CHELSEA INTO FINALS

Chelsea will play Manchester United in the Champions League final after two goals from Didier Drogba and a penalty from a grieving Frank Lampard gave them a 3-2 second leg semi-final win over Liverpool on Wednesday.

Lampard missed Saturday’s win over Manchester United following his mother Pat’s death from pneumonia last Thursday, but that didn’t stop him from contributing to the match.

After 90 minutes with no winner the match went into extra-time…Essien sent a 20-yard beauty into the net, but it was ‘questionably’ disallowed for offside…98th minute, Lampard kept his composure and delivered the icing on the cake, as he scored one for his mother and helped send Chelsea to their first UEFA Champions League final.

EDDIE VEDDER PERFORMS AT KELLY SLATER FOUNDATION BENEFIT

This one practically went down in my own backyard, yet not a peep of it mentioned anywhere…About 600 lucky bastards got a stellar open air concert at a someone’s house overlooking Trestles last week. The shindig was organized by the newly founded Kelly Slater Foundation, which raises money to create awareness for environmental groups such as Miocean, Reef Check and the Surfrider Foundation. Popping in to lend their support for the king-o-waves, were Eddie Vedder and Ben Harper. “Half of every song I’ve ever written, was written in the ocean so that’s sort of my way of giving back,” says Vedder. And dear god kill me now, Sean Penn was also there enjoying the concert, which was topped off with an impromptu jam session with Vedder, Harper and Slater pumping out the evening’s final song, Pearl Jam’s “Indifference,” to a standing ovation. Props to Slater and his foundation, who raised over $350,000 for several environmental causes that night. (Surfline.com)

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

MAX MOSLEY: PLEASE STEP DOWN ALREADY
Last Saturday, Formula One’s biggest backers held a meeting at the Spanish Grad Prix to discuss the ‘Max Mosley issue.’ F1 Management Chair Bernie Ecclestone said that he was “prepared to ask [FIA President Max] Mosley to stand aside.” And Former F1 driver Sir Jackie Stewart said Mosley’s behavior would have contradicted the companies’ “corporate moral guidelines” and that motor clubs around the world would not approve either. “Therefore it’s very difficult to see how he could stay under these circumstances,” added Stewart. Some of my favorite quotes born from this fiasco: “Revulsion at Mosley’s own conduct…Clinging to power in the face of increasingly overwhelming opposition…apparent imperviousness to embarrassment is astonishing… he’s gone beyond anything they (F1) would tolerate.” And it gets worse, the London Times reports that “motoring organizations are considering leaving the FIA and setting up a separate organization if [Mosley] is successful in his desperate attempt to cling on” as FIA President. While Mosley desperately clings on to his position, the invites-er-unvites-keep rolling in-the Israeli government has just “withdrawn an invitation” to Mosley to visit the country…perhaps to make room for the NBA?

NBA GOING TO ISRAEL

Four of the greatest NBA players of all time — Rick Barry, Earl “the Pearl” Monroe, Dominique Wilkins, and “Dr J,” Julius Irving are going to on a week-long pilgrimage to hold clinics for the thousands of orphaned, abused and underprivileged kids in Israel. It’s the first such trip ever to the Middle East and will take place from May 25 - May 30. One of the most prominent charities in Israel, Migdal Ohr, is sponsoring the event. Rick Barry. “Migdal Ohr has put together a tremendous event, all to help kids in a country, which, by the way, already has Maccabi Tel Aviv, one of the great basketball teams in the world.” Robert Katz, executive vice president of the American Friends of Migdal Ohr: “I spoke to Rick before the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans and he instantly agreed to be the voice of 6,500 children at risk and a spokesperson for a tiny country with hundreds of thousands of basketball-crazed fans.” (Migdal Ohr).

GUYS DO IT ALL THE TIME
So, are we supposed to care that Roger Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that started when she was 15-years-old and he was a 28 year-old married father of two? Hell yeah we should. Clemens has proven time and time again that he’s a liar, and now we find out that he was having sex with a 15 year-old when he was ‘an ace pitcher for the Bo-Sox’…combine this with the date-rape-that-no-one-talks-about-that-was-covered-up-by-the-Yankees-MLB-Celemens-behavior of his ex-trainer Brain McNamee, and I’d say Clemens is sitting pretty atop o’ the throne of rejects.

In the story Monday night, sources told the News that McCready went with Clemens to his hotel room in Fort Myers, Fla., after their first meeting but that they did not have sex. The relationship turned intimate after she later moved to Nashville and became a country star. Hmm, wonder if this was around the same time she had her number one single “Guys Do It All the Time” on the charts? “I cannot refute anything in the story,” McCready told the paper. Last September, McCready was sentenced for violating probation from a 2004 drug arrest and was released from jail last Dec. 30. (She still must serve two years’ probation.) Looks like birds of a feather really do flock together don’t they?

