Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/27/2012

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2/272/1959:
The Celtics crush the Minneapolis Lakers, 173-139, at the Boston Garden. It is the highest-scoring game in NBA history up to this point. The previous record for a single team was 146 by the St. Louis Hawks in 1957. Bob Cousy records a record with 28 assists. Commissioner Maurice Podoloff is shocked when he hears the result, calling it "unbelievable" and launches an investigation to determine if defensive assignments were carried out or if the teams were "goofing off." The 173 points by the Celtics is still the record in a regulation 48-minute game. It will be tied by the Phoenix Suns in 1990. The overall record for points in a game will be set by the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets in a three-overtime 186-184 contest in 1983, which the Pistons win. The 28 assists by Cousy will stand as the record until Kevin Porter amasses 29 for the New Jersey Nets in 1978.

Birthdays:
Raymond Berry b. 1933
John Davidson b. 1953
James Worthy b. 1961
Kent Desormeaux b. 1970
Duce Staley b. 1975

WHODUNIT

In the third book of this highly acclaimed series, Slovakian detective Jana Matinova is transferred to Europol headquarters in The Hague following the bombing death of her prosecutor boyfriend on the same day a young student is gunned down in a hotel. There, she teams up with the titular magician, uncle of the dead boy, and their sleuthing uncovers an international conspiracy. Written by a former consultant for the U.S. State Department, it should be the first stop on your tour of Eastern Europe.

THE MAGICIAN’S ACCOMPLICE, by Michael Genelin (Soho Crime, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/21/2012

2/21/1982:
The New York Islanders' 15-game winning streak comes to an end with a 4-3 loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The Islanders lead 3-2 at the end of the second period before Mike Bullard scores two goals for the Penguins at 4:20 and 15:31 of the third. Pittsburgh comes into the game with a season record of 22-29-10. During the 15-game winning streak, the Islanders defeated the Penguins four times by a combined score of 25-6. The 15-game streak breaks the NHL record of 14 set by the 1929-30 Boston Bruins. It will stand as the record until the Penguins win 17 in a row from March 9, 1993, through April 10, 1993. The Penguins, however, will win two of those games in overtime, while the Islanders won each of their 15 in the regulation 60 minutes. The NHL will settle regular-season games with a five-minute overtime beginning with the 1983-84 season.

Birthdays:
Tom Yawkey b. 1903
Jack Ramsay b. 1925
Alan Trammell b. 1958
Brian Rolston b. 1973
Steve Francis b. 1978

A LIFE

Of all the bios of Satchmo, Pops is tops. Wall Street Journal theater critic Terry Teachout is the first biographer to gain access to the hundreds of hours of tape in which Armstrong recorded the details of his life, so based on accuracy alone, this is a winner. Don’t overlook its style and smarts, though. Teachout neatly debunks Uncle Tom theories about Armstrong’s signature smile, and the joy his subject took from life and music permeate the prose. A warm and wonderful revelation.

POPS: A LIFE OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG, by Terry Teachout (Houghton Mifflin, 2009)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/20/2012

2/20/1958:
The Coliseum Commission, which operates the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, approves a two-year contract enabling the Los Angeles Dodgers to hold their 1958 and 1959 home games in the 101,000-seat stadium. In the previous October, owner Walter O'Malley announced the move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles without having secured a place to play during the 1958 season. Wrigley Field, used by the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League from 1925 through 1957, had a capacity of only about 20,000 and was much too small. O'Malley hoped to utilize the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for Dodger games, but couldn't work out a deal. He then turned to the Coliseum and finalized the contract less than two months prior to Opening Day. The Dodgers will play at the Coliseum from 1958 through 1961 and will move into Dodger Stadium in 1962.

