Artesia

Most people are calling it a step that will revolutionize the game of cricket and make it truly acceptable internationally. I don't know about across Atlantic (as most of the previous attempts have fizzled out), but Twenty20 has succeeded in creating a buzz in the traditional cricketing region. Whether holding a worldcup as an outright tournament to introduce the game was a good bet, we'll have to see. But this year's T20 in South Africa again proved one fact; India and Pakistan remain top crowd attraction in the world of cricket. The last three weeks just show us plainly why the previous ODI worldcup was such a big disaster.

Just 19 years old, Maria Sharapova was the highest paid female athlete at the end of 2006. She was formally introduced to tennis by her father when she was just seven years old. Now with just 2 Grand Slam titles, her feats on the court do not match those of her more successful contemporaries, but her ability to land endorsements and give photographers something to shoot at is incredible. Having deals with 9 gigantic global brands has done nicely for her fortunes, not to mention her looks have landed her in the 2006 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Maria Sharapova has been named consecutively for the fourth year as the hottest athlete in the world by Maxim magazine.

If I wanted to have an easy job, I would have stayed at Porto - beautiful blue chair, the Uefa Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me.