Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/15-16/2010

1/15/2007:
After hitting the game-winning three-point basket against Milwaukee 12 days ago, Gilbert Arenas drains a trey at the buzzer to give the Washington Wizards a 114-111 victory over the Utah Jazz at the Verizon Center. "Agent Zero" scores 12 points in the final 2:09 of today's matinee, finishing with 51 points to tie Michael Jordan's arena record. It's the third time he's gone for 50 or more this season.

Birthdays:
Bobby Grich b. 1949
Ernie DiGregorio b. 1951
Delino DeShields b. 1969
Mary Pierce b. 1975
Drew Brees b. 1979

Packers Fact:
On January 15, 1967, the Packers beat Kansas City in Super Bowl I in Los Angeles. The game's official title at the time was the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.

1/16/1994:
Joe Montana throws three second-half touchdown passes to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 28-20 AFC divisional playoff victory over the Houston Oilers at the Astrodome. In his first season with the Chiefs, Montana (22-38, 299) connects with Keith Cash from seven yards out, J.J. Birden from the eleven, and throws an 18-yard aerial to Willie Davis to erase an early 10-0 Houston lead.

Birthdays:
Dizzy Dean b. 1911
A.J. Foyt b. 1935
Jack McDowell b. 1966
Roy Jones Jr. b. 1969
Albert Pujols b. 1980

Packers Fact:
The Packers finished sixth in the NFL when they allowed only 18.2 points per game in 2007. That was a big improvement over '06, when opponents scored 22.9 points per contest.

LOVE IN NEW ENGLAND

In Here on Earth, March Murray Cooper returns to the Massachusetts town where she grew up and finds that the true love of her youth has grown into an embittered, unforgiving man. She also finds that she still loves him despite this. Alice Hoffman unpacks the complexity of feelings and old wounds, and the world that harbors them, with evocative, lyrical prose. An Oprah Book Club selection.

HERE ON EARTH, by Alice Hoffman (Chatto & Windus, 1997; Berkley, 1999)

WRONGLY ACCUSED

In Susan Choi’s second novel, inspired by the Unabomber case of some years ago, one Professor Lee is a “person of interest” suspected of a bomb explosion that harms a colleague at the university where they both teach. While the plot is intriguing and unfolds with the best of them, the fascination of this beautifully written narrative is in the incisively drawn characters and the professor’s scrutiny of his life as it all goes wrong.

A PERSON OF INTEREST, by Susan Choi (Viking, 2008)

OLD CHUB SCOTTISH-STYLE ALE

Oskar Blues Brewery, Lyons, Colorado

A dark ruby, full-bodied ale Scots would love to call their own. The rich, velvety texture of toasted and smoked caramel malts is delicately balanced with hop character for superior drinkability. A hearty beer to accompany hearty appetites. Whether the weather is warm or cool, find an excuse to enjoy Old Chub.

BEER FACT

Old Chub incorporates seven different malts, including crystal, chocolate, and beechwood-smoked varieties from Bamberg, Germany. It contains 8% alcohol by volume.

QUILMES

Cerveceria Y Malteria Quilmes, Quilmes, Argentina

Touted as “Argentina’s favorite beer,” Quilmes is not terribly complex, but that’s not really the point with a cereal lager. What it does, it does very well. Ebullient carbonation accompanies a light, somewhat grainy aroma, and a brilliantly clear, very pale color. Flavors are clean and very refreshing, with little malt and almost no hops. These are difficult beers to brew well—there’s nothing to hide behind. On a hot, dry day, you couldn’t do any better.