2008 reads

I read 62 books this year.

I read 21,878 pages this year.

I read 19 different genres this year (though a couple are really subgenres of the bigger genre).

DEMON IN MY VIEW - C
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
5/2000
Fantasy/YA/C

IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT - C
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
5/1999
Fantasy/YA/C/H/W/WW

BLOOD BOUND - A
Patricia Briggs
2/2007
Fantasy/C/WW-First person

IRON KISSED - A
Patricia Briggs
1/2008
Fantasy/C/WW

MOON CALLED - A
Patricia Briggs
2/2006
Fantasy/C/WW-First person

BLOOD RITES - A
Jim Butcher
8/2004
Horror/C/F/PI

DEAD BEAT - A
Jim Butcher
5/2005
Horror/C/F/PI

DEATH MASKS - A
Jim Butcher
8/2003
Horror/C/F/PI

FOOL MOON - A
Jim Butcher
1/2001
Horror/C/F/W/WW/PI

GRAVE PERIL - B+
Jim Butcher
9/2001
Horror/C/F/Gh/W/PI

PROVEN GUILTY - A
Jim Butcher
5/2006
Horror/C/F/PI

STORM FRONT - A
Jim Butcher
4/2000
Horror/C/F/W/PI

SUMMER KNIGHT - A
Jim Butcher
9/2002
Horror/C/F/PI

TOUCH THE DARK - C
Karen Chance
6/2006
Horror/C/V-First person

THE KILLING FLOOR - B
Lee Child
2/1997
Mys/C

THE PHANTOM RETURNS - C
Stefanie Cole
2007
Rom/H-Edwardian

FREE FALL - A
Robert Crais
5/1993
Mys/C/PI

LULLABY TOWN - A
Robert Crais
3/1992
Mys/C/PI

THE MONKEY's RAINCOAT - A
Robert Crais
7/1987
Mys/C/PI

STALKING THE ANGEL - A
Robert Crais
9/1989
Mys/C/PI

SUNSET EXPRESS - A
Robert Crais
4/1996
Mys/C/PI

VOODOO RIVER - A
Robert Crais
6/1995
Mys/C/PI

UNDEAD AND UNWED - B+
MaryJanice Davidson
3/2004
Rom/C/V

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit - A
Douglas/Olshaker
8/1996
True Crime

NINE MONTHS' NOTICE - C
Michele Dunaway
4/2007
Rom/C

DEADLY THRILLS: The True Story of Chicago's Most Shocking Killers - A
Jaye Slade Fletcher
9/1995
True Crime

UNMASQUED - F (unfinished)
Colette Gale
8/2007
Ero/Rom/H-Victorian

DANSE MACABRE - B
Laurell K. Hamilton
7/2006
Horror/C/V/WW-First person

INCUBUS DREAMS - A
Laurell K. Hamilton
10/2004
Horror/C/V/WW-First person

MICAH - A
Laurell K. Hamilton
2/2006
Horror/C/V/WW-First person

ALL TOGETHER DEAD - A
Charlaine Harris
5/2007
Horror/Mys/C/V

CLUB DEAD - A
Charlaine Harris
5/2003
Horror/Mys/C/V

DEAD AS A DOORNAIL - A
Charlaine Harris
5/2005
Horror/Mys/C/V/WW-First person

DEAD TO THE WORLD - A
Charlaine Harris
5/2004
Horror/Mys/C/V

DEFINITELY DEAD - A
Charlaine Harris
5/2006
Horror/Mys/C/V

»» FAIRY DUST - B
Charlaine Harris
10/2004
ShrtStory/Horror/Mys/C/V

GRAVE SIGHT - A
Charlaine Harris
10/2005
Mys/C/Gh-First person

LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS - A
Charlaine Harris
4/2002
Horror/Mys/C/V

»» ONE WORD ANSWER - B
Charlaine Harris
2/2005
ShrtStory/Horror/Mys/C/V

REAL MURDERS - C
Charlaine Harris
12/1990
Mys/C/Amateur

WHERE TRUTH LIES - B
Christiane Heggan
9/2006
Rom/C/S

MARRYING AN OLDER MAN - C
Arlene James
3/1999
Rom/C

BIG TROUBLE - B
Marianna Jameson
5/2006
Rom/C

PHANTOM - A
Susan Kay
5/1991
Rom/H/S

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - A
Gaston Leroux
1910
Horror/H-Edwardian

NEW MOON - B
Stephenie Meyer
5/2008
Horror/Rom/YA/C/V

TWILIGHT - C
Stephenie Meyer
10/2005
Horror/Rom/YA/C/V

HOMETOWN CINDERELLA - B
Victoria Pade
1/2007
Rom/C

BITTEN AND SMITTEN - B
Michelle Rowen
1/2006
Rom/C/V-First person

THE LURE OF THE WOLF - C
Jennifer St. Giles
8/2007
Rom/C/WW

TOUCH A DARK WOLF - B
Jennifer St. Giles
9/2006
Rom/C/WW

SEX AS A SECOND LANGUAGE - C
Jamie Sobrato
4/2007
Rom/C

HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE - A
Kerrelyn Sparks
8/2005
Rom/C/V

KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR - C
Carrie Vaughn
11/2005
Fantasy/C/WW-First person

KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON - C
Carrie Vaughn
7/2006
Fantasy/C/WW-First person

KITTY TAKES A HOLIDAY - C
Carrie Vaughn
4/2007
Fantasy/C/WW-First person

DARK LOVER - B
J.R. Ward
9/2005
Rom/C/V

LOVER AWAKENED - B
J.R. Ward
9/2006
Rom/C/V

LOVER ETERNAL - B
J.R. Ward
3/2006
Rom/C/V

LOVER REVEALED - B
J.R. Ward
3/2007
Rom/C/V

LOVER UNBOUND - B
J.R. Ward
10/2007
Rom/C/V

THE SECRET WIFE - B
Carrie Weaver
5/2005
Rom/C

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/31/2008

12/31/1988:
In an NFL divisional playoff game bedeviled by a thick fog rolling in off Lake Michigan, the Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-12, despite extremely poor visibility in the second half for the players, fans in the stands and TV viewers. The Bears' defense holds Philadelphia to four field goals, even though the Eagles reached the Chicago 25-yard line nine times during the bizarre game, quickly dubbed "the Fog Bowl." Since following the game from the press box is almost impossible, league officials with walkie-talkies are enlisted to provide details of the on-field action to reporters and statisticians, positioned high above the shrouded gridiron.

Birthdays:
Hugh McElhenny b. 1928
Don James b. 1932
Rick Aguilera b. 1961
Brent Barry b. 1971
Esteban Loaiza b. 1971

1961:
The Green Bay Packers routed the New York Giants, 37-0, in the NFL Championship Game. Green Bay's Paul Hornung, on leave from the Army, scored 19 points in the victory.

"Hornung is a stubborn, inventive runner; he is a sure-handed pass catcher; he may be the most effective blocking back in the league, and he is an accurate long-distance field goal kicker. But more than any of these indisputable gifts that made him the NFL's most valuable player this year, Hornung has the quality of inspiring a team by his very presence." -Tex Maule, January 8, 1962

Packers Fact:
Arnie Herber was a Green Bay native who teamed with Don Hutson to form the NFL's top passing combo in the 1930s. Herber was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

A BOOK FOR BOOK LOVERS

Just about anyone who has had anything to say on the subject of book love has been included, from Petrarch to Erasmus to Robertson Davies to Anna Quindlen, with a lot of writers in between. There are also some great lists, such as the “Ten Best-Selling Books Rejected by Publishers Twenty Times or More.” And knowing the book will merely whet the appetite for more, the editors have included a “Bibliobibliography.” Reader, this book is for you.

A PASSION FOR BOOKS: A BOOK LOVER’S TREASURY OF STORIES, ESSAYS, HUMOR, LOVE AND LISTS ON COLLECTING, READING, BORROWING, LENDING, CARING FOR, AND APPRECIATING BOOKS, edited by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan; foreword by Ray Bradbury (Three Rivers Press, 2001)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/30/2008

12/30/1953:
Lew Hoad outlasts Tony Trabert of Cincinnati in the fifth set, 7-5, at Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne, deadlocking the Davis Cup final between Australia and the United States at two matches each. Most of the match is played in a misting rain, causing both players to wear spikes for better traction on the slippery grass surface. With much of their service power negated by the soggy conditions, the match evolves into a pitched battle just to keep the ball in play. Hoad's triumph, breaking Trabert at love in the final game of the match, positions Australia to retain the Davis Cup tomorrow when Ken Rosewall beats Vic Seixas.

Birthdays:
Sandy Koufax b. 1935
Kerry Collins b. 1972
Tiger Woods b. 1975
Kenyon Martin b. 1977
LeBron James b. 1984

1936:
The Stanford basketball team upset Long Island University, 45-31, and snapped Long Island's 45-game winning streak. The Stanford star Hank Luisetti scored a game-high 15 points.

