Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/2-2/3/2009

2/2/1968:
Wilt Chamberlain becomes the only player in NBA history to record a "double-triple-double" (20 or more in three offensive categories). The unstoppable Big Dipper puts up 22 points, hauls down 25 rebounds and dishes out 21 assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 131-121 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Birthdays:
Red Schoendienst b. 1923
Gary Dornhoefer b. 1943
Arturs Irbe b. 1967
Sean Elliott b. 1968
Scott Erickson b. 1968

Packers Fact:
While a senior at San Jose State in 2006, wide receiver James Jones raced 42 yards for a touchdown on a reverse to cap a 20-point rally and help the Spartans stun Stanford, 35-34.


2/3/1994:
Atlanta Braves slugger Ron Gant suffers a broken right leg in a motorbike accident on an off-road track, requiring three hours of surgery to set the fracture. Gant will soon be released outright by Atlanta, miss the entire 1994 campaign and proceed to bounce around the rest of his career. In an odyssey that will include stints with the Reds, Cardinals, Phillies, Angels, Rockies, Padres and A's, he'll go from a starting spot with the perennial contending Braves to being a big-league journman, primarily because of his involvement with motocross racing. He'll play nine more seasons after the accident, amassing over 1,600 hits and 32 homers in his career.

Birthdays:
Emile Griffith b. 1938
Fran Tarkenton b. 1940
Bob Griesse b. 1945
Vlade Divac b. 1968
Retief Goosen b. 1969

Packers Fact:
Brett Favre was the Packers' Kickoff Weekend starter for the 15th year in 2007. Green Bay won 10 of those 15 openers.

TELL ME A STORY

If you don’t believe in happy endings or don’t want to hear about them, this book isn’t for you. But if you do believe, you will be amply rewarded. Elise Valmorbida (Matilde Waltzing) interviewed many couples with extremely different, often harrowing, stories, all with happy endings. Better than Santa Claus. “Rare and precious . . . [Valmorbida] writes like an angel.”—John Madden, director, Shakespeare in Love

THE BOOK OF HAPPY ENDINGS: TRUE STORIES ABOUT FINDING LOVE, by Elise Valmorbida (Cyan Communications, 2007)

ZOMBIES AMONG US

In a sequel to The Zombie Survival Guide (2003), Max Brooks gives us another seemingly journalistic account of life with zombies from every important angle: political, social, domestic, military, international, and personal. Like every good parody, it points out what is desperately wrong in the world—even before zombies get here.

WORLD WAR Z: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE ZOMBIE WAR, by Max Brooks (Crown, 2006)

TODAY IS GROUNDHOG DAY

How accurate is the legendary rodent’s prediction of the weather? Not very. Over a 60-year period, groundhogs have been only 28 percent accurate in guessing when spring will begin. Groundhogs only leave or stay in their burrows for sexual desire or hunger—not because they’re afraid of their shadow or have a desire to predict the weather.

IN JAPAN, APPLE FARMERS USE TURKEYS TO GUARD THEIR ORCHARDS AGAINST MONKEYS.

A 21-FLUSH SALUTE . . .

TO HENRY HEIMLICH, BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1920

In the early 1970s, Dr. Heimlich, a throat surgeon, noticed the high number of deaths that resulted from simple choking incidents. The common choking relief method of the time, a slap on the back, sometimes worked, but it often forced food farther into the windpipe, making the choker’s situation worse. Heimlich had a theory: A sudden burst of air pressure up through the esophagus would expel an obstruction. The technique: The person applying the maneuver stands behind the victim, with interlocked fingers held below the rib cage and above the navel, and pulls upward. Heimlich published his findings in 1974. The Heimlich Maneuver has since saved tens of thousands of lives.

GEORGE HARRISON OWNED A MUSICAL TOILET. IT PLAYED “LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS.”

MARTINIQUE

LESSER ANTILLES (FRENCH WEST INDIES)

Once the domain of French planters, Martinique, now a favored spot for Caribbean vacationers, still has many plantations. Drive the scenic La Trace roadway to see lush fields of sugarcane and pineapples, rows of banana trees, and groves of avocados.

ON THIS DAY

SAPPORO, JAPAN

The annual Sapporo Snow Festival, beginning today, brings visitors from around the world to see its hundreds of mammoth snow and ice sculptures. Ice palaces large enough for families to walk through and a host of other fantasy shapes created from tons of packed snow and shaved ice are among the festival’s highlights.

On true animal lovers:

FOUND DIRTY WHITE DOG.

Looks like a rat. It's been out awhile.

No collar. Better be a reward.

Call. ...

classified ad in a Baltimore newspaper

On gotta love that bureaucratic talk:

thermal therapy unit ....................................................... ice pack

optical illuminator enhancer .............................................. window washer

indefinitely idling .......................................................... term used by a Pittsburgh steel company when it shut down a mill

bureaucratic definitions