Thursday, July 31, 2008

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 7/31/2008

7/31/1979:
Baltimore first baseman Eddie Murray, destined to hit more grand-slam homers than any other switch hitter in history (19), clinches a 9-5 victory for the Orioles over the Brewers at County Stadium with a ninth-inning four-run wallop off Reggie Cleveland. It's the fourth grand-slam hit by the Orioles in the last nine days, Pat Kelly, John Lowenstein and Lee May all found the range starting July 23, and before the year is out Doug DeCinces, Rick Dempsey and Billy Smith will also clout Baltimore grand slams. This would help to explain, in part, why the Orioles emerge as American League champions.

Birthdays:
Curt Gowdy b. 1919
Hank Bauer b. 1922
Vic Davalillo b. 1936
Evonne Goolagong Cawley b. 1951
Kevin Greene b. 1962

1990:
The indefatigable pitcher Nolan Ryan won his 300th career game as the Texas Rangers beat the Brewers, 11-3, at Milwaukee's County Stadium.

"Four thousand eight hundred ninety-six and two thirds innings after his first major league win, a shutout for the Mets, Nolan Ryan has become larger than life. ... Like the budget deficit, though, he should have been a national fixation long before the numbers got so gaudy." -Steve Rushin, August 13, 1990

Packers Fact:
The Packers obtained quarterback Brett Favre for a first-round draft choice in 1992 from the Atlanta Falcons.


POETRY

This beautifully illustrated anthology is emphatically not a celebrity showpiece, and, like the best children’s books, it is not for children alone. Kennedy’s choices show a thoughtful, intelligent organization, a true love of poetry, and a broad range that covers classics (Wallace Stevens, A. A. Milne, Lewis Carroll, e. e. cummings, and many, many more) as well as nonsense rhymes and lesser-known beauties translated into English. Muth’s watercolors glow and shimmer. Truly a book to treasure and share through the generations.

A FAMILY OF POEMS: MY FAVORITE POETRY FOR CHILDREN, by Caroline Kennedy; illustrated by Jon Muth (Hyperion, 2005)

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Sports Fact of the Day 7/21-7/30/2008

July 21:
7/21/1952:
American Lindy Remiginon of Manhattan College in New York City captures the gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Olympic Games in Helsinki. The race is the closest in Olympic history, with all six contestants in the final heat finishing within a tenth-of-a-second margin. It takes very close scrutiny by the judges of a photo finish to determine that Remigino barely edged Herb McKenley of Jamaica, BWI, by the angle of his body as they simultaneously crossed the finish line.

Birthdays:
Gene Littler b. 1930
Gene Fullmer b. 1931
Dave Henderson b. 1958
David Carr b. 1979
C.C. sabathia b. 1980

1987:
Lady's Secret, a 4-year-old filly, won at Monmouth Park to become the top female money winner in horse racing history.

"A little bundle of energy who barely clears 15 hands and doesn't weigh more than 800 pounds, she looks dainty and feminine and delicate-and a whole bunch of other words commonly used in women'sn intimate-apparel ads." -Demmie Stathoplos, October 13, 1986

Packers Fact:
End Billy Howton was just a rookie when he posted the first 200-yard receiving game by a player other than Don Hutson in Packers' history. Howton had an even 200 yards in a loss to the Rams in 1952.

July 22:
7/22/1986:
After a bench-clearing brawl in the 10th inning, Howard Johnson hits a three-run homer in the 14th to give the New York Mets a wild 6-3 victory over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. A hard slide by Cincinnati outfielder Eric Davis into Mets third baseman Ray Knight touched off the melee, which resulted in several ejections. Earlier, Darryl Strawberry of the Mets and Reds coach Billy DeMars had also been ejected in separate incidents. Five Mets relievers combine for nine shutout innings, with Roger McDowell earning the victory in the five-hour tussle.

Birthdays:
Ron Turcotte b. 1941
Sparky Lyle b. 1944
Lesse Viren b. 1949
Tim Brown b. 1966
Keyshawn Johnson b. 1972

1963:
Heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston retained his title with a first-round knockout of Floyd Patterson in a bout in Las Vegas.

"Liston simply bullied and bashed Patterson into the canvas like a street-corner tough smacking down a dreamy schoolboy. To Liston, Floyd was not an opponent; he was an annoyance-and, with crushing finality, the annoyance was brushed aside." -Robert H. Boyle, July 29, 1963

Packers Fact:
In 1985, the Packers sent their first- and second-round draft picks to Buffalo to move up to number seven in the first round. Tackle Ken Ruettgers was the long-time starter they chose with that pick. They also received a fourth-rounder in 1986, which they used to pick future Pro Bowl linebacker Tim Harris.

July 23:
Angels manager Lefty Phillips, discouraged by the lack of production from his highly touted young players, admitted to reporters covering the team: "Our phenoms ain't phenomenating."

Birthdays:
Pee Wee Reese b. 1918
Don Drysdale b. 1936
Gary Payton b. 1968
Nomar Garciaparra b. 1973
Terry Glenn b. 1974

1989:
American bicycle racer Greg LeMond overcame a 50-second deficit on the final day and won the Tour de France for a second time.

"LeMond rode all out, all the way, gaining precious seconds with each kilometer. So totally was he within himself that he had asked his support crew not to give him his splits during the final leg; LeMond would simply push himself to the limit." -Franz Lida, July 31, 1989

Packers Fact:
The Packers' offensive line allowed a club-record-low 14 sacks in 2004.

July 24:
7/24/1983:
Detroit center fielder Chet Lemon makes an extraordinary game-saving catch, robbing Rod Carew of a two-run homer on a leaping grab and bringing the ball back after it had actually left the ballfield to end the game, enabling the Tigers to edge California, 4-3, in 12 innings at Anaheim Stadium. Shortstop Alan Trammell goes five for five for Detroit and catcher Lance Parrish belts a solo homer in the 12th inning to provide the winning margin, which Lemon preserves with his circus catch, going up and over the left center-field fence.

Birthdays:
Walt Bellamy b. 1939
Julie Krone b. 1963
Karl Malone b. 1963
Barry Bonds b. 1964
Brian Blades b. 1965

1987:
Boris Becker of West Germany outlasted John McEnroe of the United States in an epic five-set Davis Cup tennis match that lasted 6 hours and 38 minutes.

"McEnroe looked as tightly strung as a racket. He flapped along the baseline, a quivering mass of tics and twitches. Sensing he would need an edge against the younger, better-conditioned Becker, he played as busy a game between points as he did during them." -Franz Lidz, August 3, 1987

Packers Fact:
The Packers obtained cornerback Mossy Cade just days before the 1985 opener in exchange for their top pick (and one other) in the 1986 draft.

July 25:
7/25/1976:
At age 22, U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate wins the Canadian Open at Windsor, Ontario, shooting a final-round, course-record 63 at the Essex Golf Club. Somewhat overshadowed on Canada's sporting landscape by the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, Pate shoots all four rounds in the 60s over the par-70 layout, beating Jack Nicklaus by two strokes. It's the fourth runner-up finish at the Canadian Open for the Golden Bear; he has yet to win here, and he never will.

