KEN WILLIS: Three-dotting our way into the Fourth while wearing a Dale Earnhardt cap

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!

KYLE PETTY: You knew his autobiography wouldn't be your typical life story | KEN WILLIS

LEFTY: The Mickelson book offers some of the promised dirt, but plenty of good too | KEN WILLIS

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 I wasn’t there.” Reached 20 years into the future, the son responded: “Was a doctor there? OK. And a nurse? OK, I’m fine” . . .

Heeeere's Johnnie . . .

Other sports-world folks born on the Fourth of July: Tennis champ Pam Shriver, World Series champ Chuck Tanner, and 1950 Indy 500 champ Johnnie Parsons . . . Trivia time: Did you know Parsons is the only Indy winner whose name is misspelled on the famous Borg-Warner Trophy? The engraver, who apparently didn’t buy a race-day program, spelled it Johnny . . . Thirty-some years ago, the Indy folks were modernizing the perpetual trophy and were naturally going to correct the spelling to Johnnie, but along the way somebody said, “What the hell,” and kept it as is . . .

Oh, why not? Our top three Johnnies, Non-Sports Division: 1. Booze god Johnnie Walker, 2. Barrister Johnnie Cochran, 3. Nashville songwriter Johnnie Wright, perhaps best known for marrying Kitty Wells (that marriage only lasted 74 years!) . . . By the way, Johnnie Walker was no relation to fellow whisky legend Hiram Walker, and for what it's worth, you can add Hiram to your list of famous Fourth of July birthdays, along with Calvin Coolidge, Neil Simon, Bill Withers, Meyer Lansky and Dear Abby . . .

Lou Gehrig gave his “luckiest man” speech on the Fourth of July in 1939. There was a time when baseball-loving kids could recite that one as easily as they could the Pledge of Allegiance . . . With USC and UCLA jumping ship, the Big Ten Conference will presumably have 16 teams, while the Pac-12 will have 10, as does the Big 12, for now . . .

In this package deal, UCLA is to USC what Chase Koepka is to Brooks . . . USC athletic director Mike Bohn on the Trojans’ move to the wholesome Midwest: “We are excited that our values align with the league's member institutions.” There’s no doubting that, though his list of values likely varies a bit from ours . . .

— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Selling Earnhardt, shunning Mickelson, and some Johnnie trivia | KEN WILLIS