Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/24-28/2010

3/24/1973:
Looking to capitalize on the box-office potential of many prominent track-and-field stars, a new professional venture known as the International Track Association stages its first meet in Los Angeles. The 12,000 fans who turn out see numerous former Olympians compete in a dozen events. Kip Keino of Kenya defeats Jim Ryun in the featured mile run. Bob Seagren wins the pole vault, Bob Beamon wins the long jump, Brian Oldfield wins the shot put and Lee Evans wins the 500-meter sprint. The new venture will encounter many obstacles, especially from the AAU, which prohibits amateurs from participating in professional meets even if they agree not to accept prize money. As a result, the ITA will fold in 1975.

Birthdays:
Alex Olmedo b. 1936
Pat Bradley b. 1951
Peyton Manning b. 1976
T.J. Ford b. 1983
Chris Bosh b. 1984

Packers Fact:
Defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila entered the 2008 season with 74 career sacks. He dropped quarterback Daunte Culpepper (6) more times than any other.

3/25/1961:
Last year's runner-up, the Providence Friars, finally win the National Invitation Tournament with a 62-59 victory over St. Louis at Madison Square Garden. Five-foot, eight-inch sophomore point guard Vinnie Ernst of the Friars wins MVP honors for his clever playmaking and relentless defensive pressure despite scoring only four points against the favored Billikens. Center James Hadnot leads the winners with 18 points, and George Zalucki adds 17. At game's end, hundreds of Providence students who had traveled to the tourney from nearby Rhode Island storm the court to celebrate their school's breakthrough victory.

Birthdays:
Howard Cosell b. 1920
Ken Wregget b. 1964
Avery Johnson b. 1965
Tom Glavine b. 1966
Sheryl Swoopes b. 1971

Packers Fact:
In 11 NFL seasons beginning in 1935, Don Hutson led the league in pass catching eight times.

3/26/1955:
After his handlers abandon the idea of scratching him because of a muddy track, Nashua, with Eddie Arcaro in the saddle, comes from behind to beat Blue Lem by a neck in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park near Miami. The Maryland-bred colt will go 10-1-1 in 12 outings this year, winning the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes and a heralded match race with archrival Swaps. He'll retire at age four and go on to sire 77 stakes winners, including Shuvee - winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup twice and the Filly Triple Crown in 1969.

Birthdays:
Rip Engle b. 1906
Al Bianchi b. 1932
Marcus Allen b. 1960
John Stockton b. 1962
Michael Peca b. 1974

Packers Fact:
Cornerback Al Harris returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown in overtime to give the Packers a 33-27 victory over Seattle in a 2003 NFC Wild-Card playoff game.

3/27/2004:
After struggling to find his shot all game long, John Lucas hits a two-point basket with 41 seconds remaining and a game-winning trey with only seven seconds left to lead Oklahoma State (31-3) to a 64-62 victory over St. Joseph's (30-2) in an NCAA tournament Elite Eight thriller at the Meadowlands. Eddie Sutton's Cowboys out-rebound Phil Martelli's valiant Hawks, 42-24, but can't put them away until Jameer Nelson's three-pointer at the buzzer misses its mark.

Birthdays:
Miller Huggins b. 1879
Wes Covington b. 1932
Cale Yarborough b. 1939
Chris McCarron b. 1955
Michael Cuddyer b. 1979

3/28/1976:
Hubert Green captures his third straight PGA tournament, the Sea Pines Heritage Classic at the Harbour Town Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, by a five-shot margin over Jerry McGee and six over Hale Irwin, Gibby Gilbert and Don January. Green had won the Doral Open in Miami and the Greater Jacksonville Open the last two weeks. These will be his only three victories of the year. The Alabama native will go on to win 19 PGA events, including the 1977 U.S. Open and 1985 PGA championship.

Birthdays:
Vic Raschi b. 1918
Jerry Sloan b. 1942
Rick Barry b. 1944
Lee Elmore b. 1952
Byron Scott b. 1961

Packers Fact:
The Packers did not attempt a two-point conversion in either of Mike McCarthy's first two seasons as coach (2006-07).


http://www.longawkwardpose.com/
Long, Awkward Poses
Here's the instructions: find an unsuspecting victim, tell them you are taking their photograph, film them instead, and submit the video for all to enjoy. The site's tagline says, "Never stop smiling," but the victims often do the opposite when they find out what's really going on.

http://www.disapprovingrabbits.com/
Fierce Bad Rabbits
No matter what you're planning, this decidedly un-merry gallery of rabbits will not approve. With snarky captions.

http://www.fingertime.com/bowman2.php
It's Duck Season
Use your mouse to draw a line for direction and pull-strength, then take aim and try to bring down as many ducks as you can with the bow and arrow.

http://coldwarcalculators.blogspot.com/
Discover Your Inner Strangelove
Everything you always wanted to know about Cold War calculators (air burst effects and the like) but were afraid to ask.

http://sverigesradio.se/p1/src/sing/
Let Them Sing It For You
Lost your voice? No problem. Type your lyrics or message in the box and the wonderful computer mix of voices will sing it for you.