"He set up most of his team's play with electifying dribbling and passing. But his real contribution was his shooting. Instead of setting himself for the obligatory two-hander, Luisetti pushed the ball softly toward the basket with one hand while on the run. To everyone's surprise, the ball usually went in." -Les Woodcock, December 9, 1957

Packers Fact:
Zeke Bratkowski was Bart Starr's backup quarterback during the championship seasons of 1965, 1966, and 1967.

THE BIRD MAN

The bastard son of a French naval officer and a chambermaid, Audubon came to America in 1803 to avoid being drafted into Napoleon’s army. Here he met his wife, Lucy, and began the career that would make his name synonymous with birds and wildlife. Rhodes’s depiction of the vicissitudes of Audubon’s career and life, the story of his wife’s keeping the family alive and intact while Audubon was away for years at a time, are compellingly told. An engrossing portrait of a true American original.

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN, by Richard Rhodes (Vintage, 2006)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/29/2008

12/29/1992:
In a quantum leap forward for its football program, Fresno State beats the big kids on their block, the USC Trojans, 24-7, in the Freedom Bowl at Anaheim. Coached by Jim Sweeney and looking to upgrade their gridiron cachet against a Pac-10 power, the Bulldogs (9-4), the nation's highest-scoring team at 40.7 ppg, present a staunch defense by allowing fewer than 200 yards total offense to their nationally renowned West Coast rivals. Leading 10-7 late in the game, FSU scores twice on runs by Anthony Daigle and Ron Rivers to clinch the biggest win in school history.

Birthdays:
Ray Nitschke b. 1936
Mike Lucci b. 1939
Laffit Pincay Jr. b. 1946
Richie Sexson b. 1974
Laveranues Coles b. 1977

1990:
The Soviet chess master Anatoly karpov forced the reigning champion Gary Kasparov to withdraw from their World Chess Championship match after just 29 moves.

"Karpov's tenacity has thrown Kasparov into fits of frustration, consternation and puzzlement. The champ wanted to blow Karpov off the board, but whenever Kasparov looked to shoot out ahead, Karpov tightened his defenses." -Franz Lida, December 24, 1990

Packers Fact:
Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback Tony Canadeo served the Packers' organization longer than anyone else in history (59 years). That includes his playing career (1941-44, 1946-1952) and stints on the franchise's executive committee and board of directors.


PRIZE WINNER
At the center of this sweeping 80-year saga of an immigrant Greek-American family is Cal Stephanides, called Callie during his/her first 14 years, a hermaphrodite grandchild of an incestuous brother and sister. But it isn’t the weirdness factor that impresses. It’s the author’s exceptional command of language and narrative that makes the reader want the book never to end. In 2003, Eugenides won the Pulitzer Prize for Middlesex.

MIDDLESEX, by Jeffrey Eugenides (Picador USA, 2003)

apckrfan's NFL picks: Week 17

Sun, Dec. 28:
STL @ ATL - Atlanta
JAC @ BAL - Baltimore
NE @ BUF - Buffalo (ugh, I think I'm probably wrong on this one, but eh)
KC @ CIN - Kansas City
DET @ GB - Green Bay (heh, I sure hope the Packers pull this one out!)
CHI @ HOU - Chicago
TEN @ IND - Indianapolis
NYG @ MIN - NY Giants
CAR @ NO - Carolina
MIA @ NYJ - NY Jets (another ugh here)
DAL @ PHI - Philadelphia
CLE @ PIT - Pittsburgh
OAK @ TB - Tampa Bay
SEA @ ARI - Arizona
DEN @ SD - San Diego
WAS @ SF - San Francisco

Sports Fact of the Day 12/25-12/28/2008

Dec. 25:

Speaking before an assemblage of New York Giants from the team's halcyon days of yore, Frank Gifford paid modern-day star Tiki Barber a huge compliment with just a few words: "He's one of us."

Birthdays:
Nellie Fox b. 1927
Lefty Driesell b. 1931
Ken Stabler b. 1945
Larry Csonka b. 1946
Rickey Henderson b. 1958

1971:
The Miami Dolphins beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24, in their AFC divisional playoff game. The game-the longest game in NFL history-was decided after 22 minutes, 40 seconds of overtime when Miami kicker Garo Yepremian booted a field goal.

"The game had gone from a slug-colored unseasonably warm Missouri afternoon through nightfall. It had been played both crisply and sloppily, with consummate skill and heartbreaking error. It had been dull and heavy, and then exquisitely exciting." -John Underwood, January 3, 1972

Packers Fact:
Kicker Don Chandler was the top scorer for each of the Packers' Super Bowl champions in 1966 and 1967.

Dec. 26:
12/26/1991:
After falling behind 6-1, the New York Rangers score seven unanswered goals and beat Washington, 8-6, at the Capital Centre. John Ogrodnick scores at 19:59 of the first period to make it 6-2 and the Rangers unleash 31 shots on goal during the last two periods in their furious rally while the Caps manage only 7 shots in return. Eight different Rangers score goals and John Vanbiesbrouch is perfect over the final 40 minutes after Mike Richter surrenders all six Washington goals in the opening stanza, including a hat trick by Michal Pivonka. The Rangers' victory not only draws them even with the Caps on the season at 24-12-1, but also deadlocks their all-time lifetime record (since 1974) at 45-45-14.

Birthdays:
Bill Yeoman b. 1927
Norm Ullman b. 1935
Carlton Fisk b. 1947
Susan Butcher b. 1954
Ozzie Smith b. 1954

1954:
Quarterback Otto Graham led the Cleveland Browns to a convincing 56-10 triumph over the Detroit Lions in the NFL championship game.

"He passed for three touchdowns, ran to three more, pitched out to another. He did it by himself and with the help of a Cleveland line that picked up his inspired tempo and on crucial plays tore apart the Detroit line as if it had been made of wet paper." -Martin Kane, January 3, 1955

Packers Fact:
Halfback Tony Canadeo was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 1974. He was the first 1,000-yard rusher in Packers' history (1,052 yards in 1949).

Dec. 27:
12/27/1971:
Sophomore halfback Woody Green scores his third touchdown of the game on a two-yard run with 34 seconds left to give Arizona State a 45-38 victory over Florida State in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl at Tempe, Arizona. The powerful Sun Devils, coached by Frank Kush, will win four of the first five Fiesta Bowls, going 46-4 in those four seasons (1971, '72, '73 and '75) but are routinely overlooked and underranked in the wire-service polls. Over time, the Fiesta Bowl will grow in stature and eventually supersede the Cotton Bowl as one of the four major New Year's Day bowl games.

Birthdays:
Nolan Richardson b. 1941
Roy White b. 1943
Andre Tippett b. 1959
Jim Leyritz b. 1963
Deuce McAllister b. 1978

1958:
The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants in Yankee Stadium and won the NFL championship in what is referred to as "The Greatest Game Ever Played."

"Baltimore won the first sudden-death game in National Football League history when fullback Alan Ameche plunged across from the one-yard line on third down, 8:15 into overtime. Colt supporters piled on the jubilant Ameche in a hysterical frenzy. The home crowd sat stunned." -Ron Fimrite, January 26, 1987

Curly Lambeau led the Packers to the more NFL championships than Vince Lombardi. Green Bay won six titles in his 29 seasons as coach, the Packers won five championships in nine seasons under Lombardi.

Dec. 28:
12/28/1979:
Toronto hockey fans are stunned when right winger Lanny McDonald is traded to the Colorado Rockies after falling out of vaor with Maple Leafs general manager Punch Imlach despite three straight 40-goal seasons. Not only will McDonald score another 281 goals over the next decade for Colorado before joining the Calgary Flames, finishing with an even 500 goals lifetime, but he'll continue to enjoy league-wide adulation as one of the NHL's most popular players.

Birthdays:
Steve VanBuren b. 1920
Terry Sawchuk b. 1929
Ray Knight b. 1952
Ray Bourque b. 1960
Benny Agbayani b. 1971

Book Rec of the Day 12/25-12/28/2008

THE NEW CHRISTMAS CLASSIC

There’s Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales, and a host of others. We love them. We read them to our children. Then we put the children to bed, go downstairs, and take out Holidays on Ice and have a Christmas reading for the adults. Rib-achingly funny, it should be a Yuletide tradition.

HOLIDAYS ON ICE: STORIES, by David Sedaris (Back Bay Books, 1998)

CRITICS RAVE
“A thoroughly original tale . . . wonderfully engaging, wonderfully observed . . . that rare thing: a novel that is as affecting as it is entertaining, as provocative as it is humane.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

The families of two academic rivals are forced to deal with each other when the son of one falls in love with the daughter of the other. Smith’s third novel is a lively, smart, and witty exploration of class, race, and gender built on what she calls the “classy old frame” of E. M. Forster’s Howard’s End.

