Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 10/18/2009

10/18/1966:
A cornerstone of the New York Knicks franchise that will achieve two world titles (1970, '73) is laid tonight at Madison Square Garden when Willis Reed gets into a fight with Rudy LaRusso of the Lakers. Going berserk in his pursuit of LaRusso, Reed gives Lakers center Darrall Imhoff a black eye and John Block a broken nose when they get in his way. The NYPD steps in to restore order, Reed and LaRusso are ejected and the Knicks win their season opener with Los Angeles, 122-119. With the imposing and indomittable Reed anchoring the Knicks' frontline from here on out, the long-downtrodden Knicks will be nobody's pushovers anymore.

Birthdays:
Forrest Gregg b. 1933
Mike Ditka b. 1939
Frank Beamer b. 1946
Martina Navratilova b. 1956
Thomas Hearns b. 1958

BOOMER BLOOMER

“I like to consider myself a late bloomer, meaning someone who will eventually, however late, come into bloom. Although when and if I will bloom remains a mystery.” So begins this delightful memoir, a sort of Running with Manicure Scissors. Former writer and producer for Caroline in the City and Spin City, and a “dating” columnist for The New York Observer, Amy Cohen lets us see her in her humble glory—her own sweet, smart, sassy, lovable, bumbling self.

THE LATE BLOOMER’S REVOLUTION, by Amy Cohen (Hyperion, 2007)