Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 11/8-11/9/2009

11/8/1958:
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Moccasins football team upsets mighty cross-state rival Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, 14-6, setting off a riotous demonstration by UT-C fans that results in 9 injuries, 10 arrests, the dismantling of both goalposts and the use of firehoses and tear gas by police to quell the pandemonium. Judging by the one-sided history of this series, a rip-roaring celebration was certainly understandable. It's UT-C's first win in modern times (since 1905) in a series that will have to be discontinued in 1970 due to its competitive imbalance. In 39 meetings since 1899, Tennessee was totally dominant (35-2-2) with a scoring edge of 1,119-170. on this one afternoon, however, the Movin' Mocs had their day.

Birthdays:
Bobby Bowden b. 1929
Satch Sanders b. 1938
Angel Cordero Jr. b. 1942
Ed Kranepool b. 1944
Jimmie Giles b. 1954

READ YOUR VEGGIES

The word vegetarian was first coined in the 1840s, but the idea was around long before that, and not only in India. Frances Bacon, for instance, wrote about it in the 1600s. Tristram Stuart explores the social history of vegetarianism from every angle, including the literary (Mary Shelley and Jane Austen had vegetarian characters in their novels) and the fascistic (remember Hitler and Himmler?). He also lays out all the arguments that have been advanced against it. A thorough and fascinating study.

THE BLOODLESS REVOLUTION: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF VEGETARIANISM FROM 1600 TO MODERN TIMES, by Tristram Stuart (W. W. Norton, 2007)

11/9/1974:
Four-year-old Forego wins the two-mile Jockey Club Gold Bup at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York by two and a half lengths over Group Plan. Ridden by Heliodoro Gustines, Forego is much the best in the field of eight, closing with a rush around the final turn to win driving. He'll shortly be named Horse of the Year for the first of three straight years, only the second horse to be so honored. Kelso won five straight annual awards from 1960 to '64.

Birthdays:
Bob Gibson b. 1935
Tom Weiskopf b. 1942
Teddy Higuera b. 1958
David Duval b. 1971
Adam Dunn b. 1979

Packers Fact:
Whileh playing for the Packers in 1928, halfback Verne Lewellen passed the bar exam and successfully ran for the position of Brown County District Attorney. The man he beat: LaVern Dilweg, his Green Bay teammate.

If the notion of clever talking cats that solve whodunnits appeals to the goofy side in you, then the bestselling Mrs. Murphy Mystery series may be the diversion you’re looking for on a cold autumn evening. Puss ’n Cahoots, the 14th book in the series, includes two cats and a corgi, a honeymooning couple, jewelry theft, and murder at a Kentucky horse show.

PUSS ’N CAHOOTS, by Rita Mae Brown (Bantam, 2007)