Dan Marino Now Throwing to Dauphins

Courtesy Sotheby's International Realty

Behold, the Marino living room!

Seriously, does that not look like a room in a castle where one might expect to see a French dauphin fanning himself? And in this economy, who else but royalty can afford the $13.5 million asking price for the Dolphin legend's Weston home?

Last week, the Wall Street Journal and a host of other international media gave Marino free advertising, if only to gape at a football god who's reduced to luring buyers with gimmicks -- signed footballs and designer furniture.

So this week, we decided to check with the Marinos' agent to see whether it made a difference.

"We are getting phone calls -- a lot of people are calling," says Giselle Bonetti, of Sotheby's International Realty. "We had a couple of virtual tours overseas and one in California. We also have a scheduled appointment."

Flickr User: Mr. Ptiful

For $13.5 mill, Marino may throw in a pair of pants

The furniture was part of the sale in the first place, says Bonetti, but the Marinos have only recently elected to include all of it. "They're downsizing," she says, "and they may not want to take it with them."

"Downsizing"? Well, considering the joint has ten bedrooms and 12 bathrooms and 13,500 square feet, a move to the Taj Mahal might be "downsizing."

Our golden boy isn't going to downsize right out of the region, is he? "No," says Bonetti. "They're going to stay in South Florida."

That's a relief. This local economy needs big spenders like number 13. And for those of you struggling to sell your own, slightly more understated house in this market, it's a shame that you can't just sign a football and wait for the offers to pour in, eh?

To take a sobering virtual tour of the Marino digs, go here.