RONALDO GETS A HOOKER

This is Priceless…Prostitution is not illegal in Brazil. So, AC Milan babe Ronaldo admitted he wanted to have some fun with a few of the local girls, but when they arrived at his hotel in Rio, the joke was on him. Dude picked up transvestites! Ronaldo told police he offered to pay the transvestites anyway, but before he left one of them allegedly asked for $30,000 to hide the story from the media. (Thank god they didn’t, I needed a good laugh)…the po-po said the altercation began when Ronaldo found out he was dealing with transvestites instead of women. Ronaldo admitted he knew they were prostitutes when they met earlier Sunday night, but did not realize they were transvestites until they got to the motel. “He admitted to everything, he wanted to have fun,” Nogueira said. “But he committed no crime at all, it was immoral at best.”

ROGER FEDERER LOVES HIMSELF

This is exactly what I’ve been bitching about for years…after our Rafa dominated the Swiss-Mister and became the first beast in Open era history to capture four straight titles in Monte Carlo- Federer cant simply say “good job,” instead he has to talk about how he thinks he’s not too far away from ending Nadal’s dominance on clay. “Yes, and I have always been convinced,” said Federer. “I have only beaten him once on this surface, in Hamburg last year, but that is more than enough for me to know that I can do it again… And I reckon this defeat proves again that yes, I do have the game to beat him. I could have played six or seven sets if I had had to and it really is a shame that the final is only a best-of-three…What is disappointing is that I allowed him to come back in the second set, but apart from that section of the game, I played an okay match. I had a good game plan. I didn’t make the wrong choices, I was just wrong sometimes in my execution. My attacking game wasn’t always consistent. My serve wasn’t amazing but it was good. But clay isn’t like grass or hard courts - your serve can’t save you.” Dear god…pa-lease shut up! If you “had the game to beat him” you should have done it…what next? Think you can beat Obama at hoops too?

OBAMA HOOPS

Yes, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama shot hoops with some of the ballers at the University of North Carolina. Cant say he’s got a wicked jump-shot, but I can say that I love the basketball-Presidency-merger that’s taking place. I can easily imagine a President Obama discussing politics while shooting hoops with world leaders…nothing brings people together like sports, nothing.

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

BECKHAM JERSEY WAR

A lot of things in this world got me shaking my head in disbelief-but THIS takes the cake…the Kerr and Ho family’s in Hawaii have both hired attorneys to settle a dispute over David Beckham’s soccer jersey. It started when their kids, ages 9 and 10, held up bright orange Beckham signs in the front row at Aloha Stadium Feb. 22. Following the match, Beckham ran over, pointed to one of the boys, and handed him his jersey.

“My son got it first from Mr. Beckham, directly. We agreed to let them borrow it from us, (but) before that happened we tried to clarify we were the owner and they proceeded to get upset so we never let them borrow it,” Wilfred Ho said. “The jersey is my son’s and I’m very upset with the behavior of the Kerrs and we’d prefer no more contact with them unless they apologize, but I don’t foresee that.” BUT, Eric Kerr said he told his son that Beckham noticed his sign because he ran right for the boys after blowing kisses in the corners of the stadium after the game. “He (Beckham) pointed out that he wanted our son to have it. How do you explain this to a 10-year-old?” asked Eric Kerr. “It’s been really hard on him. Why not let the kids share? He’s such a big star and it’s one heck of an experience for the boys. We just want (the Hos) to keep their end of the bargain.” Are-you-f*cking-kidding-me! Why don’t you people grow up and stop having children until you can act like adults? It’s a shirt for god’s sake. (Honolulu News)

ADAM SCOTT

Congratulations to Burberry babe Adam Scott, who earned his 6th career tour win at EDS Byron Nelson Championship Irving, Texas yesterday. Adam Scott: “I didn’t need to fine-tune anything. I just needed to get out here. … Obviously, it worked well.” Indeed it did. After Scott blew a three-stroke lead that carried into the final round, he made a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to force a playoff. Playing it again on the third playoff hole, Scott made another birdie putt, a 48-footer that rolled over two ridges, into the cup, circled my ovaries and landed smack dab in the center of my libido. “I needed to walk out of here with a trophy,” said Scott, who also got $1.152 million. “I needed to go and close this thing out. It was tough, but I managed to do it.”

LEAVE JOSH HOWARD ALONE

Pa-leeze…this has gotten utterly ridiculous. In case you missed it, NBA babe Josh Howard (Mavericks) did a radio interview on the Michael Irvin Show about a week ago, where he said ‘Most of the players in the league use marijuana, and I have and do partake in smoking weed in the off-season sometimes.’ ” … What I was stating was just [in response to] a random question [the Morning News] asked me about the marijuana use,” Howard said. “I just let him know that most of the players in the league use marijuana, and I have and do partake in smoking weed in the off-season sometimes and that’s my personal choice and my personal opinion. But I don’t think that’s stopping me from doing my job…I was raised on being truthful and honest with myself and my family, so I can say it with no problems and go out there and perform to the best of my abilities (Friday) and not even think about it.”

