Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 9/5-9/6/2009

9/5/1971:
Houston Astros pitcher James Rodney Richard, 6'8", fans 15 batters in his first major league game, 1 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park, completing a doubleheader sweep. Houston also won the opener, 1-0, behind Jack Billingham, who struck out 11. The 26 combined strikeouts by Houston pitching in the twin bill ties an MLB record set last year by the Mets against the Phillis, and Richard's 15 K's in his debut equals Karl Spooner's mark set with Brooklyn in 1954.

Birthdays:
Gene Bearden b. 1920
Bill Mazeroski b. 1936
John Ferguson b. 1938
Willie Gault b. 1960
Dennis Scott b. 1968


Packers Fact:
Ahman Green, is the Packers' all-time leader with six career 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He reached that plateau each year from 2000 to 2004, then again in 2006.

BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS

Claire Messud writes vividly and wittily about a group of young and sophisticated New Yorkers who are starting out in life with a strong sense of entitlement and not a whole lot more. Messud is a canny observer, and her characters in this contemporary comedy of manners become fascinating creatures as they are revealed to themselves and to us.

THE EMPEROR’S CHILDREN, by Claire Messud (Picador, 2007)

9/6/1998:
A pair of speedsters out of the Southeastern Conference steal the spotlight from headliners Brett Favre of Green Bay and Barry Sanders of Detroit as the Packers beat the Lions, 38-19, on Opening Day at Lambeau Field. On the last play of the third quarter, Lions rookie Terry Fair (out of Tennessee) runs a kickoff back 101 yards for a touchdown. After the hteams change ends, third-year man Roell Preston (out of Ole Miss) replies in kind, running the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards for a Green Bay touchdown, restoring the Packers' 12-point lead. Favre (23-31, 193) outshines Sanders (17 rushes for 70 yards) as the Pack leads from start to finish.

Birthdays:
Hal Jeffcoat b. 1924
Dow Finsterwald b. 1929
Ron Boone b. 1946
Kevin Willis b. 1962
Tim Henman b. 1974

Packers Fact:
After his team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1960 NFL title game, Vince Lombardi never lost another postseason game. That was a string of nine consecutive victories through his final season in Green Bay in 1967.

FIRST YOU SHARPEN YOUR PENCIL . . .

The husband-and-wife team of Arielle Eckstut (agent and author) and David Henry Sterry (author, book doctor, media coach, and other things) are here to show you how to get that great idea of yours for the next Da Vinci Code onto the page and into the bookstores. Putting Your Passion into Print grew out of a hugely popular seminar the two developed at Stanford University. A stuffed compendium of practical knowledge from insiders in the business, it’s just the thing for book lovers who want to make the leap to book writers.

PUTTING YOUR PASSION INTO PRINT: GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED SUCCESSFULLY!, by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry (Workman, 2005)