Daily Dirt: BE A BETH, No. 1 license plate for 25 weeks, survives another challenge

Daily Dirt for Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023

One week left in 2023 competition, then we start all over again … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 817 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Almost, but not quite.

We almost had a new No. 1 in The Great Plate Debate of 2023, but BE A BETH survives to rule another week.

The DRLOV plate, spotted earlier this week on a vehicle driving north on 12th Street in Quincy, nearly moved our panel of voters to unseat BE A BETH. In the end, however, BE A BETH remains atop the pecking order in West-Central Illinois and and Northeast Missouri and needs just one more week of turning back the challengers to rule the year.

BE A BETH has been No. 1 since early July, a record 25 weeks. The 2023 champion will be named next week — and then the competition starts again for 2024.

The current medal standings: 

• Gold medal: BE A BETH. 
• Silver medal: DRLOV. 
• Bronze medal: APPEAL.
• (2022 champion: IMDUMB)

The best of the rest over the past week:

• LDY WLF 1
• GO SING
• OINK 5
• NOGHST
• STOTSY 1
• KIWI 37

2. The best of this week’s “Found on Facebook”:

• “I had a terrible nightmare that I was stuck in a snow globe last night. I’m OK now, just a little shaken up.”
• “Since it started snowing, my wife has done nothing but look through the window. If it gets any worse, I’ll have to let her back in.”
• “If a man says he will fix it, he will. There is no need to remind him every six months.”
• “I just started a business that teaches math to short people. It’s the little things that count.”
• “Don’t forget to lay under the tree this year to remind everyone you’re a gift.”

3. If you run into any of these celebrities, wish them a happy birthday:

• TV host Ryan Seacrest turns 49 on Christmas Eve.
• If we had not lost singer Jimmy Buffett earlier this year, he would have been 77 on Christmas Day.
• NBC newswoman Savannah Guthrie will be 52 on Monday.
• Actor Denzel Washington will blow out 69 candles Wednesday.
• Actor Ted Danson turns 76 on Friday. Long live Sam “May Day” Malone!

Steve Thought O’ The Day
Due to deferred payments Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Los Angeles Dodgers already have $84 million committed to their 2040 payroll. And none of those players will be on the team. Ohtani will be 45, Betts 47 and Freeman 50.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Publisher J. Robert Gough is negotiating with Steve to accept a $1 contract in 2024 and defer the rest of his money for the 2053 season when he turns 100 years old.