David Beckham Does Not Disappoint Me

“I’m not disappointed. It doesn’t affect me…you can’t be liked by everyone.” David Beckham

Why do people love to hate? That was my first thought this morning as I read about David Beckham’s return to the Galaxy and their friendly against AC Milan this weekend (which ended in a 2-2 draw)…during Beckham’s big come-back, he was booed and confronted with asinine banners such as: ‘Go home fraud,’ ‘23: Repent,’ and ‘Is evil something u are…or something u do’…

I don’t have a problem with David Beckham for the simple reason that he is an institution. He is sold, marketed and packed to perfection is his skivvies as a product. He did what he was supposed to do-infuse life into US Soccer. That was his job-not to bend it as he did in his youth, but to use his marketability to sell the sport. I don’t give a hoot if Landon Donovan is pissed at Becks…I don’t care that Beckham missed half of the MLS season due to a five-month frolic with the Italians. He’s never been quiet about the fact that he’d prefer to kick it with AC Milan because the level of play IS better in Europe. So why is everyone hating on a guy who accepted mad amounts of cash to lend his Image to soccer? Didn’t we give him a hero’s welcome upon signing with the Galaxy? And now he’s gotta endure the wrath of fans who feel disappointed? What it boils down to for me, is how athletes act off the field and how they react to unruly fans. They can shoot and kill them like Columbian soccer player Javier Florez did, or they can react with class and dignity ala Beckham…

During halftime, Beckham confronted a fan that had been running his mouth about god-knows-what and apparently ‘crossed the line’…Beck’s motioned for said-asshole to come closer…the guy jumped down from the seats and was promptly arrested…but not before Beckham had words with him. “I said, `You need to calm down and come shake my hand.”

In this day and age of blind hero worship, I only ask that ‘fans’ take a look at the bigger picture. Is it really that much fun to make banners-of-hate and get psyched-up for the game because you get to flaunt your hatred towards someone you feel let you down? Was there anybody-even ONE person in the entire stadium thinking about how many nets Beckham has sold to save lives? Wouldn’t time be better spent making a massive Malaria No More banner thanking Beckham for his involvement with that campaign? And has everyone forgotten that Beckham taught soccer to children in Harlem or that in 2007 Beckham surprised a young girl dying of cancer with a phone call and signed jersey before she died 12 days later? I haven’t forgotten.

Beckham can best be summed up by his actions over the weekend. The impulse to shake an angry fans hand speaks volumes to the mans character, and for me, despite the enormous amount of weight placed on Beckham’s shoulders, he’s proven himself a gentlemen on and off the pitch. So please people, take your hatred elsewhere.

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

BECKHAM’S GET BURNED BY HOUSEKEEPERS?

Oh, we could have never seen this one coming…what happens when you put three unscrupulous housekeepers in charge of your mansion? Well, we’ve seen what his signed jersey can do, and now, Sir David Beckham and Posh have been burned by their housekeepers after some of their personal possessions turned up on eBay.

Eric and June Emmett, worked at the Beckhams’ Hertfordshire mansion and were arrested on Friday on suspicion of theft from a private address. Also on the court docket is their charming 25 year-old son Gareth, who just loved to hang out with his parents at the worlds most beautiful couple house. If I were a betting gal, I’d say it’s the son who hatched this ‘eBay’ scheme…according to various reports, Posh’s mum and dad spotted some of her clothing, as well as a pair boots belonging to Golden Balls, on eBay. The stealthy couple didn’t want to alarm their daughter or Sir David…A source told the Daily Mirror: “Although Tony and Jackie (Posh’s parents) had their suspicions they wanted to gather as much evidence as they possible could.” (Mum and dad even had friends place fake bids) “They thought that David and Victoria might not want the embarrassment of the thefts being made public. They thought they might prefer to just deal with things quietly. But once they were told what had appeared to have been going on David and Victoria were adamant that the police should be called in. They are still trying to establish what else, if anything, has been taken and how long this was going on for. They are very upset. Victoria has said it is a horrible feeling that someone - possibly someone you really trusted - may have been through your stuff. She can’t help thinking what other personal items could they have taken - or just rummaged through.”

Now, if this were me, the first thing I would rummage through is the bedroom, then the laundry-the dirty laundry-yeah, there’s value to be found in just about anything the Beckhams touch…imagine of they had filmed a (a-hem) video? Not that we haven’t seen the beautiful Beckhams ala mode before…I’m just saying…

To be fair, housekeeper Eric Emmett today said this is all “fabricated nonsense” but their genius son has apparently been bragging about spending time at the couple’s holiday home in Nice…which has now sent the Golden Couple into a fact checking mission to ensure the sticky-fingered employee’s didn’t nab anything out of that home as well. The three idiots are scheduled to appear in court on November 22.

