Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/5/2010

1/5/2008:
Spain's Rafael Nadal, 21, barely outlasts his childhood mentor and compatriot, Carlos Moya, 31, in the semifinals of the Chennai Open in India. Moya wins the first set, 7-6, but Nadal saves two match points in the second-set tiebreaker and evens the match. They battle through yet another tiebreak set before Nadal closes it out. But he'll have nothing left in tomorrow's final and will be routed by Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, 6-0, 6-1.

Birthdays:
Lou Carnesecca b. 1925
Chuck Noll b. 1932
Chuck McKinley b. 1941
Alex English b. 1954
Warrick Dunn b. 1975

Packers Fact:
The Packers-Giants NFC title game in January of 2008 marked the highest-rated television show that wasn't a Super Bowl in 10 years (since the final episode of Seinfeld in 1998).

THE NEW WORLD

In Matthew Sharpe’s Jamestown, the settlers don’t come in little wooden ships. They ride in a bus down a wrecked I-95, trying to escape postapocalyptic New York. They do, however, find Indians. Powhatan leads them as of old, and Pocahontas saves the life of Jack Smith and falls in love with Johnny Rolfe. There is a great deal of other mayhem, but it is Pocahontas who really captures our attention with her extraordinary way with words—she swings from Elizabethan to MySpaceian and numerous dialects in between. “This is a tour-de-force of black humor.”—Publishers Weekly

JAMESTOWN, by Matthew Sharpe (Harvest Books, 2008)

RAHR’S WINTER WARMER

Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., Fort Worth, Texas

With an intriguing hue, red as a holiday berry, Rahr’s Winter Warmer begins mysteriously. Vanilla and oak. A lively, indefinable fruitiness. A poignant acidity, redolent of a tradition of fruited ale and similar to that produced by complex sour fermentation. This brew is special, worthy of any holiday—it’s a privilege, not a right. Tastefully prepared, unique, with a medium body and a low hop and malt character, a beer that’s truly worthy of attention.

SUDS SOURCE

Each Saturday, Rahr opens its big bay doors to the public for tours and tastings. Over 600 people visit the brewery on Saturdays to enjoy live music, barbecue, and beer. If you’re in north Texas on a Saturday, put the Rahr tour on your must-do list!