ON BEAUTY, by Zadie Smith (Penguin, 2005)

KILLER FICTION
Harry Bosch, leaving retirement to return to the LAPD, is assigned to the Open Unsolved Unit. His first case is that of a teenage girl murdered 17 years ago. She was the daughter of a mixed-race marriage, and new DNA testing of blood on the murder weapon points to a hate crime. Other evidence suggests a cover-up in the department. Connelly, a master of the police procedural, has given us another first-rate specimen of the genre.

THE CLOSERS, by Michael Connelly (Warner Books, 2006)

FAMILY OF STRANGERS

“A novel whose addictive embrace continues after the last page has been turned.”—Publishers Weekly

A year after the death of their mother, the siblings of the Cohen family find that their eldest sister has gone missing. While their father has an affair with a “tart,” his adult children try to cope. One gets married, one looks after a sister who is mentally unstable, and the only brother wastes his life on gambling, drink, and women. From the 1920s to the 1950s the saga of this family, “the most familiar of strangers,” unfolds—discerningly and luminously written.

THE FIRST DESIRE, by Nancy Reisman (Anchor, 2005)

Sports Fact of the Day 12/20-12/24/2008

(The things I've found online indicate the Charminade/Virginia game occurred 12/23, but I typed these as I got them so ...)

Dec. 20-21:
12/20/2003:
Wake Forest outlasts North Carolina, 119-114, in triple overtime at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill. Eric Williams leads the Demon Deacons with 24 points and scores a basket and two key free throws in the third OT to clinch the victory. Wake Forest gains the upper hand when Tar Heels center Sean May fouls out in the third extra session, opening up the lane for the Deacons to operate more freely. The game marks the ACC debut for new North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, who left Kansas after 15 years to accept the position, and the 119 points allowed by the Tar Heels establish a new UNC record.

Birthdays:
bob Hayes b. 1942
Bill Clement b. 1950
Trent Tucker b. 1959
Rich Gannon b. 1965
Aubrey Huff b. 1976

1954:
Tennis superstar Chris Evert was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"She grew up down the block from practically all of us - if Chris Evert is not the essential girl next door, you must have lived by a vacant lot. ... She is soft, simple, periwinkles and heather; a composite of Sandra Dee, the Carpenters and, yes, apple pie." -Curry Kirkpatrick, August 30, 1976

Packers Fact:
Fullback Jim Taylor was the top pass catcher for the Packers' team that won Super Bowl I in the 1966 season. He had 41 receptions.

12/21/1963:
Junior forward Bill Bradley pours in 47 points to lead Princeton to a 90-87 overtime victory over Wisconsin in the consolation round of the Kentucky Invitational Holiday Tournament in Lexington. With only one other Princeton player scoring in double figures, Bradly single-handedly leads the Ivy League Tigers over the Big Ten Badgers while setting new tournament scoring records for a single game and two games (77), surpassing marks established by Jerry West of West Virginia in 1959.

Birthdays:
Joe Paterno b. 1926
Chris Evert b. 1954
Florence Griffith Joyner b. 1959
Mike Alstott b. 1973
Karrie Webb b. 1974

Dec. 22:
12/22/1974:
Phil Esposito scores the 500th goal of his career as the Bruins beat Detroit, 5-4, at Boston Garden. Esposito, an immovable force in the slot since his acquisition from Chicago, scores twice on assists by Carol Vadnais to become the sixth player to reach the milestone. He'll win five scoring titles and two MVP awards with Boston, posting an awesome cumulative stat line of 717-873-1,590 in 18 NHL seasons.

Birthdays:
Steve Carlton b. 1944
Steve Garvey b. 1948
Ray Guy b. 1949
Jan Stephenson b. 1951
Ron Greschner b. 1954

1974:
The Boston Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-4, and Bruins center Phil Esposito scored the 500th goal of his National Hockey League career.

"The slot is like Central Park after dark. When Esposito stands in that zone for more than one second, he fully expects to stop the butt end of an opponent's stick with his stomach, catch a few fists in his face, get stick-whipped around the ankles." -Mark Mulvoy, April 22, 1974

Packers Fact:
Fullback Jim Taylor ran for more than 1,000 yards five consecutive years from 1960 to 1964, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dec. 23:
12/23/1982:
It's supposed to be a quick stopover in paradise but instead produces one of college basektball's greaest surprises when top-ranked and unbeaten Virginia, with 7'4" All-American Ralph Sampson, is upset by NAIA member Chaminade, 77-72, in Honolulu. Sophomore center Tony Randolph outscores Sampson, 19-12, and excellent free-throw shooting in the closing moments by the Silverswords enables Chaminads to hold on for the victory. Virginia was returning to the mainland after a tournament in Tokyo, which may have caused a measure of jet lag that impaired their shooting from the floor, but Chaminade played with assurance and simply took the game away from the shocked Cavaliers.

Birthdays:
Dick Weber b. 1929
Paul Hornung b. 1935
Jack Ham b. 1948
Jim Harbaugh b. 1963
Brad Lidge b. 1976

1972:
The Pittsburgh Steelers trailed the Oakland Raiders, 7-6, with 22 seconds remaining in their AFC playoff game when Franco Harris made "The Immaculate Reception" for a miraculous Pittsburgh victory.

"How can anyone insinuate that the Steelers were anything less than deserving of the now-famous Franco Harris miracle, the Terry Bradshaw fourth-down pass that ricocheted from the shoulder of Oakland defensive back Jack Tatum to be gobbled up on a shoestring catch by Franco?" -Myron Cope, August 20, 1973

Packers Fact:
Wide receiver Boyd Dowler was the top pass catcher for the Packers' Super Bowl champs in 1967. He had 54 receptions.

Dec. 24:
12/24/1961:
In an intense defensive struggle that produces a mere 13 points juxtaposed against 12 turnovers by the two teams, the Houston Oilers win their second straight AFL championship with a 10-3 win over the San Diego Chargers at Balboa Stadium. George Blanda connects with Billy Cannon for a 35-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and adds a 46-yard field goal to account for all of the Houston scoring. After picking off 49 opposition passes in the regular season, the Chargers intercept Blanda six times, only to cough up five turnovers of their own as they lose the championship game to Houston for the second straight year of the new league's short history.

Birthdays:
Bill Dudley b. 1921
Mel Triplett b. 1931
Paul Preessey b. 1958
Winston Moss b. 1965
Kevin Millwood b. 1974

1982:
Tiny Chaminade University upset the No. 1-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, 77-72, in one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.

"Until recently, Charminade University was beset known, if it was known at all, as the little NAIA school in Honolulu that gave NCAA Division I powers a chance to burnish their suntans, egos and won-lost records on quick trips away from the mainland winter. But that reputation changed forever." -Happy Fine, January 10, 1983

Packers Fact:
Cornerback Herb Adderley (1961 to 1969) ran back 7 of his 48 career interceptions (39 of which came for the Packers) for touchdowns.

Book Rec of the Day 12/20-12/24/2008

EVER GREAT
“Auntie Mame is a unique literary achievement—a brilliant novel disguised as a lightweight piece of fluff.”—Robert Plunket, author of Love Junkie

It made a great movie and a hugely entertaining Broadway musical, but it’s in Patrick Dennis’s book that you’ll find Auntie Mame, the American grande dame, in all her sparkling, potent, witty glory. There’s also material that never made it into the other versions, such as the affair with the college student and what finally became of Agnes Gooch.

AUNTIE MAME, by Patrick Dennis (1955; Broadway, 2001)

WAR OF THE SEXES

As former staffers for the hit show Sex and the City, the authors know what they’re talking about when it comes to men. This book may be a lighthearted, funny look at the way men miscue women (and the tendency in women to want to be miscued), but the advice it gives is sensible: Men aren’t that complicated. If he likes you, you’ll know it; and if he doesn’t, don’t waste your precious time on him. With worksheets and questions at the end of each chapter to make sure the lessons take.

HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU: THE NO-EXCUSES TRUTH TO UNDERSTANDING GUYS, by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight, 2004)

PEANUTS!

Lucy, Schroeder, and Linus started out in the strip as babies, and Snoopy was once a mere puppy. As time went by, they grew into the characters we all came to know. It’s in this first collection of an ongoing project to reprint the entire Peanuts comic strip that we observe Schulz refining his ideas and developing his extraordinarily enduring characters.

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1950-1952, by Charles Schulz; introduction by Garrison Keillor (Fantagraphic Books, 2004)

POET LAUREATE

“Ted Kooser is a poet whose company will always be welcome, whether in Nebraska or in East Anglia.”—The Hudson Review

A Nebraskan, Pulitzer Prize winner, and poet laureate of the United States from 2004 to 2006, Ted Kooser writes poems of small moment (a family in the kitchen during winter’s first snow, a sleeping cat, a farmer turning on his yard light) and great heart. Flying at Night is a collection from two earlier books, Sure Signs and One World at a Time.