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
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

KOBE & THE SPEEDING ASTON MARTON
Kobe Bryant wore his new kicks against the Clippers last night, (Lakers won 106-78). The Hyperdunk shoe featuring Flywire, Nike’s “lightest shoe technology ever” weighs only 13 ounces, making it the lightest shoe currently on the market. Which is probably why he was able to jump over a speeding Aston Martin in what could be one of the greatest videos ever. Kobe has strongly suggested-rather-admitted that he did not really perform this stunt…“Its Hollywood baby, what you expect out here,” he said,”If Rambo can take on a whole army, I can jump over an Aston Martin!” (Notice how I didn’t call him Princess?)

SLEEP LIKE BECKHAM

No doubt David and Victoria Beckham slept very well after taking in the Lakers game last night. Seems that Sir Golden Balls sleeps on a Monarch Vi-Spring luxury bed, which are described as life changing beds…blah, blah, blah…found in finest hotels and homes in the world…each one tailor made to order in Devon using the highest quality natural materials and exclusive Belgian fabrics…wanna get your own? The Monarch Vi-Spring is available only at Harrods and cost a mere $50k.

DWIGHT HOWARD AND THE KIDS

Each year, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) honors a player that’s dedicated his off court time to help improve this world. No surprised that Dwight Howard received the award for the second time. All ya gotta do is read about how he’s donated $25,000 to the Pine Hills Boys & Girls Club, met with Make A Wish kids or donated gifts to underprivileged children and their families to know he’s one of the best NBA good-guys around.

And yesterday, Howard and the Orlando Magic community ambassador Nick Anderson distributed 398 pairs of shoes provided by adidas to every student at Orange Center Elementary School. The event was a reward for the students’ hard work towards improving their Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests scores…Howard even spoke to the kids about never giving up, setting goals and working hard…and yet, another might-mighty-good-man has landed.

AL HARRINGTON FEEDS THE CHILDREN

Another mighty-mighty-good-man from the NBA is Golden State Warrior Al Harrington. Harrington, who was just recognized by the NBA for his “outstanding efforts in the community and his ongoing philanthropic work,” partnered with international hunger relief organization Feed The Children this week to provide 800 local families with boxes of food and personal care items.

Speaking of the Golden State Warriors…maybe Baron Davis needs to shave the beard, do a little community service and call it a day? His triple-double wasn’t enough to stop the Nuggets, who delivered a ‘oh-no-you’re-not-going-to-the-finals-this-year’ loss to the Warriors last night. “That’s a tough one to swallow,” Davis said, “But we’ve got to finish strong. That’s all we can do.” Denver won 114-105……And speaking of ballers, the irony of a Wall Street Journal article didn’t escape me, or those I’ve been talking to about ballers and their questionable choice of posse members…Hannah Karp reports athletes are “turning the entourage from liability to asset…players across the sports world are using a range of management tactics to eke the most profit and productivity out of their support systems.” One sports attorney said that he’s seen athletes “give their friends lump-sum payments of as much as $100,000,” which they most likely pocket and don’t pay off their debts with…

MASTERFUL

If you’re not watching the Masters, you’re stupid. And I ain’t talking about the game. Camilo Villegas, Paul Casey, Adam Scott, and the oh-so-adorable Brandt Snedeker…Which made me laugh as I read about Callaway Golf “making a fresh appeal to a vital demographic” by finding ways to “attract more women to the game.”

ART OF MUSIC

Speaking of the Masters, Art of Music has got a little something for those who want to wear the green jacket without actually winning the event. The company, which hosts celebrity charity events and sells rare items for various Foundations, is selling a Masters Jacket signed by: Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Mark O’Meara, Raymond Floyd, Nick Faldo, Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnan, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mike Weir, Fuzzy Zoeller, Vijay Singh, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Craig Stadler, George Archer, Gary Brewer, Billy Casper, Phil Mickelson, Bob Goalby, Charles Coody & Tommy Aaron. Check em out for more great stuff, such as an autographed Tom Brady jersey and an NY Greats signed jersey…items aren’t cheap, but proceeds got to charity so you can feel good about yourself.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

BUT IT’S A WET HEAT

Its currently 76 in Dubai, with sunny skies, a relative humidity of 69% and NW winds shifting SSW at 10 to 15 mph throughout the day…I felt bad for our tennis babes for about five seconds- thinking how it must suck to play in the heat- and then I saw the photos. Heat is our friend.

Andy Roddick wrecked havoc on my hormones last week after acing our Rafael Nadal outta the tournement. “I knew I was going to hit it well, from the first point. I kind of let it fly, and that’s what it took tonight,” Roddick said. He even snuck in one ace that was 149.75 mph, breaking the Dubai serve record he set a day earlier…then Roddick downed Novak Djokovic without coach Connors-who he broke up with about a month ago, “He’s helped my backhand a ton. I mean, it’s a different shot than when we got together,” Roddick said. “It’s a lot more solid…I spent the week after Wimbledon almost as close to depressed as I’ve been as far as my career goes. And I really credit him for that spark and getting me back into the top five and in a Slam final pretty close there afterwards…I guess I’m just happy,” Roddick said, “to have been able to spend a little bit of time with such a legend.” And today, Roddick faced Lopez in the final…

…where hot-stuff produced one of his best performances to win the Dubai Open title with a 6-7 (8/10) 6-4, 6-2 win over Lopez.

