DAILY DIRT: ‘Who loves ya, baby?!’

Cardinals fans, just skip to the Thought O’ The Day … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 349 of The Daily Dirt.

1. If you had the power to resurrect some of your all-time favorite TV shows from decades past, which ones would they be?

The ground rules are simple. You can select one comedy and one drama for the decades of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. While you think about that, here my picks:

1960s

Comedy: “Green Acres” is as funny today as it was more than 50 year ago. While likely ahead of its time in the ’60s, it opened up comedic avenues that not been explored before its arrival and introduced a new degree of snarkiness to network TV.

Drama: Obviously, “Mission: Impossible” capitalized on the James Bond phenomenon at the time, but also provided a stellar cast and deep storylines to go along with the expected secret-agent gimmicks. Peter Graves, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain headed an award-winning cast.

1970s

Comedy: “All in the Family” was, is and will always remain a classic. We all owe a lot to Archie, Edith, Gloria and Meathead. They made us think out loud about a lot of subjects that, in the past, had been taboo on television. (While we’re only picking one comedy per decade, I am calling editor’s privilege in giving “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” an honorable mention asterisk. It, too, was way ahead of its time and and downright hilarious on a week-to-week basis.) 

Drama: Only four words are needed in commenting on “Kojak”: Who loves ya, baby?!

1980s

Comedy: “The Wonder Years” was one of those once-in-a-generation combinations of comic relief and tearful remembrance of growing up when there still remained an age of innocence. The series overlapped into the 1990s, but its best years were its earliest. That’s why I included it in the 1980s. (Plus, it would not have beaten out “Seinfeld” in the 1990s.)

Drama: “Knots Landing,” which gave us Donna Mills’ messy hair and attitude every Thursday night. And the world was a far, far better place for it.

1990s

Comedy: “Seinfeld,” arguably the greatest 30-minute TV show in our — or any other — lifetime. Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer put the “must” in must-see TV.

Drama: “Twin Peaks” was only around for two years, but left a resounding mark in that brief stay. Thirty years later, its framework and storylines remain much discussed. It probably came along about 20 years too early. (Side note: Overall, this was a weak, weak decade for the dramatic genre on network TV. Comedy was kind in the ’90s.)

2. Ahhh yes, it’s update time for the Great Plate Debate of ’22. Here are this week’s top spottings:

• THK VETS: Yes, thank you, veterans.
• 5-TATER: Obviously, this driver’s nickname is “Tot.”
• 1 AUTMN: It won’t be long …
• R CADDY 4: Surprisingly, this was NOT on a Cadillac.
• SOONER 2: Yes, yes … college football season will soon be with us.

The yearly medal standings remaining the same:

Gold medal: LUV YADI. (No. 1 for 51/2 months)

Silver Medal: GOL D LOX.

Bronze medal: YADI. 

3. We’re approaching the final two months of the MLB season.

Here’s our latest ranking of the best and worst teams:

The best

1. New York Mets: There are two reasons I continue to be a believer in the Mets to have a strong postseason. Not only are they expected to have both Max Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom in the rotation (as we’ve repeatedly discussed), but they are the lone team among the top four to have a legitimate lockdown closer in Edwin Diaz. 

2. New York Yankees: Should we just give Aaron Judge the American League MVP award right ow?

3. Houston Astros: A tremendous rotation, anchored by Justin Verlander, but there are still questions about the back end of the bullpen. I’m not sure Ryan Pressly is the closer best suited for a deep October run.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers: Since closers seem to be a general theme today, Craig Kimbrel is showing signs of consistency that were not there earlier this season. If he can somehow regain the form he once had (or at least close to it), the Dodgers become a bona fide World Series threat. Otherwise, they’ll simply end up with another gaudy regular-season record and no title. 

5. Toronto Blue Jays: I still think the Jays can make some serious noise in the postseason. And while Jordan Romano is far from the best closer in the game, he’s likely better than either Pressly or Kimbrel (at least at the moment).

The worst

1-tie. Detroit Tigers: Is there even one player you really want to see play on this team? Rookie outfielder Riley Greene might be the only one.

1-tie. Kansas City Royals: Outside of Bobby Witt Jr., who on the Royals even matters?

1-tie. Oakland Athletics: You can literally count the people in the stands at an Oakland home game.

1-tie. Washington Nationals: If Juan Soto is traded by the deadline, who in their right mind would want to go to a Nationals game?

5. Cincinnati Reds: Back where they belong, in the bottom five.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — The absolute best MLB uniform look ever belongs to the Cardinals when they wear those powder blues with the light-blue cleats.