AGOSTINI: Too hot for prep football

Reading time, two minutes:

• Remember when Labor Day meant back-to-school? Before the holiday, many high school football teams will have logged two games.

• These hot-weather nights force coaches to replace "Fight!" with "Hydrate!"

• About two decades after the Downey Knights scorched opponents with Tony Graziani, they roll with Aaron Zwahlen.

• Another reason, besides Monday Night Football, why football junkies love the first day of the week: The Modesto Quarterback Club starts a new season Monday at noon at Coaches Corner (formerly Monaco's on Oakdale Road).

• Lance Armstrong the hero, cancer conqueror, good-hearted fund-raiser or drug cheat? Could be all four.

• San Jose State senior safety James Orth (Central Catholic) owns sticky hands — seven interceptions in the last two years.

• The word from Nevada: 6-foot-7 tight end Zach Sudfeld (Modesto Christian) will start next week against Cal. QB Devin Combs (Oakdale, Modesto Junior College) is Cody Fajardo's backup.

• We hoped for brother-vs.-brother next week, but Cal OL Dominic Galas is injured while Nevada C Matt Galas will start.

• Fresno State's Isaiah Burse (Modesto Christian) set four NCAA records for kickoff returns. One year later, he would exchange a few of those kickoff returns for pass receptions.

• No better way to end a scrimmage: Fresno State redshirt freshman kicker Quentin Breshears (Pitman High) drilled a 45-yard field goal.

• A nice addition: Weekly televised games from the Modesto Metro Conference.

• Bartolo Colon, go stand in the corner next to Melky Cabrera.

• Ryan Braun skated on a technicality finessed by an army of attorneys. Melky Cabrera tried to defend himself with a phony Web site. Lesson: It's not an equal playing field.

• Convicted drug merchant Victor Conte belongs in the same category as Jose Canseco — sleazy but usually right.

• Ballplayers can intake up to a 3.99-to-1 ratio of synthetic testosterone and get away with it. And you're wondering why baseball still has major PED problems?

• Remember the good old days when the Bay Area was known for fog and good restaurants?

• Come Wednesday, I'm waiting for another Bay Area druggie to fall.

• Ballplayers will quit using when the punishment stings. Any gambling problems since Pete Rose went down?

• First offense: One season. Second offense: Banned for life.

• To all those wealthy Cro-Magnons at Augusta National: Welcome to the real world!

• And to those bluebloods at the (all male) Royal & Ancient Golf Club: You're next.

• Martha Burk couldn't shake Augusta from its past, but this woman most certainly did: Ginni Rometty, the first CEO of IBM in years not to be offered a membership.

• IBM is a corporate sponsor of the Masters. Suddenly, it's, "You're one of us, Condoleezza Rice!"

• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is not serious about player safety when he picks a fight against the locked-out officials.

• Still feels like swimming weather, not block-and-tackle weather.

Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or (209) 578-2302.