Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 11/30/2009

11/30/1958:
Trailing 27-7 at halftime, the Baltimore Colts score 28 unanswered points in the second half to defeat San Francisco, 35-27, and clinch their first-ever NFL Western Conference championship. Alan Ameche scores twice on short runs, Lenny Moore gets loose for a 73-yard touchdown jaunt and quarterback Johnny Unitas caps the comeback with a seven-yard TD strike to Raymond Berry. Only four weeks from today, Baltimore will beat the New York Giants and become world champions.

Birthdays:
Joe B. Hall b. 1928
Bill Walsh b. 1931
Paul Westphal b. 1950
Bo Jackson b. 1962
Ray Durham b. 1971

Packers Fact:
Guard Fuzzy Thurston (1959-1967) didn't play football until his junior year at Valparaiso in 1953. Thurston's Altoona, Wisconsin, high school didn't have a football team, and he originally went to college on a basketball scholarship.

OFF THE COAST OF LONELINESS

This thought-provoking and heartbreakingly beautiful novel tells the story of Thomas Cave in 1616, who takes on a bet with his fellow whalers of the ship Heartsease that he can survive a winter on the uninhabited Svalbard coast of Greenland. Left with provisions and an extra burden of grief and loss, Cave struggles through, but not unscathed. Publishers Weekly starred review.

THE SOLITUDE OF THOMAS CAVE, by Georgina Harding (Bloomsbury USA, 2007)

Sports Fact of the Day 11/20-29/09

11/20/2004:

Winky Wright (48-3, 25 KOs) retains his super welterweight title with a 12-round majority decision over Sugar Shane Mosley (39-4, 35 KOs) at the Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas. It's the same result as last March, when Wright's superior size, speed and quickness proved too much for Mosley. Wright's southpaw style and withering barrage of right jabs continually keep Mosley from gaining a toehold during the bout. Moreover, Wright is a natural 154-pounder, while Mosley had to bulk up from his previous career stops at the lightweight (135 lbs.) and welterweight (147 lbs.) classifications to challenge at this higher weight.

Birthdays:

Don January b. 1929

Louis Dampler b. 1944

Joey Galloway b. 1971

J.D. Drew b. 1975

Carlos Boozer b. 1981

Packers Fact:

Linebacker Ray Nitschke (1958-1972) was a three-time all-pro, but he earned just one Pro Bowl nod. It came in the 1964 season, and he returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown in the game.

11/21/1942:

The War Eagles of Auburn swoop down upon the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs at Columbus and upset them, 27-13. Thanks to some nifty reconnaissance by assistant coach (and later head coach) Shug Jordan. Auburn is tipped off to Georgia's running plays by subtle indicators, especially those of All-American Charlie Trippi. As a result, Auburn running backs Jim Reynolds and Monk Gafford help to compile an astounding 355-37 edge in rushing yardage for the underdog Auburn squad. Georgia's star fullback, Frankie Sinkwich, is unable to reverse Auburn's momentum and fumbles in his own end zone, handing Auburn the clinching touchdown. The loss ends Georgia's national championship aspirations; that honor will go to Ohio State.

Birthdays:

Stan Musial b. 1920

Earl Monroe b. 1944

Troy Aikman b. 1966

Ken Griffey Jr. b. 1969

Michael Strahan b. 1971

Packers Fact:

The Packers won the famous "Ice Bowl" against the Dallas Cowboys in 1967 (on New Year's Eve). Bart Starr's quarterback sneak in the final seconds gave Green Bay a 21-17 victory.

11/22/1950
Putting the game into a deep freeze to offset the dominance of seven-foot center George Mikan, the Fort Wayne Pistons get a basket by rookie Larry Foust with six seconds to go and beat the Minneapolis Lakers by the ridiculously low score of 19-18. The loss snaps a 29-game home-court winning streak for the Lakers and only eight field goals are made in the entire game, four by each team. Paying customers to the still fledgling NBA were clearly not interested in buying tickets to watch players just stand around all night, so it's amazing that the modern-day 24-second clock will not be introduced until the 1954-55 season, eliminating such suffocating stall tactics like those employed by the Pistons tonight.

Birthdays:

Lew Burdette b. 1926

Yvan Cournoyer b. 1943

Billie Jean King b. 1943

Greg Luzinski b. 1950

Boris Becker b. 1967

11/23/2005:

Connecticut staves off Gonzaga, 64-63, to win the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. Denham Brown's basket with one second left gives the Huskies the tourney title over a talented field of opponents featuring four of the nation's top 12 teams. UConn's depth proves decisive as the Zags are outscored 27-10 off the bench. Gonzaga All-American Adam Morrison earns MVP honors, thanks in part to his 41-point outburst in the semis against Michigan State.

Birthdays:

Lew Hoad b. 1934

Luis Tiant b. 1940

Vin Baker b. 1971

Saku Koivu b. 1974

Jonathan Papelbon b. 1980

Packers Fact:

In a 15-year NFL career that began in 1953, center Jim Ringo played in the Pro Bowl for both the West (with Green Bay) and East (Philadelphia) squads.

11/24/1955:

The Miami (Ohio) Redskins complete a perfect 9-0-0 season with a 14-0 shutout of Cincinnati in Ara Parseghian's last game as their head coach. The Redskins score both of their touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one on a 24-yard pass from Tom Dimitroff to Pres Bliss and the second on a short run by Tirrel Burton. They win the "Victory Bell," emblematic of this long-standing rivalry, despite committing six turnovers in the game played at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Coach Parseghian, a Miami graduate, will be moving on to Northwester for 8 years, and after that, 11 noteworthy seasons at Notre Dame.

