Great Read! (one Small Criticism)

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KevinBuchan

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Nov 18, 2013
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Absolutely loved this book! I've got one small criticism, however. My wife, being an avid Sox fan, much like Mr. King, subscribes to the baseball package on our local cable just so we can catch the games. (We live near Albany, NY.) I so often see Mr. King at the games, and I think he catches more games at Fenway than we do (we go a few times a year). Assuming that Mr. King's as much as a fan of the sport (as well as the Sox that we are), I have a hard time letting this go by without a mention. (Probably my OCD, which gets worse with each passing year) For the record, three strike outs (in three at bats) is the "Hat Trick", four strike outs (for four at bats) is the "Golden Sombrero".
 

KevinBuchan

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Nov 18, 2013
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When he's at Fenway catching a game, the camera finds him, and he gets a little camera time. If you haven't read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, it's a great read, even if you're not a baseball fan. Hockey-wise, the only hockey I ever catch is when my nephew is in town for a game. He lives near Boston, but the leagues travel pretty far. When he's playing, I look like the biggest Hockey fan in the world!
 
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SharonC

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When he's at Fenway catching a game, the camera finds him, and he gets a little camera time. If you haven't read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, it's a great read, even if you're not a baseball fan. Hockey-wise, the only hockey I ever catch is when my nephew is in town for a game. He lives near Boston, but the leagues travel pretty far. When he's playing, I look like the biggest Hockey fan in the world!
I read that one. I really liked it, because I didn't really need to understand baseball to get into the story at all.
Saturday nights at our place gets a little crazy sometimes because my husband and I are die hard Leafs fanatics! You know you are a fan when this team is your favourite. By the way, do I get that your nephew is a player? Who is he? I'd love to know.
 
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FlakeNoir

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Can I just ask if we're talking about Blockade Billy rather than Doctor Sleep? (we're in the Doctor Sleep area) It's just that I haven't read the second half of Doc S yet and I want to make sure that I'm just not missing something.
 

SharonC

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Can I just ask if we're talking about Blockade Billy rather than Doctor Sleep? (we're in the Doctor Sleep area) It's just that I haven't read the second half of Doc S yet and I want to make sure that I'm just not missing something.
You're not missing anything. Just got off track here. And to think it all started with baseball. Sorry!
 

SharonC

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No not you sweetie... :) I'm just trying to figure out if the original poster is also talking about Blockade Billy--if so, I'll move the thread to the right area.
Understood! That's possible, I guess cause I was so involved in Dr. Sleep if there was any baseball reference I don't remember it.
 

Walter Oobleck

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or A Face in the Crowd? Picked up my kindle just now to look how often the word "strike" is there in the story...kindle battery is empty...that's what it says...thought maybe w/the cord plugged in I'd still be able to use it but no-go on that front. The opening post has that face in the crowd jibe going for it...and I've yet to read Doctor Sleep...don't recall a hat-trick or a golden sombrero in any story...Blockade Billy or Face. I wonder why the kindle battery "dies" on you when you are not using it? But then my work tool batteries drain even in cold weather when you don't use them.
 

KevinBuchan

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Nov 18, 2013
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I read that one. I really liked it, because I didn't really need to understand baseball to get into the story at all.
Saturday nights at our place gets a little crazy sometimes because my husband and I are die hard Leafs fanatics! You know you are a fan when this team is your favourite. By the way, do I get that your nephew is a player? Who is he? I'd love to know.

He's just a kid (about fourteen), you wouldn't know him! Great kid, and a really good player. He's in a league that travels a lot, so he makes it to our neck of the woods occasionally.
 

KevinBuchan

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Nov 18, 2013
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I read that one. I really liked it, because I didn't really need to understand baseball to get into the story at all.
Saturday nights at our place gets a little crazy sometimes because my husband and I are die hard Leafs fanatics! You know you are a fan when this team is your favourite. By the way, do I get that your nephew is a player? Who is he? I'd love to know.