OH PA-LEEZE
Just when I think I’ve been too hard on the Swiss Mister he goes and pulls a stunt like this. No, Im not talking about the upcoming exhibition match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras (Monday night, Madison Square Garden)…Im talking about his undetected “mono” that “affected” his play. “Roger found out he had mono, and didn’t know it. He found out a couple of weeks ago. That’s probably what was wrong with him,” Federer’s agent, Tony Godsick, said Friday. “He doesn’t want to make any excuses and take anything away from anybody. In hindsight, had (his doctors) known he had mono, they wouldn’t have let him play.” Unfortunately, that statement does take away from Djokovic who wiped the court with R-Fed at the Auzzie Open in January, and Murray who crushed R-Fed at the first round in Dubai. “This gave him a reason for why he wasn’t able to move and why he wasn’t able to recover,” Godsick said. “It was annoying for him to not have reasons for why his body wasn’t responding.” It’s called a SLUMP…so pa-lease, don’t try to tell me that one of the worlds most elite athletes didnt have a qualified doctor around to tell him he had mono…

MEET DAVID BECKHAM

Wanna meet Sir Golden Balls and yank that cute little beanie off his head with your teeth? Well now you can. Bidding started March 4th and runs through March 18 on a meet and eat greet with David Beckham…yes, the Charity Folks have Beckham up for bids, along with Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones…the winning bidder will receive an intimate meet-and-greet photo op with David Beckham; meet-and-greets with Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones; a David Beckham autographed jersey; 2 VIP field seats to an LA Galaxy game; a pregame tour of the stadium; access to a luxury box party with open bar and food; 2 night hotel accommodations in a deluxe room; round-trip domestic airfare for 2; ground transportation to and from the game and a lifetime of sweet dreams….

ORLANDO MAGIC GOES KABOOM

“If the playground brings a smile to the faces of all the kids here, that’s better than any dunk, winning any slam-dunk contest, could be,” said Dwight Howard. “It’s good for everyone.” The Orlando Magic shut down its offices Friday (except for the team practice) and sent about 200 employees and team hotties to spend the day building a playground at the Santa Barbara Apartments in Winter Park Florida yesterday…it was done in conjunction with KaBOOM, the Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization and obviously the Magic, who paid the tab and provided all of the labor.

BEARD OFF

My favorite bearded Bay Area bloggers are calling for some serious action: “In protest of the lack of Warrior representation at the all-star festivities and in the name of the two-month dash to the Western Conference playoffs, I stopped shaving two and a half weeks ago” writes one of the founding Beards, Turman. “It’s on. Boom Dizzle himself is sponsoring a beard-growing contest at www.ibeatyou.com. It’s going down BD. I’m not only going to give you solid run for beardosity, I am officially laying down a challenge to the entire Bay Area: beard up.” No word yet on whether Owen Wilson and DeRay Davis were attending the Warriors / Heat game because they’re fans of Boom Dizzle or if they just wanted to see the progression of his beard.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

YES, YES, YES

It’s been far too long since Camilo’s prowess has been documented. Our Columbian kitten, Camilo Villegas, rests in fourth place at the FBR Open after finishing the first round at 5-under par. Obviously I’d love to see Villegas win one, but admittedly, as long as he continues to cut an ultra-fine figure in his Lindeberg gear, and get down on all threes once in a while, then I’m really not gonna complain.

DONYELL FORGETS HIS JERSEY

Ya gotta love a hottie who enters a game without their jersey. Cav’s beast Donyell Marshall checked into Cavs/Sonics game for the first time since November due to a wrist injury, and dude was so excited he tore off his warm-up along with his jersey. He was left in an undershirt and actually had to be told by an official that he wasn’t wearing his jersey. Teammate LeLame James was in stitches. Even after the game he was still laughing. “They are going to be showing that on the bloopers for years,” LeBron said. “My kids are going to be laughing at that.”

BUT CAN THEY SPELL?

Seems like every time I turn around, the Portland Trail Blazers are up to something good. Yesterday, Blazer James Jones, along with teammates and Mayor Potter, took part in the Schoolhouse Supplies Celebrity Spelling Bee at the Portland Art Museum. Schoolhouse Supplies is an award winning nonprofit that supports public education in Portland by giving students and teachers free classroom supplies. All proceeds from the event will be used to operate the organization’s free store, which is stocked with supplies donated by the community. To date, School House Supplies has donated $8,825,000 worth of freebies to the kids.