So, in defense of Howard…props to him for being honest and not being bound by some invisible noose the Commish seems to be tightening every year. Sure, this could spark an “oooh, but what about the children discussion” to which I would reply-be a parent instead of letting the media school your kids. Also in defense of Howard, we all know that ballers are some of the biggest burners in sports. Are we now to expect some sort of crack down on drifty-hoopsters? From personal experience, I can tell you that Howard speaks the truth. Without admitting that I enjoy the occasional toke, I will admit that I’ve been to pa-lenty of parties with ballers enjoying the herb. Aside from a few posse members expecting free weed and ruining the reputation of their oh-so-famous and beloved Baller Posse leader, there’s never been any problems. The bigger problem rests with steroids and MLB. There are far too many incidents of sexual assaults and rapes suffered at the hands of MLB players who are juiced up and aggressive-being covered up by the powers to be that it makes me sick.

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

NADAL: INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS

The Masters Series Monte Carlo…”I think I am more adapted to clay every match, no? I am feel I play more clay style every day, no?” Going for his 24th career title, our Spanish treat, Rafael Nadal, can’t make much cuter, no? Rafa worked the clay against Roger Federer and became the first player in Open Era history to capture the event four times in a row. The allegedly ‘neutral’ crowd was most def backing up the Swiss Mister. But Rafa’s supreme ball control-especially on clay- was too much for Federer-and in fabulous fashion, Rafa downed the worlds number one in straight sets and rolled around on that wonderful red-clay in celebration.

“I think I am playing well; I am doing good work,” purred Nadal, “I think I am more adapted to clay every match. I play more clay (court) style every day, having control of the point with the forehand.” Guess Federer needs to take a good, hard look at what he’s doing wrong…or simply stick to grass.

”I am the first fourth in a row? So, well, happy for that. That most important, happy for still playing good, no, for continuing playing good. Having last two Masters Series, two finals, the first semifinals, and the first Grand Slam semifinals, too. So I think is a very good start of the 2008 season. Just I have to continuing like this, no? I think I am playing well. I am doing good work. If I continue like this, I gonna have chances for being in the top positions another time, no?”

SPANISH F1

First place at the Spanish Grand Prix went to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, second place was taken by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, and third place was claimed by Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes)…I can not, with a clear conscience, say that Raikkonen looks nearly as good as the other babes when he downs champagne, but props to him for the win…

Finnish McLaren-Mercedes Formula One driver Heikki Kovalainen didn’t have a good day. After crashing during the event, he was taken to the hospital and is reportedly in good condition. “As far as we know he hasn’t broken anything. He’s a little concussed,” said McLaren boss Ron Dennis. “We think it was [caused by] a stone [getting caught] between the wheel rim and suspension. It shows a catastrophic air loss and we’ll know more when we get the bits back.” An on-board camera captured Kovalainen’s left-front tire suddenly deflate in the middle of the right-handed Campsa corner, one of F1’s most difficult. Initially there were serious concerns because the cockpit of the car was buried under a barrier and it took F1’s medical team 10 minutes to get him outta the wreckage.

Hamilton said he had been told during the race that his teammate was not badly injured. “It was a terrible day for Heikki, I am just so happy that he was not badly injured. I came past the corner and saw a red car in the wall, but did not know if it was a Ferrari or a McLaren. It reminded me of a similar situation last year, when the same thing happened to me.” The beast said he was glad to be back on the podium, after having failed to finish in the top three in the last two races. “After qualifying fifth, I knew it would be difficult, so I am glad to have finished third,” he said.

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

THE PRO TEAM CAPTAINS SPEAK
Four teams, four Captains. You’ve got, of course Sir Charles in charge of Team Basketball, Drew Brees leading Team Football; Ozzie Smith taking the reins of Team Baseball, and hockey great Mario Lemieux keeping his Team Hockey in check…what am I talking about? The Pro Team Sports Challenge. On April 18, I wrote about the Pro Sports Team Challenge, and today, I’m going to reiterate how cool this event is going to be. Lead by Team Challenge Commissioner, Charles Barkley, the two-day golf event will pit some of the best athletes from four sports (baseball, basketball, hockey and football) against each other on the greens. They are all playing for charity but perhaps the most unique aspect of the event is fan interaction.

