Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/18-1/20/2009

1/18/1950:
Sam Sneed defeats Ben Hogan by four shots in a playoff to win the Los Angeles Open at the Riviera Country Club. It's Hogan's return to tournament golf after a near-fatal automobile accident last February. An overflow crowd, ardently rooting for Hogan (a three-time winner here), watches both players struggle with low-lying fog throughout their match. Snead grabs an early edge when Hogan drives out-of-bounds on the first hole, and it's an uphill struggle for Bantam Ben all day as he battles fatigue after his long layoff. Snead cards a 72 to win his second L.A. Open, while Hogan finishes with a 76.

Birthdays:
Syl Apps b. 1915
Curt Flood b. 1938
Mark Messier b. 1961
Brady Anderson b. 1964
Mike Lieberthal b. 1972

1/19/1991:
With the advent of the Persian Gulf War elevating patriotic fervor to its apex, the brilliance of Wayne Messmer's pregame rendition of the national anthem is equaled by Vincen Damphousse, who scores four goals to lead the Campbell Conference to an 11-5 rout of the Wales Conference in the NHL All-Star Game at raucous Chicago Stadium. Damphousse, a left wing from the Toronto Maple Leafs, earns MVP honors by becoming only the third player to score four goals in an ASG, joining Wayne Gretzky (1983) and Mario Lemieux (1990).

Birthdays:
Bill Mikvy b. 1931
O.J. Anderson b. 1957
Stefan Edberg b. 1966
Junior Seau b. 1969
Tyrone Wheatley b. 1972

Packers Fact:
In 2007, rookie Mason Crosby became the first player in NFL history to kick a 50-plus-yard field goald and a game-winning field goal in the final minute of his first NFL game.

1/20/1980:
The Pittsburgh Steelers receive a surprisingly stern test from the Los Angeles Rams before pulling away for a 31-19 victory in Super Bowl XIV, becoming the first team to win this event four times. Terry Bradshaw shakes off three interceptions to throw second-half touchdown passes to Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, overcoming two L.A. leads forged by quarterback Vince Ferragamo. The Stelers cement their dynasty of the 1970s, winning their fourth title in six years, while Bradshaw earns MVP honors for the second year in a row.

Birthdays:
Carol Heiss b. 1940
John Maber b. 1956
Ozzie Guillen b. 1964
Ron Harper b. 1964
Brian Giles b. 1971

Packers Fact:
Wide receiver Ruvell Martin caught his first career touchdown pass in a 30-19 victory over the 49ers in week 14 of 2006. It was a 36-yard strike from Brett Favre that put the Packers ahead for good in the first quarter.


MYSTERIOUS DOINGS
Fans of Tony Hillerman’s Navajo series (Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, and Coyote Waits) will be glad to see Joe Leaphorn playing a more prominent role here, in a mystery that revolves around a native “storyteller” rug with magical and malign properties. A strong feature is Hillerman’s gentle, observant style and rich insights into Navajo culture. Publishers Weekly starred review.

THE SHAPE SHIFTER, by Tony Hillerman (HarperCollins, 2006)

POE LIVES

America, it’s time to get out your “Annabel Lee,” your “Purloined Letter,” your “Telltale Heart,” and your bells, bells, bells, bells, bells! Two hundred years ago today, one of America’s great originals came into the world, and by the time he mysteriously expired a mere 40 years later, he had changed the landscape of literature forever. Harold Bloom called this superb edition of Poe’s works the “first truly dependable collection.” But even if you have only an old beat-up high school paperback, pull it down from the shelf tonight and remind yourself of the unique and eerie genius of a Poe tale or poem.

EDGAR ALLAN POE: POETRY AND TALES, by Edgar Allan Poe; edited by Patrick F. Quinn (Library of America, 1984)

EYE-OPENING

The murder of Theo van Gogh—a well-known filmmaker and personality in the Netherlands—by an Islamic radical in November 2004 shocked the world. But Ian Buruma, an American journalist born in Holland, realized that there was a story far beyond what seemed to be another terrorist act, a story that has its roots in European rather than U.S. history. He describes a fascinating arc of domestic policy through the eyes of the Dutch.

MURDER IN AMSTERDAM: THE DEATH OF THEO VAN GOGH AND THE LIMITS OF TOLERANCE, by Ian Buruma (Penguin Press, 2006)

On resume bullets, noncompelling

*I stick wit a job until it gets done and done right.

*Desire to use all my KOWLADGE into the wark by to get the best result for the company.

items appearing on actual resumes (thanks to professional recruiter Scott Eadie)

On people who need more than just tech support:

Tech support: Ok, Bob, type a capital B, then bress enter.

Customer named Bob: A capital B?

Tech support: Right, capital B as in Bob.

Customer named Bob: Capital B as in Bob?

Tech support: Exactly. Capital B as in Bob!

Bob: [Pause] That's the one with two loops, right?

actual call to a computer help desk

On keep your day job, Babs:

Her skirt was very short, and Josh found himself mesmerized by her perfectly shaped, silken legs with kneecaps that reminded him of golden apples.

excerpt from Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D-California) novel A Time to Run

WHEN NATURE CALLS

“A kitten picked the wrong place to relieve herself when she peed on a fax machine, sparking a fire in her Japanese owner’s house. Investigators concluded that the blaze was caused by a spark generated when the cat urine soaked the machine’s electrical printing mechanism. The fire damaged the kitchen and living room before it was put out by the homeowner, who was treated for mild smoke inhalation, said Masahito Oyabu, a fireman at the Nagata fire station in central Kobe. ‘If you have a cat or a dog,’ added Oyabu, ‘be careful where they urinate.’”

—Reuters

FRIGHTENING FACT: PHOBATRIVAPHOBIA IS A FEAR OF TRIVIA ABOUT PHOBIAS.

WORDS OF WISDOM . . .

FROM DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

• “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.”

• “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

• “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

• “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill-will.”

COST EFFECTIVE? IT COSTS 1.4 CENTS TO MINT A PENNY.

IT’S INAUGURATION DAY

William Henry Harrison was sworn in as the ninth president of the United States in 1841. To demonstrate his strength, the 67-year-old Harrison rode on horseback in his inaugural parade without a hat, gloves, or overcoat. Then he stood outside in the snow for more than one and a half hours, delivering his inaugural address. He caught pneumonia and just one month after his inauguration he died. Harrison held office only long enough to keep one campaign promise: not to run for a second term.

JAMES POLK’S 1845 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION WAS THE FIRST TO BE REPORTED BY TELEGRAPH.


Answer: B, Antigua, in the Lesser Antilles.

ELLORA CAVES

MAHARASHTRA, INDIA

Bombay (Mumbai) may be the pulsating commercial heart of Maharashtra, but its soul lies in the astonishing hand-hewn cave temples more than 200 miles to the northeast. At Ellora, 34 rock-cut temples are sculptural masterpieces. Begun 1,400 years ago, they are all carved—interior and exterior, roof to floor—out of solid rock.

PAVLOVSK

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

Named for Paul I (Pavel in Russian) and built for him by his mother, Catherine the Great, Pavlovsk was the home of the prince and his family in the 18th century. During World War II its precious art and furnishings were hidden away, and after the war the palace itself, which had been burned by Hitler’s troops, was restored by a virtual army of Russia’s finest artisans.