By TEDDY ALLEN/Designated Writers

ESPN, the Entertaining and Sports Programming Network, turned 40 this month.

I know, I know. You’re saying, “It seems like only 38 years; 39, tops.”

Wrong. Time will play tricks on you.

It was September 1979, the Dark Ages, when ESPN came on the air with hope and maybe two cameras. Things have changed.

Back then, if ESPN was “doing” your game, it was beyond a big deal. You tried to figure out how to ripoff an ESPN banner in your stadium. You were getting National Television Exposure. ESPN became the sports equivalent of the 1960s Beatles.

Now, it is Standard Operating Procedure. There is more than one ESPN and there are other things, like FOX — a lot of FOXes — and other cable networks. How cable works I don’t know, but I am proud that someone figured it out so I can watch MACtion on a Tuesday night and other things when, in medieval pre-cable days, I was limited to a couple games a week.

You youngsters don’t believe it, but it’s true. We had to time all of our activities around When A Game Would Be On. And you watched whoever played and liked it. No choice BUT to.

I went to ESPN as a visitor in March of 1988. LSU was playing in Hartford in the NCAA Regional and the hosts lined us up a trip. It still wasn’t much then. A bunch of satellites and a building or two. Bob Ley was hosting SportsCenter with someone, I can’t remember who, and we poked around and went back to the hotel.

It’s not that way anymore. Sprawling campus, I am told.

That was the same day that this happened. It was March 17, 1988. I remember because it was so cold outside that I cried and because my dining companion and fellow sportswriter, Heiti, ordered something St. Patrick Day-ish. Corned beef sandwich? What do you order on St. Patrick’s Day?

Anyway, I ordered a cheeseburger and tea. The nice waitress brought me a cheeseburger — and a little cup and saucer and hot water and a tea bag. And I said no thank you, I’m sorry, but I want sweet tea.

She looked at me like I had size-10 Converse growing out of my ears.

Heiti sensed my dilemma and said, “He means iced tea.”

The waitress understood then. Heiti spoke Hartford.

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