Birthdays:

Ducky Medwick b. 1911

Yale Lary b. 1930

Oscar Robertson b. 1938

Dave Bing b. 1943

Keith Primeau b. 1971

Packers Fact:

The Packers won just one playoff game in the 1980s. It was against the St. Louis Cardinals. Green Bay won a first-round game in 1982-41-16.

11/25/1950:

The Toronto Argonauts defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 13-0, in the Grey Cup at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. The game is played in a steady downpour, which mels an accumulation of snow that fell yesterday. The grass playing surface of Varsity Stadium, already beat up from a full season of usage, is turned into one big quagmire. Over 27,000 fans turn out to watch the Argos win their fourth Canadian Football League championshiph in six years in a game quickly dubbed "the Mud Bowl" for its laughably unplayable conditions.

Birthdays:

Joe DiMaggio b. 1914

Bernie Kosar b. 1963

Cris Carter b. 1965

Anthony Peeler b. 1969

Donovan McNabb b. 1976

Packers Fact:

The Packers acquired veteran safety Eugene Robinson from the Seahawks in exchange for defensive end Matt LaBounty before the 1996 season. Robinson went on to intercept 6 passes for Green Bay's Super Bowl championship team that year.

11/26/2005:
The New York Rangers defeat the Washington Capitals, 3-2, using a shottout, a newly instituted tiebreaking procedure designed to reach an outcome in three rounds of penalty shot-style attempts by each team but requires 15 rounds tonight, a new NHL record. Rangers defenseman Marik Malik beats Caps goalie Olaf Kolzig with a deke and a flip shot to the top portion of the net to end the marathon. Washington had a chance to win in the conventional overtime session after questioning the curvature of Rangers star Jaromir Jagr's stick and being upheld; however, the Caps failed to do anything with their two-minute, four-on-three manpower advantage.

Birthdays:
Lefty Gomez b. 1909
Harry Carson b. 1953
Chuck Finley b. 1962
Mario Elie b. 1963
Shawn Kemp b. 1969

Packers Fact:
Lynn Dickey passed for 4 touchdowns in the Packers' 41-16 rout of the Cardinals in a first-round playoff game in 1982.

Trying to fit New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's all-American-boy image into a modern context in an era of instant news, all-talk radio and demanding fans, Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy remarked: "Tom Brady is Ozzie Nelson in an Ozzy Osbourne world."

Birthdays:
Chick Hearn b. 1916
Mike Scioscia b.1958
Ivan Rodriguez b. 1971
Nick Van Exel b. 1971
Jimmy Rollins b. 1978

Packers Fact:
Quarterback Tobin Rote, who began his pro career in Green Bay in 1950, went on to play in the Canadian Football League and the American Football League before retiring at age 38 in 1966.

11/28/1995:
Marcus Camby scores 32 points, grabs 9 rebounds and blocks 5 shots to lead fifth-ranked UMass to a 92-82 upset of top-ranked Kentucky at Auburn Hills, Michigan. After blowing a 19-point first-half lead, UMass runs off an 11-1 spurt to start the second half and the Minutemen maintain their edge by actively defending the three-point arc, not letting Kentucky shoot from long range. Dana Dingle has 19 points for UMass, and Donta Bright adds 17. These two clubs will meet again this season in the NCAA tournament Final Four and Kentucky will win the rematch, 81-74, en route to winning the national title.

Birthdays:
Paul Warfield b. 1942
Walt Weiss b. 1963
John Burkett b. 1964
Matt Williams b. 1965
Robb Nen b. 1969

Packers Fact:
In 12 NFL seasons from 1961 to 1972, cornerback Herb Adderly (he was with Green Bay from 1961 to 1969) returned 7 interceptions for touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, that was a league record. Rod Woodson holds the mark now with 12 scoring runbacks.

11/29/1971:
The Cincinnati Reds adquire second baseman Joe Morgan from the Houston Astros, along with starting pitcher Jack Billingham, infielders Denis Menke, center fielder Cesar Geronimo and reserve Ed Armbrister. Morgan will change the face of the Reds with his speed, on-base percentage and winning attitude. Over the next six years, he'll have over 100 runs scored, draw over 100 walks, average 60 steals per season and win the 1975 and'76 National League MVP awards.

Birthdays:
Minnie Minoso b. 1922
Neal Broten b. 1959
Howard Johnson b. 1960
Mariano Rivera b. 1969
Jamal Mashburn b. 1972

Book Rec of the Day 11/20-29/09

MODERN FAIRY TALE

Walt Disney is not the only one who has a soft spot in his heart for the idea that the Romanov princess Anastasia survived the massacre of the Russian royal family at Yekaterinburg in 1918. It’s an enduring romantic fantasy that helps mitigate the utter horror of what really happened. The unmasking of Anna Anderson (1896-1984), the most famous of the Anastasia pretenders, is fascinating in its own right, tinged throughout with the romance of what hope can make us believe.

A ROMANOV FANTASY: LIFE AT THE COURT OF ANNA ANDERSON, by Frances Welch (W. W. Norton, 2007)

VAMPIRES AND VERSACE

Fancy a three-way satire? Vampire meets fashionista meets media mogul. Three worlds collide around young Kate McAlliston when she takes a job as a summer intern at Tasty magazine. Bloodsuckers are all around, and only a few of them are vampires.

