Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/14/2009

1/14/2000:
Toronto small forward Vice Carter, seething over not being selected by the U.S. Olympic basketball team, explodes for a career-high 47 points, leading the Raptors to a 115-110 victory over Milwaukee at Air Canada Centre. Carter is especially piqued at Bucks guard Ray Allen, who was picked for the Olympic squad. Displaying his unique blend of shotmaking ability and above-the-rim theatrics, commonly known as "Vinsanity," carter hits 20 of 32 shots from the floor, hits all three of his three-point shots and completely overshadows Allen, who finishes with 25 points.

Birthdays:
Smead Jolley b. 1902
Sonny Siebert b. 1937
Fred Arbanas b. 1939
Gene Washington b. 1947
Terry Forster b. 1952

Packers Fact:
With an average age of 26 years and 89 days, the Packers' Kickoff Weekend roster in 2007 was the youngest in the NFL.

CHILE CON CARNE

In her 15th book, Isabel Allende gives us a sweeping, ambitious historical epic. It is literally a rags-to-riches story of the little seamstress, Doña Inés Suárez (1507-80), who followed her husband from Spain to Peru and, after he was killed, found passionate love and a worthy cause, eventually setting up a new colony in Chile with Don Pedro de Valdivia. Publishers Weekly starred review.

INÉS OF MY SOUL, by Isabel Allende; translated from the Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden (HarperCollins, 2006)

On somewhat unusual?

He has not had a bowel movement in 48 years, and this is somewhat unusual for him.

*on a medical chart (thanks to Marcelle Ehrhart)

UNCLE JOHN’S STALL OF FAME

Honoree: An Australian bus driver (who wishes to remain anonymous)
Notable Achievement: Turning a pit stop into a jackpot
Background: The bus driver was in the middle of his route when he needed to take a bathroom break. There were no passengers on the bus, so he pulled into a local casino to make use of the restroom. While there he played a couple of games of Keno, a numbers game similar to lotto—and won. Now, thanks to his bathroom break, he’s $2.2 million richer.

EVERY YEAR ABOUT 2,500 PEOPLE GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH “TOOTHBRUSH INJURIES.”

PUNTA DEL ESTE

URUGUAY

In “Punta,” the quintessential jet-set mecca for South America’s elite, sun worshippers gather in the southern summer at the sandy beach, elegant designer boutiques, trendy hotels, and restaurants and clubs that vie with the continent’s finest.