News and notes as football season has officially arrived. ...

While the CU athletic department works to climb out of its multi-million dollar hole, Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny have pledged $100 million to the University of Oregon athletic department. Perhaps this is Knight's way of making up for forcing the Ducks to wear the ugliest uniforms in sports. ...

The Buffs will debut their new uniforms Saturday and fellow Big 12 school Iowa State will do the same next year. However, Cyclones fans will have a say in the matter, as ISU is allowing people to vote on the team's new helmet design. The helmet will be white with a white face mask, but fans can pick between logos with "Cyclones" written in cursive, "ISU" in curved block letters or a large "I" with "State" written across it. Voting at www.cyclones.com is scheduled to end Friday. ...

Meanwhile, when Sul Ross State, a Division III Texas school takes the field for its season opener Saturday, Mike Flynt could be on the field. What's the big deal? He's 59 years old and making a comeback with one year of eligibility left. Flynt, a grandfather who is eight years older than head coach Steve Wright, was kicked off the team his senior season in 1971 for fighting. Flynt said he it was the biggest regret of his life and now he hopes to help the Lobos any way he can. If it's not on the field, the 5-9, 195-pound linebacker will likely aid the team in the weight room as a former strength and conditioning coach at schools like Oregon, Texas A&M and Nebraska. ...

Skip Storch has more strength than I can imagine. Storch will circle the island of Manhattan three times starting Wednesday — by swimming. The 50-year-old is trying to set a record and raise money for sarcoidosis — a disease in which inflammation produces tiny clumps of cells in various organs that can affect their functioning, and a disease Storch suffers from. Many New Yorkers have contracted the disease after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks because of the contaminated dust that filled the air after the tragedy. Storch's weakened immune system won't be the only obstacle in his way as he tries to beat Stacy Chanin's record for the 85½-mile swim (33 hours, 30 minutes), which she set in 1984. Storch also faces the threat of hypothermia as he swims in only a bathing suit, goggles and cap; any rain before or during his swim could cause overflowing sewers to fill the Hudson River with fecal coliform bacteria (ewww); and, of course, the strong currents in the water. Here's hoping Storch safely makes his mark on the record books. ...

In a week of baseball for the record books — 30 runs scored by the Rangers, 10 RBIs in one game for the Angels' Garret Anderson — Arizona's Mark Reynolds matched a mark he would have liked to avoid. The third baseman struck out Tuesday — his ninth consecutive K — to tie the major-league record for consecutive strikeouts by a non-pitcher. Reynolds will not have to stand alone in the record books though because, almost mercifully, Milwaukee's Dave Bush hit him with a pitch in his next at bat to end the streak. ...

By the way, prior to Reynolds reaching the mark, Bo Jackson was the most recent non-pitcher to strike out nine times in a row. He did so in 1988. ...

Meanwhile, in an upset, Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run ball will be auctioned off. Matt Murphy, who caught No. 756 in San Francisco, said last week that he couldn't afford to keep the ball because of the taxes he might face just for owning it. Get your checkbooks out because the bidding starts Tuesday at www.scpauctions.com and the auction house expects the ball to bring in at least $500,000. ...

Also from the big leagues, PETA picked Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park as the No. 1 vegetarian-friendly stadium in the country. Phillies fans can nosh on veggie hoagies, garden burgers, vegan hot dogs and even, get this, Philly cheesesteaks — without the actual steak. The faux-meat cheesesteaks are wheat-based and apparently very popular. I'll take PETA's word for it. ...

It's hard to say how popular Michelle Wie will be when she begins school at Stanford next month. One thing is for sure though, she'll be staying in a dorm on campus. "I think that I would be missing out on college life if I didn't stay in the freshman dorm," she said. "I think that's where all the drama happens." Doesn't this girl have enough drama in her life? And, if for some reason she doesn't think so, I pity her roommate. ...

Congrats to a more-impressive female golfer — Sheila Drummond. The 53-year-old recorded an ace on a 144-yard, par-3 in Pennsylvania last week. By the way, she's been blind for 26 years. ...

And finally, I won't say I told you so, but ... David Beckham skipped Sunday's game against the Rapids in Commerce City. Here's hoping you weren't one of the 500 to buy standing-room only tickets on Wednesday. By the way, that was perfect timing by the Rapids, knowing that Becks was playing a full game in England on Wednesday, planning to play in L.A. on Thursday, and before Friday's official announcement he wouldn't even make the trip to Colorado. Way to cash in on the bandwagon you know isn't pulling into the station. ...

Oh, but no worries, Beckham said in a statement Friday, "I look forward to making it out to Colorado for our next scheduled match there." Don't hold your breath soccer fans, that's not until next season.