Morning Link Dump - 08/31/10

By Andrew Stoeten

Obligatory Sports Babe

The US Open is on, and as Sports Crackle Pop reminds us, that means we have an excuse to ogle pictures of Mrs. Andy Roddick, swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker. So... let's do that, shall we?

Quote of the Day

"I am seriously happy I lost followers. Sorry if I offended you over Beck. Just make sure your laderhosen not too tight. Not a good look." - Buzz Bissinger, in the middle of a run of absolutely nailing it on Twitter yesterday in his indignation over Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols attending a Glenn Beck rally.

Another Eloquent Eulogy

"He wasn't as famous as his brother Bret; he wasn't famous as he might have become. But when he died, millions of fans the world over were heartbroken," concludes the latest of Deadspin's great Dead Wrestler of the Week series, this time focusing on Owen Hart. "Maybe that's little solace for Owen's family, but that's something. Owen taught us that real life lay just beyond the ring. He succeeded within the parameters of wrestling's pretend world, and that alone was enough to make him a star. What made him something greater was that all the while he helped us measure the distance between that pretend world and reality. Owen acknowledged the quotation marks and thrived between them. He could wink without destroying the illusion. His death allowed us to see how indelicately we had been treating reality — this is as real as real can be here — how McMahon and the WWE and all its fans had become cynical and callous, and that in doing so we were missing the point. We weren't traditionalists like the Hart clan, but we were guilty of the same misapprehension: We had forgotten the joy that is pro wrestling."

Don't Cross Red Star Belgrade Fans

"Although Partizan's supporters are divided over Stojkovic's move, fans of Red Star reacted with fury and some even threatened the goalkeeper and his family," explains an AFP report on Serbian national team goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic's switch from Red Star Belgrade to rivals Partizan Belgrade. "Local media reported that an unknown group posted his obituary on a sports' forum webpage, while his Red Star club jersey was taken off the wall of the team's cafe."

"I understand the fans, but posting my obituary is too much," said Stojkovic, although he denied reports he had asked Partizan for bodyguards.

The Florida Marlins Mess

"The air the Marlins breathe is so poisoned that the team has essentially given up on public relations and cosmetics because, really, what difference does it make if they lose fans they don't have?" asks Dan Le Batard in a scathing column for the Miami Herald, following the revalations that the chronically poor Marlins have been pocketing millions over the years. "Popular, mediocre Cody Ross gets sent away, making business cents but not fan sense, and it doesn't matter how rational the Marlins explain it as a business/baseball move. Doesn't matter, either, that they told Ross himself they are saving his salary toward re-signing Dan Uggla and Ricky Nolasco, not when Uggla is crying in the clubhouse over Ross' departure. There is zero trust, faith, belief. So clarity gets clogged as it runs through a perpetual prism clouded by bull feces."

Quote of the Day II

"I'm definitely not playing for another team. It's hard to say 100 percent, but 99.999 percent sure that I'll be finishing out my career with the Los Angeles Lakers. I'm happy about that." - Kobe Bryant in an interview with ESPN, via Ball Don't Lie, definitely assuring Lakers fans he's 99.999% sure he'll be with the team for life. Uh...

Quickly

Out Of Bounds has a great description of a great photo of a kid who decided to sign some autographs for a group of cheerleaders at a minor league baseball game last week.

Over at the Footy Blog Joe warns us not to ever accuse Harry Redknapp of being a "wheeler and dealer."

Sportress of Blogitude has an acid flashback watching the Philly Phanatic performing with Yo Gabba Gabba!

GOOD Blog reports on a study that figures the average man wastes over $3,000 in gas during his lifetime by not asking for directions.

ESPN went to film a high school football game in California and came away hated reports The Big Lead.

Machete On Low Riding

Via Devour here's an interesting, beautifully-shot short film on lowriding culture, with awesome B-movie actor Danny Trejo.