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.