Sportif

Today marks a busy sports weekend: on the top of the list is Cal's defeat of Oregon at Eugene 31-24 in a thriller which ends with the Ducks fumbling a completed pass into the end-zone giving Cal a touch-back instead of a tied game. The Bears are 5-0 with a legitimate Heisman candidate in DeSean Jackson (11 catches yesterday for 161 yards) and will remain ranked at least fifth in the country. USC on November tenth looms large assuming, of course, the Bears don't cough up the season to a lesser team. Boy have we been there and done that.

Today is the Berlin Marathon, one of the world's fastest, and the great Haile Gebrselassie indeed breaks the World Record with a time of 2:04:26. That is 4:42 miling for 26 miles - God Damn! While lifting weights, I watch the inspiring Paula Radcliffe (pictured, photo from the WWW) take second to American upstart Kara Goucher in the Great North Run, which is the world's largest race with over 50,000 runners. Kara's first half marathon nets 67:45 - a new American record. That chick has got some legs under her. Closer to home, Eitan starts his Saturday at swimming practice then football, where he has advanced to an older, and better, group of boys - despite this, he scores a goal and is chosen "Player Of The Game." (Madeleine misses out as we bring the wrong shoes to the pitch). Finally, Sonnet is up at 6AM today to jog eight miles around Richmond Park. We are loving life.