Another day when the attention span is shorter than London’s Fourth of July parade . . .
And in appreciation of softballer Dot Richardson, golfer Dottie Pepper and, of course, Bob Dotter, who won three ARCA championships despite missing his left arm, a holiday weekend edition three-dotter . . .
Chase Elliott has solidified his status as NASCAR’s most popular current driver. Bubba Wallace has brought new fans into the fold. And Kyle Busch, in spite of it all or maybe because of it all, has a healthy following. But guess who remains among racing’s biggest movers of merchandise . . .
Yep, Dale Earnhardt, and 21-plus years after his tragic death, the Intimidator is still driving sales. The Sports Business Journal reported this past week that NASCAR has expanded its product availability through an agreement with the Earnhardt estate. There are the usuals — caps, jackets, coolers, etc. — but now you can also get something called a “Funko Pop” Earnhardt doll, which might remind you more of Rickie Fowler if not for the flame-retardant uniform . . .
Speaking of Rickie, so far he’s resisted the urge and beat back the rumors on his possible move to the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour . . . Given how the PGA Tour and now the Euro tour have dug in their spikes, legal theatrics seem inevitable. Some otherwise eligible golfers will likely be shunned by both Ryder Cup entities next year, and also next year some will start missing major championships due to their tumbling down the world rankings, where LIV results are (so far) ignored . . .
Also inevitable: Surely, at least one of the defectors will give up the Saudi riches and plead his case for a return to his home tour(s). He’ll be forced to place his right hand upon Bobby Jones’ autobiography and pledge his newfound allegiance to the Tour, Titleist and FedEx. The guess here is, PGA Tour commish Jay Monahan has a plan in place for that day, and it doesn’t include a “welcome home” banner at the starter’s shack . . . It was bad enough when we started putting the label on singers, but regarding an upcoming comedy festival, the performers were called “stand-up artists.” Bob Ross was a stand-up artist. Shecky Greene is a comedian. Yes, is. Shecky is 96!
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Oh no, they’ve lost Freddy …
Right about now each year, we have to remind everyone that it’s Wimble-DON, not Wimble-TON . . . And since we’re at it, please remember, while there’s no I in team, there’s also no I in realtor . . . Top three Fourth of July birthdays from the sports world: 1. George Steinbrenner, 2. Al Davis, 3. Morganna the Kissing Bandit . . . Given the upgrades in stadium security, you have to find old videos to remind yourself that Morganna was indeed a real thing that happened. In case you don’t already feel old, Morganna turns 70 Monday . . .
Some accounts tell us LBJ once said, “When I lost Walter Cronkite, I lost middle America.” Golf historians might someday look back at LIV (no relation to LBJ) and say, “When they lost Freddy, they lost the argument” . . . Fred Couples shed his laid-back persona last week and called out his one-time competitors — particularly Phil Mickelson — for their money-for-nothin’ move to the Saudi tour . . . “You’ve seen their interviews, right?” Couples said in a Golf.com interview. “Have you ever seen Phil look so stupid in his life? They know it’s a joke” . . .
Not sure if he meant it to come off so literal, but you have to admire Pat Perez for honesty in discussing his jump to LIV golf. “It’s simple. I’m 46. I’ve been on the road since 1998. It’s like winning the lottery for me” . . . He told of missing the birth of his son because a must-play PGA Tour event kept him away. “I’ll have to explain that to him some day, why…
Read More: Selling Earnhardt, shunning Mickelson, and some Johnnie trivia