Sunday, August 31, 2008

Sports Fact of the Day 8/14-8/31/2008

Aug. 14:
8/14/1977:
Lanny Wadkins defeats Gene Littler on the third hole of sudden death to win the PGA championship at Pebble Beach. It's a crushing defeat for the veteran Littler, who dissipates a five-stroke lead on the back nine by carding five bogeys and finishes with a 76. Wadkins shoots a 2-under-par 70, helped by a pair of eagles on the front nine, to force a playoff and wins the title with a par putt on the third extra hole. Wadkins is deferential and almost apologetic in victory over the vanquished Littler, 20 years his senior. This proves to be his only major championship.

Birthdays:
Earl Weaver b. 1930
John Brodie b. 1935
Debbie Meyer b. 1952
Magic Johnson b. 1959
Wayne Chrebet b. 1973

1986:
Pete Rose collected the final hit of his career. It was his 4,256th hit, more than any other baseball player in history.

"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

Packers Fact:
In 2002, the Packers moved up in the first round by making a draft-day trade with Seattle. They took future Pro Bowl wide receiver Javon Walker with what was originally the Seahawks' slot (number 20 overall).

Aug. 15:
8/15/1970:
The Big Bopper, Lee May, hits two homers and drives in all five runs as the Reds beat the Phillies, 5-4, in 14 innings at brand-new Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. The muscular first baseman has a two-run homer in the 2nd inning, an RBI groundout in the 6th, a solo homer to tie the contest in the 9th and a game-winning single in the 14th. Enjoying a magical year, the Reds improve to an awesome 80-41 record with the victory, en route to their first National League pennant since 1961.

Birthdays:
Lionel Taylor b. 1936
Ivan Boldirev b. 1949
Craig MacTavish b. 1958
Scott Brosius b. 1966
Yancey Thigpen b. 1969

1999:
Tiger Woods held off a late charge by Sergio Garcia and won the PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club in Illinois.

"Woods' one-stroke victory, with an 11-under 277, put an exclamation point on a century of golf and launched a rivalry that should propel the game into a new era. Forget Nicklaus and Palmer; Woods, 23, and Garcia, 19, have the star quality of Newman and Redford." -Alan Shipnuck, August 23, 1999

Packers Fact:
After going a dismal 1-10 in 1958, the Packers opened Vince Lombardi's tenure as coach with three consecutive victories. A five-game losing streak took the squad out of title contention, but Green Bay rallied to win its last four games that year.

Aug. 16:
At the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Ian Thorpe of Australia wins the 200-meter freestyle in 1:44.71, barely edging Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands and Michael Phelps of the United States. Today's come-from-behind victory allows Thorpe to turn the tables on van den Hoogenband, who upset him in this event at the 2000 Games in Sydney-Thorpe's only loss in the 200 meters in eight years. Van den Hoogenband seemed poised to repeat his Sydney triumph, leading most of the way, but Thorpe puts on a finishing kick over the last 50 meters to win by a narrow margin.

Birthdays:
Frank Gifford b. 1930
Tony Trabert b. 1930
Ron Yary b. 1946
Christian Okoye b. 1961
Ben Coates b. 1969

1921:
Illness forced French tennis star Suzanne Legien to forfeit her match to Molla Mallory in the second round of the U.S. Open tournament. It was Lenglen's only loss in the seven years between 1919 and her retirement in 1926.

"Tennis had had its beautiful women before Lenglen … but it is nevertheless safe to say that Lenglen, in the liberated style of her play - full of acrobatic, even balletic leaps and lunges - her dress and her life, introduced sex to tennis, and vice versa." -Sarah Pileggi, September 13, 1982

Packers Fact:
Elijah Pitts is the Packers running back who had 2 rushing touchdowns in Super Bowl I.

Aug. 17:
8/17/1985:
Four Irish milers combine to set a four-mile relay world record on the Belfield track in Dublin. Spurred to optimum performances by several "rabbits" on a so-called "B" team of runners, the four principals-Eamonn Coghlan (4:00.2), Marcus O'Sullivan (3:55.3), Frank O'Mara (3:56.6) and anchor Ray Flynn (3:56.98)-combine to produce a time of 15:49.08. To this day, the gracious Coghlan is fond of recalling how he was "the slowest one of the bunch".

Birthdays:
Boog Powell b. 1941
Guillermo Vilas b. 1952
Christian Laettner b. 1969
Jim Courier b. 1970
Jorge Posada b. 1971

Aug. 18:
8/18/1958:
Floyd Patterson makes his third successful defense of his heavyweight title by dominating unbeaten challenger Roy Harris over 12 brutal rounds at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. Harris, who had been knocked down four times and lost almost every round, fails to answer the bell for the 13th round of a scheduled 15-rounder. He refuses to play it safe, plunging back into the fray for more punishment after each knockdown instead of laying back to marshal his resources. Only when his manager, along with his father, prevails upon him to abandon his vainglorious ambition to upset Patterson is the fight mercifully concluded.

