The following are links that we’re certain Minka Kelly would love.

– The Baseball Hall of Fame briefly opened its gates and hurried in Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven yesterday, but for newly eligible players like Jeff Bagwell, who, since denying any steroid use only seems to serve as proof of his guilt for the Mean Girls of the BBWAA, his fate may already be decided.

Even if he may have been merely big-boned, the Mean Girls seem to recall Bagwell looking like quite the fatty in his prom dress because, well, anyone on the stocky side was a fatty back then, right? Ah, cliques.

One exception: B.J. Surhoff. He must’ve been a knockout.

– If Rex Ryan doesn’t defeat Peyton Manning this weekend, he might have a nervous breakdown.

– Say what you want about Tom Brady, but I defy you to find anything wrong with a Razor scooter.

– Everyone who has a NFL team that wants them, please step forward. Not so fast, Vince Young.

– Jim Harbaugh, you may proceed.

– NBA:  The Spurs are a bunch of friendly gentleman. So in nice, in fact, they let Rajon Rondo do pretty much anything he wanted to last night (12 pts., 22 asts., 10 rebs., 6 stls., 1 blk.) as the Celts survived a late San Antonio rally, 105-103 … the Magic made it seven straight wins, but fell one behind in band names … the Clippers won while doing awesome stuff … the Lakers won too, but in a decidedly less fun fashion … the Hawks blew out Utah in Utah … and Sasha Vujacic.

Now what do you say?

Thank you, internets!

Email: griffingotta@gmail.com.

I know that I’ve gone back and forth between having a daily link dump, and then doing a weekly one, and pretty much every iteration in between. Well here is what I’ve decided: I’ll do link dumps whenever I have enough good links that it makes sense. It might be once a day, it might be once a week. But whenever it is, you’ll get plenty of tasty sports web goodness to feast on.

First up today? Big news in Minnesota where the Twins have inked Joe Mauer for the next decade. And then after that, a link to Guyism’s very nice gallery of Super Media Day hotties. You’re welcome guys.

Update: Hang on just a second about that Joe Mauer contract extension…

MLB:

• Minnesota Twins Ink Joe Mauer for 10 More Years — (Sports Untapped)

NFL:

• The Hottest Women of Super Bowl Media Day — (Guyism)
• The Pro Bowl doesn’t suck…do you? — (Style Points Blog)
• Oh Jimmy Mac, why don’t you shut your trap — (i94 Sports)
• Unfortunately, this is still legal in Wisconsin and Minnesota — (Blog Down, Chicago Bears)
• Super Bowl pre-gaming with Craigs List — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

College Football:

• Great post about Big Ten Expansion — (Frank the Tank)

NBA:

• Charles Barkley’s new Taco Bell spots are pretty good — (That NBA Lottery Pick)
• The New Four Horsemen: LeBron, John Wall, John Calipari, and Worldwide Wes — (Waiting for Next Year)

MISC:

• 15 sexy demotivational posters for the dork in you (NSFW) — (Uncoached)
• Best “Super Bowl Shuffle” parody you’ll see all week — (Tremendous Upside Potential)
• Chicago athletes that should definitely keep their shirts on — (Chicago Sports Mob)
• Cheerleaders of the 2010 Pro Bowl — (Gunaxin)
• Man blows up car trying to defrost it — (MoonDog)
• 15 Worst Birthday Gifts to Give Your Girlfriend — (Manolith)

And speaking of Brett Favre, want to know the top 10 differences between him and us? Click on through. You can also find more reasons, as if you needed them, for why Braylon Edwards is a self-serving tool.

Also, go find the Foot Locker link in the NBA section. It’ll take you to a badass online 3-point shooting contest that is sure to make your afternoon unproductive (at least in terms of, you know, work.)

