KS: Martha and Snoop . . . Colon and Dickey . . . Did Tiger win a major?

A tweet from Randy Turner (@randyturner15) of the Winnipeg Free Press: “Independence Day was a movie about aliens going from planet to planet sucking all resources. In a related story, the Arizona Coyotes are moving to Tempe.” . . . One more tweet from Turner: “I still don’t appreciate the way TSN cuts away after Jets games like they’ve just robbed a bank.” . . . The Chicago Cubs end a 108-year drought. Donald Trump is the president-elect of the world’s most-powerful nation. Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg are business partners. Hey, is this a great time to be alive or what? . . . 

TC Chong, the Richmond, B.C., blogger, had plans for the weekend: “Time to put up the Christmas lights and pick up the leg-hold traps I set for the Pokemon players.” . . . Just wondering but are you as tired as I am of listening to people’s telephone conversations while out doing Christmas shopping? . . . After the Atlanta Braves, about to move into a new stadium, signed aging right-handers Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey — actually, Colon is 43, and Dickey is 42 — comedy writer Marc Ragovin wondered: “What is the name of their new place? Jurassic Park?” . . . 

In case you weren’t aware, the Cleveland Browns, who are 0-12, had a bye this weekend. As comedy writer Alex Kaseberg noted going into the weekend: “Las Vegas has the Browns vs. Bye as too close to call.” . . . The Vancouver Sun, a Postmedia product, had a full page in Saturday’s sports section on airplane crashes involving the sporting world. Unfortunately, there isn’t a mention of the 1956 crash near Chilliwack that took the lives of five CFLers who were on their way back to Regina and Winnipeg from the all-star game that had been held in Vancouver. Of course, the copy the Sun used was from the Washington Post. . . . It’s enough to make an old newspaper guy cry. . . .

“I must have missed something,” venerable golf writer Dan Jenkins tweeted on Sunday. “Tiger beat two out of 17 players, but I kept reading that he was winning another major.” . . . Here’s Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, after the second round of this weekend’s golf tournament: “ESPN headline ‘Tiger Woods fires 2nd-round 65 at Hero World Challenge, nearly aces No. 12.’ So is anyone actually leading this tournament?” . . . A note from Hough that some of us appreciate: “Dear Santa: On behalf of all of those people who have such nice cars but couldn’t afford turn signals — could you help them out this Christmas?” . . . “Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he tried marijuana twice for back pain in the last year and a half, but ‘it didn’t help at all,’ ” Hough reports. “Hmm! Maybe he should ask around the NBA for help getting better stuff.” . . .

Bill Littlejohn, our South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based correspondent, reports: “Indiana University fired men’s basketball coach Kevin Wilson for apparent player mistreatment. Imagine that — a coach at Indiana who mistreated players.” . . . Littlejohn, again: “The MLB All-Star Game no longer will determine home-field advantage in the World Series. Instead, it will go to the pennant winner with the best regular-season record. The choice reportedly left a descendant to Paul the Octopus very disappointed.” . . . One more from Littlejohn: “Twenty to 30 inches of snow has been forecast for parts of the Big Island of Hawaii. So I guess, in the wake of the Chicago Cubs winning it all, Hell has officially begun to freeze over.” . . . Littlejohn also reports that, according to PNC Wealth Management, the cost of The 12 Days of Christmas now is more than US$34,000, an increase of more than $200 over last year. There are only three Saturdays left, so you best get started. . . . 

“The world’s oldest person, an Italian woman, has turned 117,” notes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Even more impressive, she’s been alive for all three Cubs World Series championships!” . . . On Nov. 20, NFL kickers missed on 12 extra-point attempts, causing Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald to note: “The best kicking I saw all week took place on the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special.” . . . 

If you didn’t hear, Flemingsberge IK dumped Åker/Strängnäs HC, 5-0, in a hockey game in a Swedish U-18 league the other day. The teams combined for 871 penalty minutes — that’s right, 871. Thankfully, there only were 67 spectators in the house. . . . The 1-10 San Francisco 49ers met the host 2-9 Chicago Bears on Sunday. How bad was it? Well, neither team was able to complete a pass in the first quarter. According to ESPN Stats and Info, that hadn’t happened in the NFL since Nov. 13, 1988, when the New York Jets and New England appreciates accomplished (?) it. . . . The Bears eventually won, to go to 3-9, which still won’t get them into the playoffs. . . .

Headline at TheKicker.com: Wildlife handlers dispatched to tranquilize Jim Harbaugh. . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Chip Kelly starting to worry 49ers won’t fire him in time to take the Oregon job. . . . As my wife and I were sitting in our car on Friday, trying to make a right turn into traffic from a driveway with no one willing to slow down and let us in, she pointed out: “It’s December, the rudest month of the year because everyone is in a hurry.” . . . Slow down out there, folks. Take a deep breath and enjoy December.

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at greggdrinnan@gmail.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.) 

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Now those are expensive tickets . . . Jennings a happy man . . . Want to buy a urinal?

“While you are fretting over the efficacy of NBA concussion protocols,” writes Ray Ratto of CSNBayArea.com, “consider the story of New York Ranger Mats Zuccarello, who missed the end of the Rangers’ playoff run with an upper body injury that ended up being a fractured skull and brain contusion that cost him the power of speech for three days; he is still in speech therapy. I remember when that was a romantic tale of how tough hockey players are. Except that we know better now.” . . . Here’s Ratto, again: “Here’s your gilt-edged mortal lock prediction for The Finals. If there is a Game 7, some moron (or morons) will pay $183,565 for a courtside seat, because money and stupid go together like money and FIFA. And stupid.” . . . This was after he noted that the cheapest ticket available for Game 1 of the NBA Finals was priced at $638, with the most expensive $58,000. . . .

