If you’re like me, you’re bothered when you see online hunks with screennames including the words “hot” or “jock.”

First, “hot” is a subjective term that should only be applied to you, not by you.

Second, just because you know your way around a weightroom doesn’t mean you can throw or catch a ball. The word “jock” should be reserved for people with sports prowess, and if you’ll pardon my George Carlin impersonation – weightlifting isn’t a sport!

At last Gay.com settled the issue last week by crowning the Internet’s “Hottest Jock,” a gay rodeo cowboy with the screen name Kiddie74 on the popular Web site.

He is a 30 year old living in Tampa, Fla. He calls rodeo “a dangerous sport that gets the adrenaline pumping.” But he’s no one-trick pony. This multi-sport stud is also a competitive water-skier, target shooter and volleyball player.

Kiddie74 had some stiff competition. Gay.com voters cast several ballots for a total of five user-finalists:

Here’s how the rest of them ranked after all the votes were tallied.

GlovdJock may have gotten the shaft in the voting. The picture the editors at Gay.com used for his voting page was certainly not the most attractive photo he had online, and so he finished in second place. Savvy users had to click a couple times to see the real goods, and let me tell you, he’s definitely a hot one. He plays football and is into extreme sports. He’s 25 and lives in Oroville, Calif.

Maxell1 isn’t as much a jock as he is a sports enthusiast, which may explain why he finished so low in the voting. Just because I watch basketball on TV doesn’t make me an NBA All-Star. But he certainly is a cutie. I found it interesting that this 31-year-old finalist from Houston, Texas was the only finalist with facial hair.

Jzawjzaw is an avid cyclist, and for years now has helped organize the Friends for Life Bike Rally for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation. The 30-year old Canadian lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Most of the week he led the pack in voting, but as more votes came in, he slipped in the rankings.

Swim19 was my personal favorite. The 21-year-old from Higganum, Conn. is an NCAA Division I college swimmer. “I practice twice a day, 20 hours a week,” he said, and his sessions consist of swimming, running and lifting. Well, Swim, we can certainly tell you spend a lot of hours in the pool! Woof!

All but one of these studs is an active, avid athlete. They play real sports, where a score is actually kept and winning is the goal. They are real jocks, and even though only one of them could win, I’m sure it was “just an honor to be nominated.”

Now, it should be noted that the editors of Gay.com selected the five finalists, and they say they had plenty to choose from. What I can’t figure out is where the diversity is among the finalists. I’m not saying there should have been a quota, but it strikes me odd that a guy who doesn’t even play sports, Maxell1, is on the list, and editors couldn’t find a hot Latin, Asian, or black athlete to include?

And, don’t women play sports, too? Hello!

Maybe we should sponsor a “San Diego’s Hottest Jock” competition?

America’s Finest City Softball League has announced Sunday, March 30 as the opening day of its Spring 2008 season.

Opening day will kick off 11 weeks of competition spread over 14 weeks. The season will end on June 29, 2008.

Anyone interested in playing can attend a recruitment event. League players and board members will be on hand to help new players with basic skills and to assess with which division experienced ballplayers might be most comfortable.

Player recruitment drives are not tryouts. No one is turned away, and the volunteers who comprise the various committees make every effort to place newcomers onto teams before the start of the season.

Player recruitment drives are on the following Sundays: Feb. 10, and Feb. 24 from 9-11 a.m. and March 9 from 2-4 p.m. at Hourglass Park in Mira Mesa.

For more information, visit www.afcsl.org.