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

NFL:

• Samoans and Football — (Docksquad Sports)
• How to fix the San Diego Chargers — (Rumors and Rants)
• Wow…did the wrong Chicago Bears’ D-Lineman die? — (Bootlegger Sports)
• Chicago Bears of old remake Super Bowl Shuffle, remind fans how much current team sucks — (Not Qualified to Comment)
• In that case, I envy the great, great grandkids of Mordecai Brown — (Blog Down, Chicago Bears)
• Braylon Edwards continues to be douchy — (Thunder Treats)
• Cleveland Frowns Working on an Undefeated Playoff Betting Season — (Cleveland Frowns)
• Top 10 Diferences Between Us and Brett Favre — (Sports Chump)

NBA:

• Phil Jackson is still kind of awesome — (Tremendous Upside Potential)
• Stephon Marbury heads to China, channels inner Billy Madison — (The Global Sports Fraternity)
• Chris Bosh looking for a new team — (Docksquad Sports)
• Awesome! Foot Locker Online 3-Point Shootout — (FootLocker.com)

MLB:

• Why Won’t Milton Bradley’s Negativity Just Go Away? — (Not Qualified to Comment)
• Just shoot me now: Cubs interested in Jermaine Dye — (Tremendous Upside Potential)

Misc:

• Mike Greenberg’s Slip-up: “Martin Luther ‘Coon’ Day” — (Outside the Box Score)
• Who’s “Blacker”: Charles Barkley or Snoop Dogg? — (That NBA Lottery Pick)
• Steve Czaban on the dearth of quality AM sports talk radio — (Czabe.com)
• Mark Cuban defends NBC in Conan-Leno War — (Blog Maverick)
• ESPN pays homage to SNL’s “Laser Cats” skit — (Detroit 4 Lyfe)

Also, see why the Big Ten is ready for the Big “Tyme”, go behind the scenes with the chimps running the show at The BCS, and learn why we are losing the war on logic when it comes to rating pitchers.

And more. Enjoy.

College Football:

• Big Ten = Big Tymers — (Thunder Treats)
• Alabama will bring home another BCS title for SEC — (MoonDog)
• The Bowl CHIMPionship Series — (Global Sports Fraternity)
• Alabama v Texas – Who Really Holds the Advantage? — (Guyism)

MLB:

• Fame Doesn’t Mean Great — (Sparty & Friends on the MLB HOF vote, featuring the greatest T-Shirt of all-time)
• We’re Losing the War on Logic — (Major League Jerk)
• Andre Dawson’s HOF Cap and Fan Ramblings — (7th Inning Stache)
• Mets continue fashion breakthrough with bold new line of hats — (The Sports Hernia)

NBA:

• The Yao Ming Dynasty Continues — (That NBA Lottery Pick)
• I’m Shopping Hinrich Again (Bulls Rumor Mill Starts Anew — (Not Qualified to Comment)

MMA:

• Ladies Choice: 11 Sexiest MMA Fighters — (The Cage Doctors)

Misc:

• Hiroshima versus Detroit — (Uncoached)
• Great Moments in Family Feud History — (Zoner Sports)
• Blogs: A Few Legal Thoughts — (How-to-Blog.tv)
• EPA Proposing Stricter Health Standards for Smog — (Corporate Compliance Insights)

Also, more proof that JaMarcus Russell is an idiot (like we needed it), more proof that John Heyman might be a big, fat, idiot (at least according to our friends at Major League Jerk), and a pretty insightful piece from one of my favorite blogs about why every blogger needs a non-blogger spouse.

Enjoy.

