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It's championship week for high school sports here in the Central Section, and I've mentioned before this is my favorite time of year. It comes along three times, and for a fortnight at a time, the games and events don't just mean something — they mean everything for a lot of these kids.
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It's been an eternity since my last post here — if you hadn't noticed, we had a pretty big throwing story we ran this week, and we wrapped up section track finals. Anyway, my apologies. I promise to make up for it with a nice, long, involved playoff glance here.
Let's start in baseball....
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UPDATE — Checking back in with Division III and IV news.
Kern County is well represented in D-III, but I don't know how far any of the teams will go. South, which reached the championship game last year before falling to Dinuba, is the highest-seeded K.C. team at No. 5. The Rebels host...
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A big, big weekend in Kern County sports coming up. The last of the league titles will be decided tomorrow when SWYL play in baseball and softball finishes up. (Actually, 11-0 Centennial has already wrapped up that league title, regardless of what happens Friday).
Here's the spring league champs...
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Here's a quick update on the home run race I blogged about on Friday, which at first glance might appear to be over. Jarret Martin blasted three home runs, including a dramatic go-ahead shot with two outs in the seventh inning, giving him the Central Section record for home runs with 17....
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A heads-up to all you history buffs out there. Jarret Martin has already done, and Dustin Robinson is about to do something that hasn't been done in the Central Section in 42 years.
It's a home run chase between two Cetennial players, something out of the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa,...
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Don't forget that the Edge Arena Bowl is at 7 p.m. this Friday at Rabobank Arena. It's Kern County's high-flying, indoor version of a high school football all-star game, and it should be a ton of fun.
I went over to Rabobank tonight to watch a little practice and talk to a couple of the guys...
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The idea of league tournaments seems a bit antiquated in high school sports these days. Football, obviously, doesn't have one. But neither do volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball or softball.
In some of those sports (I'm thinking of basketball specifiically) it would be great to have a...
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The kitchen sink didn't make an appearance at Liberty's baseball field Thursday, but it was about the only thing that missed the party. To explain, I'll steal a line from my game story on Liberty's 10-8 victory over Stockdale.
Tootie’s home run actually was a relatively normal play in a...
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In a flip-flop as absolute as could be, the CIF sent out a release today saying the Home Depot Center in Carson will continue to be the home to the state football championship bowl games for at least the next two years.
That means it won't be Bakersfield, which had filed an apparently strong bid...
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I've returned from a weekend getaway down in Orange County and have spent the day working/freaking out about everything that's about to happen. I say freaking out because (1) it's going to be a lot of work to organize and keep tabs on everything (but, hey, that's why they pay me the small bucks,...
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Before I begin, I should tell you that this turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.
Next month, I'll take part in a meeting to help decide who'll win the Jim Tyack Award as Kern County's Most Outstanding Athlete for the past school year, male or female. I thought, with it being...
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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...
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A friendly reader brought it to my attention that we haven't yet done a league preview of boys golf here at School House Zach. That's a big mistake on my part, because (1) the league season is closer to finished than it is to starting, and (2) boys high school golf in Kern County is really...
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Spring isn't usually the time for big crowds and high-tension moments in high-school sports, but today at Stockdale was an exception. They had the snack bar open between the baseball and softball diamonds for the first time since anyone I talked to could remember.
It was with good reason,...
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Those who enjoy watching elite athletes in Bakersfield (and judging by attendance at Jam games, maybe there aren't too many of us) could be in for a treat. The CIF State Football Bowl Championships — now five games strong instead of three — are looking for a new home starting this...
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Reporter Jenny Shearer found out that private soccer fields may be on the way to southwest Bakersfield, near the Auto Mall, if they get the OK from the Board of Zoning Adjustment.
Check out her full report here.
Those who want to build them don't want to wait for city or county officials...
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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...
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I had quite a chat this afternoon with Stockdale boys tennis coach Dave Hillestad, so I guess I'm now knowledgeable enough to write a preview for the three local leagues.
No, that doesn't mean that Hillestad will influence me to make this pro-Stockdale, not anymore than it already would be...
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First things first: An update on something I mentioned in a couple of blogs last week, wrestling's Senior Nationals tournament in Virginia Beach, Va.
The tournament is a huge deal for wrestlers as far as measuring themselves against state placers from around the country — and more...
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The Associated Press on Tuesday released the salaries of all ballplayers on major league rosters to start the season, which then set off the obvious but entertaining exercise of compiling 25 man rosters of the most over priced and the most under valued, or bargain basement players, in the game...
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ASA Celebrates 75th Anniversary
The Amateur Softball Association, the national governing body for softball in the U.S., is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2008. Founded in 1933, the ASA has become one of...
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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...
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Time for a couple of quick updates before the weekend ...
Bakersfield High's Travis Rasmussen began his run at All-American status at the Senior Nationals wrestling tournament in Virginia Beach, Va., today. He was 1-1, beating an Arizona wrestler 11-4 before losing to an Illionis wrestler 4-2 in...
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League play starts next week, and it's business as usual in Kern County baseball, with the Southwest Yosemite League sitting atop the heap.
The big guns, Stockdale and Centennial, are blazing in the early season to lead the league's charge. Centennial is 13-3 overall and 6-1 against the...
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I had a quick chat with Foothill football coach Dennis Manning yesterday at Rabobank Arena, where he had just been introduced as the East team's coach in the Edge Arena Bowl all-star game. Sounds like that for all the talk of his possible resignation, he's staying put at Foothill.
