Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/13-14/2010

3/13/1954:
Newly acquired Milwaukee Braves outfielder Bobby Thomson breaks his right ankle sliding into second base in a spring training game against the Yankees at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg. He'll never regain his pre-injury form, going from a .279 average and 181 homers beforehand to .255 and 83 home runs afterwards. Furthermore, the popular "Staten Island Scot" will walk with a slight limp for the rest of his life.

Birthdays:
Ordell Braase b. 1932
Joe Bellino b. 1938
Will Clark b. 1964
Thomas Enqvist b. 1974
Johan Santana b. 1979

Packers Fact:
Although fourth-year quarterback Aaron Rodgers started just his hfirst game for the Packers in the 2008 opener, only nine players on the club's 53-man roster had been with the team longer than him.

3/14/1971:
Making his debut for the Montreal Canadiens tonight, goaltender Ken Dryden backstops an easy 5-1 win over the Penguins at Pittsburgh. He's so impressive that he quickly supersedes Rogatien Vachon as the No. 1 goalie for the Habs and will not only lead Montreal to an upset of heavily favored Boston in the first round of the playoffs but will also play all 20 games in the posteason as the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup.

Birthdays:
Don Haskins b. 1930
Bob Charles b. 1936
Wes Unseld b. 1946
Kirby Puckett b. 1961
Larry Johnson b. 1969


http://improveverywhere.com/2008/01/31/frozen-grand-central/

Stationary Station
See what happens when a troupe of creative, well-organized improvisational devils execute their plan to have hundreds of people freeze in place for five minutes in the middle of Grand Central Station.


http://thesurrealist.co.uk/feedback

Canned Compliments
For when you're too lazy to do it yourself: Choose how long your praise or rant should be, decide if you'd like it plain or fancy, and then let the feedback generator crank out some platitudes you can paste right into your feedback response.

A CURSE ON BOTH YOUR TIME FRAMES

Evangeline Munroe inherited the fabulous Nightshade Diamond in 1814 and ignored her aunt’s warning that the diamond is cursed. She shouldn’t have, as she learned to her regret from the Marquis of Rawley, a bachelor and a rogue. Years later the present-day marquis and his American former jewel-thief girlfriend find the diamond with a mysterious note of warning from the past. They, too, ignore it. What will become of these foolish romantics? Suzanne Enoch has written “a solid, well-rounded read sure to please fans of both contemporary and historical romance,” said Publishers Weekly (starred review).

TWICE THE TEMPTATION, by Suzanne Enoch (Avon, 2007)

BLUFF CREEK PALE ALE

Six Rivers Brewery, McKinleyville, California

Dark for a pale ale, with a hazy orangey-amber hue. The hops are distinctively American, chewy and catty in the aroma. A good round malt flavor provides a nice counterbalance in this deliciously complex brew, replete with caramel malt, spicy, grapefruity hops, dried fruit, and a nutty toastiness, along with a slight saltiness. Just a little astringent bitterness in the finish. Clean, well brewed, and lots of fun.

AVENTINUS

G. Schneider & Sohn, Kelheim, Germany

Clove and banana mingle with the cocoa sensation of dark roasted malt. Malty, full-bodied smoothness is artfully joined with roast malts and fruity character in this remarkable wheat beer. A strong brew at about 8%/vol., Aventinus just might set you off on a sentimental journey.