Some Elite 11 alumni include Vince Young, Matt Leinart, JaMarcus Russell, Derek Anderson and John David Booty. Past counselers, some of whom are expected to attend this year's camp, include Drew Brees, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler, Matt Schaub and Aaron Rodgers. The current counselers include Chase Daniel (Missouri); Colt McCoy (Texas); Mark Sanchez (USC); Matt Stafford (Georgia); Curtis Painter (Purdue) and Bobby Reid (Texas Southern).

The 2007 MLS rookie of the year attended Maryland for three years before forgoing his final year of eligibility to enter the MLS draft. A 6-foot, 170-pound midfielder, Edu has experience with the national team, having played in various friendlies and in World Cup qualifying, which is currently underway.

The Packers, fresh off an NFC championship game appearance, aren't welcoming back the quarterback that got them there? For what? So Aaron Rodgers can get the squeak out of his shoes? Even if the guy has a bright future, it's going to take time.The Packers are equipped to win now.

Because Brett Favre made a decision to retire before recovering from the mental strain of the season the Packers don't want to bring back a quarterback fully capable of winning them a Super Bowl in 2009?

True, Aaron Rodgers will be a free agent after this season. But had he not showed out for a few quarters against the Cowboys in November - his only meaningful playing time in three NFL seasons - what would we know about him? How much did those 206 yards on 18 of 26 passing really tell us? It's one game. Judge Favre on his NFC championship game performance and you wouldn't have imagined he led the league's second-ranked passing offense with 4,155 yards and 28 TD's. Rodgers might have a good year leading the Packers in 2008-09 but would you choose him over Favre?

He might be Alex Smith, too.

Who can blame Favre for reportedly requesting his release from the Packers so he can talk to other teams? He's probably so livid with the franchise he poured his guts out for, he's shopping himself out of pure spite. I understand the Packers are sick of the retirement saga every offseason, but I think Favre legitimately did his best by the team in each instance. It's not an easy decision when you can still play, which he clearly can. In case the Packers haven't noticed, elite quarterbacks are harder and harder to find. Look at the No. 1 pick the year Rodgers was drafted. Think the 49ers would have Favre next season?

I'm not worried about the Hall-of-Fame, face-of-the-NFL, most-popular-player-in-decades stuff. From a football standpoint, why hand the keys to Rodgers when a capable veteran who has been there still wants to play for you? This is what the Packers had to say in a statement:

"Brett earned and exercised the right to retire on his terms. We wanted him to return and welcomed him back on more than one occasion.... Brett's press conference and subsequent conversations in the following weeks illustrated his commitment to retirement. The finality of his decision to retire was accepted by the organization. At that point, the Green Bay Packers made the commitment to move forward with our football team."

Here's betting that without Favre the Packers find themselves taking a step back. But at least their shoes won't squeak when they do it.

Had UCLA offered sooner - the Sun Devils offered him in December - Irabor admitted he may have been swayed by the Bruins. UCLA's offer appearing a direct result of losing commitments from two defensive backs didn't help the Bruins' case either.

"It could've been a different story if (UCLA) had been involved earlier," Irabor said Friday night. "They were looking at other DB's too, which was not the situation at ASU. They were interested in me from the beginning. With UCLA, it was just too little too late."

UCLA was Irabor's 15th scholarship offer. He narrowed the field to three on Saturday - ASU, Arizona and Nebreska - and was set to announce his decision Wednesday before UCLA abruptly entered the mix.

"USC said if I went to their showcase camp, they'd offer me," he said. "But I figured out I wasn't really an SC guy at their junior day. There were about 12 or 13 guys at the DB meeting ready to compete for playing time."

By comparison, there were six or eight at the UCLA junior day DB meeting, which featured a much less competitive intra-squad atomsphere, Irabor noted.

USC was one of three Pac-10 schools not to offer Irabor. Arizona was the first to offer him in a process that quickly built momentum as the offseason progressed. Ultimately, Irabor, who wanted to put his decision behind him before his senior season began, said he felt most comfortable with the Arizona State coaching staff.

If Colony High School graduate Omar Bolden's freshman experience with the Sun Devils last season is any indication, Irabor may be on the field sooner than later. Bolden started nine games at corner for the 10-3 co Pac-10 champs.

With roughly eight months between now and national signing day, is there any chance Irabor will change his non-binding commitment to ASU? "No," he said firmly. "Not even a little bit."

