Duck’s Costa doubtful for opener, but MRI results still not released.

On the other hand, it looks like Sanchez will start after all.

Okanes on what we learned during fall camp. Mixed views on what it means that Boateng is not starting.

Cal’s official press release for MSU game. Some interesting factoids.

Video interview with some cal Olympians.

This is an important article with an overview of how ALL the Cal athletes did at the Olympics.

BEIJING – California came away from the 2008 Summer Olympic Games with a new medal record and a host of memories to add to the Golden Bears’ already storied history in the Olympics. More than 40 past, present and future Cal athletes competed in China and, led by Bears swimming legend Natalie Coughlin, they combined to collect 17 Olympic medals. Coughlin became the most decorated U.S. women’s Olympian ever by winning an unprecedented six medals in one Olympiad, while former Cal All-American Jason Kidd capped the Bears’ presence in Beijing with a flourish by winning a gold medal with the U.S. men’s basketball team.

Here’s the Medal Count. If Cal was it’s own country (and if so Tedford for Despot!), we’d be 16th after Canada and before the Netherlands.

That seems amazing to me. Does anybody how many medals other schools might have gotten?

Cal wins its home opener in women’s soccer:

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Redshirt sophomore Lisa Kevorkian netted two goals to lead No. 15 California to a 3-1 victory over San Jose State Sunday at Spartan Stadium in the Golden Bears’ season opener. The Spartans fell to 0-2, as they lost their season opener to Santa Clara, 3-0, on Friday.

“It’s always good to start the season with a win,” said second-year Cal head coach Neil McGuire. “We created a lot of goal-scoring opportunities, but we need to improve our efficiency rate in front of the goal. San Jose State was very well organized and tough to break down.”

A Cal junior won the British Open Amateur:

BERKELEY, Calif. – California junior Roseanne Niven won the Ladies British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Malone Golf Club near Belfast, Ireland. The victory comes on the heels of Niven’s semifinal showing in the British Women’s Open Amateur Match Play Championship at the North Berwick Golf Club in East Lothian, Scotland, in June.

Today, Niven beat Kylie Walker at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Niven posted a score of even-par 288 with a final round of four-under-par 68 – the lowest of the championship. Niven was the seventh Scot to win the stroke-play tournament, which started in 1969.

Cal routed Stanford in field hockey. It was just a scrimmage, but either way, that sounds good to me:

STANFORD – California routed Stanford, 5-1, in a scrimmage with Golden Bears head coach and U.S. Olympic assistant coach Shellie Onstead looking on Saturday at the Varsity Field Hockey Turf. Five different players scored for the Bears, who play a scrimmage on Tuesday before opening the 2008 season on Aug. 30 at Pacific.

Redshirt freshman Erin Magill scored the first Cal goal off a penalty corner, junior midfielder Caitlin Byrne scored the second, senior defender Rachel Moffitt scored off a penalty stroke, senior midfielder Andrea Lo scored on a backhand and senior forward Katie Knoche pounced on a corner that went wide to knock in the Bears’ final goal of the game.

already bought the “Inside The Huddle” book at the FanFest. it’s very cool. you should get one.

Alicia Sacrermione (Granger) photo slideshow.

In case you missed the announcement before, our college Pick ’Em league is back. Go here, and use league #6229, password “ilovelongshore”.

Interview with MSU head coach.

You mentioned the Cal game. They obviously have a starter [at quarterback] now, [Kevin] Riley came on last year. How does he affect your preparation at all and how big is it to start off with a game like that?
MD: Cal has a couple of different unknowns there. One, they have a new offensive coordinator and two, they’ve gone to sort of a 3-4 defense, which they haven’t run as much. Riley is an excellent quarterback. Both those guys are. A very well-coached football team, very tied together in all aspects, whether it’s the passing game or protection. Defensively, the same thing could be said. So it will be a tremendous challenge for us, going out there on the West Coast, playing a team that at one point in time last year was ranked No. 2 in the nation. We’re coming right into the fire. I think we’ll learn a little bit about ourselves as we go. It will be a learning experience for us from that respect. I’m sure there’s going to be adversity. I’m sure we’re going to come away happy with some things and not so happy with some things, but that’s football. We’re going to be ready for the challenge, I can tell you that. We’ll be focused.

First interview with Longshore since Riley was announced as the starter.

“I’m just doing the same thing, focusing on getting better and improving, and focusing on doing whatever the team needs to win,” Longshore said 48 hours after coach Jeff Tedford tabbed Kevin Riley as the Bears’ starting quarterback. “I’m preparing the same way, preparing to play the best you can. Nothing changes. You’re trying to go out there and win the game. No matter who’s playing, it doesn’t matter. I came out focused on getting better. That’s all you can do.”

