Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 6/9/2007

6/9/1987:
In Game 4 of the NBA finals, Magic Johnson drives across the lane and hits a running 12-foot baby hook shot with two seconds left to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 107-106 victory over the defending world champion Boston Celtics and a 3-1 series lead. The Celtics will win the next game, making it 3-2, but the Lakers will go on to dethrone them in six.

Birthdays:
Bill Virdon b. 1931
Dick Vitale b. 1939
Dave Parker b. 1951
Wayman Tisdale b. 1964
Tedy Brushci b. 1973

THRILLERS

“Bradby has done for Shanghai what Raymond Chandler did for Los Angeles.”—Time

Gritty and tough, The Master of Rain evokes classic film noir: The shadows are long, the women dangerous, and the conspiracies abound. It’s Shanghai, 1926, and British detective Richard Field’s investigation into the death of a Russian prostitute uncovers corruption, violence, and organized crime.

THE MASTER OF RAIN, by Tom Bradby (Anchor Books, 2003)