LOST BOYS NEED HELP

The Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan is asking for help. While they have already raised $30k to send students to school, several of the Boys are in need of educational funds. “Our immediate goal is to raise $15,000 as soon as possible to pay for tuition and books for the current Spring term, and the coming summer term. The situation is critical since these students are considered “working poor” and do not qualify for Federal Financial Aid,” writes John J. Trifiletti, Director of Grants and Scholarships, Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan. “They are in the difficult situation of working full time, going to school part time or full time, and trying to support themselves and other family members. We believe that these young men and women are the future of their country. In supplying them with an education, we believe that will help them to change the face of their nation. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated.” Please visit their website for more info, because this really is a worthy cause.

RONNIE LOTT HELPING KIDS
Yesterday, the Sports Business Daily ran an interview with Football HOFer Ronnie Lott. In summary, Lott has blown me away with his caring attitude and has proven to be an example we can all look up to.

The interview, in part…Q: What is All Stars Helping Kids. Lott: All Stars Helping Kids is a platform that we have been involved with since 1989. It allows young people to be engaged with opportunities that allow their education, their health initiatives, ways of getting them a chance to succeed or a chance to stand on someone’s shoulders to have success. Q: About the program you have said, “We can achieve more collectively than we can individually.” Lott: That is true, and that’s why we are calling on more athletes to be engaged with the philanthropic efforts of our society. We believe that there should be a calling for more athletes to get involved. I had an interesting phone call from Jim Brown a year ago. He shared with me his thoughts on what he started doing in the early ’60s: creating a social change, a social opportunity for others. Q: What did that phone call mean to you? Lott: For him to say that we are a part of that network, and that we continue to carry that baton and really try to inspire others to be a part of it, is a huge statement and a huge responsibility for all of the people who are associated with All Stars Helping Kids — Emmit Smith, Marcus Allen. All of us have to carry the torch of guys like Bobby Mitchell and Bill Russell and Jim Brown, who tried — and continue — to create social change. If you have any faith in your life, you realize that you’re here to serve, to empower and to give. If you can apply those three characteristics, you can definitely allow a young person to achieve some things greater than they have today. Q: What’s the mission of Play It Smart? Lott: Play It Smart is a phenomenal program centered around elevating young people who might not have the resources and it provides for them the opportunity to see that they can enhance their needs. So, when they do move beyond the playing field and beyond their careers in sports, they have a chance to have the right resources to compete…and with this, Mr. Lott earns a mighty-mighty-good-man nod.

DAVID BECKHAM BLOWS OFF CHARITY EVENT

In efforts to raise money for cystic fibrosis, guests in London paid close to $2,500 each to attend a fundraiser hosted by David Beckham. Problem is, after Beckham wasn’t selected to play in the England/Switzerland game, he opted to pull out of the charity event, claiming he had to get back to the Galaxy. Beckham withdrew from the event, which expected to raise more than $1.9M, less than two hours before it began. Simon Olivera, Beckhams agent, said: “David asked whether he could delay and come back on Monday, but they (Galaxy) said no, you have to come back as soon as possible. He needs to be back for fitness tests this afternoon, he also needs to see the kids and his wife. He is very disappointed not being able to front this. His commitment to charity is something he is incredibly proud of and when he can’t do something it’s a big disappointment. But when the club says you need to get back you have to get back.” Arsenal babe Emmanuel Adebatoy was quick to respond, “We have a chance to do something good to help these people. I’m sad that Beckham is not here.” Beckham agreed to host the event after Thierry Henry, the Barcelona and ex-Arsenal player, dropped out. Fixture changes had left Henry stranded in Spain, and Beckham stranded in his own ego. (Timesonline)

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

NASH CHIPS TOOTH
Last night, Steve Nash was pulling down a rebound late in the first half of the Suns-Jazz game when he took an inadvertent forearm from Carlos Boozer and chipped his tooth. The two-time MVP didn’t even flinch, instead he handed his tooth to trainer Aaron Nelson, conducted a live interview and then skipped off to the locker room like a three-year old on Red Bull. Once again, a little blood can’t stop Nashty who had 29 points and 11 assists in the Suns 103-98 victory.

Perhaps this is one of your favorite team memories? If so, the Suns are celebrating their 40th Anniversary by inviting fans to write a 40-word essay detailing their favorite memory of the team. Forty winners will be selected and given a pair of tickets to the January 3 home game against the Sonics. I suggest the winner be given Nash’s tooth?

BARON DAVIS: REEBOK 4 REAL EDUCATION
Yesterday I named LaDainian Tomlinson as the number one role model in the NFL. Today, Baron Davis gets my vote as the number one role model in the NBA. The two-time NBA All-Star today teamed up with Reebok at the Oakland High School to provide scholarships to two deserving students as part of the Reebok 4 Real Education & Community Program.