BLOOD IS THE NEW BLACK, by Valerie Stivers (Three Rivers Press, 2007)

GAME TIME

From its beginnings in 1903, when Elizabeth Magie created the Landlord’s Game as an educational tool, through the Atlantic City Quakers’ version with local street names, to the modern game, which has sold 200 million copies in 60 countries, the evolution of Monopoly can tell us a lot about the evolution of the country as well. A fascinating history of a game that became a national pastime.

MONOPOLY: AMERICA’S GAME—AND HOW IT GOT THAT WAY, by Philip E. Orbanes (Da Capo Press, 2007)

IS THAT ALL THERE IS?

Rather like stories in Dubliners, these interlocking tales are atmospheric, intimate, beautifully wrought. All the stories are about women in a well-to-do London neighborhood called Arlington Park, feeling trapped, muted, struggling to get free like butterflies caught in a net. It’s a theme that may wear a bit thin at times, but the writing richly weaves over the bald spots. Publishers Weekly starred review.

ARLINGTON PARK, by Rachel Cusk (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)

FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS

Winemaker John Scharffenberger and physician Robert Steinberg first met in 1979; 15 years later they cofounded Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker. Now they have brought out a beautiful hymn to chocolate, accompanied by equally delicious photographs. The recipes, including some nondessert entries, are all within the grasp of most cooks. If you have only one chocolate cookbook, make it this one. Publishers Weekly starred review.

THE ESSENCE OF CHOCOLATE: RECIPES FOR BAKING AND COOKING WITH FINE CHOCOLATE, by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg (Hyperion, 2006)

COZY ROMANCE

Janet Evanovich, ever the bestselling writer, brightens our favorite November holiday with this delectable romantic confection about a teapot maker in colonial Williamsburg who falls for a rabbit-owning pediatrician. It’s light and easy, like the best Thanksgiving dessert.

THANKSGIVING, by Janet Evanovich (Harper Torch, 2006)

It’s Thanksgiving (“the time of year when things go wrong if they’re going to”) in the year 2000. Frank Bascombe (familiar from The Sportswriter and Independence Day) is enduring it with an angry son, a second wife who’s left him, prostate cancer, and various other plights in this, the “Permanent Period” of his life—“when who you feel yourself to be is pretty much how people will remember you once you’ve croaked.” The nuances and shadings of The Lay of the Land demonstrate Richard Ford’s extraordinary talent for depicting the American landscape at the century’s turn.

THE LAY OF THE LAND, by Richard Ford (Knopf, 2006)

AWARD WINNER

Today we celebrate James Agee’s 100th birthday. Agee died before he could finish this poignant autobiographical novel about the unexpected death of a father and that terrible event’s effects on his family. Particularly compelling is the portrait of the six-year-old son and his attempts to comprehend what happened. A Death in the Family won the Pulitzer Prize in 1958, three years after Agee’s death.

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, by James Agee (1957; Penguin, 2006)

This masterpiece from Chilean-born novelist Roberto Bolaño (1953-2003) follows two idealist-philosopher-poets, Arturo (who stands for the author) and Ulises, from 1975 to the 1990s. The two start off in Mexico City and travel far and wide, poking fun at ideas and people everywhere they go, having love affairs, talking philosophy, engaging in quests, and making enemies. Points of view continually shift in a chorus of many voices. Try this oratorio of a novel.

THE SAVAGE DETECTIVES, by Roberto Bolaño; translated by Natasha Wimmer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)

ART AND HEART

At once art book, pictorial history, and documentary, this stunning culmination of 17 years’ research captures the genesis, outbreak, and development of Los Angeles graffiti. Page after page is filled with eye-popping tags, murals, and collective efforts, and it’s accompanied by a CD. A gorgeous coffee table book and engrossing history.

GRAFFITI L.A.: STREET STYLES AND ART, by Steve Grody (Harry N. Abrams, 2007)

APCKRFAN's NFL picks 2009: Week 12

Week 12:
Thu, Nov. 26:
Green Bay @ Detroit - Green Bay
Oakland @ Dallas - Dallas
NY Giants @ Denver - Denver

Sun, Nov. 29:
Miami @ Buffalo - Miami
Seattle @ St. Louis - Seattle
Washington @ Philadelphia - Philadelphia
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta - Atlanta
Arizona @ Tennessee - Tennessee
Indianapolis @ Houston - Indianapolis
Cleveland @ Cincinnati - Cincinnati
Chicago @ Minnesota - Minnesota
Carolina @ NY Jets - Carolina
Kansas City @ San Diego - San Diego
Jacksonville @ San Francisco - Jacksonville
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore - Baltimore

Mon, Nov. 30:
New England @ New Orleans - New England

APCKRFAN's NFL picks 2009: Week 11

Week 11:

Thu, Nov. 19:
Miami @ Carolina - Carolina

Sun, Nov. 22:
Pittsburgh @ Kansas City - Pittsburgh
Indianapolis @ Baltimore - Baltimore
San Francisco @ Green Bay - Green Bay
Buffalo @ Jacksonville - Jacksonville
Atlanta @ NY Giants - NY Giants
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay - New Orleans
Cleveland @ Detroit - Detroit
Washington @ Dallas - Dallas
Seattle @ Minnesota - Minnesota
Arizona @ St. Louis - Arizona
NY Jets @ New England - New England
San Diego @ Denver - San Diego
Cincinnati @ Oakland - Cincinnati
Philadelphia @ Chicago - Philadelphia

