The Book Shelf: Part 4 of 4

A brief look at some of the books I have read over the last while:

Raylan – Raylan, of course, is Raylan Givens, the U.S. Marshal who is the focus of the TV series Justified. Raylan, the book, was written by Elmore Leonard, and it is a treat to read any of his work. His dialogue and his characters always make his work worth reading, and this one is no different. Even if the first half deals with the stealing of kidneys. (William Morrow, hard cover, 263 pages, US$26.99 -- found at Chapters for $7.99)

Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories – If you are a fan of Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap, the popular CBC radio program, you'll enjoy reading this book. And if you haven't heard even one Vinyl Tap show, you'll enjoy it, too. Lots of music-related stories here, and lots of anecdotes involving Guess Who, BTO, Bravebelt, Chad Allen and the Expressions, and on and on. The last few pages feature a whole bunch of interesting lists, too. (Penguin, soft cover, 224 pages, Cdn$20.00)

Red Mittens & Red Ink: The Vancouver Olympics – Vancouver-based journalist Bob Mackin takes an intriguing look at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games that were held in Vancouver and Whistler. Mackin tackles the years before the Games, the leadup to the Games, the two weeks of the Games and the post-Games period. If you have any interest at all in what went on behind the scenes, in the impact the recession had on these Games, the city of Vancouver and the province of B.C., you absolutely must read this book. If you want to know whose backs got scratched, you absolutely must read this book. If you are a sports fan and a taxpayer, and wonder how our dollars get spent, well, have a towel ready because you will cry your eyes out. . . . This book is available in many forms; I found a Kindle version at www.shamswords.com.

Selling The Dream: How Hockey Parents and Their Kids are Paying the Price for our National Obsession – The subtitle pretty much says it all. You may have heard stories about the lengths some parents go to in order to facilitate their child’s minor hockey career. Well, Ken Campbell, a veteran writer with The Hockey News, and Jim Parcels, a veteran minor hockey observer, have taken some of them and put them between the covers of one book. But there is more to this book than that. There a whole lot of numbers, statistics and facts, explaining just what the odds are of your child making it to the NHL. This should be required reading for anyone with anything whatsoever to do with minor hockey. If you are a parent about to enter the world of minor hockey, well, be prepared to have nightmares. And, yes, the authors agree that spring/summer hockey sucks. (Viking, hard cover, 360 pages, $32.00)

The Short Sweet Dream of Eduardo Gutierrez – Written by famed New York newspaperman Jimmy Breslin, this is one of those books that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it. The teenaged Eduardo Gutierrez leaves Mexico, taking the overland route across the border, and goes to New York City looking for a job and money to send home. He ends up dead after drowning in concrete following the collapse of the apartment building on which he was working. In between life and death, Breslin, as only he can, takes apart the bureaucracy that allowed all of this to happen. This was published in 2002 but still has its bite today. (Crown, hard cover, 214 pages, Cdn$33.00, US$22.00)

The 34-Ton Bat: The Story of Baseball as Told Through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks, Jockstraps, Eye Black, and 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objects – Like your grandfather or favourite uncle who loves to tell you stories, author Steve Rushin presents for our reading enjoyment about a million wonderful baseball-related stories, as he lets us in on a whole bunch of the game’s secrets. It isn’t just that he tells us about the evolution of the catcher’s mitt; he tells us through anecdotes and is able to put faces on the players. This is one of those books that will have you saying “I didn’t know that! That’s interesting!” a few thousand times. (Kindle)

A Wanted Man – This is the latest (No. 17) in the Jack Reacher novels, all of them written by Lee Child. Following the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Reacher’s wanderings throughout the U.S., as the former military policeman encounters situations, conspiracies and crooks and thieves, is great escapism. (Dell, soft cover, 533 pages, Cdn$10.99, US$10.99)

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures – Author Malcolm Gladwell, as only he can do, explores various subjects in this work that was published in 2009. Gladwell writes some interesting stuff and this is no different. The highlight, perhaps, is a chapter that deals with Ron Popeil, the king of television marketing. Or maybe it's the one on Enron. Or maybe . . . Each of the 19 essays contained in this book have appeared in The New Yorker. (Little, Brown and Company, 432 pages, Kindle)

Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt that Brought Him to Justice – There were a couple of Boston-based gangsters who believed they had immunity granted to them by the FBI, so they acted accordingly. Yes, they killed, they extorted, they did it all. You're thinking it's a work of fiction. Uhh, no. Authors Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, a pair of Boston Globe reporters, detail the story of James (Whitey) Bulger, from his childhood in South Boston through his arrest in Santa Monica, Calif., at the age of 82. This is a great, if terrifying, read. (W.W. Norton & Co., 496 pages, Kindle)

