Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 11/6/2007

Election Day
11/6/1929:
The first outdoor night game in major pro sports history takes place at Kinsley Park, a soccer field with lights in Providence, Rhode Island. The lights are primitive at best, and the pigskin is painted white to help with visibility. NFL drawing card Ernie Nevers is the whole show as he leads his Chicago Cardinals to a 16-0 shutout of the Providence Steam Roller. He passes for one touchdown, rushes for another and kicks a field goal and a PAT while passing for 144 yards and rushing for 102 more. More than 6,000 fans are on hand for the unique promotion, but the Providence franchise will fold after the 1931 season.

Birthdays:
Ray Perkins b. 1941
John Candelaria b. 1953
Erik Kramer b. 1964
Pat Tillman b. 1976
Lamar Odom b. 1979

FOR ARGUMENT’S SAKE

Your confidence level can actually shape your destiny. Sounds like a drippy self-help message, but it’s actually the bottom line of this book by a professor at Harvard Business School. It’s a business book whose lessons can be applied to every aspect of life from work to dating. Kanter uses psychology and analyses of companies, sports teams, and people to explain what can tip the balance between success and failure. Fresh and lively, and quite useful.

CONFIDENCE, by Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Three Rivers Press, 2006)