Birthdays:
Whitey Lockman b. 1926
Nate Thurmond b. 1941
Walter Payton b. 1954
Doug Drabek b. 1962
Billy Wagner b. 1971

1990:
Television comedian Roseanne Barr sang The Star-Spangled Banner before a Padres baseball game in San Diego. When she finished singing the national anthem, Roseanne scratched her crotch and spit.

"She said she was merely parodying baseball players, but not many seemed to think her imitation was funny. A Padres executive said it was the most embarrassing moment in the club's 22-years-and that's saying something given theh bizarre history of this franchise." -Tim Kurkjian, August 6, 1990

Packers Fact:
In the earliest days of the Packers' franchise, team manager and publicist George Calhoun would pass his hat at Hagemeister Park to help raise money for the team.

July 26:
7/26/1928:
Yankee outfielder Bob Meusel hits for the cycle for the third time in his career, a major league record (later tied by Babe Herman), while the Bronx Bombers are setting a record of their own (since broken)-11 runds scored in one extra inning, the 12th-as they rout Detroit, 12-1, at Navin Field in the opener of a doubleheader. Not to be outdone, the Tigers earn a split in the nightcap, 13-10, as Harry Heilmann explodes for eight RBIs, helped by a bases-loaded triple and a grand-slam homer.

Birthdays:
Bob Waterfield b. 1920
Hoy Wilhelm b. 1923
Tommy McDonald b. 1934
Bob Lilly b. 1939
Dorothy Hamill b. 1956

1992:
The American swimmer Pable Morales, 27, came out of retirement and won a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

"In a sport traditionally populated by the young and confident, by teenage boys and by young girls putting down favorite teddy bears to set world records, he was a different sort of figure. The bruises of love and failure and endurance were worn with dignity." -Leigh Montville, August 3, 1992

Packers Fact:
The Packers drafted future starting linebacker Tony Bennett with the first-round pick in 1990, which they obtained from Cleveland on Draft Day in 1989.

July 27:
7/27/1976:
Russian weight lifter Vasily Alexeyev wins his second consecutive Olympic gold medal with a combined lift of 968 pounds, including a new world record of 561 in the clean and jerk at the Games in Montreal. The 344-pound mining engineer from the Soviet Union breaks his own Olympic record from the '72 Games in Munich with his combined score and also establishes a new Olympic record of 407 pounds in the snatch portion of the event.

Birthdays:
Leo Durocher b. 1905
Mack Calvin b. 1947
Peggy Fleming b. 1948
Shea Hillenbrand b. 1975
Alex Rodriguez b. 1975

July 28:
7/28/1963:
Lou Brock has two homeres and a triple for the Cubs, helping them rout St. Louis, 16-11, and sweep a doubleheader at Wrigley Field. While unseeing eyes in the Cubs front office don't realize what an unpolished gem they've got on their ball club, the Cardinals are duly impressed and next summer they'll snooker the Cubs into trading Brock to St. Louis. To get the future Hall of Famer, 3,000-hit man and base-stealing champion, the Cards will give up veteran pitchers Ernic Broglio (who will win only seven games for the Cubs), Bobby Shantz (who will win none) and reserve outfielder Doug Clemens. With the two franchises being archrivals to begin with, this fateful transaction continues to haunt Cubs fans to this day.

Birthdays:
Barry Ashbee b. 1939
Bill Bradley b. 1943
Vida Blue b. 1949
Doug Collins b. 1951
Manu Ginobill b. 1977

1985:
Professional golfer Pat Bradley won the Du Maurier Classic and captured the third major championship of her career.

"Pat Bradley is the best-kept secret on the women's pro golf tour. Nancy Lopez has the smile, Jan Stephenson the negligee, JoAnne Carner the nickname-Big Momma. All Bradley does is drive it down the middle, knock it on the green, hole the putt and on to the next tee." -Sandy Keenan, February 25, 1985

Packers Fact:
In 1959, Packers team president Dominic Olejniczak phoned George Halas to ask what he knew about Giants' assistant Vince Lombardi. Halas admitted the Bears would be in trouble if Green Bay hired Lombardi.

July 29:
7/29/1984:
American swimmers Nancy Hogshead of Jacksonville, Florida, and Carrie Steinseifer of Saratoga, California, combine for the first dead heat in Olympic swimming history when not even an exhaustive photographic review of their race can separate them. In the finals of the 100-meter freestyle at the Los Angeles Games, they each finish in 55.92 seconds and both receive gold medals.

Birthdays:
Arnie Ferrin b. 1925
Ted Lindsay b. 1925
Don Carter b. 1926
Flo Hyman b. 1954
Dirk Graham b. 1959

1976:
Cuban runner Alberto Juantorena won the 400-meter race at the Montreal Summer Games, becoming the first runner ever to win both the 400- and 800-meters at one Olympics.

"He blew the field away...head tilted, mouth agape, chugging at spectacular speed while the other runners prayed for him to flag. It never happened. El caballo, they called him, because only a horse ran with that kind of power, and the Horse hasn't flagged yet." -S.I. Price, May 15, 1995

Packers Fact:
In 1991, the Packers swapped first-round picks with Philadelphia (and obtained an extra pick that was used to help obtain Brett Favre in 1992). Green Bay choose cornerback Vinnie Clark with the 19th selection that year.

July 30:
7/30/1977:
Middleweight champion Carlos Monzon of Argentina successfully defends his title for the 14th and final time with a 15-round unanimous decision over Colombian challenger Rodrigo Valdez in Monte Carlo. Monzon is in command from the start, opening up a cut around Valdez's left eye early in the fight and continuing to press an unrelenting facial assault thereafter. It's Monzon's 82nd straight victory-his last loss was in 1964. He'll soon retire with a record of 89-3-9.

Birthdays
Jim Mandich b. 1948
Billy Paultz b. 1948
Bill Cartwright b. 1957
Daley Thompson b. 1958
Chris Mullin b. 1963

1992:
American swimmer Janet Evans, who had considered retiring after the 1988 Olympic Games, returned to the sport and won the gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle at the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

"No longer the 17-year-old water sprite of Seoul, where she got three gold medals, she is now a young woman. She cannot swim as fast as she once did. Simple fact. 'I've swum for my country. I've swum for my coaches and my schools,' she says. 'I decided this time I was going to swim for me.'" -Leigh Montville, August 10, 1992

Packers Fact:
Fullback Jim Taylor's two biggest seasons came for the Packers' NFL championship club in 1961 (1,307 rushing yards) and 1962 (1,474).

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Book Rec of the Day 7/21-7/30/2008

HAPPY NOW?

Gilbert, a funny, curious, and responsible researcher, offers not a self-help book but a study of how our minds work. He examines why, though we imagine scenarios of our future happiness, we are not very good at achieving it—in part because we forget certain things and overemphasize others, because we don’t see ourselves as others see us, and because even as we learn from the past, we have already been changed by it. “This is a psychological detective story about one of the great mysteries of our lives. If you have even the slightest curiosity about the human condition, you ought to read it. Trust me,” wrote Malcom Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink.

STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS, by Daniel Gilbert (Knopf, 2006)

IT’S A MYSTERY

Gardam’s 15th novel tells the story of barrister Sir Edward Feathers (known as Filth), who at age 80 retires to Dorset after the death of his wife and tries to piece together his dysfunctional past, a life full of incident and exotic locales but lacking in love and warmth. Born in Malaysia, he spent his tragic youth in Wales and then Singapore. As an adult he emigrated to Hong Kong and enjoyed a very respectable career as a judge, but everywhere he’s gone, the British empire has been crumbling, and, as an ex-pat several times over, he has always been on the outside looking in . . . or back.