The Whore of Akron: One Man's Search for the Soul of LeBron James – Scott Raab, who has written for Esquire since 1997, was born and raised in Cleveland. He is a Cleveland fan. Cleveland Browns. Cleveland Indians. Cleveland Cavaliers. No, he is not a fan of LeBron James. This is Raab's story of that relationship and all that went wrong. It is profane. It is hilarious. (Harper Perennial, soft cover, 302 pages, US$14.99, Cdn$16.99)

Winter of the World – Author Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy follows five familes through the 20th century. This is the second book, following Fall of Giants and preceding Edge of Eternity, which is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2014. Winter of the World’s focus is on the Second World War – the buildup, the fighting and the aftermath. If you are looking for a lengthy easy-to-read work of historical fiction, this is for you. It is escapism, for sure, and there also is a hint of American propaganda, but, hey, it’s enjoyable prose. (Kindle)

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Saturday . . .

Jerome Dupont, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques, unexpectedly resigned Saturday. Assistant coach Guy Lalonde has taken over as head coach until a replacement is found. Dupont, a former NHL defenceman, was in his second season with the Olympiques. He joined them in November 2008. The Olympiques were 26-29-1-4 with the 18-team league’s 12th-best winning percentage (.433) when Dupont resigned. He is expected to remain with the organization as a consultant, at least for now. Dupont signed a three-year contract on April 16, 2009.
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The 2010 Memorial Cup will be part of Manitoba Homecoming 2010, which is part of the province’s 140th birthday celebrations. As part of that, the Memorial Cup host committee has scheduled two Saturday Night Socials, one on May 15 and the other on May 22. . . . Randy Bachman, the legendary guitarist, song writer, performer and producter, kicks off the May 15 social, with seven-time Juno Award-winner Tom Cochrane performing May 22. . . . If you haven’t taken a couple of hours out of your Saturday evening schedule to listen to Randy’s Vinyl Tap on CBC Radio, well, you’re cheating yourself. . . . By the way, Cochrane is from, yes, Lynn Lake, Man. . . . Tickets for both shows go on sale Monday morning (March 1) at the Keystone Centre box office. They also may be purchased by calling 204-726-3555 or by visiting ticketmaster.ca. . . . Yet to be announced are details of the Opening banquet (May 13), a golf tournament at Clear Lake (May 20) and the CHL awards ceremony (May 22).
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Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings, has published his annual Best of the East poll. You’ll find it right here. . . . Two things of interest: The Saskatoon Blades had three of their players show up as the three most irritating players to play against. And the Portland Winterhawks and their fans will be thrilled to know that Andy Thiessen was selected as best referee.
http://luberslounge.blogspot.com/2010/02/third-annual-best-of-east-poll.html
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Two former WHLers are on the coaching staff for Team Canada West that will play in the 2010 World Junior A Challenge at a site yet to be determined. Larry Wintoneak of the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers will be the head coach, with Jomar Cruz of the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard and Andrew Milne of the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles on his staff. Cruz was a goaltender during his WHL career, while Milne was a hard-nosed forward. Milne also spent some time as an assistant coach with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Wintoneak’s other assistant coach will be Kevin Hasselberg of the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlies.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Calgary (7) 45-17-1-2-93
dx-Saskatoon (7) 43-15-3-4-93
x-Brandon (6) 44-18-1-3-92
x-Kootenay (6) 39-22-3-2-83
Red Deer (7) 38-23-0-4-80
Medicine Hat (6) 35-23-3-5-78
Moose Jaw (8) 31-24-4-5-71
Swift Current (6) 33-29-0-4-70
———
Prince Albert (7) 30-30-3-2-65
Regina (6) 27-32-3-4-61
x — clinched playoff spot.
Saturday: Prince Albert 3 at Brandon 5; Kelowna 1 at Calgary 2; Red Deer 4 at Edmonton 3 (SO); Lethbridge 4 at Kootenay 1; Kamloops 6 at Medicine Hat 3; Chilliwack 2 at Moose Jaw 3; Regina 3 at Saskatoon 0; Vancouver 3 at Swift Current 5.
Sunday: No games scheduled.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (8) 43-18-1-2-89
dx-Vancouver (6) 39-22-2-3-83
x-Everett (7) 41-19-3-2-87
x-Spokane (7) 40-21-3-1-84
x-Portland (7) 39-23-2-1-81
x-Kelowna (6) 30-30-2-4-66
x-Kamloops (5) 30-31-2-4-66
x-Chilliwack (6) 29-31-1-5-64
x — clinched playoff spot.
Saturday: Kelowna 1 at Calgary 2; Prince George 0 at Everett 5; Kamloops 6 at Medicine Hat 3; Chilliwack 2 at Moose Jaw 3; Portland 3 at Seattle 2 (SO); Tri-City 2 at Spokane 5; Vancouver 3 at Swift Current 5.
Sunday: Tri-City at Seattle; Prince George at Portland.
