Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/27/2008

4/27/1974:
The Yankees obtain first baseman Chris Chambliss from the Indians as the focus of a seven-player trade. Chambliss is the only position player in the deal, which sees relievers Dick Tidrow and Cecil Upshaw also head to New York and Fritz Peterson, Steve Kline, Fred Beene and Tom Buskey dealt to Cleveland. Unfortunately for the Tribe, the quantity they receive does not equal the quality they surrender in Chambliss, who will play five solid years in New York and seven more after that in Atlanta. His ninth-inning homer in the deciding game of the 1976 ALCS will clinch the pennant for the Yankees.

Birthdays:
Enos Slaughter b. 1916
Lee Roy Jordan b. 1941
Keith Magnuson b. 1947
George Gervin b. 1952
Herman Edwards b. 1954

INSIDERS’ GUIDES

“City Secrets: Rome is filled with the kind of information you would get from a friend who had spent years living in the Italian capital.”—Europe

In the City Secrets series, artists and writers write about the little corners of their cities that are among the things that make life happily worth living there. Destinations include favorite restaurants and markets, out-of-the-way parks, small galleries or lesser-known art in well-known museums, and obscure shops. Locations are mapped and clearly coded.

CITY SECRETS: NEW YORK CITY; CITY SECRETS: LONDON; CITY SECRETS: ROME; CITY SECRETS: FLORENCE, VENICE AND THE TOWNS OF ITALY, edited by Robert Kahn (Little Bookroom, 2001, 2002)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/26/2008

Larger-than-life basketball icon Shaquille O'Neal, whose weight always ran well in excess of 300 pounds, playfully resisted advice from coaches, fans and the media that he drop a few pounds to gain more speed and quickness: "I represent the construction workers; I don't represent the fitness gurus. I represent the guys who work hard every day and get things done and go home and eat a burger, eat some fries, drink a beer and watch the game."

Birthdays:
Harry Gallatin b. 1927
Nino Benvenuti b. 1938
Donna de Varona b. 1947
Mike Scott b. 1955
Natrone Means b. 1972

1984:
The New York Knicks advanced in the National Basketball Association playoffs by defeating the Detroit Pistons in five games. New York's Bernard King set an NBA five-game playoff series record by scoring a total of 213 points.

"Whether he was thundering down the left sideline on a fast break-his back arched so extravagantly he sometimes looked swaybacked-or twisted like a pretzel around some hapless defender trying to establish position in the low post, King was always magnificent." Bruce Newman, May 7, 1984


KILLER FICTION
A midnight mass at Cologne Cathedral comes to a frightening and bloody end as black-robed monks enter, pull out their Uzis, and start shooting. They have come to steal the bones of the three wise men, the magi who followed the star to Bethlehem and the Christ child. Special agents from the U.S. defense department team up with the Italian carabinieri to track down miscreants and unravel plots. For mystico-adventure-thriller fans, Map of Bones makes for action-filled, page-turning pleasure.

MAP OF BONES, by James Rollins (William Morrow, 2005)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/25/2008

4/25/1977:
Scoring 6 runs in the first inning and 12 more in the fifth, the Big Red Machine puts a 23-9 hurt on the Braves at the Launching Pad in Atlanta. George Foster goes four for four with two homers, five runs scored and seven RBIs for Cincinnati., just a small portion of what turns into an MVP-winning campaign. He'll go on to lead the majors in homers (52), RBIs (149), total based (388) and slugging percentage (.631) while hitting a career-high .320.

Birthdays:
Johan Cruyff b. 1947
Vladislav Tretiak b. 1952
Darren Woodson b. 1969
Jacque Jones b. 1975
Tim Duncan b. 1976

1955:
Horse racing jockey Bill Hartack rode six winners in seven mounts at Laurel Race Course in Maryland.

"Courage is a vital requisite of a top rider, and Hartack has the heart of a lion. He will come through narrow openings on the rail time and again to save valuable ground, risking serious injury, intent on only one thing-winning the race." -Joe Hirsch, September 17, 1956

Packers Fact:
When rookie Matt Leinart started for the Arizona Cardinals in week 5 of 2006, he became the 196th other quarterback in the NFL to start in the same time frame that Brett Favre was the Packers' sole starting quarterback (beginning in 1992).

GET RICH PRETTY SOON

Greenblatt, a Columbia Business School professor and founder of a hedge fund firm, wanted to write a book about investing that even his kids could understand. The result is an accessible explanation of investing that includes a “magic formula” to help the reader recognize a valuable investment. The foreword is by Tobias, author of the classic The Only Investment Guide You Will Ever Need (Harvest Books, 2002), which offers a brilliantly clear and winningly readable account of what normal people need to know about a seemingly impenetrable subject. The two books together should keep the ordinary investor sane and stable in these unpredictable times.

THE LITTLE BOOK THAT BEATS THE MARKET, by Joel Greenblatt; foreword by Andrew Tobias (Wiley, 2005)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/24/2008

4/24/1969
Montreal center Jean Beliveau scores the only sudden-death goal of his legendary career to give the Canadiens a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in double overtime to clinch their Stanley Cup East Division final-round series in six games. Pesky Claude Provost steals the puck from Bruins defenseman Don Awrey to set up Beliveau for the game winner, beating Boston goalie Gerry Cheevers. Montreal will go on to sweep St. Louis in the playoff finals for their NHL record 15th Stanley Cup championship.

Birthdays:
Vince Ferragamo b. 1954
Omar Vizquel b. 1967
Chipper Jones b. 1972
Eric Snow b. 1973
Carlos Beltran b. 1977

1952:
Patty Berg set a new women's scoring record when she fired 10 birdies for a total of 64 in the first round of the Richmond Open.