OLD FILTH, by Jane Gardam (Europa, 2006)

KILL TIME WITHOUT DOING TIME

Not looking forward to that sales conference in Dayton, Ohio? Help is here! Ever tried making towel origami, dental-floss pom-poms, or soap scrimshaw? How about toilet tennis or in-line tray skating? Hotel Hobbies offers 50 boredom-banishing and completely legal ways to have fun while you’re cooped up and far from home.

HOTEL HOBBIES: 50 THINGS TO DO IN A HOTEL ROOM THAT WON’T GET YOU ARRESTED, by Marcus Weeks (Thunder Bay Press, 2006)

YOU GOTTA LAUGH

Our heroine, Jude Lee, is a spoiled brat sprung from a very long line of spoiled brats in Korean aristocracy. But now the world is crashing in upon them—there’s no more money and only a dim memory of aristocracy. Jude must do the unthinkable: get a job. That’s how she ends up in thrall to Madame Tartakov’s Translation Services, where young women, all overeducated, cast-off aristocrats, provide their “services”—and an occasional translation—to an exclusive New York City clientele. Madcap, brainiac, rich-brat shenanigans ensue. This is a razor-sharp satire from a scintillating new voice.

KEPT: A COMEDY OF SEX AND MANNERS, by Y. Euny Hong (Simon & Schuster, 2006)

THE BEES DO IT

“Perhaps the most original advice manual ever written. . . . Judson has pulled off the rarest coup: a science book that’s actually fun to read.”—The New Republic

Using the device of an advice column for the sex-lorn (“Like, what’s the deal? I’m a sleek young California mouse and am so in heat”), evolutionary biologist and journalist Judson exposes the bizarre, complicated, humorous, and sometimes gory sex lives of the animal world. Copulations that last 10 weeks (stick insects), penises on the head (slugs), masturbation with sticks and twigs, and homosexuality. Sprightly, racy, and endlessly fascinating.

DR. TATIANA’S SEX ADVICE TO ALL CREATION, by Olivia Judson (Owl Books, 2003)

IT’S A MYSTERY

In this dark, labyrinthine novel set in 1946, Adam Miller is in Venice visiting his widowed mother. A former war-crimes investigator in Frankfurt, Adam is drawn into murky waters of deception, murder, and betrayal involving everyone he knows and loves. Kanon, author of The Prodigal Spy and The Good German, excels at putting a human face on the specter of history and evil.

ALIBI, by Joseph Kanon (Picador USA, 2006)

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS

Former philosophy professor and the author of the bestselling If Aristotle Ran General Motors, Tom Morris here defines leadership and vision, wisdom and teaching, learning and courage, in terms of the Harry Potter characters, as well as a panoply of philosophers, sages, and the occasional CEO: “Dumbledore . . . embodies the virtues essential to leadership excellence and guides his own path forward with a profound philosophy of life. He sets the standard high for what all wizards—and the rest of us, too—should aspire to become.” A fun take on business and character.

IF HARRY POTTER RAN GENERAL ELECTRIC: LEADERSHIP WISDOM FROM THE WORLD OF THE WIZARDS, by Tom Morris (Currency, 2006)

OTHER WORLDS

It’s 1991, just after Namibian independence, and Larry Kaplanski from Cincinnati has gone to Namibia to teach in a Catholic boys’ school. Mavala Shikongo is a beautiful ex-guerilla-turned-kindergarten-teacher, the object of lust and longing for Larry and the students. Love blooms among the dry, bittersweet stories of everyday life in the hardscrabble aftermath of apartheid and colonialism. A first novel from prize-winning short story writer Orner, who has lived in Namibia.

THE SECOND COMING OF MAVALA SHIKONGO, by Peter Orner (Little, Brown, 2006)

BOOK LOVER’S PARADISE

“Sixpence House is the bookworm’s answer to A Year in Provence.”—The Boston Globe

Hay-on-Wye is a Welsh town of about 1,500 people and hundreds of thousands of books. After finishing the well-received Banyard’s Folly: Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn’t Change the World (2001), Paul Collins moves his young family from San Francisco to the picturesque little book lover’s paradise that he remembers from childhood holidays. Rambling happily among aisles of books and jumping lightly from curiosity to curiosity as he struggles to adjust and buy a house, Collins offers a first-rate treat.

SIXPENCE HOUSE: LOST IN A TOWN OF BOOKS, by Paul Collins (Bloomsbury, 2003)

OTHER WORLDS

“A sprawling, gorgeous intergenerational saga, in which the spice and savor of traditional India progresses painfully into the present. . . . Song of the Cuckoo Bird is mesmerizing.”—Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean

Malladi’s fourth novel is set in an ashram in southern India, where 11-year-old Kokila is sent to await the onset of menstruation, when she can be given away in marriage. Kokila opts out of marriage and decides to remain cloistered in the ashram for the rest of her life. A family life of sorts is created among the misfits and malcontents who hide here, away from the world.

SONG OF THE CUCKOO BIRD, by Amulya Malladi (Ballantine Books, 2005)

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Sunday, July 20, 2008

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 7/20/2008

7/20/1968:
Damascus beats Dr. Fager by two and a half lengths in the Brooklyn Handicap at Aqueduct, passes the $1 million mark in career earnings and sets a new track record for the mile-and-a-quarter distance. Lured to the head of the pack by a fast pace at the outset and carrying top weight of 135 pounds, Dr. Fager has nothing left when Damascus, Manny Ycaza up, takes command at the head of the stretch and wins the race going away in 1:59.

Birthdays:
Ted Schroeder b. 1921
Chuck Daly b. 1930
Tony Oliva b. 1940
Mel Daniels b. 1944
Ray Allen b. 1975


SP(OO)F

Following in the stumbling, blistered footsteps of the sidesplittingly funny travel spoof Molvanîa: A Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry, here the authors, under the made-up imprint Jetlag Travel, give us an imaginary Asian country called Phaic Tan, land of superstitions (including 6,000 lucky numbers), a popular monarch who has been deposed and reinstated 25 times, and a capital called Bumpahttabumpah. Monsoons, earthquakes, rip-offs, and disgusting local culinary delicacies are only a few of the delights that await the adventurous armchair traveler.

PHAIC TAN: SUNSTROKE ON A SHOESTRING, by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, and Rob Sitch (Chronicle Books, 2006)

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 7/19/2008

7/19/1955:
Right-hander Vern Law pitches 18 innings to a no-decision before his Pirates finally edge Milwaukee, 4-3, in the 19th at Forbes Field. The Deacon surrenders 9 hits, fans 12 and allows 3 walks before leaving for a pinch hitter. The Braves' Eddie Mathews not only hits a home run but starts a 5-4-3 triple play in the second inning. Right in the middle of the tri-killing is young Henry Aaron, playing second base early in his career.

Birthdays:
Alex Hannum b. 1923
Ilie Nastase b. 1946
Billy Olson b. 1958
Teresa Edwards b. 1964
David Segui b. 1966

1976:
Nadia Comaneci of Romania received the first perfect score of 10 in Olympic history. Before the Montreal Summer Games were over, the 14-year-old gymnast received seven perfect marks.

