Daily Dirt for July 9, 2021

by Steve Eighinger

Three thoughts to contemplate on another hot summer day, Vol. 1:

1. Are there really many people out there who honest-to-goodness prefer those sloppy, uncontrollable deep-dish pizzas that more resemble soup than … well, real pizza? Give me those nicely-packaged thin-crust dandies or traditional styles any day of the week. Eating a piece of pizza should not have to come with the prerequisite of feeling the need to be covered head to toe in plastic before taking a bite of what looks to be the left arm of Jabba the Hut.

2. Three musical artists I wish I could have seen perform in their prime:A. Tina Turner: I can’t imagine a more electric on-stage artist. And she always had great hair.B. ABBA: Sure, the songs are bit sugary and will never be confused with anything the Beatles or Rod Stewart have provided us, but who has not found themselves driving down the highway singing along with “Waterloo,” “Dancing Queen” or “Knowing Me, Knowing You”?C. The Who: How long have Roger and Pete been around? Well, I bought my first Who record when I was in seventh grade … and I’m now 67. Rock on.

3. It’s nice to see baseball card collecting making another comeback. I became hooked on “cardboard gold” in the early 1960s, and to this day my favorite set of Topps cards is the 1964 edition. Best thing about modern-day card collecting? They no longer put that lousy, semi-poisonous bubble gum in each pack. 

Steve Eighinger has always insisted that he has never worked a day in his life.

That’s how he has viewed almost half of a century in journalism, the first 49-plus years at daily newspapers in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. It’s the only job he’s ever had, minus a few weeks as a restaurant busboy before he landed a part-time sports writing position as a junior in high school.  

“I never felt like it was work, so to speak, if I looked forward to going to the office every day, or hitting the road to provide coverage of an event,” he said. “I would always hear people complaining about their jobs, but I never experienced that and I am forever grateful to have been able to do exactly what I have wanted all my life.”

Eighinger is now continuing that professional voyage with the Muddy River News, which follows more than 22 years with the Quincy Herald-Whig. He’ll be writing columns for us, plus providing more of his own personal take on the world around us through The Daily Dirt. “Dirt” is one of his nicknames, thanks to his days as writer of the “Stevie Dirt” racing blog for the Herald-Whig.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to be able to expand the realm of The Daily Dirt, which earlier this year began as nothing more than three thoughts a day on a Facebook post,” he said. “I’m not sure exactly why people have taken to it, but I’m grateful they have. It’s a blast to do every day, and I thank everyone for the response.”

Before moving west in the late 1990s, Eighinger worked at the Mansfield News Journal and Ashland Times-Gazette in his native Ohio for 20 years. He was an assistant sports editor and columnist at the News Journal, following his tenure at the Times-Gazette as sports editor.Prior to his time at the Herald-Whig, Eighinger covered high school sports in the Metro East for the Post-Dispatch in St. Louis. After accepting his position at the Herald-Whig, Eighinger continued weekly contributions to the Post-Dispatch until about three years ago. Eighinger’s duties at the Herald-Whig were primarily feature oriented, plus column writing.

Steve and his wife, Kathy, have four adult children — Geoff, Sarah, Kaysi and Melissa — and seven grandchildren.