British journalist Andrew Jennings has been writing about FIFA for 15 years and played a role in all that has happened over the last couple of weeks. Here’s a summary of how he feels: “I know that they are criminal scum, and I’ve known it for years. And that is a thoughtful summation. That is not an insult. That is not throwing about wild words. These scum have stolen the people’s sport. They’ve stolen it, the cynical thieving bastards. So, yes, it’s nice to see the fear on their faces.” . . . How did Jennings react on the morning when the first FIFA arrests were made in Switzerland? “My phone started ringing at six in the morning,” he said. “I turned it off actually to get some more sleep, because whatever is happening at six in the morning is still going to be there at lunch time, isn’t it?” . . .

“Hey,” asks Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post, “did you hear that a wedding was held at FIFA headquarters the other day? The organist played ‘Here Comes the Bribe.’ ” . . . “After decades of ignoring soccer, FIFA corruption scandal front page news in U.S.,” tweets Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press. “Somewhere, Gary Bettman tents his fingers and goes, ‘Hmm.’ ” . . . Headline at TheOnion.com: Sepp Blatter Resigns From FIFA With Generous Severance Bribe. . . . Another headline at TheOnion.com: Report: Underpaid migrant laborers working 18 hours per day on FIFA legal defense. . . . Headline at BorowitzReport.com: McCain urges military strikes against FIFA. . . . The Women’s World Cup opened Saturday in Canada and, as comedy writer Argus Hamilton noted, “Everything will be on sale. Soccer balls, jerseys, national flags, FIFA officials. . .”

Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times: “Now that embattled president Sepp Blatter is out of the picture, it looks like the world soccer organization, FIFA, is starting over, from scratch. Does this mean they can finally do something about the flopping?” . . . “After inadvertently washing my wallet with my clothes,” writes RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com, “I’ve applied to be president of FIFA. I’m experienced at laundering money. . . .

“Police were called to a Michigan McDonald’s after it turned away a man wearing scuba gear,” Currie reports. “I carried jumper cables into a restaurant once; they warned me not to start anything.” . . . ICYMI, Caitlyn Jenner will be honoured with the Courage Award at this year’s ESPYs. Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen wonders: “Is that for spending so many years around the Kardashians?” . . . NFL fan Mike Kozan is trying to sell a Barry Sanders-autographed urinal from the Pontiac Silverdome on eBay. As Rolfsen points out: “It includes decades of Detroit Lions Super Bowl dreams.” . . . A woman in California dropped off an Apple 1 computer that turned out to be worth US$200,000. As Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong pointed out: “She had no use for it, as their home office has been running just fine using a Sperry Univac and Commodore VIC-20.” . . .

“Yes, LeBron scored 44 points in Game 1,” notes Bill Littlejohn, our South Lake Tahoe, Calif., correspondent, “but he took 38 shots. 38 shots? Who was he shooting at, the Warriors or Bonnie and Clyde?” . . . Littlejohn, again: “Indian police said they detained a pigeon suspected of being a Pakistani spy after it was found to have a message stamped on its body. They released it, however, upon learning that the message translated to 'Property of Bill Belichick.’ ” . . . One more from Littlejohn: “For Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors invited a fan known only as Sweetie, who turns 105 later this month. Sweetie reportedly adopted the Warriors because she was tired of waiting for the Cubs.” . . .

“Not saying Florida isn’t exactly a hockey mecca,” claims Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe. “But when random Floridians were asked if they were watching the Lightning, most of them responded ‘I didn’t even hear the thunder.’ ” . . . Hough, again: “Two months into a seven-month abalone season, a sixth person has died while diving for the precious mollusk off the Northern California coast. How long until the NRA calls for divers to be armed?” . . . One more from Hough: “So if it’s a pack of wolves and a murder of crows, what do you call all these wealthy people running for President in 2016? I’m thinking ‘an embarrassment of riches.’ ”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Hockey and smokeless tobacco. . . . Desjardins to Canucks?

