Daily Dirt: If you want one of these items, you’re going to need more than pocket change

Daily Dirt for Monday, July 1, 2024

Welcome to July!  … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 991 of The Daily Dirt.

1. So, you say you’re a sports fan and you’d like to expand your memorabilia collection? Consider what the most expensive sports jersey sales have sold for in recent years:

• Michael Jordan’s jersey from Game One of the 1998 “Last Dance” NBA Finals. It was auctioned off for more than $10 million in 2022.
• Diego Maradona’s jersey from the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals finals vs. England. That was the match Maradona scored the famed “Hand of God” goal. The jersey later sold for $8.9 million. 
• Six Lionel Messi match-worn jerseys from the 2022 Qatar World Cup were auctioned a year later. The winning bid was $7.8 million.
• Kobe Bryant’s gold Lakers jersey worn in his 2008 MVP season. He wore it in 25 games that year, including six playoff contests. It sold for $5.8 million.
• A Babe Ruth game-worn jersey sold for $5.6 million in 2019.

2. Did you know (Part 53) …

• McDonald’s has more than 36,000 restaurants spread across the world.
• Those McDonald’s can be found in every country on the globe except, Bermuda, North Korea, Iran, Iceland, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Yemen, Macedonia and Montenegro.
• Bands formed in 1970 included Aerosmith, ELO and the Doobie Brothers. All remain active 54 years later. 
• Two major hits from 1984 were titled “Jump,” one by Van Halen and the other from the Pointer Sisters.
• Frank Sinatra had 10 No. 1 songs, the first in 1940 (“Ill Never Smile Again”), and the last in 1967 (“Something Stupid,” with daughter Nancy Sinatra).

3. Here’s some more movie trivia I think you’ll find interesting:

• Jack Lemmon had been the choice for “Sundance” in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” and not Robert Redford. (Good move.)
• Before Jack Nicholson was cast in the “Easy Rider” film, the original choice was Rip Torn. (Another good move.)
• “Apocalypse Now” was originally going to be a comedy starring Orson Welles and Gene Hackman. When the film changed direction, Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper and Martin Sheen were brought on board. (Seriously, a comedy?)
• Vince Vaughn was original choice for “Dazed and Confused,” not Ben Affleck. (Actually, that might have worked out better.)

Steve Thought O’ The Day
Interestingly, the country with the second-most McDonald’s is China, with nearly 6,000. Argentina, Aruba, Brazil and the Bahamas have just one.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Could you imagine Steve living in Iceland? Or Steve not having a McDonald’s within a 10-minute drive of his house?