Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/31/2012

3/31/1991:
Boston Bruins right wing Chris Nilan sets an NHL record by recording 10 penalties during a 7-3 win over the Hartford Whalers at the Boston Garden. He racks up six minors, two majors, one 10-minute misconduct, and a game misconduct for infractions including holding, fighting, roughing, elbowing, and unsportsmanlike conduct. He is assessed a total of 42 penalty minutes.

Birthdays:
Gordie Howe b. 1928
Bob Pulford b. 1936
Ed Marinaro b. 1950
Tom Barrasso b. 1965
Pavel Bure b. 1971

TIME-TESTED ADVICE

You can find books to show you how to live your life using rules gleaned through everything from kindergarten to Machiavelli. Now Father James Martin, a priest, jumps into the fray with this guide to “finding freedom” through Jesuit precepts. He explains the philospophy of founder St. Ignatius Loyola with affability and ease, offering a 500-year-old spiritual tradition to anyone from doubter to devout. Appealing and easygoing.

THE JESUIT GUIDE TO (ALMOST) EVERYTHING: A SPIRITUALITY FOR REAL LIFE, by James Martin, SJ (Harper One, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/30/2012

(Wow, three Cubs facts this week!)

3/30/1992:
The Cubs trade George Bell to the White Sox for Sammy Sosa and Ken Patterson. it doesn't look like much at the time, but the Cubs strike gold with this transaction. Bell is still a productive hitter in 1992, while Sosa is a struggling youngster who seems to be regressing in his development. In 1991, with the Sox, Sosa hit only .203 with 10 homers in 316 at bats and struck out 98 times while drawing only 14 walks. He is only 23 when the Cubs acquire him, however, and he becomes one of the best players of his generation. Bell plays only two more seasons after being traded for Sosa, mostly as a designated hitter.

Birthdays:
Ripper Collins b. 1904
Willie Galimore b. 1935
Jerry Lucas b. 1940
Dave Ellett b. 1964
Toby Gowin b. 1975

STRANGER THAN FICTION

The true story of James Annesley reads like fiction. No wonder Robert Louis Stevenson helped himself to the details of his life when he wrote Kidnapped. Annesley was neglected by his father, declared illegitimate by his uncle, and finally kidnapped by cronies of his uncle and shipped to America as an indentured servant. Does Annesley make it back to Ireland to reclaim his earldom? Find out via swashbuckling history at its best.

BIRTHRIGHT: THE TRUE STORY THAT INSPIRED KIDNAPPED, by A. Roger Ekirch (Norton, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/27-29/2012

3/27/1902:
In Chicago, the nickname "Cubs" is coined by the Chicago Daily News when an unbylined column notes that manager "Frank Selee will devote his strongest efforts on the team work of the new Cubs this year." The "Cubs" referred to in the article are young players, such as future Hall of Famer Joe Tinker, who are rookies in 1902. The Chicago baseball franchise in the National League was established in 1876 and had no official nickname. Prior to 1902, the club had been known by a variety of nicknames, including White Stockings, Silk Stockings, Black Stockings, Colts, Orphans, Rainmakers, Rough Riders, and Remnants, by the various newspapers in town. From 1902 through 1906, the nine daily papers in the Windy City will call the team the Panamas, Microbes, Zephyrs, Nationals, and Spuds. It is Cubs which catches the fancy of the public, however, and by 1908 a bear cub appears on the team's uniform.

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

3/28/1992:
At the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Christian Laettner of Duke sinks a last-second shot to nip Kentucky 104-103 in the regional finals to cap one of the greatest games in the history of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. With 2.1 seconds remaining in overtime, Grant Hill throws a pass to Laettner, a distance of about 75 feet. Catching the ball near the free throw line, Laettner dribbles once, turns, and hits the jumper as time expires. Laettner doesn't miss a shot the entire game. He's 10-for-10 from field goal range and 10-for-10 at the free throw line, for a total of 31 points. In the Final Four at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Duke will beat Indiana, 81-78, and Michigan, u71-51, to win the national championship.

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

3/29/2000:
The Cubs and the Mets open the 2000 baseball season with a regular-season game in Tokyo before 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome. The Cubs win, 5-3. It is the first regular-season game ever played outside of North America, and the first of a two-game series in Tokyo. Shane Andrews and Mark Grace homer for the Cubs and Mike Piazza for the Mets. Among those in attendance is Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako. The game begins at 7:06 P.M. Tokyo time, which is 4:06 A.M. in Chicago and 5:06 A.M. in New York. Jon Lieber is the winning pitcher. The two teams meet agin the following day with the Mets winning, 5-1, in 11 innings. Benny Agbayani wins the game with a pinchi-hit grand slam in the 11th off Danny Young. It is Young's major league debut.

