Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/14-15/2009

2/14/1977:
Buffalo right winger Rene Robert scores a hat trick for the second night in a row at the Aud, leading the Sabres to a 7-2 rout of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Robert also had three goals in last night's 6-2 victory over the Minnesota North Stars. Part of Buffalo's revered French Connection line with left wing Rick Martin and center Gilbert Perreault, he'll score well over 200 goals in his seven years with the club.

Birthdays:
Woody Hayes b. 1913
Mickey Wright b. 1935
Jim Kelly b. 1960
Drew Bledsoe b. 1972
Steve McNair b. 1973

2/15/1936:
The unchallenged queen of women's figure skating for the past 10 years, Sonja Henie of Norway captures her third straight all-around Olympic championship at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Though pressed by Cecilia Colledge of Great Britain, Henie responds with a flawless free-skating repertoire featuring a breathtaking double axel to win the gold medal, equaling the three straight golds won by male figure skater Gillis Grofstrom of Sweden (1920, '24, '28). Miss Henie will soon turn pro, move to the United States, stage skating exhibitions and appear in several Hollywood motion pictures.

Birthdays:
Earl "Red" Blaik b. 1897
John Hadl b. 1940
Darrell Green b. 1960
Jaromir Jagr b. 1972
Amy Van Dyken b. 1973

Packers Fact:
Linebacker Tracy White was the Packers' top tackler on kick coverage in 2006. He had 17 special-teams stops.

BROKEN HEARTS AND THEN SOME

Has any couple ever fallen as deeply, unreservedly, and tragically in love as Abelard and Heloise? He was her tutor and she was only 18 when they met. Their love survived his castration and banishment and much, much more. It is one of the great love stories of all time, and, unlike Romeo and Juliet’s, it is entirely true. To top it off, James Burge has found additional material and has retold and analyzed the 12th-century love story in this excellent biography.

	HELOISE & ABELARD: A NEW BIOGRAPHY, by James Burge (HarperSanFrancisco, 2006)
	THE LETTERS OF ABELARD AND HELOISE, translated from the Latin by Betty Radice, revised by M. T. Clanchy (1943; Penguin Classics, 2004)

FATHER LOVE

Adam Gopnik has beguiled readers of The New Yorker for years with reports from Paris and now, with two children in tow, in New York. His willingness to enter, metaphorically and literally, the Children’s Gate (a section of Central Park) make him an ideal observer as he turns his curious, gentle, and meticulous eye to parenting, city-dwelling, writing, and the mysterious persona of Charles Ravioli, his daughter’s imaginary playmate, who finds it impossible to fit her into his busy schedule.

THROUGH THE CHILDREN’S GATE: A HOME IN NEW YORK, by Adam Gopnik (Knopf, 2006)

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

THE ORIGIN OF VALENTINE’S DAY

Every February in ancient Rome, teenage boys and girls gathered in the name of Lupercus, god of shepherds, to celebrate fertility and choose a “mate” for the year. They were allowed to do anything they liked together. When Christians gained power in the Roman Empire, they cleaned up the holiday. Lupercus was “replaced” by St. Valentine, a bishop who had been executed in A.D. 270 by Emperor Claudius II for performing marriages. This symbol of “wholesome” love was reluctantly accepted by the Romans. Eventually, St. Valentine’s Day was celebrated throughout western Europe.

NO BABIES HAVE EVER BEEN BORN WITHIN VATICAN CITY LIMITS.

WORDPLAY

STRANGE (BUT REAL) SIGNS

In a dry cleaner: “We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand.”

At a convention: “For anyone who has children and doesn’t know it, there is a day care center on the first floor.”

At a camera store: “One Hour Photos Ready in 20 Minutes”

At a clothing store: “Men’s wool suits—$10. They won’t last an hour.”

At a health clinic: “We Unblock Your Constipation with Our Fingers”

PRINCESS DIANA’S FAVORITE BAND WAS DURAN DURAN.

GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE

See the answer tomorrow.

Q: The tango, enduringly popular as the sensuous and intricate dance of love, is the signature dance of which country?

a) Argentina
b) Brazil
c) Chile
d) Peru

Answer: A, Argentina. To dance with your love in the capital of the tango, go to Buenos Aires.

On Valentine's Day Wishes, Somehow Inappropriate:

From: Oregon Knife Shop

Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007, 10:25 AM

To:

Subject: Say I love you with a knife ... and free shipping.

Valentines Day Knife Sale.

actual sales e-mail (thanks to Erica Derout)

On Close, but No Cigar:

Weakest Link host Anne Robinson: What name is given to the field of medicine that concerns the health of women?

Contestant: Womenology.