"She was superbly cast for the moment, bursting upon the world with the first perfect Olympic gymnastic score, a 10.0. Nadia Comaneci was brilliant and beguiling, and because of her youth a great sense of hope and history was instantly attached to her." -Frank Deford, August 2, 1976

Packers Fact:
The Packers chose cornerback Tim Lewis in the first round of the 1983 draft with the pick they obtained by trading defensive lineman Bruce Clark to New Orleans the previous spring.

BEACH BUMS

This story has its roots in the 1960s, with Weisbecker’s surfer-dream documentary Endless Summer. Fast-forward to 1992 and, after decades of illegal, exotic adventures, Weisbecker’s lifelong buddy Christopher disappears, leaving only a cryptic postcard signed “Captain Zero.” The lexically gifted, always game author goes to look for him. Seven countries later, Weisbecker finds Christopher in a Central American rain forest and leads him out with his usual brand of beach-bum derring-do. More than just a surfer memoir, this buddy tale is laced with lyrical reflections on natural beauty, enduring friendship, passing youth, and, of course, the perfect wave.

IN SEARCH OF CAPTAIN ZERO: A SURFER’S ROAD TRIP BEYOND THE END OF THE ROAD, by Allan Weisbecker (Tarcher, 2001)

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Sports Fact of the Day 7/9-7/18/2008

July 9:
7/9/1989:
After firittering away a four-stroke lead on the back nine, Paul Azinger holes out a 40-foot chip shot on the 72nd hole to win the Greater Hartford Open by one shot over Wayne Levi. Azinger, who also won here in 1987, sets a new course record for the Players Club of Cromwell, Connecticut, shooting a 17-under-par 267. Azinger missed the fairway with his drive on the final hole and his approach shot landed on a hilly slope off the green. Using his pitching wedge, he rolls his next shot right into the cup, earning his fifth career PGA title and the winner's check of $180,000.

Birthdays:
Jim Pollard b. 1922
Red Kelly b. 1927
Mike Riordan b. 1945
Willie Wilson b. 1955
Trent Green b. 1970

1960:
Rafer Johnson won the AAU national championship and set a decathlon record of 8,683 points.

"Johnson is a rare concentrate of some old Sunday school virtues: tolerance, humility and godliness. ... Johnson's kind of tolerance is not the diluted brand that sells so cheaply around the world these days, good only among people who already think alike. His is the real thing." -Coles Phinizy, January 5, 1959

Packers Fact:
The Packers played the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day every year from 1951-1963. The Packers won three of the 13 games, all of which were played in Detroit.

July 10:
7/10/1982:
Larry Parrish ties the major league record for grand-slam homers in a seven-day period with his third jackpot wallop in a week, sparking the Texas Rangers to a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers at Arlington Stadium. On July 4 Parrish hit a grand slam against Oakland, and on July 7 he connected with the bases loaded against Boston. He ties Lou Gehrig (1931) and Jim Northrup (1968) in this exclusive category.

Birthdays:
Jake LaMotta b . 1921
Arthur Ashe b. 1943
Virginia Wade b. 1945
Chico Resch b. 1948
Andre Dawson b. 1954

1999:
The United States women's soccer team won the World Cup by defeating China on penalty kicks to win a dramatic final match.

"The Women's World Cup was competition at its most vibrant, and the final took your breath away. It fused two often-ignored elements of America sports, women and soccer, into one transformative moment and held a nation in thrall. What will forever be remembered about the match at the Rose Bowl is the intensity and spirit with which the American and Chinese women played. The U.S. team, with its spellbinding victory, reminded us of the highest purpose of sport: to inspire." Michael Bamberger, December 20, 1999

Packers Fact:
From 1996 to 2005, only the Denver Broncos (at 28-10) won more games in the opening month of the season than the Packers (who won 24 of 38 games).

July 11:
7/11/1982:
Italy wins its third World Cup soccer championship, but first in 44 years, by defeating West Germany, 3-1, in the finals at Madrid. Three goals in a 25-minute span of the second half by Paolo Rossi, Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli break open a close game, and 40-year-old goalie Dino Zoff preserves the lead. Finishing the competition unbeaten (4-0-3), Italy captures the world's most coveted sports trophy for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 1934 andn '38.

Birthdays:
Bob Allison b. 1934
Lou Hudson b. 1944
Leon Spinks b. 1953
Al MacInnis b. 1963
Rod Strickland b. 1966

1980:
Dale Earnhardt took the checkered flag at the Nashville 420 en route to winning his first NASCAR driving championship.

"Earnhardt is one of the best things to happen to stock-car racing in years and, as with Petty, Baker and Benny Parsons and all the good old gang, you're going to flat love him when you get to know him. Earnhardt is nicely tousled, with a clear, untroubled brow and a great grip on life." -Bob Ottum, July 14, 1980

Packers Fact:
The Packers entered the 2006 season with an all-time record of 640-506-36. Only the Chicago Bears had more all-time victories (671).

July 12:
7/12/1994:
With ominous winds of an impending player strike permeating the festive occasion of the midsummer classic, major league baseball stages a thrilling All-Star game at Pittsburgh. With the American League leading 7-5 in the last of the ninth inning, Fred McGriff hits a pinch two-run homer to tie the game. One inning later, Moises Alou doubles home Tony Gwynn and the National League wins, 8-7. Exactly one month later, the players will go on strike over the issue of a "salary cap" on their wage-earning potential, a financial control mechanism sought by the owners. The rest of this season, including the World Series and part of next season, will be wiped out by the rancorous dispute, which creates fan disenchantment that will take years to subside.

Ron Fairly b. 1938
Paul Silas b. 1943
Gilles Meloche b. 1950
Julio Cesar Chavez b. 1962
Kristi Yamaguchi b. 1971

1996:
Cigar won the Citation Challenge at Chicago's Arlington Park for his 16th straight victory, tying Citation's modern record for most consecutive victories.

"Cigar built his streak on nine racetracks, and he won at distances from one mile to the classic mile and a quarter. In those 16 races he ran a total of 30,140 yards, earned $8,819,815, won both on the lead and from off the pace, twice carried the top weight of 130 pounds, and defeated 28 Grade 1 winners." -William Nack, August 19, 1996

Packers Fact:
In 1966, the Packers sent end Ron Kramer to Detroit in exchange for the Lions' first-round pick (the ninth choice overall). The Packers got fullback Jim Grabowski with the selection.

July 13:
7/13/1980:
Undaunted by triple-digit temperatures, Amy Alcott blisters the course at the Richland Country Club in Nashville to win the U.S. Women's Open by nine strokes over runner-up Hollis Stacy. Alcott's four-round score of 280 sets a new record for the event, bettering the 284 totals posted by Louise Suggs in 1952 and Jerilyn Britz last year. It's her 12th win on the LPGA Tour and her second major.

Birthdays:
Jack Kemp b. 1935
Stu Lantz b. 1946
David Thompson b. 1954
Michael Spinks b. 1956
Spud Webb b. 1963

July 14:
7/14/1973:
Playing in a steady rain, Tom Weiskopf of Columbus, Ohio, shoots a 2-under-par 70 in the final round of the British Open at Troon, Scotland, to win his only major championship by three strokes over Neil Coles of Great Britain and American Johnny Miller. It's the fourth tournament win of the year for Weiskopf, and his four-round total of 12-under-par 276 ties Arnold Palmer's British Open record set in 1962, also at Troon.

