Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/10/2011

1/10/1933:
Godfrey Matheson makes his coaching debut in the NHL with the Chicago Black Hawks and loses, 3-1, to the New York Americans at Madison Square Garden. he was hired by eccentric Major Fred McLaughlin (who had already made eight coaching changes since founding the team in 1926) after meeting him during a train ride between Minneapolis and Chicago and impressing him with his knowledge of hockey. He'll coach only one more game, another loss, before being replaced by Tommy Gorman. Chicago will finish the season with a record of 16-20-12.

Birthdays:
Frank Mahovlich b. 1938
Willie McCovey b. 1939
Bill Toomey b. 1939
George Foreman b. 1949
Bobby Rahal b. 1953

Packers Fact:
The Packers' 12 NFL championships (entering 2009) are the most in league history.

ON COUNTRY SONG TITLES, OUT TO PASTURE

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• “Why Do You Believe Me When I Tell You That I Love You, When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life?”

• “He’s Been Drunk Since His Wife’s Gone Punk”

country song titles picked by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for their annual All Time Best of the Worst Country Song Titles contest

LIFE, HOWEVER HARD,
IS PREFERABLE TO
THE ALTERNATIVE.

—AESOP, Greek fabulist

LIVES BENEATH THE EIFFEL TOWER

A hugely successful bestseller in Europe, The Elegance of the Hedgehog tells the story of two Parisians, a concierge and an adolescent. The concierge, Renée, is an astute, self-educated woman who pretends to be a country simpleton when she’s around the well-to-do tenants of her building. The youngster, Paloma, is a clever, sophisticated 12-year-old who keeps a journal and vows to commit suicide when she reaches 13. Along comes Kakuro Ozu, who buys an apartment in the building and quickly sees that the concierge and the girl are not what they seem to everyone else. Muriel Barbery has written a tale as smart and witty as her characters.

THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG, by Muriel Barbery, translated from the French by Alison Anderson (Europa Editions, 2008)