Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/28/2010

1/28/1968:
Finally getting a chance to play in the NHL thanks to expansion, career minor league goaltender Les Binkley kicks out 33 shots on goal to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-0 victory over the Bruins at Boston Garden. Waiting until 33 years of age to arrive in The Show, Binkley will play five years with the Pens andn four more in the WHA. George Konik scores the only Pittsburgh goal against Bruins netminder Gerry Cheevers and Binkley makes it stand up, fending off 15 Boston shots in the final period.

Birthdays:
Pete Runnels b. 1928
Colin Campbell b. 1953
Tony Delk b. 1974
Jermaine Dye b. 1974
Daunte Culpepper b. 1977

Packers Fact:
In his two Super Bowl MVP performances (Games I and II) Packers quarterback Bart Starr compiled a passer rating of 106.0. He completed 29 of 47 passes for 452 yards and 3 touchdowns, with just 1 interception.

http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/sadkitty

Hello Kitty, Good-bye Dignity
Unwilling to leave any commercial stone unturned, Sanrio, the merciless creator of Hello Kitty, has now produced an accessory kit that allows you to dress your real cat up as their animated cash cow, with humiliating results.

THE INHUMANITY OF IT ALL

The winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Literature, Imre Kertész, takes us deep into the sewer of political corruption and propaganda through the reminiscences of Antonio Martens, a policeman and special security agent in an unspecified Latin American country. Now in prison after the political regime that sanctioned his atrocities has fallen, Martens is devastatingly thorough in recounting his crimes and frightening philosophy.

DETECTIVE STORY, by Imre Kertész, translated from the Hungarian by Tim Wilkinson (Knopf, 2008)

INVERSION IPA

Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon

Deschutes has built a reputation for quality ales. (And that’s saying something, since it comes out of Oregon, where the market is saturated with fine offerings.) What makes Inversion unique? Its hop quality and variety—no sharpness, spiciness, or bitterness to interfere with the rich complexity of its malts. Instead, refined floral and slightly grassy notes take the forefront. Inversion is an exercise in subtlety, but the lengthy dry hopping still makes for an intensely hoppy beer, both at the very beginning and very end. The big, chewy malt in the middle is icing on the cake. Invert one yourself and see.

BREWING VERNACULAR

“Dry hopping” is a practice whereby hops are soaked in fermented beer for several days, providing a hoppy bouquet. (One possible drawback: It can lead to hazy beer.)