Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/20/2009

3/20/1934:
Arguably the most accomplished and versatile female athlete in history, Babe Didrikson pitches the first inning of a spring training game for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Fort Myers, Florida. Exhibiting an easy, fluid motion, Didrikson walks the first batter and hits the second, setting up some genuine baseball magic. The next batter, Joe Stripp, lines out to second baseman Dib Williams, who quickly flips to shortstop Rabbit Warstler, who relays the ball to first baseman Jimmie Foxx and viola!-the A's record a triple play to end the inning. After Didrikson leaves the game, it's downhill for the A's. Brooklyn wins, 4-2.

Birthdays:
John Barnhill b. 1938
Pat Riley b. 1945
Bobby Orr b. 1948
Chris Hoiles b. 1965
Mookie Blaylock b. 1967

Packers Fact:
Green Bay routed eventual NVC-champ Chicago 26-7 in the 2006 regular-season finale, but the Packers' playoff hopes were dashed that weekend by a Giants' victory the previous night.



The stories of Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) are beautifully wrought, haunting masterpieces that require and reward many readings. Labyrinths, originally published by New Directions in 1964, is the definitive book for first-time readers of Borges and a must-have for confirmed admirers. Though slim, the volume contains 23 of his best-known stories, including “A New Refutation of Time,” “The Garden of Forking Paths,” “Borges and I,” and “The Sect of the Phoenix.” It also provides several essays and parables, a very useful bibliography, and illuminating contributions from his admiring editors.

LABYRINTHS: SELECTED STORIES AND OTHER WRITINGS, by Jorge Luis Borges (1964; New Directions, 2007)

OOPS!

“Aliso Viejo, California, officials fell prey to an Internet prank that warns about ‘the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide,’ otherwise known as H₂O or . . . water. The City Council was about to vote on a law banning the use of foam containers made with the substance. Officials said a paralegal was the victim of a spoof Web site identifying it as an ‘odorless, colorless chemical’ that can cause death if inhaled.”

—USA Today

J. EDGAR HOOVER ONCE GAVE HIS MOTHER A CANARY BRED BY THE “BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ.”

ON THIS DAY

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

The spring equinox, which falls today, is prime time for viewing the spectacle known as aurora borealis, or northern lights, best experienced in the northern hemisphere. This display is over the Brooks Range in Alaska.

On Yes, It Is Difficult To Distinguish Months From Seasons:

Family Feud host Richard Dawson: Name a month of spring.

Contestant: Summer.

(thanks to Andrea Grady)