Daily Dirt: This is the time of year when all we can do is sit back, relax and … sweat

Daily Dirt for Wednesday, July 5, 2023

The key to a successful July and August is the lack of physical activity … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 657 of The Daily Dirt.

1. The Fourth of July is now in the rear-view mirror, and we are in what singer Nat King Cole once referred to as “those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.” 

More days than not, the temperatures will now be in the 80s, often tip-toeing into the lower 90s. Between now and late August, we will need to find ways to entertain ourselves that, ideally, do not require too much physical activity. 

This is the point of year when, most of the time, we simply have to grin and bear it. It’s hot outside, and will continue to be that way until some point early in football season.

Here are a few medal-worthy thoughts about what this time of the year has to hold: 

• Gold medal: “July, that lovely hell, all velvet dresses and drapes stuffed into a hot little hole.” ― Laura Kasischke, author of “Space, in Chains.”
• Silver medal: “Then came July like three o’clock in the afternoon, hot and listless and miserable.” ― Allie Ray, author of “Holler.”
• Bronze medal: “If June was the beginning of a hopeful summer, and July the juicy middle, August was suddenly feeling like the bitter end.” – novelist Sarah Dessen.

Yes, before long, we will be talking of late August and early September and all that fall has to hold. Until that time, all we can do is sit back, relax and … sweat.

2. Ten thoughts about MLB halfway through the season:

1. I talked quite a bit yesterday about Shohei Ohtani, but most of that conversation dealt with what his offseason payday might be like. Today I want to underline the overall magnificence of this player. I think it’s safe to say he has been even better than advertised when he made the jump from Japan to the Los Angeles Angels. I think, at some point down the road, there will be legitimate talk about Ohtani being the greatest player of all time.

2. It seems each week another of those crazy “City Connect” uniforms are unveiled. The most recent, I think, belonged the Pittsburgh Pirates. At least the Pirates’ traditional black-and-gold color scheme was prevalent, unlike many of the combinations. I think my favorite, to date, has been the Seattle Mariners’ black and blue look, with homage paid to the 1969 Seattle Pilots uniform font. The worst of many remains the green and white Colorado Rockies disaster.

3. The nicest surprise of the season may be the resurrection of the Cincinnati Reds, thanks in large part to the presence of rookie Elly De La Cruz, who this time next year will likely be the most exciting individual talent in the game.

4. Biggest disappointments to date? No deep thinking needed here: 1. New York Mets, 2. San Diego Padres, 3. St. Louis Cardinals. The sad things for fans of those clubs is there’s no real ray of hope for the second half. Once the season comes to a merciful end, heads will likely roll in the front office of all three of those franchises. Probably a manager or two, too.

5. Midseason MVPs? How about Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves in the National League and that Ohtani guy in the American League.

6. Midseason Cy Young Award winners? My choices are Gerrit Cole of the Yankees in the AL and Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks in the NL. Shane McClanahan of the Rays would have been my AL choice until his recent injury woes. Cole is simply a horse.

7. Unsung hero in the first half? How about 22-year-old Arizona rookie outfielder Corbin Carroll, who has done nothing but rake since opening day. At this writing, Carroll is batting .289 with 17 homers and 24 steals.

8. Managers most likely to be fired in the second half of the season, or immediately afterward (in no particular order): Scott Servais of Seattle, Bob Melvin of San Diego, Bud Black of Colorado.

9. Managers most likely to earn an extension: Torey Lovullo of Arizona, Brandon Hyde of Baltimore, Kevin Cash of Tampa Bay.

10. Best hidden gem of a baseball movie to watch between now and the World Series: “Trouble With The Curve” (2012) starring Clint Eastwood.

3. I used some of the down time over the recent holiday weekend to catch up on rewatching some of my favorite Errol Flynn movies. This time I dealt with more of the westerns.

Longtime readers of The Daily Dirt know that Flynn, who died at age 50 in 1959, is one of my all-time favorite film stars, despite his private life that was a combination of perverted and simply disastrous. On screen, the man was a legend. Off screen, he was … well, umm… not. I’ll let you read those details on your own. Today I’m sharing some of his more famous quotes about his even more famous life:

— “It isn’t what they say about you, it’s what they whisper.”

–“My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.”

— “The public has always expected me to be a playboy, and a decent chap never lets his public down.”

— “By instinct I’m an adventurer; by choice I’d like to be a writer; by pure, unadulterated luck, I’m an actor.”

— “I like my whisky old and my women young.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day

The average daily temperature in Illinois in July is normally a not-so-balmy 85.