Birthdays:
Walt Frazier b. 1945
Teofilo Stevenson b. 1952
Earl Campbell b. 1955
Brian Jordan b. 1967
Jennifer Capriati b. 1976

FIRST-RATE FICTION

This novel about a young Japanese pearl diver in the 1940s is rendered with precision and depth. Diagnosed with leprosy and banished to an island leper colony, “Miss Fuji” (inmates must take on new identities) lives out a life filled with loneliness, shame, and neglect. Somehow, in her endurance, she maintains her dignity, becoming a caretaker for the other patients. Colum McCann raves, “One of the most honest, tender, and inventive books I’ve read in years.”

THE PEARL DIVER, by Jeff Talarigo (Anchor, 2005)

MEMORABLE MEMOIR

A quote from Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert says it all: “I can never get enough of true stories about people who stop in the middle of their life’s journey to ask, ‘What do I really want?’ and then have the guts to actually go get it. Kathleen Flinn’s tale of chasing her ultimate dream makes for a really lovely book—engaging, intelligent and surprisingly suspenseful.” Flinn’s midlife metamorphosis, like Julia Child’s, happened at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. If you liked Eat, Pray, Love; Under the Tuscan Sun; or My Life in France, this one’s for you.

THE SHARPER YOUR KNIFE, THE LESS YOU CRY: LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND TEARS IN PARIS AT THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS COOKING SCHOOL, by Kathleen Flinn (Penguin, 2008)

A LIFE

Juicy gossip abounds in this biography of Brazilian billionaire Lily Safra. She divorced her first husband; her second committed suicide (or so the authorities said); her third was dispatched in a quick, rancorous divorce at the bidding of her fourth, who died in a fire set by an employee. It all resulted in the vast fortune her parents had always dreamed for her. Glittering backdrops. Shiny toys. High society. Edifying it’s not; diverting, you bet.

GILDED LILY: LILY SAFRA: THE MAKING OF ONE OF THE WORLD’S WEALTHIEST WIDOWS, by Isabel Vincent (Harper, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/26/2012

3/26/1952:
The New York Knicks defeat the Boston Celtics, 88-87, in double overtime at the Boston Garden in the third and deciding game of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Forward Ernie Vandeweghe breaks the 87-87 tie by sinking a free throw with two seconds remaining. Celtics guard Bob Cousy leads all scorers with 34 points. At the end of the game, officials Jocko Collins and Chuck Solodare are jeered by the fans. League president Maurice Podoloff is attacked by a fan, but police intervene. Vanderweghe is a medical student while he plays for the Knicks from 1949 through 1956. He will marry 1952 Miss America Colleen Kay Hutchins, whose brother Mel was also an NBA player. Ernie and Colleen's son Kiki will be born in 1958 in West Germany while Ernie is a physician with the United States Air Force. Kiki will play basketball at UCLA and have a long career as an NBA player, general manager, and coach.

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

LIVING HISTORY

The chief curator of the Historic Royal Palaces of the UK takes us on a vivid tour of the Georgian court at Kensington Palace. Marvelous gossip—sex scandals, power struggles, and social backstabbing—and intricate details about the daily lives of the royals of the late 1700s are something only a historian with Lucy Worsley’s access and training could provide. If you liked Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman, you’ll love The Courtiers.

THE COURTIERS: SPLENDOR AND INTRIGUE IN THE GEORGIAN COURT AT KENSINGTON PALACE, by Lucy Worsley (Walker Books, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/25/2012

3/25/1972:
UCLA caps an undefeated season with a 30-0 record by beating Florida State, 81-76, in the NCAA championship game at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. It is the Bruins' sixth consecutive title. Florida State runs off to an early 21-14 lead, but UCLA surges ahead 50-39 by halftime and leads by 16 in the second half before holding off a Seminole rally.

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

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/24/2012

3/24/1955:
Yankees manager Casey Stengel is arrested at the team hotel, booked on charges of assault, and released after posting $50 in bail. Stengel is accused of kicking photographer Brennan Sanders of the St. Petersburg Independent. Casey had been angry at Sanders, who was blocking his view of the field. Sanders, a combat photographer during World War II, will drop the charges after Stengel offers him an apology.

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

CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC

Three reasons Tales of the City is a must-read:
    1. The iconic portrait of San Francisco in the peace and free-love 1970s.
    2. The kooky characters. You’ll wish Mrs. Madrigal was your neighbor, Mary Ann your best friend.
    3. You will not be able to put it down. Every chapter ends with a cliff-hanger. It’s more addictive than potato chips. Your only solace: There are five more books in the series.

TALES OF THE CITY, by Armistead Maupin (1978; HarperPerennial, 2007)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the day 3/23/2012

3/23/2002:
Iowa State University wrestler Cael Sanderson wins his 159th straight match and fourth straight NCAA championship. He also becomes the first collegiate wrestler to secure an undefeated record with a minimum of 100 matches. Sports Illustrated names Sanderson's college career the second most impressive of all time in any college sport, behind that of Ohio State's Jesse Owens, who set four world records in track-and-field in a single hour during the Big 10 championships in 1935. The third of four Sanderson brothers to wrestle at Iowa State, Cael will capture a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics by defeating Eui Jae Moon of South Korea in the finals.