FLYING AT NIGHT: POEMS, by Ted Kooser (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005)

WAR IS HELL

“The poignancy of these moments is accentuated by our knowledge that the slaughter will resume in a few hours.”—Booklist (starred review)

Weintraub paints the bloody picture of the first months of the “war to end all wars.” But on Christmas Eve 1914, a sort of miracle occurred: The men in the trenches spontaneously, and against orders, signaled a cease-fire by singing “Silent Night/Stille Nacht.” The fighting stopped and, warily at first, then with spirit, the men exchanged gifts of food, shared photographs from home, and started a soccer game.

SILENT NIGHT: THE STORY OF THE WORLD WAR I CHRISTMAS TRUCE, by Stanley Weintraub (Plume, 2002)

A Disappointing Read...

I've read thousands of books to this point in my life. I've never stopped reading a book. There has been a time or two that I've shifted a book to my car, which are the books that take me a long time to read as I read them in doctor waiting rooms, at traffic lights, or what have you (not so much need for traffic light reading here in Fargo, but in Chicago & Orlando a book came in handy in traffic).

Anyway, I have stopped reading a book this weekend. UNMASQUED by Colette Gale (a pseudonym of some author). It's billed as An erotic novel of The Phantom of the Opera. I have no problem with erotica, but this book just got to the point where it was so ridiculous - everyone was having sex with everyone and if they weren't they were thinking about it or trying it. I read the last page to ensure Christine & Erik ended up together, but I stopped reading it. I'm no prude (hell, I admit to reading (and writing) canon Claire/Peter from Heroes fan fiction), but I don't like my people once they're together to be with other people, particularly the women and particularly in historical settings. Tear them apart, but once they've done the deed I just don't like seeing that cast aside as if it meant nothing.

I picked it up, looking forward to something somewhat different in the Phantom of the Opera story, and I have to say I was sadly disappointed by it.

What a waste of my time and my money. And, I don't think I've ever, ever said that about a book before in my life. Ever.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/19/2008

12/19/1976:
Only 15 minutes after the Pittsburgh Steelers rout the Colts, 40-14, in an AFC playoff game at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, a single-engine plane stalls, loses altitude and crashes into the upper deck, injuring the pilot, the plane's only occupant. Fortunately, the stadium had quickly emptied out after the one-sided game. The pilot, Donald Croner, had a history of erratic flying, psychiatric problems and brushes with the law. After his release from the hospital, he'll be arrested and charged with reckless flying. Damage to the stadium is minimal, and the plane will be airlifted out by a helicopter tomorrow.

Birthdays:
Al Kaline b. 1934
Kevin McHale b. 1957
Reggie White b. 1961
Warren Sapp b. 1972
Jake Plummer b. 1974

1993:
Table tennis player Jim Butler won the men's singles national championship.

"At 6-foot, 4-inches and 170 pounds, he's tall and bony, not short and wiry. He relies on quick hands and long arms, not foot speed. And he prefers backhands to forehands. During rallies he waves his arms furiously, and he takes giant, high-stepping strides with his scrawny legs. Imagine Ichabod Crane wielding a paddle." -Joe Bower, June 3, 1996

Packers Fact:
Tackle Forrest Gregg played for the Packers in Super Bowls I and II. Later, he coached the Cincinnati Bengals to a berth in Super Bowl XVI.

NEEDLES AND HOOKS

Stoller has brought knitting and crocheting into the 21st century with her sassy, hip guides to the world of yarn. The books are full of information on everything from types of needles and hooks, yarn, and even sheep, to methods for fixing mistakes and how to start your own Stitch ’n Bitch circle, all cast in a breezy, stylish delivery and accompanied by extensive photos and illustrations.

STITCH ’N BITCH (2003); STITCH ’N BITCH NATION (2004); STITCH ’N BITCH CROCHET: THE HAPPY HOOKER (2006), by Debbie Stoller (Workman)

apckrfan's NFL picks: Week 16

Thu., Dec. 18:
IND @ JAC - Indianapolis

Sat., Dec. 20:
BAL @ DAL - Dallas

Sun., Dec. 21:
CIN @ CLE - Cleveland
NO @ DET - New Orleans
MIA @ KC - Miami (though I hope KC pulls it off)
ATL @ MIN - Minnesota
ARI @ NE - New England
CAR @ NYG - NY Giants
SF @ STL - San Francisco
PIT @ TEN - Pittsburgh
PHI @ WAS - Washington
BUF @ DEN - Denver
HOU @ OAK - Houston
NYJ @ SEA - NY Jets
SD @ TB - Tampa Bay

Mon., Dec. 22:
GB @ CHI - Chicago (sadly)

Sports Fact of the Day 12/15-12/18/2008

Dec. 15:
12/15/1979:
Brigham Young defeats LaSalle, 108-106, in triple overtime to win its own Cougar Classic tournament in Provo, Utah. Michael Brooks of the Explorers is brilliant in defeat, scoring a school record (since broken) 51 points. Completing his career this season at LaSalle, Brooks will pass Tom Gola to become the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,628 points (since broken). He not only averages a double-double for each of his four seasons at LaSalle but averages 20 or more pointsw per game each year as well with career norms of 23.1 ppg and 12.8 rpg.

Birthdays:
Joe Walton b. 1935
Nick Buoiconti b. 1940
Charlie Scott b. 1948
David Wingate b. 1963
Mo Vaughn b. 1967

1980:
Dave Winfield becomes the highest-paid player in team sports when the New York Yankees signed him to a 10-year free-agent contract worth about $16 million.

"Not bad for a man who hit .276 last year with 20 homers and 87 runs batted in. In fact, for all but two seasons of his eight-year major league career with the San Diego Padres, Winfield has been an athlete whose potential has far surpassed his performance." -Ron Fimrite, January 5, 1981

Packers Fact:
Center Jim Ringo made the Pro Bowl seven times in his 11 seasons with the Packers (1953-1963). Reportedly, though, he and his agent showed up in Vince Lombardi's office to make a contract demand in 1964. Lombardi excused himself from the room and returned five minutes later - to tell Ringo he had been traded to the Eagles!

Dec. 16:
12/16/1970:
The South Carolina Gamecocks crush maryland, 96-70, foiling their opponents' slow-down style of play by jumping out to a 14-2 lead early in the game. With the outcome already decided in the second half, a contentious battle for a rebound turns into a fight that spills into the courtside seats, requiring police intervention. To avert further fireworks between the bitter rivals, the officials end the contest with 4:52 remaining on the clock.

Birthdays:
Buddy Parker b. 1913
Mike Flanagan b. 1951
Orlando Woolridge b. 1959
William Perry b. 1962
Donovan Bailey b. 1967

1930:
The golfer Bobby Jones received the first Sullivan Award as the nation's outstanding amateur athlete.

"Although golf gave Jones international renown, he didn't make a nickel out of the game until he retired, for he played only as an amateur. And for all of his enormous success, he actually played about as often as the average weekend hacker." -Ron Fimrite, April 11, 1994

Packers Fact:
Fullback Jim Tyalor was the leading rusher for the Packers' team that won Super Bowl I in the 1966 season. He gained 705 yards on the ground.

Dec. 17:
12/17/1967:
The Oakland Raiders assert their dominance of the American Football League with a 38-29 thrashing of the New York Jets. Oakland quarterback Daryle Lamonica and the Jets' Joe Namath each throw three touchdown passes, but the Raiders assume a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter and make it stand up. Namath suffers a fractured cheekbone in the third quarter on a ferocious sack by defensive end Ike Lassiter but stays in the game to its conclusion.

Birthdays:
Ray Jablonski b. 1926
Leo Cardenas b. 1938
Bobby Ojeda b. 1957
Vincent Demphousse b. 1967
Takeo Spikes b. 1976

1983:
The Washington Redskins defeated the New York Giants, 31-22, and Washington's fullback John Riggins set an NFL record when he scored his 24th rushing touchdown of the season.

"There's a blocky, indestructible look to his body. It's not contoured along gymnasium lines-the exaggerated, pumped-up look of the weightlifter; it has more of the appearance of muscle carefully and slowly amassed by years of hard labor." -Paul Zimmerman, September 1, 1983

Packers Fact:
Ray Nitschke was a college fullback who went on to become a Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker in hish 15 seasons with the Packers (1958-1972).

Dec. 18:
12/18/2005:
Displaced from their home city by the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Hornets treat their appreciative hosts in Oklahoma City to an 89-76 win over the world champion San Antonio Spurs at the Ford Center. Eventually to be named Rookie of the Year, guard Chris Paul just misses a triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. Although the Hornets will fail to make the playoffs and steadfastly proclaim their intention to return to New Orleans when the conditions permit, they receive unconditional encouragement from the fans in OK City, who turn out in droves all season long to support the storm-tossed team.

Birthdays:
Ty Cobb b. 1886
Gene Shue b. 1931
Zoilo Versalles b. 1939
Charles Oakley b. 1963
Aranixa Sanchez Vicario b. 1971

1990
The Louisiana State center Shaquille O'Neal scored 53 points in a game against Arkansas State.

"Shaquille O'Neal crashes into this college basketball season like Bigfoot, half man, half myth. Hulking yet spry, burying soft hooks from the baseline, spinning for pull-up jumpers and musclingn in for thunderous jams, he leaves opponents reeling like tenpins." -Franz Lidz, November 25, 1991

Packers Fact:
Fullback Jim Grabowski was the leading rusher for the Packers' team that won Super Bowl II in the 1967 season. He gained 466 yards.

