Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 5/19-21/2010

Pondering one of baseball's enduring mysteries, comedian George Carlin wondered: "Why do baseball fans sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' when they are already there?"

Birthdays:
Dolph Schayes b. 1928
Archie Manning b. 1949
Bill Laimbeer b. 1957
Turk Wendell b. 1967
Kevin Garnett b. 1976

Packers Fact:
Quarterback Matt Flynn lead Louisiana State to a college national championship during his senior season in 2007.

5/20/2005:
Scoring 39 points with 12 assists and 9 rebounds to lead Phoenix to a 130-126 victory over Dallas. Steve Nash makes Mavericks owner Mark Cuban rue the day he let him leave as a free agent last summer. Nash leads Phoenix back from a 16-point deficit with 16 minutes left, hitting a three-point basket with six seconds remaining in regulation time to force the game into overtime. In the extra five-minute session, Nash and Shawn Marion (38 points) combine for 18 of the 19 Phoenix points as the Suns win the series in six games, bumping Dallas from the playoffs.

Birthdays:
Hal Newhouser b. 1921
Stan Mikita b. 1940
Sadaharu Oh b. 1940
Bobby Murcer b. 1946
David Wells b. 1963

Packers Fact:
When the Packers joined the NFL in 1921, the league was called the American Professional Football Association (APFA). It became the National Football League (NFL) the following year.


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/multimedia/photos/?c-y&articleID=17672919&page=1
Suburban Life Aquatic
At first glance they seem like typical suburban photos from the 1950s. But when you look closely you realize that photographer Bruce Mozert shot them completely under water. With a photo of Bruce and the waterproof camera he devised for the shoot.

http://www.neatorama.com/2007/10/01/10-most-fascinating-tombs-in-the-world/
Most Fascinating Tombs
The pyramids of Giza and Westminster Abbey are famous as interesting and unusual burial places, but this site also covers lesser-known marvels. Check out the Catacombs of the Caphuchins in Palermo, Italy, which is populated by hundreds of 16th- to 19th-century mummified monks; the Sedlec Ossuary, which is decorated with the bones of the dead; or the stone caves at Tana Toraja, where the dead are not buried until the family can raise enough cash to put on an elaborate funeral party, after which a wood effigy of the deceased is placed above the burial ground to watch over his or her remains forever.

http://www.dhteumeuleu.com/dhtml/fractal-F.html
Fractal Frames
Here's your chance to make your own modernist masterpiece with just the click of your mouse. Don't like where it's headed? - just hit Refresh to start over.

TRUE CRIME, TRUE REDEMPTION

Canadian novelist Linda Spalding was dismissed from the jury that eventually convicted Maryann Acker of murder in 1982. Acker was sent to prison for life, and 18 years had elapsed when Spalding found the journal she had kept of the trial and decided to contact Acker and initiate a new trial. Spalding weaves her own personal tragedies and triumphs in and out of the story of Acker’s ultimate exoneration, a magnificent vindication for both.

WHO NAMED THE KNIFE: A BOOK OF MURDER AND MEMORY, by Linda Spalding (Pantheon, 2007)

GO PLAY OUTSIDE

The hosts of the popular cable show Cultivating Life bring you their enormous talent for making outdoor space personal, beautiful, and earth-friendly in this book. There are recipes that celebrate the herbs you’ve grown in the planter you made, as well as “recipes” for making your own trellises, an owl house, a garden bench, a birdbath from a giant leaf, and many other inventive ideas that can beautify your outdoor life.

THE CULTIVATING LIFE GUIDE TO BACKYARD LIVING, by Sean Conway and Lee Alan Buttala (Artisan, 2009)

THE AMERICAN IMAM

Imam Sayid Hassan Al-Qazwini, religious leader of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan, is arguably the most influential Muslim in America. In American Crescent he tells of how he left Iraq and came to America in 1971, the struggles of Shiites in Iraq, the place of Muslims in America, and how they must become and are becoming integrated into American society. For those who wish to understand the Muslim world better (“If you want to learn more about Islam, turn off the TV,” Qazwini writes), American Crescent is the place to start.

AMERICAN CRESCENT: A MUSLIM CLERIC ON THE POWER OF HIS FAITH, THE STRUGGLE AGAINST PREJUDICE, AND THE FUTURE OF ISLAM AND AMERICA, by Hassan Qazwini and Brad Crawford (Random House, 2007)

KONIG LUDWIG WEISSBIER

König Ludwig Schloßbrauerei Kaltenberg, Bavaria, Germany

Hefeweizen is one of the easiest-drinking beers in the world, with its soft wheat graininess and lack of bitterness. A banana-clove spiciness is provided by the yeast, and balance comes from a dry finish, occasionally with a bit of tartness. In this particular Weissbier, a big banana and wheat aroma rise from a cloudy, pale yellow beer. Lots of carbonation from the bottle-conditioning helps balance malt sweetness and encourages the classic crown of foam on top. Malt stays through the finish, but the beer remains refreshingly drinkable. König Ludwig is a consistently great example of the style, brewed at one of the most reputable Bavarian breweries.

SCHLAFLY PALE ALE

Schlafly Saint Louis Brewery, St. Louis, Missouri

There’s a great deal of variance among pale ales. On the American side, they tend to be hoppy, spicy, pale, and dry. On the English side, they’re maltier, often darker, and a tad sweeter. So it’s nice to see a little bit of that English style carrying over into the US. Schlafly pale ale is a reddish-amber, with a thick off-white topping of lace that sticks well to the glass, even with moderate carbonation. The bouquet shows off some grain and aromatic malt. Toasted caramel malt and perhaps a bit of hazelnut fills in most of the flavor, with just a soft hint of hops in the background. A lingering malt sweetness stays with you. A smooth, satisfying session ale.

SUDS SOURCE

Launched in 1991, the Schlafly Tap Room is located at 2100 Locust Street in St. Louis. Try a pint of pale ale with a pizzaladiere (a caramelized onion tart), or a hefeweizen with schnitzel.

BIG EDDY RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Looks like an Imperial stout. Pours like an Imperial stout. Smells like an Imperial stout. Warming like an Imperial stout. Big, bold statement of malt-hop justice. Fruity, sherry-raisin-currant-like, wonderfully complex. Severely velvety, smooth, and drinkable. One of the best you’ll ever encounter. Given the opportunity, stash a case away for the ages. This stuff is remarkably terrific. One of the best.

BEER QUOTE

“Whiskey’s too rough, champagne costs too much, vodka puts my mouth in gear. This little refrain will help me explain, as a matter of fact, I love beer.”
—TOM T. HALL