NFL:

• 2009 NFL End of Year Awards — (MoonDog)
• Peyton Manning, Jethro Tull, Wheaties, and Pork and Beans — (NESW Sports)
• Yeah, JaMarcus Russell is ready to take the next step — (SportsByBrooks)
• Awesome: NFL longsnapper or Vice Presidential Candidate — (Mental Floss h/t Hot Clicks)
• Packers approach may have irked Whisenhunt — (PFT)

NBA:

• David Letterman’s Top 10 Excuses for the Washington Wizards’ Gun Fiasco — (That NBA Lottery Pick)

MLB:

• Smokin’ Hot Stove: Happy Holliday! — (Babes Love Baseball)
• Randy Johnson already a Hall of Famer — (7th Inning Stache)
• John Heyman is a big fat idiot — (Major League Jerk)

Hockey:

• Take that, America Jr. — (Rumors & Rants)

Soccer:

• Landon Donovan Mexican lottery commercial — (Sports Rubbish)

Misc:

• A texting fiesta starring Boise State, John Cena…and Air Supply? — (Sports Chump)
• London 2012 Olympic venues to made using recycled guns and knives — (Sports Rubbish)
• The one about Bob Barker and a Chris Sabo bobble-head — (Outside the Box Score)
• Waiting for GoDuck: The Perth Screw Job and My Nationally Televised Hissy Fit — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
• Why Every Blogger Should Have a Non-Blogger Spouse — (Matt Chevy at Small Hands, Big Ideas)

NFL:

• Chris Myers thinks the Lions’ defensive linemen are terrorists — (Detroit 4 Lyfe)
• Pat White gets knocked out by Ike Taylor — (Zoner Sports)
• How Lovie Smith’s Cover 2 went from smiley face to frowny face in two short years — (Not Qualified to Comment)
• What was that Emmitt Smith? 7-9? — (Dallas Sports Fans)
• Chris Johnson and Usain Bolt want to race eachother — (No Guts, No Glory)

College Basketball:

• College basketball time-outs = NASCAR pit stop — (Paneech)
• Did John Calipari yell at a Louisville player (0:19 mark) — (YouTube)

College Football:

• Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: A quest for perfection — (MoonDog)
• In Alabama, football is above the law — (Global Sports Fraternity)
• Advice for Tim Tebow: Retire Now (I disagree!) — (Gregg Doyel, CBS Sports)

NBA:

• Danny Ferry faces uncertain future in Cleveland — (Waiting for Next Year)
• Today in likely bogus NBA trade rumors – Kirk Hinrich for Caron Butler? — (Tremendous Upside Potential)

Soccer:

• Iranian soccer official loses job thanks to New Year’s email to Israel — (Sports Rubbish)

Non-Sports:

• Why Twitter Will Endure — (New York Times)
• Is Twitter (Already) the New Google? — (How-to-Blog.tv)
• How Getting Stingy Like a Scoundrel Will Make You Rich — (Illuminati)

College Football:

• Hilarious (because it’s a train wreck) rap about Julio Jones by Alabama fan — (Outside the Box Score)
• We know this much: Lane Kiffin won’t be Florida’s next coach — (MoonDog)

NFL:

• Can you find 10 Chicago Bears that you really want to keep? — (Zoner Sports)
• Vernon Davis ass-out hugs female fan after TD — (Detroit 4 Lyfe)
• Very funny: Tom Benson’s “celebration” during Garrett Hartley’s missed 4th Q kick — (Black Sports Online)

NBA:

• Lakers fans give the “foam finger” to Cavs — (That NBA Lottery Pick)
• Very cool: check out what happens when Derrick Rose’s new shoes are placed back-to-back — (Dock Squad Sports)

Non-Sports:

• 10 memorable quotes from Shit My Dad Says — (Uncoached)
• Flatulent pig causes gas leak concerns — (MoonDog)

As a preview, I want to highlight a great line a few minutes ago in a story that I found while making my way towards today’s Hot Clicks (starring the lovely Minka Kelly). The line is from SI.com college football Stewart Mandel and sounds like the kind of observation we’d hear in a Jerry Seinfeld stand-up routine.

We entrust computers to protect our credit card information, deliver important documents and identify potential dating partners — but to evaluate football teams? Now that makes us leery.

The quote is from this week’s mailbag and comes during a discussion of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ surprising (to some) jump to #4 in the most recent BCS polls. He also discusses why too many people are reserving a spot at the Downtown Athletic Club for Tim Tebow, despite Tebow’s underwhelming performance to date.