During the course of the event, fan interaction will influence the outcome of the game, think ‘American Idol’ on a golf course. Do you think Team Hockey has a more competitive edge with their roster of established pros? Then get online, vote, blog, debate and trash talk with those who think Team Football has better golfers. You could actually win a spot on the greens and walk with your favorite Team inside the ropes as a ProCoach…but you gotta register before May 19 in order to cast your votes and decide which players are playing better or worse than their stated handicaps.

Participating in a press-call this morning, team captains Drew Brees, Ozzie Smith and Mario Lemieux spoke about the event and what we should expect. All three were equally as pumped up about earning bragging rights, as they were to be playing for charity.

Drew Brees: “This is one of the most unique events I’ve ever played in. To find four guys from major sports and bring them together in a fun atmosphere, it’s incredible, I’m gonna have a chance to meet and play with guys I’ve watched growing up, Hall of Famers, world champions.” And when Drew Brees spoke about playing for charity, I knew he was for real. “Our charity is Operation Kids,” he said. “Its an international charity whose mission is to care for the total well being of the child, they focus on education and healthcare for kids, and they’ve done some phenomenal things.”

Baseball team Captain Ozzie Smith was equally as enthusiastic about participating and raising money at the same time: “To have all these guys at the same place at the same time makes it a great event. My charity is Baseball Assistance Team (BAT), they assist families and players that have fallen on hard times, older players who didn’t reap the benefits of long contracts.” Ozzie Smith was reluctant to reveal any coaching strategies: “We’ll put our heads together and figure out how best to approach it,” he said, “Its going to be interesting to see how they (fans) match us up.” When asked who he feels the best player on his Team Baseball is, Ozzie wasn’t promoting himself. “George Brett and Vince Coleman are probably the best on the team. I certainly think I’d be the weakest.”

Hockey Team Captain, Mario Lemieux on his participation: “Just having the fans involved at the same time and most importantly, to raise money for some great charities.” His charity? Hockey Fights Cancer, “Its been going on for a few years, and helps those who‘ve had cancer, I’m one of them, in 1993 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, so it’s very dear to my heart.”

Who’s the best coach and best player on thier teams?
Drew Brees: “I don’t know if I’ve ever done much coaching on a golf course, but John Elway is the best member on my team. I’ve got a good team and I think we all know our own strengths and weakness.”

Mario Lemieux: “Bret Hull is the best player on my team.”

Because of the fan interaction, I was curious about which fan-base would produce the most-trash-talking interaction. Brees: “Well, we got LaDainian Tomlinson, and (John) Elway covering the Rocky Mountain area, myself in the south, and (Michael) Strahan holding down the east, so we’re hopefully going to grab fans from everywhere and it can get very interesting.”

And Ozzie was just as excited, “Our fan base will be very diverse and I think that this tournement, with the guys chosen, have great fan appeal and will make it very interesting as well.”

Commissioner Barkley, who’s charity is the USO, was not available for the press-call, and Drew Brees opined as to why: “I’m sure he’s strategizing as we speak.” Brees’ strategy? “I just grip it and rip it!” he said.

For those of us who follow the off-court/field wardrobes of the players, Brees was quick to remind us that Ballers got it going on. “Basketball is gonna be the most stylish, those guys- their style far exceeds anything we’d be wearing.”

When asked the hypothetical question- what theme song would you play while teeing off…Mario chimed in first with ‘We Are The Champions’…followed by Ozzie who laughed, ‘Off To See the Wizard,’ while Brees said he would pick something similar to a “dramatic theme song used in NFL films”.

For the sake of my own curiosity, I had to ask which ranked celebrity golfer they’d most like to play with: Samuel L Jackson, Bill Murray, Cheech Marin, or George Lopez. Ozzie and Brees both said Samuel L Jackson, while Lemieux went Caddyshack on us and chose Bill Murray.

The Pro Team Sports Challenge will be held on June 7-8th in Palm Springs California. I highly recommend you keep an eye on this event and its unique fan-interaction aspect. Aside from raising money for charity, it just may be a sign of bigger things to come- like Reality Sports. Don’t like the way Jason Kidd is swinging for Team Basketball- text in your vote. If you think Team Hockey is swinging better than Team Baseball, cast your vote for Team Hockey…all the details are available on Team Challenge, with more updates to be released soon.

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

KOBE GRANTS A WISH

First, the 49-point man needs a stylist. While the other NBA babes are dressing up in fine Italian suits, Kobe Bryant shows up in a plaid jacket, red shirt and matching red thingy sticking out of his pocket? And on a night when he’s granting a Make-a-Wish…come on Kobe, you could do much better…but props to the Princess for a sick game last night, where he scored 49-points and answered the Nuggets trash-talk with some phenomenal shots…following the game, Kobe donated his game worn shoes to Make-A-Wish participant Joe Spears.

