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)