Birthdays:
Roger Bannister b. 1929
Geno Auriemma b. 1954
Moses Malone b. 1954
Jason Kidd b. 1973
Mark Buehrle b. 1979

A LIFE

How do you go from being a suburban New Jersey schoolgirl to a member of a prince’s harem? Jillian Lauren’s memoir tells that story and reflects eloquently on womanhood, coming of age, and what it means to belong. Fascinating and engrossing, and exotic without resorting to cheap thrills.

SOME GIRLS: MY LIFE IN A HAREM, by Jillian Lauren (Plume, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/21-22/2012

3/21/1953:
In the second and deciding game of a three-game playoff series, guard Bob Cousy scores 50 points to lead the Celtics to a 111-105 win over the Syracuse Nationals in four overtimes before 11,058 at the Boston Garden. No one else on either team has more than 19 points. Cousy ties the score at 99 with a one-handed push shot at the close of the third OT period. The Nationals race to a 104-99 lead at the start of the fourth extra period, but the Celtics outscore them 12-1 the rest of the way, with Cousy contributing eight of Boston's dozen points. Cousy sets an NBA record for any game, regulation or playoff, with 30 free throws. The four overtimes set an NBA record for a playoff contest. The two teams also combine for a playoff record 107 fouls. Syracuse sets a single team playoff record with 55 personals.

Birthdays:
Tom Flores b. 1937
Jay Hilgenberg b. 1960
Ayrton Senna b. 1960
Shawon Dunston b. 1963
Al Iafrate b. 1966

3/22/1984:
Indiana stuns number-one ranked North Carolina 72-68 in the East Regional semifinals, held at The Omni in Atlanta. The Tar Heels' junior guard Michael Jordan is held to just 4 points during the first 33 minutes of the contest and finishes with just 13 points. Freshman guard Steve Alford leads the Hoosiers with 27 points, including a perfect six-for-six from the foul line in the crucial final minutes. Indiana takes a 12-point lead with five minutes remaining, but poor shooting allows North Carolina to pull within two with 2:07 left. After that, however, the Tar Heels can pull no closer. The national championship dreams for coach Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers will come to an end with a 50-48 defeat at the hands of Virginia in the Elite Eight on March 24 in Atlanta. Jordan will soon declare himself eligible for the NBA draft and will be chosen as the third overall pick, by the Chicago Bulls, in June.

Birthdays:
Billy Vessels b. 1931
Flash Elorde b. 1935
Glenallen Hill b. 1965
Shawn Bradley b. 1972
Marcus Camby b. 1974

LIVE TO TELL

What are the most important traits for survival in a crisis? In this “must-read” (The New York Times), Gonzo journalist Ben Sherwood (The Man Who Ate the 747) explains what they are and why they work. You’ll learn what makes the difference between life and death in a plane crash, an animal attack, a concentration camp, the ER, and more. “The true life stories are satisfying … but it’s the science that fascinates,” says Entertainment Weekly.
      Go to www.thesurvivorsclub.org to find out what kind of survivor you are.

THE SURVIVORS CLUB: THE SECRETS AND SCIENCE THAT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE, by Ben Sherwood (Grand Central, 2010)

ENDURING CLASSIC

Evelyn Waugh said of W. Somerset Maugham, “He’s a master of creating the appetite for information, of withholding it until the right moment, and then providing it surprisingly.” His Cakes and Ale, believed to have been a veiled portrait of Thomas Hardy, is a hilarious satire of interest to all readers and writers. A hack writer is hired by the widow of a celebrated novelist, Edward Driffield, to pen her late husband’s biography. The catch? The first Mrs. Driffield, glittering muse to Edward, must be written out of the story.

CAKES AND ALE, by W. Somerset Maugham (1930; Vintage, 2000)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/20/2012

3/20/1966:
Scotland yard springs into action when the Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to soccer's World Cup champion, is stolen from Central Hall, across the street from Westminster Abbey in London. The trophy was brought to England from Brazil to be displayed in advance of the World Cup in July. It will be discovered by a mongrel dog named Pickles a few days after the theft. The canine is digging for a bone int he backyard of his owner's London home and instead unearths the memento. Police track the crime to Edward Betchley, who stole the trophy with the intention of holding it for ransom. Pickles becomes a national hero, England's team goes on to win the World Cup, defeating Germany, 4-2, in extra time in the final at Wembley Stadium in London on July 30.

Birthdays:
John Barnhill b. 1938
Pat Riley b. 1945
Bobby Orr b. 1948
Chris Hoiles b. 1965
Mookie Blaylock b. 1967

CRITICS’ PICK

“Only connect,” advised E. M. Forster.
When an American dream falls apart in 1980s California, Warren Ziller must move his wife and three children into a home in his abandoned real estate development. Can the family, “distant as satellites,” come together again as a unit? “Go read this book,” says McSweeney’s.

