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)