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Larsen Jensen has already earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Gabe Woodward will begin his quest Wednesday. Because I moved here in December 2006, I never witnessed any of their individual athletic feats.

It's part of the business. Sportswriters can go several years, if not a lifetime, before witnessing Olympic glory. Some will never see it.

Yes, we'll see talented players, mostly Division II or III skilled players, a few Division I-caliber players and an ocassional professional athlete but witnessing an athlete with the ability to reach the Olympics is rare. So rare, I consider it an honor.

I was fortunate to witness greatness in my first year of covering high school sports in Yuma, Ariz. Her name was Jacquelyn Johnson -- Jackie for short. The star of the Yuma Criminals. She could jump out of the gym on the volleyball court, lead the transition and pull up for a 15-foot jump shot on the basketball court, and she dominated the track. Every event she competed in, she won. High jump, long jump, 200, 400 and 100 hurdles -- she was simply amazing to watch.

Our track preview of her senior season had the headline 'Full Medal Jackie.' She's the only athlete to win 14 state championships in track, and helped Yuma High to a second-place team finish by herself as a sophomore. She's also a four-time NCAA champion in the heptathlon and a three-time champ in the indoor pentathlon.

Now, she's a Olympian. She's done exactly what she told me, and countless high school writers before and after me, she would do.

Congratulations Jackie. It was an honor.

Now that it's official -- Casey Mears and Hendrick Motorsports will part ways at the end of the 2008 season -- let the conjecture begin on just where Bakersfield's other NASCAR driver begins the 2009 season.

Rumor has it that Richard Childress Racing will have a fourth car, and that sponsor General Mills -- Cheerios -- is looking for an All-American boy (with both sponsor and fan likeability) to drive the car.

That's the same RCR that Bakersfield's other NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick has been a part of for 8 years, 7 in the Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup Series.

So this begs the question: Would Harvick and Mears get along? Could two guys that were born in the same town but raised on the opposite sides of town with different upbringings and completely different racing backgrounds become cohesive teammates? And not just teammates but drafting partners who are willing to push each other into victory lane?

This isn't Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr., quite yet. But wouldn’t that make for a great story?
 

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Our faithful blog watchdog, Jason Sperber, forwarded a posting over the weekend, I'm just getting around to responding to it.

Blogger PureAmerican believes that Kevin Harvick's short trip back to Bakersfield is worth more than just a few inches of black type, and six or seven photos in the TBC. His fund-raising efforts for North High wrestling are worth more than a few seconds of B-roll from our local TV stations. That's not enough, PureAmerican believes that winning the Daytona 500, 11 Cup races, two Busch Series points title, and a few Truck races is worth a street naming.

Let's see what Kevin does in the next 5 years before we change the name of Weedpatch Highway. Coming back to Bakersfield and racing at the Speedway (dirt track) was a tremendous first step. And, I had heard through the rumor mill that Shell and Chevrolet are to be sponsors with the new Kern River Speedway (paved track, still not finished) because of Harvick's loyalties. So he's well on his way but Kevin still needs some major career accomplishments before we drop the checkered flag on Harvick Highway.

If there's anyone in Kern County with auto racing ties that deserves a recognition it's Rick Mears. Remember him? He won the Indianapolis 500 four times, started on the pole a record six times. And this was when the Indianapolis 500 was the most prestigious race in the world. Rick is also a three-time CART champion, that's when open-wheel racing was the premiere form of racing.

So I propose we rename a stretch of Highway 99 to Rick Mears Way. I know former high school sports writer Brad Riddell drove the stretch of pavement from White Lane to California Avenue, like he was coming out of the "short chute and down the backstretch" at the Brickyard. Side note: I know CHP thought so too.

Before we start honoring our current homegrown talent, let's honor the man that helped put Bakersfield on the auto racing map. Rick Mears deserves his name above Bakersfield pavement, Kevin will just have to wait.

I had heard his schtick a number of times but never really understood all George Carlin's musings. I had watched countless HBO specials but never read any of his books.

That was until Christmas of 2005. My brother gave me "America: The Book" by Jon Stewart. It was a fateful decision because I had recently purchased the book a few weeks earlier. So he offered to trade a book he was starting on, George Carlin's "When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops."

I haven't laughed out loud reading a book, so much in my life. The past few hours have been full of tributes to Carlin, and I expect more to come in the coming days.

Here's a little bit of Carlin at his finest. George, you will be missed. 

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever ! Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

I've been away from the office for the past few days. Seems the Priest congregation has grown in Bakersfield. That's a completely different topic but here's a link to our sister Web site in case you were wondering what I'm referring to: www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/FatherPriest /26943

So I was pleasantly surprised when I grabbed Thursday's sports section and read what arguably should have been the centerpiece story. Californian sports reporter Mike Griffith had heard rumors for months that Anaheim was one of the NHL clubs checking out the Condors' operations. While Griff could never get any one in the Condors' organization to go "on the record" about the visits, we were aware that this was going to be the off-season of change for Condorstown.