Here are a few other random links to satiate your sports blog appetite since we aren’t delivering quite as many goods today:

• Great review of the Muhammad vs Larry 30 for 30 documentary. I watched most of it and concur with Ty Duffy’s assessment on The Big Lead.
• Ironic: ESPN memo instructing employees not to “snitch” and/or leak sensitive information gets leaked to Deadspin.
• It’s not good to be Ted Ginn right now.
• Josh Q. Public is excited about what he saw out of Paul Pierce last night. Cleveland fans aren’t.
• If you’re in the mood for some midday eye candy, Straight Pinkie has a nice gallery of Sofia Vergara.
• MoonDog details the woman who tried to exchange sex for World Series tickets on eBay.
• The guys at Rumors and Rants discuss Tim Tebow’s ever-plummeting draft stock.
• Are friends at NQTC have the Derrick Rose/Dwigth Schrute commercial.
• i94sports compares the ’96 Packers and Favre with the ’09 Vikings and Favre.

Just a head’s up: I’ll probably be a day or two behind on our normal posts this week, so I apologize in advance or that. But I’ll get the TV schedules and fantasy stuff up as soon as I’m able.

Also, my apologies to those of you who posted fantasy questions during the weekend that I wasn’t able to get to. I didn’t have quite as much time as I thought I would once I got to Cleveland. But hopefully you all still had good weeks anyway.

And with all that said, it’s time for me to tell you What You Need To Read. And since we featured Minka Kelly on Friday, we can’t leave out Kate Hudson, who will always hold a special place in my heart for her role in Almost Famous.

Hot sports topics

It’s Yankees-Phillies in the World Series. This should be good.

According to ESPN’s PR Guy, Steve Phillips is gone from ESPN.

The injury news is not good for Leon Washington.

Magic vs Isiah

Courtesy of Black Sports Online, Mark Sanchez decided to eat a hot dog on the sidelines Sunday. Wow, the Raiders suck.

Midwest sports news

In Colts news, the team has now won a whopping 15 straight regular season games.

In Cavs news, there is unfortunately more bad news for Delonte West.

In Chicago Bears news…yeah, that was ugly.

In Iowa Hawkeyes news, Kirk Ferentz’s team is 4th in the newest BCS rankings.

In St. Louis Cardinals news, Mark McGwire is now the team’s new hitting coach.

In the Cleveland Indians news, ladies and gentleman your new manager: Manny Acta.

In Browns news, fans are back to calling for Brady Quinn again.

The White Sox and Cubs are among the teams with strong interest in Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman.

Other random stuff

An interview with MLB commissioner Bud Selig by Sarah Spain.

Some very good advice: how to keep your girlfriend happy when you are an entrepreneur.

What’s with the Black Eyed Peas commercial?

John Mayer is now apparently dating one of my favorites, Rashida Jones.

Amazing toys from childhood that you should buy right now!

Ha, ha, ha

Some fun motivational posters from MoonDog

A little something for the fellas

COED Magazine brings us the WAGs of the 2009 World Series.

From Uncoached, the “Panties and Food” series.

I’d like to see a “Yankees 3, Girard 2″ backpage tomrorow, with “Clueless Joe” as a runnerup. Don’t let me down, News & Post. Good night.

I personally couldn’t care less. I’m actually glad Joe Girardi keeps making baffling moves (and that the Yankees jinx themselves) because, in the absence of NLCS drama, the ALCS is at least giving us a 6th game.

So for all of you Yankees fans out there, don’t be too down in the dumps today. Your team is still up 3-2, you still have the best lineup, you still have Mariano Rivera, you still have C.C. Sabathia ready to dominate a Game 7, and…

…Derek Jeter is still daring Minka Kelly.

So continue reading as Minka and I show you What You Need To Read this Friday morning.

Hot Topics

Think the “Sports Fan Coalition” has your best interests at heart? Hardly. The guys at the aptly named Rumors and Rants tell you why.

