Double Daily Dirt done dirt cheap

Daily Dirt for Sept. 4, 2021
Anyone up for some cream chipped beef and maple syrup?

Vol. 57 of the Daily Dirt will likely test your gag reflex. At the very least, the first of today’s three thoughts is not for the squeamish:

1. The question was a simple one. What’s a weird food combination that you absolutely love (and others might think is a bit off the wall)? These were some of the Facebook responses:

• “Pancakes with mayonnaise.”
• “Cream chipped beef with maple syrup.”
• “Potato salad mixed with baked beans. It’s a foul brownish color, but so delicious.”
• “Strawberry jam on turkey sandwiches.”
• “Baloney, sliced bananas and Oreos or Chips Ahoy sandwich.” “A ketchup sandwich with fresh green onion from the garden on it.”
• “Fritos and peanut butter.”
• “Peanut butter sandwiches dunked in tea.” “Spaghetti and mashed potatoes mixed together.”-
• “I mix my soup beans, fried potatoes, mac and cheese, hot dogs and sauerkraut all together in one bowl … omg, so yummy.”
• “Yellow mustard and peanut butter sandwiches.”
• “Pickled beets, hard boiled egg and cottage cheese.”
• “Cream cheese and liverwurst on a bagel.”
• “Olives and cream cheese rolled in pecans.”
• “Tuna in my mac and cheese.”
• “Fried mozzarella and maple syrup.”
• “Peanut butter and tomato on toast.”
• “Egg and olive sandwich.”
• “Mac and cheese and English peas all mixed together.”
• “Cottage cheese and French dressing.”
• “Chili with cheese and mustard.”
• “Tuna fish and Heinz 57 sauce.”
• “Pineapple, cheese and mayo on bread.”
• “Blue cheese dressing, mashed potatoes and corn all mixed together.”
• “Spaghetti and baloney tacos.”
• “Ketchup on pancakes.”
• “Mustard and Oreos.”
• “Boiled egg in spaghetti sauce.”
• “Sugar on mashed potatoes.”
• “Pinto beans over chocolate cake. Sweet and salty all at once.”
• “Ketchup, mayo and grape jelly on my omelet.”
• “Gravy on cole slaw.”
• “Baloney and banana sandwich.”
• “Cole slaw mixed with spaghetti and marinara sauce.”

2. Let’s talk sportscasters and analysts, specifically their salaries. Here’s my top three in most overpaid and underpaid:

Overpaid

A. Skip Bayless, $6 million per year (Fox): Probably the most annoying personality — sports or otherwise — on television. It’s no secret why his daily show’s ratings are so low.

B. Chris Berman, $5 million (ESPN): This really hurts me to say, because The Boomer never had a bigger fan than me — 30 years ago. His best days, however, are long past. Just retire, Chris, and allow some aspiring and much younger guy or gal have your roster spot.

C. Colin Cowherd, $6 million (Fox): Get to the point, Colin. Just get to the point. If something can be told in 15 seconds, you can count on Cowherd to take up to a full 10 minutes.

Underpaid

A. Adam Schefter, $1 million (ESPN): A polished and professional writer, Schefter’s ability to provide inside scoops landed him gigs with the NFL Network and later ESPN. His biggest attribute is he realizes the story is the key, not him. He’s more of a true reporter, rather than a personality.

B. Stephen A. Smith, $10 million (ESPN): Yep, he’s loud, highly opinionated and borderline obnoxious …AND entertaining, AND knowledgeable. He’s become the face of ESPN sports analysis.

C. Tony Romo, $17 million (CBS): He’s the top NFL analyst — period. He’s also smart enough to try and not consume listeners with X’s and o’s gobbledygook. Sure, that $17 million is a hefty paycheck, but’s probably worth twice that figure.

Daily Dirt for Sept. 5, 2021
Well, at least the Kardashians are gone

We’re moving closer to the start of the new TV season, which normally starts rolling out programming mid-to-late September. Vol. 58 of the Daily Dirt deals with this topic in the lead-off position of our three thoughts.

1. I’m kind of puzzled by some of the returning shows, plus some of the non-returnees:

Coming back

A. “Bull” (CBS): I was a huge fan the first few years of this show, but I thought it had had fallen off quite a bit the last season or so and fully expected it to be canceled … possibly opening the door for leading man Michael Weatherly to return to “NCIS” as the eventual successor to Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I think that could eventually happen, so remember you read it here first.

B. “Better Call Saul” (AMC): Bob Odenkirk’s vehicle will return for a final, 13-episode season to wrap things up. “Saul” was originally billed as the prequel to the uber-popular “Breaking Bad,” and debuted with great hype. Unfortunately, the program but never really reeled in the audience expected, largely because of its plodding, methodical format. I’ll watch the final season, but I’m grateful it is ending.

C. “Young Sheldon” (CBS): There was a tremendous drop-off in quality during the most recent season, its fourth. Sheldon, portrayed by Iain Armitage, is getting older and not as “cute” as he used to be. This will be a definitive season for “Young Sheldon” and whether or not it is able to regroup and rekindle the same kind momentum it enjoyed during its the first three years.

Not returning

A. Hawaii Five-O: I’m still upset this 10-year police drama is exiting. Its ratings remained solid, but the decision was made to pull the plug a year too soon, rather than a year too late. If anything hurt the program in recent years it was the loss of several key second-line characters, especially Grace Park (Kono) and Daniel Dae Kim (Chin). Alex Loughlin was the lead man for all 10 years and emerged as one of the top action stars on TV.

B. “Supergirl” (CBS, then CW): When this show debuted, it was must-watch TV. I thoroughly enjoyed it. By the end, it wasn’t and I didn’t.

C. “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” (E!): Good riddance.

D. “The Walking Dead” (AMC): This is the zombiefest’s final season, and it will stretch into early 2022. There is good news, however, for Deadheads. A spinoff is already in the works, featuring Daryl and Carol — Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride. Sunday nights just won’t be the same without a spear, knife or sword through the skull of another zombie.)

2. It’s not a matter of if, but only when Major League Baseball adds to two more teams (giving it 32) and likely breaks into eight four-team divisions. So who are the most likely cities to get a club?

A. The consensus seems to be return a franchise to Montreal, which probably shouldn’t have lost the Expos back in 2004.

B. The leading candidates for that second spot appear (in no particular order) to be San Antonio, Charlotte, Portland, Las Vegas and Nashville. My gut feeling is Montreal and Las Vegas will eventually get the nod.

3. Talk about unusual world records … the farthest marshmallow blown out of a nostril and into the mouth of another person is 17 feet, 11 inches. This was achieved by launcher Paul Prado and receiver Sophia Rojas in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 2, 2012.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He deserves a sit-com.