So just what does affiliation mean for Bakersfield? If the NHL is anything like the Major League Baseball, it could mean an opportunity to see some of the best young players that the Ducks' farm system has to offer. There's even thought that Bakersfield could become a launching pad for the most talented players to bypass the AHL and go straight to Anaheim. 

If Anaheim doesn't secure an AHL affiliate closer to home base, Bakersfield would be a perfect place for Anaheim General Manager Brian Burke to make the drive north and keep close tabs on his prospects.  Californian sports columnist Andy Kehe said don't be surprised if Iowa wasn't the Ducks new AHL partner. Even if his hunch is correct, it's still a long flight from Des Moines to Los Angeles.

So what do you think? Is this the move that brings Bakersfield a championship? Are you ready for hockey season to start now that the Condors have a long-awaited affiliate folks have been clamoring for since the team joined the ECHL? Or are you cautiously optomistic toward next season, and just praying Anaheim and Bakersfield can secure a long-term deal?

Somebody goofed up at Frontier High School. Was it the school, the architect, or the paving contractor or someone else? I don't know at the moment, but it seems the all-weather track at Frontier High is "approximately 30 yards long."

Contrary to what Frontier athletic director Ryan Geivet  states about "being creative with starting zones", the extra 30 yards poses a problem for any event that utilizes the tracks turns. Those events -- all recorded in meters -- would be the 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, all three relays and the 300 hurdles.

Geivet told Californian reporter Zach Ewing in a story on May 8, "We'll never be able to set any records, but ... it's important to note that we're still able to put on a track meet."

Really? Who would want to run in a track meet, where the track isn't the standard 400-meters long. This isn't a soccer field or hockey arena, where the field or ice can be different sizes. Nope the size of the track is the same for every high school, college and Olympic venue in the world -- except at Frontier High.

I've seen a lot of track in my years -- including a 12-time state (Arizona) champion and current NCAA champion in the women's heptathlon -- and it's absurd to think high school programs would subject their athletes to such an awkward race.

In the 200-meter race, runners start from a stagger and end with a 100-meter sprint the front straightaway. So at Frontier, the runners will either start in the turn or have a shorter sprint down the finish. Apparently, it's the start in the turn if you go by Geivet's "creative starting zone."

In the 400 relay, runners pass batons in the turns but somewhere that wouldn't be the case. Again you'll have a shorter sprint toward the finish.

Until the surface is fixed, Frontier won't be able to host a League or South Area or Central Section Grand Masters meet. So what  good is it. 

The state budgets might be tight but c'mon. Somebody messed up bad. Whoever or whatever company messed up the first time, should have to fork of the additional money to fix the snafu.

Frontier's athletes deserve better, and so do the folks who helped pay for it to be done right the first time.

I'll steal an idea from our own Andy Kehe and do some short, quick hits from the past few days in the sports world and one from here in the city:

Phil Dumatrait. A middle reliever has the worse job in major league baseball. I'd rather be a bullpen catcher then be called in to pitch with runners on base and no outs, and be expected to keep the damage to a minimum. The former Ridgeview High and Bakersfield College pitcher has had some great outings, and laid two eggs this season in relief. I wanted to see him succeed with the Reds last season, and I'm hoping he can pitch well with the Pirates.

Jimmie Johnson. I know I wasn't the only one in the office Saturday night that was waiting for a breaking news item from ESPN to come across that read, "Jimmie Johnson's car failed post-race inspection." When your crew chief is the biggest cheater in sports, you always suspect he'll get caught, AGAIN.

Kevin Harvick. It's too bad Fox didn't show what happened on Harvick's last pit stop in Phoenix. He dropped way back, and they mentioned he stalled, but show a replay or something.

Casey Mears. Talk about a surprise. He almost snuck into a Top-10 finish at the Subway Fresh 500 with the same fuel strategy as Johnson. His 11th-place finish pushed him to 25th in the points standings and out of danger of having to qualify his way into a race for a few more weeks.

Trevor Immelman. Congrats on the Masters championship. The South African has come a long way from choking away a lead at the Wachovia Championship in 2006. He lost to Jim Furyk in a playoff in the event, the last major event I covered for the Gaston Gazette.

Bakersfield Motorcycle Cop. Next time STOP at the four-way stop on Main Plaza Dr. and Granite Falls behind the Promenade early Wednesday morning. Apparently, the "I'm a cop, I don't need to stop," applies to some BPD officers. No lights, no sirens, no nothing. We've had two motorcyclists or riders killed in the past 7 days, and this guy didn't want to stop for traffic. You expect citizens to follow the rules of the road, yet you can't seem to do it. He got a one-finger salute for his driving skills.

No ground rules were set out when colleague Andy Kehe approached me about an idea of creating our own All-Overprice and All-Bargain team.

But, I wanted to keep my 25-man roster as true to a major league roster as possible. I wanted to build my team like any general manager and skipper would. Andy has three first baseman, and couldn’t believe he needed a second catcher. There’s really the big difference in the makeup of our teams.