He said it was...
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Since I know you all are waiting with bated breath, here are the rosters for the May 2 Edge Arena Bowl at Rabobank Arena. Keep in mind that these are "unofficial" rosters, which, by my guess, means the folks in charge haven't gotten a hold of a few kids to confirm that they can make it....
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Hey, hey, everybody. Welcome back from Spring Break. Lots to talk about this spring, including teachers' involuntary transfers to other schools, which could split up coaches from their teams and from each other. We'll also keep an eye on some track and field standouts — Foothill's Dayshan...
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What do you think of the March Madness so far? There sure have been some upsets in the first two rounds of the Men's tournament, including #2 Duke's loss to #7 West Virginia and UCLA barely beating Texas A&M (ok that isn't an upset, but it almost was). Now I'd like to see North...
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I'm not going to give up any secrets, but the All-Area teams for winter sports have been selected, along with a Player (or Wrestler) of the Year and a Coach of the Year in each sport.
Picking the teams, of course, ain't easy. Consider this: Typical all-league teams for basketball include...
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Sometimes it's hard to squeeze high school news out of spring break, but there seems to be a fair amount this week. We'll start football, everybody's favorite.
There was a news conference this weekend in L.A., and word is the state football championships likely are on their way out of the Home...
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Natural talent — good.
Steroids — bad.
That seems to be the way it goes with sports nowadays. But some bioethicists are questioning if this should be the case.
In a story in Science Progress by Arthur Caplan, John Harris, a British bioethicist, argues for steroids.
Can...
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I hesitate to even mention rumors, so take this post with a huge grain of salt. But there's something going on with the football program at Foothill High.
We had heard a few rumblings of it here in the office, and now there's a message thread on the topic over at cvhspreps.com. For those who...
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Dear Dogs and Cats, in the family
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food.
The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it, becoming your food and dish, nor do I find...
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Was just handed a release here in the office informing us that the artist formerly known as the Blitz Bowl will be played again, only this time it'll be known as the Edge Arena Bowl.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Blitz Bowl (like me until approximately four minutes ago), it's basically a...
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Some pictures of Ruger at 5 months:
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Every area, it seems like, has a few sports where it seems like the locals rise above the rest. Football, in Kern County, it seems like, is pretty darn good, with four section champions in the five divisions. Basketball isn't bad, but I'd say Fresno still has the edge there. Same with wrestling....
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Come support your very own Bakersfield Rollergirls this Saturday night as they take on the hard hitting ladis of Central Coast Roller Derby.
This bout will take place at the Rollerama on 34th St, doors open at 6pm. $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12.
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Before we get to the main post, let's play a quick word-association game. I'll let Garces junior Stephon Carter handle the first answer for me:
Campbell Hall and star guard Jrue Holiday? "As good as advertised," Carter said.
Garces' boys team? Poised for an even deeper run next year....
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If you haven't heard already, a couple of weeks ago, the owners of the two American open-wheel racing series (the Champ Car World Series-formerly known as CART-and the IRL/IndyCar Series) have decided to merge the struggling series together. Having two separate...
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You can check out videos on YouTube, MaxPreps, Ball is Life, or wherever else they may be, or you can just trust me on this one.
Campbell Hall's Jrue Holiday is one heck of a basketball player. It's become a cliché, but it's very fitting in this case: Holiday cannot be stopped, only...
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What a night it was for Garces, which will send both its boys and girls basketball teams into the state quarterfinals (technically, the Southern California semifinals, but who wants to get techinical?) after two very different victories at home.
The finals: Garces girls 48, Whittier Christian 46...
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I hope you like the video and don't forget to visit our official website: www. hanstaekwondo.NET
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If Mother Nature decides to take Sunday off we might have a race. Of course, I wouldn't mind a good ol' fashioned do-over after looking over the eight bums I picked in this week's Race to Victory contest.
Just looking over the car manufacturers for my team of drivers gives me the willys. I have...
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Andy has been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia. We met with Dr. Rooks today in Fountain Valley, CA. He wants Andy in for the TPO surgery on both hips in 9 days. Andy will also have to be double plated on each side. Until then Andy is not allowed to do anything other than walk on a leash outside to...
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No one looks good in this Clemens circus
Several congressmen said that they had a difficult time believing Roger Clemens’ testimony at Wednesday’s hearing.
Clemens testifies before Congress in baseball drug inquiry
Who is telling the...
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It's early Sunday morning and I'm still in the office. I was looking over the TV listings on zap2it.com and I realized that this is quite possibly one of the worst Sundays for watching sports.
I guess I could watch college basketball but after 20 straight weeks of NFL, no ACC matchup can hold...
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We're the ONLY team from Bakersfield to medal at the USA-TAEKWONDO Junior Olympics. Great Job Team! Don't forget to watch our other videos on YouTube and Please visit our website: www.hanstaekwondo.NET. Thank you.
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I have always said that the lines of racism will never go away until people like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Louis Farrkahn stop pointing at them. Now I am going to have to add Jim Brown to that list. I guess I have really always known he was a racist(that's right, people of color can be...
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Prince Andy went to San Mateo for his first birthday celebration to compete in the first of the International Sportsman's Expo events. He jumped a new personal best and cleared that magical 20 foot mark by jumping 20' 5" winning 2 firsts in his waves and finishing 8th in the...
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