Birthdays:
Roberto Clemente b. 1934
Rafer Johnson b. 1935
Matt Snell b. 1941
Bobby Higginson b. 1970
Jeremy Shockey b. 1980

1992:
Basketball star Larry Bird retired after 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics. Bird had led Boston to three NBA titles and earned three straight league MVP awards.

"When you thumb through basketball history to find the one player who could score, rebound, pass, play defense, lead a team and … see the court better than all others, your finger stops first at Robertson … continues past Havlicek … past Magic even, and comes to rest at Larry Bird." -John Papanek, November 9, 1981

Packers Fact:
Halfback Paul Hornung led Vince Lombardi's first squad in 1959 by rushing for 681 yards and scoring 94 points.

Aug. 19:
8/19/1945:
Byron Nelson's remarkable streak of winning 11 consecutive golf tournaments ends at the Memphis Open when Fred Haas Jr. becomes the first amateur to win on the Tour in nine years, beating a field of top-flight pros by five strokes. Haas, the son of a club pro and a former Walker Cup star, fires a final-round 68 after posting a course record 64 yesterday. Nelson is never really in contention, finishing six strokes behind, but he'll go on to win an all-time record 19 tournaments in 1945 with an average score per round of 68.33, also an all-time best.

Birthdays:
Bill Shoemaker b. 1931
Anthony Munoz b. 1958
Rocky Pierce b. 1959
Morten Andersen b. 1960
Mary Jo Fernandez b. 1971

1951:
Eddie Gaedel, who was 3'7" tall and 65 pounds, became the smallest man ever to play pro baseball when St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck hired him to pinch-hit. Gaedel walked on four pitches in his only turn at bat in the major leagues.

"Veeck has fashioned a career out of defying the customs, conventions and crustaceans of baseball. To Veeck, baseball is not an ultraconstitutional mission, a crusade, a holy jousting for men's minds and souls, but simply an exhilarating way to make a living." -William Barry Furlong, July 4, 1960

Packers Fact:
The Packers selected future Pro Football Hall of Fame back Tony Canadeo in the ninth round of the 1941 draft.

Aug. 20:
8/20/1995:
Enjoying a triumphant return to women's tennis after more than two years of recovery following the on-court stabbing she suffered in Germany, Monica Seles wins the du Maurier Canadian Open in Toronto. Seles crushes Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 6-0, 6-1, in less than an hour, her fifth consecutive straight-set rout in this event. It's her 33rd tournament victory (including 8 majors), and all the distinctive attributes of her game-lethal ground strokes and an air of pixie charm-are displayed for an appreciative audience that cheers her every move.

Birthdays:
Sihugo Green b. 1933
Graig Nettles b. 1944
Mark Langston b. 1960
Duffy Waldorf b. 1962
Todd Helton b. 1973

1967:
Clocked in a time of 17:50.2, 14-year-old swimmer Debbie Meyer set the 1,500-meter freestyle world record.

"While her classmates worried about boyfriends and fraternity pins, Meyer thought about her early-morning workouts. For Meyer, the world was divided into swimmers and nonswimmers rather than boys and girls. She had a strong sense of herself as an athlete, a good athlete, and that was enough." -Janice Kaplan, July 4, 1977

Packers Fact:
Rookie wide receiver Boyd Dowler caught 32 passes for Vince Lombardi's first squad in 1959. That was a team-best that year.

Aug. 21:
8/21/1985:
In Zurich, Switzerland, Mary Decker Slaney runs the mile in a record 4:16.71, holding off Romanian Maricica Puica and Zola Budd of Great Britain. It's the first time all three competitors have raced against each other since the 3000-meter final in last year's L.A. Olympics, won by Puica after Decker Slaney collided with Budd and fell off the track onto the infield grass.

Birthdays:
Toe Blake b. 1912
Wilt Chamberlain b. 1936
Archie Griffin b. 1954
John Wetteland b. 1966
Craig Counsell b. 1970

1931:
The New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth became the first player in baseball history to hit 600 career home runs when he connected off Browns' pitcher George Blaeholder in the third inning of a Yankees 11-7 victory at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

"When Ruth-his big head cocked, his matchstick legs together, his pigeon toes turned in, his great club of a bat lashing the air-drove a ball out of the park, nobody could say that was faked. People who saw Ruth hit a home run never forgot it." -Gerald Holland, December 21, 1959

Packers Fact:
The Packers found future Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman, center Jim Ringo, in the seventh round of the 1953 draft.

Aug. 22:
8/22/1998:
Paul Molitor drops a buntn single down the third-base line with two outs in the ninth inning off Dennis Eckersley to drive in the winning run as the Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3, at the Metrodome. It's the final big-league campaign for both veterans, Molitor having played most of his career with Milwaukee and Eckersley enjoying his greatest success with Oakland. On January 6, 2004, these two stars become forever linked when they're both elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Birthdays:
Carl Yastrzemski b. 1939
Bill Parcells b. 1941
Diana Nyad b. 1949
Paul Molitor b. 1956
Mats Wilander b. 1964

1984:
Clocked in a time of 10.76 seconds, Evelyn Ashford set a women's 100-meter dash world record in Zurich, Switzerland.

