Our Shirtless Sunday continues as we offer congratulations to Novak Djokovic, who just beat Rafael Nadal to win this year’s Wimbledon title. Now if only Mr. Djokovic was the face, and body, of Armani Underwear… Giorgio, can you hear me?

Above is Mr. Ronaldo. Kudos to him for following the ballsy choice to wear briefs in some of his ads. The original underwear star, Mark Wahlberg, in all his iconic poses of the 90’s, never once wore briefs. Boxer briefs, yes, but they don’t count as true briefs. It wasn’t until David Beckham crotch-rocketed his bulge onto billboards the world over that briefs became acceptable for the big names to wear. That gives Mr. Ronaldo a rather impressive edge over his follow-up:

In his first ad for Armani, Mr. Nadal is wearing a pair of trunks, shorter and more revealing than boxer briefs, but still not a true pair of briefs. This is only the first glimpse of the ad campaign, however, so I’m guessing there is more revealing fare to come.

If I had to choose at this point, (and it would be a gun-to-the-head choice as I find neither of these men all that appealing – just not my taste), I’d have to go with Ronaldo, but only because he’s had a chance to grow on me. (Truth be told, I found his ads horrendous the first time I saw them – I don’t care enough to post them here, but Google his Armani work and tell me his eyebrows don’t freak you out.) But like all savvy advertising, they were so ubiquitous that I came to appreciate his body and its curves, even if I never could bring myself to say I found him attractive. Perhaps the same will hold for Nadal, provided he steps into a pair of briefs and goes balls-out to the world.

This weeked I was in Boston doing some Christmas shopping and attending my friend JoAnn’s housewarming party. Now, I’m not going to lie – Christmas shopping for me usually means I set out with the intent of purchasing gifts for everyone else, but because of the good sales end up only buying things for myself. Hey, I never claimed to be Jesus, no matter how many Christ-like poses I may strike.

Given my current financial situation, however, I actually went about half and half, and I managed to just about finish up my holiday shopping for the year. (I did much of it online a few days ago.) The one sacrificial item that I gave up was an amazing pair of violet-hued velvet pants by Giorgio Armani, hidden on a rack at Filene’s Basement. Originally $995, they were marked down to $199 – and I still managed to say no. I regret my good judgment immensely, but the American Express card just could not handle it. (Well, it could, but my ability to pay off the card at the end of next month would prove impossible.) So I forfeited the beautiful pants in exchange for some silly gifts for my brother and sister-in-law. See, I have grown up a bit, and it sucks.

I returned to the winter scene you see here, which is our backyard at dusk. Tomorrow, if I get around to it, I’ll explain the main reason why I was in Boston this weekend (and it wasn’t to fix the busted water heater – a lovely treat on a cold almost-winter’s night).