"She can handle a club in her fingers like no one since Hogan. Her mannerisms at address and as she rocks into delivering the shot are highly reminiscent of Sarazen. ... She is the intuitive shot-maker who expresses her full personality as she plays each shot to fit its different requirements." -Herbert Warren Wind, February 27, 1956

HOW THE FUTURE ROCKS

“He has tapped straight into our collective cultural mainline and shows no signs of stopping.”—Spin

The author of Neuromancer and Virtual Light has offered up another of his vivid cyberpunk scenarios that show us the frightening new world that awaits us. This time, 21st-century Tokyo is the setting for some dramatic interplay among rogue corporations, a virtual rock idol (an “idoru”), illegal nanoware, someone named Chia Pet McKenzie, and Russian gangsters.

IDORU, by William Gibson (Berkley, 1997)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/22/2008

4/23/1952:
Bob Feller of the Indians and Bob Cain of the Browns combine for a double one-hitter at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, but the Browns scratch out a run and win, 1-0. The first batter Feller faces, Bobby Young, hits a triple and later scores on an error by Al Rosen to give Cain all the support he needs. The unique contest reminds old-timers of a similar double one-hitter in 1906 when Mordecai Brown of the Cubs and Lefty Leifield of the Pirates allowed just one safety apiece. As for Feller, it's his MLB record 11th one-hitter but the first one he ever lost.

Birthdays:
Jim Bottomley b. 1900
Warren Spahn b. 1921
Tony Esposito b. 1943
Gail Goodrich b. 1943
Andruw Jones b. 1977

1964:
Ken Johnson, the hard-luck righthanded pitcher of the Houston Colt .45s, allowed no hits in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, but suffered an ignominious fate.

"Johnson did not win. For the unlucky 13th time, his teammates failed to score, and because of two ninth-inning errors, one his own, Johnson and Houston lost 1-0. ... Johnson became the first pitcher in history of baseball to lose a no-hitter in nine innings." -Baseball's Week, May 4, 1964

Packers Fact:
The Packers closed the 2006 regular season by playing each of their NFC North opponents over the final three weeks.

HIGH BARDOLATRY

Helen Vendler, a preeminent poetry critic, gives a close reading to each of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets and in the process opens them up to our appreciation in ways never before attempted or even thought of. Each poem, printed both in its original form and in a modern English version, is followed by a detailed analysis of the language and structure. If bardolatry is one of your vices, The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets can only deepen and expand it. Shakespeare has seldom been better served.

THE ART OF SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS, by Helen Vendler (Belknap Press, 1999)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/22/2008

Playing most of his Hall of Fame career at windy Wrigley Field, sweet swingin' Billy Williams learned how to use the elements to his advantage and always espoused one simple credo: "Hit it high and watch it fly."

Birthdays:
Spencer Haywood b. 1949
Terry Francona b. 1959
Freeman McNeil b. 1959
Jeff Hostetler b. 1961
Jimmy Key b. 1961

1954:
The National Basketball Association adopted team owner Danny Biasone's idea for a 24-second shot rule. The new rule speeds up the game and propels the NBA into a modern era.

"Teams were taking about 60 shots in a game if nobody screwed around," said Biasone. "I figured if the teams combined for 120 shots in a game and the game was 48 minutes long. ... I divided 120 shots into 2,880 seconds. The answer was 24." -Leigh Montville, November 6, 1989



“Let’s not mince words or pussyfoot with fancy lit-crit lingo. This is a great book. It needs to be read.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

In this engrossing and insightful portrait of America at the recent turn of the century, Franzen chronicles the trials of the five members of the Lambert family. Moving from strength to strength, it deepens our understanding of the modern world and our own country, in a unique jazzy, humorous yet poignant language. The Corrections won the National Book Award in 2001.

THE CORRECTIONS, by Jonathan Franzen (Picador USA, 2002)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/21/2008

4/21/1973:
Angle Light, Jacinto Vasquez up, scores a stunning upset in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, leading from start to finish and besting the vaunted Secretariat by four lengths. Named Horse of the Year as a two-year-old, soon to become a Triple Crown winner and arguably the greatest Thoroughbred race horse of all time, Secretariat just didn't have it today despite fine weather and a fast track. Angle Light's stiffest challenge comes from Sham, who finishes second by a neck.

Birthdays:
Gary Peters b. 1937
Al Bumbry b. 1947
Jesse Orosco b. 1957
Ken Caminiti b. 1963
Ed Belfour b. 1965

1935:
The New York Yankees named first baseman Lou Gehrig as their new team captain.

"Gehrig's drive was relentless and unstoppable. He was always on hand to steady not only the great Ruth but the whole Yankee team. He was a perfect team man-a raucous, unafraid giant without guile, deceit or overleaping ambition. Gehrig was glad to be a Yankee, not glad to be just Gehrig." - James Murray, April 15, 1957

Packers Fact:
The Packers' week 17 game in 2006 marked their first regular season game every on New Year's Eve. Green Bay had played on New Year's Eve four times in the postseason.


EVER GREAT
Chicago writer Charlie Citrine has woman troubles and divorce troubles. His career is going nowhere, and he’s entangled with a neurotic mafioso. Then he finds that his deceased friend, the poet Von Humboldt Fleisher, has left him a gift that may very well lift him out of this miasma of strife and vexation. The character of Humboldt, a gifted writer and “the Mozart of conversation,” is based on the brilliant poet and story writer Delmore Schwartz. Humboldt’s Gift won the Pulitzer in 1975, and a year later Bellow won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

HUMBOLDT’S GIFT, by Saul Bellow (1975; Penguin Classics, 1996)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/20/2008

4/20/1936:
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman and captain Gus Suhr cracks a three-run, walk-off homer at Forbes Field as the Bucs rally for a 9-8 victory over the Chicago Cubs. With the win, Pittsburgh ends the personal hex Cubs left-hander Roy Henshaw had over them, notching seven decisions against the Corsairs in 1935. Suhr is in the midst of a National League record 822 consecutive games played streak (since broken), which unfortunately will come to an end next season when he must leave the team to attend his mother's funeral.