D Cody Carlson (Medicine Hat, Regina, Prince George, 2006-12) has signed a one-year contract with Peiting (Germany, Oberliga). Last season, with Strasbourg (France, Ligue Magnus), he had 18 points, including four goals, in 22 games. . . .
F Jakub Langhammer (Spokane, 2002-04) has signed a one-year contract with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2). Last season, with Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had six points, four of them goals, in 33 games. On loan to Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had five points, including four goals, in 10 games.
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Tony Gwynn, one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball History, died this week at the age of 54.
He had fought a long battle with cancer, something he blamed on a smokeless tobacco habit.
Of course, chewing tobacco -- or using smokeless tobacco or snus -- has long been popular in baseball circles, although in recent years there has been a serious movement away from it.
However, because it has over the years been so associated with baseball, you might not see it as a hockey problem.
Well, you’d be wrong.
Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote a story in December that should be mandatory reading for all parents of junior hockey players or aspiring junior hockey players. (Turner’s story, headlined Hockey’s Disgusting Little Habit, is right here.)
In that story, Turner reported that half the players in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League were regular users. So were 40 per cent of the U of Manitoba Bisons and 40 per cent of the Transcona Railer Express of the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League.
This is rather startling when one considers the damage that can be done by this habit. If you don’t believe it, just go to Google and find a story or two about Tony Gwynn, a terrific baseball player, and an even better human being, who is gone far too soon.
Yes, there are users in the WHL, too. I don’t know what the percentage is, but if it’s 50 per cent in the MJHL, it would seem to be a safe bet that it’s in double figures in the WHL.
The WHL came out against all tobacco products a few years ago, and its rule against such products is posted in all dressing rooms. It reads:
“The WHL does not permit the use of tobacco products (including chewing tobacco) at any WHL events. This includes all practices, game situations and travel to and from games.”
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Adam Proteau of The Hockey News also has written about hockey and its smokeless tobacco problem. That column is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The game of musical chairs NHL style took another turn on Friday with the news that Willie Desjardins turned down an offer to become head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Matthew Sekeres of Vancouver radio station Team 1040 AM tweeted Friday afternoon: "Was just told Desjardins spurned #Pens b/c offer was for 2 years only, no authority to hire own assts. Now expected to be hired by #Canucks."
There was immediate speculation that should the Vancouver Canucks hire Desjardins, he might be interested in having Mike Johnston, the GM/head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, as an assistant coach.
However, I’m thinking that Johnston won’t leave the Winterhawks for anything less than an NHL head-coaching position, not when you consider the freedom that he gets to run the Portland on-ice operation. Johnston has taken the Winterhawks to four-straight WHL finals and you know that owner Bill Gallacher is looking after his guy.
Then again . . . would you rather fly charter or ride a bus?
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Jeff Brown, a former NHL defenceman, is the new head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. Brown had been general manager and head coach of the Indiana Ice, who are the USHL champions for 2013-14. . . . Brown played 747 NHL regular-season games over 13 seasons. That followed four seasons with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. . . . Brown takes over from Chris Byrne, who had been GM and head coach. Byrne left to scout for the Los Angeles Kings. . . . Pat Higgins, the assistant GM, has since been promoted to GM.
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The Central league’s Denver Cutthroats have signed Brad Smyth as their director of hockey operations and head coach. He had been working as the team’s general manager and assistant coach. . . . Derek Armstrong, who was the head coach last season, now is the Cutthroats’ president and general manager. . . . The Cutthroats reached the CHL final last season for the first time in franchise history.
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Roy Sommer will be back for another season as head coach of the Worcester Sharks, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. He is preparing for his 19th season in the Sharks organization, his 17th as the head coach of the NHL team’s top developmental club. . . . David Cunniff won’t return for a 13th season as an assistant or associate coach with San Jose’s top developmental team. . . . According to a Worcester news release: “Charlie Townsend will return for a second season as the Worcester Sharks’ video coaching assistant, while development coaches Mike Ricci, Bryan Marchment, Corey Schwab, and Dirk Graham will all have a continued presence in Worcester during the 2014-15 season.”
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The Kelowna Rockets have placed F Marcus Mitchell on their protected list. Mitchell is a 1998-born player from Kelowna who played last season with the Midget Elite 15 team at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna. He had 34 points, including 11 goals, in 37 games. . . . The Portland Winterhawks have added F Ezekiel (Zeke) Estrada, 16, to their protected list. A native of Homer, Alaska, Estrada headed south at the age of 10 to pursue a career in hockey. He played last season with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings midget AAA team, putting up 46 points, including 25 goals, in 18 games. . . . Mitchell and Estrada are being  advised by EA Sports Management. . . .

D Matt Thomas, 19, isn’t likely to be back with the Kamloops Blazers, who have dropped him from their protected list. Thomas, from Calgary, has seven assists in 132 career regular-season games. He had four assists in 55 games after being acquired last season from the Kootenay Ice. The Ice acquired F Tim Bozon and D Landon Cross, both 19 at the time, from the Blazers for Thomas, F Collin Shirley, 17, a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick and a fifth-round pick in 2015. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes are expected to announce a new deal with a local radio station at a Monday afternoon news conference. The Hurricanes and 94.1 CJOC didn’t renew their contract after last season. . . . F Luke Bertolucci, 19, of the Edmonton Oil Kings was involved in a BCHL trade on Friday. His junior A rights, along with future considerations, went from Salmon Arm to the Merritt Centennials, with the Silverbacks getting F Logan Mick, 19. Mick is the son of Troy Mick, the Silverbacks’ governor, president and GM. Logan spent last season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers.
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#WHL Giants talking with former #Canuck Tim Hunter about coach job, but also with ex-Americans boss Jim Hiller now as well. #Staytuned
— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) June 20, 2014

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Books, books and more books

The calendar has turned to December. Which means that it won’t be long before panic sets in. What to buy so-and-so for Christmas?
Well, if you happen to be shopping for a book lover or two, here is a brief look at some of the books I have read in 2011, and, no, they aren’t all sports-related:

Back in the Bigs: The subtitle is How Winnipeg won, lost and regained its place in the NHL, and the subtitle pretty much sums it up. This is an over-sized book — although not quite coffee-table size — written by Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press. It is loaded with anecdotes involving the Jets, going back to the days of Ben Hatskin and the Junior Jets and taking you through the times in the WHA with Hull, Hedberg and Nilsson, to the NHL with Hawerchuk and onto the AHL and the Manitoba Moose. Turner spins some fine stories and the photos are awesome. If you look closely enough, you will even find F Jordan DePape of the Kamloops Blazers in one of the photos taken at The Forks. (Viking Canada/Winnipeg Free Press, hard cover, 208 pages, Cdn$35)
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The Big Short (Inside the Doomsday Machine) — Written by Michael Lewis, who also wrote Moneyball and The Blind Side, this is the story of the fall (?) of Wall Street in 2008. Upon finishing this book, you will pause and say to yourself: “This is a work of fiction, isn’t it?” . . . Unfortunately, it isn’t. And, as a result, you will never look on politicians or Wall Street-types the same way again. (Norton, soft cover, 291 pages, US$15.95, Cdn$20.00)
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Blood, Sweat and Chalk — If you are a football fan, you won’t want to miss this one. Written by Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated, it is subtitled The Ultimate Football Playbook: How the Great Coaches Built Today’s Game. Layden visited with a number of football’s most influential coaches and numerous other footballers and produced a real gem. It will help you understand the genesis of such things as the Wildcat, the Wishbone, Air Coryell, the West Coast Offense, the Zone Blitz, the BYU Air Raid and on and on. Layden does it in layman’s terms, too, so it’s a fun and easy read. (Sports Illustrated Books, hard cover, 255 pages, Cdn$31.95)
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The Devil and Bobby Hull — Long-time hockey fans think of Bobby Hull and see him, adorned in a Chicago Black Hawks’ sweater, swooping down the left side of an NHL ice surface and firing a slapshot from the top of the circle. Or playing tic-tac-toe with Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg while with the Winnipeg Jets. Author Gare Joyce, however, knew there was a lot more to Hull’s story than that, and he tells that story right here. Subtitled How Hockey’s Original Million-Dollar Man Became the Game’s Lost Legend, this is the mostly sad story of a one-time hockey superstar. Upon reading Chapter 11 – there are 12 chapters – you will have tears in your eyes as Joyce draws obvious inferences between Hull’s inability to maintain some thoughts and the possibility that he may have suffered an untold number of concussions during his playing days. (Wiley, hard cover, 274 pages, US$26.95, Cdn$32.95)
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Eight Million Ways to Die — Written by Lawrence Block, this book won the Shamus Award and was short listed for the Edgar. It was first published in 1982 and introduced private eye Matthew Scudder to the masses. You can’t lose with this one. Awesome. I stumbled on it on a discount shelf somewhere; see if you can do the same. (William Morrow, hard cover, 318 pages, Cdn$23.50)
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Evel (The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend) — No less an authority than the late Jimmy (The Greek) Snider once said of Evel Knievel that the odds were about “three-to-one this guy is crazy.” Veteran writer Leith Montville proves it in this book. When I started reading this book, I wondered why I was bothering. But it quickly became a page-turner. Why? Because it was amazing what Knievel, who wasn’t something of an oaf and a boor, was able to accomplish simply with his overly abrasive personality and perhaps the biggest set of cojones in American history. By the way, when you get to the end of this one you realize Jimmy The Greek was wrong. The man was crazy. Period. (Doubleday, hard cover, 398 pages, Cdn$31.00, US$27.50)
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I Am Not Making This Up — Al Strachan covered the NHL and its teams for almost 40 years. He was on the Montreal Canadiens beat for a time, but he made his name in Toronto where he wrote for The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun. He also was a regular on Hockey Night in Canada’s Hot Stove Lounge – it hasn’t been the same since he departed – and a regular thorn in the side of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. You can bet, then, that Strachan has lots and lots and lots of stories, some of which are related here. At 224 pages, this is a quick, light read, one that will keep you enthralled if you are a veteran hockey fan. It also leaves you wanting more and thinking that there just might be a sequel or two or three or four to come. And a recent visit to a bookstore did indeed find a new Strachan book. (Fenn Publishing Company, soft cover, 224 pages, Cdn$22.95)
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Junior Hockey’s Royal Franchise: The Regina Pats: If you’re a fan of junior hockey, you won’t want to miss out on this one. It was written by Darrell Davis, a veteran Regina Leader-Post sports writer whose late father, Lorne, once coached the Pats and later scouted for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, and Ron (Scoreboard) Johnston, who knows everything there is to know about this team. Johnston spent the better part of 13 years doing the research; Davis later supplied the words. This book is loaded with anecdotes and lots of terrific photos. There aren’t a whole lot of really good books out there that involve major junior hockey or its teams. This is one of them. If you‘re interested in this one, contact the Regina Pats at their office. (Published by The Leader-Post Carrier Foundation Inc., hard cover, 272 pages, Cdn$49.95)
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The Last Boy — Subtitled Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood, this is one of the two best books I read in 2011. I finished it in mid-February and knew then that I wouldn’t read a better one during the calendar year (although, as you will see further into this piece, I later declared a tie). The Last Boy was written by Jane Leavy, who also wrote the terrific Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy. Unlike the book on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ left-hander, though, this is a devastating book if you are of a certain age. If you grew up as a fan of the M and M boys (Mantle and Roger Maris), this will destroy the myth of Mickey Mantle, All-American boy, moreso than did Jim Bouton’s groundbreaking Ball Four. Mickey Mantle, it turns out, was a tortured soul — oh, was he! — and a prime example of why we shouldn’t put our athletic heroes on pedestals. . . . There also is a lot of neat baseball stuff here, and Leavy’s research and writing on some of Mantle’s tape-measure homers is exceptional. The work she did in tracking down Donald Dunaway, the man who as a boy got the ball that Mantle hit out of Washington, D.C.’s Griffith Stadium on April 17, 1953, and the resulting chapter helps make this an exceptional book. (Did you know that Roy Clark, later to become a country music star and a friend of The Mick’s, and his father were seated along the first-base line when Mantle went so deep?) . . . (HarperCollins, hard cover, 456 pages, US$27.99, Cdn$32.99)
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The Lost Dream — Written by Toronto Sun sports columnist Steve Simmons and subtitled The Story of Mike Danton, David Frost, and a Broken Canadian Family, this should be a must read for every parent whose has even one son playing minor hockey anywhere in North America. This is the horrible story of what happened to one family when its hockey-playing son got tangled up with David Frost, a minor hockey coach who later became a player agent. There is a tangled web here and you will be stunned at some of the names that became entangled in it. Danton, of course, later went to jail after a failed attempt to have Frost assassinated. My only real quibble with the book is its title; it should have been The Lost Family. (Viking Canada, hard cover, 255 pages, Cdn$32.00)