Speaking of the Nuggets…Carmelo Anthony must have heard Lamar Odom when he said (about Kobe), “He’s one of those players you don’t really want to make mad.” Melo simply saved his ‘make-him-mad’ activities for Luke Walton. “As a team,” Melo said, “I think we lost our focus, lost our composure.” Ya think?

Kanye West took in game two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals (Nuggets/ Lakers)…

NOTHING BUT NETS

I applaud the NBA’s efforts at fighting malaria; I really do, but a giant mosquito? Yesterday, NBA Commissioner Stern was at the UN Headquarters in New York for the announcement of a new grassroots effort to help fight malaria with the UN and the Nothing But Nets Foundation. And yes, they actually paid some bozo to dress up as a mosquito.

MARADONA GONE CRAZY

Those little fists attached to Diego Maradona got quite a workout today…the spitfire was leaving a courthouse in Argentina when local photographers and journalists went crazy and chased him as he and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, tried to escape. Maradona allegedly shouted, “Don’t push Claudia” before throwing an air punch. He was later heard complaining: “They hit me with a camera!” After watching two of the videos posted on YouTube, gotta side with the furry beast- he was swamped-and delivered a lame punch at someone-which didn’t connect and he was smacked in the face with a camera…

FIA AGAINST RACISM

Today, the FIA launched their “Racing Against Racism” campaign at the Circuit de Catalunya, in response to the taunting of Lewis Hamilton during winter testing at the same track in February. Thankfully, they had enough sense to keep Max Mosley away from launch, appropriate since the FIA says the campaign will send a strong message that racism of any kind will not be tolerated, including Nazi-style orgies…but the story here is about Hamilton’s class, not Mosley’s lack of taste. Tomorrow Hamilton will take the track for a practice session, at which point we’ll see if they have, in fact, wiped out racsim. Hamilton has remained classy and hasn’t allowed a few idiots ruin it for the rest of Spain. “The Circuit de Catalunya is a great track. We can’t ever lose it from the calendar. It always sees competitive racing, and there are so many enthusiastic fans there all the time which makes for a great atmosphere.” The Spanish F1 goes down this Sunday.

BIG SURPRISE

Once a year I mention the Dakar Rally…the Central European Rally of Dakar series is being held in Hungary and Romania between April 20 and 26 after the Lisbon-Dakar race was cancelled over security concerns. Admittedly, I don’t know much about this rally, except every year someone crashes in spectacular form. This years crash winner is French biker Gilles Diguet.

PELE IN SWAROVSKI

The U.S. Soccer Foundation is auctioning a rare Swarovski crystal portrait of Brazilian superstar Pele to raise money to develop a synthetic grass soccer field for FC Harlem in New York. This cool one-of-a-kind Pele collectable combines acrylic paints with more than 17,000 Swarovski Crystals, all inserted by hand. The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the major charitable arm of soccer in the U.S., and will direct 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of this authentic item to FC Harlem.

THE OBAMA EFFECT

“People who keep on shooting even though they have no jump shot. You can tell that there is a certain self-delusional aspect to their game that says something about who they are,” Presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Barrack Obama to Bryant Gumbll on HBO’s Real Sports. Obama playing hoops at the White House could be a reality-especially after Gumball told him that the White House has an outdoor basketball hoop: “I wasn’t aware of that. I was thinking I was gonna have to tear down the bowling alley to build a basketball court. But I’m still thinking if I get there, we may need at least a little indoor half-court.” And could Obama’s interest in hoops be the inspiration behind the cover of Time magazine’s May 5 issue. The side-by-side image mimics the NBA Playoffs ad campaign ‘There Can Only Be One.’

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

CARMELO’S WAY

Oh yeah…he’s a new Melo? While I’m a huge fan of reality shows, I do take ‘em with a grain of salt, after all, there is a lot of scripting done regardless of it being tagged a ‘reality” show…in any case, my DVR is salivating at the news of BET Networks new programming for 2008 and 09. Under its new appropriately named “Connection You Can Feel” slogan, new programming on BET J includes “Carmelo’s Way,” a reality show that follows Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony during a four-month period…and all you Melo-bashers can just put a plug in it…I’m not ignoring the ironic timing of this piece or ignoring the song played during the spot…”Im a big boy now…I said I’m a big boy now.” I’m just diggin on my Melter in this clip.