MODEL HOME, by Eric Puchner (Scribner, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/19/2012

3/19/1972:
The Lakers bury the Golden State Warriors, 162-99, at the Forum. The Warriors come into the contest needing a win to clinch a berth in the playoffs. The Lakers lead 42-34 at the end of the first quarter and 71-56 at halftime. The 15-point deficit grows to 63 by the end of the game as the exhausted Warriors, playing in their fourth game in as many nights and their seventh in a 10-day span, simply collapse. Los Angeles outscores Golden State 49-21 in the third period and 42-22 in the fourth. The Lakers go on to win the 1972 NBA title following a regular-season record of 69-13. The Warriors will clinch their playoff berth in their next game three nights later with a 121-101 victory against the Bullets in Baltimore. Golden State finishes the 1971-72 season with a respectable 51-31 record befoer losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the postseason.

Birthdays:
Jay Berwanger b. 1914
Guy V. Lewis b. 1922
Richie Ashburn b. 1927
Joe Kapp b. 1939
Scott May b. 1954

GONZO HISTORY

If you like Mary Roach (Stiffed), Thomas Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization), or Mark Kurlansky (Cod), then give W. Hodding Carter a whirl. Looking at the world through lead (now PVC) pipes has never been so entertaining or enlightening. Belongs on the toilet tanks of all discerning ecologists and quirky history buffs.

FLUSHED: HOW THE PLUMBER SAVED CIVILIZATION, by W. Hodding Carter (Atria, 2007)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/18/2012

3/18/1942:
African American players Jackie Robinson and Nate Moreland work out for the White Sox during spring training in Pasadena, California. Impressed with Robinson, Sox manager Jimmie Dykes says, "He's worth $50,000 of anybody's money," but no attempt is made to sign him. Robinson will make his major league debut as the first African American player in the modern era in 1947.

Birthdays:
Mike Webster b. 1952
Guy Carbonneau b. 1960
Curt Warner b. 1961
Bonnie Blair b. 1964
Brian Griese b. 1975

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/17/2012

New York Rangers coach and general manager on the condition of the playing surface at Madison Square Garden in 1972: "I've seen better ice on the roads of Saskatchewan."

Birthdays:
Sonny Werblin b. 1910
Sammy Baugh b. 1914
Hank Sauer b. 1917
Chuck Muncie b. 1953
Mia Hamm b. 1972

WHODUNIT

What would happen if three children ran into the woods and only one came out?
     Find out in this “intense” (NPR’s Morning Edition), “extraordinary” (Washington Post Book World) literary thriller with a strong psychological twist. It might remind you of Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River, set in Dublin.

IN THE WOODS, by Tana French (Penguin, 2008)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/16/2012

3/16/1969:
The Boston Bruins tie an NHL record with eight goals in the second period of an 11-3n victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Boston Garden. The Bruins are held scoreless int he first period before their eight-goal eruption in the second. The goals are scored by right wing Ken Hodge at 1:02, left wing Ron Murphy at 4:36, center Derek Sanderson at 5:22, Hodge against at 9:49, center Phil Esposito at 10:25, Sanderson again at 11:14, left wing Wayne Cashman at 15:38, and Sanderson a third time at 16:33. Left wing Garnet Bailey records two of the three Boston goals in the third period. They are the first two goals of 107 in his NHL career, which lasts until 1979. Bailey will later become director of pro scouting for the Los Angeles Kings, and is employed in that position until he dies on September 11, 2001, while onboard United flight 175, which crashes into the World Trade Center.

Birthdays:
Roger Crozier b. 1942
Rick Reichardt b. 1943
Ozzie Newsome b. 1956
Mel Gray b. 1961
Curtis Granderson b.1981

LIVING HISTORY

Civil War. The South falls. Chaos ensues as Northern troops march into Southern cities. In his hasty retreat, one Confederate soldier loots the Statehouse of North Carolina, making off with one of only 14 original copies of the Bill of Rights. The 138 years between theft and recovery are populated by a cast of characters more colorful than you find in most fiction, including shady antiquarians, auction houses, lawyers, and FBI agents. The final sting in Philadelphia is a nail-biter. American history at its madcap best.

LOST RIGHTS: THE MISADVENTURES OF A STOLEN AMERICAN RELIC, by David Howard (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/14-15/2012

3/1/1982:
Second-ranked DePaul, with a record of 26-1, loses to unranked Boston college in their first game of the NCAA basketball tournament, 70-66, in Dallas, Texas. It is the third straight year that DePaul is seeded number one in their region and is upset in their first contest of the tournament to a team ranked outside the top 20. On March 9, 1980, in Tempe, Arizona, the Blue Demons were the top-ranked team in the nation with a 26-1 mark before losing, 77-71, to UCLA. Heading into the 1981 tournament, coach Ray Meyer's squad had a record of 27-1 and was again ranked number one. Opening against St. Joseph's (Penna.) on March 15 in Dayton, Ohio, DePaul will lose, 49-48, on a lay-up by John Smith with three seconds remaining.