Birthdays:
Rosey Grier b. 1932
Lee Elder b. 1934
Robin Ventura b. 1967
Erick Dampier b. 1974
Tim Hudson b. 1975

1970:
The National League won the All-Star Game when Pete Rose scored the winning run in the 12th inning after a collision with catcher Ray Fosse.

"Rose thundered head-on into Fosse and sent him crashing backward as he crossed the plate with the winning run. But Fosse had done all that he could, and he suddenly was saluted as a gallant fallen warrior. He was left with a bruised shoulder-and instant fame." -Sandy Treadwell, August 3, 1970

Packers Fact:
The Packers won their first Thanksgiving Day game, 19-0, while hosting the Hammond Pros on November 29, 1923.

July 15:
7/15/1952:
Capping a six-run rally with non outs in the last of the ninth inning, shortstop Eddie Joost of the Philadelphia Athletics hits a walk-off grand-slam homer off Satchel Paige to give the A's a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Browns in the opener of a twin bill at Shibe Park. Working in relief, Paige can't get anyone out, allowing hits to George Kell, Joe Astroth and Allie Clark before Joost's timely blast. Joost will homer again in the nightcap as the A's complete the sweep with an 11-3 rout behind Bobo Newsom.

Birthdays:
Donn Clendenon b. 1935
Alex Karras b. 1935
John Stallworth b. 1952
Barry Melrose b. 1956
Sammy Winder b. 1959

1990:
Betsy King won the U.S. Women's Open golf championship for a second straight year when Patty Sheehan blew a nine-stroke lead on the final day.

"Sheehan's face in defeat was unforgettable. A 10-year tour veteran, she teed off on Sunday morning in bright red shorts and a tricolor shirt, but golf clothes are her version of camouflage. Her narrow, ascetic face is better suited to an Amish bonnet than a golf visor. She smiles as if it hurts, and maybe it does." -John Garrity, July 23, 1990

Packers Fact:
In 1974, the Packers traded away five draft choices, including two first-rounders and two second-rounders, for one player, Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Hadl.

July 16:
7/16/2005:
Unbeaten 26-year-old Jermain Taylor captures the undisputed world middleweight championship by upsetting 40-year-old Bernard Hopkins on a 12-round split decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It's Hopkins' first loss in 12 years, ending his string of 20 straight successful title defenses. The closeness of the decision begs a rematch in December, won by Taylor in another 12-round decision, this time unanimously.

Birthdays:
Joey Giardello b. 1930
Margaret Smith Court b. 1942
Miguel Indurain b. 1964
Claude Lemieux b. 1965
Barry Sanders b. 1968

1941:
Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees extended his major league record hitting streak to 56 straight games.

"For the fans there was no escape from the magnetic force that drew them to their radios to hear the news announcer report the grim news of war in Europe and then, at some point in the program, add, 'and Joe DiMaggio got his hit today.'" -Dave Anderson, July 17, 1961

Packers Fact:
The Packers played in the Chicago College All-Star Game-a preseason game each year from 1934 to 1976 (except 1974) pitting the defending NFL champions against a team of college stars-eight times. Green Bay won six of them.

July 17:
7/17/1961:
On the same day that baseball Commissioner Ford Frick issues a strict edict stating that Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in one season must be broken in 154 games or not at all, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle both have home runs washed away by a rainout in Baltimore. After the Yankees win the opener of a twi-night twin bill, 5-0, with Mantle hitting his 33rd homer of the year, the skies open up in the fifth inning of the nightcap as the Yankees lead, 4-1. When the contest is called off, Maris loses what would have been his 36th homer and Mantle his 34th. Maris will end up with 59 homers in 154 games, finally passing Ruth with his 61st homer in the 162nd and final game of the season. Mantle will wind up with 54 HRs.

Birthdays:
Lou Boudreau b. 1917
Johnny "Red" Kerr b. 1932
Daryle Lamonica b. 1941
Connie Hawkins b. 1942
Calbert Cheaney b. 1971

1966:
Clocked in a time of 3:51.3, Jim Ryun, the 19-year-old freshman from the University of Kansas, became the first American to hold the mile record since 1934.

"It was Ryun alone, leaving the others hopelessly straggling. As the stadium filled with noise, Ryun seemed to get stronger and stronger. In the homestretch he was still gathering speed, and he drove across the finish line as forcefully as if he were trying to break his way through a brick wall." -Anita Verschoth, July 25, 1966

Packers Fact:
In 1981, the Packers traded wide receiver Aundra Thompson and several draft choices to the Chargers for the man who had led the NFL in receiving yards the previous season, Wide receiver John Jefferson.

July 18:
7/18/1995:
Fabio Casartelli of Italy, a gold medalist in the 1992 Olympics, is killed during the Tour de France when he loses control of his bike on a steeply descending curve in the Pyrenees and crashes into a concrete barrier. Casartelli, 24, was not wearing a helmet on the hot afternoon, not an uncommon practice on the European cycling circuit, which does not enforce any mandatory headgear rules. Casartelli is only the third fatality in the history of the Tour de France, staging its 82nd running since 1903. It will be a historic yet somewhat mournful occurrence when Miguel Indurain of Spain becomes the first man ever to win five consecutive Tours when the race ends this weekend in Paris.

Birthdays:
Joe Torre b. 1940
Nick Faldo b. 1957
Dan O'Brien b. 1966
Anfernee Hardaway b. 1972
Torii Hunter b. 1975

1970:
In a game against the Montreal Expos, Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants stroked an 0-and-2 pitch into the hole between short and third for his 3,000th career hit.

"It was hardly an appropriate hit for the occasion, taking everything about Willie Mays into consideration, being neat and solid rather than spectacular and dramatic. But it was No, 3000-and then he promptly collected No. 3,001, which is really what Willie Mays is all about." -Roy Blount Jr., July 27, 1970

Packers Fact:
End Billy Howton amassed 1,231 receiving yards in 1952. Through 2005, he was the only rookie in club history to reach the 1,000-yard mark.

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Friday, July 18, 2008

Book Rec of the Day 7/9-7/18/2008

HOW TO BEAT VEGAS

Do you like the idea of card-counting, black jack-playing students beating Las Vegas casinos out of more than three million dollars in a two-year period? Then this is the book for you. Though what Kevin Lewis and his friends did was legal, the casinos had their private investigators looking to find out what was going on, and the MIT players were eventually banned from the casinos. In case you’re interested in how it’s done, the last chapter is titled “How to Count Cards and Beat Vegas.”

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE: THE INSIDE STORY OF SIX MIT STUDENTS WHO TOOK VEGAS FOR MILLIONS, by Ben Mezrich (Free Press, 2002)
Rambunctious Rabbit, the central cartoon character of Lamaar Studios and its amusement park, Familyland, is found strangled to death one morning in the park while still in his rabbit suit. Two detectives, Lomax and Biggs, are assigned to the case and have to keep it quiet out of concern for the entertainment conglomerate’s business. More murders follow and it becomes clear that someone is trying to bring Lamaar Studios down. The plot is clever and the lines are sharp and witty. The two detectives are an enjoyable pair with a penchant for appreciating the comic side of a situation. If you like Janet Evanovich and Carl Hiaasen, you will probably go for The Rabbit Factory in a big way.

