chelsea has always been a White, English, Christian football club in the land of St George. I would rather see Chelsea playing in the Isthmian league, than see you Jewish b******* ruin it with Russian, American and nasty israeli terrorist jews.” (Timesonline.co.uk)

MY FOOTBALL CLUB

I don’t think the owners of Ebbsfleet United will suffer at the hands of their fans. The English soccer club has been taken over by the fans. Web site, MyFootballClub, has 28,000 members in 80 countries, and just completed their $1.24M takeover of Ebbsfleet United. The site’s members will collectively hold a 75% interest, each paying $68 annually for the right to vote on team selection, player transfers as well as other decisions affecting the club. This historical ‘power-to-the-people’ move is believed to represent the first website-community takeover of a football club or business in the world. (BBC)

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.