"She is graceful, gentle, modest and soft-spoken. Even when she runs, no unseemly haste is apparent in her movements. She appears less to run than to flow fast. The ferocious intensity shows only in the results." -Sarah Pileggi, September 21, 1981

Packers Fact:
Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle Forrest Gregg coached the Packers for four seasons beginning in 1984. He resigned in January of 1988 to become the coach at his alma mater Southern Methodist.

Aug. 23:
After being part of the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XL and confirming his plans to retire, running back Jerome Bettis was asked if his decision was irrevocable. He quickly replied: "It's official-like the referee's whistle."

Birthdays:
Sonny Jurgenson b. 1934
Nancy Richey b. 1942
Julio Frnaco b. 1958
Rik Smits b. 1966
Kobe Bryant b. 1978

1973:
Ilie Nastase attains the No. 1 ranking in men's tennis.

"He is a nonpareil showman, an utterly exasperating gamesman, a pouting, crying genius with a racket in his hand and a curse on his lips. He is a magnificent enfant terrible any self-respecting sport would be glad to call its own." -Curry Kirkpatrick, October 16, 1972

Packers Fact:
The Packers found their starting quarterback of the late 1980 and the early 1990s in the 10th round of the 1987 draft: Don Majkowski.

Aug. 24:
8/24/1919:
In his first start for the Cleveland Indians after being let go by the Red Sox, left-hander Ray Caldwell pitches a four-hitter at League Park, beating the Philadelphia Athletics, 2-1. In the ninth inning, a tremendous thunderclap breaks over the stadium and Caldwell is struck by lightning and knocked to the ground. Not only does he recover to complete this game, but he'll go on to pitch a no-hitter against the Yankees next month at the Polo Grounds. Next season, Caldwell will have his finest year, winning 20 games and helping the Tribe win their first American League pennant and World Series championship.

Birthdays:
Mike Shanahan b. 1952
Cal Ripken Jr. b. 1960
Reggie Miller b. 1965
Tim Salmon b. 1968
Rafael Furcal b. 1980

Aug. 25:
8/25/1930:
Max Baer batters Frankie Campbell senseless in the fifth round of their heavyweight bout at Recreation Park in San Francisco. Campbell, future baseball star Dolph Camilli's older brother, is badly hurt but manages to stay upright by grabbing the ropes while Baer rains blow after blow on his head. The bout is finally stopped by referee Toby Irwin, but it's too late for Campbell-he dies several hours later of a cerebral concussion. Baer is shaken up by the fight's fatal outcome and loses four of his next six outings before winning the world heavyweight championship in 1934.

Birthdays:
Althea Gibson b. 1927
Rollie Fingers b. 1946
Albert Belle b. 1966
Cornelius Bennett b. 1966
Doug Glanville b. 1970

1968:
Harness racing driver Stanley Dancer rode Nevele Pride to victory at the Hambletonian.

"This was the big one that had eluded Dancer in eight previous tries, and he wasted no time showing everyone that this one was his, breezing straight heats, wire-to-wire. After the first turn of the first heat, his only worry was how to get Nevele Pride out of the winner's circle before he killed somebody." -Pat Putnam, September 2, 1968

Packers Fact:
In 1935, Alabama end Don Hutson signed contracts with both the Packers and the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers. League president Joe Carr awarded him to Green Bay because that contract had an earlier postmark-by 17 minutes!

Aug. 26:
8/26/2001:
Tiger Woods defeats Jim Furyk on the seventh hole of a sudden death playoff to win the World Series of Golf at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. It's Woods' third straight victory in this event and sixth in a row in the state of Ohio, counting three consecutive wins at the Memorial. A brilliant wedge shot sets him up for a short birdie putt at the decisive hole after each player had missed numerous opportunities to end the match earlier. The lengthy affair is the longest playoff on the PGA Tour in 10 years and marks the sixth time Woods has won a tourney in sudden death.

Birthdays:
Billy DeMars b. 1925
Tom Heinsohn b. 1934
Swede Savage b. 1946
Donnie Shell b. 1952
Ricky Bottalico b. 1969

1987:
Julie Krone rode Tiger Higgins to victory at Monmouth Park and became the second woman jockey to post 1,000 career wins.

"It seems that Krone is a munchkin from Oz, and that may be an apt comparison. The 24-year-old jockey is 4 foot, 10 ½ inches tall and weighs 100 pounds, and the thought-and sight-of her guiding half-ton thoroughbreds across Monmouth's finish line certainly has an otherworldly quality to it." -Gina Maranto, August 24, 1987

Packers Fact:
The Packers haven't had the top overall pick in the draft (entering 2007) since 1959. They choose Iowa quarterback Randy Duncan number-one overall that year.

Aug. 27:
8/27/1988:
Alysheba, ridden by Chris McCarron, comes from far behind to overtake Bet Twice and win the $500,000-added Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. Alysheba, son of Alydar, evens his record against Bet Wice at four wins apiece in eight lifetime meetings with his victory in the mile-and-an-eighth test. It was Bet Twice who denied Alysheba the Triple Crown last year in the Belmont. Alysheba will go on to win the Woodward, the Metropolitan Cup and the Breeders' Cup Classic this fall, finishing with seven wins in nine outings to earn Horse of the Year honors.