Mon, Nov. 23:
Tennesee @ Houston - Houston

Byes: None

Book Rec of the Day 11/14-19/2009

THE ROAD TO BALI

After a difficult and ugly divorce, Elizabeth Gilbert set out on an odyssey in search of herself. She started in Italy to look for pleasure, mostly in the form of food, especially gelato. Next she was off to Mumbai, India, to connect with her spiritual self. Finally she traveled on to Bali, Indonesia, looking to achieve balance. This might have been a dreary, self-centered travelogue, but Gilbert doesn’t write that way. She meets some extraordinary people along the way, and she is funny and smart and her exuberance is utterly infectious.

EAT, PRAY, LOVE: ONE WOMAN’S SEARCH FOR EVERYTHING ACROSS ITALY, INDIA AND INDONESIA, by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin, 2007

THE WEATHER IN TURKEY

The Turkish poet Ka, who has been in Germany for the last twelve years, goes to the town of Kars (kar is the Turkish word for snow) to report on teenage girls who are committing suicide and to connect again with an old university classmate, a beautiful woman named Ipek. It begins snowing at the beginning of the book and doesn’t stop until almost the end. Nobel Prize-winner Orhan Pamuk has written a novel that is political, mysterious, truly moving, and as intricate as a snowflake.

SNOW, by Orhan Pamuk; translated from the Turkish by Maureen Freely (Vintage Books, 2005)

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

Alex Ross, the classical-music critic for The New Yorker, makes history clear through musical history. The many faces of “modernism,” which reflect motives and aesthetics that range from minimalism to revolution to chance to nature, are discussed in this engaging and accessible study. Ross begins with Mahler and Richard Strauss and takes us to the end of the 20th century with Steve Reich and Philip Glass. An excellent tune-up for your ears and brain.

THE REST IS NOISE: LISTENING TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, by Alex Ross (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)

A REASON TO BE THANKFUL

When Cynthia Fiske, a writer of historical fiction for girls, has to visit the Mark Twain home in Connecticut, she is persuaded to share Thanksgiving nearby with her sister, nieces, and 82-year-old father. The happy reunion with father doesn’t quite have the warmth that sister Frances had hoped for, which isn’t surprising, since sister Cynthia believes their father is responsible for their mother’s death. The family drama, underscored by secrets of Mark Twain, comes alive with crackling dialogue. Publishers Weekly starred review.

THE GHOST AT THE TABLE, by Suzanne Berne (Algonquin Books, 2006)

FEMME FATALE

Who was Mata Hari? She was Margaretha Zelle. She had a bleak childhood in the Netherlands. She was a young wife and mother in Java who had to escape her husband. She was a dancer, a courtesan, a spy. And above all, she was a mystery. As she awaits death by firing squad in 1917, this enigma whispers some of her secrets to us. Publishers Weekly starred review.

SIGNED, MATA HARI, by Yannick Murphy (Little, Brown, 2007)

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

Most of us think we know what’s best for us. But, in fact, good research shows that over and over again, we make bad decisions, undercut our successes, fail to see opportunities, and hold ourselves back. In the realm of money, our cluelessness is especially sad. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone authoritative, extremely interesting, well informed, and so likable that we don’t mind having him point out all our foibles were to show us how to get rid of some of these bad habits? Publishers Weekly starred review.

YOUR MONEY AND YOUR BRAIN: HOW THE NEW SCIENCE OF NEUROECONOMICS CAN HELP MAKE YOU RICH, by Jason Zweig (Simon & Schuster, 2007)

Sports Fact of the Day 11/14-11/19/2009

11/14/1943:
Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh dispalys his amazing football versatility, passing for four touchdowns and picking off four interceptions as a defensive back in a 42-20 rout of Detroit at Griffith Stadium. The soft-spoken Texan also handles the punting chores for the reigning NFL champions. On offense, he connects with Bob Masterson for two scores and with Bob Seymour and Joe Aguirre for one each. On defense, he's all over the field, snatching four Detroit aerials to help the Skins maintain their lead.

Birthdays:
Jimmy Piersall b. 1929
Jack Sima b. 1955
Curt Schilling b. 1966
Dana Stubblefield b. 1970
Lawyer Milloy b. 1973

Packers Fact:
Max McGee caught 2 touchdown passes from game MVP Bart Starr in the Packers' 35-10 victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl I in the 1966 season.

11/15/1975:
Newly acquired forward George McGinnis scores 39 points before fouling out, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 110-109 triple-overtime victory over the Washington Bullets at the Spectrum. Mad Dog Carter has 21 points, Doug Collins has 19 and Billy Cunningham 18 for the resurgent Sixers, who will post a 12-game improvement in the standings this season (34-48 to 46-36) and make the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Birthdays:
Gus Bell b. 1928
Harland Svare b. 1930
Bob Dandridge b. 1947
Otis Armstrong b. 1950
Chris Terreri b. 1964

11/16/2002:
Illustrating a sharp drop-off in shooting accuracy and point scoring in the NBA, Detroit and Denver combine to set several unflattering records tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons with the game, 74-53, setting club records for the fewest combined points in any game they've ever played and the fewest points they've ever allowed. The halftime score of 29-28 establishes the lowest post-shot-clock total in NBA history, and the 53 points scored by the Nuggets marks the lowest number of points they've ever scored in a game.

