Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 6/26/2007

6/26/1991:
The Charlotte Hornets select power forward Larry Johnson of UNLV with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. A muscular, 6'7" scoring and reboudning force for the Runnin' Rebels, Johnson was the linchpin of their 1990 national championship team. Two of his teammates are also first-round picks (Stacey Augmon at No. 9 by Atlanta and Greg Anthony at No. 12 by the Knicks), making UNLV only the fourth school to achieve that distinction after Indiana (1976), UCLA (1979) and Michigan (1990).

Birthdays:
Greg LeMond b. 1961
Jerome Kersey b. 1962
Shannon Sharpe b. 1968
Derek Jeter b. 1974
Jason Kendall b. 1974

FANTASY

One part Watership Down, one part Lord of the Rings, Tailchaser’s Song is a fantasy epic set in a feline world. Fritti Tailchaser is a tomcat who must go on a quest and battle evil in order to find and rescue his kidnapped friend, Hushpad. The adventure is intense, and the depiction of a world ruled by cats is flawlessly depicted. Tailchaser’s Song was Tad Williams’s first book. He has since become a New York Times bestselling author of many fantasy novels.

TAILCHASER’S SONG, by Tad Williams (1985; DAW, 2000)