Birthdays:
Nikki Pilic b. 1939
Buddy Bell b. 1951
Bernhard Langer b. 1957
Adam Oates b. 1962
Jim Thome b. 1970

2000:
Cynthia Cooper led the Houston Cornets to a fourth straight WNBA title, and retired after the game having won her fourth straight Finals MVP award.

"Cooper [is] a 5'10" shooting guard with a knack for shredding defenses and making clutch plays. Though she spent all but the last four years of it in obscurity, her career has been one of the most decorated in sports; two NCAA titles (with USC), two Olympic medals (a gold and a bronze), four WNBA championships and two regular-season MVP awards." -Kelli Anderson, September 4, 2000

Packers Fact:
Despite having retired in 1945, end Don Hutson still held 10 NFL records entering 2006.

Aug. 28:
8/28/2005:
Pitcher Christopher Garia (16) can only watch as Michael Memea rounds the bases after hitting a home run over the center field fence at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, giving Hawaii a 7-6 victory over defending champion Curacaco and the Little League World Series title. Hawaii rallied from a three-run deficit in the sixth and final inning of regulation play to force only the second extra-inning championship game since the inception of the LLWS in 1947.

Birthdays:
Andy Bathgate b. 1932
Lou Piniella b. 1943
Ron Guidry b. 1950
Joel Youngblood b. 1951
Janet Evans b. 2971

1954:
Twenty-four-year-old Arnold Palmer overcame a two-hole deficit and his own inconsistency to win the U.S. Amateur golf championship in Detroit.

"Palmer is a puzzling golfer to assess. Throughout the tournament, he would play four or five holes in a row with great authority. Then he would erase the impression that he is a finished shot maker by smothering a drive or bumbling unsurely with an explosion shot." -Herbert Warren Wind, September 6, 1954

Packers Fact:
Brent Fullwood came off the bench to run for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 45-3 rout of the Patriots in 1988.

Aug. 29:
8/29/2004:
Leading the Olympic marathon at the 22-mile mark in Athens, Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil loses valuable time when he's run off the course by a crazed spectator and finishes third behind Stefano Baldini of Italy and Meb Keflezighi of the United States. The oddball character who disturbed the race is arrested. Identified as a defrocked priest and religious zealot from Ireland, he had pulled other stunts like this in the past, but it's no solace for Lima. His appeals to the Olympic Review Board fall on deaf ears and he must settle for the crowd's empathy and a bronze medal.

Birthdays:
Wyomia Tyus b. 1945
Bob Beamon b. 1946
Jerry Bailey b. 1957
Pierre Turgeon b. 1969
Roy Oswalt b. 1977

1977:
Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals swiped a pair of bases in a game at San Diego and brought his career total to 893 stolen bases, surpassing Ty Cobb as the alltime leader.

"When he gingerly leads off [first base] a few strides, his eyes fastened on the pitcher, his hands fiddling with his waistband, one senses what a force he is. He creates tension everywhere, on the field and in the stands. Something is about to happen." -Ron Fimrite, August 22, 1977

Packers Fact:
End Don Hutson revolutionized the passing game in the NFL with his route running. But he also was a world-class sprinter who could run the 100-yard dash in 9.5 seconds.

Aug. 30:
8/30/1992:
Bobby Bonilla, mired in a season-long funk that results in only 19 homers, 70 RBIs and a .249 BA after signing a five-year, $29 million free agent contract with the Mets, authors one memorable at bat to momentarily silence the Shea Stadium boo-birds. Bonilla cracks a two-out, three-run, game-ending home run off Cincinnati closer Rob Dibble to give the Mets a 4-3 win over the Reds in a nationally televised Sunday night game featuring throw-back uniforms. Dibble is obviously not comfortable in the old-style garb, walking two men before surrendering Bonilla's clutch blast. As Bonilla rounds the bases, an infuriated Dibble storms off the mound and rips his retro jersey to shreds.

Birthdays:
Ted Williams b. 1918
Coy Bacon b. 1942
Jean-Claude Killy b. 1943
Tug McGraw b. 1944
Robert Parish b. 1953

1991:
Mike Powell broke Bob Beamon's long jump record with a leap of 29 feet, 4 ½ inches at the world track and field championships in Tokyo.

"Powell broke the sand in the vicinity of the nine-meter marker, swung right and burst from the pit thrusting his arms with what seemed righteous anger. Then for 30 seconds he nervously wandered around the infield to await the measurement." -Kenny Moore, September 9, 1991

Packers Fact:
De'Mond Parker gained 113 of his 184 rushing yards as a rookie in a 35-19 victory over the Bears in December of 1999.

Aug. 31:
8/31/1983:
American sprinter Edwin Moses betters his own world record in the 400-meter hurdles at a track meet in Koblenz, West German. Moses is timed in 47.02 seconds, 0.11 seconds faster than his previous standard set three years ago in Milan, Italy. Celebrating his 28th birthday, Moses wins his 85th consecutive 400-meter hurdles event, the longest uninterrupted run of success in track history. He'll extend his streak to 122 races before being beaten in 1987.