Birthdays:
Terry Labonte b. 1956
Corey Pavin b. 1959
Zina Garrison b. 1963
Dwight Gooden b. 1964
Amare Stoudemire b. 1982

Packers Fact:
Max McGee was a Pro Bowl end for the Packers in the early 1960s, but he was the forgotten man on the receiving corps until he caught a pair of touchdown passes in Super Bowl I. He had only 4 receptions during the 1966 regular season.

11/17/1991:
Detroit Lions offensive guard Mike Utley, a third-year player out of Washington State, is paralyzed while pass blocking in the fourth quarter of a 21-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. A Rams player accidentally landed on Utley's head and neck area after a passing play, causing irreversible damage to his spinal cord and ending his career. Utley flashes a "thumbs up" sign to the crowd at the Silverdome as he's wheeled off the field. Though confined to a wheelchair for life, he's been a tireless advocate for research into spinal cord injuries.

Birthdays:
Bob Mathias b. 1930
Jim Boeheim b. 1944
Tom Seaver b. 1944
Elvin Hayes b. 1945
Mitch Williams b. 1964

Packers Fact:
Cornerback Herb Adderley's 60-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed the Packers' 33-14 victory over the Raiders in Vince Lombardi's last game as coach (Super Bowl II in the 1967 season).

11/18/1998:
Needing a left-handed relief pitcher, the Cleveland Indians drastically overpay to acquire Ricardo Rincon from the Pirates for slugging outfielders Brian Giles. While Rincon will pitch creditably for Cleveland for four years (and four more with Oakland after that), Giles will really break loose in Pittsburgh with 165 homers and 506 RBIs over the next (almost) five seasons before being traded again to San Diego.

Birthdays:
Warren Moon b. 1956
Dante Bichette b. 1963
Gary Sheffield b. 1968
Sam Cassell b. 1969
David Ortiz b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Mike Michalske's (1929-1935, 1937) given first name was August. He soon became known as "Iron Mike" for his durability.

11/19/2006:
Thanks to four touchdowns from sensational running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the San Diego Chargers rally from a 24-7 deficit and defeat Denver, 35-27, at Invesco Field at Mile High. The Chargers also trailed by more than 17 points last week against Cincinnati before winning, 49-41, becoming the first NFL team to surmount such a large deficit two weeks in a row. Despite a great year by Tomlinson (an NFL record 31 TDs) and a 14-2 record, San Diego will lose in the playoffs to visiting New England and head coach Marty Schottenheimer will be forced out of his job because of front-office politics.

Birthdays:
Roy Camapnella b. 1921
Bobby Tolan b. 1945
Bob Boone b. 1947
Gail Devers b. 1966
Ryan Howard b. 1979

Packers Fact:
The Cowboys, Steelers and 49ers were the only NFL teams to enter the 2007 season with more Super Bowl victories than Green Bay. Each of them had hwon the league's biggest game five times. Like the Packers, the Patriots, Raiders, and Redskins had three Super Bowl wins.

Sports Fact of the Day 11/10-13/2009

11/10/2004:
Paul Pierce hits a fallaway jumper as time expires to give the Celtics a 90-88 victory over Portland at the FleetCenter. Already playing with an unwieldy face guard after seven hours of dental surgery to repair the damage after he took an elbow to the mouth in a game last week, Pierce takes another hard hit to his face in the final minute of this game. Following a time-out, he returns to the court, calls for a clear-out, milks the clock down and drains a buzzer-beater to win the game.

Birthdays:
Norm Cash b. 1934
Jack Clark b. 1955
Mike Powell b. 1963
Isaac Bruce b. 1972
Shawn Green b. 1972

Packers Fact:
Kick returner Desmond Howard was the most valuable player of the Packers' 35-21 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI in the 1996 season.

11/11/1984:
The Philadelphia Flyers defeat Edmonton, 7-5, at the Spectrum, snapping the Stanley Cup champion Oilers' NHL record 15-game unbeaten streak (12-0-3) from the start of the season. The Flyers outshoot the Oilers, 46-26, score three goals in a three-minute span of the third period and come back from three Edmonton leads during the game to gain the victory. Goals by Mark Howe and Ilkka Sinisalo just 31 seconds apart with four minutes remaining prove decisive against Edmonton goalie Andy Moog.

Birthdays:
Bobby Dodd b. 1908
Rudy LaRusso b. 1937
Fuzzy Zoeller b. 1951
Roberto Hernandez b. 1964
Oksana Baiul b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Don Majkowski led the NFL when he passed for 4,318 yards in 1989. He made the Pro Bowl that season.

Describing the learning cuve for highly touted NFL quarterbacks, longtime front office executive Ernie Accorsi confessed: "You look for improvement, but one thing about improvement is that it's not a steady incline. It's like an EKG. It goes up and down."

Birthdays:
Tuffy Leemans b. 1912
Ken Houston b. 1944
Nadia Comaneci b. 1961
Sammy Sosa b. 1968
Corey Maggette b. 1979

Packers Fact:
Denver is the only NFL team to beat the Packers in a Super Bowl. The Bronco won game XXXII in the 1997 season, 31-24.

