DAILY DIRT: K-Swift looks like its heading to Sunday Night Football

Taylor Swift is reportedly heading to New York (or New Jersey) to watch her new man on Sunday Night Football as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the New York Jets … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 740 of The Daily Dirt.

1. The recent headlines attracted by the evolving relationship between singer Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs has made for good reading.

There’s always something intriguing about a famous athlete and movie star/singer/model hooking up.

Some of these relationships last only briefly, but some wind up being forever matches. Here are some of my favorite celebrity couples in the last 10 to 15 years:

Former MLB slugger Alex Rodriguez and singer/dancer Jennifer Lopez: I don’t think any of us expected this combo to last, and it didn’t, ending in 2021. I was surprised, however, that A-Rod and J-Lo remained together for four years. J-Lo has had four husbands, plus plenty of steady boyfriends and fiancées in recent years. 

Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady and model Gisele Bundchen: I thought this was one of those forever things, but after 15 years it went poof! Since their 2022 parting, Brady has taken up with Russian model Irina Shayk .

Singer Carrie Underwood and retired NHL player Mike Fisher: The two have reportedly been “happily married” for 12 years and dated for a couple of years prior to tying the knot. They have two kids and all signs indicate this is one of those celebrity romances that would make a good Hallmark Channel movie.

NFL quarterback  Aaron Rodgers and … (fill in the blank): Rodgers needs his own reality TV channel. Since his football career as a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers put him in the spotlight, Rodgers has found love with personalities like Olivia Munn, Kelly Rohrbach, Danica Patrick and Shailene Woodley. Most recently, Rodgers began dating Mallory Edens, a model and the daughter of one of the Milwaukee Bucks’ primary owners.

MLB pitcher Justin Verlander and supermodel/actress Kate Upton: The two have been married since 2017 and everything looks solid with this relationship. One thing is for certain — money will never be an issue. Due to all the modeling gigs and her career in Hollywood, Upton has managed to amass an insane net worth that has even surpassed that of her husband’s. Verlander is worth an estimated $150 million, which is dwarfed against Upton’s rather staggering $280 million.

Singer Jessica Simpson and former NFL player Eric Johnson: The singer married her longtime boyfriend and former NFL tight tend in 2014. They also have three kids with great names: Maxwell, Ace and Birdie. This appears to be a happy ending in the making.

2. Well, it was close, but BE A BETH lives to rule another week.

Two of the three top-ranked license plates saw their stay on the medal stand come to an end in the latest edition of the Great Plate Debate, but the reigning gold medalist held its perch.

Here is The Daily Dirt’s latest rankings for those plates that have been spotted this year in West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri:

Gold medal: BE A BETH. I have seen this vehicle twice. If I happen to see it again and the driver is ever nearby I am going to have to ask about the story behind it.

Silver medal: AX SHUN 4. Major points for being clever.

Bronze medal: U BABE 1. Major points for bringing back memories of Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe”.

3. I was always a fan of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

That admiration grew a notch or two when I read this week that Tebow auctions off the Heisman Trophy he won each year. The winner gets to keep the Heisman for a year. Those annual auctions have raises almost a million dollars for various charities.

Country singer Luke Bryan currently has the trophy.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — I wonder if Tim Tebow watches Luke Bryan on “American Idol?”

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Archie Griffin of his beloved tOSU has two Heisman Trophies. Maybe Steve could rent one for a week.