You know those crazy news stories you hear sometimes — like the ones that come on at the very end of the local news or the ones we post here in our "Around the Web" feature at bakersfield.com?

It never seems like those news stories hit very close to home. Well, for some folks in Clovis, that's about to change. Clovis West has hired Gary Joe Kinne as its new football coach. (You might recall that the Golden Eagles forced out coach Marty Martin after he went 9-4-1 and lost to Bakersfield High in the Division I section title game. Martin, who has since moved on to Kerman, has filed a lawsuit against the Clovis Unified School District.)

Thing about Kinne is, he was in one of those strange news stories a few years back. Three years ago, he was shot by a disgruntled parent in his Canton (Texas) High office. Yeah, that's right, shot by a parent over a silly game. Suffered severe damage to his liver but survived.

Yeah, I'd say he's brave enough to take on the Clovis West administration that seems to so quickly move on to the next coach. Question is, what happens if he goes 8-5 next year? Keeps his job? You'd like to think so, but he'd probably just take solace if no one attacked him over it.

As a side note, Kinne's son, G.J., has announced he's transferring from the University of Texas. He spent his redshirt season there last year buried on the depth chart at quarterback. Don't be surprised to see him surface somewhere around these parts, either — and if it's Fresno State, that certainly could affect local prep quarterbacks' college choices.

Anyway, best of luck to Kinne at Clovis West. Let's hope he's only in the news for the right reasons here in California.