Birthdays:
Jim Finks b. 1927
Jean Beliveau b. 1931
Frank Robinson b. 1935
Edwin Moses b. 1955
Hideo Nomo b. 1968

Labels:

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 8/13/2008

8/13/1963:
Dave DeBusschere pitches a six-hit shutout for the Chicago White Sox, blanking Cleveland, 3-0, at Comiskey Park. The tall right-hander allows only six singles and one walk in what proves to be the only shutout and last victory of his brief major league career. Already established as a star forward with the Detroit Pistons in the NBA, DeBusschere will shelve his pitching aspirations after this season and go on to a Hall of Fame career on the hardwood. After six seasons in Detroit, he'll be traded to the New York Knicks and help them win two NBA titles while earning renown for his defensive prowess and steadfast rebounding.

Birthdays:
Ben Hogan b. 1912
Bobby Clarke b. 1949
Betsy King b. 1955
Shayne Corson b. 1966
Jarrod Washburn b. 1974

1969:
Baltimore's Jim Palmer, back from two years of injuries, pitched a no-hitter as the Orioles defeated Oakland, 8-0.

"Oriole righthander Jim Palmer is not even a college graduate, but he sounds like an orthopedist when he discusses arm, hip, back and shoulder injuries. Palmer blithely talks of infraspinatus muscles, Teflon needles, tendonitis and Indacin, because he has come to know them well." -Peter Carry, August 25, 1969

Packers Fact:
Lamar McHan passed for a team leading 8 touchdowns for Vince Lombardi's first team in 1959. He split time with Bart Starr at quarterback until Lombardi settled on Starr as his full-time starter midway through 1960.

GRIPPING FICTION

The giant is Bean, the once diminutive boy who first appeared as Ender Wiggin’s lieutenant in the science fiction classic Ender’s Game. Bean then became the central character in Ender’s Shadow, the beginning of the Shadow series that Card spun off from the Ender novels. Shadow of the Giant is the fourth novel in the series. Bean wants to settle down with his wife, Petra. But he has become too big for the home world and has too many enemies there. Giant is another of Card’s mesmerizing page-turning stories whose characters always grab hold of a reader and don’t let go even after the last page is turned.

SHADOW OF THE GIANT, by Orson Scott Card (Tor Books, 2006)

Labels: ,

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Sports Fact of the Day 8/3-8/12/2008

Aug. 3:
8/3/1982:
Better known for his defensive prowess (eight Gold Gloves), Kansas City Royals second baseman Frank White has his finest game at the plate as K.C. beats Detroit, 6-5, at Royals Stadium. White hits for the cycle including getting the toughest portion of that feat, a triple, in the ninth inning to drive home the winning run. White had a two-run homer in the first inning, a double in the third, an RBI single in the seventh and the game-winning opposite-field three-bagger to end the game off Detroit starter and loser Pat Underwood.

Birthdays:
Lance Alworth b. 1940
Marcel Dionne b. 1951
Rod "Shooter" Beck b. 1968
Troy Glaus b. 1976
Tom Brady b. 1977

Aug. 4:
8/4/1936:
Jesse Owens wins his second gold medal (of an eventual four) at the Olympic Games in Berlin by capturing the broad jump with a leap of over 26 feet. Having already won the 100-meter dash, Owens will also win the 200 meters and be part of the victorious 4 x 100 United States relay team. His brilliance on the track and his dignified demeanor off it greatly help to stanch the palpable unease at this Olympiad, dominated by Adolf Hitler's oppressive Nazi party propaganda.

Birthdays:
Maurice "Rocket" Richard b. 1921
Mary Decker Slaney b. 1958
Roger Clemens b. 1962
Jeff Gordon b. 1971
Eric Milton b. 1975

1985:
The 40-year-old Chicago White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver earned his 300th career victory as the White Sox defeated the Yankees, 4-1, in New York.

"Seaver became the 17th pitcher to reach the 300-win plateau-the 13th righthander, the fourth oldest and the third to have pitched in both leagues. He is the only 300-game winner to have written three books on pitching mechanics and probably the first one able to cite Bernoulli's Law to explain why a fastball rises." -Craig Neff, August 12, 1985

Packers Fact:
Seven different players rushed for more than 100 yards for the Packers' 1944 NFL championship club. Fullback Ted Fritsch led the squad with 322 yards.

Aug. 5:
8/5/1952:
Coming from behind three times in the five-hour game, the New York Giants score twice in the last of the 15th inning to beat their interborough rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 7-6, at the Polo Grounds. Don Mueller's infield single scores Dusty Rhodes to end the lengthy struggle. Each club had homered in the 14th inning-Andy Pafko for Brooklyn and Bob Elliott with a pinch shot to tie it for New York. Gil Hodges' grand-slam homer and eight innings of four-hit relief by Joe Black go for naught for Brooklyn as the Giants delight over 43,000 fans with their last-ditch victory.

