Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 6/24/2007

6/24/1990:
Kansas City outfielder Jim Eisenreich enjoys some sweet satisfaction by going five-for-five against his former team as the Royals blitz Minnesota, 11-2, at the Metrodome. A St. Paul native and formerly an outstanding prospect for the Twins, the personable Eisenreich had been afflicted with a severe case of Tourette's syndrome but was able to resume his career with proper medication and is greeted warmly today by Minnesota fans even while decimating their hometown team.

Birthdays:
Larry Foust b. 1928
Billy Casper b. 1931
Sam Jones b. 1933
Wayne Cashman b. 1945
Juli Inkster b. 1960


Calabria is not romantic Tuscany, nor mysterious Venice. It is the dry, hardscrabble area located at the toe of the peninsula. But in this lesser-known region, Rotella finds family and magic. In some ways Stolen Figs offers just what you’d expect from a travel memoir: luscious settings, memorable meals, and quirky characters. Rotella also meditates on the meaning of roots and family, and takes most readers someplace they’d never otherwise go.

STOLEN FIGS: AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN CALABRIA, by Mark Rotella (North Point Press, 2004)