Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 8/16/2007

8/16/1949:
After Red Wings defenseman Bill Quakenbush wins the Lady Byng Trophy in 1949 for gentlemanly and disciplined play, Detroit general manager Jack Adams decides to trade the first-team All-Star to the Bruins because he isn't "tough enough." It's hard to question the move in retrospect, since the rough-and-tumble Red Wings will win the Stanley Cup in four of the next six years, but Quackenbush gives the Bruins seven solid seasons. He'll coach at Northeastern and Princeton before earning Hall of Fame enshrinement in 1976.

Birthdays:
Frank Gifford b. 1930
Tony Trabert b. 1930
Ron Yary b. 1946
Christian Okoye b. 1961
Ben Coates b. 1969

NONFICTION

The dirty secrets of trash are revealed in journalist Royte’s investigation. The journey from curb to landfill makes for fascinating reading. Did you know that a New York City garbage collector may heave 5 or 6 tons of weight a day? That garbage men call maggots disco rice? And if you think that’s disgusting, wait till you read about how politicians and refuse bigwigs determine safety standards. An enlightening, entertaining exposé.

GARBAGE LAND: ON THE SECRET TRAIL OF TRASH, by Elizabeth Royte (Little, Brown, 2005)