He's a kid, you wouldn't know him! He's about fourteen.
Can I just ask if we're talking about Blockade Billy rather than Doctor Sleep? (we're in the Doctor Sleep area) It's just that I haven't read the second half of Doc S yet and I want to make sure that I'm just not missing something.


No, we're talking Doctor Sleep. Just finished it this morning. I probably should have checked my OCD at the door before posting my little criticism. At one point in the book, there's a reference (not integral to the story) where the "Golden Sombrero" is mentioned. I'm a huge baseball fan, as is Mr. King, and the reference was wrong. Had a hard time letting it go, but if you know anyone with OCD, you'll probably understand.
 

KevinBuchan

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Nov 18, 2013
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or A Face in the Crowd? Picked up my kindle just now to look how often the word "strike" is there in the story...kindle battery is empty...that's what it says...thought maybe w/the cord plugged in I'd still be able to use it but no-go on that front. The opening post has that face in the crowd jibe going for it...and I've yet to read Doctor Sleep...don't recall a hat-trick or a golden sombrero in any story...Blockade Billy or Face. I wonder why the kindle battery "dies" on you when you are not using it? But then my work tool batteries drain even in cold weather when you don't use them.

The reference is in Doctor Sleep.
 

FlakeNoir

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No, we're talking Doctor Sleep. Just finished it this morning. I probably should have checked my OCD at the door before posting my little criticism. At one point in the book, there's a reference (not integral to the story) where the "Golden Sombrero" is mentioned. I'm a huge baseball fan, as is Mr. King, and the reference was wrong. Had a hard time letting it go, but if you know anyone with OCD, you'll probably understand.
Thanks for clearing that up for me, I must not have got to this part yet. (or maybe missed it completely.) :)
 
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SharonC

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or A Face in the Crowd? Picked up my kindle just now to look how often the word "strike" is there in the story...kindle battery is empty...that's what it says...thought maybe w/the cord plugged in I'd still be able to use it but no-go on that front. The opening post has that face in the crowd jibe going for it...and I've yet to read Doctor Sleep...don't recall a hat-trick or a golden sombrero in any story...Blockade Billy or Face. I wonder why the kindle battery "dies" on you when you are not using it? But then my work tool batteries drain even in cold weather when you don't use them.
Same thing happens to my Kobo! I know it was fully charged last time I put it away. Maybe it's telling me to use it or lose it!
 

FlakeNoir

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Apr 11, 2006
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or A Face in the Crowd? Picked up my kindle just now to look how often the word "strike" is there in the story...kindle battery is empty...that's what it says...thought maybe w/the cord plugged in I'd still be able to use it but no-go on that front. The opening post has that face in the crowd jibe going for it...and I've yet to read Doctor Sleep...don't recall a hat-trick or a golden sombrero in any story...Blockade Billy or Face. I wonder why the kindle battery "dies" on you when you are not using it? But then my work tool batteries drain even in cold weather when you don't use them.
Good idea on the search though Walter--an e-reader would probably be a huge boon in moderating, the amount of times I've had to search for something specific... an e-reader would be on it in moments! :biggrin2:

And.. I think most batteries do the slow-leak thing, unfortunately.
 

AnnaMarie

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Feb 16, 2012
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Absolutely loved this book! I've got one small criticism, however. My wife, being an avid Sox fan, much like Mr. King, subscribes to the baseball package on our local cable just so we can catch the games. (We live near Albany, NY.) I so often see Mr. King at the games, and I think he catches more games at Fenway than we do (we go a few times a year). Assuming that Mr. King's as much as a fan of the sport (as well as the Sox that we are), I have a hard time letting this go by without a mention. (Probably my OCD, which gets worse with each passing year) For the record, three strike outs (in three at bats) is the "Hat Trick", four strike outs (for four at bats) is the "Golden Sombrero".
Haven't finished the book, so I'm not reading this entire thread. But, we've always called hitting the cycle a hat trick.

However, did baseball just steal that term from hockey? In hockey, the term hat trick was used because when a player scored three goals in a game men used to throw their hats onto the ice.