STEVE NASH: 60 MILLION-DOLLAR MAN

Steve Nash. Baller, producer, environmentalist, sexy beast. Sir Nashty teamed up with Ezra Holland and Danny Vaia, his partners at Meathawk, to produce a film to promote his ‘Nike Trash Talk’ kicks. The spot is a spin off on ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’, with special effects compliments of the Stan Winston Studio-the good peeps who tricked out the Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, and The Lost World films. Amare Stoudemire and Raja Bell (above) both make cameos in this delicious spot, putting LeLame and his acting skills to shame. This one is destined to be a classic, just as the original serious remains today. “I have such a passion for watching films and now, that passion is being transferred into filmmaking. After starting my own production company, Meathawk, this seemed like the perfect time and place for me to make a short film to increase environmental awareness through the promotion of the Trash Talk,” said Nash. (nba.com/suns)

TOTTI FINE
Just as I was just packing my naughty-nurse Halloween costume and booking a flight to Rome, Francesco Totti gets released only three-days after undergoing knee surgery and driving me insane. Professor Pierpaolo Mariani, who operated in Villa Stuart on the damaged ligament in Totti’s his right knee, announced that “this morning he will start to train in the gym, then some rest and then back to the gym.”

“Now in modern football this kind of injury has become very common,” wrote Totti last week in his regular column in the Corriere dello Sport. “I take this opportunity, through this column, to thank all the people who once again have given me a lot of affection, ranging from my fans to just ordinary people,” he explained. “Even colleagues from other teams, who off the field are real friends. Two I will mention as an example are Materazzi and Gattuso, who as players may seem very hard, but in reality are men of great values with whom I feel particularly connected. I thank Comotto, Amelia, Prandelli, Inzaghi, Del Piero and I apologize to anyone if I have forgotten, but there are so many.” Ah-hello? Apology accepted…

MARA-DON’T-A

Yesterday, Diego Maradona attended the Boca Juniors/UA Maracaibo match. Maradona is, of course, a big furry Boca fan. Guess who won the game?

FUNKY COLD TENNIS PARTY

Andy Roddick and James ‘Booty’ Blake hit up Jet nightclub at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas Monday night to attend a bachelor party for Mardy Fish (who is marrying ‘Deal or No Deal’ briefcase model Stacey Gardner)…more disturbing than me not being there, is the fact that grandpa Ton Loc performed ‘Wild Thang’ and ‘Funky Cole Medina.’

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

DREAM BIG
Today in Germany, adidas launched its ‘08 soccer ad campaign, in which soccer players visit the national soccer teams from some of the world’s smallest countries in a film project titled ‘Dream Big.’ Those enticing us from the spot include Sir Golden Balls himself, David Beckham, Liverpool beast Steven Gerrard, Arsenal’s Robin van Persie, Chelsea hottie Michael Ballack and AC Milan legend Kaka. Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho provides the sultry voiceover for the spot.

ZIDANE PLAYS FOR CHARITY

The 35-year-old (former) France international soccer stud, Zinedine Zidane, joined a host of other soccer notables for a charity match Monday in Geneva. While he still loves kicking the ball for charity, he doesn’t regret retiring. “Not at all. I have been there and done it, and I have to do other things now,” Zidane said. The match was born through his friendship with Switzerland midfielder Fabio Celestini, who has launched 442, a children’s charity that aims to raise money to help disadvantaged children learn to play soccer…”I have met Fabio because our kids go to school in the same town,” Zidane explained. “It is a pleasure to play here and a good idea to give something to the kids.” If you need be reminded-Zidane is also a United Nations goodwill ambassador and now makes appearances for charitable causes. (Canadian Press)

NOT FAIR

Francesco Totti shakes hands with Francesco Rutelli-a candidate in the race for Rome’s city hall…whatever, I don’t care who he is…its not fair to post photos of a half-nekked Totti in bed…just kill me now already…

KANYE WEST STEPPING IT UP

I think its official…we’ve seen Kanye in his ‘pastels and Bape shit’…and now Kanye West has become the first non-athlete to have his own Nike Signature shoe. West and Nike teamed up to create the Nike Air Yeezys. Kanye first wore the kicks for his Grammy performance in February but we’re just hearing about the details…in true Kanye fashion, the Air Yeezy’s glow in the dark. Still waiting on word about availability, price and release date…

JENNIFER HARMAN CHARITY POKER
Last year, professional poker player Jennifer Harman held her Inaugural Charity Poker Tournament for the Nevada SPCA. Thanks to her efforts, the event raised $130,000 for the shelter in Las Vegas, affording them the opportunity to open two new wings for the no-kill shelter. And on April 18, Harman hosted her Second Annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament, which was held inside the Venetian Poker Room. Poker celebrities ‘giving back’ arrived at Venetian to walk the red carpet, but they didn’t walk alone. Each celebrity had a shelter animal with him or her. Former NFLer Shawn King walked the carpet with a cat dressed in feather boa and poker professional Phil Ivey walked with a kitten in his arms…for my complete write up visit Look to the Stars or to see the red carpet arrivals video, check out Poker News. This years event raised over $300,000 for the Las Vegas SPCA.