DANCER

Julie Kavanagh, the author of an acclaimed biography of Frederick Ashton and a dancer herself, has produced the definitive book on Rudolf Nureyev, one of the 20th century’s most famous, most notorious international dance stars. She has the rare gift of being able to explain the rarefied world of dance so that those of us who are not of that world can fully understand it; and she has the ability and persistence to dig into Nureyev’s tumultuous personal life so that we feel that this driven, complex man, who lived one of the 20th century’s most extraordinary lives, has been thoroughly revealed to us.

NUREYEV: THE LIFE, by Julie Kavanagh (Pantheon, 2007)

THE GOOD DIE YOUNG

Bursting with life and lust and languages, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao chronicles the immensely obese Oscar, writer of fantasy, doomed but undaunted in the face of his familial history and that of the Dominican people, in a tale that leapfrogs and zigzags exhilaratingly through time and space and ideas. This novel might be the love child of The Mambo Kings Sing Songs of Love (Oscar Hijuelos) and A Confederacy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole).

THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, by Junot Diaz (Riverhead Books, 2007)

HOOP REALITIES

Paul Shirley has been around the basketball universe, from the Phoenix Suns and other NBA teams to the minor leagues to playing professionally in Spain, Greece, and other exotic venues. He’s got a lot to tell and the wit and savvy to tell it smartly and entertainingly. This book (which began as a blog) is, according to Booklist, “one of the best three or four pro-basketball books ever.”

CAN I KEEP MY JERSEY?: 11 TEAMS, 5 COUNTRIES, AND 4 YEARS IN MY LIFE AS A BASKETBALL VAGABOND, by Paul Shirley (Villard, 2008)

A GOOD SCARE

Foggy Portland, Oregon, is home to some ugly secrets and a serial killer. Detective Archie Sheridan goes to his imprisoned archnemesis Gretchen Lowell, a serial killer who once carved the shape of a heart into Archie’s chest, for help on the case, but at a high price for his own mental stability. Dominick Dunne calls Heartsick “utterly unforgettable.”

HEARTSICK, by Chelsea Cain (St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2007)

RED TRUCK IPA

Palisade Brewery, Palisade, Colorado

Over on the relatively sparsely populated Western Slope of Colorado, it’s nice to know you can still find good Colorado craft beer. Red Truck IPA is a down-to-earth, red-hued, bottle-conditioned ale that has as much in common with English ESB as it does with American IPA. Chewy caramel-malt tones mingle with piney, citrusy American ale hops. The finish is dry, with residual hop astringency fighting off a lingering malt sweetness. Hefty, dependable, and unquestionably American, Red Truck is a keeper.

BEER QUOTE

“Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish. Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”
—PROVERBS 31:6, 7

FIRESTONE PALE 31

Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, California

Wisp of head. Clear golden color. Remarkable hop aroma, the best of a hybrid American-English combo. In flavor, those hops perform a groovy break-dance on the palate. Malt background lends support and satisfaction, but it’s the dancing hops that perform beer-drinking miracles in this world-class brew. Worth seeking and as good as it gets, in its own unique way. A Bronze medalist at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival in the American-style Pale Ale category.

SCOTCH SILLY

Brasserie de Silly, Silly, Belgium

Not silly at all, and quite balanced for a Scotch ale. The malt sweetness dries immediately, settling into a smooth finish. Dry enough to drink with food, this is more versatile than your usual after-dinner sipper. The alcohol is fruity, with Liebfraumilch leanings. Not as richly malty and clean as some of the Scottish-brewed Scotch ales, but as a Belgian-brewed version, a real success.

HOOKY GOLD

Hook Norton Brewery, Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, England

This light-copper bitter begins with the unusual aroma of freshly harvested alfalfa—sweet, grassy, hay-like. At first it seems incongruous, but when backed by a foundation of earthy-sweet malt, it’s actually quite intriguing. The earthiness and floral notes continue into the flavor, with a lot of freshly picked hops coming through. The grassy alfalfa character subsides. The finish is predictably brief and dry, though not terribly bitter. An excellent, unusual Oxford bitter with bales of hop aroma and flavor.

FULL SAIL AMBER

Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, Oregon

Why drink amber? Because you want to taste the beer, not the water! Full Sail’s version is reddish, brilliantly clear, and easy to drink. It doesn’t wallop you with hops, but treats you to a symphony of toasty malt, caramel, chocolate, and—yes—hops. A full-bodied mouthfeel, with enough hop and grain bitterness for a dry finish, without any lingering bitterness or astringency. A good pint from a great brewery.