Baron Davis, (aka B-Diddy, Boom Dizzle, The Beard, Chan Gu De Hu Zhi) and Reebok are conducting an essay contest with a $2,500 scholarship prize to be awarded to one male and one female senior at Oakland High School. Students are asked to answer the question, “How would a scholarship help you fulfill your potential inside the classroom and out in the community?” As a guide in writing their essays, the students will be encouraged to use Davis’ professional success and personal commitment to helping disadvantaged youth. In addition to the scholarships, Reebok will provide sports equipment to the school. “We live in a society now where education is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. I was fortunate to be given an opportunity to succeed when I received a scholarship in high school. It was life changing for me, knowing that someone believed in my potential. I can only hope to send the message to the next generation of kids to reach for their dreams,” said Davis. (businesswire.com)

AS ROMA: HOOLIGANS, STABBINGS AND TOTTI

In efforts to curtail hooligan behavior, officials banned the sale of alcohol in Rome yesterday. Too bad it didn’t work. Despite their efforts, five Manchester United fans and one supporter of AS Roma were stabbed Wednesday ahead of their Champions League match. (The match ended in a 1-1 draw.) Match highlight? Francesco Totti and Wayne Rooney exchanging jerseys.

Police chief Dave McLuckie was among those caught in the violence, and has now called for Roma to be thrown out of European football. The Stadio Olimpico is due to host the final of the Champions League in 2009 and, in the wake of the latest incidents, Mr. McLuckie believes the time has now come for UEFA to act. “Roma should be banned from these competitions. They should not be allowed to enter from the start because the authorities are not able to look after the people who come to their city to watch football. They should just be banned from European football. They should not be involved in the Champions League or the UEFA Cup, and that should be the case until they clean up their act…when people travel to Rome, they don’t expect to be attacked and they certainly don’t expect to be stabbed, but this is becoming the norm…I wouldn’t go back there. The very least you are going to get is a beating…the authorities take the away fans and treat them worse than animals. I am absolutely astounded that so far, no-one is dead - but it will not be long before it happens.” (soccernet.espn)

ADIDAS’ BIONIC BALL

Its being called the bionic ball-and no, its not attached to one of our hotties. “We are very satisfied,” adidas’s chief of FIFA Affairs Gunter Pfau told a news conference to demonstrate the ball’s qualities. “No ball was damaged. All the systems have worked.” The new ball works like this: its rigged with magnetic sensors and micro-chips that send an instant signal to the referee’s wristwatch to indicate if the whole of the ball has crossed the line. (Because we all know how confusing it is to determine if it’s a goal when it’s slammed against the back of the net.) FIFA has said it will only use the technology at the 2010 World Cup if the prototype proves 100 percent reliable. The new “ball” is currently being tested at the Club World Cup in Japan.

WALLBANGERS

I thought some of you might need some gift tips for your sporn-worthy friends. As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite products out there are Wallbangers. (You know, those life-sized vinyl wall graphics?) Nothing’s better than waking up to Allesandro del Piero rushing towards me from the wall as he’s blocked by a ceiling mounted Drogba. I know Im not the only one out there-but I might be the only one in the U.S. After checking out their new yummy Bangers, I discovered that the David Beckham is still available. Why you kids haven’t eaten that one up is beyond me- and yes, I’ve requested that WallBangers produce an Armani Beckham WallBanger. I also discovered that Lionel Messi- SI Latino’s 2007 Sportsman of the Year, is on sale. But the most startling discovery is that all US Players (Tim Howard, Freddy Adu, Mia Hamm, Heather Mitts, Abby Wambach), and the USA team crest are sold out in the UK and only available in the US. Why are not we supporting our own players? Or our own pop-culture- the Brits have also highjacked Scarface and Daisy Duke. Dear god, what’s the world coming to? Support the movement to regain control of Scarface and Daisy Duke by buying a Banger.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

MY WORLD: CAMILO VILLEGAS
Yearning for a little Columbian love, I perused the Golf Channel website for about a second before coming across a hot little sporno called ‘My World: Camilo Villegas.’ I don’t know which part of heaven Villegas fell from, but this must-see video highlights Villegas as he readies himself for a (gulp) photo shoot for a Golf magazine…lowering himself into that oh-so-notorious crawl, caressing his clubs and posing in some hot Lindberg gear. Priceless.