Birthdays:
Don Haskins b. 1930
Bob Charles b. 1936
Wes Unseld b. 1946
Kirby Puckett b. 1961
Larry Johnson b. 1969

3/15/1958:
Cincinnati Royals forward Maurice Stokes, one of basketball's great young stars, suffers a seizure on an airplane, following a Royals loss to the Pistons in Detroit. Stokes is diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury. It was caused when he struck his head on the floor during a game against the Minneapolis Lakers on March 12. Permanently paralyzed, he'll be cared for by teammate Jack Twyman until his death from a heart attack in 1970. Twyman will tirelessly raise money for his friend's staggering medical bills. The relationship between the African American Stokes and the Caucasian Twyman will be chronicled in the 1973 film Maurie. Stokes is portrayed by former NFL star Bernie Casey and Twyman by Bo Svenson.

Birthdays:
Punch Imlach b. 1918
Norm Van Brocklin b. 1926
Harold Baines b. 1959
Terry Cummings b. 1961
Kevin Toukilis b. 1979

BESTSELLER

Sweeter than the frosting on a Lady Baltimore cake, lighter than a breeze rustling a magnolia tree, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt isn’t going to challenge your pretty brain, but it will entertain you for many pleasant hours with eccentric ladies from Savannah, bustling, meddling, gossiping, and whatnot. For fans of The Help and Steel Magnolias.

SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT, by Beth Hoffman (Penguin, 2010)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

In this Fast Food Nation for fish, Taras Grescoe investigates seafood around the world, from pesticide-treated fisheries in India to the murky waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Is that lobster you’re eating actually monkfish? Is farmed salmon healthy at all? Grescoe’s muckraking is tempered by his love of seafood and by writing worthy of a travelogue. Amid scenes of devastation on the seas are delights in restaurants worldwide. Every foodie should read, savor, and learn from this book.

BOTTOMFEEDER: HOW TO EAT ETHICALLY IN A WORLD OF VANISHING SEAFOOD, by Taras Grescoe (Bloomsbury, 2009)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/12-13/2012

3/12/1956:
At Madison Square Garden, unranked Canisius stuns second-ranked North Carolina State, 79-78, in four overtimes in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament. The score is 65-65 at the end of regulation, 69-69 at the close of the first overtime, and 71-71 after two extra periods. Neither team scores in the third overtime. North Carolina State takes a 78-77 lead with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth OT, and Canisius plays for a final shot. The game-winner is a jumper by Fran ("The Fireman") Corcoran, a senior from Philadelphia, with four seconds left. It is Corcoran's only field goal of the game. Canisius will defeat Dartmouth, 66-58, in the second round before losing 60-58 to Temple in the East Regional final. The four overtimes in the Canisius-North Carolina State match-up sets an NCAA tourney record. It will be matched in 1961 when St. Joseph's (Penna.) beats Utah 127-120.

Birthdays:
Bronco Horvath b. 1930
Johnny Rutherford b. 1938
Darryl Strawberry b. 1962
Steve Finley b. 1965
Raul Mondesi b. 1971

3/13/1982:
Sixteen-year-old Elain Zayak of Paramus, New Jersey, rallies from seventh place to win the World Figure Skating Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark. Zayak's chances of winning seemed doomed when she fell to seventh in yesterday's short program, but tonight's program counts for 50 percent of the scoring, and the judges are duly impressed when she successfully lands seven triple jumps. Her performance leads to the creation of the "Zayak rule," passed by the 1982 International Skating Union Congress, introducing a scoring system that places less emphasis on jumps and more on a skater's variety of skills. Zayak will never win another major championship.

Birthdays:
Ordell Braase b. 1932
Joe Bellino b. 1938
Will Clark b. 1964
Thomas Enqvist b. 1974
Johan Santana b. 1979

INTO THE WILD

Seth Kantner, the son of hippies from Ohio, was born in an igloo—and into a changing way of life in a fragile ecosystem. His riveting first novel is about Cutuk, who moves from the Alaskan tundra to Anchorage and experiences a megawatt jolt of culture shock. Gorgeous writing and a strong plot make this coming-of-age tale a pick for fans of Barbara Kingsolver, Sherman Alexie, and Jack London.
     If you crave more, read Kantner’s memoir, Shopping for Porcupine: A Life in Rural Alaska (Milkweed, 2009).

ORDINARY WOLVES, by Seth Kantner (Milkweed, 2005)

INCENTIVIZE THIS!

In the old days, economics was about money. Now it’s more likely to be about baby names, crime rates, or swimming-pool accidents. Tyler Cowen keeps the entertainment factor high, addressing topics such as art collecting, eating well, and dating. The book boils down to incentives: If you know what motivates someone, you can control him. “Fast, furious, and fun,” promises Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of Freakonomics.

DISCOVER YOUR INNER ECONOMIST: USE INCENTIVES TO FALL IN LOVE, SURVIVE YOUR NEXT MEETING, AND MOTIVATE YOUR DENTIST, by Tyler Cowen (Plume, 2008)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/11/2012

3/11/1982:
In the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, 11th-seed Middle Tennessee upsets number six seed Kentucky, 50-44, in Nashville. The win prevents the possibility of a much-anticipated match-up between Kentucky and Louisville in the second round. The two schools hadn't met since 1959. Louisville will beat Middle Tennessee State, 81-56, in round two.

