DAILY DIRT: HEYYALL, we got a medal winner!

July 30, 2024 | By Steve Eighinger, Muddy River News Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

In Steve's World, everybody gets a medal. Photo by Ludovic Delot/Pexels

**Daily Dirt for Tuesday, July 30, 2024**

The trip to Home Depot provided an unexpected plus for Mr. Fixit. … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,019 of The Daily Dirt.

1. It was Monday afternoon and I was backing into a parking stall at Home Depot.

I was going to get some items for another of my home improvement projects when I spotted the license plate on the vehicle directly across the aisle from me.

(PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Steve … home improvement projects? We know this is a load of crap, but read on. JRG)

It was then I heard the trumpets in my head.

I nodded to myself and whispered, “Bingo!” to no one in particular.

I had spotted a license plate worthy of a medal position on this week’s update of the Great Plate Debate of 2024.

“HEYYALL” read the plate.

“Well, hey to you …,” I whispered back.

And that’s often how a medal-worthy plate is discovered in what has now been a three-year sojourn across West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri.

HEYYALL fits nicely into out our current medal winners in the bronze position. How long can it hold its top-three spot?

The current medal stand:

Gold medal: GEM CITI 4
Silver medal:U DRUNK
Bronze medal: HEYYALL

(We bid adieu to CO XIST after nearly a fourth-month stay on the medal stand.)

Other top plates spotted over the past week:

SUMMER 1
TRAK U 2
UI FANS 5
BG GRL 70
1 QUINCY
9 G KIDS
FLOAT 19
WOLF 17
SPRITZ 7
DUANE 17
FAN FAM 5
FREDA 43

2. Did you know (Part 79)

That the average person will spend the equivalent of 25 years asleep. I might be approaching 30, just’ sayin’ …
That hippopotamuses have killed more people in Africa than any other animal.
That “bookkeeper” and “bookkeeping” are the only two words in the English language with three consecutive double letters.
That 96 percent of all candles sold are purchased by women.
That the dot on the letter “i” is called a tittle.

3. The MLB trade deadline is later today. Hopefully, there will be a couple of major deals to spice things up. While we’re waiting, take a minute and peruse our latest ranking of the big-league clubs:

1. Philadelphia: Granted, the Phillies lost two of three to my beloved Clevelanders over the weekend, but I’ll be the first to point out that Philadelphia did not pitch either Zack Wheeler or Aaron Nola in that series.
2. Cleveland: OK, I’m finally a true believer. That’s due to the club’s other-worldly bullpen, anchored by Emmanuel Clase, who barring an injury, will become the franchise’s all-time saves leader probably sometime in August.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers: I think the rest of the National League West missed its chance to take down the Dodgers, who are quietly getting back all of those injured starters. If by Labor Day, Los Angeles has Yoshinobu Yamamato, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow and Walker Buehler all throwing effectively, just move it up two notches.
4. Baltimore: This is my pick right now to win 110 games in 2025.
5. New York Yankees: Personally, I feel the Yankees are closer to a third-place team in the AL East than a first-place club.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — This is a comment for our readers who are also MLB fans. How in the heck have the Chicago White Sox disintegrated into their current disaster? They’re not only a bad team, they’re hideous.