THE RABBIT FACTORY, by Marshall Karp (MacAdam Cage, 2006)

THUMBS UP

Lopate states that the five greatest American film critics are Otis Ferguson, James Agee, Manny Farber, Pauline Kael, and Andrew Sarris. But you can make your own list after reading this collection of film essayists, which includes Carl Sandburg, Edmund Wilson, Ralph Ellison, Susan Sontag, Richard Schickel, Roger Ebert, and more than 50 other famous as well as practically unknown minds wrestling with the product of America’s great art form. Required reading for anyone who loves both the movies and good writing.

AMERICAN MOVIE CRITICS: FROM THE SILENTS UNTIL NOW, edited by Phillip Lopate (Library of America, 2006)

Nora Bondurant never even knew she had an Aunt Amalia in Natchez, Mississippi, until she received a telegram informing her that she had inherited the woman’s house, a dilapidated plantation called Avoca. It turns out that Aunt Amalia had been murdered by a suitor who then killed himself, and Nora—herself troubled by the death of the husband she’s recently divorced—decides to take up residence in Avoca and learn the truth about her Aunt. New Mercies is a wonderful evocation of 1930s Natchez, a world of secrecy and romance.

NEW MERCIES, by Sandra Dallas (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2006)

KILLER NONFICTION

“Scrupulously reported and written with Krakauer’s usual exacting flair, Under the Banner of Heaven is both illuminating and thrilling. It is also the creepiest book anyone has written in a long time—and that’s meant as the highest possible praise.”—Newsweek

“I’m not sure what this is all about, but apparently it’s God’s will that you leave this world. Perhaps we can talk about it later.” That’s what Mormon Fundamentalist Dan Lafferty said to his 15-month-old niece before he killed her in 1984. He and his brother Ron also killed her mother because she opposed their belief in polygamy. Krakauer uses the Laffertys’ story to expose Mormon extremists and their fanatical beliefs.

UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN: A STORY OF VIOLENT FAITH, by Jon Krakauer (Anchor, 2004

TWO WOMEN

In 1903, Lily looks back on her life in China’s Hunan Province. Her lifelong friendship (known as laotong, or “old sames”) with Snow Flower is at the heart of this poignant saga of love and history through the 19th century. Judy Fong Bates wrote in The Washington Post, “The wonder of this book is that it takes readers to a place at once foreign and familiar—foreign because of its time and setting, yet familiar because this landscape of love and sorrow is inhabited by us all. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a triumph on every level, a beautiful, heartbreaking story.”

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, by Lisa See (Random House, 2005)

TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT

British rock journalist Barney Hoskyns relates the story of southern California rock and roll from the Laurel Canyon, blue jeans, and pot days of the late ’60s to the high-flying stadium concert, Lear jet, and coke nights of the ’70s. He covers everything from Joni Mitchell’s art to David Geffen’s art of the deal and the superstars that sang on his labels. The book is full of sizzling stories from one of the great eras of rock music.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA: THE TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURES OF CROSBY, STILLS, NASH, YOUNG, MITCHELL, TAYLOR, BROWNE, RONSTADT, GEFFEN, THE EAGLES, AND THEIR MANY FRIENDS, by Barney Hoskyns (Wiley, 2006)

Doestoevsky presents us with the brutal Fyodor Karamazov, grotesque and manipulative; his eldest, passionate son, Dimitri; the atheist son, Ivan; and the innocent one, Alyosha. Filling out this strangely rich world of the Russian countryside are the extraordinary mystic Father Zossima; the two women, Katerina and Grushenka; and finally the sinister bastard son, Smerdyakov. Let’s face it, you haven’t fully experienced Russian literature until you’ve read The Brothers Karamazov.

THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, by Fyodor Dostoevsky; translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (1880; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002)

A MARINE’S VERSION

“Far more than a glory-soaked collection of war stories, this memoir proves the ideal of the scholar-soldier as alive and well. One can hardly imagine a finer boots-on-the-ground chronicle of this open-ended conflict, no matter how long it may last.”—Kirkus Reviews

One Bullet Away is the gripping story of how a Dartmouth classics major became an officer in the marine special operations force and led his men into Afghanistan and then in the invasion of Iraq. His elite 1st Reconnaissance Battalion unit battled its way all the way up Highway 7.

ONE BULLET AWAY: THE MAKING OF A MARINE OFFICER, by Nathaniel C. Fick (Mariner Books, 2006)

IT’S A MYSTERY

“Sometimes a mystery takes one’s breath away with its impeccable, inexorable logic. King makes two such tales here, whose wheels interlock with a perfect, audible click. . . . A tour-de-force and a great read.”—Booklist (starred review)

When Philip Gilbert, eccentric and obsessive aficionado of all things Sherlock Holmes, turns up facedown in Battery DuMaurier, a relic from San Francisco’s 19th-century military history, detective Kate Martinelli gets to work. An unpublished story by Conan Doyle in Gilbert’s possession tells of a transvestite and her military lover, whose corpse was also found in the Battery. Kate’s investigations lead her back into the Victorian world of Mary Russell, King’s other series detective.

THE ART OF DETECTION, by Laurie R. King (Bantam Books, 2006)

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Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 7/8/2008

7/8/1961:
In the first all-British final at Wimbledon since 1914, Angela Mortimer defeats Christine Truman, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, to win the ladies' singles championship. For the 29-year-old Mortimer, the victory is the culmination of an illness-plagued career. At various times, she battled through sinus trouble that affected her hearing, a serious viral infection and failing eyesight to win here after 12 years of trying. It's her third and last Grand Slam title after winning the French championship in 1955 and capturing the Australian crown in 1958.

Birthdays:
Harrison Dillard b. 1923
Roone Arledge b. 1931
John David Crow b. 1935
Jack Lambert b. 1952
Todd Martin b. 1970

1984:
John McEnroe routed Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, in the Wimbledon men's singles final.

"If the aging urchin faded back into obscurity, you can say this much for Jimbo: that losing one, one and two in the finals of Wimbledon is like losing 20 games in the majors. You have to be awfully good to get the opportunity." -Frank Deford, July 16, 1984

Packers Fact:
Ahman Green had a pair of long touchdown runs (31 yards and 83 yards) before an eventual 28-6 victory over Detroit on Kickoff Weekend was even one quarter old in 2001.

MAGIC SHOW

Two magicians in 1878 begin a rivalry that escalates through the years with such malice and ingenuity that it becomes part of the lives of the generations that follow. According to The Washington Post, The Prestige is “a dizzying magic show of a novel, chock-a-block with all the props of Victorian sensation fiction: seances, multiple narrators, a family curse, doubles, a lost notebook, wraiths, and disembodied spirits; a haunted house, awesome mad-doctor machinery, a mausoleum, and ghoulish horrors; a misunderstood scientist, impossible disappearances; the sins of the fathers visited upon their descendants.”