Birthdays:
Louise Brough b. 1923
Dock Ellis b. 1945
Bobby Abreu b. 1974
Shawn Springs b. 1975
Elton Brand b. 1979

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/10/2012

"I think there's a sexiness in infield hits because they require technique," said Ichiro Suzuki in 2009. "I'd rather impress the chicks with my technique than my brute strength."

Ara Parseghian b. 1923
Leroy Ellis b. 1940
Austin Carr b. 1948
Red Woodson b. 1965
Shannon Miller b. 1977

LIVING HISTORY

There is no shortage of Joan of Arc biographies. Nearly 700 years after her death, it’s still hard to resist a provincial teenage girl so driven by conviction that she convinced a king to let her lead his army into battle. What Larissa Taylor’s slender, engaging book does is bring forth the nuance of Joan’s character, throwing into relief her determined and inflexible leadership—a leadership that did nothing short of changing the course of European history.

THE VIRGIN WARRIOR: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JOAN OF ARC, by Larissa Juliet Taylor (Yale University Press, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/8-9/2012

3/8/1971:
Joe Frazier maintains his heavyweight boxing title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden. Frazier has been the champ since 1968. It is Ali's first bout since March 22, 1967. Ali is knocked to the canvas with a right to the jaw in the 15th round. After regaining his feet, he staggers to the finish. In 1967, Ali had been stripped of the heavyweight title he held since 1964, after refusing induction to the armed forced on the grounds that he is a Muslim minister. Ali was later sentenced to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine, but those charges were eventually overturned by the Supreme Court. Frazier will lose his title to George Foreman in 1973 and Ali will become heavyweight champ once more in 1974. Ali will defeat Frazier on October 1 that year in the Philippines with a TKO in the 14th round, in what has become known as the "Thrilla in Manila."

Birthdays:
Mendy Rudolph b. 1926
Dick Allen b. 1942
Jim Rice b. 1953
Buck Williams b. 1960
Jason Elam b. 1970

3/9/1936:
Babe Ruth decides against an offer from Cincinnati Reds general manager Larry MacPhail to come out of retirement. Ruth had retired as a player in June 1935 after playing in 28 games for the Boston Braves. The Reds plan to use Ruth, now 41 years old, as a fifth outfielder, backup first baseman, and pinch hitter. At first, Ruth is inclined to accept MacPhail's offer, but after talking things over with his wife, Claire, the Babe changes his mind. He says he has put on too much weight and would risk injuring his legs if he returned to baseball in a playing capacity. Mac Phail finally employs Ruth as a first base coach in 1938 when he runs the Brooklyn Dodgers as general manager. Ruth is hired in June of that year, but soon quits because he is used mostly for publicity purposes and has few serious responsibilities.

Birthdays:
Jackie Jensen b. 1927
Bert Campaneris b. 1942
Phil Housley b. 1964
Benito Santiago b. 1965
Aaron Boone b. 1973

GREEN ACRES

William Alexander moved to New York’s Hudson Valley for the pastoral dream: his own vegetable garden and orchard. But nothing prepared him for the lazy contractors; the sadomasochistic groundhog; the insects; the weather; the neighbors; his family’s reaction; in short, anything. Alexander loses his mind and money in this hilarious antidote to the many soaring tributes to the glories of local organic foods (Michael Pollan, anyone?). When Alexander figures out the actual cost of a tomato he’s grown, the book’s title is in the bag. “Gardening as extreme sport,” says The New York Times.

THE $64 TOMATO: HOW ONE MAN NEARLY LOST HIS SANITY, SPENT A FORTUNE, AND ENDURED AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS IN THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT GARDEN, by William Alexander (Algonquin, 2010)

DOMESTIC DRAMA

Here’s a portrait of an imperfect marriage right out of the Billy Joel song “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” In Abigail Thomas’s version, Virginia gets pregnant the first time she’s with college heartthrob Buddy. Buddy’s eye wanders while Virginia struggles with motherhood and what might have been. Anne Lamott called An Actual Life “an entirely wonderful book, rich and at the same time full of insight, hilarious and deeply touching, tough and lovely.”

AN ACTUAL LIFE, by Abigail Thomas (Touchstone, 1997)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/7/2012

3/7/1970:
Austin Carr of Notre Dame sets the all-time NCAA men's basketball tournament record for most points in a game. A six-foot-four junior guard, Carr scorches the nets for 61 points on 25 field goals in 44 attempts, and 11 of 14 free throws as the Irish coast to a 111-82 win over Ohio University in Dayton. In his next game, on March 12 in Columbus, Ohio, Carr pours in 52 points, but Notre Dame loses, 109-99, to Kentucky. During his college career, Carr scored 289 points in seven NCAA tourney games, an average of 41.3 per contest. He will average 20 or more points per game during his first three seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and will last 10 years in the league.