I don’t want to go the rosters and compare player-by-player. But I’d like to touch on a few points, and you can draw your own conclusions:

As far as Alex Rodriguez, let me clarify the statement. Is he worth 28 million dollars? No.  No athlete is worth that type of money. But is he worth being paid the highest salary in baseball. Yes. The guy can mash.  He’s a top-3 in every major hitting category. He’s the best third baseman far and away, and he’s worth being paid No. 1 money. The market just so happens to say its $28 million.

While I don’t have A-Rod, I do have my share of Yankees. Jason Giambi is not worth $23 million-plus, because he’s not if the top guy at his position. He’s been an albatross to the Yankees. Unfortunately, Steinbrenner can’t cut or trade him without eating all or most of his salary. Kyle Farnsworth ($5.9 mil.) was signed as a setup guy for Rivera. He’s not even the setup for the setup guy, anymore. Carl Pavano ($11 mil.) pitched one game last year. Nuff said.

And I’ll take Kendall’s salary over Brian Schneider’s inflated one anyday. Schneider (5.4 million) only makes that kind of money because he has to live in New York. He’s not worth anything close to that. Kendall has had 3 All-Star appearances. Schneider just one All-Star game.

Eric Gagne is not worth $10 and neither is Francisco Cordero worth $8.6 million. They are not the top closers in the game, which is a bad sign for our bargain closers. Bobby Jenks, Jonathon Papelbon and Matt Capps will likely command that kind of money when they’re eligible for arbitration.

As Andy pointed out, I splurged a little bit when it came to our bargain guys. But I don’t consider an extra $4 million ($3,438,550 To be exact) that much of difference, until you look at my roster. I’ll take my starting rotation, and bullpen guys over his group anyday. Justin Verlander ($1.13 mil) is an 18-game winner with 183 Ks, and Francisco Liriano (327,000) has Cy Young potential. Former Blaze player James Shields ($1 mil) struck out 184 for a terrible Rays team.

I built my team around speed with Weeks ($1,056,00), Hanley Ramirez ($439,000), Granderson ($1 mil), Victorino ($480,000) and Chris Young ($406,000) all threats to steal 30-plus bases.

Only guy on Andy’s bargain list that I have a serious problem with is Keith Foulke. Foulke hasn’t pitched well since the White Sox one the World Series in 2003. Don’t know what kind of a bargain that is.

Also, we both agreed that former Bakersfield Blaze outfielder Josh Hamilton ($396,000) might be the pick of picks. He’s making the league minimum and has 40-HR potential. It’s nice to have a guy with a local connection on both teams.

And, you’ll notice I selected Bakersfield’s own Phil Dumatrait ($390,050). The kid is going to have a breakout year. Mark it down.

I should have asked for Monday off. Better yet, I should have requested the entire week off. It's baseball season, and I can't get enough of it. 

The only disappointing glitch, and it's a small one because I found a work around, is that the Cincinnati Reds' game isn't televised. It's the first time in 8 years, the Reds' Opening Day game won't be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2.

But as I said, it's a minor detail because I found a work around. For the first week of the season, all the games can be seen on MLB Extra Innings -- FREE. Yes, FREE. (Just putting the word "FREE" in bold makes be feel like I'm watching a late-night informercial for some Ronco product.)

For those that have Bright House networks digital package that's channels 154 through 163. Now I don't know what the channels are if you have DirecTV, but I'll know once I get in the office tonight.

So I encourage you to take the day off Tuesday and Wednesday. Maybe Thursday. Shoot, take the rest of the week off. You have my permission. And that's as good as a note from your mom in this case.

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My wife is an amazing woman. I talked all Monday about how I wanted to stay up and watch the season opener for Major League Baseball. You know the Red Sox-A's game. The game at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The one that started at 6 a.m. EST, errrrrr 3 a.m. in Bakersfield.

Don't worry if you missed it. You weren't the only one. Well, I did see a few innings, thanks to my wife.

As I was saying, my wife is an amazing woman. Not only did she record the game on our DVR. But she turned the game on at 3 a.m. after she got up for one of those third trimester wakeup calls. Actually, I left the TV on all night, and she just turned the channel to ESPN2, so I could listen to the game in my sleep. Now, I don't know if she thought I'd be able to see the games in my dreams or soak in the stats through osmosis, but it worked.

Seriously. I heard the second inning of the game in my sleep. I could hear Gary Thorne's voice as he said Daisuke Matsuzaka struck out Jack Cust to end the inning with the bases loaded. Of course, in my sleep Dice-K had a shutout through six innings. When I woke up that was in fact was fantasy. I blame that on my fantasy baseball team. Dice-K is one of my pitchers, so that was the only reason I wanted to watch the game in the first place.

As a I said, I did wake up to watch Dice-K finally settle down, and the Red Sox take a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth. Our son started crying around that time, and I went to his room to change him. By the time I'd come back, the A's had taken a 4-3 lead and I decided to call it a night, errrr, early morning.

Unfortunately, my wife couldn't back to sleep because of the TV and our son. So while I went back to sleep, she paid for my selfishness.

The Red Sox and A's play again at 3 a.m. But I'm turning off the TV and letting her sleep in. She deserves it.