Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 8/1/2007

8/1/1969:
The world champion New York Jets jump out to a 16-0 lead but then have to hold on for dear life before edging the College All-Stars, 26-24, at Soldier Field in Chicago. Jets quarterback Joe Namath (17-32, 292) plays most of the game for the Jets, the first AFL team to play in the charity event. Over 74,000 fans, intensely loyal to the hometown Chicago Bears and the old-guard NFL, lustily boo the Jets and vigorously support the All-Stars in their upset bid.

Birthdays:
Harold Connolly b. 1931
Cliff Branch b. 1948
Kiki Vandeweghe b. 1958
Gregg Jefferies b. 1967
Stacey Augmon b. 1968

YOU’VE NEVER READ WAYNE JOHNSTON?

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams is a gorgeous, absorbing novel—and one that is not as well known as it should be. It’s the story of Joe Smallwood, his lifelong unrequited love of his classmate Sheilagh, and his rise to power in brand-new Canadian province Newfoundland. “A brilliant and bravura literary performance,” according to The New York Times.

THE COLONY OF UNREQUITED DREAMS, by Wayne Johnston (Anchor, 2000)

For lighter fare from Johnston, try his comic novel Human Amusements (Anchor, 2004), about the early days of television and its surprising effects on one Toronto family.