Birthdays:
Franco Harris b. 1950
Lynn Swann b. 1952
Joe Carter b. 1960
Ivan Lendl b. 1960
Jeff Kent b. 1968

SURPRISING SCI-FI

A“steampunk” is a sci-fi novel with a Victorian bent, and Dexter Palmer’s debut puts an exciting contemporary twist on the genre. It’s sci-fi for anyone who likes a good yarn, well really for anyone who appreciates writers such as Neal Stephenson, Lewis Carroll, and Shakespeare (big nod to The Tempest in this one). According to The Washington Post, it’s “extravagantly wondrous … an elegy for our own century and the passing of the power of the word, written and spoken.”

THE DREAM OF PERPETUAL MOTION, by Dexter Palmer (St. Martin’s, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/6/2012

3/6/1982:
The San Antonio Spurs outlast the Milwaukee Bucks, 171-166, in triple overtime at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio. Guard Brain Winters of the Bucks ties the score 131-131 with a three-pointer at the buzzer at the end of regulation. San Antonio's forward Mike Mitchell deadlocks the contest at 145-145 at the close of the first overtime with a shot to beat the clock. At the end of the second overtime, it is 157-157. Guard George Gervin scores 24 of his 50 points during the 15 minutes of overtime play. Mitchell chips in with 45 points. Winters tops the Bucks with 42 points, and makes 13 shots in a row. At no dime during the 63-minute game does either team lead by more than six points.

Birthdays:
Willie Stargell b. 1940
Dick Fosbury b. 1947
Sleepy Floyd b. 1960
Shaquille O'Neal b. 1972
Erik Bedard b. 1979

A LIFE

As The Fountainhead makes readers want to be architects, as Kitchen Confidential makes readers want to become chefs, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman makes readers want to become physicists. Sound improbable? Give it a try. This surprisingly folksy memoir takes you from Richard Feynman’s boyhood in Far Rockaway, New York—where his experiments nearly burned the house down—to MIT fraternity rituals, hypnosis at Princeton, meeting Einstein, the Manhattan Project, and a Nobel Prize. An extraordinary life rendered utterly normal and disarmingly charming.

SURELY YOU’RE JOKING, MR. FEYNMAN: ADVENTURES OF A CURIOUS CHARACTER, by Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton (1985; Norton, 1997)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/5/2012

3/5/1992:
The Quebec Nordiques break a streak of 38 consecutive road games without a win, trouncing the Whalers at the Hartford Civic Center. The last Quebec win on the road was on March 10, 1991, also in hartford. The Nordiques were 0-28-10 during the streak. Mats Sundlin leads the way in the 10-4 victory with five goals and two assists. He scores at 11:06 of the first period; 4:25, 7:11, and 14:02 of the second; and 15:10 of the third. A native of Sweden, Sundlin was the first European selected as the number one overall pick in the NHL draft in 1989 when he was chosen by the Nordiques. Sundlin scored 564 goals in his NHL career, which lasted from 1990 through 2009.

Birthdays:
Elmer Valo b. 1921
Scott Skiles b. 1964
Michael Irvin b. 1966
Paul Konerko b. 1976
Wally Szczerbiak b. 1977

WHODUNIT

“If Wes Anderson were to adapt Kafka,” intoned The New Yorker, the result would be Jedediah Barry’s Manual of Detection. Fans of Paul Auster and Jonathan Lethem will be delighted. When a great detective is murdered, a lowly clerk at his agency must solve the crime, relying on advice from a how-to volume called—you guessed it—The Manual of Detection. Noir, surreal, and sublimely funny, this is not your mother’s murder mystery.

THE MANUAL OF DETECTION, by Jedediah Barry (Penguin, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/4/2012

3/4/1913:
The New York Yankees conduct their first full-team workout at the Hamilton Cricket Field in Hamilton, Bermuda. The Yanks are the first major league team to travel to a foreign country for spring training. The club endures an arduous two-day journey by steamship from New York City. Most of the players spend their first day in Bermuda suffering from seasickness.

Birthdays:
Knute Rockne b. 1888
Danny Vance b. 1891
Margaret Osborne duPont b. 1918
"Badger Bob" Johnson b. 1931
Kevin Johnson b. 1966

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/3/2012

Joe Theismann on the overused term genius: "The word genius isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

Birthdays:

Julius Boros b. 1920
Randy Gradishar b. 1952
Jackie Joyner-Kersee b. 1962
Herschel Walker b. 1962
Brian Leetch b. 1968

GRAY MATTER

The Smithsonian Institution calls Dr. Richard Restak, a noted neurologist, “witty, wise, and ethical.” Celebrated for quirky Oliver Sachs–like books including Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot, Think Smart offers more prescription than Restak’s previous work. Here the good doctor gives us his colleagues’ research on healthy brains and then offers practical suggestions for what you can do to keep yours running in top form. Lots of surprises here, including Restak’s thoughts on video games.