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The Man from Beijing — The Los Angeles Times refers to author Henning Mankell as “Sweden’s greatest living mystery writer.” This book is a prime example as to why that very well may be true. Yes, this is a novel and, yes, it is a mystery. However, it is anything but your average who done it. This one involves a Swedish judge, the changing times in China and how that country’s government is/was impacted and a whole lot more. A perfect read for a couple of wintery evenings. . . . (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, soft cover, 454 pages, US$15.00)
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Never Look Away — If you’re into beach/cabin fiction, here’s one you’ll quite enjoy. Author Linwood Barclay, a former Toronto Star columnist, tosses twist after twist at you in the story of David Harwood, a small-town newspaper reporter, in what is a satisfying read. There might be one twist too many near the end, but that really is nit-picking. Great for a rainy day because you won’t put it down. (Seal Books, soft cover, 496 pages, Cdn$10.99)
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No Guarantees — Subtitled An Inspiring Story of Struggle and Success in Professional Sport and with Parkinson’s and Cancer, this is Don Dietrich’s story. From the farming community of Deloraine, Man., Dietrich played for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings before moving on to play in the AHL, NHL (with the Chicago Blackhawks) and in Europe. He tells some hilarious stories as he wanders through hockey’s hinterlands and, in the end, you will weep as he comes face-to-face with Parkinson’s Disease and cancer. When others wanted to give up on him in hockey and in life, he chose to move forward. Get this book and read it; you won’t be disappointed. (Trafford Publishing, soft cover, 200 pages, Cdn$20.87)
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Playing With Fire — This is Theo Fleury’s story in all its blazing colours. Finish this book and you will wonder how it is that Fleury still is alive. It is absolutely mind-numbing all that he has gone through since he left a rocky childhood life in Russell, Man., to play hockey in Winnipeg for Graham James. The abuse, the alcohol, the drugs . . . something should have killed him. Fleury doesn’t pull any punches here, and he throws a lot of hockey players under the bus. He bares his soul and admits to his mistakes, but doesn’t preach. This book should have come with a language warning. It’s interesting that Kirstie McLellan Day helped Fleury with this book and then moved on to write the late Bob Probert’s book, Tough Guy, which also is freely littered with hockey talk. (HarperCollins, soft cover, 350 pages, Cdn$19.99)
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The Rebel League — Subtitled The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, this is that story. “No one seems to remember the WHA wrestled the game away from a handful of NHL owners and took it to new markets,” writes author Ed Willes, a sports columnist with the Vancouver Province, “that I opened the door for Europeans, and that it offered a generation of players their first chance at a real payday.” Willes tells that story here and, yes, there are assorted anecdotes, some hilarious, some funny and others unbelievable. If you are a hockey fan, you will enjoy this one. (McClelland & Stewart, soft cover, 277 pages, US$17.95, Cdn$22.99)
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Roger Maris (Baseball’s Reluctant Hero) — Authors Tom Clavin and Danny Peary do a masterful job of portraying Roger Maris, the man who wasn’t sure how badly he wanted to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. This follows Maris from his early years in Hibbing, Minn., to his formative years in Fargo, N.D., from Roger Maras to Roger Maris and beyond. The writers paint a picture of a tortured man, especially in 1961 as he hit 61 home runs, but one whose family meant everything to him. It also is an honest and ugly portrayal of baseball when the owners were the lords of the diamond. For example, the way the New York Yankees treated Maris in 1965 as he struggled with a hand injury was criminal. Front and centre, too, is Maris’s relationship, or lack of same, with the New York media, something the authors claim may well be the reason that Maris isn’t a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Read this book and hear what former teammates have to say and you will reach the same conclusion. (Touchstone, soft cover, 430 pages, Cdn$18.99, US$15.99)
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The Snowman — One of the benefits of the Stieg Larsson trilogy — The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo et al — having been such a raging success in North America is that book nooks have been all but inundated by works from other Scandinavian writers. Jo Nesbø, a Norwegian, is one of those writers. While I had heard of his work, I had never picked up one of his novels until coming across The Snowman. This book involves Harry Hole, a hard-bitten cop who is involved in a number of Nesbø books. But this work has an edge to it that not a lot of other writers are able to capture. I definitely will be reading more about Det. Hole. (Vintage Canada, soft cover, 454 pages, Cdn$19.95)
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The Third Rail — Michael Kelly is a private investigator. He used to be a cop. In this first-rate detective novel, Kelly ends up in the middle of a really messy situation in Chicago. It involves cops and shooters and a female judge. You knew there had to be a love interest. Right? The best part of this novel, however, is author Michael Harvey’s style. Back in the day, Mickey Spillane was the man. With his writing, Harvey has torn a page out of Spillane’s book . . . (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, soft cover, 281 pages, US$14.95, Cdn$16.95)
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Unbroken (A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption) — This was the other best book I read in 2011. Written by Lauren Hillenbrand, the author of Seabiscuit, it tells the story of Louis Zamperini, who may have been the first person to run a four-minute mile had the Second World War not gotten in the way. He ended up on a life raft in the South Pacific and then in Japanese POW camps. His story -- from brawling, thieving youngster to world-class runner to airman to prisoner of war to Christian – is emotionally draining and terrifically uplifting. Don’t miss this one; it was named 2010’s top book by Time magazine. (Random House, hard cover, 473 pages, US$27, Cdn$31)
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War Without Death (A Year of Extreme Competition in Pro Football) — I love nonfiction books that are basically diaries, written in chronological order. This one, by Mark Maske of the Washington Post, is a terrific look inside the NFC East during the 2006 NFL season, providing great insight into how the big boys operate. The contrast in operating styles between the likes of owners Daniel Snyder (Washington Redskins), Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys) and Jeffrey Lurie (Philadelphia Eagles) is striking. This really is a great sports book. (Penguin, soft cover,393 pages, US$16.00, Cdn$17.50.)
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Willie Mays (The Life, The Legend) — Willie Mays deserves this book. Written by James S. Hirsch. a former New York Times and Wall Street Journal reporter, it was written with Mays’ authorization. This is a long, well-written book that details Mays’ life and career, from his days as a youngster growing up in Birmingham, Ala., through his major league life and beyond. The best thing about this book, and there are many, is that it clears up the misconception that continues to hang in the air, like fog at Candlestick Park, about the last days of Mays’ career. He didn’t finish up as a bumbling, stumbling outfielder; he really didn’t. But he didn’t finish with the New York Mets, who had a manager, Yogi Berra, who, for whatever reason, chose to forget about him. (Scribner, hard cover, 628 pages, US$30, Cdn$$36)

