Thanks to all my Facebook friends for engaging my curiousity when it comes to the Inland Empire.
First off, full disclosure, most of the newspapers in the area don't use the term "Inland Empire" when writing about their coverage area because no one knows for sure how one would define it. That's why I had to ask folks how they defined it.
The majority of folks who responded to my inquiry said that it is San Bernardino and Riverside counties. If that's the case, that's a pretty big region. Remember both counties stretch out to the state border with Arizona, and S.B. County also goes all the way to the Nevada border. And both contain areas that have their own confusing regional names (the Coachella Valley and High Desert).
My first experience actually working out this way was at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, a conveniently made up name that encompassed two separate papers circulation areas (Ontario's Daily Report and Pomona's Progress Bulletin). So it's always given me the impression that the Inland Empire should include the cities in Los Angeles County located east of the 57 Freeway (that's Pomona, Diamond Bar, Claremont, La Verne, San Dimas).
If you're curious, here's Wikipedia's Inland Empire page.
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The reason for all this mess was started by my thought that I might finally be able to say I covered a Heisman Trophy finalist with Toby Gerhart's nomination earlier this week (which turned out to be wrong, since I had covered games featuring a Heisman winner in Carson Palmer).
But Gerhart's status also got me thinking about where he would rank among the all-time great athletes to hail from the Inland Empire, and how he could become the first Heisman winner from the region.
But it could be argued by some that the Inland Empire already has one. Or does it? It all depends on how you define it.
You see, Glenn Davis, a running back for Army, won the Heisman Trophy in 1946. That Heisman is sitting inside a trophy case at Bonita High School in La Verne.
Yes, technically still LA County, but part of the Inland Empire? To some, probably. Thus the inquiry.
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So, who are some of the best athletes in the history of the Inland Empire? Do you count the High Desert and Coachella Valleys when you consider it? The mountain communities?
I know a few people who would be on the list without argument. You've got NFL Hall of Famers Anthony Munoz (Ontario, which named a community center and park for him) and Ronnie Lott (Eisenhower High in Rialto). Michelle Kwan was considered from Lake Arrowhead. Cheryl Miller (and her former Angel brother) hail from Riverside, as do Dusty Baker and Bobby Bonds. Derek Parra won Olympic medals in speed skating (learning on wheels in San Bernardino). Softball player Leah O'Brien-Amico, who won three gold medals, is from Chino. And there's Diana Taurasi, who played at Don Lugo High in Chino.
There's probably more (obvious ones, I'm sure), but that's all I can get off the top of my head. But some of the others I'm thinking of are from those fringe areas - Mark McGwire spent time at Damien High in La Verne and Jim Edmonds was from Diamond Bar. And while neither may end up in the Hall of Fame, they both had impressive careers in baseball.
And that's not counting anyone who played minor league sports on their way up through the system (major league rehab assignments don't count Manny Ramirez).
All a bit confusing (probably pointless), I know.
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Also running through my skull during that time was the names of the best players I ever got to see play as a reporter covering high school (and some JC). Most of the names that popped in were football players because most of the time, that's all we end up covering on regular basis.
So, here they are, in no particular order:
* Chris Draft, Valencia High (Placentia). He was a man in high school, so much so that they called him "Mr. Draft" at Valencia (and it was on the back of his letterman's jacket. He was taller than me and built like a house. He played running back and linebacker for some very good teams at Valencia (still one of the best high school environments in my memories). He went on to play linebacker in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons.
* Toby Gerhart, Norco. Got to see him play a bunch of times each of his years at Norco (another great high school game environment, probably because it's still a one high school town). He ran over people, could cut and gain yards with the best of them (which, in state history, he is). You knew they were always in a game as long as they could hand the ball off to him (which they did, a lot).
* Carson Palmer, Santa Margarita. I only got a small sample size with him, but what I saw was pretty good. My greatest memory of him playing was sitting in the press box and seeing the offense come out with an empty backfield, five wide and Palmer in the shotgun. I said aloud (to no one in particular) that the play was going to be a quarterback draw. And a couple of seconds later, I was proven right.
* Reuben Droughns, Anaheim. Just a fabulous runner. He was one more dependant on hitting his holes and outrunning you, rather than the power of a Gerhart or Draft. He was on pace to set the Orange County record for career rushing yards, but got sidetracked by a suspension at the start of his senior year (he and some friends allegedly took part in a prank the night of the previous graduation).
* Garrett Sabol, Kennedy (La Palma). The only name on this list who you've probably never heard of. He wasn't the biggest player or the fastest, but man did he make up for it with his ability to be in the right place at the right time. And he hit as hard as anyone I've ever seen. Anyone who came up the middle with him at linebacker or safety was just asking for him to hit you. He went to Oregon and I found this tackle on YouTube.
After that, I saw plenty of solid Division I basketball players (boys and girls), plenty of pro prospects in baseball (I saw Steve Trachsel pitch while I was at Fullerton JC) and lots of great softball pitchers.
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So, with that, I'll wrap things up. Like I said in the title, it's a bit of randomness. But I needed to write something to help clear my head. And since I've been on a bit of break, I figured it'd be a good few topics to maybe get myself going again.
Have a good holiday season.