The Deadspin-ESPN thing will probably have blown over by the time you read this, but here is an interesting take on the issue at TUP.

Who’s the current leader for the Heisman? MoonDog offers his opinion.

Very interesting take, specifically about Kevin Durant, at the Wall Street Journal on emerging stats-based analysis of the NBA.

Week 7 of the NFL season is approaching. If you need help with your picks, Sharapova’s Thigh is a good place to go.

Midwest sports news

In Cavaliers news, Rick and the boys at WFNY are helping Shaquille O’Neal learn his new offense in Cleveland. Plus, LeBron wants to dunk on George Bush.

In Bears news, Cedric Benson is still being called out for his comments from earlier this week. And no one has funnier in-game, with-helmet-on expressions than Jay Cutler…so create a caption!

In Cubs news, will a new hitting instructor help end the curse???

In Bulls news, Derrick Rose is living a pretty charmed life right now, wouldn’t you say? Hanging out with Marissa Miller, being picked as preseason NBA MVP by Rick Bucher…not a bad way to start the new season.

In Browns news, Brady Quinn is losing a lot of money with Derek Anderson starting and so many guys have the flu, will they even be able to field a full team this Sunday???

In Hoosiers news, Coach K says something I agree with: Indiana should celebrate the coaching legacy of Bob Knight.

In White Sox news, GM Ken Williams is not paying attention to the playoffs but has finally opened up about his plans for the offseason.

In Tennessee Volunteer news, we know that Lane Kiffin will do crazy things to lure recruits. Here are some details.

Blogging and social media

Blogs with Balls 2.0 was recently held in Las Vegas. Here is some reaction from the participants, plus an insightful look at the future of sports blogging from Alana G.

A pretty glaring example of plagiarism in the blogosphere.

Interesting story from NPR about how Facebook and Myspace are divided among social lines.

A nice Blog World Recap by the most lijit social media expert out there.

Other random stuff

Sports Crackle Pop calls “bullshit” on this Got Milk ad with Chauncey Billups. I tend to agree…and hate milk after working out…but it is a good source of protein.

According to HMJ, 44% of Americans think marijuana should be legalized. What say you?

Some sports cliches just need to be done away with.

Awesome: 7 Rules Sports Movies Live By, courtesy of the good folks at Gunaxin.

Beer pong, by Nike.

Ha, ha, ha

HMJ has the pic of Andy Milonakas giving weed to a homeless guy.

There is no explanation for this, so just watch it…and prepare to be rendered speechless as you are regaled by the ridiculous tale of a man, his horse, and its raisin-like taste. (Note: I decided to just embed the video below too.)

More funny pictures of Jeff Fisher from Tirico Suave.

Jim Zorn will apparently now be coaching from the parking lot.

A little something for the fellas

The next Erin Andrews?

Just because: The University of Oregon cheerleaders

The 20 Hottest Female Mascots of All-Time

Guyism presents the girls of 1986

Video Goodness

***Take note, a few brief moments of this video — and perhaps a close examination of the lyrics — have some NSFW elements. But otherwise, as ridiculously stupid as this is, I guarantee you it will get stuck in your head and that you will laugh. That’s all I’m going to say.***

Have a great Friday and a great weekend everybody. Send your tips/comments/suggestions to jerod [at] midwestsportsfans [dot] com.

**********

* – Minka Kelly photo credits: AskMen.com

The biggest off-field news in the sports world yesterday involved ESPN, Deadspin, and some pretty lurid tales of sex, ego, and quid pro quo. We discussed this as it was happening, but there have also been new developments in the “ESPN Horndog Dossier” since we signed off yesterday.

But that was yesterday. It’s now Thursday, and we already have the most important news of today and it’s not even 6:30 CT yet: Ozzie Guillen will be working for Fox as a studio analyst during this year’s World Series. Yep, this is going to be great.

And now the rest of What You Need To Read for Thursday, October 22nd, brought to you by…Kate Beckinsale.