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

The Emerson Etem Show, co-starring Hunter Shinkaruk, played in Brandon on Saturday night.
Etem had a goal in OT and drew two assists as the Tigers beat the Wheat Kings 4-3 in Chapter 2 of the Clouston Challenge. Shaun’s Tigers are 2-0-0 against Cory’s Wheat Kings, who are 0-1-1 against Cory’s Tigers.
Etem leads the WHL in goals (23) and points (39), all done in 17 games. He has two more points than Brandon F Mark Stone.
Shinkaruk, meanwhile, has 17 goals in 18 games. And he isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2013. Last season, the Calgary native — his father, Roger, is the team dentist for the Calgary Hitmen — had 14 goals in 63 games. Strangely enough, he finished last season with 14 goals and 28 assists; this season, he has 17 goals and eight apples.
Last night, he scored the Tigers’ three regulation-time goals. It was his second straight three-goal game and his third in 10 games. Last season, he had one two-goal game. This season, he has had five multi-goal games and four one-goal outings.
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The host Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1 on Saturday night. Seattle, which has lost four in a row, is 0-2-0 on its six-game swing throught he Central Division. . . . In Kelowna, the Portland Winterhawks beat the Rockets 3-1 to complete their 17-day, nine-game road trip. Portland won its last three games — beating the Kamloops Blazers and then taking two from the Rockets — to finish the trip at 5-3-1. . . . The Rockets have lost four straight and 12 of 14. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi had three assists and now has 24 points in 11 games. . . .
Portland now has only four trips (seven games) left to make into Canada. It will play Dec. 6 and 7 at Prince George, Dec. 9 and Jan. 7 at Vancouver, March 7 at Kamloops, and March 14 and 16 at Victoria. . . . Seattle also will have only seven games left in Canada once it is through in the Central Division next week. But the Thunderbirds will make the trip north six times to play those seven games. . . .
In Victoria, F Brendan Gallagher had two goals and an assist as the Giants beat the Victoria Royals, 5-3. Gallagher has 16 goals in 15 games. . . . Two of the Royals’ goals came from F Kevin Sundher, who is third in the WHL scoring race, with 36 points. . . . In Spokane, the Chiefs fell 4-1 to the Tri-City Americans. It was Spokane’s first loss at home in nine games. . . . The Americans will meet the defending-champion Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook on Wednesday in what could be a ding-dong dandy. . . .
On Saturday afternoon, F Ryan Hanes of the Kamloops Blazers, who has a lot of fun with Tweeter, tweeted: “20bucks on the line for D_Owsley30 if ya let me score tonight!Or maybe @1Ass16 toss up a pizza for your best bud.” . . . Later that night, Hanes didn’t score, Owsley didn’t play and the Cougars beat the Blazers 3-1. Cougars F Spencer Asuchak (@1Ass16 on Twitter) drew an assist as G Devon Fordyce got his first WHL victory with 26 saves. . . .
In Regina, the Pats scored a pair of own goals and lost 3-2 to the Calgary Hitmen. The visitors are without F Cody Sylvester (undisclosed). . . . F Cole Grbavac, the captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers, will be hearing from the WHL office after taking a charging major for a collision with Brandon Wheat Kings G Brandon Anderson, who wasn’t injured. . . .
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JUST NOTES: The Moose Jaw Warriors have dealt F Sean Aschim, who turns 19 on Dec. 30, to the Moose Jaw Warriors for a conditional 2014 bantam draft pick (Other details not released). Aschim has nine points in 13 games this season with Moose Jaw, but couldn’t get in the lineup after the Warriors acquired F Kenton Miller, 20, from the Calgary Hitmen. Aschim has 13 points in 60 career games with the Prince Albert Raiders, Kelowna Rockets and Moose Jaw. He is expected to play for the Thunderbirds on Tuesday when they meet the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . The Saskatoon Blades have released D Zach Hodder, 18, who was acquired earlier in the season from the Vancouver Giants. Hodder, who is from Delta, B.C., was the 20th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He had three points and four penalty minutes in 11 games with Saskatoon. The Blades acquired Hodder, F Michael Burns, 20, and a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft from Vancouver for G Adam Morrison, 20, and F Levi Bews, 17, on Oct. 4. . . .
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Earlier in the week, Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports researched and wrote a piece on F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers and his hot start. At the time, Etem had 22 goals in the season’s first 16 games, which is rather prolific.
That caused Sager to ask this question: “How many (WHL players) also had 22 or more goals after 22.2 per cent of the season?”
Sager discovered that F Layne Ulmer of the Swift Current Broncos had done it in 2000-01, and he wrote that.
And, as sometimes happened, a reader came up with another name and another hot start.
After hearing from the reader via email, here’s what Sager wrote:
“Coincidentally . . . both happened in the same year, 2000-01. Present-day NHLer Mike Comrie had 25 goals in his first 16 games for the Kootenay Ice. But Comrie's glut of goals came under exceptional circumstances. Hilary Duff's future hubby had spent two seasons with the University of Michigan before leaving to sign with the Edmonton Oilers, so he was well past most juniors in seasoning. (Comrie actually hit the 30-goal mark by Game 18, and had 39 in 37 contests by the time the Oilers decided to bring him up to the NHL.)
“That same winter, Layne Ulmer had 22 goals in the Swift Current Broncos' first 16 games on his way to scoring 63 goals (and 119 points) in 68 games. The rub is Ulmer was also a 20-year-old with an advantage over his peers in maturity and experience than the 19-year-old Etem ought to have.”
And just who was the reader who let us know about Comrie’s hot start?
That would be Darcy Ewanchuk, and you bet he knew what the facts on this story. After all, he was the Ice’s trainer then, meaning he had a front-row seat to Comrie’s blazing start.
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A few days ago, a tweet from Tampa Bay Lightning F Brett Connolly, formerly of the Prince George Cougars, appeared here. It referenced his having gone out and purchased a vehicle. Well, in case you lost sleep wondering what kind of vehicle he bought, we have word from Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times that he got a new Range Rover. . . . Connolly also said he has plans to take his parents on a vacation. “I’ve got to pay them back,” he told Cristodero. “A lot of sacrifices by them, a ton of money put in, early mornings. I’ve got to repay them somehow.”
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For those of you following the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives and the hazing scandal in which they have been embroiled, Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press reported late in the week on the team having issued apologies and that GM/head coach Bryan Perrier resigned.
Turner’s story is right here.
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There also is word of another possible hazing, this one in Ontario.
Mary Caton of the Windsor Star reports:
“A LaSalle midget hockey team is being investigated by the sport’s governing body for an alleged hazing incident where rookies were forced to drink beer and other alcohol to the point of passing out or becoming ill.”
Caton’s story is right here.
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Caton’s report comes on the heels of news from Los Angeles about the death of Griffen Kramer, a high school quarterback and the son of former NFL and CFL quarterback Erik Kramer. There are reports that he died of alcohol poisoning.
There are pieces right here and right here.
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The Winnipeg Sun even came up with an editorial on the Neepawa hazing. That opinion piece is right here.
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And, finally, a hockey father has written a letter on the Neepawa situation. It is right here.
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For your Sunday morning reading enjoyment, we bring you a piece written by Mike Boone of the Montreal Gazette. He starts out writing about how the contract signed by Nashville Predators G Pekka Rinne might impact Canadiens G Carey Price, who if he doesn’t seen between now and then would be a restricted free agent on July 1. Boone then segues into a scathing critique of Hockey Night in Canada, and it really is hard to disagree with him.
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Now, because it’s Sunday and it’s chilly outside and the coffee is good and hot, here’s a second good read. This one is from Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail. The headline is “The thumbing down of sportswriting.” And it's hard to disagree with him, too. That piece is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Yes, they're back . . .