What the video didn’t cover was Camilo’s participation at the BeLive Charity Gala in Miami. On November 15 at Karu & Y Restaurant, the BeLive Gala, hosted by Connie and Juan Pablo Montoya, was held to raise awareness for Columbia. Benefiting their foundation, Formula Smiles, and five others, the red carpet was rolled out and Camilo walked it like a true champion, along with Colombian Fashion Designer Silvia Tcherassi, who held a fashion show during the event. (USA Today)

B-DIDDY-LICIOUS

Someone tapped into their testosterone and put up 33 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds while ending the Wizards six-game winning steak. Baron Davis and his ferocious beard helped the Golden State Warriors to a 123-115 win over the Washington Wizards, who are playing without their injured star Gilbert Arenas. But another Wizard, Caron Butler deserves some love. Butler contributed 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and with that, he and B-Diddy became the first pair of NBA opponents with triple-doubles in the same game in more than 4 1/2 years. Orlando’s Tracy McGrady and New Jersey’s Jason Kidd did it Feb. 23, 2003. Ya really do gotta Fear The Beard sometimes.

THANK YOU PETE

Just prior to their final exhibition game in Macau, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras played tennis with ‘special needs’ kids for a charity event. I know it’s confusing, but Federer is the one wearing a baseball hat. The three-match Asian exhibition series served up a perfect platform for Federer to praise himself from-even AFTER Sampras beat him in the final game 7-6, 6-4. “It’s been tough beating my idol the last two times.” Federer said. “I’m sort of surprised. This guy can play tennis, you know.” (Yahoo.sports)

ITALIAN SOCCER

It’s not over yet…the shooting death of Lazio fan Gabriele Sandri on November 11 continues to have repercussions. (In case ya missed it: Sandri, a 26-year-old disc jockey from Rome and a Lazio fan, died after getting hit in the neck by a bullet while sitting in a car at a highway rest stop in Tuscany. Police said an officer fired shots to disperse a scuffle between two groups of rival fans. The officer is now under investigation for ‘murder’)

Seven suspects have been arrested in Rome, and another 18 people have been arrested in Milan and other cities where riots also erupted after news spread about the death of Sandri. Outta control fans have smashed windows, hurled stones at police cars and destroyed a few of their motorcycles. And now, two weeks after the incident, games have resumed. Atalanta’s fans protested by showing up 20 minutes after the pitch, and were held back by protection glass during their Serie A match against AC Milan.

Only four grounds have opened to visiting fans for this weekend’s games, and some Serie A fans planned a silent protest at games around the country. The operative words here are “silent protest”. I don’t think Italians are capable of such a thing-as evidenced by the increased violence-but lets see how they do. And before you say anything-I’m Italian so I can rip on my own peeps. If anything, they are passionate about their sports and don’t take kindly to a cop killing a fan. Power to the people…just don’t kill each other pa-leeze.

DAVID BECKHAM IN CHINA
England lost to Croatia 3-2 in a Euro 2008 Qualifying game at Wembley, in London, on Wednesday. I repeat, England has failed to qualify for Euro 2008. “It will be a summer without seeing the flags out in the streets and seeing the atmosphere around England, and that’s going to be devastating for the country,” David Beckham said. “We all know there are more important things than football in the world, but for us not to qualify for a competition it’s a huge, huge thing.”

Indeed. It’s the first major tournament England will miss since the 1994 World Cup, they last missed the Euros in 1984. This ONE loss hit manager Steve McClaren like a ton of bricks, “Ultimately I take responsibility and I accept that. It is my job to get us qualified and I failed to do that. I don’t want to discuss my future.” McClaren doesn’t have to discuss anything, because he was yanked and spanked immediately following the loss-essentially opening the floodgates of discussion as to who will be the new manager of our English babes.

Meanwhile, Becks wasn’t sitting around crying about the loss, he went to Beijing for a promotional event, where some very intelligent children swamped the beast and gave us a wonderful photo.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

TOMMY HAAS POISONED?
The International Tennis Federation is investigating allegations that Tommy Haas was poisoned before Germany’s Davis Cup match against Russia. And before everyone gets his or her panties in a twist, keep in mind that this is all hearsay. Haas’ German teammate Alexander Waske said he was told by a Russian manager that it was poisoning, not a virus. He didn’t name the manager but apparently he said that it “was bitter that Tommy Haas was poisoned.”

“I’m shocked that something like that appears possible,” said Haas, “When I think of how bad I felt, I can imagine it. I’ve been feeling weak for weeks…I was the only one ever to order dessert or a Latte macchiato after dinner. If all this is true, since no one else got sick, that must have been when it happened.” Pa-leeze…dude wasn’t poisoned, his blood work came back positive for a Virus, and this silly accusation is just another bad blow to a sport that’s quickly becoming tainted by a few bad rumors. It just bums me out that such a stud could believe someone laced his Latte. If anything, they would have dropped a Roofie in there.

JOAKIM NOAH

I suggest you all get used to hearing about that precious Bull Joakim Noah. I love this kid- he’s kooky, outspoken, and has big delicious lips that seem to piss a lot of writers off. And in case you didn’t know, his daddy, Yannick Noah was a well-known tennis player-turned singer. Following in his footsteps, Joakim just signed a six-year endorsement deal with French footwear and apparel company Le Coq Sportif. The same company Daddy Noah has endorsed. Look for Joakim shoes and apparel soon, and keep in mind, that sweetie-pie is partially endorsing the company in a royalty-based investment, similar to what Michael Jordan did with Nike.