Birthdays:
Roger Penske b. 1937
Phil Esposito b. 192
Charles Barkley b.1 963
Livan Hernandez b. 1975
Stephen Marbury b. 1977

FIRST-RATE FICTION

Adam and Cynthia Morey are very much in love. They marry young, have two children whom they adore, and make an obscene amount of money from Adam’s job in private equity. The writing flows so smoothly that the reader’s eventual realization—the characters have lost all moral grounding—is a jolt. In this smart, engaging novel for our times, Jonathan Dee casts a cold eye on alienation engendered by greed.

THE PRIVILEGES, by Jonathan Dee (Random House, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/19/2012

2/19/1962:
The Mets unveil their uniforms for the 1962 season, the franchise's first as an expansion team. The design borrows heavily from one current and two former New York teams, with Brooklyn Dodgers blue, New York Giants orange, and Yankee pinstripes. The "Mets" script on the shirts is similar to that on the dodger jersey, and the caps are almost identical to those formerly worn by the Giants.

Birthdays:
Eddie Arcaro b. 1916
Forest Evashevski b. 1918
Paul Krause b. 1942
Dave Stewart b. 1957
Hana Mandlikova b. 1962

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/18/2012

Former Marquette coach and broadcaster Al McGuire on gamblers who befriend college athletes: "You must try to teach your players that if there are creeps hanging around, there are reasons. It's like when you bring flowers home to your wife and say there's reason. There's a reason."

Birthdays:
George Gipp b. 1895
Dick Duff b. 1936
Manny Mota b. 1938
Judy Raskin b. 1945
Andy Moog b. 1960

LIVING HISTORY

Benjamin Franklin landed in Paris in 1776 to seek foreign aid for America’s freedom bid, and he stayed for years, wangling countless millions to bolster the fledgling U.S. In Stacy Schiff’s adroit hands—she won the 2000 Pulitzer for her biography Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov)—18th-century Paris bursts into colorful life. It’s like eavesdropping on the canny negotiations of the fascinating Franklin and his ally Jefferson; you’ll feel the burn from Franklin’s frequent nemesis Adams.

A GREAT IMPROVISATION: FRANKLIN, FRANCE, AND THE BIRTH OF AMERICA, by Stacy Schiff (Holt Paperbacks, 2006)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/17/2012

2/17/1968:
Jean-Claude Killy of France wins his third gold medal in Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, after a jury's decision makes it official. In the slalom race, Killy has a two-heat time of 99.75 seconds. A spectator interferes with the second run of Karl Schranz of Austria, causing him to pull off course. He is given permission to go again, and turns in a time of 99.22 seconds. But after a review of the tapes, Schranz is reported for missing a gate before the spectator's interference, and is therefore automatically disqualified. After five hours of deliberation, the Jury of Appeal awards Killy the gold medal by a vote of 3-2. He had previously won gold in the downhill and the giant slalom. The identity of the mysterious interloper is never known. Schranz's supporters contend that it was a French policeman or soldier who crossed Schranz's path to prevent him from winning.

Birthdays:
Red Barber b. 1908
Rod Dedeaux b. 1914
Jim Brown b. 1936
Michael Jordan b. 1963
Luc Robitaille b. 1966

WHODUNIT

Named one of the 10 Best Crime Novels of 2010 by Booklist, the debut of the hard-edged Mike Bowditch mystery series features a game warden determined to prove his ne’er-do-well father is not a murderer. Author Paul Doiron, the editor in chief of Down East magazine, has the chops to bring Maine’s craggy and remote backwoods crackling to life. You’ll think you’re in the wild during outdoor scenes that The New York Times describes as “eye-popping.”

THE POACHER’S SON, by Paul Doiron (Minotaur, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/16/2012

2/16/2002:
A pile-up mars the 1000-meter speed skating final at the Olympics in Salt Lake City. Top American Apolo Anton Ohno grabs the lead about 20 meters from the finish. With two laps to go, Li Jiajun of China tries to pass Ohno on the outside and makes contact. Then South Korean Ahn Hyun-Soo makes a move and clips Li. Ohno, Li, and Hyun-Soo all go down, allowing Steven Bradbury of Australia, who was last, to zip past the pile of skaters and win gold. Ohno picks himself up and scrambles across the finish line for the silver medal. He will win a gold medal in the 1500 meters in 2002 and the 500 meters in Italy in 2006 and capture a total of eight medals (two gold, three silver, and three bronze) from 2002 through 2010, a record for an American Winter Olympian.