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SATURDAY:
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead en route to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . F Jay Fehr, with his 25th, and F Matt Calvert, with his 40th, at 1:04 and 3:32 of the first period got the home side off to a hot start. . . . The Raiders played from behind the rest of the night, three times closing the gap to one but never catching up. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie scored twice, giving him 28. His second goal, the game’s last score, came on a penalty shot at 6:41 of the third. . . . F Justin Maylan scored twice for the Raiders, giving him 16. . . . Brandon holds a 4-3 edge in the season series. . . . Attendance was 4,953. . . . Brandon F Toni Rajala, who went into the game with 17 points in 11 February games, was blanked. . . . Brandon G Jacob De Serres stopped 30 shots, while P.A.’s Garrett Zemlak stopped 28. . . . If you believe in the plus/minus stat, it’s worth noting that Brandon D Travis Hamonic was pointless but finished plus-3.
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In Calgary, the Hitmen scored two third-period goals and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . F Joel Broda got his 33rd at 53 seconds on the PP and F Riley Bugart added his third at 5:18. . . . F Brandon McMillan, with his 17th, scored for Kelowna at 14:22 of the third. . . . Attendance was 9,408.
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In Edmonton, F Landon Ferraro’s shootout goal gave the Red Deer Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Ferraro also had a goal, his 15th, in regulation time. . . . Red Deer took a 3-1 lead into the third period. . . . The Oil Kings forced OT on goals by F Michael Burns, at 9:19, and Sebastian Svendsen, at 19:07. Burns has seven goals; Svendsen has 11. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 5,128. . . . Red Deer G Kraymer Barnstable stopped 27 shots through OT and three more in the shootout. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan turned aside 39 shots.
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In Everett, F Kellan Tochkin had two goals and G Kent Simpson earned the shutout as the Silvertips dropped the Prince George Cougars, 5-0. . . . The shutout was the first of the season for Simpson and the second of his career. He stopped 24 shots. . . . Tochkin has 25 goals. His first goal, 37 seconds into the first, stood up as the winner. . . . He also had an assist. . . . F Shane Harper added his 38th goal of the season to tie the franchise’s single-season record that was held by F John Lammers (2005-06). . . . Attendance was 7,581. . . . The Cougars, who lost D Jesse Forsberg (shoulder) in a 5-1 loss in Spokane on Friday, have lost nine in a row. . . . The Silvertips are adding F Tyler Giebel, 16, to their roster for the remainder of the season. He had been with the midget AAA Regina Pats Canadians, earning 55 points in 41 games -- and is eligible to join Everett as their season has ended. Giebel was the 27th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
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In Cranbrook, the Lethbridge Hurricanes got two assists from each of F Austin Fyten and F Graham Hood as they beat the host Kootenay Ice, 4-1. . . . The Ice now has lost three in a row; the Hurricanes had lost seven of eight. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 20 shots through two periods; the third period shots weren’t up on the WHL website. . . . Anderson stopped Ice F Matt Fraser on a first-period penalty shot to preserve a 1-0 lead. . . . Lethbridge F Ryon Moser broke a 1-1 tie with his sixth goal at 3:27 of the third period. . . . Lethbridge F Mitch Maxwell scored his 27th goal at 4:25 of the third. . . . Attendance was 4,241. . . . In what may be one of the most amazing statistics of this WHL season, Pat Siedlecki, the radio voice of the Hurricanes, points out that Lethbridge has played in 30 one-goal games this season. The Hurricanes are 10-20 in those games.
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In Medicine Hat, F Chase Schaber scored three times to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 6-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . Schaber, who has 16 goals, scored once in each period, the last one on the PP and into an empty net. . . . Kamloops F C.J. Stretch broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 18:08 of the third period. . . . F Jordan DePape, who scored the OT winner Saturday in a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge, had a goal, also an empty-netter, and two assists for Kamloops. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Kamloops G Jon Groenheyde made his second straight start and has won back-to-back games for the first time since late September. . . . Groenheyde stopped 26 shots. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 22 shots. . . . Kamloops was 2-for-5 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-4.
