Daily Dirt: Steve is sitting at a 9.5, if he reaches a ’10,’ watch out, MLB

It’s the first of March and we still don’t have baseball… with that in mind, welcome to today’s three thoughts and Vol. 225 of The Daily Dirt.

1. This is difficult for me to think about, let alone write.

I am “this close” to canceling my loyalty to the alleged national pastime — baseball. I have absolutely loved MLB for more than 60 years. In grade school, junior high and even high school I could not even sleep the night before the season started I was so excited — and I was (and still am) a fan of the Cleveland Indians (oh, sorry … Guardians), so it wasn’t like I was expecting to root for a pennant winner.
I just loved the game.

And now? On a scale of 1 to 10 I’m sitting at about a 9.5 in total disgust with both sides of this labor agreement. And just to be clear, I won’t be inviting either or both Rob Manfred or Tony Clark over to the mancave for a Mountain Dew anytime soon. I am sick of both their nauseating stances and condescending remarks. I have perused numerous MLB-related and similar sites and apparently I am not alone. Here’s a sampling of thoughts from across the nation:

• “I love baseball but I don’t love what baseball has become. Billionaires and millionaires fighting over money while the fans will pay in the end. Cancel the season. I have other things to enjoy during the summer.”
• “Go ahead and cancel the 2022 season. People can live without $10 hot dogs and $12 beer. $43 million per year for Scherzer? The guy was too tired to pitch for the Dodgers in the playoffs after 5 days of rest? Good thing he did not pass out signing his new contract.”
• “I love baseball but I don’t love what baseball has become. Billionaires and millionaires fighting over money while the fans will pay in the end. Cancel the season. I have other things to enjoy during the summer.”
• “I have loved the game of baseball my entire life, growing up with the great Oriole teams of the ’60s and ’70s. However, I am finished with the MLB. You all left we working class fans behind a long time ago.”
• “So millionaires fights billionaires over more money, and the average fan is suppose to feel empathy for either side? Cancel the season!”
• “You have salaries and revenues beyond what most can only dream of, and yet you still feel the need to “fix it”. Congratulations on setting global records of cluelessness and haughtiness.”
• “Baseball has been on life support for years. The old true fans have died, and baseball did nothing to groom new fans. $300,000,000 plus deals are insane and the fans are tired of it. Sorry, baseball, but you did this to yourself.”
• “They can go and cancel the season. I’ve been following for over 50 years and now the way MLB is operating they’ll be losing me and thousands of other fans. Too many work stoppages, tradition thrown out the window, deserving ball players being held out of HOF. The game isn’t the national past time anymore.”

Maybe both sides should continue on their path to destruction of what was once the greatest game. Maybe if it were blown up, the reincarnation would be more like what we once adored. As I mentioned, I’m sitting at a 9.5. If I reach “10” it’s all over for me and I’ll concentrate on dirt-track racing, the NBA playoffs, the NCAA Tournament, NFL training camps and college football in the coming months.

Go ahead, baseball. Make my day — one way or the other.

2. Arguably the funniest comment I have ever heard on TV from an NBA analyst — or any analyst for that matter — came in the recent Lakers-Pelicans game.

Richard Jefferson, who is one of the rising stars among NBA broadcasters, noted the silence at a Lakers home game at Crypto.com Arena when they were getting absolutely hammered by the Pelicans.

“It’s so quiet in here that you could hear a mouse fart,” Jefferson said.

Yeah, it’s been a brutal season for the Lakers, who lost this particular game 123-95.

3. Here’s the latest Great Plate ratings, actual license plates spotted in West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri.

I saw some excellent plates in the past week, but only one worthy of cracking the ensuing top 10.

• 1. (1.) YADI LUV: The most valuable Yadier Molina rookie card I can find at this writing is the 2009 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Signature Red Stitch Red Ink. The going price is $42.50.
• 2. (2.) GOLD D LOX: The author who made Goldilocks famous was named Robert Southey.
• 3. (3) HOWDYDO: The famous Howdy Doody character had a sister named Heidi Doody. I kid you not.
• 4. (4.) PINK: Remember that woeful TV show “Pink Lady,” which lasted only five weeks of the 1980 season on NBC? 
• 5. (5.) I SEE U 5: My favorite song with “See” in the title is probably “When Will I See You Again” by the Three Degrees.
• 6. (6.) CAL GAL: Most famous actress from California? How about Jennifer Aniston?7.
• (7.) BAD CAT: Ernie “The Cat” Ladd was one bad cat.
• 8. (8.) SOLD ON U: The median listing for the price of a new home in Quincy was $144,900 in January.
• 9. (9.) OH DEER 4: These plates have been with us since week one.
• 10. (-) MY TIME 1: My time is your time.

This week’s honorable mentions: CPY CAT, OH MAN 99, 14 AIRS, HIGGY, SCALE, HISH.

No. 1 Rankings: YADI LUV (3 weeks), GOL D LOX (2 weeks).

Steve Thought O’ The Day
Steve said if he officially disowns MLB, he’ll have a lot of baseball cards for sale — real cheap.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. You wouldn’t like Steve when he’s angry.