Birthdays:
Ernie Stautner b. 1925
Steve Spurrier b. 1945
Don Mattingly b. 1961
John Carney b. 1964
Tai Streets b. 1977


When Carlos Eire was 11 years old, in the early 1960s, he was among 14,000 children air-lifted from Cuba to the United States. Here Eire, now a professor at Yale, remembers the years before Castro’s takeover as a paradise lost—a world of turquoise sea, sun-drenched plazas, fireworks—and especially his father, a man of great imagination who believed he was the reincarnation of Louis XVI. Winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2003, Waiting for Snow in Havana is a beautifully evocative and sometimes angry memoir.

WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA: CONFESSIONS OF A CUBAN BOY, by Carlos Eire (Free Press, 2003)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/19/2008

4/19/1930:
Clarence DeMar wins his seventh Boston Marathon, an all-time record, by a margin of 400 yards in 2:34.48. The 41-year-old native of Melrose, Massachusetts, isn't tested over the last few miles and fails to challenge the track record set just last year by two-time winner John Miles. Although he won't win this event again, DeMar will go on to compete in 33 Boston Marathons, his last in 1954 at age 65. A printing press compositor by trade, he always went right back to his job after a typical race, often helping to set type describing his own achievements for the next day's newspapers.

Birthdays:
Jack Pardee b. 1936
Alexis Arguello b. 1952
Frank Viola b. 1960
Al Unser Jr. b. 1962
Maria Sharapova b. 1987

1912:
The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders, 7-6, in the newly dedicated Fenway Park.

"Fenway Park is emphatically not a fun emporium, a gag palace frantically designed to keep patrons awake. It is a place for knowledgeable fans. ... If other parks promote baseball as prime-time sitcom, Fenway stages baseball in the style of PBS." -Melvin Maddocks, September 15, 1975

LIVES OF THE POETS

Ted Hughes, Poet Laureate of England, and Sylvia Plath, author of Ariel and The Bell Jar, met and married in 1956. By 1962 they had separated, and Plath committed suicide shortly thereafter. According to Middlebrook, they had the “most mutually productive literary marriage of the twentieth century.” Her Husband is a provocative and convincing account of two brilliantly creative people in an erotic, intellectual, and deeply troubled relationship.

HER HUSBAND: HUGHES AND PLATH, A MARRIAGE, by Diane Middlebrook (Viking, 2003)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/18/2008

4/18/1987:
Light-hitting second baseman Tommy Herr hits the only grand-slam homer of his career in the last of the 10th inning, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 12-8 victory over the Mets at Busch Stadium. The jackpot wallop off Jesse Orosco caps a perfect night at the plate for Herr, three for three with two walks and six RBIs. He'll be an integral part of the Cards' third pennant-winning club in six years, but several injuries to key performers like Terry Pendleton and Jack Clark will reduce their chances in the World Series, when they lose to the Minnesota Twins in seven games.

Birthdays:
Don Ohl b. 1936
Pete Gogolak b. 1942
Wilber Marshall b. 1962
Rico Brogna b. 1970
Haile Gebrselassie b. 1973

1962:
Bill Russell's 30-point, 44-rebound effort led the Boston Celtics to a 110-107 Game 7 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, giving the Celtics a record fourth straight NBA Championship.

"There was big Bill Russell, their defensive wonder, knocking opposition shots away from the basket with the casual ease of a man swatting flies. There was the Celtic offense, which attacks with the intuition and confidence of a man raiding his own icebox in the dark." -Artie W. Schardt, April 30, 1962

Packers Fact:
Head coach Mike McCarthy played tight end on Baker University's NAIA Division II national runner up squad in 1986.

A TAIL WAGGER

“A very funny valentine . . . Marley & Me tenderly follows its subject from sunrise to sunset . . . with hilarity and affection.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

A hyperactive Labrador retriever quickly works his way into the home and hearts of Philadelphia Inquirer columnist John Grogan and his wife. The rest is a history of terrorized pet sitters, a humiliated trainer, a swallowed gold necklace, and other riotous adventures in doggy delinquency.

MARLEY & ME: LIFE AND LOVE WITH THE WORLD’S WORST DOG, by John Grogan (William Morrow, 2005)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/17/2008

4/17/1990:
More than 49,000 fans pack the Metrodome in Minneapolis for a meaningless regular-season game, enabling the Minnesota Timberwolves to set a single-season NBA attendance record in their debut year in the league. In 41 home dates, the expansion franchise T-Wolves drew 1,072,578, breaking the previous mark set by the Detroit Pistons at the Pontiac Silverdome. Tonight's crowd is the third largest in NBA history, surpassed only by two Pistons games. On the court, the T-Wolves drop their home finale, 99-89, to the Denver Nuggets.

Birthdays:
Geoff Petrie b. 1948
Borje Salming b. 1951
Ken Daneyko b. 1964
Marquis Grissom b. 1967
Theo Ratliff b. 1973

1987:
Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers scored 38 points in a loss to the Indiana Pacers, yet delighted the hometown fans. "Dr. J" became the third player in professional basketball history to score 30,000 career points.

