DAILY DIRT: ESPN and a solar eclipse — 1979 was one memorable year

The countdown to Monday’s eclipse continues … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 914 of The Daily Dirt.

1. A few days ago I was glancing over some information about 1979 and found a pair of items that proved rather interesting.

First, I was reminded that was the year ESPN became a part of our daily lives. Has it really been 45 years of SportsCenters and personalities like Keith Olbermann, Kenny Mayne and Dan Patrick? What would a guy’s evening be without the Worldwide Leader? I don’t think I even want to know.

Secondly, 1979 also provided us with a solar eclipse. Only once (2017) since then will it have been repeated — until Monday. The 1979 eclipse lasted 2 minutes, 49 seconds. The 2017 eclipse lasted 2:40. Monday’s is expected to last about 4 minutes.

Speaking of 1979, here are a few other highlights from 45 years ago:

• McDonald’s launched its Happy Meal.
• A postage stamp was 15 cents.
• Average cost of a new car was $6,848.
• Average cost of a new home was $71,900.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB), Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), Seattle SuperSonics (NBA) and Montreal Canadiens (NHL) won championships.
• “The Deer Hunter” won the Academy Award for best picture.

2. I’ve mentioned several times that three of my favorite years for pop music were 1966, 1967 and 1968.

We were exiting the era of old-school rock and roll and were just ahead of the psychedelic sounds. And disco, thankfully, was not yet on the immediate horizon.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the top five songs from each of those years during the second week of April:

1966

• 1. “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration,” by the Righteous Brothers: Blue-eyed soul at its best.,
• 2. “Daydream,” by the Lovin’ Spoonful: With John Sebastian singing lead, this was the song’s highest spot on the Billboard Hot 100
• 3. “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” by Cher: I’d say that split from Sonny worked out pretty well.
• 4. “Secret Agent Man,” by Johnny Rivers: Rivers, now 81, is still touring.
• 5. “Time Won’t Let Me,” by the Outsiders: From Cleveland, Ohio, where at last report there was still a version of the group performing.

1967

• 1. “Happy Together,” by the Turtles: The Turtles’ classis held on to No. 1 for three weeks.
• 2. “Dedicated to the One I Love,” by the Mamas and Papas: Probably my favorite song from this legendary group.
• 3. “Penny Lane,” by the Beatles: I considered naming my first dog after this song …
• 4. “There’s a Kind of a Hush,” by Herman’s Hermits: Peter Noone at his best.
• 5. “Bernadette,” by the Four Tops: … but instead, I chose this name for the pooch. I had good ole Bernadette for seven years. 

1968

• 1. “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” by Otis Redding: This song was released a few months after Redding’s death in late 1967.
• 2. “Young Girl,” by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap: Puckett, 81, is still going strong. 
• 3. “Valleri,” by the Monkees: One word for this Monkees song: Ugh.
• 4. “La La Means I Love You,” by the Delfonics: One of the finest soul songs of the entire decade.
• 5. “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone,” by Aretha Franklin: It’s hard to describe how popular Franklin was at this point in her career.

3. Ever wonder where the world’s most secure prison might be?

You need look no further than the mountains of Colorado, which houses ADX Florence.

It’s been called a modern-day Alcatraz that is home for up to 490 of the world’s worst human beings. No one has ever escaped ADX Florence, where inmates are locked in solitary confinement 23 hours a day and permitted one phone call per month.

The prison sits on a 49-acre site where inmates are closely monitored 24 hours a day. Cells are 7 feet by 12 feet with a four-inch window.

Prisoners exercise in a concrete pit that looks like an empty swimming pool. It is also designed to prevent them from knowing their location in the facility. The pit is only large enough for a prisoner to walk 10 steps in a straight line or 31 steps in a circle.

There is no mess hall. Food is hand-delivered to each inmate by the correctional officers. On rare occasions, some cells have black and white television for religious and recreational purposes. Cells are also soundproof to avoid any contact between prisoners.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – I think Kenny Mayne is probably my favorite SportsCenter figure of them all, although Keith Olbermann was great, too, in his heyday.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. ESPN sure ain’t what it used to be.