Book Rec of the Day 12/15-12/18/2008

BIOGRAPHY

Not since I. F. Stone’s The Origin has there been a study of the great evolutionist Charles Darwin so readable, so colorful, and so revealing. Focusing on the period just after Darwin’s work aboard the Beagle, and shedding light on his work habits, personal life, and development as a thinker in an extremely lively scientific era, Quammen is more than up to the task of bringing both the man and his ideas to life. A sparkling read.

THE RELUCTANT MR. DARWIN: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF CHARLES DARWIN AND THE MAKING OF HIS THEORY OF EVOLUTION, by David Quammen (W. W. Norton, 2006)

IT’S A MYSTERY

Carola Dunn’s 1920s-period Daisy Dalrymple series is smart, stylish, and fun, and this one has a holiday theme. Daisy, her Scotland Yard husband, Alec, and her aristocratic mother are invited by Lord Westmoor to his stately mansion for Christmas. Dunn whips up a great British read, “replete with well-drawn characters, snappy dialogue, and interesting plot twists” (Booklist) and a setting just made for a mystery: a Cornish estate with ghosts, secret passageways, past secrets, and hidden treasure.

MISTLETOE AND MURDER: A DAISY DALRYMPLE MYSTERY, by Carola Dunn (St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2002)

GREAT THOUGHTS

The German philosopher Karl Jasper called the period between 900 BCE and 200 BCE the “Axial Age,” the time when the foundations of the world’s great religions were established. Armstrong’s book is an insightful narrative of this era, when Confucius, Siddhartha, Elijah, and Socrates lived, questioned, and taught and when the idea of compassion became a central and essential concept in the world’s religions. A deeply fascinating read.

THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION: THE BEGINNING OF OUR RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS, by Karen Armstrong (Knopf, 2006)

GROWING UP

Blackden is the tiny Scottish highlands hometown of Patrick Hunter, our chatty, ingratiating 18-year-old narrator. Stuck with his grandparents while his mother goes to visit his sister at college, Patrick is desperate to get away somewhere beyond Blackden, turned off by his beer-swilling, foul-mouthed cronies and somewhat impatient with his grandfather’s war stories. But you can’t help feeling Patrick is a winner; his sweetness and openness to the magic and possibilities that always hover just outside his reach make him a character you root for from beginning to end.

BLACKDEN, by Duncan McClean (W. W. Norton, 2000)

apckrfan's NFL picks: Week 15

Thu, Dec. 11:
NO @ CHI - New Orleans (I forgot about posting these this week, but clearly I'm not cheating as CHI won lol)

Sun, Dec. 14:
TB @ ATL - Tampa Bay
PIT @ BAL - Pittsburgh
DEN @ CAR - Carolina
WAS @ CIN - Washington
TEN @ HOU - Tennessee
DET @ IND - Indianapolis
GB @ JAC - Jacksonville
SD @ KC - San Diego
SF @ MIA - San Francisco
BUF @ NYJ - NY Jets
SEA @ STL - St. Louis (giving them home field, if the weather is anything there like it is here they'll have it)
MIN @ ARI - Arizona
NE @ OAK - New England
NYG @ DAL - NY Giants

Mon, Dec. 15:
CLE @ PHI - Philadelphia

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/13-12/14/2008

12/13/1953:
The Philadelphia Eagles foil Cleveland's bid for a perfect regular season with a 42-27 victory at Connie Mack Stadium. Eagles quarterback Bobby Thomason (23-35, 331) leads several long drives and fires touchdown passes to Pete Pihos, Toy Ledbetter and Bobby Walston. After trailingn 10-0 and then 20-14, Philadelphia scores the next 28 points to win handily before a record home crowd of over 38,000.

Birthdays:
Larry Doby b. 1924
Ferguson Jenkins b. 1943
Larry Kenon b. 1952
Bob Gainey b. 1953
Sergei Fedorov b. 1969

12/14/1985:
UCLA Wins the NCAA men's soccer championship over American University of Washington, D.C., 1-0, in a record-setting eight overtimes at the Kingdome in Seattle. Andy Burke scores the winning goal for the Bruins after 166 minutes of play. (Each overtime session was 10 minutes long.) The Bruins clear edge in physical size and muscular play finally results in their first national soccer title after being runner-up to St. Louis twice in 1972-73. They'll finish 20-1-4, and the Eagles will wind up 19-3-2.

Birthdays:
Charley Trippi b. 1922
Ernie Davis b. 1939
Stan Smith b. 1946
Anthony Mason b. 1966
Billy Koch b. 1974

1996:
The Toronto Blue Jays shocked the baseball world by signing free agent pitching great Roger Clemens away from the Boston Red Sox.

"When he marched across the border to Toronto ... [he] lifted the hopes of an entire franchise and knocked the rest of the baseball world on its ear. He proved that a player's mere presence can be as important as wins and losses, as vaulable as experience or ability." -Gerry Callahan, March 31, 1997

Packers Fact:
Wide receiver Antonio Freeman was the top pass catcher for the Packers' team that won Super Bowl XXXI in the 1996 season. He had 56 receptions.

BIZARRE LIVES

In 1988, Attila Ambrus escaped from Romania to Hungary, clinging to the undercarriage of a train. What followed was a wild journey that began with his playing goalie on an ice hockey team and ended with him in jail a decade later, after he had commited a series of outlandish heists and become a folk hero. If it were a novel, Ballad of the Whiskey Robber would have been met with derisive cries of “Unbelievable! Never could have happened!” But this fabulous “catch me if you can” story really did happen.

BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER: A TRUE STORY OF BANK HEISTS, ICE HOCKEY, TRANSYLVANIAN PELT SMUGGLING, MOONLIGHTING DETECTIVES, AND BROKEN HEARTS, by Julian Rubinstein (Little, Brown, 2004)

FEEL GOOD

Nonny Frett was born a Crabtree to a young mother, but brought up by the Fretts (sworn enemies of the Crabtrees) in a little town of 90 people. Now she’s caught “in between” loyalties, families, and homes. The book follows the ins and outs of the huge cast of characters and has many exciting plot twists, but at the center of this heartwarming Southern tale is the captivating Nonny Frett, “the most engaging woman who ever lived in the pages of a book” (Anne Rivers Siddons).

BETWEEN, GEORGIA, by Joshilyn Jackson (Warner Books, 2006)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/12/2008

12/12/1933:
The Detroit Tigers purchase catcher Mickey Cochrane from the cash-poor Philadelphia Athletics for $100,000 and name him their new player-manager. Not only will the feisty field leader hit .320 and .319 the next two seasons, but he'll also work his magic on pitchers Tommy Bridges and Schoolboy Rowe, turning them into 20-game winners. The Tigers will win the American League pennant in Cochrane's first two years at the helm and win World Series in 1935. It will all end badly, though, for the rock-solid Irishman known as "Black Mike." The pressures of managing will land him in a sanitarium in 1936, and in '37 he'll be seriously beaned by Bump Hadley at Yankee Stadium, never to play again. His .320 lifetime batting average remains an all-time record for catchers.

Birthdays:
Bob Pettit b. 1932
Emerson Fittipaldi b. 1946
Cathy Rigby b. 1952
Tracy Austin b. 1962
John Randle b. 1967

1951:
The New York Yankees centerfielder Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement.

"DiMaggio's fame and reputation are undiminished. He is today what he has been almost from the day he first put on a New York Yankee uniform-a national icon. And in the larger world, DiMaggio, a mere baseball player, remains one of the most famous Americans." -Anonymous, July 19, 1993

Packers Fact:
Jim Ringo was the center on the Packers' back-to-back championship clubs in 1961 and 1962. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

FAVORITE SERIES

The fiercely loyal lovers of Gabaldon’s Outlander series are ecstatic about this sixth installment. The epic love affair between heartthrob husband Jamie and time-traveling wife Claire Fraser sizzles hotter than ever as they set about avenging wrongs and healing wounds in their inimitable way. The setting is North Carolina on the eve of the Revolutionary War, and the Frasers must avert their own end, which Claire has seen foretold in the Wilmington Gazette of 1776. Settle in for plenty of action, trouble, sex, and exquisite detail.

A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES, by Diana Gabaldon (Delacorte Press, 2005)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/11/2008

12/11/1965:
The Philadelphia 76ers (ne Syracuse Nationals) defeat the Cincinnati Royals (ne Rochester Royals), 135-132, in overtime at the Onondaga War Memorial Arena in Syracuse. Over 6,000 fans watch their former hometown team prevail as Wilt Chamberlain leads the Sixers with 38 points and Hal Greer adds 29, including two baskets in the final minute of OT. Oscar Robertson paces the Royals with 33 points and Adrian "Odie" Smith adds 25 as the upstate New York audience gets a brief remembrance of the NBA they helped to nurture in its formative years, but which has now shunted them to the side for greener pastures and larger markets.

