Local resident Roy Contreras has heard me say it, a good friend has heard me say and my wife has heard me say. Now, I'm officially telling the public -- The Arizona Cardinals will win the Super Bowl.

Actually, I sheepishly predicted the Cards to advance to the Super Bowl before they played Carolina. Roy can attest to that. He called the office because he's one of the unfortunate folks that have DISH Network and couldn't watch the football games. I told him my prediction but I prefaced that by saying,  "I wanted the Colts to win but since they're done ..."

Well, these Arizona Cardinals remind me of the 2006 Indianapolis Colts. And here's how:

In 2006, the Colts had the league's worst run defense and their run offense was grounded near the end of the regular season. Indy won its first nine games of the season, only to lose three out four, including a 44-17 blowout loss to Jacksonville. The Colts allowed 375 rushing yards in that game. Once the playoffs started it was another story.  The rush defense held Kansas City to just 44 yards in the first half and didn't allow a first down until the end of the third quarter in their 23-8 win. The next week, Adam Vinatieri had 5 field goals in their 15-6 win over Baltimore.

In the AFC Championships game, Indianapolis rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half as Joseph Addai scored the game winner with under a minute left.  Marlin Jackson sealed the 38-34 win with an interception.

Sound familiar. It should because it's a similar recipe the Cardinals have used. Arizona lost 3 of its last 5 games, including blowout losses to Minnesota (35-14), New England (41-7) and Philadelphia (48-20), and the national media had they losing in the wild-card round.

But once the playoffs started, Arizona was "in the zona."  The Cardinals passing attack struck for two long TDs in a 30-24 win vs. Atlanta before its rushing attack and defense dominated Carolina. Arizona forced five interceptions in the win.

While they didn't have to stage quite the rally Indianapolis did two years early, Arizona needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to take the lead and its defense forced Donovan McNabb to turn the ball over on downs to seal the 32-25 win over Philadelphia.

So now, the Cardinals play the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. A defense-driven, ball controlled team, sort of like the Chicago Bears.

I think Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm, two former Steelers assistant coaches, have a pretty good idea how to disrupt Ben Roethlisberger.

Should make for a great football game, and the first Super Bowl title in Arizona.

On Sunday, ESPN will unveil its latest gimmick to kill the time between the Super Bowl and start of spring training. The all-sports network is asking readers/viewers to nominate, then vote for, each state's own Mount Rushmore of Sports.

ESPN's definition is vague but from what I've gathered it's the four greatest sports icons that were either born or made a name for themselves in that state.

Columnists Rick Reilly, along with PTI's Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser and one Associated Press writer from each state will debate the merits of each of the nominees.

After a 30-minute discussion between staffers Zach Ewing, Todd Camps, Tony Lacava, Mike Griffith and I, we decided that picking just four would be an injustice for California's rich sports tradition.

So, I decided to take it a step further and bring the list closer to home. What about Bakersfield's Mount Rushmore of Sports? The two names that come to mind that would be no-brainers are: Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears. Don't even try to argue that those two don't belong. You can't do it.

Now here's the hard part. Who are the other two?

Here are few names that were mentioned as possibilities:

Johnny Callison, baseball, Philadelphia Phillies, 3-time NL All-Star, 1964 All-Star Game MVP

Joey Porter, football, 4-time All-Pro linebacker, 4-time AFC Pro Bowler

Dennis Ralston, tennis, 1960 Wimbledon doubles champion, two-time NCAA singles championship

Dawn Dumble, track and field, four-time NCAA champion (2 indoor shot, 1 outdoor shot, discus), 7-time Pac-10 champ

Lisa Kiggins, women's golf, 1990 World Junior champion, 1991 Pac-10 champion, NCAA All-American first team, LPGA Rookie of the Year, 1 LPGA tour event victory

Kevin Harvick, auto racing, 2007 Daytona 500 winner, two-time Busch Series champion

Jeff Siemon, Minnesota Vikings lineman, inducted into 2006 College Football Hall of Fame

Larsen Jensen, swimmer, 2004 and 2008 Olympic swimmer

Louis Wright, football, Denver Broncos defensive back, member of NFL 1970's all-decade team

Bakersfield Blaze owner D.G. Elmore has heard it all before.