11/13/1977:
Bears quarterback Bob Avellini throws a 37-yard touchdown pass to Greg Latta with three seconds left, rallying Chicago to a 28-27 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field. This play comes just moments after Ed Podolak scored a touchdown for the Chiefs, giving them a seemingly secure 27-21 lead with only 24 seconds left. However, a decent kickoff return and a 20-yard strike from Avellini to Robin Earl sets up the game-winning TD pass in the closing moments. Bears running back Walter Payton is rewarded for a superlative day: 33 carries for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Birthdays:
Steve Bilko b. 1928
Gil Perreault b. 1950
Vinny Testaverde b. 1963
Pat Hentgen b. 1968
Ron Artest b. 1979

Packers Fact:
After Don Chandler retired following the 1967 season, the Packers used nine kickers over the next four seasons. They made only a combined 46 percent of their field goals, however, and Green Bay drafted Chester Marcol in the second round in 1972.

Book Rec of the Day 11/10-13/09

A GAME OF KINGS

Journalist Michael Weinreb is best known for his sports writing. The game in The Kings of New York, however, isn’t the usual baseball, football, or basketball that high-school kids go in for. These players are members of Brooklyn’s Edward R. Murrow High School chess team. He follows these students for a year, from quick money games in Washington Square Park to the Supernationals in Nashville. The book is full of great characters, and what makes it such an enjoyable read is Weinreb’s obvious fondness for these kids.

THE KINGS OF NEW YORK: A YEAR AMONG THE GEEKS, ODDBALLS, AND GENIUSES WHO MAKE UP AMERICA’S TOP HIGH SCHOOL CHESS TEAM, by Michael Weinreb (Gotham Books, 2007)

Derek Walcott won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1992. This selection from his work of the last 50 years includes beautiful lyrical poems in free verse as well as experiments with rhyme and meter. There are also excerpts from longer works, including his wonderful Omeros, a Homer-inspired epic set on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Walcott’s poetry is tough, bright, smart, and evocative. He has a talent for the arresting phrase and for keen observation of the warm Caribbean as well as colder places to the north.

SELECTED POEMS, by Derek Walcott; introduction by Edward Baugh (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)

THAT SOCIAL SECURITY PROBLEM

Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” has been updated and Americanized in this cheeky satire by the author of Thank You for Smoking. This time, a younger blogger wants to give Baby Boomers government incentives to commit suicide by age 75, thereby solving a lot of messy demographic problems heading our way. Her idea catches on and the Washington spin machine starts rattling it around, and a fun time is had by all, or at least by the reader.

BOOMSDAY, by Christopher Buckley (Twelve, 2007)

WHAT, ME WORRY?

Brian Remy is a cop who shoots himself in the head, has a kind of selective memory, and gets involved in some type of fishy government plot. What makes this suspense tale worth going out of your way for is that it begins a week after 9/11 and is bitingly knowing about all the ways politicians and marketers could take advantage of that tragedy. Walters, an Edgar Award winner, takes us on a surreal and often humorous journey into a grotesque modern hell.

THE ZERO, by Jess Walter (Regan, 2006)

APCKRFAN's NFL picks 2009: Week 10

Week 10:
Thu, Nov. 12:
Chicago @ San Francisco - San Francisco (neither are very deserving of my pick!)

Sun, Nov. 15:
Detroit @ Minnesota - Minnesota
Denver @ Washington - Denver
Tampa Bay @ Miami - Miami
Buffalo @ Tennessee - Tennessee
New Orleans @ St. Louis - New Orleans
Jacksonville @ NY Jets - NY Jets
Atlanta @ Carolina - Atlanta
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh - Cincinnati
Kansas City @ Oakland - Oakland
Dallas @ Green Bay - Dallas (oy, let's see how many times Rodgers ends up on his rump this week)
Philadelphia @ San Diego - San Diego
Seattle @ Arizona - Arizona
New England @ Indianapolis - New England

Mon, Nov. 16:
Baltimore @ Cleveland - Baltimore

Byes: Texans, Giants

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)

APCKRFAN's NFL picks 2009: Week 9

Week 9:
Sun., Nov. 8:
Baltimore @ Cincinnati - Baltimore
Miami @ New England - New England
Kansas City @ Jacksonville - Jacksonville
Green Bay @ Tampa Bay - Green Bay
Washington @ Atlanta - Atlanta
Arizona @ Chicago - Chicago
Houston @ Indianapolis - Indianapolis
Carolina @ New Orleans - New Orleans
Detroit @ Seattle - Seattle
Tennessee @ San Francisco - San Francisco
San Diego @ NY Giants - San Diego
Dallas @ Philadelphia - Philadelphia

Mon., Nov. 9:
Pittsburgh @ Denver - Pittsburgh

Byes:
Bills, Browns, Vikings, Jets, Raiders, Rams

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 11/7/2009

Defending his hard-boiled leadership style, NFL head coach Tom Coughlin explained: "Coaching is making players do what they don't want to do so that they can become what they want to become."

Birthdays:
Al Attles b. 1936
Jim Kaat b. 1938
Joe Niekro b. 1944
Glendon Rusch b. 1974
Mark Philippoussis b. 1976

Packers Fact:
In 1997, rookie safety Darren Sharper returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown to cap the scoring in a 45-17 romp over the Dallas Cowboys.