"When he finally reached the milestone on a turnaround jump shot at 5:01 of the third period, the 17,967 fans in the Spectrum knew they had seen something very special. An athlete had reached back and snatched a performance out of time." -Jack McCallum, May 4, 1987


A COZY MYSTERY
In 1849, Edgar Allan Poe disappeared between his home in Virginia and Philadelphia, where he was planning to take up an editorial post. Several days later he was discovered drunk in a Baltimore tavern and died soon after. Quentin Hobson Clark, a lawyer and a fan of Poe’s, wants to know what happened. To help him uncover the truth, he searches out the real-life model of Poe’s great detective, C. Auguste Dupin, in Paris. Complications and wickedness abound in this suspenseful blend of history and fiction—a stylish, engrossing mystery.

THE POE SHADOW, by Matthew Pearl (Random House, 2006)

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 04/16/2008

4/16/1967:
Joe Pepitone's single drives home Jake Gibbs with the winning run as the Yankees outlast the Red Sox, 7-6, in 18 innings at Yankee Stadium. Destined to win the Triple Crown this season, Boston's Carl Yastrzemski has a five-hit game, including two triples and a double. Tony Conigliaro also has five hits for the BoSox and Rico Petrocelli adds four more, but despite rapping out 20 hits, Boston leaves 21 men on base. The game is played in chilly 40 degree temperatures and takes nearly six hours to complete.

Birthdays:
Dick "Night Train" Lane b. 1928
Rich Rollins b. 1938
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar b. 1947
Bill Belichick b. 1952
Luol Deng b. 1985

1983:
The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey, now a San Diego Padre, played in his 1,118th straight game, setting a new National League consecutive games played record.

"Garvey is resolved to be a hero, not an antihero. He used to be the Dodgers' batboy and idolized their first baseman. Now, he is their first baseman. ... If boys do not idolize him now, they are missing a trick, because he smiles at everybody, gives autographs like a garage gives calendars and is a known gentleman." -Roy Blount Jr. - April 7, 1975

Packers Fact:
Packers secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer is the younger brother of former San Diego Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer.

OTHER WORLDS

When Indian-born author Seth moved from Calcutta to England in 1969 to attend Oxford, he stayed with his great-uncle Shanti, a Hindu dentist, and great-aunt Henny, a Holocaust survivor. Many years later, after Henny died, he put together this epic multicultural love story, starting from his own point of view and working the narrative backward and forward, using interviews with Shanti and delving into Henny’s letters. The resulting tapestry glows with color and life.

TWO LIVES, by Vikram Seth (HarperCollins, 2005)

If you like lush stories about the subcontinent, also try Seth’s 1994 bestseller, A Suitable Boy.

Sports Fact of the Day 4/14-4/15/2008

4/14/1981:
In his first home game for the Chicago White Sox after signing as a free agent last month, catcher Carlton Fisk hits a grand-slam homer at Comiskey Park to lead his new club to a 9-3 rout of Milwaukee. After nine full years in Boston, Fisk will play the next 13 on Chicago's South Side, setting a major league record for homers by a catcher, 351 (since broken). An 11-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year in 1972, he'll be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000.

Birthdays:
Pete Rose b. 1941
Cynthia Cooper b. 1963
David Justice b. 1966
Greg Maddux b. 1966
Steve Chiasson b. 1967

1960:
The Montreal Canadiens won their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup championship by sweeping the Toronto Maple Leafs in four games.

"Many people complain that the NHL has no plot. Montreal always seem to win. Next season it would be refreshing if, by some remarkable stroke of luck, Montreal crumbled and the Stanley Cup ended up on a shelf in some other city. But then, how many years have people been hoping for the same thing?" -William Leggett, April 25, 1960

Packers Fact:
Packers defensive quality control coach Eric Lewis is the son of former Packers offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis.

4/15/1985:
After one of the most action-packed three-round fights in history, Marvin Hagler retains his world middleweight title against Thomas Hearns at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Moving up from the welterweight division and challenging Hagler in his 11th title defense proves to be too tall an order for Hearns. He breaks two bones in his right hand during the first round and finally gets knocked to the canvas in the third, prompting referee Richard Steele to stop the bout. Even though Hearns beats the count of 10, he's much too groggy to continue.

Birthdays:
Evelyn Ashford b. 1957
Kevin Stevens b. 1965
Jeromy Burnitz b. 1969
Phillippi Sparks b. 1969
Jason Sehorn b. 1971

1947:
Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers played in hish first major league game, breaking modern baseball's color barrier.

"He was a pioneer in the forefront of what seemed at the time a social revolution. ... He was a presence, something to see, something to be aware of. People liked to watch him, and not just because he was a novelty, the black ballplayer. He was far more than just a symbol." -Robert W. Creamer, November 1, 1982

Book Rec of the Day 4/14-4/15/2008

HISTORY IN A NOVEL

The action of Bahr’s novel takes place over only two days in 1864, when wounded Confederate rifleman Bushrod Carter is taken to a nearby house to recuperate from the Battle of Franklin (Tennessee). Preferred by many who have read it to Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain, the battle writing has been compared to that of Stephen Crane and Tolstoy. Bahr distilled 20 years of research into this vivid portrait of flesh and blood.

THE BLACK FLOWER: A NOVEL OF THE CIVIL WAR, by Howard Bahr (Picador USA, 2000)

BLAST OFF

Mike Mullane was a natural for the space shuttle program after flying 134 missions in Vietnam, but who knew he would be such an engaging writer? Addicted to flying, full of energy, and boyishly foulmouthed, Mullane is a sort of Everyman in the locker room. He became an astronaut in 1978, flew with the first women in the space program, overcame his own male chauvinism, and developed into a passionate and articulate observer (and critic) of NASA. This funny, earnest, patriotic, and colorful account never dips into smugness or self-congratulation and sometimes soars with the wonder and beauty of space.

