Jon Marthaler bakes up a batch of delicious links just for you. Other times, you can find him here and here. Jon?

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RandBall won't be around for a week; I'm afraid you're stuck with this post to entertain you. Hopefully Randball chooses an adorable picture to adorn this post. [Editor's note: Sorry, same old hot dog picture. Though we would be remiss if we left and didn't point you toward this. We will be back by then. Just sayin'].

As a topic for long-term debate, I was going to ask whether readers think that soccer will ever truly "arrive" in America. But then I saw part of the MLS season opener in Seattle, where nearly forty thousand people turned up to stand in the rain and make surprising amounts of noise for two hours. This, despite the UW Huskies playing in the Sweet Sixteen at virtually the same time. I think the discussion may be over, is what I'm saying; at least in the Pacific Northwest, soccer has arrived.

Let's get on with the links:

*Spencer Hall's visit to Talladega is absolutely a must-read. Go there now.

*On the subject of NASCAR: things aren't going well for the series' TV ratings. All five races this year have seen drops in viewership, making 37 out of the last 47 to fall off. If I could tell you why, I would, but frankly I'm more concerned with the post-Olympics, pre-playoff NHL ratings absolutely cratering.

*And now, interview time! First, Canis Hoopus talks to Wolves president Chris Wright...

*... and then, Parker Hageman goes inside the numbers with Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony. Passionate writers asking tough questions of team officials - how was blogging the death of journalism, again?

That'll do it for me - and for RandBall this week, I guess. Enjoy the downtime, or if you miss the banter, follow Stu on Twitter. I usually find that this is a decent substitute. And if you're headed out to the Gopher baseball game at Target Field today, I'll see you there.