Birthdays:
Bernie Geoffrion b. 1931
John McEnroe b. 1959
Kelly Tripucka b. 1959
Mark Price b. 1964
Jerome Bettis b. 1972

ENDURING CLASSIC

These 700 pages, the largest excerpt ever made available, comprise only a tenth of Thoreau’s two-million-word journal. Thoreau’s vigorous, beautiful writing is brought sharply into focus. The seeds of Walden are here, certainly, but this is above all the story of a brilliant man’s life, encompassed in a range of ideas and revelations that is nothing less than stunning. John Cage wrote, “Reading Thoreau’s Journal I discover any idea I’ve ever had worth its salt.”

THE JOURNAL OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU: 1837–1861; edited by Damion Searls (New York Review Books Classics, 2009)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/15/2012

2/15/1953:
Seattle University's consensus All-American basketball player Johnny O'Brien scores 51 points during a 109-68 win over Gonzaga in Spokane to become the first player to score 3,000 points in his college career. Johnny and his twin brother, Eddie, are not only stars on the basketball court, but the baseball diamond as well. The O'Brien brothers skip the NBA, sign contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and make their major league debuts in April 1953 without playing a single day in the minors. Johnny plays second base and Eddie at shortstop. Neither will have much success in baseball, however, Johnny hits .250 with four homers in 815 at bats over six seasons. Eddie bats .236 with no home runs in 554 at bats in five years. Both also try their hand at pitching. Johnny is 1-3 with a 5.61 ERA in 61 innings. Eddie is 1-0 and has a 3.31 earned run average in 16.1 innings.

Birthdays:
Earl "Red" Blaik b. 1897
John Hadl b. 1940
Darrell Green b. 1960
Jaromir Jagr b. 1972
Amy Van Dyken b. 1973

CRITICS’ PICK

Undying love for her daughter, whom she left behind in the pogroms of Russia, draws immigrant Lillian Leyb back to the country she’d fled. It’s an agonizing journey from the teeming streets of New York through the inhospitable plains of the Yukon, but no suffering is great enough to deflect Lillian from her cause. Novelist Amy Bloom is a master, and People called this a “spellbinding story of courage and unwavering optimism.”
     Also be sure to pick up Bloom’s compelling debut, 1993’s Come to Me.

AWAY, by Amy Bloom (Random House, 2008)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/13-14/2012

2/13/1982:
New York Islanders center Bryan Trottier scores five goals, four of them on power plays, during an 8-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers at Nassau Coliseum. He also scores four times in the second period, tying an NHL record. Trottier's first goal is scored at 9:02 in the first period. The four-goal flurry in the second period comes at 1:04, 8:41, 9:10, and 18:32. Mike Bossy assists on all five goals. Trottier was a part of seven Stanley Cup champions, as a player with the Islanders in 1980, '81, '82, and '83, and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and '92, and as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997, his first year of eligibility.

Birthdays:
Patty Berg b. 1918
Eddie Robinson b. 1919
Mike Krzyzewski b. 1947
Mats Sundin b. 1971
Randy Moss b. 1977

2/14/1988:
At the Daytona 500, 50-year-old Bobby Allison finishes first in his Buick Regal while his 26-year-old son Davey, in a Ford, drives right behind him in second. Bobby leads for 70 laps, including the last 18, and beats Davey by about 2-1/2 car lengths. At 50, Bobby becomes the oldest driver ever to win a Daytona 500. It is also the first NASCAR race run with carburetor restrictor plates, designed to slow the cars in the interest of safety. With an average speed of 137.531 miles per hour, it is the slowest Daytona 500 since 1960. The race is best remembered, however, for a spectacular crash on Lap 106 in which Richard Petty rolls over seven times before landing on his wheels. Petty is tagged by Phil Barkdoll, then hit by Brett Bodine's car. The wreck also involves A.J. Foyt, Eddie Bierschwale, and Alan Kulwicki. Fortunately, all of the drivers walk away without serious injuries.

Birthdays:
Woody Hayes b. 1913
Mickey Wright b. 1935
Jim Kelly b. 1960
Drew Bledsoe b. 1972
Steve McNair b. 1973

FABULOUS FICTION

Attorney Tim Farnsworth seems to have a happy, successful life, a good marriage, children he loves. But he is helpless in the grip of a mysterious illness that causes him to go out walking, for hour upon hour, until he falls into exhaustion. His wife’s efforts to support and protect him only serve to drive them further apart. A chilling fable of modern life that Time calls “rich and profound.”

THE UNNAMED, by Joshua Ferris (Reagan Arthur Books, 2010)

SOCIAL HISTORY

Marital strife has been a given throughout human history, but counseling couples for it is a uniquely 20th-century innovation. Has it helped at all? Starting with the rise of marriage counseling in the 1930s and progressing through the feminist movement of the 1960s, Rebecca Davis explores the uniquely American obsession with connubial perfection. The result is thought-provoking, “astute, engaging and disturbing” (The New Yorker).

MORE PERFECT UNIONS: THE AMERICAN SEARCH FOR MARITAL BLISS, by Rebecca Davis (Harvard University Press, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/11-12/2012

2/11/1973:
The Philadelphia 76ers suffer their 20th loss in a row, dropping a 108-90 decision to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Forum. The defeat gives the 76ers a 4-58 record on the 1972-73 season. On February 14, they'll win their next game, edging the Milwaukee Bucks in the Spectrum. Freddie Boyd breaks the 104-104 tie with a field goal and 16 seconds remaining. Beginning with this Valentine's Day victory, the 76ers will win five of the next seven but then lose their final 13 games of the season to finish with a 9-73 record. The 73 defeats establish an NBA record.

Birthdays:
Eddie Shack b. 1937
Sammy Ellis b. 1941
Ben Oglivia b. 1943
James Silas b. 1949
Brian Daubach b. 1972

Baseball manager Bobby Bragan, in 1962, commenting on the future of the sport: "Someday all stadiums will have domes, and they'll seat around 2,500. They'll sell television rights for about $3 million and seeing the game will be on a very exclusive basis, like Queen for a Day. When will that be? In about 40 years. That how long it takes baseball to make a change."

Birthdays:
Chick Mafey b. 1903
Dom DiMaggio b. 1917
Joe Garagiola b. 1926
Don Stanhouse b. 1961
Chet Lemon b. 1955

LIVING HISTORY

The Fiery Trial, the definitive account of emancipation from a celebrated history professor at Columbia, also embodies a thrilling and wholly new approach. Eric Foner teases out the tangled knot of race and politics in 19th-century America to illustrate how Lincoln calibrated his politics to achieve his goal: the freedom of four million slaves and their recognition as American citizens. Foner was awarded the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2006. His 2002 book, Reconstruction, won the Los Angeles Times, Bancroft, and Francis Parkman book prizes.

THE FIERY TRIAL: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND AMERICAN SLAVERY, by Eric Foner (W. W. Norton, 2010)

Sports Fact & book Rec of the Day 2/10/2012

2/10/1992:
the Atlanta Falcons trade Brett Favre to the Green Bay Packers for a first-round draft choice (17th overall). The Falcons took Favre in the second round of the 1991 draft out of the University of Southern Mississippi. During his rookie season, Favre played in two games and dropped back to pass four times. He was 0-for-4 in his passing attempts, threw two interceptions,and was sacked once for 11 yards. The Falcons were ecstatic that a team was willing to surrender a first-round pick for a quarterback who looked like a second-round bust. But Favre will take over as the starting QB for the Packers in the fourth game of 1992, and finish the year leading the NFL in completions with 302. The Falcons will use the first-round choice that they receive in exchange for Favre to select running back Tony Smith, who was also from Southern Miss. Smith lasts only three years in the NFL and gains just 329 yards in 87 carries.

Birthdays:
Mark Spitz b. 1950
Greg Norman b. 1955
John Calipari b. 1959
Lenny Dykstra b. 1963
Lance Berkman b. 1976

ENDURING CLASSIC

If you’ve only seen the classic movie starring Maggie Smith, you’re missing out on Muriel Spark’s wickedly insightful novel. Jean Brodie is delusional, even dangerous, but there’s no question that she’s passionately dedicated to her pet students, and they are equally devoted to her … well, most of them are.
    Another Spark to kindle: Memento Mori, in which a circle of elderly people are terrified and thrilled by a caller who intones, “Remember you must die.”

THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, by Muriel Spark (1961; Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2009)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/7-9/2012

2/7/2010:
Four years after Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints celebrate a Super Bowl win over the Indianapolis Colts, 3-17, in Miami. The underdog Saints fall behind 10-0 in the first quarter before two second period field goals make the score 10-6. New Orleans coach Sean Payton has a surprise in store on the second half kickoff; a successful onside kick. The Saints drive for a touchdown, add another field goal for a 13-10 lead, and then fall behind 17-16. But a two-yard pass from Drew Brees to tight end Jeremy Shockey and a to-point conversion put the Saints back on top, 24-17. The Colts march for a game-tying TD when cornerback Tracy Porter returns an interception 74 yards for a score. Brees has 32 completions in 39 attempts for 288 yards, two TDs, and no interceptions.

Birthdays:
Dan Quisenberry b. 1953
Carney Lansford b. 1957
Rick Neuheisel b. 1961
Juwan Howard b. 1973
Steve Nash b. 1974

2/81/942:
A baseball game between major leaguers and convicts at California's Folsom Prison is stopped when it's discovered that two prisoners, serving life sentences, have escaped. The pros lead 24-5 at the end of the seventh inning when the guards go after the pair of escapees, who are found two hours later. The major leaguers in attendance include Ernie Bonham, Gus Suhr, Joe Marty, Johnny Babich, and future Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi.

Birthdays:
Joe Black b. 1924
Clete Boyer b. 1937
Marques Johnson b. 1956
Dino Ciccarelli b. 1960
Alonzo Mourning b. 1970

2/9/1992:
Magic Johnson comes out of retirement to shine in the NBA All-Star Game at the Orlando Arena. Johnson announced his retirement on November 7, 1991, after testing positive for HIV. Johnson is elected as a starter for the Western Conference in a vote of the fans. Many players argue that Johnson should not play because they would be at risk if he suffers an open cut during the game. Johnson shakes off the criticism and leads the West to a 153-113 victory with 29 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. He ends the game with a three-pointer, and players from both teams rush the court to congratulate the MVP. Magic won't play in an NBA game again for four years. He will appear in 32 contests for the Lakers near the end of the 1995-96 season before retiring for good.

Birthdays:
Dit Clapper b. 1907
Phil Ford b. 1956
Mookie Wilson b. 1956
Vladimir Guerrero b. 1976
Jameer Nelson b. 1982

A LIFE

Julia Child used to tell young chefs, when they tried to impress her with over-the-top food, to simplify and focus on the basics. That approach works for biography, too, as this slender volume illustrates. You can find a Julia biography with more facts and dates, but you won’t find another that captures the true essence of the French Chef—and her marriage and her remarkable late-blooming food career—with as much panache.

JULIA CHILD, by Laura Shapiro (Penguin, 2009)

WHODUNIT

Secretive and brilliant architect Nicholas Dyer is commissioned to build seven new churches in the aftermath of London’s Great Fire. Nearly 300 years later, Detective Nicholas Hawksmoor (another Nicholas!) realizes that a series of murders is linked by those church sites. Part ghost story, part metaphysical meditation, entirely enthralling.

HAWKSMOOR, by Peter Ackroyd (Penguin, 1993)

A LA MODE

This provocative book takes Brillat-Savarin’s famous maxim in another direction: “Tell me what you wear and I’ll tell you who you are.” Journalist and award-winning novelist Linda Grant has crafted a meditation on the pleasure of clothing, weaving intimate links between what we put on our bodies and what our deepest psyches hold. Whether you’re a dedicated follower of fashion or one who spurns such shallow pursuits, there’s no avoiding the fact that clothes do, indeed, make the (wo)man.

THE THOUGHTFUL DRESSER: THE ART OF ADORNMENT, THE PLEASURES OF SHOPPING, AND WHY CLOTHES MATTER, by Linda Grant (Scribner, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/6/2012

2/6/1982:
Julie Moss crawls to the finish line to finish second in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, which consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and a full marathon. In the final running leg, Moss is eight minutes ahead of Kathleen McCartney with eight miles to go. A quarter-mile from the finish, however, Moss wobbles, collapses on the street, and sits staring at the pavement for a full three minutes, suffering from severe dehydration. She gets back up on her feet and crumbles again 100 yards from the finish line. Moss falls to the pavement twice more, 50 yards and 15 yards from victory. After McCartney passes her, Moss crawls to the finish 29 seconds behind the winner. Moss is a college student who entered the competition to gather research for her exercise psychology thesis.

Birthdays:
Babe Ruth b. 1895
Smoky Burgess b. 1927
Don Cockroft b. 1945
Richie Zisk b. 1949
Kim Zmeskal b. 1976

SHORT & SWEET

New Zealand novelist Janet Frame’s mental health was more famous than her writing (not many writers have canceled a lobotomy after receiving a literary award). This story collection shows the sweep of her graceful, wry stories, shot through with magical realism. Alice Sebold (The Lovely Bones) calls her “the master of nostalgia, beauty, and loss.”

PRIZES: THE SELECTED STORIES OF JANET FRAME, by Janet Frame (Counterpoint, 2009)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 2/4-5/2012

2/4/1987:
The Sacramento Kings fall behind 29-0 at the start of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Forum in Inglewood, California. The Kings trail 40-4 at the close of the first quarter. All four points are accounted for with free throws, after missing their first 22 field goal attempts. The game is evenly played over the final three periods, and the Lakers prevail, 128-92.

Birthdays:
Bonnie Oosterbaan b. 1906
Byron Nelson b. 1912
Lawrence Taylor b. 1959
Denis Savard b. 1961
Oscar De La Hoya b. 1973

Don Drysdale, who pitched for the Dodgers from 1958 through 1969: "My own little rule was two for one. If one of my teammates got knocked down, then I knocked down two on their team."

Birthdays:
Hank Aaron b. 1934
Roger Staubach b. 1942
Craig Merion b. 1943
Darrell Waltrip b. 1949
Roberto Alomar b. 1968

JANE’S WORLD

Did you realize that women are present in every single sentence in Jane Austen’s novels? And that Austen never wrote a sentence from the point of view of a man—or a servant? Thanks to novelist Diane Johnson for letting us know. Hers is among the provocative and playful essays from a varied range of writers (from Harold Bloom to Clueless director Amy Heckerling) who explore that burning question of modern life: “Will we ever grow weary of Jane Austen?” The answer is still no.

A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED: THIRTY-THREE GREAT WRITERS ON WHY WE READ JANE AUSTEN; edited by Susannah Carson (Random House, 2009)

APCKRFAN's NFL Picks 2011: Week 21: Super Bowl

Sun., Feb. 5:
NY Giants vs. New England - New England

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

2/3/1912:
The College Football Rules Committee makes sweeping changes in an attempt to inject more offense into the game. Most importantly, the playing field is reduced from 110 yards to 100 yards. The point value of a touchdown increased from five to six. The number of downs needed to gain 10 yards increased from three to four. Kickoffs are now made from a team's own 40-yard line instead of midfield, previously the 55-yard line on the 110-yard field. The forward pass is allowed anywhere on the field. Previously, a pass could not be caught more than 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Also, passes can now be caught in the end zone for the first time.

Birthdays:
Emile Griffith b. 1938
Fran Tarkenton b. 1940
Bob Griese b. 1945
Vlade Divac b. 1968
Retlef Goosen b. 1969

THRILLER

What if angels had really mated with humans, as implied in Genesis 6? The result might have been the Nephilim, who in the modern world are selfish, wealthy creatures living in opulence, yet nastily jealous of humans. If you like the suspense of Dan Brown and the measured, scholarly tones of Umberto Eco, this intelligent, elusive thriller is for you.

ANGELOLOGY, by Danielle Trussoni (Viking, 2010)

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Dday 2/1-2/2012

2/1/1914:
The New York Giants and Chicago White Sox play to a 3-3 tie in Cairo, Egypt, in a contest called by darkness after 10 innings. In attendance is Abbas Hilmi II, Khedive of Egypt, who watches with his 43 wives. Tomorrow, photographs will be taken of White Sox and Giants players in front of the Great Sphinx, and a mock game is filmed in front of the Pyramids. The visit to Egypt is part of a world tour lasting from October 1913 through March 1914. The two clubs also play in Japan, China, the Philippines, Australia, Ceylon, Italy (where Pope Pius X attends), France, and England (with King George V in the stands). The world tour will conclude just in time. By August 1914, Europe will be embroiled in a world war, with Great Britain and France pitted against Germany. The U.S. will become involved militarily in World War I by April 1917.

Birthdays:
Paul Blair b. 1944
Dick Snyder b. 1944
T.R. Dunn b. 1955
Malik Sealy b. 1970
Tommy Salo b. 1971

2/2/1962:
During the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden, John Uelses becomes the first pole vaulter to exceed 15 feet on a jump,. The first to reach 15 feet was Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam of the United States in 1940. At the time of the record, Uelses is a corporal in the United States Marines. He is helped by a new fiberglass pole, which is more resilient than the wooden poles previously used and gives vaulters more upward thrust. The fiberglass poles will revolutionize the sport. Bob Seagren will win the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics with a vault of 17 feet, 8-1/2 inches. The 18-foot mark will be surpassed in 1972, 19 feet in 1987, and 20 feet in 1992.

Birthdays:
Red Schoendienst b. 1923
Gary Dornhoefer b. 1943
Arturs Irbe b. 1967
Sean Elliott b. 1968
Scott Erickson b. 1968

CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC

Irish fiction can be somber stuff, freighted by the complexities of history. Roddy Doyle rises above the fray and explores what it means to be Irish with humor and absorbing, pitch-perfect writing. Protagonist Henry Smart—here having returned to his native Ireland to help John Ford film The Quiet Man—is unforgettable in this story that the Denver Post called “magnificent.”
    If you’re just meeting Henry Smart, be sure to pick up the previous books in The Last Roundup trilogy: A Star Called Henry and Oh, Play That Thing.

THE DEAD REPUBLIC, by Roddy Doyle (Viking, 2010)

FAMILY TIES

When Roger Rosenblatt’s daughter died suddenly, he and his wife moved to their son-in-law’s home to take care of their three young grandchildren. The resulting account is a soaring, unsentimental look at familial love and how ordinary people cope with extraordinary, impossible situations. Rosenblatt’s warmth and humor make for a moving, life-affirming read, one The Washington Post calls “a textbook on what constitutes perfect writing.”

MAKING TOAST, by Roger Rosenblatt (Ecco, 2010)