If you’re a hockey fan, chances are you were in front of a TV set on Sunday and watched at least part of the game from the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.
This was the regular-season return of the Jets to Winnipeg and not even a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens could ruin the atmosphere.
And if you’re a hockey fan chances are pretty good that you really will enjoy Back in the Bigs, a book loaded with photos and the story of the Jets as written by Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press.
Turner and the photographs tell the story of the Jets, going all the way back to the days of Ben Hatskin — was he, you know, connected? — and the Junior Jets.
Turner tells the complete story, too.
When you think of the Winnipeg Jets, chances are you think immediately of the big line — Ulf Nilsson between Bobby Hull and Anders Hedberg — or maybe Dale Hawerchuk.
It’s true that time and distance make the heart grow fonder, so you may have forgotten that despite the presence of the likes of the four aforementioned players, the Jets never were a rip-roaring success in Winnipeg.
Oh, the fans loved the Jets the day it all ended — the Detroit Red Wings beat the host Jets 4-1 in a playoff game on April 28, 1996. The Winnipeg franchise was then relocated to Phoenix.
But travel back in time with Turner and read about how the Jets, featuring Hull, Hedberg and Nilsson, rarely sold out the Winnipeg Arena when they played in the now-defunct World Hockey Association.
And things didn’t get much better when the NHL ended the war between the leagues by begrudgingly accepting four teams, including the Jets.
Turner touches on all of that and, by the time Winnipeg is gearing up to welcome back the second-coming of its Jets, you are wondering how a team that struggled for acceptance as a WHA team and later as an NHL entry can make a go of it this time around?
More than anything, though, there are great hockey stories in this book. Stories of how Hatskin landed Hull and how Hedberg and Nilsson came to play in Winnipeg, even though neither player had even visited North America. Remember, too, that the Jets had more Europeans on their roster than just those two skaters.
There is lots here, too, on the fiery John Ferguson, who during his stint as general manager was the face of the Jets.
Turner also delves into Winnipeg’s lengthy stay in the American Hockey League — its franchise was the Manitoba Moose, an affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. If you are wondering how it is that Craig Heisinger, a former trainer with the Brandon Wheat Kings, moved from the Moose, where he started as the trainer, to the Jets, where he now is director of player operations, you need only read about his going nose-to-nose with Brian Burke, then the Canucks’ GM.
Through the pages of this book you will get a look at Mark Chipman and David Thomson, the two men most responsible for the Jets’ return to Winnipeg. And you’ll read all about how it happened.
There also are a whole lot of terrific photos and it’s great to see some of the older ones from the archives of the late, great Winnipeg Tribune, most from the always capable camera of Jon Thordarson.
(Hard cover, Viking Canada/Winnipeg Free Press, 208 pages, $35)

