Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 10/16-10/17/2009

10/16/1964:
Wyomia Tyus of Griffin, Georgia, wins a gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. A 19-year-old collegian at Tennessee State University, Tyus equaled Wilma Rudolph's world record of 11.2 in the preliminary heats and runs an 11.4 in today's final to beat TSU teammate Edith McGuire by two yards. In 1968 at Mexico City, Tyus will repeat her gold medal performance in this event with a new world record time of 11.08.

Birthdays:
Dave DeBusschere b. 1940
Tim McCarver b. 1941
Juan Gonzalez b. 1969
Kordell Stewart b. 1972
Paul Kariya b. 1974

Packers Fact: Defensive end Willie Davis was an all-pro five times in his 10 seasons with the Packers from 1960-69.

WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME

Home is where you find it or where you make it. Wall Street Journal writer Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds was suddenly without a viable home or workplace after 9/11. Reaching out to friends and family to get back on her feet, she found herself at Guinan’s, an Irish pub in Garrison, New York, and she and the Guinans—and the pub and the town—turn out to be soul mates.

LITTLE CHAPEL ON THE RIVER: A PUB, A TOWN AND THE SEARCH FOR WHAT MATTERS MOST, by Gwendolyn Bounds (HarperCollins, 2006)

In his eulogy for Jackie Robinson in 1972, Jesse Jackson eloquently praised the trailblazing Hall of Famer as a divine instrument of societal change: "Jackie as a figure in history was a rock on the water, creating concentric circles and ripples of new possibility. He was medicine. He was immunized by God from catching the diseases that he fought. The Lord's arms of protection enabled him to go through dangers seen and unseen, and he had the capacity to wear glory with grace."

Birthdays:
Jim Gilliam b. 1928
Evel Knievel b. 1938
Bob Seagren b. 1946
Ernie Els b. 1969
John Rocker b. 1974

Packers Fact:
The Packers set an NFL record (since tied) against the Detroit Lions by scoring 41 points in one period (the second quarter) in a game in 1945. Green Bay won the game, 57-21.

STEAMY STUFF

We’re in Destiny, Louisiana. It’s hot on the floor of the foundry Sayre Lynch’s daddy built, and it’s hot work defying him and the union workers and her brother. But Sayre is woman enough to take it on, and to handle handsome Beck Merchant, too. Another blockbuster romance from the bestselling author of Breath of Scandal, Where There’s Smoke, and Witness.

WHITE HOT, by Sandra Brown (Pocket Books, 2005)