Birthdays:
Doc Blanchard b. 1924
Pierre Pilote b. 1931
Moose Vasko b. 1935
Willie McGinest b. 1971
Shareef Abdur-Rahim b. 1976

1993:
The Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward won the Heisman Trophy. He was the first Heisman winner in 35 years not to be selected in the NFL draft. But the New York Knicks picked Ward in the first round of the NBA draft.

"In the year 1993, in the age of Beavis and Butt-head, shock radio, Marky Mark, and brassieres as outerwear, the best athlete in college sports is a former choirboy, vice president of the student body and honor-roll student who is no louder than a convent cat and about as trendy as a firm handshake." -Rick Reilly, December 27, 1993

Packers Fact:
Quarterback Bart Starr was the most valuable player of each of the Packers' victories in Super Bowls I & II.


FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Don’t be turned off by the clunky subtitle: Jay Weinstein, chef, environmentalist, and a contributor to The New York Times and Travel & Leisure, gives us easy ways to think about what and how we eat so that we can savor the earth, honor food producers, and bring social consciousness to the table. With 100 delicious recipes.

THE ETHICAL GOURMET: HOW TO ENJOY GREAT FOOD THAT IS HUMANELY RAISED, SUSTAINABLE, NONENDANGERED, AND THAT REPLENISHES THE EARTH, by Jay Weinstein (Broadway, 2006)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/10/2008

12/10/1999:
Both national semifinals of the NCAA men's soccer tournament go into quadruple overtime before Santa Clara and Indiana emerge with victories at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte. Shawn Parcell scores both goals for Santa Clara in a 2-1 win over UConn, and Ryan Mack scores the gamer for teh Hoosiers as they eliminate UCLA, 3-2. Two tired clubs will take the pitch less than 48 hours from now in the finals, with Indiana prevailing, 1-0, for its fifth national title and second in a row, coached by Jerry Yeagley.

Birthdays:
Allie Reynolds b. 1915
Ray Felix b. 1930
Mark Aguirre b. 1959
Paul Assenmacher b. 1960
Rob Blake b. 1969

1971:
In one of the most lopsided trades ever, the New York Mets dealt pitcher Nolan Ryan to the California Angels in exchange for Jim Fregosi.

"In his Mets days, there seemed to be no controllin' Nolan. Today he is capable of fulfilling all teh batting-cage metaphors: throwing a strawberry through a locomotive, a marshmallow into Fort Knox, etc. A wild Ryan in New York, however, might walk the opposition's entire roster as well as a passing poodle or two." -William Leggett, May 14, 1973

Packers Fact:
Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Willie Davis served on teh Packers' board of directors from 1994 to 2005.

CHICK LIT

Meghan Fitzmaurice is the popular cohost of a morning talk show and leads the perfect life. What could go wrong? Everything. After Meghan, with her microphone still on, drops the F bomb while she’s interviewing a politician, her life goes haywire: Her husband leaves her, she becomes a social pariah, and then she disappears in Jamaica. Her plodding sister Bridget takes up the search, with the help of her adorable big lug of a boyfriend, Irving. With her fifth novel, Quindlen has hit her stride and delivers an intricate patchwork made up of the voices, intonations, and souls of New York.

RISE AND SHINE: A NOVEL, by Anna Quindlen (Random House, 2006)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/9/2008

12/9/1982:
The Phillies execute a five-for-one swap with the Cleveland Indians to acquire right fielder Von Hayes, creating enormous fan expectations that Hayes will never be able to live up to. The Phils part with Manny Trillo, Julio Franco, George Vukovich, Jerry Willard and Jay Baller to obtain Hayes, who hit only .250 with 14 homers in one full season with Cleveland. Over the next eight full years in Philly, those numbers will remain fairly constant - Hayes will hit 16 homers per season with a .276 batting average. Meanwhile, the five players the Phillies surrender, especially Franco, will all go on to varying levels of big-league service elsewhere.

Deacon Jones b. 1938
Dick Butkus b. 1942
Pit Martin b. 1943
World B. Free b. 1953
Otis Birdsong b. 1955

1984:
The Los Angeles Rams' running back Eric Dickerson became the NFL's single-season rushing leader during a 27-16 win over Houston.

"Dickerson slashed and squirmed for nine yards before Oilers linebacker Gregg Bingham finally brought him down on the Ram 45-yard line. That run gave him 215 yards for the day on 27 carries - and 2,007 for the season. The Rams mobbed Dickerson on the field." -William Nack, December 17, 1984

Packers Fact:
Wide receiver Desmond Howard was the most valuable player of the Packers' 35-21 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. He earned the award for his kickoff returns and punt returns.

PLAY TIME

Lovingly produced and absolutely magical, every page of this book shines with the happiness that we enjoy when we look at, play with, or even think about the best toys: teddy bears, Tonkas, Play-Doh, Mr. Potato Head, Etch-A-Sketch, G.I. Joe, Lionel Trains, Monopoly, Slinky, Silly Putty, Hula Hoop, Lite-Brite, Lego, Uno, Rubik’s Cube, Super Soaker, and more. Walsh takes his time and lavishes care, in full color, on each toy, giving four pages to its history and manufacture.

TIMELESS TOYS: CLASSIC TOYS AND THE PLAYMAKERS WHO CREATED THEM, by Tim Walsh (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/8/2008

Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana delta country, a proud LSU football fan boldly held up a placard at their first home game, proclaiming: "I lost my house, but I still have my Tigers."

Birthdays:
Red Berenson b. 1939
Bob "Butterbean" Love b. 1942
George Rogers b. 1958
Jeff George b. 1967
Mike Mussina b. 1968

1987
The Detroit Pistons forward Adrian Dantley scored his 20,000th career point in the NBA during a 127-117 win over Portland.

"Yo, Adrian. Yo, Adrian Dentley. Plant yourself on the blocks, spread those arms, call for the ball and use that all-world derriere like a battering ram. Pump, double-pump, lean, spin, head fake, pirouette, shoot, score, go to the foul line." -Jack McCallum, March 2, 1987

Packers Fact:
Defensive end Willie Davis was just a 17th-round draft choice in 1959 (by Cleveland) who joined the Packers (1960-69) and went on to become one of the greaest pass rushers in NFL history. In 1981, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

SHORT FICTION

Each story in this collection is unique. All are nuanced, all have wonderful characterizations. They move you or make you think or haunt you for days or weeks afterward. Eisenberg—recipient of many awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship—specializes in the short story, and her seventh collection “insinuates you right into the characters’ gnarled hearts, by methods so subtle and slippery that you’re not sure where you are or how you got there” (Lisa Zeidner, The Washington Post).

TWILIGHT OF THE SUPERHEROES: STORIES, by Deborah Eisenberg (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006)

apckrfan's NFL picks: Week 14

Week 14:
Thu, Dec. 4:
OAK @ SD - San Diego

Sun, Dec. 7:
WAS @ BAL - Baltimore
JAC @ CHI - Chicago
MIN @ DET - Minnesota (poor Detroit!)
HOU @ GB - Green Bay
CIN @ IND - Indianapolis
ATL @ NO - Atlanta
PHI @ NYG - NY Giants
CLE @ TEN - Tennessee
MIA @ BUF - Buffalo
KC @ DEN - Denver
NYJ @ SF - NY Jets
STL @ ARI - Arizona
DAL @ PIT - Pittsburgh
NE @ SEA - New England

Mon, Dec. 8:
TB @ CAR - Tampa Bay

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 12/7/2008

12/7/1963:
Kansas upsets Cincinnati, 51-47, at the Armory Fieldhouse, snapping the Bearcats' home-court winning streak at 90 (72 at the Armory Fieldhouse and 18 more at Cincinnati Gardens). Sophomore center Walt Wesley leads Kansas with 17 points and the Jayhawks score their last six points from the foul line to secure the victory. George Wilson leads Cincinnati with 19 points but turns the ball over in the closing moments when his team trailed by only two points. The Bearcats' last home loss was in March 1957, when they lost to archrival Dayton. In the interim, Cincinnati appeared in five straight Final Fours, won two national championships and lost a third in the finals in overtime.

Birthdays:
Bo Belinsky b. 1936
Gerry Cheevers b. 1940
Johnny Bench b. 1947
Larry Bird b. 1956
Tino Martinez b. 1967

SEE IT AGAIN

Whether we realize it or not, we have all seen these photographs; they are an indelible part of our cultural heritage. They still have the ability to remind us of the history they represent: the first picture of Earth taken from the moon; the first image of a fetus inside the womb; the Beatles arriving on American shores in 1964; Normandy; Vietnam; Marilyn Monroe. One wonders if a thousand words is enough to tell the stories of some of these pictures.

