Sparky Anderson Links: Local and national writers share their stories about the legendary manager

>Jerry Green has a great column where he recounts a number of stories including when Sparky Anderson placed a silent wager with slugger Kirk Gibson right before he hit a home run in the 1984 World Series. [DN]

>Just like when Ernie Harwell passed back in May, you're going to get a lot of columns talking about what a nice guy Anderson was. There might not be a better one than Jason Erardi's for the Cincinnati Enquirer. [CE]

>Before the 2000 season, Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was making headlines with rants laced with homophobia and racism. Looking to counter the attention Rocker was getting, the Sporting News' Dave Kindred wrote about baseball's polar opposite; Sparky Anderson. [SN]

>Here is a great quote from Drew Sharp's column: In a sport that’s grown scripted and bland, Sparky was that prism that transformed conformity into vibrant color. [DFP]

>Joe Lapointe wonders how much Pete Rose's gambling scandal impacted Anderson's emotional state toward the end of his managerial career. [FH]

>Hal McCoy tells comical stories about Anderson, including a night where he intentionally gave opposite answers to the same question just minutes apart. [MJ]

>If you're looking for a statistical look at Anderson's career, ESPN has you covered. [ESPN]

>Jo-Anne Barnas recounts a 2006 interview she had with Sparky in his hometown of Thousand Oaks. She shares many of the small philosophical nuggets Sparky said during the interview that didn't make her original story. A great read if you have the time. [DFP]

>Former MLive.com beat reporter Danny Knobler writes: He understood how to run a clubhouse, just as much as he understood how to run a baseball game. There are managers who are brilliant strategists and managers who are great at dealing with people, but Sparky was both. [CBS Sports}

>Sports Illustrated has a wonderful photo gallery. Sparky always looked older than he was, but it's fascinating how much he appeared to age between the 1959-69. [SI]

>Another Hal McCoy column where he tells some of the same stories, but shares how Sparky admitted to treating star players differently. "Yes, I treat the stars differently, give them more space and more freedom. They’ve earned it – guys like Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez. Anybody else has to earn it. When they accomplish what those guys have accomplished then they’ll get the same respect." [FSO]

>Related topics: Sparky Anderson

More on Sparky Anderson: LINK 1, LINK 2

Short Stories - DARK SIDE OF THE LENS

Relentless Energy's Short Stories competition beings with 'The Dark Side Of The Lens', a short film from renowned surf photographer Mickey Smith. LINK: Youtube

Search Stories Video Creator

Google recently released 'Search Stories Video Creator.' You can input up to seven search queries like web search, images, maps, etc. After that you can choose a song from different genres. You can then preview the story and, if you don't want to make any changes, upload it to YouTube and share it through various social networking platforms including Twitter and MySpace.

Here's a search video I made about my websites. It's a great (and free) way to promote your work.

Search Stories Video Creator. Via: The Presurfer

Haiti: Inflatable Hospital photo gallery

A Médecins Sans Frontières inflatable hospital takes shape on a football field in Port-au-Prince. Related Boing Boing interview here. More photos at the LINK.

Previously:

* Haiti: HOWTO set up a plug-and-play hospital - Doctors Without Borders
* Cruise ship docks at private beach in Haiti for barbeque and water ...
* Haiti Earthquake Update: AIDG's Catherine Lainé, live from Haiti ...
* Haiti: News roundup, one week after earthquake
* Haiti, HAARP, and conspiracy theorists
* Haiti: News roundup, new satellite images, tweets from the ground ...
* Haiti: A call to "peoplefinder" site builders - open your data ...
* Haiti Quake: Ned Sublette update, open thread
* Donate $20 to Haiti, get $1481 worth of free RPGs
* Dr. Steve Brule: "For Your Haiti"
* Haiti: Photos from the ground, by AIDG's Catherine Lainé
* Haiti: Update from Doctors Without Borders team in Port-au-Prince ...
* Haiti Earthquake: link roundup, day two
* Haiti's real deal with the devil
* CrisisCamp London: creating solutions for Haiti
* What lessons should Americans take away from the 2010 Haiti ...

100 Weirdest News Stories We Dugg in 2009

In the ninth year of our new millennium we were treated to such outrageous-but-true tales as the Russian who died of a Viagra overdose after winning a bet that he could pleasure two women for 12 hours straight and the atheists who set up a post-Rapture pet-care service for the dogs of the believers.

To say nothing of the Balloon Boy who wasn't and the White House party crashers who brought dangerous shame onto our Secret Service.

In other words, 2009 was just about as weird as every year that came before it.

While Asylum is a great place for those who want get their fix of these stories and other news of the odd, the interactive voting site Digg also brings the strange on a regular basis. So, in the name of synergy, we present Digg's top 100 weirdest stories of 2009, as decided by you, the public who just can't get enough of this stuff. LINK

Amazing Works of Storytelling in Fashion Photography

These talented fashion photographers tell vivid, exciting stories about life, lust and intrigue with some of the world’s most beautiful women. Here are 10 of the greatest works of naughty, narrative fashion photography of the last decade. See the full list at TheCoolist. LINK

"Steampunk" Anthology reviewed, Story-by-Story

Avi Abrams reviews stories by Ted Chiang, Joe R. Lansdale, Paul Di Filippo, etc. included in the "Steampunk" anthology, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer -

"...It is one heck of a ride, and it has everything a dime novel should have - mystery, wonder, adventure and crazed horror mixed with deeply dark atmosphere. You've been warned, but by all means, if you just watched, say, "Crank 2: High Voltage" and came out unaffected, then you'll see no problem with this novella either..." LINK

Click Here to Read the Rest ->

The Best Lego Stories of 2008

Bricks! Minifigs! Spaceships! Star Wars! Airplanes! Robots! Sex! Secret Vaults! Our exclusive trip to the Lego mothership! More than six million read the best Lego stories of 2008. LINK

The 13 Most Famous Numbers And Their Stories

The number 7 has a special place in various cultures based on its relative frequency. Scientific experiments have shown how favorable this number is chosen by participating humans.

It is the most frequently selection if people are asked to name their favorite number. As blue is as often chosen as the favorite color the phenomenon is also called 'blue-seven' phenomenon.

The 13 Most Famous Numbers And Their Stories. LINK

The Stories Behind Three More Horror Classics

Back by popular demand, I give you the stories behind some of your favorite horror classics - Part Two! Go to LINK to see the full story.