RIDING ROCKETS: THE OUTRAGEOUS TALES OF A SPACE SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT, by Mike Mullane (Scribner, 2006)

Sports Fact of the Day 3/31-4/13/08

March 31:

3/31/2002:

The Connecticut Lady Huskies complete a perfect season (39-0) by winning the national championship with an 82-70 victory over Oklahoma at the Alamodome in San Antonio. UConn led the nation in several categories such as points scored (87.2 ppg), points allowed (50.7 ppg), three-point shooting percentage (41%) and assists (846 for the season, a new NCAA record). Swin Cash leads the scoring tonight with 20 points, and Ashja Jones adds 19. UConn will go on to win the NCAA crown in 2003 and '04 as well.

Birthdays:

Gordie Howe b. 1928

Miller Barber b. 1931

Bob Pulford b. 1936

Tom Barrasso b. 1965

Pavel Bure b. 1971

1975:

In John Wooden's final game as coach at UCLA, the Bruins defeated the Kentucky Wildcats, 92-85, for their 10^th NCAA basketball championship in 12 years.

"College basketball went off to meet the Wizard of Westwood for the last time. Having arrived in California 27 years ago as something of a scarecrow, Wooden went out like a most uncowardly lion. [He] remained true to his image; he was the kindly Tin Man to the end." -Curry Kirkpatrick, April 7, 1975

Packers Fact:

Mike McCarthy was the quarterbacks coach for Green Bay in 1999 before becoming the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints the next year.

April 1:

4/1/1997:

The San Diego Padres explode for a modern National League Opening Day record of 11 runs in one inning to crush the Mets, 12-5, at Qualcomm Stadium. Trailing 4-0 in the sixth inning, the Padres get back-to-back-to-back homers from Chris Gomez, Rickey Henderson and Quilvio Veras to knock Mets starter Pete Harnisch from the box. They continue the carnage against three New York relievers, with Tony Gwynn and Steve Finley each driving home two runs with timely hits. The major league record for runs in an inning on Opening Day remains 12, set by the 1925 Cleveland Indians.

Birthdays:

Bo Schembechler b. 1929

Ron Perranoski b. 1936

Rusty Staub b. 1944

Norm Van Lier b. 1947

Scott Stevens b. 1964

1995:

In a curious decision, the International Olympic Committee granted provisional recognition to ballroom dancing as a demonstration sport for the upcoming Atlanta Games.

"Detractors point out the bloated size of the modern Summer Games, which will have more than 10,000 in competitors in 1996, and bemoan the prospect of adding ballroom dancing to the party. Let them make room by throwing out synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics, two ridiculous activities." -E.M. Swift, April 24, 1995

April 2:

4/2/2001:

After crawling out of a 22-point hole against Maryland in the Final Four semifinals, Duke leaves nothing to chance tonight, leading comfortably and beating Arizona, 82-72, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis for their third men's basketball national title and first since winning back-to-back crowns in 1991-92. Mike Dunleavy Jr. leads the Blue Devils with 21 points, including five 3-point goals, and Shane Battier adds 18 points and 11 rebounds to win Most Outstanding Player honors.

Birthdays:

Luke Appling b. 1907

Carmen Basilion b. 1927

Dick Radatz b. 1937

Don Sutton b. 1945

Linford Christie b. 1960

1990:

The Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels routed the Duke Blue Devils, 103-73, and won the school's first NCAA basketball championship. UNLV forced Duke into 23 turnovers.

"It was the biggest blowout in the history of the championship game. It was not just that Vegas became the first team to score 100 or more points in the final, or that it won by the largest margin ever. That was mere offense in a game in which the Rebels' defense was the story." -Curry Kirkpatrick, April 9, 1990

Packers Fact:

With Mike McCarthy calling the plays as coordinator, the Saints enjoyed the most prolific offensive period in their history in the early 2000s.

April 3:

4/3/1993:

Trailing 4-2 after two periods, the Main Black Bears score three goals in a 4:35 span of the final session to beat defending national champion Lake Superior State, 5-4, and win the NCAA hockey title at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Senior captain Jim Montgomery scores all three goals, assisted on each by freshman and Hobey Baker award winner Paul Kariya, as Maine (42-1-2) completes a dream season and wins its first national crown after losing in the Frozen Four semifinals in 1988, '89 and '91. Montgomery receives the Most Outstanding Player award for the jubilant Bears from Orono, Maine, coached by Shawn Walsh.

Birthdays:

Bernie Parent b. 1945

Pervis Ellison b. 1967

Rodney Hampton b. 1969

Picabo Street b. 1971

Michael Olowokandi b. 1975

1989:

The Michigan Wolverines edged the Seton Hall Pirates, 80-79, and won the NCAA basketball title in Steve Fisher's seventh game as Wolverines' coach.

"In this presidentially decreed era of a kinder, gentler America, it's ironic that a football school would win the national championship in basketball. Furthermore, that university, which gave us Jerry Ford on the gridiron, risked all on the hardwood with an interim coach who looks like Jimmy Carter." -Curry Kirkpatrick, April 10, 1989

April 4:

Driving his managers to distraction or drink, wonderfully talented and fleet-of-foot Mick "the Quick" Rivers was never too keen on expanding his offensive repertoire: "I like to concentrate on my strong points; no sense working on my weaknesses. Why work at stuff I'm no good at?"

Birthdays:

Tris Speaker b. 1888

JoAnne Carner b. 1939

Dale Hawerchuk b. 1963

Scott Rolen b. 1975

Ben Gordon b. 1983

1974:

Henry Aaron of the Atlanta Braves connected off Cincinnati Reds pitchers Jack Billingham for his 714^th career home run, equaling Babe Ruth's alltime record.

