Daily Dirt: Houston, we have a problem…Steve forgot something

Weekend Twin Spin: Daily Dirt for Oct. 2-3, 2021
A Tom Hanks film festival would be downright awesome

Selecting my five favorite Tom Hanks films for Vol. 84 of the Daily Dirt was much more difficult than I expected. That guy has had a quite a career. Here are today’s three thoughts:

1. Hanks was recently voted the No. 1 active male actor on the ranker.com website. I can’t argue that. Ole Tom is pretty convincing is just about any role he undertakes. Here are my five favorite Hanks films:

“Forrest Gump (1994)”: A series of historical events unfold from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75. Not only Hanks’ finest-ever film, but one of the best all-time. Period.

“Saving Private Ryan (1998)”: As good as Hanks in particular and the movie in general were, I also enjoyed the performance of Edward Burns in one of the key supporting roles.

“A League of Their Own (1992)”: There’s still no crying in baseball.

“Sleepless in Seattle (1993)”: Hanks and Meg Ryan formed a marvelous couple in this film.

“You’ve Got Mail (1998)”: And in this one, too.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Leaving out Apollo 13 and That Thing You Do? Criminal. Sleepless/Mail are the same damn movie. And while I love Forrest, Shawshank Redemption was the better film in 1995. JRG.

2. Happy birthday
Don Crim: Donnie Ballgame’s birthday was Sept. 29 (yeah, I know, I’m late) when he turned 65. He was the best boss I had in close to 50 years in the newspaper business. (For the record, J. Robert Gough has been my top boss in the three months or so I have been involved with the online form of journalism.)  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Nice save, but Mr. Crim does deserve those kudos. JRG

Matt Damon: Hard to believe the star who made Jason Bourne a household name will turn 51 on May 8.

Susan Sarandon: The actress who helped make “Bull Durham” one of the most enduring movies ever will be 75 on Monday. 

And in the gone, but not forgotten category of October birth dates:

John Lennon: Oct. 9 would have marked the 81st birthday of the former Beatle.

Henry John Heinz: The guy who have us Heinz Ketchup would have been 177 on Oct. 11 if her had not passed away in 1919.

Roger Moore: The former James Bond was born on Oct. 14, 1927. He was 89 when he died in 2017.

3. Here’s the sixth edition of the best modern-era MLB players who have worn certain numbers, thanks to sportingnews.com. We resume today with No. 51-60:

51. Randy Johnson. Honorable mentions: Ichiro Suzuki, Willie McGee, Trevor Hoffman.

52. C.C. Sabathia. Honorable mentions: Mike Boddicker.

53. Don Drysdale. Honorable mentions: Bobby Abreu.

54. Rich “Goose” Gossage. Honorable mentions: None.

55. Orel Hershiser. Honorable mentions: Kevin Appier, Russell Martin.

56. Mark Buehrle. Honorable mentions: None.

57. Johan Santana. Honorable mentions:  Francisco Rodriguez.

58. Jonathan Papelbon. Honorable mentions: Ismael Valdez.

59. Todd Jones. Honorable mentions: None.

60. Dallas Keuchel. Honorable mentions: None.

Steve Fact O’ The Day
I don’t like anchovies on my pizzas, or anything else for that matter

‘Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional’

The calendar waits for no man. That’s the first of today’s three thoughts in Vol. 85 of the Daily Dirt illustrates.

1. As each day passes, I grow older. Unfortunately, that’s the way life works. I can remember many, many years ago never imagining I’d be as old as I am today, which is 67 bearing down on 68. I think some other folks have felt the same way down through the years. Here’s a few examples:

“There is still no cure for the common birthday.” — former astronaut and politician John Glenn, who died in 2016 at age 95.

“If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” — Anonymous.

“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.” — Former MLB player Chili Davis.

“You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.” — Poet Ogden Nash, who was 68 when he died in 1971.

“Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician.” — Anonymous.

“I am old enough to see how little I have done in so much time, and how much I have to do in so little time.” — English writer Sheila Kaye-Smith, who died in 1956 at age 68.

“As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two.”– English actor Sir Norman Wisdom, who died in 2010 at age 95.

“Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.” — Entertainer Maurice Chevalier was 83 when he died in 1972.

“Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.” – Anonymous

2. It’s time for a little more of “Overrated, Underrated.” Today we focus on fast-food items.

Overrated: McDonald’s Big Mac, or just about any burger at the Golden Arches. My biggest complaint? There’s simply not enough meat in the tiny burgers. To be fair, the exception is the quarter-pounder. That’s a quality sandwich.

Underrated: KFC popcorn chicken nuggets. These poppable little guys serve as a kind of cross between a chicken tender and chicken nugget.

Overrated: French fries at Steak and Shake. More than anything else, they are barely warm most times when served.

Underrated: Culver’s cod dinner or cod filet sandwich. Without question, the best fish offering(s) at any fast-food outpost.

3. The best NFL names from the past decade or so:

• Hercules Mata’afa.
• Richie Incognito.
• Barkevious Mingo.
• Vontaze Burfict.
• Jaquiski Tartt.
• Jake Butt.
• Key’Vantanie “KeKe” Coutee.

STEVE FACT O’ THE DAYI Have always considered myself a hardcore baseball fan, thanks in part to decades of fantasy baseball play, but to be perfectly honest I have no idea who more than half of the current Chicago Cubs players even are or where they came from.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He is Gump-like in many ways.