THE PRESTIGE, by Christopher Priest (Tor Books, 2005)

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Monday, July 07, 2008

Sports Fact of the Day 6/30-7/7/2008

June 30:
6/30/1970:
John Newcombe outlasts Australian countryman Roy Emerson, 11-9, in the fifth set to advance to the semifinals at Wimbledon. Trailing two sets to one, Newcombe survives seven deuces and five break points on his serve in the first game of the fourth set, changing the tide of the match. A winner here as an amateur in 1967, he'll go on to defeat Andres Gimeno and Ken Rosewall to win this year' title and return next year to beat American Stan Smith in the 1971 finals.

Birthdays:
Roy Green b. 1957
Mitch Richmond b. 1965
Garret Anderson b. 1972
Chan Ho Park b. 1973
Michael Phelps b. 1985

1929:
Bobby Jones sank a pressure putt on the 18th hole of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot to force a playoff with Al Espinosa. Jones won the 36-hole playoff by 23 strokes.

"On the green, Bobby Jones crouched partly on one knee studying the slanting line of the treacherous putt. There was a dip or a break in the green of at least a foot-and-a-half that had to be judged. Bob was usually a fast putter. This time he took a few seconds longer than usual, for an addition to the speed of the fast green he had to decide how big the break was." -Grantland Rice, August 16, 1954

Packers Fact:
Tackle Kevin Barry has studied Tae Kwon Do for nearly a decade to help with his discipline and flexibility on the field.

July 1:
7/1/1999:
Overcoming the embarrassment of surrendering an own-goal in the fifth minute of play, the USA women's soccer team rallies to defeat Germany, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the World Cup tournament at Landover, Maryland. Playing before President Clinton and the First Lady, but trailing at halftime, 2-1, the American side scores two second-half goals on corner kicks to overcome their occasionally shaky defense. Brandy Chastain scores on a rebound after a perfect corner kick by Mia Hamm to tie the game at 2-2 shortly after the intermission. Then, in the 66th minute, Shannon MacMillan sets up Joy Fawcett for the game winner. Team USA will go on to defeat Brazil and China for the World Cup title.

Birthdays:
Rod Gilbert b. 1941
Mike Haynes b. 1953
Nancy Lieberman b. 1958
Carl Lewis b. 1961
Jerome Iginia b. 1977

1980:
Clocked in a time of 3:48.8, Great Britain's Steve Ovett lowered Sebastian Coe's mile record by two-tenths of a second.

"Ovett reached three-quarters of a mile in 2:51.0, more than two seconds faster than Coe had run, and it seemed that the mile record was in for an astounding revision. ... For 200 meters he carried on powerfully, but into the last curve his reckless early speed finally told." -Kenny Moore and John Rodda, July 14, 1980

Packers Fact:
Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings is nicknamed "Superman".

July 2:
7/2/1970:
For the third time in less than a month, Yankee second baseman Horace Clarke breaks up a no-hitter in the ninth inning. Tonight, with one out in the ninth, Clarke singles to spoil Tiger right-hander Joe Niekro's no-hit bid. On June 4, he led off the ninth with a single to break up Kansas City lefty Jim Rooker's attempt for a no-no, and on June 19 he did exactly the same thing to right-hander Sonny Siebert of the Red Sox. Neither Niekro or Rooker will ever pitch a no-hitter; Siebert had one in 1966 for Cleveland.

Birthdays:
Rene Lacoste b. 1904
Larry Costello b. 1931
Richard Petty b. 1937
Jose Canseco b. 1964
Sean Casey b. 1974

2000:
France stunned Italy, 2-1, and won the European championship at Rotterdams' De Kuip Stadium. For "Les Bleus," it was their first European title since 1984.

"By becoming the first World Cup holder ever to win the European crown, France earned a spot among the best teams of all time, in the category of Brazil's Pele-led world champions of 1970 and European Cup-winning clubs from Real Madrid (1956-'60) and Ajax Amsterdam (1971). Indeed, the French fielded a frighteningly gifted and complete lineup." -Grant Wahl, July 10, 2000

Packers Fact:
Defensive tackle Johnny Jolly, a sixth-round draft pick in 2006, was a high school teammate (Forest Brook in Houston, Texas) of Cleveland running back Lawrence Vickers, who also was a sixth-rounder that year.

July 3:
7/3/1973:
The Perry brothers, Gaylor and Jim, who will eventually combine for 529 big league victories (314 by Gaylord), hook up as opposing starters for the only time in their careers as the Tigers visit Cleveland. Older brother Jim leaves the game in the sixth inning, trailing 4-2, but he'll get a no-decision when his Detroit teammates rally for a 5-4 victory, pinning the loss on Gaylord. Norm Cash hits two homers off Gaylord, accounting for three of the five Detroit runs. The Perry brothers, both right-handers from Williamston, North Carolina will combine for 39 years of big-league service (22 by Gaylord), and Gaylord will be named to the Hall of Fame in 1991.

Birthdays:
Frank Tanana b. 1947
Elmo Wright b. 1949
Moises Alou b. 1966
Neil O'Donnell b. 1966
Teemu Selanne b. 1970

1970);
Margaret Court outlasted Billie Jean King to win the Wimbledon championship.

"Wimbledon treasures its great matches and this year's Court-King battle has already been stashed away as a classic. To recount all the peaks and valleys is impossible, but it should by remembered that the girls were on center court for two and a half hours in a 14-12, 11-9 match that set all sorts of endurance records." -Walter Bingham, July 13, 1970

Packers Fact:
Offensive lineman Daryn Colledge, was born in Fairbanks and grew up in North Pole, Alaska on S. Santa Claus Lane.

July 4:
7/4/1982:
In a star-spangled Wimbledon final on Independence Day at the All England Club, Jimmy Connors beats defending champion John McEnroe in five sets, requiring over four hours on Centre Court. After losing a third-set tiebreaker, Connors wins the last two sets to capture his second Wimbledon title and first since 1974; he had lost in the finals three times since. In an extremely close match in which each player wins 173 points, a double fault by McEnroe costs him a break of service in the final set that directly leads to Connors' eventual triumph.

Birthdays:
Al Davis b. 1929
Rick Casares b. 1931
Emerson Boozer b. 1943
Pam Shriver b. 1962
Vinny Castilla b. 1967

1983:
New York Yankees pitcher Dave Righetti gave team owner George Steinbrenner a special birthday gift against the Red Sox.

"Try this one out, patriots. It's July 4, the birth date of his club owner and his country, and Yankee Doodle Dandy Dave Righetti is facing Boston at Yankee Stadium. ... Suddenly it's the top of the ninth, two men are out, and up comes Wade Boggs, who has more hits this season than anyone in the majors. Righetti fans him for the first Yankees no-hitter in 27 years, and the Stadium erupts." -Jim Kaplan, July 25, 1983

Packers Fact:
Safety Tyrone Culver, a sixth-round draft pick in 2006, played at the same southern California high school (Palmdale) as wide receiver Derek Hagan, a third-round choice of the Dolphins this year.

July 5:
7/5/2000:
The scourge of increasingly violent involvement by parents in youth sports in America reaches its nadir in Reading, Massachusetts, when hockey coach Michael Costin, a father of four, is beaten to death by 270-pound Thomas Junta. Junta felt that Costin was allowing too much rough play in a scrimmage involving 10- and 12-year-old players, especially directed at his own son. The aftermath of this senseless tragedy focuses on a nationwide trend of overzealous parents living through their children, pushing them to excel at all costs instead of just playing sports for fun. Junta will be convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to a prison term of 6 to 10 years.

