Daily Dirt for July 10, 2021

by Steve Eighinger

Sit back, grab a snack and enjoy Vol. 2 of today’s three thoughts:

1. With the new James Bond movie set to premier in early October, who are your all-time favorite Bond girls? Here are mine:

A. Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress): It was 59 years ago she dazzled us in “Dr. No,” the movie that started the ongoing love affair with Sean Connery and James Bond.

B. Elektra King (Sophie Marceau): She planned to destroy Istanbul via nuclear explosion in “The World Is Not Enough.” Fortunately, our man Bond (Pierce Brosnan) saved the day. Whew!

B. Kissy Suzuki (Mia Hama): She was a ninja in “You Only Live Twice.” She and Bond (Connery) provided a lethal combination. Plus, I just like to say her name.

C. Tiffany Case (Jill St. John): She was a diamond smuggler in “Diamonds Are Forever,” which was Connery’s final go-round as 007.

D. Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland): Rod Stewart’s one-time girlfriend helped Bond (Roger Moore) escape from the evil Francisco Scaramanga in “The Man With the Golden Gun.”

E. Plenty O’Toole (Lana Wood): “Diamonds Are Forever” truly had a star-studded cast, accented by Wood, who met her demise prior to the final credits. She played a gaming room hustler.

F. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards): I would have ranked her higher, but I’ve always had trouble buying her as a nuclear physicist in “The World Is Not Enough.”

2. For lovers of classic TV westerns, mark down July 19. That’s when “Wagon Train” reruns return to INSP, which is channel 364 on DirecTV and 259 on DISH.

3. Best Major League Baseball nicknames for active players:

A. Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres: “El Nino” is a nickname he’s had since he was 12 years old. It’s fitting the best player in MLB has the best nickname. Writer Michael Clair says Tatis is “the most electrifying, stop-everything-you’re-doing-and-turn-the-game-on-right-now player since Ken Griffey Jr. Can’t argue with that.

B. “Shohei Ohtani, Angels: What else, but “Sho Time” for this incredible talent.

C. “Jazz” Chisholm Jr., Marlins: And he has purple hair, too.