100 PHOTOGRAPHS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD, by the editors of Life magazine (Life, 2003)

Sports Fact of the Day 12/4-12/6/2008

Dec. 4:
12/4/1956:
Pat McCormick, 26, repeats her 1952 Olympic gold medal performance at Helsinki by winning the springboard diving competition at the Summer Games in Melbourne. The Californian's flawless execution of several somersault dives and seamless entry into the water give her a clear advantage over the field. She'll also repeat her gold medal Helsinki performance in platform diving by winning that event here later this week.

Birthdays:
Harvey Kuenn b. 1930
Alex Delvecchio b. 1931
Bernard King b. 1956
Lee Smith b. 1957
Sergei Bubka b. 1963

1983:
Ray Meyer, the DePaul Blue Demons' basketball coach for over 40 years, won his 700th career game.

"Coach Ray Meyer has been a coach for so long now that what was once a mere occupation has become his first name. ... Considering what this marvelous old panda has been through, the puzzlements of modern times are hardly a challenge. He bends without breaking. He communicates without compromise. He has bridged the gaps-white to black, old to young, firm to funky." -Curry Kirkpatrick, February 18, 1980

Packers Fact:
Tight end Keith Jackson caught 10 touchdown passes for the Packers' Super Bow XXXI champions in 1996.

Dec. 5:
12/5/1957:
Loaded with outfielders including young Vada Pinson, the Cincinnati Reds trade center fielder Curt Flood to St. Louis for three journeyman pitchers. Flood will become a fixture in the Cardinals' outfield for the next dozen years, hitting .300 or better six times and earning seven Gold Gloves. Despite his exemplary career, he will forever be remembered for challenging the legality of his trade in 1969 from his adopted hometown of St. Louis to Philadelphia. He'll lose his legal battles at each step of the process, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the intrinsic validity and moral fiber of his arguments shake baseball's establishment to its roots.

Birthdays:
Jim Plunkett b. 1947
Lanny Wadkins b. 1949
Butch Lee b. 1956
Art Monk b. 1957
Cliff Floyd b. 1972

1974:
The Birmingham Americans won the first Wold Football League championship by beating the Florida Blazers, 22-21.

"Sizing up the two teams before the World Bowl, it was hard to think in terms of their on-field success. After all, no player on either squad had received a regular paycheck for weeks, although Florida perhaps had an edge in experience here since it had gone without money twice as long as Birmingham." -Joe Marshall, December 16, 1974

Packers Fact:
Versatile halfback Paul Hornung was the NFL's scoring champion for three consecutive years from 1959 to 1961.

Dec. 6:
12/6/1985
WBA welterweight champion Donald Curry of Fort Worth, Texas, unifies the title with a decisive second-round knockout of WBC champion Miltion McCrory of Detroit. Curry (24-0 with 19KOs) takes charge immediately with a huge left hook in the first round that send McCrory (27-1-1 with 22 KOs) reeling against the ropes at the Las Vegas Hilton. Not fearing McCrory's punching power after that, Curry scores two knockdowns in rapid succession in Round 2 and referee Mills Lane wastes no time stopping the bout.

Birthdays:
Stan Hack b. 1909
Otto Graham b. 1921
Andy Robustelli b. 1925
Bill Hanzlik b. 1957
Richard Krajicek b. 1971

1987:
Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers completed 22 consecutive passes during a victory against the Green Bay Packers. That easily broke the previous NFL record of 20 passes in a row set by Cincinnati's Kenny Anderson in 1983.

"What Johnny Unitas was to the '60s and Roger Staubach to the '70s, Montana is to the '80s. ... O.<., so he doesn't have the wrist of Dan Marino, the arm of John Elway, the feel of Randall Cunningham. But he has the accuracy of Price Waterhouse." -Rick Reilly, December 18, 1989

Packers Fact:
The Packers beat the San Francisco 49ers (35-14 in the divisional playoffs), the Carolina Panthers (30-13 in the conference title game), and the New England Patriots (35-21 in the Super Bowl) in the postseason en route to their Super Bowl XXXI championship in 1996.

Book Rec of the Day 12/4-12/6/2008

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“Food is about agriculture, about ecology, about man’s relationship with nature . . . and at times, even about sex,” James Beard Award-winner Mark Kurlansky writes in his introduction to more than 200 essays on food, cooking, and eating. The pantheon of writers is impressive, their approaches dazzlingly diverse: Plato, Neruda, Alice B. Toklas, Balzac, Virginia Woolf, Chekhov. They write about French fries, bachelor cooking, Turkish desserts, English food, culture, politics, and, of course, sex. Where to start? It’s a wonderful feast.

CHOICE CUTS: A SAVORY SELECTION OF FOOD WRITING FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY, by Mark Kurlansky (Ballantine Books, 2002)

THE SPORTING LIFE
Comprehensive, well organized, easy to read, packed with tables and charts . . . That’s what fans are saying about this book. Includes histories for each of the Division 1-A programs, Ivy League Schools, and the historically black colleges. Plus lively essays by Dan Jenkins, Beano Cook, and Chris Fowler, among others. This irreplaceable, long-awaited, and beautifully researched reference book has even hooked quite a few wives and girlfriends.

ESPN COLLEGE FOOTBALL ENCYCLOPEDIA: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE GAME, by Michael MacCambridge (ESPN Books, 2005)

FAVORITE AUTHOR

“Scott Turow at the very top of his form.”—Alan Furst

Stewart Dubinsky (last seen in Presumed Innocent) is a retired newspaperman who comes across letters his late father wrote during World War II. What unfolds is a complex, tightly wrought tale that includes a love triangle, a spy, and, above all, a son’s search for his father.

ORDINARY HEROES, by Scott Turow (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005)

Sports Fact of the Day 11/27-12/3/2008

Nov. 27:
11/27/1963:
Thanksgiving Eve patrons at Madison Square Garden are treated to a hockey rarity - a penalty shot pitting two future Hall of Famers against each other. Rod Gilbert of the Rangers is successful on the shot against Terry Sawchuk of the Red Wings late in the first period, and New York goes on to edge Detroit, 3-2. The Broadway Blueshirts are forced to skate a man down for the last minute and a half after Andy Bathgate is sent off for tripping, but even after the Red Wings pull their goalie for a six-on-four manpower advantage, Rangers goalie Jacques Plante is able to preserve the lead.

Birthdays:
Chick Hearn b. 1916
Mike Scioscia b. 1958
Ivan Rodriguez b. 1971
Nick Van Exel b. 1971
Jimmy Rollins b. 1978

1990:
Skier Tamara McKinney announced her retirement. The winner of the gold medal in the combined event at the 1989 World Championships was the best American ski racer ever.

"Because of leg injuries sustained over the past three years, three-time Olympian Tamara McKinney, 28, retired. McKinney, a slalom and giant slalom specialist and a member of the U.S. ski team for 13 years, had 18 World Cup victories, the most ever by a U.S. skier." -Amy Nutt, December 10, 1990

Packers Fact:
The Packers beat the Atlanta Falcons in week 16 of the 1994 seasons in the last regular-season game they played in Milwaukee. The score was 21-17.

Nov. 28:
11/28/1992:
Scoring 57 points in only 38 minutes, Reggie Miller hits 16 of 29 from the field and 21 of 23 at the foul line as he leads the Indiana Pacers to a 134-122 rout of the Charlotte Hornets at the Hive. Miller will play his entire career with the Pacers, appearing in 1,389 games in 18 seasons, second to John Stockton's 1,504 games in 19 seasons with Utah in the NBA category of most games played with only one team.

Birthdays:
Paul Warfield b. 1942
Walt Weiss b. 1963
John Burkett b. 1964
Matt Williams b. 1965
Robb Nen b. 1969

1956:
The Brooklyn Dodgers righthander Don Newcombe was named winner of major league baseball's first Cy Young Award.

"The ball spits toward the plate, leaving, it seems, a little smoking thread of white in the air behind. More often than not it whips past the batter and smacks into Roy Campanell'as mitt with an old-fashioned, soul-satisfying clap." -Robert Creamer, August 22, 1955

Packers Fact:
Defensive end Reggie White set a Super Bowl record when he posted 3 sacks in the Packers' 35-21 victory over New England in game XXXI.

Nov. 29:
11/29/1986:
UNLV outlasts Western Kentucky, 96-95, in double overtime at Madison Square Garden to win the preseason NIT. After the taller and more physical Hilltoppers jump out to a 21-point first-half lead, UNLV storms back with a barrage of 3-point shots. While WKU is only 1 of 4 beyond the arc, the Runnin' Rebels hit 10 of 27 treys, achieving a plus-27-points margin in that category. Tournament MVP Freddie Banks hits two 3-pointers in the second OT, the last one with 13 seconds left to give UNLV the victory.

