Gold Rush Is a Part of State History

A common question by reporters from other countries during the Olympic Games in Athens had to do with where U.S. athletes were from. California was far and away the most common answer.

A little medal detecting yielded these Golden State nuggets:

* A total of 124 athletes with ties to the state -- including three who represented countries other than the U.S. but attended college in California -- earned Olympic medals in 59 events.

* With those numbers, California would have ranked fourth, well ahead of 72 of the 75 countries represented in the final medal count, and behind only the U.S., 103; Russia, 92, and China, 63, if the state had been a country.

* The 19 gold medals won by athletes from the state would have ranked fourth-best among countries, again behind only the U.S., Russia and China.

California medalists (cont.): The U.S. Olympic softball team, which won its third consecutive gold medal, boasted the strongest California connections among medal winners, with 13 players who have lived or gone to school in the state.

Trivia time: What athlete with California ties has collected more Olympic medals than any other U.S. sports figure?

Tale’s end: Mike Lopresti wrote in USA Today after Wednesday’s dismissal of the sexual assault case against Kobe Bryant that the Laker star has had the best summer he could possibly have hoped for:

“For Bryant, it has been a summer of moving on. He is now not only free of criminal indictment in this case, but also of Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, and Shaquille O’Neal’s sense of territoriality.”

It won’t happen: Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News sympathizes with the top-ranked, Mike Williams-less USC Trojans, who struggled to turn back a stiff challenge from Virginia Tech before beating the Hokies in their season opener Saturday, 24-13.

“It’s not as if by reinstating Williams, other sophomores will be inclined to follow in his path....

“It could be 10 years before another star player falls into [Maurice] Clarett’s situation of having produced at a high level as a freshman before being kicked off the team as a sophomore.”

Trivia answer: Jenny Thompson, who attended Stanford, won two silver medals in swim relays in Athens and has won 12 Olympic medals overall. Her total surpasses the 11 each won by former men’s swimmers Matt Biondi and Mark Spitz.

And finally: Mike Holmgren, who signed a $32-million, eight-year contract at Seattle after coaching Green Bay to a 75-37 record, two Super Bowl trips and an NFL title, is starting his sixth season as coach of the Seahawks, who have yet to become a solid contender.

Some have complained that the project has taken longer than expected.

“Some?” Holmgren asked. “We are living in an impatient society. In this business, at times, it can take a little longer than the fans want, than I want, than everyone wants.

“But if I looked back on the last five years and didn’t know why it hasn’t happened, then I’d be a little nervous.”