Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/19/2010

3/19/1993:
The Southern University Jaguars strike a blow for all unheralded "black colleges" in America by upsetting Georgia Tech, 93-78, in a first-round NCAA tournament game in Tucson. The game brings together a pair of longtime friends and coaching associates, Ben Jobe of Southern and Bobby Cremins of Georgia Tech, and is ultimately decided by Southern's relentless up-tempo offense and pressure defense. The ACC tournament champion Yellow Jackets entered the game as prohibitive favorites, but Southern shrugs off a 14-point first-half deficit and wins going away. Jervaughn Scales leads the Jags with 27 points and 18 rebounds, and Walter Payton's nephew Terry Thames adds 20 points.

Birthdays:
Jay Berwanger b. 1914
Guy V. Lewis b. 1922
Richie Ashburn b. 1927
Joe Kapp b. 1939
Scott May b. 1954

Packers Fact:
During the 2007 season, Brett Favre surpassed John Elway as the winningest quarterback in NFL history. Elway won 148 games as a starter in his career. Favre ended the '07 season at 160 wins.

PHOENIX EUROPE

It’s one of the greatest stories of rebirth in all of history. In 1945 the nations of Europe lay destroyed, starving, and demoralized. Today their economies are thriving and Europe leads the world in numerous measures of prosperity. New York University history professor Tony Judt has written a detailed, utterly engrossing history of how Europe rose from its ashes, focusing on the small countries as well as the large ones. The definitive book on a period that changed the entire world.

POSTWAR: A HISTORY OF EUROPE SINCE 1945, by Tony Judt (Penguin, 2005)

PALO SANTO MARRON

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware

Aged in vats of Paraguayan Palo Santo wood, Palo Santo Marron is a radical brew for off-centered people. Resiny yet smooth. Subtle vanilla-like, roasted malt and cocoa notes in full-flavored, full-bodied experience. Hops are subdued. Process, ingredients, and just-plain uniqueness conspire to present a very drinkable brew in this 2008 Great American Beer Festival Specialty Ale Bronze medalist.

BEER FACT

Also used for the fermentation of wine, Palo Santo, aka “Holy Wood,” aka “Verawood,” has been burned as incense since ancient times by the Incas and Peruvians, who believe in its power to purify and to ward off spirits; its scent is thought by many to have a relaxing effect.