Birthdays:
Roman Gabriel b. 1940
Patrick Ewing b. 1962
Otis Thorpe b. 1962
John Olerud b. 1968
Mark Mulder b. 1977

1986:
Philadelphia's lefthander Steve Carlton became the second pitcher in baseball history to fan 4,000 batters when he struck out Cincinnati's Eric Davis during an 11-6 Phillies loss against the Reds.

"Lefty's slider confuses the hitters because it acts like a fastball until the last instant. He probably gets more check-swing strikeouts than any pitcher in baseball history. When batters do swing, they often find themselves chasing a pitch that winds up in the dirt." -Jim Kaplan, July 21, 1980

Packers Fact:
The Packers chose linebacker Wayne Simmons with their top pick (number 15 overall) in the 1993 draft. But they also traded with Dallas to obtain a second first-round selection that year. They chose safety George Teague at number 29.

Aug. 6:
Trying to keep his defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on an even keel and prevent them from resting on their laurels, head coach Bill Belichick warned: "If you live in the past, you die in the present."

Birthdays:
Pauline Betz b. 1919
Clem Labine b. 1926
Dale Ellis b. 1960
Tony Fernandez b. 1962
David Robinson b. 1965

1977:
The horse racing jockey Steve Cauthen won the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga and set a record with his 300th New York win of the year.

"When the gate opened, Nearly On Time, garnished with 103 pounds, including Steve Cauthen skipped to the lead and rolled merrily along. At the top of the stretch Cauthen was five lengths in front, and the remarkable 17-year-old could have ridden backward the rest of the way and still won." -William Leggett, August 15, 1977

Packers Fact:
Irv Comp passed for a team-best 1,159 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Packers' team that won the NFL championship in 1944. The two-way star also tied for the team lead with 6 interceptions.

Aug. 7:
8/7/1999:
Tampa Bay third baseman Wade Boggs becomes the 23rd major leaguer to achieve 3,000 hits and the first to belt a home run to reach the milestone. He connects off Chris Haney of the Indians for only the 188th homer of his career, but the Devil Rays drop a 15-10 slugfest to Cleveland at Tropicana Field. Boggs will get only 10 more hits before retiring with 3,010. He produced seven 200-hit seasons, won five AL batting titles, compiled a .328 lifetime batting average and will earn enshrinement in the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Birthdays:
Don Larson b. 1929
Abebe Bikila b. 1932
Carlos Monzon b. 1942
Alan Page b. 1945
Sidney Crosby b. 1987

1954:
Roger Bannister of Great Britain held off Australia's John Landy to win the mile race at the British Empire Games.

"The duel was the most widely heralded and universally contemplated match footrace of all time. It was also the most ferociously contested of all mile events. In the first showdown between two sub-four-minute milers, Bannister refused to be shaken, and with 90 yards to go he lengthened his plunging stride. He came up shoulder to shoulder, fought for momentum, pulled away to a four-yard lead and ran steadily and stylishly through a deafening clamor to the tape." -Paul O'Neil, August 16, 1954

Packers Fact:
In 1994, the Packers traded with Miami to move up several spots in the first round and take Guard Aaron Taylor, a former Notre Dame offensive lineman with the 16th overall pick.

Aug. 8:
8/8/1982:
Belmont Stakes winner Conquistador Cielo, Eddie Maple up, wins his seventh consecutive race, cruising to victory in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. Cielo carries 128 pounds, 14 more than each of his rivals in the race, but he still wins easily over the mile-and-an-eighth distance. Despite losing his next and last outing two weeks from now in the Travers Stakes, also at Saratoga, Cielo will be named Horse of the Year and earn an Eclipse Award before being retired to stud at Claiborne Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

Birthdays:
Togo Palazzi b. 1932
Frank Howard b. 1936
Ken Dryden b. 1947
Nigel Mansell b. 1953
Roger Federer b. 1981

1988:
The Chicago Cubs played host to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first night game ever played at Wrigley Field. The game got rained out in the third inning.

"Wrigley Field is a Peter Pan of a ballpark. It has never grown up, and it has never grown old. Let the world race on-they'll still be playing day baseball in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field; outfielders will still leap up against he vines, and the Cubs ... well, it's the season of hope." -E.M. Swift, July 7, 1980

Packers Fact:
End Don Hutson amassed an NFL-leading 85 points for the Packers' 1944 NFL champions when he scored 9 touchdowns and kicked 31 extra points. It marked the fifth consecutive year that he was the league's top point man.

Aug. 9:
8/9/1930:
Playing under a mobile light system raised up on cherry pickers, five years before the advent of night baseball in the major leagues, the Homestead Grays defeat the Kansas City Monarchs, 1-0 in 12 innings at Muehlebach Field in Kansas City in a classic Negro Leagues pitching duel. Smokey Joe Williams pitches a one-hitter with 27 strikeouts for the Grays, while Chet Brewer counters by tossing a four-hitter for the Monarchs with 19 K's (including 10 straight at one stretch). The purchase and upkeep of the portable lights was a big financial gamble for Monarchs owner J.L. Wilkinson, but it paid off handsomely with additional bookings and increased revenue during the Great Depression.