MAX MOSLEY UPDATE
My favorite sports scandal continues to march on…FIA President Max Mosley, who faces a forced resignation due to that nasty Nazi-style-orgy-video, now thinks we should all just mind our business. Mosley: “I think most adults would say that whatever in that spectrum somebody does, provided it doesn’t hurt anybody, provided it’s consensual, provided it’s among adults, provided it’s in private, it concerns nobody but the people doing it.” Okay, so I agree with that-what people do behind closed doors in their business, BUT-its not an issue of his privacy anymore- its an issue of tainting the sport. I cant event think of Formula One without thinking of Mosley’s and his Nazi fetish. His perversion is an indication of a larger issue-a lack of compassion perhaps?

Perhaps the biggest shame is that Mosley wont retire or even admit to the facts caught on tape. Watch the video (link below) and you’ll see the controversy before laughing as you read his denial: “It’s outrageous, because the whole thing was predicated around the idea that this was some sort of Nazi orgy,” he said. “And the Nazi aspect of that is absolutely untrue. In fact it was a deliberate, cold-blooded, calculated lie, to which there’s no basis at all. So that was really annoying because obviously the main subject was embarrassing to say the least, but to have the Nazi connotation placed on it when it was completely untrue was extremely annoying.” Interesting that the women in the video tell a very different story. One of the ‘girls’ told how Mosley, 67—son of Britain’s notorious wartime fascist leader Sir Oswald—ordered her to dress up in German military uniform and bark orders at him as he was flogged till he bled. He also bellowed orders in German and spoke English in a bizarre German accent during the five-hour S & M orgy in a London dungeon. She told New of the World: “He filmed the whole thing on video camera to enjoy again later. And it’s not the first time he’s hired us to satisfy his kinky lust.” For all the details, or if you really wanna watch Mosley getting flogged in the video, visit New of the World.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

SEEING GREEN

Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 104-81 to lead the series 1-0. Kevin Garnett: “I had to slow down as I ran through the tunnel and to hear the crowd, to hear the building rocking and the bleachers were shaking. I had to take a minute for myself, man, just thank the lord I was back in this position.” Indeed. And I think I need to take a minute after seeing Garnett/ Paul Pierce dressed to the nines and Leonardo DiCaprio snapping photos from his seat.

BECKHAM RULES

New Rule…David Beckham is NOT allowed to attend any more Lakers games. I really, really wanna watch these games, but come on, Beckham and his offspring, courtside- not fair. Either affix a camera to the seat next to him and give him his own Show, or keep the camera off him during the playoffss. Lakers/Nuggets Game One: Lakers topped ‘em 128-114.

COURTSIDE BOXING CELEB’S & MY OWN DRAMA

Sometimes when watching a match, my eyes can’t help but scan the audience too see which celebrities are really watching the fight, and which ones are just there to be seen…you decide. Seen ringside at the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight Saturday night Las Vegas: Jay-Z; Pete Sampras and former boxer “Sugar” Ray Leonard; Whitney Houston, her boobs, and Ray-J…

Simon Cowell; Catherine Zeta-Jones; Tom Jones…

Arnold Schwarzenegger; Sylvester Stallone; and Jeremy Piven…speaking of Vegas, I mentioned last week that I was going. And I did. Apparently, I was “credentialed” to cover Tiger Jam, a fundraiser for the Tiger Woods Foundation, among other charities….so, in a nutshell, my Vegas drama…catch a flight at 12:30, get to the hotel and check in by 2:30. The only room I could find available was at the Excaliber. I’m rushing to get to Mandalay Bay for media-check in…run up to my room…and when I walked in I almost puked. It was the most disgusting hotel room I’ve ever seen- aside from the lack of amenities, it smelled like a gas station bathroom-seriously, I’ve stayed in nicer hotels in India. Anyway, dump my bags, run over to Mandalay Bay, beg them to find me a habitable room, they send me to the Four Seasons, I get a room, tram it back to the shanty Excaliber, check out of there after getting a full refund, tram it back to Mandalay/Four Seasons, dump my bags off, change, and make it to media check in at 4:30…after all this, I’m handed a general admission ticket for the Van Halen concert at 10 PM. I ask if I can at least bring my camera in-since I’ve been ‘credentialed’. “Uh, yeah, no you cant.” Um, okay, can I take a few photos of the ballroom? “Um, yeah, no you cant.” What about the auction items, can I snap a few photos? “Um, yeah, no you cant.” Okay, do you know where the concert is? “Um yeah, no we don’t.”…so you’re telling me I spent almost a grand to fly out here and cover an event but the only thing I can do is go to a general admission concert? “Um, yeah. You can look at the website on Monday, we’ll have it all posted there.”…Needless to say, I packed my bags, checked out of the Four Seasons, left my concert ticket with the front desk dude, hopped on a flight, and was home on my sofa watching the fight by 6:30….moral of the story? I ain’t got nothing to say about Tiger Jam that would be suitable for publication.