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Matt Pettinger (Calgary 1999-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with the Cologne Sharks (Germany DEL). He had 14 goals and 31 assists in 44 games for the Sharks this season.
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THE CHILLIWACK/VICTORIA BRUINS:
Jim Mullin of Vancouver radio station CKNW reported Friday that Chilliwack Bruins minority owner Moray Keith “has been told to keep his comments to himself.”
Keith, who had confirmed to Mullin on Thursday that the Bruins have been sold, presumably to RG Properties, and will be relocated to Victoria, was to have appeared live on the air with Mullin on Friday morning.
However, Keith opted out 15 minutes before show time, sending a text stating that “I was made aware last night of a confidentiality agreement that I am bound by. So I will not be able to make any live comment.”
Mullin’s story on the Keith situation is right here.
But isn’t that typical of this whole Bruins-to-Victoria saga? The cat would seem to be out of the bag, the horse is out of the barn, the birds have flown . . . and now there’s a gag order?
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Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress reported that Darryl Porter, a Bruins’ owner and the franchise’s governor, “sent a text message to Bruins radio play-by-play man Randy Merkley stating that a deal was not done.”
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A rumour in Victoria has the ECHL’s Salmon Kings moving to Fresno, Calif., once a WHL team is finalized for the B.C. capital. . . . The Salmon Kings were selling season-tickets during a home game on Wednesday night. . . . Broadcasters doing the WHL playoff game between the Red Deer Rebels and the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Thursday night apparently were told not to comment on the Chilliwack-to-Victoria story. . . .
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MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE . . .
When the Medicine Hat Tigers and Brandon Wheat Kings met in Game 4 of their series in Winnipeg on Thursday night, the attendance was 6,033. . . . Gotta think someone is watching and thinking about trying to put a WHL franchise into the Manitoba capital.
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If you missed it, Mr. Hockey turned 83 on Thursday. Here’s Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times, writing about Gordie Howe.
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Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press has a good read right here on Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman Ryan Pulock, who will always stop to remember his brother on March 29. You won’t want to miss  this piece.
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Garrett Robinson was back in Moose Jaw this week and Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald caught up with him. You may recall that Robinson, while playing for the Warriors, was involved in a horrific car accident on Oct. 22, 2006. Gourlie’s story is right here.
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The Spokane Chiefs will have F Anthony Bardaro back in the lineup tonight when they play host to Game 5 of their series with the Chilliwack/Victoria Bruins. He served a one-game suspension under supplemental discipline for a hit in overtime in Game 3. . . . The Bruins will be without D Tyler Stahl, who ended up with a two-game suspension for an elbowing major he picked up in Game 3. That hit was on Spokane F Tyler Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading scorer in the regular season. Johnson didn’t play in Game 4. . . . The Chiefs take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 tonight. . . .
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Two of the four goaltenders the Medicine Hat Tigers and Brandon Wheat Kings were counting on when the playoffs began are concussed. Medicine Hat starter Tyler Bunz tried to play in Game 1, didn’t finish and hasn’t played since. He was back on the practice ice Friday but isn’t expected to play in Game 6 tonight in The Hat. The Wheat Kings have been going with Corbin Boes and Liam Liston. However, Liston now is out with a concussion. . . . Liston wasn’t on Brandon’s bench for Game 4 in Winnipeg on Friday, with the Brandon Sun’s Rob Henderson reporting: “Brandon did not reveal the name of the emergency backup goalie and did not list him on the game sheet.” . . .
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FRIDAY’S PLAYOFF GAME:
In Cranbrook, F Cody Eakin had a goal and an assist as the host Kootenay Ice scored a 3-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice has won two in a row and now leads the series 3-2. Game 6 is in Moose Jaw on Sunday. Might that be the last WHL game to be played in the Crushed Can? . . . F Max Reinhart scored for the Ice at 18:31 of the second on a PP and Eakin made it 2-0 at 14:04 of the third. . . . F Quinton Howden got Moose Jaw’s goal, his fourth of the series, at 15:48 of the third. That ended the Warriors’ goal drought at 116 minutes four seconds. . . . Moose Jaw had a late PP when Eakin was called for tripping at 17:25 of the third. . . . Ice F Joe Antilla finished the scoring, with his fourth of the series, into an empty net. . . . Ice F Kevin King had two assists. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 27 shots as he came close to posting the fourth shutout of the series. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk, who has two shutouts, stopped 46 shots. . . . Lieuwen’s night included facing a first-period penalty shot by F Dylan Hood, who hit a goal post. . . . Attendance was 2,958. . . . The Ice is without F Drew Czerwonka (shoulder) and F Brock Montgomery (mononucleosis). Ice F Jesse Ismond was back after not playing since he took a hit by D Dylan McIlrath in Game 2. . . . The Warriors remain without the injured D Dallas Erhardt, F Cody Beach and D Brayden Cuthbert.
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KOOTENAY VS. MOOSE JAW
(Series D)
March 25 — Moose Jaw 4 at Kootenay 0 (2,486) (Heemskerk 30)
March 26 — Moose Jaw 2 at Kootenay 5 (2,467)
March 29 — Kootenay 0 at Moose Jaw 4 (2,714) (Heemskerk 28)
March 30 — Kootenay 5 at Moose Jaw 0 (2,744) (Lieuwen 25)
April 1 — Moose Jaw 1 at Kootenay 3 (2,958)
April 3 — Kootenay at Moose Jaw
x-April 5 — Moose Jaw at Kootenay

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

     

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