THINK SMART: A NEUROSCIENTIST’S PRESCRIPTION FOR IMPROVING YOUR BRAIN’S PERFORMANCE, by Richard Restak, M.D. (Riverhead Books, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 3/2/2012

3/2/1962:
Wilt Chamberlain sets an NBA record by scoring 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors during a 169-147 triumph over the New York Knicks before a crowd of 4,124 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He also sets records for most field goals made (36), most field goals attempted (63), most free throws (28 in 32 attempts), and most points in a half (59) in this game. Chamberlain records 23 points in the first quarter, 18 in the second, 28 in the third, and 31 in the fourth. The 100th point is accomplished following a pass from Joe Ruklick with 46 seconds remaining. Chamberlain also has 25 rebounds. It will be nearly 34 years before anyone, including Wilt, tops the 80-point mark in an NBA contest. That honor will go to Kobe Bryant, who will score 81 in a game for the Lakers against the Raptors on January 22, 2006.

Birthdays:
Mel Ott b. 1909
Hopalong Cassady b. 1934
Ian Woosnam b. 1958
Terry Steinbach b. 1962
Ben Roethlisberger b. 1982

CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC

Willie Morris is required reading for all Southerners, and for anyone who appreciates writing that is straightforward yet deeply moving, memoirs that are both personal and grand. The Sunday Times of London called North Toward Home “the finest evocation of an American boyhood since Mark Twain.” A vivid sketch of a place and time long gone, yet never forgotten, that William Styron called “a classic.”
   Also unmissable is My Dog Skip, Morris’s memoir of his boyhood dog and their adventures in Yazoo, Mississippi.

NORTH TOWARD HOME, by Willie Morris (1967; Vintage, 2000)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/28-3/1/2012

2/28/1990:
The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings play a penalty-filled match at the Forum. The game is suspended with 3:32 left in the second period as officials send the teams to the locker room in an attempt to restore order. With 41 seconds left in the contest, and the Kings leading 4-2, fights break out all over the ice. By the time the tilt comes to a merciful end, records are set for most penalties assessed to two teams (85) and to one team (44 to Edmonton). The penalties include 15 for fighting and another 21 for roughing. Kings right wing Tomas Sandstrom suffers a broken cheekbone following a punch-out with the Oilers's Glenn Anderson. Fans are incensed by the display, and shower the rink with debris.

Birthdays:
Hayden Fry b. 1929
Frank Malzone b. 1930
Mario Andretti b. 1940
Bubbba Smith b. 1945
Ickey Woods b. 1966

2/29/1964:
Cincinnati Royals rookie Jerry Lucas becomes the only forward in NBA history to nab 40 rebounds in a game, leading his club to a 117-114 win over the 76ers at Conventional Hall in Philadelphia. In 1965-66, Lucas will average 21.1 rebounds per game. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell have ever averaged more rebounds in a single season than Lucas.

Birthdays:
Pepper Martin b. 1904
Al Rosen b. 1924
Henri Richard b. 1936
Steve Mingori b. 1944
Vonteego Cummings b. 1976

3/1/1954:
Only 60 seconds into the first day of spring training for the Boston Red Sox in Sarasota, Ted Williams takes a tumble in the outfield and breaks his left collarbone while chasing down a low liner hit from Hoot Evers. Realizing he can't get to the ball, Williams starts to slow down. Suddenly he trips, falls forward, and lands heavily on his left shoulder. Physicians say that Ted's muscles are so strong they pulled the collarbone apart. Ironically, Williams flew 39 combat missions as a pilot in the Marine Air Corps during the Korean War in 1952 and '53 and escaped without a scratch. He won't play in a game in 1954 until May 15, and will finish the season with a .345 batting average and 29 home runs.

Birthdays:
Harry Caray b. 1914
Pete Rozelle b. 1926
Elvin Bethea b. 1946
Mike Rozier b. 1961
Chris Webber b. 1973

SOCIAL HISTORY

Next time you’re relaxing after a yoga session, meditate on this: Yoga took hold in the U.S. thanks to a brash businessman named Pierre Bernard, “the first American yogi,” who hailed from Iowa, learned his trade via Calcutta, and never looked back as he cut a swath through the Jazz Age with his Tantrik Order. It’s a quintessentially American rags-to-riches tale that The Wall Street Journal dubbed “rollicking.” Namaste, Bernard!

THE GREAT OOM: THE IMPROBABLE BIRTH OF YOGA IN AMERICA, by Robert Love (Viking, 2010)

MEMORABLE MEMOIR

“Before leaving for Buenos Aires, I had cried to my friend Alan, ‘Tango wrecked my life!’ He firmly replied, ‘Tango will save your life.’ Somehow, I think we both were right.”
While Elizabeth Gilbert ate, prayed, and loved away her heartbreak, Camille Cusumano danced away hers on a transformative journey to Argentina. Passionate, colorful, and liberating, Tango the book is everything the dance promises.

TANGO: AN ARGENTINE LOVE STORY, by Camille Cusumano (Seal Press, 2008)

FIRST-RATE FICTION

A sweet, funny comedy of manners. Major Pettigrew is a proper widowed English pensioner who has developed a crush on his pretty Pakistani neighbor. Tradition and propriety forbid this relationship. So will he or won’t he? English country life has rarely been as charming and happy as it is in this clever, atmospheric read. “Funny, barbed, delightfully winsome storytelling,” trumpets The New York Times.

MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND, by Helen Simonson (Random House, 2010)