DAILY DIRT: U LIED, STINK top new Great Plate Debate rankings

Former top-ranked plate 1 ELVIS is still in the building … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 624 of The Daily Dirt.

1. The Daily Dirt’s Great Plate Debate rankings of clever license plates across West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri underwent quite a reshuffling over the Memorial Day weekend.

Once again, most of this upheaval is due to the participation of our readers. A continued thank you for all the plate sightings sent to us through email and texts. Keep up the good work.

Here’s our updated rankings:

• Gold medal: U LIED.
• Silver medal: STINK.
• Bronze medal: 1 ELVIS.
• Aluminum medal: BATLADY.
• Cardboard medal: ITS FINE

Best of the rest from the past week:

• BRATS 5
• IRIS
• LEANNES
• KCAR 78
• IOWA 1
• 1 SPAIN
• 1 L JESS
• AND 5
• 57 LABS

2. The best of “Found on Facebook” this week:

“My wife is still hot. It just comes in flashes now.”

“Sea monsters eat fish and ships.”

“What happened to Old Zealand?”

“Don’t give up on your dreams. Go back to bed.”

“A single ant can live to be 29 years old. (What about a married one?)”

3. This week’s Daily Dirt MLB rankings concern teams we feel you should keep an eye on, and ones to make sure you are wearing a construction helmet around because they’re close to crashing:

Eyes on the prize

1. Atlanta Braves: Following the Memorial Day weekend, the Braves were tied for the best record in the National League despite a pitching staff beset with a variety of injuries. Atlanta should have its full rotation in place due in the not-too-distant future. and once that starting five is intact, watch out. Atlanta will likely be the No. 1 seed going into the N.L. playoffs.

2. New York Mets: I’m not as down on the Metropolitans as some, largely because I’m confident that in the end Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander will be … well, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. There’s no way New York will win the World Series, but reaching the playoffs? Relax, Mets fans. They’ll be playing in October.

3. Cleveland Guardians: This is the time of the year the Guardians got hot a year ago, thanks to their collection of quality starting arms. The Guardians have been missing Tristan McKenzie all season and Aaron Civale much of the year, but they’ll be back soon. But let’s be honest, it will have to be the rotation and the Emmanuel Clase-led bullpen that gets the team into the playoffs again, because Cleveland’s offense is … ummm … terrible. 

Most likely for a June swoon

1. Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays really worry me. They have a star-studded offensive lineup (can you say Bo Bichette?), but no real bona fide ace (neither Kevin Gausman or Jose Berrios are lockdown No. 1 starters and Alek Manoah has been a disaster) in their rotation. It may still take 90 wins to reach the expanded playoffs this year, and I’m not certain Toronto can win that many in the A.L. East.

2. Los Angeles Angels: In their current makeup, the Angels are not a playoff team. If anything, they are the left coast version of the Blue Jays. If the club goes south this month, don’t overlook the possibility of it moving Shohei Ohtani to a contender before they lose him to free agency after this season. If that materializes, it’s going to be a long, lonely July, August and September in Anaheim.

3. San Diego Padres: Going into the season, I thought the Padres had the chance to run away and hide in the N.L. West. Not so much. Whatever the reason, the Padres do not have the “feel” of a championship team, despite all of those offseason millions they spent. More than anything, the team’s offense is abysmal way too much of the time. How can that happen with Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Xander Bogearts and Jake Cronenworth anchoring the batting order?  

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Right now, my pick to win the World Series is Atlanta.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Cleveland’s offense is offensive.