Rick Vacek, Neighbor

Rick Vacek, 55, has been a journalist for 40 years. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he covered high school athletics for The Suburban Trib, a former supplement of the Chicago Tribune, and for the San Jose Mercury News, and he also covered the Oakland Athletics for two seasons while at the Mercury News. He later was sports editor of four newspapers: The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa), the Los Angeles Daily News, the Fresno Bee and the Kansas City Star. He currently is Executive Editor of The Sports Xchange, a sports content provider. He lives in Santa Rosa with his three children and avidly participates in a number of sports, particularly golf, racquetball and baseball.