GOLDEN STATE HOTTIES

Anyone catch the Beard, the Babe and the Gremlin squaring off against the Mavericks last night? Whether you like them or not, the Golden State Warriors are brimming with so much passion and charisma that I didn’t even notice Dirk Nowitzki landing every three-pointer he attempted. I was much more enthralled with Baron Davis and his beard working the court like a Whirling Dervish, Al (Gremlin) Harrington schooling the Mav’s defense, and Matt Barnes ready to throw down with Devin Harris. In the end, the Mav’s won, but the entertainment value of the game was off the charts. And speaking of entertaining, anyone obsessed with B-Diddy and his Beard shouldn’t overlook the on-line shrine to our favorite furry baller: Fearthebeard.com. The site kicks ass. Period.

NEW GALAXY MANAGER-CHELSEA WEBSITE

It was just announced that former Chelsea and Newcastle United manager Ruud Gullit is expected to be the new coach of the Galaxy. And yes, the move has been approved by David Beckham who apparently thinks of Gullit “as a respected coach who is comfortable moving within celebrity circles.” No surprise that Beckham’s management company, 19 Entertainment, played a key role in landing Gullit. At least we don’t have to hear Alexi whining anymore…and for those of you outta the Chelsea loop, they just launched a new website for us yanks. I suggest you bookmark it and use it as a reference tool-great bio’s on all the Babes in Blue- and you might learn a thing or two about why I love my Drogba so much.

MANNY ME PA-LEEZE
Bidding is up to $28,100 for Manny Ramirez. Well, his car actually. I venture to guess that B.C. would go for much more, but for now, we’ll have to settle for his car. The Red Sox beast is auctioning off his ’06 Chrysler 300M on Ebay. West Roxbury Motors Owner Jerry Nasif is handling the auction and estimates the car’s worth at $35,000 but expects it to sell for around $50,000. Nasif: “The lucky winner will get a trunk full of autographed items, a jersey, bat and ball, four tickets to a future Red Sox game and a meet-and-greet with Manny to talk about the car.”

The Ebay listing reads like a sporno: This STR8 has a silver exterior with black leather/suede dreads that deliver a head snapping 425 horsepower. The car has only 19,638 miles and “is striking to look at, and a monster to drive,” just like Manny. Its equipped with 22″ (a-hem) wheels and tires…the car stops on a dime or for crazy redheads, it has a sunroof, navigation system, power options…dear god, someone buy this car for me…they also claim the car “is amazingly nimble unwinding back roads” and has (gulp) rear sensors. Add a sound system with 7 speakers, a 7 disc cd changer and satellite radio and you got yourself one hell of a Manny ride. And I’m not joking-will someone pa-leeze buy me this car?

CURTIS STONE SNUBS TRUMP

News from down under on our Take Home Hottie Curtis Stone. The Ian-Poulteresq babe told the Don he didn’t want to be on the Apprentice. Trump had the audacity to ask Curtis to “apply” as a contestant on The Apprentice. “I’m pretty busy and had a couple of concerns. I didn’t want to get fired. I’ve never been fired yet and I don’t want to get fired now.” Thank you Curtis-and please turn down any offers to appear on Dancing With the Stars-please, please don’t sell out like that….and oddly enough, the beast has yet to contact me after our encounter in Vegas? Cant imagine why, especially since he’s not ‘pulling the chicks’ as imagined. “I rang one buddy and he was like, ‘You lucky b…… think of the chicks you’ll be able to pull’. It hasn’t really worked that way.” THEN PICK UP THE PHONE ALREADY! (newsau)

VACATION

For those of you curious about my vacation, I went to Oahu again, where it rained for five days. I did, however, manage to do the two things I went there for-I got my fill of coconut shrimp from those wonderful shrimp trucks along the North Shore, and I proudly crashed the set of Lost for the second time in two years. I didn’t take any props-ya gotta respect the set-and left only footprints behind. Here’s the link to the photos from the (Lost) set. There was also a surf competition we hit up, just before it was halted due to weather. All in all, its good to be home.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.

BECKHAM VERSUS HOLLYWOOD UNITED
David Beckham and teammates will play against a team of actors/musicians, aka Hollywood United, for a charity match to raise money for the victims of the So-Cal wildfires. The match will take place on Sunday November 4 at LA Galaxy’s Home Depot center stadium. General admission will be $20 on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limited number of luxury seats for $60 each. (I suspect its sold out by now?) Firefighters get in free by showing their badges at the box office beginning today…in addition to being a charity game, this is a great chance to see one of the coolest teams play- and I’m referring to Hollywood-U not the Galaxy.

