DAILY DIRT: ‘WHUT IF’ if we had a new No. 1 license plate? Well, we do!

March 19, 2025 | By Steve Eighinger, Muddy River News Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Daily Dirt for Wednesday, March 19, 2025

WHUT IF becomes fourth plate to hold the gold medal position this year … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,233 of The Daily Dirt

1. There’s a new sheriff in town.

WHUT IF becomes the fourth license plate to hold the gold medal position during the first 11 weeks of the 2025 Great Plate Debate. Our fourth year of competition continues to heat up as we search for the latest and greatest of personalized license plates across West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri.

“Rivaled only by the NCAA basketball tournament, the Great Plate Debate promises to keep everyone in suspense as the year unfolds,” offered Daily Dirt Board of Control member Gerald “Goose” LaFleur. “Just when you think you’ve seen every possible plate, up pops a WHUT IF. In a few years, the Great Plate Debate might become the new national pastime.”

The current medal stand:

Gold medal: WHUT IF

Silver medal: OLDNSLO

Bronze medal: BLAH

Best o’ the rest:

9 HONKR
HAIR 68
INVEST
NATO
TX AGGI 1
PHINS UP
XRAY 95
RAM VAN 5
SAX 42
TOOF
QY 6
WE IV
RUN R 3
DHUNTER
CLARNT 1

2. Did you know (Part 307)

That Abraham Lincoln was also a licensed bartender.
That an elephant is the only animal that cannot jump.
That “Call Me” by Blondie, “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar are all 45 years old in 2025.
That “I’ll Be There” was first a hit for The Jackson 5 in 1970, some 22 years before Mariah Carey shot to the top of the charts with the same song in 1992.
That Rod Stewart’s 1995 hit “So Far Away” was a remake of Carole King’s 1971 chart-topper of the same name.

3. Remember the simpler days when NBA teams had basic home and away uniforms?

For home games, they wore white, or the lighter of their two uniforms. And for away games, it was a darker look.

Nowadays, however, most NBA teams have five different jersey editions they are scheduled to wear for specific games: Association, Icon, Statement, City and Classic.

Here’s a breakdown of the different jersey editions:

Association Edition: This is the team’s conventional white jersey.
Icon Edition: This is the team’s conventional “road” jersey.
Statement Edition: This jersey takes a spin on a team’s uniforms, going with some kind of alternative color or design.
City Edition: This jersey also takes a spin on a team’s uniforms, going with some kind of alternative color or design, and is designed to celebrate the city and culture of each market.
Classic Edition: Some teams have a classic jersey, which is a throwback to a previous era or design.

Call me old-fashioned, but what was wrong with the older format of simple home and away uniforms?

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Remember when you were in your 20s trying to figure out how to navigate the ’70s? Now, you’re in your 70s, trying to figure out to navigate the ’20s.