Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/27/2010

7/27/2006:
Corey Pavin birdies eight of the first nine holes (including the first six in a row) to card a PGA record nine-hole score of 26 in first-round play at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. He'll complete this round with a nine-under-par 61 and go on to win the tournament. His 26 strokes on the front nine betters the previous PGA record of 27 for nine holes shared by four golfers: Mike Souchak (1955), Andy North (1975), Billy Mayfair (2001), and Robert Gamez (2004).

Birthdays:
Leo Durocher b. 1905
Mack Calvin b. 1947
Peggy Fleming b. 1948
Hugh Green b. 1959
Alex Rodriguez b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Linebacker A.J. Hawk, the Packers' top pick in the 2006 draft (no. 5 overall), started every game in each of his first two NFL seasons and posted 284 tackles.

WASHINGTON RODE HERE

In 2003 Americans and the world duly celebrated the bicentennial of Lewis and Clark’s 1803 expedition, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson; but our first president started it all 20 years before the great trek. A shrewd judge of real estate, by 1784 Washington had amassed some 49,000 acres in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the fertile Ohio Valley, and he wanted to see them. In a 34-day journey on horseback, he got as far as his property in western Pennsylvania called Washington’s Bottom, 680 miles from the Potomac. A fascinating picture of Washington’s vision for and of the country and of the beginnings of westward expansion.

THE GRAND IDEA: GEORGE WASHINGTON’S POTOMAC AND THE RACE TO THE WEST, by Joel Achenbach (Simon & Schuster, 2004)

GAMBRINUS PREMIUM PILSNER

Gambrinus Brewery, Pilsen, Czech Republic

SHADOW AND FLAME BOHEMIAN PILSNER RECIPE FOR 5 GALLONS

7½ lb. extra-pale malt extract syrup
½ oz. Magnum hops, 60 minutes from end of boil
¾ oz. Spalter Select hops, 15 minutes from end of boil
¾ oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker hops, 5 minutes from end of boil
Bohemian Pilsner lager yeast
¾ cup corn sugar for priming
Dissolve malt extract into 3 gallons of water, add Magnum hops and bring to a boil. Boil 60 minutes, adding hops as directed. Remove from heat and cool. Siphon into primary fermenter with enough cold, pre-boiled water to make 5 gallons. Add yeast when beer is 50–55°F. Ferment for one to two weeks at 50–55°F. Transfer to secondary fermenter and condition at 35°F for two to three months. When finished, dissolve ¾ cup corn sugar into beer, bottle, and age at room temperature for two weeks.