The Hollywood lineup includes actors Anthony LaPaglia, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Costas Mandylor; musicians Steve Jones and Vivian Campbell; and former World Cup players Frank Leboeuf, Richard Gough, Joe-Max Moore and Eric Wynalda. Even Alexi said he’s gonna play. “Everyone’s expected to play, including David,” Alexi Lalas said Friday. “This is a great opportunity for our organization to do something positive for our area, our home, and for our friends and neighbors who have been impacted by these incredibly devastating wildfires. Our players are residents of Southern California. This is a great way through soccer for us to bring some attention and, most importantly, raise some money.” And with any good charity event, there’s a silent auction. Look for autographed Galaxy and other sports memorabilia and items contributed by the Hollywood players up for bids. (MLS)

BIG BEN BUSTS OUT

All-Star beast Ben Wallace is launching his collection of affordable clothing and kicks today in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles and nationally November 5th exclusively at Steve & Barry’s stores. The Big Ben Wallace Collection features over 50 items, including footwear, athletic jerseys and shorts, heavyweight hoodies, graphic t-shirts, hats, armbands and wristbands. (What, no headbands?) The big guy didn’t just attach his name to the line, he not only helped design the Big Ben logo, but also served as creative director of the entire line. Look for the King of Fro wearing his new on-court sneaker, the Big Ben, during every game of the upcoming season. Cost of the kicks: $14.98. “What the Big Ben line is all about is getting kids to realize that great sneakers and clothes can be affordable and cool.” Said Wallace, “That’s really important to me, and I’m looking forward to changing the mindset that you have to pay a lot of money for these types of things.”

WET PAPI

I could hear the celebration in Boston all the way out here on the West coast. Congratulations to the smoking hot Boston Red Sox for sweeping the Rockies in four games to win the 2007 World Series. Im not gonna dissect the game as a true Red Sox fan would, because, well, I’m more of a Papi-Manny sandwich fan myself. My stomach was growling at the start of the game, I slowly filled up on each Papi-Manny at-bat, and by the end, my sated libido wanted nothing more than some uncorked champagne.

CHELSEA

Any of my readers catch team Chelsea, Aka: Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Joe Cole, Andriv Shevchenko or John Terry beat Manchester City 6-0 on Saturday? Didn’t think so…too bad, it was a great game for Drogba to showcase his skills, change his mind and stay with the team after Terry and Lampard said they loved him, and give me a glimpse of a prima-dona attitude that I didn’t know Shevchenko had.

LEWIS HAMILTON
In Lewis Hamilton’s hometown of Hertfordshire, the town Council has decided to honor the 22-year-old in a new town center development by naming a street after him. “The success of Lewis has given everyone in Stevenage a real boost,” Sharon Taylor, council leader, said. “Everyone in the town is enormously proud of the fact that Lewis comes from Stevenage. In particular, our young people see him as a role model and his achievements have definitely raised their aspiration levels. He has really helped to put the town on the map.” Indeed he has, but here’s the funny part…and Im quoting here: The exact name of the street is yet to be confirmed. Gosh- this is a tough one, naming a street after Lewis Hamilton? I can see how it would take time to come up with the right name.

The Daily Star interviewed Hamilton, and in part, we learned some yummy insight into the beast. First of all, he doesn’t want to be a sex symbol. “What is a sex symbol? The curly-haired guy with the Sex Bomb song? Tom Jones? If he’s a sex symbol, then I don’t want to be one!” Yeah, you’re a little late with that request Lewis, especially when you talk about taking showers to conserve water. “I turn off the water in the shower when I am shampooing my hair or soaping myself. I always try to save water because I know how many people in the Third World suffer drought.” Soaping himself? Kill me now. (DailyStar.co.uk)

BALLS

Aside from a moonwalking streaker, the NFL game at Wembley Stadium in London between the Dolphins and the NY Giants went off without a hitch. The game garnered a bit of celebrity attention, Lewis Hamilton was in attendance, as well as Christian Slater-who was last seen rubbing Jason Taylor’s ball…and I’m afraid if I don’t mention the Chargers game I might be burned at the stake. Yeah, they played and they won. Wahoo. The game wasn’t a sell-out, at least as far as tickets go. I’m all for ‘getting things back to normal’ but let’s remember there are still a lot of people who don’t have homes. On Friday, Qualcomm practically told the remaining evacuees not to let the gate hit them on the ass on their way out-before shuffling them off to another evacuation center. Salvation Army volunteers were stationed around the Q collecting money for the victims, Governor Arnold made a speech and firefighters were saluted. But nothing says “I feel guilty for kicking you guys out” like the $1M donation given by the Spanos family, who own the Chargers.

INJURY UPDATE

Tom Brady overheated my libido, Francesco Totti hurt his ankle, and Noah Joakim needs to call me so I can get to work on his injury.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.