In his 2008 Pac-10 preseason predictions Ted Miller says Jahvid Best will be the Pac-10 offensive player of the year.

Jahvid Best, RB, California: If Best stays healthy, he will be the most dangerous multi-purpose threat in the Pac-10. Actually, he and USC’s Joe McKnight would be a dead-heat on that, but I suspect Best will get more touches and therefore more highlight-reel plays. Best could easily eclipse 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving, not to mention take a couple of returns to the house.

Ted Miller lists what he thinks will be the top ten Pac-10 games of the year (including non-conference play). Among those are Oregon at Cal and ASU at Cal. For the first time in many years, the Cal/USC game isn’t one of the most anticipated Pac-10 games of the season. That will likely change as the season goes on.

Jeff Sagrin has us ranked #14! You gotta respect a guy that makes his rankings without reading other polls first.

More Tha1 lovefest coverage:

Jackson leaving Birds at loss for words

By REUBEN FRANK
phillyBurbs.com

About a week ago, everybody in the Eagles’ organization suddenly stopped lavishing praise on hot-shot rookie receiver DeSean Jackson.

It almost seemed a memo went out.

Don’t let the kid’s head get too big.

Marty Mornhinweg, who said at Lehigh that Jackson picked up the offense faster than anybody he’d ever seen, warned people to wait and see how he does in the regular season.

Donovan McNabb, who raved about Jackson a week earlier, backed off, insisting "it’s only preseason."

Andy Reid talked more about what Jackson still had to learn than what he’d already shown.

General Manager Tom Heckert, in a video interview on the team’s official web site, even joked that he didn’t want to praise Jackson "in case he sees this."

If they did send a memo out, Brian Westbrook didn’t get it.

"It’s obvious that he’s going to stretch the field," Westbrook said yesterday. "The defense is going to have to plan for him and see where he’s at on every possession. His being alone is something that they are going to have to reckon with, and he’ll continue to get better as the season goes on as long as we continue to put the ball in his hands.

"He’s going to be able to make plays, and like we said before, the more playmakers that you can have on the field at once, the more things the defense has to prepare for."

Jackson has 16 receptions for 189 yards in the preseason and returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in the preseason win over the Patriots.

Westbrook said he thinks Jackson’s presence — his ability to get open, his skill with the ball in his hands, his pure speed — will dramatically change the way defenses approach the Eagles.

"I’m tired of seeing eight men in a box," said Westbrook, the NFL’s total offense leader last year. "I want to see an opportunity where the defense has to respect our receivers."

"He’s an exciting player," Westbrook said. "I think probably since I’ve been here he probably is one of the more exciting rookies. … He’s gone out there and his moves, his speed have really been exciting for me and for the other guys on the team as well. We expect a lot of him."

Safety Brian Dawkins didn’t get the memo, either.

"When you have a receiver who can get up the field like he gets up the field … (he) makes it look effortless," Dawkins said. "The thing I’ve seen a lot of good receivers have is a step-back move – to be able to catch the ball and once you catch it, make the first guy pause and stop his feet.

"That’s what he has. He has the ability to step back once he catches the ball and make that first cat miss. Then he has the acceleration to get away from him really fast. Not a lot of people have that. He definitely has it."

Funny ass Tedford impersonation

Randomness:

Fox Sports ranks all the Division I head coaches.

Tedford comes in at #16, which, considering the guys above him, is a pretty fair statement.

Tidbits from ESPN’s Herbie Awards:
Quarterbacks-What a difference a year makes: 6. Kevin Riley
Top OLBs: 3. Zack Follett
Top Punt/Kick Returners: 3. Jahvid Best
Top Playcallers, based on projected player personnel: 7. Frank Cignetti
All-Uni Team—What a college football team should look like:
C- Alex Mack (only player on offense from the Pac-10)
OLB- Zack Follett
Gameday sites ESPN must visit: 4. Cal

Mark Schlabach picks us against Utah in the Las Vegas bowl, Bruce Feldman picks us against Texas in the Holiday bowl. Link.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/comments/view?f=/c/a/2008/08/25/BAEK12HVVG.DTL

I noticed that Addicted to Quack holds a season-long contest where participants pick the winners from five select college football games every week. Whoever has the most correct picks at the end of the season wins a prize (an Oregon jersey in their case). Would anyone here be interested in doing something like that?

Random Note:
I asked Brock Mansion what jerseys the Bears will be wearing for the MSU game, and he ignored me. I feel hurt.

It wasn’t my first choice either.

FYI, the SBN platform will be undergoing some scheduled maintenance tonight at 11pm. should last about 2 hours.

Nate beat out Brock for the prized holder position!

Oregon’s Nate Costa out at least 8-10 weeks.

I got around to making a welcome present. It will really tie their blog together!