Birthdays:
Curt Blefary b. 1943
Goose Gossage b. 1951
Johnny Rodgers b. 1951
James Lofton b. 1956
Amelie Mauresmo b. 1979

1992:
Andre Agassi battled Goran Ivanisevic through five sets in the men's final at Wimbledon. Agassi, who had lost three Grand Slam finals, finally won his first major championship.

"America's favorite out-there, happenin' commercial dude, the hipster with the shades, the earring, the spandex undies and the squrrel-tailed hair, the guy who was none other than the adorably blow-dried Andre Agassi himself-turned out to be right after all. Image is everything." -Curry Kirkpatrick, July 13, 1992

Packers Fact:
The Packers entered the 2007 season with more victories on Kickoff Weekend (47) than all but one other NFL. The Chicago Bears held theh record with 49 all-time wins in season openers.

July 6:
7/6/1957:
Gardnar Mulloy, 42, and Budge Patty, 33, combine to upset the top-seeded Australian tandem of Neale Fraser and Lew Hoad in four sets to win the Wimbledon men's doubles championship. Mulloy becomes the oldest person to ever win any event at the tournament. The veteran American duo continually disrupt the timing and rhythm of their younger opponents with a steady diet of soft returns, angled slices and strategic lobs to seize control of the match. Queen Elizabeth presents Mulloy and Patty with a silver trophy following their crowd-pleasing triumph.

Birthdays:
Darrell Royal b. 1924
Brad Park b. 1948
Willie Randolph b. 1954
Ron Duguay b. 1957
Lance Johnson b. 1963

July 7:
Journeyman catcher Doug Mirabelli, who became knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's personal catcher for several years with the Red Sox, put his singular plight into perspective: "Trying to catch a knuckleball is like trying to catch a butterfly with a waffle iron."

1975:
The unbeaten filly Ruffian and Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure staged a much-publicized match race at Belmont Park.

"It turned into a disaster. Unbeaten Ruffian, the superlative filly, had raced a blistering half mile ... when suddenly the [bones] in her right foreleg splintered, piercing her flesh. Doctors could do nothing for her, and she had to be destroyed." Jack Mann, July 14, 1975


Packers Fact:
Along with Denver (106 victories) and New England (101), the Packers (102) were one of the only three NFL teams to record 100 or more regular-season victories in the 10-year span from 1996 to 2005.

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Book Rec of the Day 6/30-7/7/2008

HISTORY IN A NOVEL

This powerhouse of a second novel by Nunez begins with Georgette and Ann as Barnard roommates in 1968. Ann is a radical lefty from a very cushy background; Georgette knows poverty all too well and is surprised and even a little appalled that Ann should romanticize it. As the countercultural revolution ferments, Ann immerses herself in a violent, ideological brand of activism, and finally, in 1976, she shoots and kills a policeman and goes to prison, where she writes impassioned essays that come to the attention of magazine editor Georgette. A searing examination of America’s recent past.

THE LAST OF HER KIND, by Sigrid Nunez (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005)
Tui De Roy does for South America what Ansel Adams did for the Pacific Northwest, searing into our memories images of places we may never have seen. De Roy grew up in the Galápagos, an archipelago that belongs politically to Ecuador, comprising 13 main volcanic islands, 6 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina, are still forming and erupting regularly. This is nature photography at its spectacular best.

GALÁPAGOS: ISLANDS BORN OF FIRE, by Tui De Roy (Warwick House, 2000)
“The novel races toward a conclusion so shocking that even longtime Patterson devotees won’t see it coming.”—Booklist

Out in the Hamptons where the wealthy while away their summers, the bodies of three young men are found on a billionaire’s basketball court. Dante Halleyville, high-school basketball prodigy, is arrested and goes to the one person he can trust to defend him, a very small-time attorney named Tom Dunleavy. Fortunately, Tom’s girlfriend, Kate Costello, is a very savvy Manhattan lawyer. Money, forbidden fruit, violence, deceit, suspense, and action all come together for some good old summertime adventure and a fine beach (or hammock) read.

BEACH ROAD, by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge (Little, Brown, 2006)

SHORT FICTION

Alexie’s third collection of stories introduces us to some sorrowful, beaten-down characters, Indians who nevertheless possess the strength, the wits, and the sense of humor to survive. “The two funniest tribes I’ve ever been around are Indians and Jews, so I guess that says something about the inherent humor of genocide,” quips the main character in the smart and poignant “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” about a homeless Indian who recognizes his grandmother’s stolen dance regalia in a pawnshop window and the day he spends trying to collect the $999 he needs to buy it back. Alexie has a brilliant talent for shedding light on the human condition through these stories of contemporary Indians of the northwestern United States.

TEN LITTLE INDIANS, by Sherman Alexie (Grove Press, 2003)
Competitive eating isn’t exactly an Olympic sport, but it is making headway. Nerz writes with gusto about the distended stomachs and involuntary emptying of same, the training techniques of the winners, and the Belt of Fat Theory. He profiles such prize-winning gurgitators as Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, Ed “Cookie” Jarvis, and, of course, the incredible Takeru Kobayashi, who year after year stuffs more hot dogs down his throat than anyone else at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest. Not a book for all times and places, it nevertheless should amuse you while you lie on the beach and digest that burger, fries, and shake you indulged in for lunch this afternoon.

EAT THIS BOOK: A YEAR OF GORGING AND GLORY ON THE COMPETITIVE EATING CIRCUIT, by Ryan Nerz (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2006)

YOU GOTTA LAUGH

“[I]nspired parody. . . . [T]he book’s ultimate joke . . . is that it’s not only more informative about how American government and culture work than the textbooks it burlesques, but gives us a keener sense of having a stake in both.”—Tom Carson, The New York Times Book Review

If you didn’t get to it in 2004, or even if you did, the lessons you learn in Stewart’s brilliant and bestselling satire of a modern civics text are still pertinent and oh so funny!

AMERICA (THE BOOK): A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DEMOCRACY INACTION, by Jon Stewart (Warner Books, 2004)
When it was first published, this classic novel won the World Fantasy Award. Harold Bloom includes the book in his list of the Western Canon of the 20th Century, and Ursula LeGuin said that Little, Big “all by itself calls for a redefinition of fantasy.” The story is about Smoky Barnable, who marries Daily Alice Drinkwater and lives with her and her family in a place called Edgewood. The Drinkwaters are somehow connected with a world of fairies and are trying to fathom their place in some strange ongoing story. Little, Big is a truly unusual, allusive, and evocative book.

LITTLE, BIG, by John Crowley (1981; Harper Perennial, 2002)

ANDROID DREAMS

“Ray Kurzweil is the best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence. His intriguing new book envisions a future in which information technologies have advanced so far and fast that they enable humanity to transcend its biological limitations—transforming our lives in ways we can’t yet imagine.” —Bill Gates

The “singularity” in question is that point in time when human brains and bodies merge with their machines. It may all sound too crazy, yet Kurzweil is an accomplished inventor and intellectual who has to be taken at least somewhat seriously.

THE SINGULARITY IS NEAR: WHEN HUMANS TRANSCEND BIOLOGY, by Ray Kurzweil (Penguin, 2006)

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