"With Henry Aaron it is not only a matter of when he breaks Babe Ruth's home-run record or where he breaks it but how many homers he hits after he consigns 714 to the vault of golden numbers. How many generations will pass before his record is broken." -William Leggett, April 8, 1974

Packers Fact:

Before Mike McCarthy in 2006, the last time the Packers hired a 49ers' assistant as head coach was in 1992. That was Mike Holmgren.

April 5:

4/5/1972:

Parting with outfielder Ken Singleton, first baseman Mike Jorgensen and shortstop Tim Foli, who go on to post a combined 41 years of big-league service, the Mets pay a steep price to obtain Le Grand Orange, Rusty Staub, from the Montreal Expos. Staub will stay with the Mets for four seasons before he's dealt to Detroit for Mickey Lolich. Always a fan favorite, he'll return in 1981 to play five additional seasons with the Mets, primarily as a pinch hitter.

Birthdays:

Doggie Julian b. 1901

Doug Favell b. 1945

Rennie Stennett b. 1951

Brad Van Pelt b. 1951

Ike Hilliard b. 1976

1984:

In a win over Utah, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers sank a sky hook to surpass Wilt Chamberlain as the NBA's alltime leading scorer with 31,421 career points. By the time he retired in 1988, Abdul-Jabbar had scored 38,387 points.

"Breaking Wilt's record validated Abdul-Jabbar with the media, and thus, the public at large. "It seemed like I gained an immediate respect," he says. Nearly every media outlet wanted Kareem's reaction after he set the record, and it came as a surprise-given his disdain for attention-when he accommodated them." -Anthony Cotton, May 28, 1984

April 6:

Martina Hingis defeats Monica Seles, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), in the finals of the Family Circle Cup at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Seles wins the first five games of the clay-court match and takes the first set before Hingis, the world's top-ranked player, asserts herself the rest of the way. It's the sixth straight tournament victory for the Swiss Miss, encompassing 31 match wins. For Seles, it's another close setback against a top foe. She's now 0-5 against Hingis and Steffi Graf since her return to tennis in 1995 after a macabre on-court stabbing incident in Germany in 1993.

Birthdays:

Ernie Lombardi b. 1908

Spider Lockhart b. 1943

Bert Blyleven b. 1957

Sterling Sharpe b. 1965

Bret Boone b. 1969

April 7:

4/7/1977:

Prevented from playing in their home rink at Chicago Stadium because it had been rented out for a four-night stand of Led Zeppelin concerts, the Chicago Blackhawks are ousted from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the New York Islanders, 2-1, at Nassau Coliseum. Chicago goalie Tony Esposito is magnificent, even earning a standing ovation from the partisan Islander fans. Alas, New York goals by Jude Drouin and Clark Gillies are just enough to allow the Isles to prevail, as they grant No Quarter to the road-weary Blackhawks.

Birthdays:

Bobby Doerr b. 1918

Gail Cogdill b. 1937

Tony Dorsett b. 1954

Ricky Watters b. 1969

Ronde and Tiki Barber b. 1975

1963:

Jack Nicklaus recorded a four-round total of 286 and won his hfirst Masters golf championship. Nicklaus won the prestigious tournament held at Augusta (Ga.) National a record six times during his career.

"Big Jack is fast becoming the mighty man of golf. Masters officials have to get his measurements now for that green winner's coat. The size is 44 regular, and they may as well file it where it will be handy. Jack may earn a few more of those coats in the future." -Alfred Wright, April 15, 1963

Packers Fact:

Mike McCarthy had never been a head coach at any level before taking over the Packers in 2006.

April 8:

Top-ranked and unbeaten (8-0) Johns Hopkins wins its 32^nd straight home lacrosse game with an 11-10 victory in double overtime against second-ranked Duke (11-1) at Homewood Field in Baltimore. Freshman Kevin Huntley's third unassisted goal for the Blue Jays wins it in sudden death. These two teams will advance to the NCAA tournament championship game next month in Philadelphia, and Johns Hopkins will win again, 9-8, to capture its eighth national title.

Birthdays:

Turk Farrell b. 1934

John Havlicek b. 1940

Jim "Catfish" Hunter b. 1946

Gary Carter b. 1954

Ricky Bell b. 1955

1993:

The Green Bay Packers signed the Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro defensive lineman Reggie White to a lucrative free-agent contract.

"White arrived during the off-season as a free agent from Philadelphia. Long acclaimed as the Minister of Defense, White quickly added comparable posts at Treasury (with his four-year, $17 million contract) and Interior (he frequently lines up at tackle)." -Hank Hersch, November 29, 1993

April 9:

4/9/1969:

For the second straight game, the expansion Kansas City Royals get superlative relief pitching and score an extra-inning victory over the Minnesota Twins. Relieved to have big-league baseball back in town after the Athletics bolted for Oakland last year, the home fans see a 12-inning thriller on Opening Day followed by 17 more innings tonight before Lou Piniella's RBI single gives K.C. a 4-3 win. Finally getting a chance after four organizations gave up on him, Piniella will go on to hit .282 and win the AL Rookie of the Year award. After five seasons with the Royals, he'll be traded to the Yankees, where he'll play for 11 years, helping to win four pennants and two world titles for New York.

Birthdays:

Ebbie Goodfellow b. 1907

Paul Arizin b. 1928

Nate Colbert b. 1946

Seve Ballesteros b. 1957

Olaf Kolzig b. 1970

1978:

David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets scored 73 points during a loss against the Detroit Pistons. Thompson scored the third-highest single-game total in NBA history.

"His name is just David Thompson. Mostly, just David. Unlike other paragons of truth, beauty, virtue and the 42-inch vertical leap, there's no snappy nicknames or capitalized initials for headlines' sake. No Dzzlin' Daves or Titanic Thompson. Just David." -Curry Kirkpatrick, November 26, 1973

Packers Fact:

Running backs coach Edgar Bennett played only five seasons in Green Bay (1992-96), but his 3,353 rushing yards still ranked ninth on the club's all-time list entering 2006.

