Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/7/2010

1/7/2003:
Catcher Gary Carter and first baseman Eddie Murray are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. Carter had 324 homers and over 1,200 RBIs during his 19-year career, but more important than his statistics were his qualities of team leadership, first with Montreal and then with the New York Mets. Murray amassed 504 homers and 3,255 hits in 21 seasons, primarily with Baltimore and later with the Dodgers, Mets and Indians; in fact, he and Carter were teammates on the 1991 Dodgers. When he retired in 1997, only Hank Aaron and Willie Mays were also members of the 500 homers/3,000 hits club.

Birthdays:
Alvin Dark b. 1922
Eddie LeBaron b. 1930
Tony Conigliaro b. 1945
Eric Gagne b. 1976
Alfonso Soriano b. 1976

Packers Fact:
The Packers entered 2008 with 17 wins in their last 20 regular-season games.

THE CLOSER

This third book of the Kanner Lake series begins with real estate agent Carla Radling narrowly escaping her premature demise at the hands of a charming British hit man. The action and thrills multiply from there as other denizens of Kanner Lake are drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Crimson Eve brims with secrets, lies, thrills, and suspense that keep the pages turning.

CRIMSON EVE, by Brandilyn Collins (Zondervan, 2007)

RAISON D’ETRE

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware

You’ll to want to stick your nose in your mug a few times before sipping. What’s going on here? Figs, prunes, smoke, cinnamon, heaps of malt, a bit of buckwheat honey, underpinnings of alcohol (at 8%/vol., that’s no surprise). The sip will confirm the mixture’s complexity, also revealing a very light touch of coffee and cream and a coating finish of caramel. Amazing stuff. Brewed with green raisins and Belgian sugars, this is a meditative beer for special occasions. Anyone looking for a justification for existence should find it here.

SUDS SOURCE

Visit DFH Brewings & Eats brewpub at 320 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The menu features wood-grilled pizzas, seafood, and steaks, and some great salads as well. At the company’s pilot brewery and the state’s only legal distillery(!), there’s always something new and exciting on tap.