Score some points with the sports fan in your life

For the sports lovers in your life, whether they want to be a superstar or love what sports says about life. 99 by Wayne Gretzky This book, wrote writer and hockey guru Dave Bidini in the Star, “is the literary mirror of the former centreman’s sporting mind: Darting, moving and winding about, rarely wasting an opportunity to go somewhere you did not expect it to go.” With stories about the WHA, including his own heroes, this is also Gretzky as hockey fan. The Utility of Boredom by Andrew Forbes Missing baseball? This small volume of lovely essays will bring fans right back to the sights and smells of summer even on a snowy day. A lovely, philosophical look at the sport of summer, this one suits diehard fanatics as well as the casual baseball fan. The Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club Official Centennial Publication by Kevin Shea and Jason Wilson Diehard Leafs fans are still hoping for a repeat of the golden days, when the boys in blue took home Stanley Cups. In this, the storied hockey club’s 100th season, this official publication takes a look at the players — Keon, Sundin, Bower et al. — and the years at Maple Leaf Gardens and on to the Air Canada Centre. The authors had great access to executives and some of the club’s legends, which, be forewarned, is officially licensed by the NHL.

Playing Through the Whistle by S.L. Price For NFL fans, Aliquippa, Pa., is known as a town that produced more than its share of football greatness. In an attempt to get at why, this bookdelves into the history of football, the state and draws a larger picture about American history. A great read.