FanHouse VictoriaBeckham

Wanting to beat what local authorities are predicting will be hellacious traffic in Washington this evening, I left the office early to get to RFK Stadium ahead of the 45,000 other folks who are going to be here to greet David Beckham and the LA Galaxy as they take on D.C. United.

As of last night Mr. Beckham was listed as doubtful. I'm about to duck downstairs for a little bit to see what I can find out, but before then I had to share this photo with you that I just took from inside the stadium. It looks like the Washington faithful will be ready for Mr. and Mrs. Beckham.

Adidas, it appears, knows how to market. As they gear up for David Beckham's MLS arrival, the company has decided to pair him with Reggie Bush for an online campaign titled "Futbol Meets Football."

Starting this week, users will be able to watch Beckham and Bush match their skills at www.futbolmeetsfootball.com. On a field marked half for football and half for soccer, the video shows Beckham teaching Bush how to kick a soccer ball with the curve that inspired the movie Bend It Like Beckham.

Bush tutors Beckham on kicking, throwing and catching an American football. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player shows he has the makings of a placekicker or punter, but he heaves a wounded duck when attempting to throw a pass. "You sure you're right-handed?" Bush kids.

In Beckham's defense, there's no shame in heaving mallards -- Chad Pennington has made a very successful career out of it. Anyway, the pairing and cross-promotion of Bush and Beckham is more significant than it might seem. Beckham is seen as the tipping point MLS needs to get going. Bush has the on-field ability and personality to become the company's leading spokesman. This campaign acknowledges the two as Adidas' big money-makers for the forseeable future.

I don't think Bush or Beckham brought the requisite cross-sport skills to challenge the other seriously (unlike Kim Kardashian vs. Victoria Beckham, which is a legitimate competition). Still, it's got to be more entertaining than watching Bush take on a vending machine.

She was out at Dodger Stadium prior to Monday night's Dodgers/Mets game, shooting scenes for her upcoming reality show. And low-and-behold, after a conversation with the face of the Dodgers -- the Tommy Lasorda -- Posh proclaimed that she loved the Dodgers. Speaking with Lasorda wasn't the only thing Posh did; she got her baseball on too. Victoria Beckham played catch with pitcher Derek Lowe (don't start any rumors here) in preparation of throwing out the first pitch:

Beckham, also wearing white shorts, white high-heeled sneakers and oversized sunglasses, said she was "really nervous" about delivering the ceremonial first pitch. But many of her practice tosses to Lowe in the area behind home plate were on-target.

That's not bad considering how hard it is for some other prominent figures to hit the target. I guess the athleticism runs in the family. Posh did make mention that her husband David Beckham was looking forward to coming out to a Dodger game. Right, just like Jeff Kent is looking forward to catching a Manchester United contest sometime in the near future. And so begins the Beckham takeover of LA. And I couldn't be less thrilled.

Previously at FanHouse:
The Mayor of Cincinnati Can't Throw
Sorry, No Photos