Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 6/5/2007

6/5/1927:
With Paris still abuzz over Charles Lindbergh's epic transatlantic flight in May, Frenchman Rene Lacoste and American Bill Tilden stage a thrilling final-round match at the French tennis championships. "The Crocodile" battles cramps and near exhaustion to win in the fifth set, 11-9, and the jubilant crowd rushes onto the court to carry the heroic Frenchman aloft in triumph.

Birthdays:
Marion Motley b. 1920
Tommie Smith b. 1944
John Carlos b. 1945
Bob Probert b. 1965
Torry Holt b. 1976


“Hypnotically entrancing.”—USA Today

“A unique novel of tremendous beauty and power.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Stylish and compelling.”—Chicago Tribune

A literary mystery smoldering with atmosphere and history, The Fig Eater could be the European cousin of Caleb Carr’s The Alienist. Set in Vienna in 1910, it’s the story of a detective and his wife who work separately and use very different methods to solve the murder of a young girl. Haunting and mesmerizing.

THE FIG EATER, by Jody Shields (Back Bay Books, 2001)