The Bakersfield Voice

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Yogi Berra, your words proved prophetic: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!” In one of the most dramatic fashions one could imagine, Stockdale High School rose from the grave before the final shovel full of dirt was tossed on them and beat back Clovis High School to capture the Central Section Division I baseball championship with a score of 7-6 in eight innings. Dramatic? Indeed! Improbable? Yes! Bottom of the seventh, two down and nobody on — and trailing by three! By utilizing grit and fortitude and, most importantly, faith, the Mustangs somehow kicked their heels up and tallied the necessary runs to tie the game and send it to the additional frame, where they pushed across one run for the victory. Congratulations, Coach Lemon, and to your staff and the players for bringing home Stockdale’s first-ever D-I title in baseball. Gentlemen, you did Harry Houdini proud!

Kudos to Stockdale’s Jeremy Quiroz, and to BHS’s Michael Rodriguez and partner David Mossman for winning Central Section singles and doubles tennis titles, respectively.

  California Major League Baseball update: The Dodgers seem to be reeling-in the D-Backs as they have pulled to within two and a half games of the NL West leaders. Torre magic is beginning to kick in! The lowly Giants are moon-walking to the cellar! They are Barry-less for the first time in years as Bonds is in purgatory and Zito is invisible. The Padres are dwelling in the cellar and their disabled list is as long as the arm of the law, which is about to come down on “Barroid” Bonds.

  Shifting to the American League, we find the Angels and the surprising Athletics scrumming for first place in the AL West. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Calif. in Orange County (Owner Moreno wants us all to know where they are from!) are stocked with pitching and hitting and possess the game’s premier closer in Francisco Rodriguez. The low-payroll, overachieving A’s are in the race and welcomed back designated hitter Frank Thomas after he berated the Blue Jays for demoting him in Toronto.

Ultimate curveball:  “Abbey Road” is a better Beatles album than “Sergeant Pepper’s!”