For Bush, charity comes before deal - New Orleans Times-Picayune
...many say that what Bush has done so early in his career is unusual. He hasn't signed with the team yet, hasn't run the ball even once, but already he's woven his way into the fabric of stricken New Orleans charitably, in part because of his high visibility...

...Bush said what he is doing is real and heart-felt, and not just a plan...

..."My motivation? I wouldn't look at it as me jumping into it and getting in a hurry," Bush said. "It's in God's plans. I've been blessed in my lifetime to be successful in football and in coming here to the state of Louisiana, if you have the opportunity to help out in a city with so much need, why not? It's a blessing to be in position to do things like this...

Also, Saints RB Bush reaches out to Slidell residents - NFL News

Mixing Business With Pleasure - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
...The symposium kicked off Sunday with a panel discussion that included San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman and former USC linebacker Lofa Tatupu, now of the Seattle Seahawks.

This after a series of skits simulating life as an NFL rookie along with introductory questions like, "Have you been asked for money since joining the league?"

Tatupu noted how "your family suddenly gets a lot bigger when you're in the NFL" in reference to the growing number of people hitting him up for cash.

Both second-year pros spoke of the incessant temptation brought about by women, Tatupu saying, "It's like on a kickoff return, you just have to keep your head on a swivel."...

USC expected to be kings of Pac-10 again - Athlon Sports
The common theme west of the Rockies is that USC is recruiting on a level that’s so much higher than anyone else that it’s just not fair to the other schools. Coaches from across the region agree the Trojans pretty much pick the players they want.

So how loaded are the Trojans?...

...The Trojans have so much depth, and at nearly every position, that even though they are unproven at key areas, recent history says they are the team to beat. USC has won the last four league titles and has won 23 straight games within the conference...

Also, Athlon Sports 2006 All-Pac-10 Teams - Athlon Sports

Hampton fest gets new director - Seattle Times
There will be no more first-place trophies for Seattle high-school jazz bands at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival.

That's the word from John Clayton, new artistic director of the education-centered festival in Moscow, Idaho. Clayton accepted the post this week.

"There is no such thing as 'the best' trumpet player," said the bassist, band leader and past-Grammy Award nominee, from Los Angeles...

No stranger to the Northwest, Clayton was appointed artistic director of Jazz Port Townsend two years ago. Clayton also teaches bass at the University of Southern California and co-leads the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, whose new CD features vocalist Diana Krall...

L.A. Avengers re-sign FB/LB Lonnie Ford - OurSports.com
Fullback/linebacker Lonnie Ford and the Los Angeles Avengers have come to an agreement on a two-year contract that will keep the veteran in Los Angeles through the 2008 season, head coach Ed Hodgkiss announced today.

Ford (6-foot-2, 260 pounds, USC) has spent all four of his seasons in the Arena Football League with the Avengers. He is the team's all-time leader in every rushing category with 500 yards and 28 touchdowns on 140 carries...

..."Lonnie has been with us for a long time and has proven himself as one of the top fullback/linebackers in our league," Hodgkiss said. "He's also a leader on this team and we are very excited to lock him up for two more years."...

[Miller] LenDale White is back with bite - OC Register
...LenDale White smiled and, for just a moment, it looked like he hadn't brushed his teeth in a while. At least not since he ate that tiara.

The former USC record-setting runner isn't a vegetarian, but these days he has a mouthful of karats.

"Worth probably $26,000," White said...

...Made of diamonds and gold they are, the removable bridges - both upper and lower - that White now wears on occasion. Covering most of his visible smile, they are less dental work than mental quirk, a symbol that gives White a certain psychological boost.

They are crowns, in the absolute truest sense...

Rooms filling up for USC - Arkansas News
Every day, procrastinators are adding miles and minutes to their game-day drive for USC-Arkansas football.

Such is the penalty for putting off reserving rooms for the Sept. 2 game.

More than two months out, almost 3,700 hotel-motel rooms are sold out in Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Lowell, and Johnson. Working north, Allyson Twiggs, director of the Fayetteville Visitors Bureau, is booking rooms in Bentonville. Next in the widening arc is Van Buren, almost an hour southwest of Fayetteville...

[Mandel] Head man hierarchy - CNNSI
...A year ago this week, in an attempt to lull Mailbag readers out of their midsummer comas and submit some questions, I came up with a list of the 10 best and five worst coaches in the country. Suffice it to say, the rankings worked a whole lot of people into something of a frenzy...

...My top 10 coaches heading into the 2006 season

1. Pete Carroll, USC: I find it pretty amusing that some people have chosen to blame Carroll -- specifically his ill-fated fourth-and-two call -- for the Rose Bowl loss to Texas. The guy won 34 straight games, people. I don't think he suddenly forgot how to coach with two minutes left in the Rose Bowl...

Boys Swimmer of the Year: Palos Verdes' Kevin Graner - Daily Breeze
...In a way, Kevin Graner and the Palos Verdes swim team have developed hand-in-hand for the last four years.

The Daily Breeze Boys Swimmer of the Year has left his imprint on the Sea Kings and a legacy that will not soon be forgotten.

"The only thing I can say is that it's just amazing to know that since I've been team captain, we've won four consecutive Ocean League titles and a CIF championship," Graner said...

...But living in glories past isn't one of Graner's goals, as he prepares to swim for USC next year...

[Layden] Sunday storylines - CNNSI
...as I bring new eyes to the nation's Sunday pastime, I'm curious about a few things:

1. The Bush-Brees show in New Orleans

Three years ago I sat in USC coach Pete Carroll's office after a Tuesday-afternoon practice. Carroll, then in his first year in Los Angeles, was scarfing down dinner and swilling Mountain Dew, watching tape of the day's practice. Hidden among the budding stars on the tape was a running back wearing jersey number five. "Reggie Bush," Carroll said. "Watch this."

There are few things in my business like seeing the genesis of greatness. In any sport. On this evening I watched Bush run half a dozen plays with USC's second and third offensive units. Twice he ran the wrong play altogether, a common freshman mistake. Twice he wasn't a factor in the play. Twice he made my jaw hit the table...

Also, Bush remains evasive over possible lawsuit - San Diego Union-Tribune

Color back on sidelines - Maryville Times
...Gosh, it looks like a college football game was meant to look: our colors matched against theirs.

Why not the boring, generic white the NCAA decreed 36 years ago when contrasting the teams on back-and-white television screens was a major concern?...

...the NCAA never has come around to rescinding the rule..

...At long last, the rule may be on the way out, a change initiated by a decision UCLA and Southern California made to ask the NCAA for permission to wear their colored jerseys when they play late this season...

Getting reel about football - VC Star
Saturday afternoons rank high on Samson Szakacsy's favorite moments during the high school football season.

Sure, the game's over. The aches and pains from Friday night's contest are throbbing like a set of drums...

...But, for now, grandfather Dale Jackson is waiting for you with the tape of the latest game...

...Armed with ideal size, a strong right arm and a commitment to attend USC, the 6-foot-4, 198-pound Szakacsy will enter the 2006 season considered among the top quarterbacks in the state...