April 10:

4/10/1990:

President George H.W. Bush and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada hurl simultaneous first pitches at the SkyDome prior to the Blue Jays' home opener against the Texas Rangers. President Bush becomes the first chief executive to throw out the first ball in an Opening Day game outside the United States. In the game that follows, Dave Stieb and three relievers combine on a five-hitter as Toronto edges Texas, 2-1.

Birthdays:

John Madden b. 1936

Don Meredith b. 1938

Bob Watson b. 1946

Mel Blount b. 1948

Neil Smith b. 1966

1971:

The Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Willie Stargell belted three home runs in a game against the Atlanta Braves.

"Every time Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell hits a homer, a customer buying fried chicken at the magic moment in Stargell's carryout restaurant gets his order for free. At the rate the Pirate slugger is bludgeoning opposing pitchers, he is going to be handing out a lot of gratis drumsticks." -Joe Jares, May 3, 1971

April 11:

4/11/1965:

After leading the NHL in goals with 42 during the regular season, Norm Ullman sets a Stanley Cup playoff record by scoring two goals in only five seconds to lead the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-2 win over Chicago and a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven semifinal series. Ullman's two goals both hug the ice at the Olympia and skid by goalie Glenn Hall, giving Detroit a 3-2 lead late in the second period. Completing a natural hat trick, Ullman closes out the scoring with his third goal of the night with only two minutes left in the game. Red Hay of the Blackhawks held the previous playoff record for two fastest goals (seven seconds), set just last year in a series between these same two teams.

Birthdays:

Michael Ray Richardson b. 1955

Bret Saberhagen b. 1964

Jason Varitek b. 1972

Trot Nixon b. 1974

Kelvim Escobar b. 1976

1961:

The Boston Red Sox rookie outfielder Carl Yastrzemski gets his first major league hit. Yastrzemski was elected to the Hall of Fame after a 23-year career.

"Yastrzemski. It is not an easy name to pronounce, but anyone who has mastered Kluszewski and Mazeroski should be able to make it. It has three syllables, accent on the second. Say Yuh-strem-skee. It is a name worth learning, for Carl Yastrzemski, a rookie with the Red Sox, is going to be a star." -Walter Bingham, April 3, 1961

Packers Fact:

While a quarterback at Notre Dame, assistant coach Tom Clements finished fourth in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy in 1974.

April 12:

4/12/1992:

Fred Couples shoots a 2-under-par 70 in the final round of the Masters in Augusta to win his first major championship by two strokes over Raymond Floyd. Enjoying his finest year as a pro, Couples, a former All-American at the University of Houston, wins his third tournament in six weeks and ascends to the No. 1 ranking in the PGA Tour standings. He'll be named PGA Player of the Year and finish atop the money-earnings list at season's end.

Birthdays:

Joe Lapchick b. 1900

Johnny Antonelli b.1930

Mike Garrett b. 1944

Mike Macfarlane b. 1964

Adam Graves b. 1968

1984:

Pete Rose of the Montreal Expos doubled off Philadelphia pitcher Jerry Koosman and became the first National League batter to amass 4,000 career hits.

"It wasn't so much the record-busting that made Rose such an appealing national icon. It was the sheer gusto with which he played the game, the belly-sliding, glove-banging intensity he brought to the ballpark every day." -Ron Fimrite, September 19, 1994

April 13:

When asked whether scheduling additional practices would tire out his underachieving Boston Braves, Hall of Fame manager Bill McKechnie replied: "We can't be much worse overdoing them than underoing them."

Birthdays:

Flash Hollett b. 1912

Marvin Webster b. 1952

Davis Love III b. 1964

Bo Outlaw b. 1971

Baron Davis b. 1979

Book Recs of the Day 3/31-4/13/08

GIVE ME HISTORY

Among the many amazing stories of discoveries and inventions during Napoleon’s roughly 15 years of conquest, the story of the Rosetta Stone still stands out and remains relevant. During the campaigns in Egypt, scholars were engaged to study the thousands of artifacts that were unearthed, and Jean-François Champollion was the best. The moody, flamboyant emperor and the obsessive, persevering linguist are the fulcrum in a colorful history of mummies, incest, desert heat, and sexual practices across the centuries.

THE LINGUIST AND THE EMPEROR: NAPOLEON AND CHAMPOLLION’S QUEST TO DECIPHER THE ROSETTA STONE, by Daniel Meyerson (Ballantine Books, 2004)

“An eye-popping book.”—The Los Angeles Times

From a meteor crater in Australia’s outback to a beach full of nudists near Landes, France, to the Chernobyl region of Ukraine, Yann Arthus-Bertrand took his camera and, from hovering helicopters, snapped some of the most strikingly beautiful photographs of recent times. Yet this coffee table book is one whose purpose extends beyond being merely pretty: It shows what people have been doing to their environment, and the text discusses the worrying implications.

EARTH FROM ABOVE, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand (Harry N. Abrams, 2005)

“Deverell’s lean mean style gives off sparks.”—Publishers Weekly

Arthur Beauchamp, retired criminal lawyer, is called away from his new life of leisure to defend a former client, Nick “the Owl” Faloon, who has been charged with an unlikely and sensational murder. Meanwhile, his wife, Margaret Blake, an environmental activist, is perched in a tree to protest logging activity, and she won’t come down. Deverell delivers another clever, witty, fast-paced courtroom thriller, destined to become a classic.