SERIOUS CRIME

This crime novel is about a lot more than solving the crime. The characters are convincingly drawn; Washington, D.C., of today and 20 years ago is a very real and unidealized place; and the crime isn’t just about one evil deed but also about its impact on the world in which it takes place. A richly layered and engrossing novel by one of the writers of HBO’s acclaimed series The Wire—“Heart-in-your-throat gripping from beginning to end,” as Janet Maslin put it in The New York Times.

THE NIGHT GARDENER, by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown, 2006)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 11/4-11/6/2009

11/4/2002:
Defenseman Rod Langway, center Bernie Federko, left wing Clark Gillies and coach Roger Neilson are inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Langway played 15 seasons in the NHL, 11 with Washington, and won the Norris Trophy twice. Federko played 14 seasons in the league, 13 of them with St. Louis; a great playmaker, he was the first player ever to record 50 assists in 10 straight seasons. Gillies played 14 years, 12 of them with the Islanders; he could score and he could mix it up with anyone, serving as an integral component of New York's four straight Stanley Cup titles (180-83). Neilson coached several teams over a 25-year career and was an early proponet of using video to scout opponents before it became commonplace.

Birthdays:
Dick Groat b. 1930
Steve Mariucci b. 1955
Eric Karros b. 1967
Carlos Baerga b. 1968
Orlando Pace b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Guard Jerry Kramer, with help from center Ken Bowman, made the key block on Bart Starr's winning quarterback sneak in the Packers' 21-17 victory over Dallas in the "Ice Bowl" championship game of 1967.

A CURE FOR DYSTHYMICS?

“‘Happiness is contained in the nose. Like a diamond, it only crystallizes under pressure. In so much space’—he took another swipe—‘happiness cannot form. This is why Jews, as a people, are dysthymics. In those ample noses happiness moves around like a firefly in a jar.’ ” If you respond to this passage, you should seek out this Kafkaesque story of a Jewish son of a whore and his family in 1976 Buenos Aires, even if you don’t know the meaning of dysthymic.

THE MINISTRY OF SPECIAL CASES, by Nathan Englander (Knopf, 2007)

11/5/2006:
Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil wins the men's division of the New York Marathon in 2:09:58 while Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia wins her second straight women's race in 2:25:04 on a cool, windless day, ideal for racing. Both runners win with ease; there are no serious challengers, especially among competitors from the United States. Despite a lot of prerace buildup, America's best male long-distance runner, Meb Keflezighi, finishes 21st, and Deena Kastor, a bronze medalist in the 2004 Olympic marathon at Athens, places a distant sixth in the women's race.

Birthdays:
Bill Walton b. 1952
Javy Lopez b. 1970
Johnny Damon b. 1973
Alexei Yashin b. 1973
Jerry Stackhouse b. 1974

Packers Fact:
The Packers beat the Washington Redskins 48-47 on a Monday night in 1983, the highest-scoring game in club history.

ON THE ROAD

Have your weary tastebuds been battered into utter dysthymia by the never-ending, never-changing chain restaurants along our nation’s highways? A couple of food heroes, Jane and Michael Stern, have arrived to show the way to the best lobster shacks, the best barbecue, the best hotdogs, and the just plain best local cuisine to be found from Maine to California. An absolute must for the epicurian traveler. This sixth edition has 175 new listings and revisions.

ROADFOOD, by Jane Stern and Michael Stern (1977; rev. ed. Broadway Books, 2005)

11/6/1966:
In a bizarre game at Franklin Field, the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 24-23. The Eagles score all their points in the first half on three kick returns and a field goal, despite gaining only six yards from scrimmage the entire first half. Tim Brown becomes the first player in NFL history to run back two kickoffs in onen game for touchdowns, running 93 yards the first time and 90 yards the second. Aaron Martin adds a 67-yard punt return TD and Sam Baker boots a 31-yard field goal to frustrate the Cowboys, who dominated play only to fail miserably on special teams.

Birthdays:
Pat Dye b. 1939
Ray Perkins b. 1941
John Candelaria b. 1953
Pat Tillman b. 1976
Lamar Odom b. 1979

Packers Fact:
Running back Dorsey Levens gained 205 yards from scrimmage in the Packers' 30-13 victory over the Panthers in the 1996 NFC title game.

HEROINE

The young Somali woman Ayaan Hirsi Ali escaped a forced marriage to a man in Canada by seeking asylum when her plane stopped over in the Netherlands. This incredible life story includes her collaboration with the film director Theo van Gogh on a documentary about the victimization of Muslim women. She writes of van Gogh’s murder and the death threats directed against her; her political career in the Dutch Parliament; and how she was threatened with the loss of citizenship. Infidel is also a damning critique of the Muslim treatment of women by one who has known it firsthand.

INFIDEL, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Free Press, 2007)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 11/2-11/3/2009

11/2/2001:
In an early-season showdown of conference-leading clubs, the Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Islanders, 2-1, at Joe Louis Arena. Scrappy winger Kris Draper scores both Detroit goals, one of them shorthanded, as the Red Wings beat their former teammate and now Isles goalie Chris Osgood for the second time this year. Detroit also beat New York, 5-4, in overtime at the Nassau Coliseum on October 13.

Birthdays:
Bill Mosienko b. 1921
Whitey Skoog b. 1926
Ken Roseweall b. 1934
Willie McGee b. 1958
Sidney Ponson b. 1976

Packers Fact:
Willie Wood was a quarterback in college at Southern California. When he went undrafted in 1960, the Packers signed him and moved him to safety, where he went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career.