GOAL

Yes…GolTV, the all soccer network, has acquired the exclusive U.S. and Canada broadcast rights to the 2010 World Cup qualifying matches of the Italian National Team…let that sink in for a minute…Italy’s home matches as well as the May 30 Italy v Belgium will be broadcast only on GolTV.

Italian National Team members you may know from my blog, your dreams, or those sporntastic D&G ads that will never get old, include Fabio Cannavaro (top right), Luca Toni (top left), and Gennaro Gattuso (not shown)…speaking of luscious Luca Toni, he and the Bayern babes won the German Cup after they defeated Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup football final at Berlin’s Olympic stadium on April 19, 2008. Bayern won by 1-2 and took the German Cup trophy for the 14th time.

QUINCY JONES
Long-time humanitarian, Quincy Jones, commented for the first time publicly about his role as an artistic advisor to the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Key excerpts from Quincy Jones’ April 19th keynote speech: “I’m sure you know that China is at a crucial crossroads. There are complex and polarizing issues surrounding the Olympics that affects and touches the entire world community… and stirs up emotions and inflames passions. I’m talking, of course, about the situation in Tibet and in Darfur.”

“I don’t think anyone would want the burden of Tibet & the Dalai Lama and Darfur on their lap. But China’s leadership took on the challenge of the Beijing Olympics knowing that the spotlight and focus would be on them, warts and all. Because the spotlight is on them, they now have the chance to show leadership and wisdom to change the world for the better…I’m deeply concerned about Tibet, but on a human scale… and my own experiences with the African continent… Darfur is screaming out at me the loudest.” If you’d like to read the entire press release, you can do so HERE.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

DANICA FINALLY DOES IT

The biggest winner this weekend by far is Danica Patrick, who became the first female winner in Indy Car history after taking the Indy Japan 300. Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves. “It’s a long time coming. Finally,” Patrick said. “It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn’t believe it. This is fabulous.” Aside from deserving the win, I gotta applaud her for being so gracious. Way to represent Danica! (If you wanna debate whether Danica needs to keep her clothes on in order to win, join the discussion at TSF.net, Mizzo has got me fired up this morning)

CALZAGHE HITS HOPKINS FROM BEHIND
Calzaghe landed a historic 232 punches on Hopkins. But I’m wondering if they counted the blows Calzaghe landed on Hopkins ‘from behind ‘ in round 10? Initially I wanted Calzaghe to win, his corner bustling with colorful Welshmen spitting out stuff like rat-at-at-at-rat-ta-ta-he’s-there-rat-rat-a-ta-ta-he’s-ready-ta-lose- that subtitles may have helped. But after Calzaghe’s low blow, and ensuing taunts, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth-like a warm pint left sitting around the pub for too long. I wanted Hopkins to wipe that arrogant smirk off Calzaghe’s face and throw him into the audience. Preferable right between Sylvester Stallone and Simon Cowell…but no such luck, Hopkins lost by spilt decision…All in all, the fight was thoroughly entertaining-especially since we didn’t have to shell out pay-per-view fees to see it go down.

CRUZ BECKHAM

I don’t know where these photos originated, but its high time they made the rounds on the Internet. David Beckham and his son Cruz. Did Sir Golden Balls teach his kids to flip off the paparazzi? I hope so…it’s priceless.

LAKERS READING CHALLENGE

I wouldn’t have waited until I was 18 to read ‘Tale of Two Cities’ had Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar been around when I was a kid. Last week, the Lakers babes visited students of Carr Elementary, which won one of the grand prizes of the Lakers Reading Challenge.

FRANCESCO TOTTI ON HIS KNEES

AS Roma’s captain of my libido, Francesco Totti, hurt his sexy knee during their Italian serie A 1-1 draw against Livorno on April 19. “I was a little scared because I heard the crack, ” Totti told Italy’s Sky TV. “I’m a little down, but I’ve been through worse. I’ll return stronger than before.” Today, Totti is comfortably resting in Rome’s Villa Stuart clinic after having surgery on his injured right knee. They say that Totti could miss the start of next season due to the partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament…”After examining the player, professor Pierpaolo Mariani (Totti’s surgeon) confirmed the primary diagnosis: that he has partially ruptured his cruciate knee ligament,” confirmed team physician Mario Brozzi. “Roma have already had to deal with this kind of injury and we believe that four months is enough recovery time.”

OH GOD NO

Thanks to Nikolay Davydenko and his “leg injury” (scandal anyone?) the Swiss Mister, Roger Federer, won the Estoril Open after Davydenko retired with a fake leg injury while trailing 7-6 (5), 1-2 Sunday. “It’s not the way you want to win a tournament, but that’s just the way it goes sometime,” Federer said. “It’s great to win a title again and to straightaway win my first clay court tournament of the season gives me great confidence going into Monte Carlo.” Yeah, we know…

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.