APRIL FOOL, by William Deverell (McClelland & Stewart, 2005)

WEIRD FACTS

Karl Shaw, collector of the weird (The Mammoth Book of Tasteless Lists, Carroll & Graf, 1998; Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty, Broadway, 2001), has done it again, with yet another wildly entertaining volume of the truly kooky practices of wackos throughout history: Liberace, Beethoven, Florence Nightingale, Howard Hughes, and many others. They’re all here, with their convoluted compulsions, bizarre beliefs, and hilarious habits exposed. The true heir of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Shaw never seems to run out of material, and we hope he never does.

THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF ODDBALLS AND ECCENTRICS, by Karl Shaw (Carroll & Graf, 2000)

JANE AUSTEN LIVES

The comedy of manners is alive and well. Throw three generations of WASPs (the Hills) together in a fading Victorian house, along with a graduate student writing a thesis on WASPs. Whip it all up with gentle sarcasm and long, meandering sentences with explosive comic payloads, and you have The Hills at Home, an impressive debut novel.

THE HILLS AT HOME, by Nancy Clark (Pantheon, 2003)

OUR MINDS

Jamison’s subject is interesting enough—the positive side of manic depression in creative expression—but the experience she brings to bear on the subject is possibly even more interesting. She is a professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an honorary professor of English at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland), a MacArthur Fellow (2001), and a victim of and expert on bipolar disorder. Exuberance flings open a window on the passionate and extraordinary in life, literature, and science. The result is exquisitely alive and beautifully written.

EXUBERANCE: THE PASSION FOR LIFE, by Kay Redfield Jamison (Knopf, 2004)

Glass follows her dazzling 2002 National Book Award winner, Three Junes, with this contemporary story of Greenie, a young mother and talented pastry chef in New York City, whose confections come to the attention of the governor of New Mexico. When he invites her to work for him, she takes the opportunity, though it means leaving her psychoanalyst husband behind with his rather considerable personal problems and failing practice. The Whole World Over is a rich and complex study of the causes and consequences of love.

THE WHOLE WORLD OVER, by Julia Glass (Pantheon, 2006)

FOR BOOK LOVERS

Curator of rare books at Harvard’s Widener Library, Battles takes us on a tour of libraries throughout history, showing their relationships with power, ideas, and social flux. Ultimately, says Battles, all libraries come to an end, either through the demise of the technologies on which they depend or, more often, to make way for a new ideological focus. Elegantly told and quietly dramatic.

LIBRARY: AN UNQUIET HISTORY, by Matthew Battles (W. W. Norton, 2004)

OUR TIMES

The case of Digna Ochoa, a Mexican human-rights lawyer found dead in 2001, was only one piece of an enormous puzzle that continues to unfold. Author Diebel, who headed the Toronto Star’s Latin American bureau for seven years, has bravely and meticulously researched the high-profile case: the shady, even criminal role of the Mexican government in quelling dissent; their subsequent “investigation,” amounting to a cover-up of their probable role in her murder (which they deemed a suicide); and the frustration of those who worked with and loved Ochoa.

BETRAYED: THE ASSASSINATION OF DIGNA OCHOA, by Linda Diebel (Carroll & Graf, 2006)

READ ME

In Life Before Death (Scribner, 1997), Frucht’s main character was a woman about to die. Polly, on the other hand, has already died, while giving birth to her seventh child, Tip. Frucht specializes in the intense, grateful sensuality that comes of living on the cusp of life—about to leave it or, as here, having left it; yet the lyricism is earthy and sharp rather than warm and fuzzy.

POLLY’S GHOST: A NOVEL, by Abby Frucht (Scribner, 2002)

MEMOIR

Perhaps best known for his baseball coverage in The New Yorker, with a storytelling bent that can make people who are completely indifferent to the sport love to read about it, Angell turns to a memoir with his elegant, ironic, witty brand of civility intact. Sparkling with literary anecdotes (his mother, Katherine, divorced Angell’s father and married E. B. “Andy” White), fishing stories, paeans to the open road, and martini-infused sophistication, Angell is a wonderful companion, gentleman, and raconteur.

LET ME FINISH, by Roger Angell (Harcourt, 2006)

POETRY

The former U.S. poet laureate, our national treasure, continues to weave his spell. It’s hard to describe poetry, but for those who love Collins, his trademark voice is here: humorous and serious, direct and sidelong, wry and earnest, accessible and polished. For those who have not discovered him, this is as good a place to start as any; you can always go back to earlier volumes.

THE TROUBLE WITH POETRY AND OTHER POEMS, by Billy Collins (Random House, 2005)

LIVE BETTER

Septuagenarian Chris Crowley, a former litigator, and internist Henry Lodge deliver their irresistibly upbeat philosophy just in time for baby boomers who want the golden years to be truly golden. Mixing accessible science and convincing personal testimony, the authors give an easy-to-follow blueprint for healthful, zestful longevity: keeping the body vital, even turning back the clock, and, equally important, exercising the mind and satisfying the need for social connection. The medical community and a legion of enthusiastic readers made this book a deserving bestseller.

YOUNGER NEXT YEAR: A GUIDE TO LIVING LIKE 50 UNTIL YOU’RE 80 AND BEYOND, by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D. (Workman Publishing, 2004)

TRUE CRIME
New York Times journalist Eichenwald has a nose for a story, and this one is a doozy. Mark Whitacre, a top executive at Archer Daniels Midland, offered himself up as an FBI informer in a 1990s investigation into price fixing. Whitacre turned out to be a flamboyant, twisted individual who was trying to cover his own immense embezzlement and corruption even as he revealed the supersize putrefaction that infected the not-so-jolly green giant. A runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize, The Informant is a mesmerizing piece of investigative reporting.

THE INFORMANT: A TRUE STORY, by Kurt Eichenwald (Broadway, 2001)