CRIME MOST VICTORIAN

A horseman who falls from his mount and dies, a madwoman in Norfolk and the relative who is keeping her, and a great train robbery are a few of the intriguing elements of this richly imagined immersion into the Victorian era. D. J. Taylor does an excellent job that reminds us of his forebears, Victorian masters such as Dickens, Thackeray, Wilkie Collins, and Poe.

KEPT: A VICTORIAN MYSTERY, by D. J. Taylor (HarperCollins, 2007)

11/3/1990:
Scott Sisson kicks a 37-yard field goal with seven seconds left to give Georgia Tech a 41-38 victory over top-ranked and unbeaten Virginia at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. Virginia fails to protect a 14-point halftime lead and is unable to score a touchdown in the closing moments, settling for a field goal, despite having a first and goal at the GT five-yard line. Virginia quarterback Shawn Moore scores three touchdowns and passes for 344 yards, but the favored Cavaliers are outscored in the second half, 27-10. Buttressed by this clutch road victory, Georgia Tech will win the Atlantic Coast Conference title, finish 11-0-1 and claim a share of the national championship with Colorado.

Birthdays:
Roy Emerson b. 1936
Larry Holmes b. 1949
Phil Simms b. 1955
Karch Kiraly b. 1960
Armando Benitez b. 1972

Packers Fact:
Packers' rookie Travis Williams brought back 4 of his 18 kickoff returns all the way to the end zone in 1967.

DECLINE AND FALL

Thomas Reppetto was a Chicago commander of detectives and then president of New York City’s Citizens Crime Commission for 20 years. This sequel to his acclaimed American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power follows the decline of the Mafia from its peak in the 1920s, and reports on the state of the Mafia today and the future prospects of organized crime. You might find this book, which features John Gotti, Sam Giancana, Robert Kennedy, and Rudolph Giuliani, hard to put down.

BRINGING DOWN THE MOB: THE WAR AGAINST THE AMERICAN MAFIA, by Thomas Reppetto (Henry Holt, 2006)

APCKRFAN's NFL picks 2009: Week 8

Week 8:
Sun, Nov. 1:
Seattle @ Dallas - Dallas
Houston @ Buffalo - Houston
Minnesota @ Green Bay - Minnesota
St. Louis @ Detroit - Detroit
Miami @ NY Jets - NY Jets
San Francisco @ Indianapolis - Indianapolis
Cleveland @ Chicago - Chicago
Denver @ Baltimore - Baltimore
Jacksonville @ Tennessee - Tennessee
Oakland @ San Diego - San Diego
NY Giants @ Philadelphia - NY Giants
Carolina @ Arizona - Arizona

Mon, Nov. 2:
Atlanta @ New Orleans - New Orleans

Byes: Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Buccaneers, Redskins

No Sunday Night game. Odd.

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 10/31-11/1/2009

10/31/2004:
Pittsburgh defeats New England, 34-20, to snap the Patriots' NFL record 21-game winning streak, 18 in regular-season play. Rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws two touchdown passes in the first quarter as the Steelers build up an 18-point lead, and the outcome is never in doubt. Playing without injured running back Corey Dillon, the Pats gain exactly five yards rushing all day, but they'll shrug off this setback and go on to beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl for their third NFL title in four years.

Birthdays:
Phil Goyette b. 1933
Frank Shorter b. 1947
John Lucas b. 1953
Fred McGriff b. 1963
Steve Trachsel b. 1970

Packers Fact:
Zeke Bratkowski (who took over for Green Bay when Bart Starr was injured on the first play) and Tom Matte (normally a halfback, he had to play quarterback because Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo were injured) were the emergency quarterbacks pressed into duty for the Packers and Colts in Green Bay's 13-10 victory in a Western Conference playoff in 1965.

NO WITCH’S BREW

This picaresque story of a girl who seeks to disprove scientifically the existence of witchcraft in the 17th century is a witty, good-natured, and exhilarating treat that defies easy description. James Morrow, “like John Barth (whose Sot-Weed Factor this book recalls), does not wear his erudition lightly. But he wears it audaciously well,” wrote Janet Maslin in her New York Times review. It’s easily worth the price of the book to see for yourself.

THE LAST WITCHFINDER, by James Morrow (Harper Perennial, 2007)

11/1/1959:
Brooklyn-born and Fordham-educated Vince Lombardi proudly returns to New York's Yankee Stadium for the first time as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Although the Giants (for whom he served as an assistant coach from 1954 to '58) will beat his Packers today, 20-3, Lombardi is in the process of turning a moribund franchise (1-10-1 last year) into one of football's most fabled dynasties. In nine seasons, his Packers will win five NFL championships and just miss a sixth. Lombardi's teams didn't just win football games; they succeeded using a framework of core values, hard work and dedication that served to endear them to everyday fans and establish his enduring legacy.

Birthdays:
Vic Power b. 1931
Gary Plyaer b. 1935
"Jumping Joe" Caldwell b. 1941
Ted Hendricks b. 1947
Fernando Valenzuela b. 1960

THE LANGUAGE OF INVENTION

“The history of English is a history of invention,” writes Seth Lerer, humanities professor at Stanford University, in Inventing English. Starting with the Old English of Caedmon and ending with modern-day rappers, Lerer’s enthusiastic account of our ever expanding and pliable language is fascinating and authoritative.

INVENTING ENGLISH: A PORTABLE HISTORY OF THE LANGUAGE, by Seth Lerer (Columbia University Press, 2007)