DAILY DIRT: Ahhh … sweet memories of ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and Vic Davalillo

I’d almost guarantee anyone reading today’s first item will smile, remembering being on a date with someone they cared about and seeing one of these films … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 322 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Ahhh … be still my beating heart.

Raise your hand if you remember one of those summer loves from your junior or senior high school days. Go ahead and smile, those were great times, right? And I imagine, for each one of those love affairs you thought would never end you and the love of your life (or so you thought, at the time …) went to see a movie on a Friday night that became “your movie.” In my humble opinion, the following were the best “date” movies of all time:

Gold medal: “When Harry Met Sally” (1990) is arguably the finest film ever released that deals with the complex nature of a relationship in a fashion that is both hilarious and heartwarming. Meg Ryan was at her absolute finest in this film that is now 32 years old, which is incredible in its own right. It seems like only yesterday when I watched it for the first time and was blown away.

Silver medal: “Love Story” (1970) was the one of the first movies my (first) wife and I went to see together when we were dating, and if you did not have a tear in your eye at the end of this one you simply could not have been human.

Bronze medal: “Ghost” (1990) could easily be the Silver medal winner, if for nothing else than the soundtrack that features “Unchained Melody” from the Righteous Brothers. The moment when Patrick Swayze finally passes into the hereafter is simply mesmerizing.

2. Fun fact. Minnesota Twins pitcher Griffin Jax does not like the taste of water.

I didn’t know water had a taste. I thought its sole purpose was to be wet.

3. I had a recent discussion with some sports junkie friends.

We were picking our favorite MLB pitching motion and batting stance (and follow through) of all-time. My choices were:

A. Jim Palmer, whose windup and delivery was so textbook it should have been featured that way by MLB after he retired. He was the perfect pitcher. I have always thought the outline of his pitching motion should have been a part of some sort of MLB logo, much like Jerry West’s outline is featured in the NBA logo.

B. Warning: This one will surprise you. My all-time favorite batting stance and follow through belonged to Vic Davalillo. The little lefty was such a treat to watch at home plate. He was my first favorite player as a Cleveland Indians fan in the mid-1960s. Wherever Davalillo went on to play (California, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Los Angeles Dodgers), I became a fan of that team. The fact he was 5-foot-7 and weighed 150 pounds made him and his swing even more appealing to me.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — As big of a baseball fan as I am, there are very few individual accomplishments I have committed to memory — except one. I have never forgotten that Vic Davalillo hit .301 in 1965.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Steve’s second favorite “Vic” is Vic Tayback.