Birthdays:
Bob Cousy b. 1928
Rod Laver b. 1938
Brett Hull b. 1964
Deion Sanders b. 1967
Troy Percival b. 1969

1975:
The Saints were 13-7 losers to the Houston Oilers in the first preseason football game played in the New Orleans Superdome.

"Last Sunday night New Orleans opened the gates to its Superdome, and among the early arrivals in the capacity crowd of 72,434 was coach Bum Phillips, whose Houston Oilers were to play the host Saints on the AstroTurf surface the locals are calling Mardi Grass." -Peter Finney, August 18, 1975

Packers Fact:
In 1998, the Packers moved up 10 spots in the first round by trading with Miami. They picked defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday with the 19th overall pick.

Aug. 10:
8/10/1932:
Hometown favorite Buster Crabbe sets a new Olympic record in the 400-meter freestyle swimming finals at Los Angeles. Crabbe's winning time of 4:48.4 is sufficient to hold off Jean Taris of France, who leads for much of the race until Crabbe's strong finishing kick proves decisive in the last 50 meters. All six swimmers in the championship heat of this event better the previous Olympic record of 5:01.6 set by Alberto Zorilla of Argentina at the 1928 Olympiad at Amsterdam.

Birthdays:
Rod Holzman b. 1920
Rocky Colavito b. 1933
John Starks b. 1965
Riddick Bowe b. 1967
Samari Rolle b. 1976

Aug. 11:
8/11/1991:
In only his second major league start and first for the Chicago White Sox, Wilson Alvarez pitches a no-hitter, blanking the Orioles, 7-0, at Baltimore. The left-hander fans seven, allows five walks and benefits from a diving catch by Lance Johnson in the eighth inning to preserve the gem. He also becomes the first pitcher from Venezuela to pitch a no-hitter in the big leagues.

Birthdays:
Bill Monbouquette b. 1936
Vada Pinson b. 1938
Otis Taylor b. 1942
Craig Ehlo b. 1961
Edgardo Alfonzo b. 1973

1991:
Golfing phenom John Daly got to play in the PGA Championship as a last-minute replacement for another golfer, who had dropped out. Daly drove all night, made it to the 1st tee just in time to start play, and won the tournament.

"Daly has been lifted onto the ride of rides, thrown into the celebrity sky by some ultimate athletic catapult. He is the grand overnight sensation [possessing] a quality, a something, that made the most casual golf spectator appreciate his work." -Leigh Montville, September 9, 1991

Packers Fact:
After going 6-5-1 in 1947, the Packers suffered an uncharacteristic drought in which they did not post another winning season until going 7-5 in Vince Lombardi's first year in 1959.

Aug. 12:
8/12/1978:
New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley is paralyzed for life by a vicious but legal hit by Jack "the Assasin" Tatum of the Raiders in a meaningless exhibition game at Oakland. Stretching out for a reception in the center of the field, Stingley is savagely coldcocked by Tatum, whose reputation and nickname were built on a pattern of no-holds-barred play. He crumples to the turf, his spinal cord severed, his career over and his life in ruins. Confined to a wheelchair, he'll eventually return to Purdue, get his degree and create a youth foundation for underprivileged youngsters in Chicago.

Birthdays:
Fred Hutchinson b. 1919
George McGinnis b. 1950
Pete Sampras b. 1971
Antoine Walker b. 1976
Plaxico Burress b. 1977

1984:
Carl Lewis duplicated Jesse Owens's feat by winning a fourth gold medal in track and field at the Los Angeles Summer Games.

"Lewis is so completely in control he's able to let go of himself. In the last 50 meters, when his rivals' muscles begin to bind, Lewis remains relaxed. So total is his relaxation while running, he says, he makes sure he goes to the bathroom before each race." -Gary Smith, July 18, 1984

Packers Fact:
In 2001, the Packers moved up in the first round by swapping first-round draft choices with the Seahawks and obtaining a third-rounder, too. Quarterback Matt Hasselback also moved from Green Bay to Seattle in the deal.

Labels:

Book Rec of the Day 8/3-8/12/2008

ADDAMS FAMILY

Just when you thought you’d lost the old family recipe for Mushrooms Fester and Hearts Stuffed, here is a delightful “kookbook,” put together posthumously from the works of legendary New Yorker cartoonist and wizard of the weird Charles Addams. Half-Baked is based on a project Addams had in the works in the 1960s, and the recipes—dandelion beer, reindeer rice curry, the children’s curative “influenza punch,” the intriguing “transparent pie”—can actually be followed.

CHAS ADDAMS HALF-BAKED COOKBOOK: CULINARY CARTOONS FOR THE HUMOROUSLY FAMISHED, by Charles Addams; foreword by Allen Weiss (Simon & Schuster, 2005)

YOU GOTTA LAUGH

Have you ever noticed that there are no official U.S. holidays in August? Ellie Bishop did, and she’s here to save the sick day, just in time to squeeze in one last trip to the beach or mountains or golf course before September sets in. Her invaluable tips will not only make your excuses sound completely plausible but may elicit real sympathy from your higher-up—and even have him or her trying to persuade you to take another day off.

