Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 5/21/2007

Victoria Day (Canada)

Fun-loving, tobacco-chewing utility infielder Rocky Bridges had this to say about his frequent changes of scenery in the big leagues: "My wife used to write me care of Commissioner Ford Frick. He was the only one who knew where I was."

Birthdays:
Johnny Majors b. 1935
Pete Banaszak b. 1944
Dave Wannstedt b. 1952
Kent Hrbek b. 1960
Dorsey Levens b. 1970


Moby-Dick is such a towering achievement that it’s easy to forget about Herman Melville’s other work. This collection of 22 of his best short fiction efforts reminds readers of Melville’s mastery over that form as well. Included are “Billy Budd, Sailor”; “Benito Cereno”; and our favorite tale of Wall Street, “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street”—the story of an employee who “would prefer not to” do his work. Whether writing about office work or the high seas, Melville’s vision of the world remains fresh, his themes eternal.

GREAT SHORT WORKS OF HERMAN MELVILLE, by Herman Melville, edited by Warner Berthoff (Perennial, 2004)