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In Moose Jaw, the Warriors rode three first-period goals to a 3-2 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . D Ryan Stanton scored the game’s first two goals, the first at 1:24 and the second at 6:56 on the PP. He has 10 goals. . . . F Dylan Hood, with his 20th, scored at 16:18. . . . The Bruins got close on second-period goals from F Jamie Crooks and F Roman Horak. Both have 19. . . . Attendance was 2,307. . . . Moose Jaw G Jeff Bosch stopped 33 shots, six more than Chilliwack G Lucas Gore. . . . The Bruins went 3-3-0-0 on their swing through the East Division.
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In Saskatoon, G Dawson Guhle stopped 19 shots for his first WHL shutout as the Regina Pats dumped the Blades, 3-0. . . . Not only was it Guhle’s first shutout, it was the first time this season that the Pats have blanked the opposition. . . . Regina F Jordan Eberle scored twice, giving him 45. His first goal, at 2:08 of the second, stood up as the winner. . . . F Matt Strueby had a goal, his 34th, and an assist, while F Brett Leffler drew two helpers. . . . Eberle’s second goal was into an empty net. . . . Attendance was 5,236. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrison stopped 26 shots. . . . The Blades have been blanked twice this season. . . . The Pats, fighting to get back into position to grab the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, had lost three in a row. . . . The Blades had won their last two games. . . . Following a scoring change made earlier Saturday, Eberle went into the game with the WHL points lead. He had 93, one ahead of teammate Jordan Weal and F Craig Cunningham of the Vancouver Giants. . . . Eberle and Weal are attempting to become the first members of the Pats to reach 100 points since F Ronald Petrovicky did it in 1997-98 when he finished at 113. (F Blake Evans had 102 points in 2000-01, but got 59 of those with the Tri-City Americans). . . . As well, Eberle and Weal are trying to become the first Regina player to win the WHL scoring title since F Dale Derkatch had 179 points in 1982-83.
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In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks made it 11 straight victories over the Seattle Thunderbirds, with a 3-2 shootout triumph. . . . Portland F Luke Walker, the sixth shooter, gave his side a 2-1 edge in the shootout. . . . The Winterhawks tied a franchise record for longest winning streak against the Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks led 2-0 on goals by D Troy Rutkowski and F Taylor Peters. . . . The Thunderbirds got goals from F Brandon Troock and F Tyler Aloos, the latter tying the score at 5:35 of thet hird period. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 43 shots, including nine in OT. . . . Portland G Ian Curtis stopped 39 shots as he won his 20th game of the season. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-for-5 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-for-0. . . . Andy Thiessen was working the game in Medicine Hat.
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In Spokane, the Chiefs scored three PP goals and beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-2. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who had three goals in Friday’s 5-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars, had three assists for the Chiefs, as did D Jared Spurgeon. . . . The Chiefs have won the last five games with the Americans. . . . F Kyle Beach scored his WHL-leading 48th goal for Spokane. . . . The Chiefs, who have won nine of 10, were 3-for-7 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-2. . . . Attendance was 10,529. . . . The Chiefs were without F Dominik Uher, who served a one-game suspension for a boarding major he incurred in Friday’s 5-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars. . . . Tri-City F Todd Kennedy sat out his second game. He remains under indefinite suspension for a hit on Portland D Eric Doyle on Tuesday night.
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In Swift Current, the Broncos struck four times in the third period and beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 going to the third, with F James Henry having scored his 20th, shorthanded, for the Giants and D Joel Rogers having gotten his first, on the PP, for the Broncos. . . . F Tomas Vincour gave the Giants the lead at 1:09 of the third. . . . The Broncos then got goals from D Kyle Verdino, his first, and F Brad Hoban at 4:34 and 7:29. . . . The Giants took the lead 30 seconds later on F JT Barnett’s 19th. . . . F Jordan Peddle broke the tie with his second of the season at 14:59 and F Cody Eakin added the empty-netter, his 43rd, at 19:24. . . . Talk about getting goals from unexpected sources! Rogers’ goal was his first in 56 games this season and his third in 159 career games. Verdino, in his third WHL season, scored his first goal in his 144th game. He was goalless in 122 games with Kelowna and has played 22 games with the Broncos. Peddle got his second goal in 63 games this season after scoring 11 in 55 games last season. . . . Broncos G Morgan Clark stopped 37 shots, 15 more than Vancouver’s Mark Segal. . . . Attendance was 2,172.