He's 55 and Mark Jensen needs to play on for just one more ACT baseball season to reach his 50th anniversary at the Woden Rebels club. Jensen incredibly notched his 800th senior game for the club on Saturday, accumulated over 38 seasons. But that doesn't count his junior years, starting in 1966 in the under-7s. Jensen has a running April Fool's joke every year when the baseball season ends. "I've been retiring for the last five years, at the end of every season in April I say 'I've had enough'. But everyone just laughs at me when I say it now, and every September I get the itch to again. It's why my garden looks the way it does, because every summer for the past 38 years I got out every weekend to play baseball." Jensen tried cricket one year at 14, but baseball's in his blood. He even represented the ACT in an exhibition baseball tournament against the Australian World Series cricket team, including keen baseballers Ian Chappell and Allan Border, in the early 1980s. "My father played, my brother played, my two daughters played for the first five years of women's baseball, my wife scores. The Rebels has always been a family club," he said. Jensen doesn't quite know when he'll really hang up the cleats, but but he's ruled out playing on to 1000 games. "The problem is I'm playing about 20 games a season, so if I wanted to get to 1000 that's another 10 years. I'd be 65, so I don't think so. The longer you go on, the more aches and pains there are."
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Big hitters on the fairways for Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart will host his fourth annual golf day at Royal Canberra on Monday and the charity drive has already got off to a great start. More than $55,000 was raised on Tuesday when sponsors bid for the chance to partner the celebrities in the field, which will include Footy Show host Darryl Brohman, Queensland State of Origin coach Mal Meninga, media personalities Leila McKinnon and Sam Kekovich and golfers such as Wayne Grady, Rodger Davis and Brendan Jones. Stuart is aiming to raise far more on the day, all of which goes towards improving respite and care facilities for children with disabilities in the ACT. Stuart's daughter Emma has autism and he's proud his foundation has raised enough money to start building a new respite centre in Chifley next month. "This golf day will take us well over the $500,000 mark raised in four years, which helps provide respite and care for families who have children with disabilities," Stuart said.
Brumbies to New Zealand boots 'n' all
Rookie ACT Brumbies flanker Sean Doyle was left stranded without fresh clothes and his rugby boots in New Zealand. Doyle's bag was left at Sydney airport because the plane carrying the Brumbies to Auckland was too full to fit all of the travelling equipment. Maybe the crew in Sydney were playing games on Doyle, knowing he was already nervous for his first Super Rugby game as a bench replacement for David Pocock. He spent almost 48 hours in New Plymouth without clothes and bought a new pair of boots for training on Friday. It could have been worse for the Brumbies. About eight bags were left on the tarmac in Canberra because the plane was too heavy with all of their gear. Luckily they made it to Sydney in time for the flight across the Tasman. Talking of boots, there's a photo circulating of prop Jean-Pierre Smith wearing his in bed before the game against the Chiefs. Apparently he was breaking in new boots to avoid blisters, but teammates suspect it's a strange front-rower's ritual.
Bibby not fine with parking
Canberra Capitals veteran Jess Bibby is sticking it to the man, fighting two parking fines at the University of Canberra after being pinged while completing her WNBL training commitments. At a time when the women's sport is fighting to save its television coverage deal with the ABC, Bibby believes her parking case highlights more gender inequality. The Capitals players have to pay to park and then go to training at their new facilities. Just down the path the ACT Brumbies get free parking at their new $16 million training venue. "Tell me if the Brumbies have to pay for their parking," Bibby said. " I am fighting mine, we have to go to training every day and pay. We're not asking for special treatment, but we go to work in the morning, stand up all day at our jobs and then come to training and we're asked to pay money that we're not making. If the Brumbies were in the same situation it would be different." Bibby is weighing up her WNBL future after 370 games in the league. She needs to play just eight more games to pass the all-time WNBL record. But she is considering retirement despite having one more year remaining on her contract.
Stewart feels need for speed
Bungendore apprentice carpenter Michael Stewart is set to continue his rise through the national speedway ranks when he contests the Australian Speedcar title at Warrnambool in Victoria next weekend. The 19-year-old, in just his third year of speedway, is the only driver from the ACT in the 50-plus car field. But Stewart has plenty of experience behind the wheel, starting in karting when he was six. "The Australian championship is the biggest race on the calendar every year and has the best Aussies and some of the best American drivers competing. The standard of competition is brutal. You have to bring your A-game or you're wasting your time even showing up. If you can make a name for yourself at the Aussie title it goes a long way to increasing your profile nationally. Right now we want to win races but also earn opportunities that can take us further in the sport," he said.
Will Croatian clubs co-operate?
It will be interesting to see what comes of a meeting between soccer clubs Canberra FC and the O'Connor Knights next week. Both have traditional Croatian links and there were rumours of a potential merger. But an inside source claims the meeting will be to discuss forming a joint team in the lower grades, possibly in State League Three, so as not to lose excess players to other clubs. "We've invited them to the club and see what they're proposing," a Canberra FC spokesman said. "My understanding is it's only for one team, not a merger."
