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

3/2/1973:
Arizona State left-hander Eddie Bane pitches a perfect game against Cal. State-Northridge as the Sun Devils win, 9-0. Only 5'9" and 165 pounds, Bane compiles a 41-4 record in three years at ASU with over 500 strikeouts. He'll be the No. 1 draft choice of the Minnesota Twins (11th overall) and be elevated to the majors immediately without any stopovers int he minors. His big-league debut will draw over 45,000 to Metropolitan Stadium on the Fourth of July, but his bright promise will fade quickly and by 1976 he'll be out of baseball.

Birthdays:
Mel Ott b. 1909
Hopalong Cassady b. 1934
Ian Woosnam b. 1958
Terry Steinbach b. 1962
Ben Roethlisberger b. 1982

Packers Fact
Safety Atari Bigby was born in Jamaica. He moved to the United States with his family when he was 4 years old.

3/3/1950:
Sophomore center Bob Zawoluk scores a school record 65 points to lead St. John's to a 105-61 rout of St. Peter's at the DeGray Gymnasium in Brooklyn. Zawoluk will average over 20 ppg during his three seasons with the Redmen and score a school record 1,826 points, a mark not surpassed until 1984 by sharp-shooting Chris Mullin, who needed four seasons to do it. Zawoluk twice finishes ninth in the seasonal NCAA scoring statistics and will lead St. John's to the national title game as a senior in 1952, when they lose to Kansas.

Birthday:
Julius Boros b. 1920
Randy Gradisher b. 1952
Jackie Joyner-Kersee b. 1962
Herschel Walker b. 1962
Brian Leetch b. 1968

Packers Fact:
The Packers had just 77 plays from scrimmage in 2006 that lost yardage. The only two NFL teams with fewer negative plays that season were the Super Bowl-champion Colts (73 plays) and the Eagles (76 plays).

HELLO, BARBIE

Barbie turns 50 this year. With Forever Barbie, M. G. Lord gives us the skinny on the ever-young American icon, from her origins as Lilli, a German sex kitten, to the multitalented clothes horse we know today. Lord treats Barbie as both a toy for little girls and a personality developed and nurtured by the Mattel Corporation. She also explores the controversial plaything’s place in American social history. A bright, intelligent, and witty examination of a fascinating little doll.

FOREVER BARBIE: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF A REAL DOLL, by M. G. Lord (Walker & Company, 2004)

COACH K TALKS

Revered head basketball coach for Duke University Mike Krzyzewski, with the help of his daughter Jamie, reveals his pithy, time-tested secrets for coaching, leading, winning and losing, discipline, parenting, and living. His winning personality and obvious success both on and off the court are persuasive. There’s something for everyone in this articulate, dignified discussion.

BEYOND BASKETBALL: COACH K’S KEYWORDS FOR SUCCESS, by Mike Krzyzewski with Jamie K. Spatola (Warner Business Books, 2006)

On Phrasing, Excessively Biblical:

And I suspect that what you'll see, Toby, is there will be a momentum, momentum will be gathered. Houses will begat jobs, jobs will begat houses.

President George W. Bush, speaking with reporters on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

On That's EXACTLY What we Were Thinking!:

This is strictly a pantagraphic hauntography of proto-mantic motherworlds. Mysteriograms of toposonic radiances are deconstructed and raptoluminal resonances at residual numinophillic nemeta sites are reiterated in the mycoboreal precincts.

press release publicizing music fo the band Infernal Method

UNDERWEAR IN THE NEWS

Alberta police stopped David Zurfluh for driving erratically, suspicious that he was drunk. But before they could administer the breath analysis test, Zurfluh, who was sitting in the back of the squad car, ate his underwear. Questioned later in court, Zurfluh admitted that his intention was to eat enough cotton to absorb the alcohol in his system. Amazingly, it seems to have worked: The breath test showed his blood alcohol level to be at the legal limit. Zurfluh was acquitted of all charges.

HEY, TECHNOPHILES! WHAT WAS THE FIRST DOMAIN NAME EVER REGISTERED? SYMBOLICS.COM.

SINGING IN THE SHOWER

A REAL (STRANGE) BAND

The First Viennese Vegetable Orchestra, a nine-member Austrian group, plays instruments made entirely out of fresh vegetables, including carrot flutes, eggplant drums, and a “gurkaphone” (a hollow cucumber with a carrot mouthpiece and green-pepper bell). At the conclusion of live performances, the orchestra chops up its instruments and makes a soup, which it shares with the audience.

HIGH LIFE: 74% OF NEW YORK CITY RESIDENTS LIVE AT LEAST ONE FLIGHT OF STAIRS ABOVE THE GROUND.

ISLAND OF LAMU

KENYA

The tiny island of Lamu, once a port for Arab traders, is Kenya’s oldest living city and a fascinating place in which to explore the country’s ancient Swahili and Islamic cultures. Dhows, traditional wooden sailing vessels, ply the waters off the coast.

TRAVELER IN THE KNOW

If you want to tour the White House, plan well in advance. Access is limited, and you’ll need to make arrangements through a member of Congress. For a good perspective on the presidential mansion from outside, stop by the Sky Terrace bar at the Hotel Washington, where locals take their out-of-town friends for the best nighttime view.