THE SICK DAY HANDBOOK: STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR FAKING IT, by Ellie Bishop (Conari Press, 2006)

BEACH READ

It’s chick lit by a guy, and that’s only the first surprise. Entertainment lawyer Cassandra French has some very familiar complaints: a boring job, the beginnings of love handles, and many failed love affairs. How does she take action? By anesthetizing three former boyfriends and dragging them down to the basement for some etiquette lessons, Cassandra French style. The plan to release three perfect gentlemen into the world is going marvelously until a fourth beau is murdered, and even Cassandra can’t keep things under control.

CASSANDRA FRENCH’S FINISHING SCHOOL FOR BOYS: A NOVEL, by Eric Garcia (ReganBooks, 2004)

DR. STRANGELOVE

“Curiosity will impel even [Teller’s] harshest critics into these memoirs, where both his powerful intellect and his imperious ego are on full display.”—Booklist

The “father of the hydrogen bomb” tells his version of a long, complicated story: his life. Teller, a preeminent physicist, founded the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. He advised President Reagan concerning the “Star Wars” antimissile defense shield. And, in one of the more dramatic and notorious chapters of his life, he testified against J. Robert Oppenheimer in the 1954 hearings that eventually led to the revocation of Oppenheimer’s security clearance.

MEMOIRS: A TWENTIETH-CENTURY JOURNEY IN SCIENCE AND POLITICS, by Edward Teller with Judith Shoolery (Perseus Books, 2002)

Epitaph is the darkly satirical memoir of Bras Cubas, a well-to-do Brazilian who more or less squandered his life and died of pneumonia in 1869. Machado de Assis’s method and themes foreshadow much 20th-century literature, from Borges to Calvino to García Márquez. It’s a smart, lean little novel with a remarkably pithy and mordant style. If you have never read Brazil’s greatest novelist, start with this. Epitaph of a Small Winner has also been translated by Gregory Rabassa under the title Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, published in 1997 by Oxford University Press.

EPITAPH OF A SMALL WINNER, by Joaquim Machado de Assis; translated by William L. Grossman; foreword by Susan Sontag (1881; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1990)

ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY

Rusesabagina, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Civil Rights Museum’s 2005 Freedom Award, is the hotel owner depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda. During the 100 or so days in 1994 when some 800,000 people were slaughtered while civil war raged in Rwanda between the Hutus and the Tutsis, Rusesabagina was able to appeal to the “soft side” that he says resides in even the darkest individual and save 1,268 people in his hotel, the Milles Collines. Even for those who think they know the story or have seen the movie, Rusesabagina’s own telling has the force of deeds behind the deceptively simple words, and the combination is devastatingly powerful.

AN ORDINARY MAN, by Paul Rusesabagina and Tom Zoellner (Viking, 2006)

FAMILY QUARRELS

In his first book, The Preservationist, David Maine fleshed out the story of Noah and the Ark. In Fallen he uses his prodigious imagination to show us the lives, times, spats, quarrels, and family crises of Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel. The story moves backward from Cain’s old age to the murder of his brother and ultimately to the moment when the first mother and father find themselves standing outside the gates of Eden. Maine is brilliant in creating living, breathing characters out of the spare but elegant sketches that the Bible provides.

FALLEN, by David Maine (St. Martin’s Press, 2005)

SMALL GLORIES

Paper clips, Post-it Notes, Q-tips, Frisbees, pasta, the ice-cream cone—we take them all for granted. They almost seem a part of nature. And that’s why Paola Antonelli, curator in the department of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art, has singled them out, showing us not only the design we generally overlook but also using these elegant and utilitarian objects to illustrate what great design should aspire to be. The book is illustrated by gorgeous photographs.

HUMBLE MASTERPIECES: EVERYDAY MARVELS OF DESIGN, by Paola Antonelli; photographs by Francesco Mosto (ReganBooks, 2005)

“Once again, the . . . imaginative Roberts deftly imbues a deliciously subtle sense of menace into a chilling and thrilling plot.”—Booklist

In a valley of the spectacular Grand Tetons, a young woman witnesses a murder through her binoculars. No one else sees the crime, however, and there is no sign that it actually happened. Is she crazy? Or is she in line to be the next victim? Bestselling author Nora Roberts enthralls her readers with another absorbing blend of romance and suspense.

ANGELS FALL, by Nora Roberts (Putnam, 2006)

THE AMERICAN DREAM

In 1920, Charles Ponzi adopted a small-potatoes con game known as the “rob Peter to pay Paul” scam. Under Ponzi’s inspired direction, it became a $2-million-a-week operation with a large staff. His customers included members of the Boston police and many other upstanding citizens. Ponzi is portrayed here as a charming, likable immigrant pursuing the American dream just like everyone else. Zuckoff nicely contrasts his story with that of Richard Grozier, the Boston Post editor who eventually exposed Charles Ponzi and his impossible scheme.

PONZI’S SCHEME: THE TRUE STORY OF A FINANCIAL LEGEND, by Mitchell Zuckoff (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006)

Labels: