Merry Christmas to all

It is late on Christmas Eve in Kamloops, B.C.
I was going to come on here with some Christmas wishes -- like turnsignals for all the idiot drivers who don’t use them; like no more whining from folks about the officiating in hockey; like no more broken promises from politicians; like a balanced budget for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games; like no shenanigans when it comes time to present the books to the public when the Games are over; like just once to see Ron MacLean shove Don Cherry off his high horse when Grapes is insulting him.
But I decided not to.
Instead, I simply want to wish anyone who might drop by here a very Merry Christmas and the best of New Years.
And thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your stay.
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I also present for your enjoyment a look, via Stu Hackel of the New York Times hockey blog Slapshot, at some of the good hockey books that will be available when the Boxing Day sales start. That look is right here.
And please allow me to add Where Men Win Glory (The Odyssey of Pat Tillman), by Jon Krakauer. That is the best book I read in 2009.
What else did I read in 2009?
Well, The Echoing Green (The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World), by Joshua Prager, was a thrilling read. This an in-depth -- really in-depth -- look at the two men most involved in one of baseball’s most historical plays.
The Paperboy, by Pete Dexter, was an interesting work of fiction that I quite enjoyed. Different and thrilling, both at the same time.
Leafs Abomination (The Dismayed Fan’s Handbook to Why the Leafs Stink and How They Can Rise Again), by Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange, started out well but got bogged down in the workings MLSE and the involvement in ownership of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. This book cried out for more anecdotes to explain just how the Leafs got into this predicament.
If you like paperback fiction, I read a bunch of books by Lee Child and Michael Connelly, along with anything by Elmore Leonard, one of the best wordsmiths around. You can’t go wrong with them.
If you are able to find a copy of Loose Balls (The Short, Wild Life of the American Baseball Association), by Terry Pluto, grab it right away. This one is a real treat.
Living on the Black (Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember), by John Feinstein, chronicled one season in the careers of major league pitchers Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina. This wasn’t Feinstein’s best work, but it is quite readable, primarily because both pitchers were quite candid. It also provided interesting insight into two great pitchers who knew retirement was near.
Asper Nation (Canada’s Most Dangerous Media Company), by Marc Edge, and Ego and Ink (The Inside Story of Canada’s National Newspaper War), helped explain, at least in part, how CanWest and the Canadian newspaper industry got to where they’re at today.
Searching for Bobby Orr, by Stephen Brunt, was a good read by perhaps Canada’s best sports essayist -- Brunt or Roy MacGregor, flip a coin -- is an insightful, thoughtful look at the man most people think of as the best defenceman in the history of hockey. Brunt also wrote Gretzky’s Tears, which I’m thinking might by under the tree in the morning.
You also can’t go wrong with any of Malcolm Gladwell’s books. I have read Outliers and Blink over the last 12 months and both provided more than enough food for thought.
And, finally, the two best fiction books I read in 2009 were The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and its sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, by the late Stieg Larsson. I eagerly await the release of the third and final book in the series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. . . . Lisbeth Salander has become one of my favourite fictional characters. She is a real treat.
Right now, I am about halfway through Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America, by Rick Perlstein. . . . If you’re into American history, you won’t want to miss this one.
I also am trying to find time to re-read Jim Murray: The Last of the Best. . . . There are a few compilations available of works by Murray and also by Red Smith. They were, and are, the measuring stick among sports writers. Give them a read and you’ll be shocked at how much sports journalism has changed.
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And now, just for the referee and linesmen lovers out there, here is a list of WHL officials and their IIHF assignments:
Referees . . .
Chris Savage, Medicine Hat: World Championship, Cologne/Mannheim, Germany.
Graham Skilliter, Saskatoon: World Championship, Division II, Group A, Mexico City.
Pat Smith, Vancouver: World U18 Championship, Minsk/Bobruisk, Belarus.
Derek Zalaski, Edmonton: World Junior Championship Regina/Saskatoon.
Linesemen . . .
Chris Carlson, Edmonton: World U18 Championship, Minsk/Bobruisk, Belarus.
Chris de Haan, Abbotsford: World Junior Championship, Regina/Saskatoon.
Jeff Jobson, Calgary: World Junior Championship, Regina/Saskatoon.
Kiel Murchison, Surrey, B.C.: World Championship, Division II, Group A, Mexico City.
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All told, the IIHF assigned 20 Canadian officials to nine different events this season, with eight of those from the WHL. . . . I’m told that veteran WHL Andy Thiessen chose not to accept any international assignments as the ones he was offered conflicted with games on his schedule that involve the Portland Winterhawks.
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The IIHF also selected 14 referees and linesmen to work the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Included are five Canadian NHL officials -- Paul Devorski, Marc Joannette, Bill McCreary, Dan O’Halloran and Brad Watson -- and three Canadian NHL linesmen -- Shane Heyer, Jean Morin and Jay Sharrers.
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Two former WHL head coaches will be coaching in the Central league’s all-star game in Laredo, Texas, on Jan. 13. . . . Terry Ruskowski, who coached the Saskatoon Blades for two seasons and now runs the Laredo Bucks, will help coach a team comprising players from South Texas teams (Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Corpus Christi). . . . Kevin McClelland, who coached the Prince Albert Raiders for two seasons, will run the CHL all-star team. McClelland was selected because his team, the Colorado Eagles, had the league’s best winning percentage (.820) through Tuesday. . . . Ruskowski will be coaching in his third straight all-star game, with McClelland in his second in a row.