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.