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)