DAILY DIRT: Welcome to July, the month when ‘everything magical happens’

Daily Dirt for Saturday, July 1, 2023

This summer is moving along way too fast … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 654 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Welcome to July.

We’re officially in the heart of summer. So what does that mean exactly? Here are three medal-worthy quotes:

Gold medal: “July is a blind date with summer.” — author Hal Borland. (I think Hal pretty much nailed it with this thought. Although July is arguably the most unpredictable month because of its zany weather patterns, it might just be the month most people look forward to the most.)

Silver medal: “Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” — author Jenny Han. (If the World Series were played in July, I would agree with her 100 percent.)

Bronze medal :“If I had my way, I’d remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead.” — author Ronald Dahl. (Not a bad idea.)

2. The most historically significant Fourth of July birthdays?

How about these:

1. Calvin Coolidge: As the only U.S. president born on July 4, we give him the nod as No. 1. Coolidge was the 30th president, serving 1923-29. Coolidge was born July 4, 1872.

2. George Steinbrenner: He re-established America’s Baseball Team, the New York Yankee, as an MLB power during his tenure (1973-2010). Steinbrenner was born July 4, 1930, in Rocky River, Ohio. He died in 2010.    

3. Geraldo Rivera: The American journalist, attorney, author and political commentator was born July 4, 1943. He’ll 80 on Tuesday.

4. Nathaniel Hawthorne: The renowned American novelist who write “The Scarlet Letter” and House of the Seven Gables,” was born July 4, 1804. He died in 1864.

5. Ann Landers/Abigail Van Buren: Identical twinsEsther Pauline Friedman Lederer and Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips were born 17 minutes apart on July 4, 1918. The world eventually came to know them as the advice columnists Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren (“Dear Abby”). 

3. It’s been a rough year for celebrity deaths.

Here’s our updated top 10 passings at the halfway mark of 2023:

1. Jim Brown, 87: Not only was he the greatest running back in NFL history (with sincerest apologies to Gale Sayers), Brown was also an accomplished actor and activist. 

2. Tina Turner, 83: Thanks to Tina, we’ll always ask, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”

3. Jerry Springer, 79: Almost a larger-than-life TV personality at the height of his talk-show career, few remember Jerry was once mayor of Cincinnati.

4. Raquel Welch, 82: For many, many years, there was no more popular figure — pun intended — than Raquel’s.

5. The Iron Sheik, 81: Arguably the most hated villain in the history of professional wrestling. His real name was Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri.

6. Cindy Williams, 75: She was Shirley in the “LaVerne and Shirley” sitcom.

7. Melinda Dillon, 83: She was the lovable mom in the iconic films “A Christmas Story” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

8. Burt Bacharach, 94: The music man earned six Grammys.

9. Lisa Marie Presley, 54: She became (almost) as famous as her dad, Elvis.

10. Richard Belzer, 78: After earning fame as a comedian, Belzer turned to acting and was a longtime standout on “Law and Order.” 

Steve Thought O’ The Day – I had a crush on Melinda Dillon for decades.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Skip Schumacher should be the next St. Louis manager…now.