Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/29-31/2011

The Astros' Jim Fuller to teammate Cliff Johnson, after listening to him brag that he would steal 20 bases during the upcoming 1977 season: "The only way you'll do that is to break into the equipment room."

Birthdays:
Barney Oldfield b. 1878
Greg Louganis b. 1960
Andre Reed b. 1964
Dominik Hasek b. 1965
Aeneas Williams b. 1968

Packers Fact:
Fourth-round draft choice from Florida State in 1992, Edgar Bennett, rushed for a career-best 1,067 yards in 1995.

1/30/1996:
Magic Johnson appears in his first NBA game since testing positive for HIV in November 1991. Playing for the Lakers against the Golden State Warriors at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, Johnson enters the contest as a substitute 2 minutes and 21 seconds into the game. He plays 27 minutes and comes up with 19 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds.

Birthdays:
Walt Dropo b. 1923
Davey Johnson b. 1943
Tom Izzo b. 1955
Curtis Strange b. 1955
Payne Stewart b. 1957

1/31/1991:
At 5'10", Michael Adams becomes the shortest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. Playing for the Denver Nuggets before a home crowd, Adams accumulates 45 points (32 of them in the second half), 12 assists and 11 rebounds in leading his club to a 123-119 win over the New Jersey Nets. He'll finish the season with 26.5 points, 10.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Birthdays:
Don Hutson b. 1913
Jersey Joe Walcott b. 1914
Jackie Robinson b. 1919
Ernie Banks b. 1931
Nolan Ryan b. 1947

Packers Fact:
On this date in 1913: Don Hutson was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Hutson, who became one of the NFL's legendary players in hi 11 seasons on Green Bay (1935-1945), died at 84 in 1997.

“Ever tried.
Ever failed.
No matter.
Try again.
Fail again.
Fail better.”

—SAMUEL BECKETT, Irish playwright

“Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.”

—JERRY SEINFELD, on Seinfeld

“What’s the use of worrying?”

—GEORGE ASAF, British songwriter, “Pack Up Your Troubles”

ON PROUD BOASTS,
STUPID

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Anyone can be elected governor. I’m proof of that.

Georgia governor Joe Frank Harris

ON DONUTS,
DELINQUENT

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Donuts were reported loitering in a field on Opening Hill Road.

police blotter item

ON WELL, YEAH, BUT SEE, THERE’S
THAT POINT THINGIE IN THERE

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I t would’ve been real nice to get 100 sacks and all that, but I’m okay with 96.5. It’s triple digits, right?

defensive tackle Warren Sapp

MATH MADE FUN

Author, girls’ activist, math whiz,and tireless math advocate, adorable Danica McKellar (most recognized from her role as Winnie in The Wonder Years) showed her chops in 2007 with Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail. With this sequel, she really finds her stride and makes the widely dreaded subject simply irresistible. A wonderful gift for a girl or for the math-challenged person in all of us.

KISS MY MATH: SHOWING PRE-ALGEBRA WHO’S BOSS, by Danica McKellar (Hudson Street Press, 2008)

MICHAEL HAS ISSUES

Is there no end to comedian Michael Ian Black’s mad, sly, wise, absurd, stupid, crude, intellectual, bizarre, rational brand of philosophy? None in sight. Black’s comedy sketches from TV shows like Stella, The State, and Michael & Michael Have Issues are fresh and addictive, and he transitions nicely to the written page. As Stephen Colbert said, “Michael Ian Black has proven that even the most simple-minded among us can occasionally create works of genius.”

MY CUSTOM VAN: AND 50 OTHER MIND-BLOWING ESSAYS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND ALL OVER YOUR FACE, by Michael Ian Black (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009)