Birthdays:
Minnie Minoso b. 1922
Neal Broten b. 1959
Howard Johnson b. 1960
Mariano Rivera b. 1969
Jamal Mashburn b. 1972

1974:
The Southern California football team scored 49 unanswered points in the second half of their game against Notre Dame to shock the Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

"The rampaging Trojans came back from 24-0 to win going away, 55-24. In just under 17 minutes USC had scored eight touchdowns and 55 points, the dazzling Anthony Davis had accounted for 26 of them, Pat Harden had completed eight passes for 144 yards and four touchdowns, and [Irish coach] Ara Parseghian had contemplated hara-kiri with a yard-line marker." -Joe Jares, December 9, 1974

Packers Fact:
Edgar Bennet was the leading rusher for the Packers's Super Bowl XXXI champions in the 1996 season. He ran for 899 yards.

Nov. 30:
11/30/1979:
Unbeaten Sugar Ray Leonard knocks out Wilfred Benitez only six seconds shy of the final bell in the 15th round to win the WBC welterweight title at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Leonard is comfortably ahead on all three judges' scorecards before he ends the bout with a left hook in the closing moments. It's his 26th straight win as a pro after winning a gold medal at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

Birthdays:
Bill Walsh b. 1931
Paul Westphal b. 1950
Bob Tweksbury b. 1960
Bo Jackson b. 1962
Ray Durham b. 1971

Dec. 1:
12/1/2002:
Mikhail Youzhny rallies from two sets down to defeat Paul-Henri Mathieu of France in the fifth and deciding rubber to clinch Russia's first Davis Cup title in the century-long history of the competition. Awash in a sea of unforced errors on the slow indoor Parisian clay at the outset, Youzhny fights back with a succession of ground-stroke winners in the last three sets to outlast Mathieu in a four-and-a-half hour struggle. The two 20-year-olds were thrust into the decisive match as replacements for faltering veterans-Yevgeny Kafelnikov or Russia and Arnaud Clement of France.

Birthdays:
Marty Marion b. 1917
Lee Trevino b. 1939
George Foster b. 1948
Larry Walker b. 1966
Reggie Sanders b. 1967

1971:
Bob Knight coached his first game as Indiana basketball coach and the Hoosiers defeated Ball State, 84-77.

"Knight-ugh-played defense. The word was spat forth as though it consisted of four letters. In Indiana everyone knew how the game shoulud be played: run and shoot. For many of the Hoosiers, Knight's coming was as welcome as broiled boar at a rabbinical clambake." -Pat Putnam, February 19, 1973

Packers Fact:
Former Packers wide receiver James Lofton was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2003. He caught 530 passes for Green Bay from 1978 to 1986.

Dec. 2:
12/2/1967:
Michigan opens its brand-new 14,000-seat basketball arena, later named in honor of longtime football coach and athletic director Fritz Crisler, but Kentucky spoils the party with a 96-79 victory at Ann Arbor. The Wildcats enjoy a big lead throughout in a game that marks the varsity debut of two sophomore stars and, later, pro standouts. Dan Issel scores 18 points for Kentucky, while Rudy Tomajnovich has 17 for Michigan.

Birthdays:
Ron Sutter b. 1963
Darryl Kile b. 1968
O.J. McDuffie b. 1969
Monica Seles b. 1973
Mark Kotsay b. 1975

1980:
The Oakland Raiders defeated Denver and became the first team in NFL history to earn 16 consecutive winning seasons.

"The Raiders are like an old land mine that lies in the sand for years and then, all of a sudden-kaboom! Their one consistent trait during the Al Davis years has been the bomb, anytime, from any place on the field." -Paul Zimmerman, December 1, 1980

Packers Fact:
Kicker Chris Jacks was the top scorer for the Packers Super Bowl XXXI champions in 1996. He scored 114 points.

Dec. 3:
12/3/1950:
Wide receivers Tom Fears of the Rams and Cloyce Box of the Lions share the headlines on a pass-happy day in the NFL. Fears sets a new single-game record for receptions with 18 as Los Angeles routs Green Bay, 51-14. Box scores four touchdowns and gainsn 302 yards on 12 receptions, just one yard shy of Jim Benton's record of 303 receiving yards set in 1945, as the Lions blast Baltimoire, 45-21. Fears' record will stand for 50 years, until Terrell Owens breaks it in 2000. Box remains one of only four receivers ever to gain 300-plus yards in an NFL game.

Birthdays:
Tom Fears b. 1923
Alberto Juantorena b. 1951
Rick Mears b. 1951
Katarina Witt b. 1965
Kwamie Lassiter b. 1969

1988:
The Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders set an NCAA single-game rushing record when he gained 322 yards in a game against Texas Tech.

"Sanders isn't the fastest back, and he's not the biggest. But he combines strength, speed, willpower and an uncanny ability to wriggle, shift and explode into high gear from a dead stop." -Rick Telander, December 12, 1988

Packers Fact:
Safety Willie Wood (1960-1971), who was inducted in 1989, is one of only seven non-drafted free agents to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Book Rec of the Day 11/27-12/03/08

PILGRIMS’ PRIDE

National Book Award-winner (for In the Heart of the Sea) Nathaniel Philbrick turns his attention to one of America’s great founding myths and gives us an account of the real Miles Standish, the Indian Squanto, and all the rest of the cast that shows up in Thanksgiving pageants. The book recounts the sailing of the Pilgrims, their trials in the New World, and their relations, friendly and otherwise, with the original inhabitants. This is an exceptional work that gives the Pilgrims their due but also shows that they were no more innocent than their descendants who eventually overran a continent.

MAYFLOWER: A STORY OF COURAGE, COMMUNITY, AND WAR, by Nathaniel Philbrick (Viking, 2006)

GREAT JOURNALISM

This anthology of stories “killed” by various editors accomplishes several things: It airs some of the best journalism of the century, which otherwise we would never be able to read; it serves as an index to some of the hottest issues in the world today; and it exposes some of the forces behind the distribution of news. Most of the selections are still topical, or just removed enough still to shed light on the present (pieces on Reverend Moon and the Body Shop), and there are also wonderful glimpses into the near past via George Orwell, Betty Friedan, and Terry Southern. A thought-provoking collection and great reading.

KILLED: GREAT JOURNALISM TOO HOT TO PRINT, edited by David Wallis (Nation Books, 2004)

A COZY MYSTERY
In the second novel of Winspear’s Masie Dobbs series, psychologist and investigator Masie is hired to find Charlotte, the missing daughter of a wealthy businessman. Soon afterward, three of Charlotte’s friends are found dead—will Charlotte be next? Winspear paints the post-World War I scene with a light but convincing touch. This is one of those easy, comfortable mysteries that you can settle in with on a cold, late, autumn night.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER, by Jacqueline Winspear (Penguin, 2005)

ABOVE IT ALL

On the cover is a photograph of an exquisite tree house—complete with dormers, verandas, and curlicues. Inside the book are imaginative tree houses found in America’s backyards, some just little shacks on a branch, and others elaborate constructions that are two and three stories high. Beside Paul Rocheleau’s outstanding photographs are tales of those who have played in these arboreal mansions, how the structures were built, and even some construction plans and how-to info.

THE TREEHOUSE BOOK, by Peter and Judy Nelson with David Larkin (Universe, 2000)

A BOOK LOVER’S GIFT
From airports to tree houses, factories to museums, and, especially, exciting and beautiful innovations in single-family housing, this gorgeous pictorial survey of architecture features 1,052 projects completed since January 1998 in 75 countries. The sumptuous photography is bolstered by streamlined scholarly text and by sections on world data, building data, and architects’ biographies. A wonderful adornment for (and almost as big as) the coffee table.

THE PHAIDON ATLAS OF CONTEMPORARY WORLD ARCHITECTURE, (Phaidon Press, 2004)

JAZZED

The book’s title is honestly representative of the goods inside. It’s a sprawling, undisciplined, jazzy piece of work about a half-Irish, half-Puerto Rican girl named Vidamia Farrell. Her father, a former jazz pianist who lost two fingers during the Vietnam War, lives on New York’s Lower East Side with a second family and a host of lively, well-drawn characters. Vidamia, who grew up in the suburbs, is attracted by the bohemian life of her father’s world and by a black jazz-sax player who’s a part of it.

NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PROMISE TO COOK OR PAY THE RENT YOU BLEW IT CAUZE BILL BAILEY AIN’T NEVER COMING HOME AGAIN: A SYMPHONIC NOVEL, by Edgardo Vega Yunque (Picador USA, 2004)

FAVORITE SERIES

British mistress of mysteries James gives us the 13th in the Adam Dalgliesh series. Dalgliesh is still pondering his new romantic involvement with Emma (the focus of 2003’s The Murder Room) when he is sent to Combe Island, an elite retreat, where well-known novelist Nathan Oliver has been found hung. Things become even more interesting when Dalgliesh comes down with SARS, leaving much of the legwork to his deputies, Kate and Francis, and introducing an element of tension into their lives. A thoughtful, haunting entry from James that’s filled with her trademark character studies.

THE LIGHTHOUSE, by P. D. James (Knopf, 2005)