Hot topics

It wans’t just Deadspin throwing out the salacious ESPN stories. The Big Lead got in on the action as well, although they weren’t quite as upfront with the names.

Last note about the Steve Phillips’ story. Answer this question honestly: if someone had told you a week ago that one of the three people pictured here would be involved in a sex scandal with Steve Phillips, who would you have guessed it would be? I would have guessed the one on the right.

Times are tough for SEC officials. The crew that blew calls in the Florida v Arkansas game has been suspended.

A-Rod is definitely the story of the playoffs so far this year.

Sam Bradford appears headed for season-ending surgery.

This one shouldn’t surprise anyone: Tiger Woods is the most popular athlete in the world.

It’s NFL Power Rankings time. Go here, here, here, and here.

You’ve probably heard by now that Steve Largent defended his friend Jim Zorn against the crimes being committed against him by Dan Snyder, Vinny Cerrato, and the gods of the NFL. But who really cares. You should click on this link simply for the unintentionally hilarious picture of Largent and Zorn from yesteryear. And if the words “Brokeback Seahawks” or “Brokeback something” don’t pop into your head…well, you’re lying. Or Jim Zorn.

Midwest sports news

In Big Ten news, the Purdue-Notre Dame series has been extended to 2021 while the buzz builds for the Boilermakers 2009-10 basketball team. Also, Terrelle Pryor’s teammates apparently think he has hit rock bottom and Joe Paterno is not intimidated by the Big House.

In Browns news, not only does half the team apparently have the flu, but the good folks at Cleveland Frowns are wondering why Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone is so obsessed with Eric Mangini.

In Bengals and Bears news, former Bears bust Cedric Benson apparently feels emboldened by his strong start to the 2009 season and has forgotten just how bad he sucked in the Windy City. The guy who would now be Benson’s QB, had Benson not sucked so bad and been jettisoned from Chicago, just got an extension that the guys at NQTC think was a good move for all involved.

In Packers news, the team has dipped into its past to sign Ahman Green again. And amazingly, Green is only 46 yards away from setting the franchise record for career rushing yards. The guys at Rumors and Rants regale us with a list of things that were popular back when Ahman Green was relevant.

Blogging, social media, and other stuff

Here is a fun dare — do something different! — from one of my favorite non-sports bloggers.

Ha, ha, ha

There really is nothing more entertaining than walking through Wal-Mart and people watching. The fine folks at Uncoached have compiled some of the best Wal-Mart people photos ever, including gems like a shirt that says “While you were reading this…I farted” and a guy that I would swear is KVB if I didn’t know better.

The guys at Gunaxin have broken down the ten best TV commercials of the always funny Sir Charles.

Tirico Suave gives us other shirts that Jeff Fisher might be wearing soon.

And a little something extra for the fellas

More from Uncoached, some interesting photos of women communing with the outdoors.

Asylum has broken down ten stupid things girls like.

Luckily, Gunaxin counters with the decidedly non-stupid things that guys like: hot girls.

And in case you didn’t know, Kate Beckinsale was recently dubbed the “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire. Here is the video evidence they have put forth in support of their claim. You decide.

And that’s it. Have a great Thursday everyone, and remember to send your tips here.

**********

* – Kate Beckinsale photos credit: Girls.Pic

I realized this morning that every day there is one blog post I look forward to more than any other: The Big Lead’s morning link roundups…which, coincidentally, has not been posted yet this morning.

WTF?

This unexpected void in my morning gave me the opportunity to participate in an exciting new morning activity: thinking. And what I got to thinking and wondering about is why I’m not putting together a similar post on a daily basis for you, our trusty MSF reader.

So I decided to start doing it. And if the old adage “imitation is the most sincere form of flattery” is true, then consider yourself flattered TBL. We’ll obviously put our own spin on things, but we’re not trying to hide the source of our inspiration.

Look for this new feature every morning, probably around 7-7:15 Central Time. And if you’re a blogger or an interested reader who likes sharing good stuff you read, send me tips.

And now, without further ado, onto this morning’s WYNTR (that stands for What You Need To Read), sponsored by birthday girl Kim Kardashian (who probably has a better chance of completing that pass than Derek Anderson…)

Hot Topics

Nothing is a hotter topic this morning than the breaking news of Steve Phillips’ affair with an ESPN production assistant. (Hat tip to TBL on this one.)

Our buddy MoonDog discusses the new political action committee that is taking on the BCS.

The LA Daily News discusses Manny Ramirez going back to his Manny ways by skipping the end of his team’s last game against the Phillies to shower.

Mark Cuban has opined about steroid use, and let’s just say that his thoughts on the issue are different than, well, 99% of people who have commented publicly on the issue. Could steroids actually be a good thing?

If you haven’t yet seen it, the always hilarious folks at Tirico Suave have produced a nice animated gif breakdown of ARod getting a nice handful of The Captain’s ass a couple days ago. Well done.

Midwest sports news

In Browns news, LB D’Qwell Jackson is out for the season with a shoulder injury while his coach, Eric Mangini, is being compared to the fat kid who floated away in Willy Wonka’s river of chocolate. Being a Browns fan is great, huh?

In Bears news, Jay Cutler got a contract extension at the same time that he and Chad Ochocinco were having a friendly Twitter conversation. As our friends at Tremendous Upside Potential point out, Jay Mariotti, of course, was not amused with Cutler’s willingness to take a few moments to himself away from the football field.

In Vikings news, there is a little bit of confusion regarding whether coach Brad Childress will be getting a contract extension soon or not.

In Buckeye news, despite a loss to Purdue, Jim Tressel is not planning a big changes.

Blogging, social media, and other stuff

Here are five reasons why Google’s new sidewiki feature will fail.

Mashable a few interesting posts:

• summary of a UCLA study that finds surfing the Internet stimulates your brain
• Twitter’s CEO says the world is big enough for Twitter AND Facebook
• Just how big a game-changer with the Motorola Droid be? Is it a serious challenger to the iPhone? One thing is for sure…from the pictures, it just may kill you, me, and everyone.

And a little something for the fellas

All Left Turns delivers a solid breakdown of the 25 hottest women in motorsports. Lewis Hamilton and Jimmie Johnson are fighting for pole position on this one.

Straight Pinkie delivers the good with a photo gallery of Eva Wyrwal.

Asylum.com brings you the 100 most search for hotties on the Internet.

Have a great Wednesday everyone. Remember to look for tomorrow’s WYNTR post a little earlier in the morning. The comment section is yours to discuss any and all topics.

Sports:

• Athletes of the Decade — (Randall Simon’s Sausages)
• Iowa Hawkeyes looking like roses so far — (MoonDog)
• David Wells farts on air — (Deadspin)
• Browns get jobbed by ref on erroneous first down call — (Shutdown Corner)
• Does anything in Detroit not suck? — (Rumors and Rants)
• Strange divorce trial of Jim Nantz — (The Big Lead)
• Stewart Mandel’s college football overtime — (SI.com)
• Bobby Valentine a finalist for Indians job — (Plain-Dealer)
• Could Pujols, St. Louis be on a collision course for trouble? — (Chicago Tribune)
• Terrelle Pryor is having issues…major issues — (Plain-Dealer)

Non-Sports:

• The 10 best bacon videos ever — (Uncoached)
• You think? Balloon boy drama was staged — (CNN.com)
• More tough words from Iran to U.S. — (Fox News)
• Obama administration outlines new marijuana policy — (Huffington Post)
• Britain treating heroin addiction by giving addicts free heroin…and it’s working — (CNN.com)

Sports:

• Prince Fielder has his own song — (YouTube, Prote-J)
• Urban Meyer and Florida’s SEC West curse – (SEC Rivals)
• Athletes, political figures make mustache finals — (MoonDog)
• Which Cubs/ White Sox were the best/worst in 2009? — (NQTC)
• Jim Thome wants to return to the White Sox…or the Twins — (Tremendous Upside Potential)
• T.O. to the Bears? Oh boy… — (i94 Sports)
• The Immaculate Interception — (Zoner Sports)
• Fantasy Basketball Schedule Grid — (Give Me the Rock)
• Adding Insult to Injury: Delmon Young’s Foul Ball — (The Dugout Doctors)
• Justin Timberlake Shriner’s Hospital for Kids Open — (Thunder Treats)

Non-Sports:

• Porn star or potato? You decide — (MoonDog)
• Ten hemp products to try — (HMJ)
• How to: Grow a Bears — (Straight Pinkie)
• Man on Man – Jon Krakauer – Master Chronicler or Grave Robber — (Illuminati)

In his column at SI.com today, Posnanski makes the bold claim (reiterating something he had recently tweeted) that Eric Mangini is the worst NFL head coaching hire in the last 25 years.

Something tells me that our very own Midnight Writer just might agree.

That’s what I call a bold statement. And though it sounds like hyperbole on its face, it is harder and harder to disagree with as each lost Sunday passes by with the Browns seeming to regress under Mangini’s watch.

I am in no way ready to give up on the Mangini experiment yet. But, there is absolutely nothing empirical that anyone can point to that suggests a turnaround is nigh.

And that really sucks…because there are still 13 more Browns games that I will faithfully watch. If they’re anything like the first three, it is going to be a long, sad, miserable year.

With that said, here is your Link of the Day and excerpt, plus more great links from around the blogosphere on a relatively slow sports news day.

Mangini: Worst Coaching Hire Ever? — (Joe Posnanski, SI.com)

I cannot stand what Eric Mangini has done to the Browns, the team of my childhood. I cannot stand the lack of respect he has shown for the team’s history, the Mickey Mouse game he plays with quarterbacks, the amazing knack he has for getting his players to not play hard for him or the stupid fines he hands out like he’s Principal Vernon from “The Breakfast Club.” Don’t mess with the bull, young man, you’ll get the horns.

But here’s the thing: Based on the Twitter responses I’ve seen … I’m actually starting to believe that I’m right. I’m actually starting to believe that Mangini really was the worst head coach hire in 25 years. The responses have mostly been to list other coaches who were worse hires than Mangini. But you know what? I don’t think any of those hires WERE worse than Mangini.

What do you think?

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(By the way, for all of the Reds fans out there or just general baseball fans, Joe has a new book out about the Big Red Machine. Here is the link to his website with all of the links where you can order it.)

Sports:

• The Bears’ Jay Cutler isn’t even the best Jay Cutler — (Not Qualified to Comment)
• Can Shaq and LeBron co-exist? — (Barkley’s Mouth)
• Russian Kingpin to Make ‘Bron Pawn? — (Cleveland Frowns)
• Video: carry your old lady around, win her weight in beer — (MoonDog)
• Carlos Zambrano doesn’t know what the hell he wants to do — (Another Cubs Blog)
• T.O-Rodney Harrison Twitter fight — (The Sporting Blog)
• Browns suck so bad, fans are flocking to Detroit — (MoonDog)
• When will Matt Forte join the fun? — (Zoner Sports)
• Big Ten Network playing “Erin Andrew Card” in talent selection — (The Sports Bank)
• Male football dilemma: Would you wear opposing NFL team colors to avoid being shived? — (Busted Coverage)
• Kyle Orton just wins, baby — (Tremendous Upside Potential)
• The Cynic’s Guide to College Football: 300 Edition — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Non-Sports:

• 13 Hot Girl/Ugly Guy Combos — (Straight Pinkie)
• Taking charge but preferring the status quo — (MSF’s own Ari Kaufman, Indianapolis Star)
• Honest letters to one-night stands — (Holy Taco)

And, finally, Conan O’Brien falls and sustains concussion on Tonight Show:

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* – Eric Mangini photo credit: M. Spencer Green – AP via Dawgs By Nature