Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 11/03/2007

11/3/1995:
As the NBA ventures into Canada with two new expansion franchises, both teams win their inaugural games. The Toronto Raptors defeat the New Jersey Nets, 94-79, at the SkyDome, while the Vancouver Grizzlies beat the Trail Blazers, 92-80, at Portland. While the Raptors find a home in the Queen City, soon moving into the resplendent Air Canada Centre, the Grizzlies fizzle at the gate in Vancouver, which simply never warms to pro basketball and a succession of abysmal Grizzly teams. After the 2001 season, the franchise will quietly move to Memphis with no local outcry from the Pacific Northwest citizenry.

Birthdays:
Roy Emerson b. 1936
Larry Holmes b. 1949
Phil Simms b. 1955
Karch Kiraly b. 1960
Armando Benitez b. 1972

LITERARY FICTION

It’s the 1920s, Egypt, and the Egyptologist is searching for a pharaoh’s lost tomb. No, not that pharaoh. Our hero, Ralph Trilipush, is searching for the tomb of the fictional King Atum-hadu. Trilipush’s fate eventually collides with that of an Australian detective who was hired to search for the son of millionaire who was last seen in—where else?—Egypt. Phillips weaves the disparate threads of his story together expertly, making for a smart, satisfying read.

THE EGYPTOLOGIST, by Arthur Phillips (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2005)

Arthur Phillips was a champion on the TV game show Jeopardy!