When Elmore bought the Blaze in 2005, the city had plans to build a new ballpark in the near future.

Four years later, the Blaze will play another season at rickety Sam Lynn Ball Park. But this is likely the dilapidated ballpark’s last as the home for the Blaze, unless the city can intervene.

Elmore, along with Minor League Baseball president Pat O’Conner, needs something more concrete than “hope.” Preferably some freshly poured concrete.

“We need to see that there will be funding,” Elmore said.

According to estimates from City Manager Alan Tandy, a new ballpark could cost between $18 to $35 million. Tandy will release those figures at tonight's City Council meeting.

Is this just more lip service in hopes of keeping the Blaze here or will the City Council actually consider making a push toward a new stadium?

I know it’s been a few days since our outdoors columnist Steve Merlo wrote his latest column, “More gun control not a viable option.”

And, I typically try to stay under the strafe when it comes to the topic of the Great Outdoors because if it doesn’t involve a ball or a stick, it’s not in my sights.

I didn’t grow up in a family of outdoors men. I learned how to safely load, fire and clean a gun in Boy Scouts. My dad, a former Marine, taught me how to pick off old soda cans with a .22 in our backyard but shooting sports weren’t for me.

So please don’t assume I’m a complete “left-wing, anti-gun liberal” moron that’s never picked up a gun when I ask this question:

How would "ammo-coding" hurt your Second Amendment rights?

Your right to keep and bear Arms will not have been infringed if such a bill passes. Sorry, but to claim your Second Amendment right is being taken away because ammo might cost you a few cents more is preposterous.

I’d not going to go through all 12 of Merlo’s hypothesis on what might happen if “Ammunition Accountability” has it’s way and the bill passes, but at least seven of the 12 boil down to MONEY.

Merlo doesn't argue against the possibility that crimes could be solved with this ammo coding. Instead, he points out the fact that it's going to cost responsible hunters money to buy this new ammunition and that manufacturers would need to buy new technology to code the bullets.

Ammo-coding unfortunately will hurt the bottom line of responsible hunters but it could help our police solve crimes. And until the police come forward and say “ammo-coding” won’t help, I’m for such a piece of legislation.

Ammo is already tracked by the manufacturing using bar codes on the boxes. Coding the projectile and the casing would help track bullet to buyer, and potentially victim to shooter.

Merlo is right when he states: The innocent might be targeted? But wouldn't their INNOCENCE SET THEM FREE.

Here’s the real question I have for responsible outdoors men: When is the bottom line more important than safety?

Don’t worry I have the answer: When it involves YOUR bottom line.

I'd call the modest 25 cents a bullet or $2.50 a box you might pay (that price varies, I read a hunter's blog saying it would be more like $1 a box) a SIN TAX.

True, it's not a sin to own a gun or a collection of guns if you do it responsibly, like Steve and numerous other hunters like my father-in-law and both brother-in-laws. But it's also not a sin to drink alcohol, if you're responsible.

Unfortunately, when I buy a 12-pack of Coors (or in my younger and less responsible days a bottle of Jagermeister), I have to pay a SIN TAX for all those idiots out there.

So if and when the bill passes, I’ll welcome hunters with open arms to our exclusive club.

We're all paying a little extra for someone else's sins.
 

O Heavenly Father. Forgive me for I have sinned.

I didn’t watch a single college football bowl game until the Rose Bowl. That’s right, I missed 30 games of basically anticlimactic football.
I apparently have an obligation, as a sports writer, to spend the bowl season plastered to my couch with a family-size bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and a case of Mountain Dew at my side. Just so I can spout useless knowledge of college football lore to clueless readers that decide to call the sports department and quiz me on the bowl games.
Sorry folks, I can’t help you.
Maybe I should pay closer attention but I can’t do it. I’m not a fan. I love the NFL but I’ve never been a fan of college football.
Chalk it to living in central Indiana and attending two universities that lacked a football tradition.
Bradley University (Peoria, Ill.) didn’t have a football program but somehow produced a NFL player. (Former Indianapolis Colts tight end Marcus Pollard)
And Ball State was in the midst of the nation’s longest losing streak during my senior year.
I know my wife doesn’t mind, and I know my sons are enjoying the time with daddy.
So please Lord, I hope you’ll forgive me for this sin.