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)