DAILY DIRT: No, my parents never considered naming me Puka

Daily Dirt for Sunday, July 28, 2024

But my dad did once refer to me as Stubby … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,017 of The Daily Dirt.

1. I think it’s safe to say all sports fans appreciate bizarre player names. The stranger, the better.

Who has not laughed at the mention of Coco Crisp, Fabian Assman, Shooty Babitt, Stubby Clapp, Dick Pole, Picabo Street, Sonny Sixkiller, World B. Free or Dick Trickle? 

Well, if you yet to peruse some of this year’s NFL rosters, you may not have noticed the likes of:

Chigoziem Okonkwo, Titans: It actually has a nice ring to it.

Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Lions: His brothers’ names are Kevin and William. Go figure.

Puka Nacua, Rams: Be honest. This one is just fun to say.

Tevita Tuli’aki’ono Tuipulotu Mosese Va’hae Fehoko Faletau Vea, Buccaneers: In Tampa Bay, he’s known as Vita Vea.

2. Did you know (Part 77)

• That one of the late-round draft picks in 1969 (the year defensive lineman Mean Joe Greene was taken No. 1 by the Steelers) was Ed O’Neill, who was also a defensive lineman (at Youngstown State). O’Neill was cut in training camp by the Steelers, but went on to carve out an impressive career in acting, starring in “Married … with Children” and “Modern Family”. 
• That before legendary horror-film director George Romero, who gave us “Night of the Living Dead,” oversaw segments of the famed kids show “Mister Rogers Neighborhood”.
• That late-night TV host Craig Ferguson was once a drummer in the rock band Dreamboys.
• That in 1974, the Chinese National wushu team visited the White House. Then-President Richard Nixon went over to one of the kids and asked him if he would one day be his bodyguard. That young boy’s name was Jet Li.

That New Zealand consumes the most ice cream per capita in the world, at a whopping 7.4 gallons per person each year.

3. How many of these long-gone restaurants from the 1970s do you miss?

• Burger Chef: My hometown had a Burger Chef back in the 1960s (home of a pretty darned good flame-broiled burger). But once McDonald’s arrived in the 1970s, ironically located right across the street, the end was near for The Chef. 
• Howard Johnson’s: Before Baskin-Robbins captured the nation’s ice cream heart, it belonged to the 28 flavors available at HoJo’s.
• Lum’s: A nice, sit-down establishment that was famous for its hot dogs. 
• Sambo’s: Some of the best breakfast food ever, but the name caused all sorts of problems and eventually led to the franchise closing.
• Red Barn: Home of the Big Barney Burger and gr-r-r-eat onion rings.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – Speaking of the ’70s, was it really 50 years ago (1974) that three of our all-time favorite songs dominated the airwaves: “Come Monday” by Jimmy Buffet, “When Will I Be Loved” by Linda Ronstadt and “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede? Yes, it was, and all three sound as good today as they did so long ago …

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Burger Chef could’ve been one of the greats.