MAN-U RUINED MY DAY

The first time two English clubs competed in the Champions League final…and Manchester United had to beat my Chelsea. Congrats to Man-U for taking home the trophy from a match riddled with rain, riots, yellow cards (8), the ejection of my Didier Drogba, a broken nose for United’s Paul Scholes, and the 42nd goal of the season for Cristiano Ronaldo. “I feel very proud for lads,” Ronaldo said. “This is everything for me. It’s a magnificent season for me.”

Maybe it was their shoes? Drogba and Ronaldo both wore Nike’s Mercurial SL boots-which claim to be the “most lightweight and innovative football boot ever produced.” Drogba, pre-eviction- on his kicks: “The new Mercurial SL defines the next level of football boots – it is like nothing I have ever seen before and I’m very excited to be one of the first players to wear this boot in the Champions League Final.” His United rival Ronaldo added: “Speed and acceleration are essential to my game; one second can be the difference between winning or losing the Champions League Final. This Mercurial SL boot is designed to provide the next level of speed.”

SPIKE THIS

Spike Lee is ready to shoot a feature-length documentary about Michael Jordan. The NBA will kick in the cash needed to finance the movie, while Lee’s 40 Acres & a Mule Film works will produce it. The documentary will include extensive unseen footage shot by NBA cameras during the final two years in Jordan’s career, the ‘01-02 and ‘02-03 seasons…and Kobe continues his trend of good PR this week during an interview with Ron Artest. Artests interview with Kobe will air on FSN’s BDSSP, Friday, May 23 at 11:00 pm. Artest and Bryant discuss hoops, fatherhood, Bryant’s MVP Award, his Nike commercial and whether he really did jump over the speeding Aston Martin…the interview was conducted earlier this week at the Laker’s practice facility…if you wanna read a fantastic interview with Ron Artest-and get to know who he really is-check out Michael Tillery’s interview with Ron Artest on the Starting Five- and you’ll undertsand why I will never speak ill-will of Ron-Ron again.

And David Beckham eating caramel apples with his son Brooklyn, courtside at the Lakers, will never get old.

MICKELSON ON ENTOURAGE

There have been some pretty great appearances on HBO’s Entourage, Kanye West’s two-minute cameo still remains the best, but perhaps the next great bit might come from Phil Mickelson? Big Phil spent two days this week taping an episode of the show, set to air in September, in which Mickelson is featured in a golf scene. Mickelson said of the show, “It’s edgy; the language is a little rough. But I just love watching that show.”

COOKING WITH THE PROS?

Rumor has it that Cowboys TE Jason Witten has agreed to ask his teammates and former Cowboys playa’s to appear on a new reality show entitled “Cooking with the All Pros.” Allegedly, the show will pair fans with players, and pit them against each other in cooking competitions. It is set to begin filming in late June. Five half-hour episodes will air in August on Dallas-based WFAA-ABC. The competition is expected to begin with nine contestants. The only upside I can see from the show is the fact that Witten’s charity, the S.C.O.R.E. Foundation, also stands to benefit as preliminary plans call for the public to be invited to bid on tax-deductible contributions toward the charity…and the top bidders will be on the show.

I’m taking the next few days off to enjoy the long weekend, the Monaco Grand prix and some much needed sunshine.

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