Claremont High School 15-year-old freshman Noelle Tarazona finished 35th in the 200 butterfly and 55th in the 400 individual medley (Only the top two finishers in each event make the Olympic team). Her coach at the Claremont Club, John Ries, said Tarazona has the potential to be a major player at the 2012 trials.

In her second appearance at the Olympic trials, Upland 21-year-old Courtney Eads, a junior-to-be at Nevada, competed in four events. Her finishes are as follows...100 butterfly: 63rd. 200 butterfly: 63rd. 200 IM: 104th. 400 IM: 74th.

Tarazona didn't achieve her goal to make an event final, but the giddy freshman had to be pretty pleased.

It can't be terribly disappointing to lose to Katie Hoff, who won both the 200 IM and 400 IM, setting a world record in the process. Remember that name, you'll be hearing it a lot in a few short weeks. The 19-year-old Maryland product, who made the 2004 team, led the U.S. women with Olympic berths in six events.

Hoff's world record in the 400 IM: 4:31.12. Tarazona's time: 4:55.24. Eads' time: 5:00.33

Less than a week after he narrowed his potential destinations to theree - Arizona, Arizona State and Nebraska - UCLA offered the 5-foot-11, 183 pound senior-to-be Tuesday night.

"I was ready to make an announcement the following day but I am going to hold on for a few days to consider UCLA's offer and really sit down with my family and think this completely through," Irabor said in an e-mail. "I was totally caught by surprise and to have a chance to play in the Rose Bowl would be something special. The next few days will be tough for me, and I'm going to research and think this through completely. It will be hard to sleep in the next 48 hours."

Irabor, a hot prospect since early this offseason, has been offered by seven Pac-10 schools but expressed the most interest in USC and UCLA, neither of whom had offered until Tuesday.

"(Irabor) has always loved UCLA from early on in his recruitment," Upland recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Mike Esquivel said. "So how can he not explore UCLA a little bit more now that they have come into the picture full swing."

I flipped to the NASCAR nationwide race in the midst of an interview with driver Greg Biffle - as he circled the track.

I didn't see much of the rest of the Nationwide race. Maybe that was the peak of the over-the-top ESPN coverage. Or maybe that was just the beginning of the afternoon's interaction with the drivers. What would it take to surprise us now? Drivers talking to their crew while traveling 190 mph is one thing, giving an interview is another.

The Biffle interview was just the beginning of the pre-race frenzy. The ESPN announcers quickly transitioned to a communication problem-marred one-question interview with Biffle's crew chief seconds before the race began. Then a member of a pit crew, who was apparently prepped for this role, diagramed the pits at New Hampshire Motor Speedway correspondent-style.

Don't get me wrong, inside information during a sporting event absolutely fascinates me. But 90 percent of the time, that inside info isn't going to come from an interview. Phil Jackson was about the only coach with insightful things to say during the between-quarter interviews in the NBA finals. The quality of the answers in any interview depend on the interview subject's state of mind. Not surprisingly, most have a few things on their mind during, for example, a game that could win or lose them an NBA title. Contractual obligations to do these interviews probably don't thrill anybody on the other side of the microphone.

The best in-game quotes, by far, come unprompted - when players and coaches are wearing microphones and all but act like they normally would during a game. The hidden-camera halftime speeches during the NBA finals were far more interesting to me than the between-quarter interviews.

I'm just worried about what they'll come up with next. Any guesses? Leave a comment or e-mail me at clay.fowler@inlandnewspapers.com.

One of the most heralded football recruits in the Inland Empire, Nunes, who will begin his senior season in the fall, has been collecting scholarship offers since he was a sophomore. The final eight schools under consideration were: Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arizona State, BYU, Stanford and Harvard.

The 6-foot-4, 211-pound quarterback is the 10th-ranked pro style quarterback in the nation on rivals.com and the No. 181 overall recruit.

The 34th overall pick of the June 5 Major League Baseball draft and Inland Valley Player of the Year reported to the Phillies' rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in Clearwater, Fla., on Sunday.

Last year's 34th overall selection, Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds, received a signing bonus of $825,000.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound left fielder seemed to shoot up the draft charts as a senior after laying low follwing the risky operation on a pinched coronary artery. Out of baseball for seven months after surgery, he dipped below the MLB radar. Even after a full junior season at Chino Hills, he elected not to try and bolster his draft status through the showcase circiut during the 2007 summer.

The Colliers seem like a conservative family, but really they couldn't have played their cards any better. Without rushing him into unnecessary high-pressure situations, Zach's draft status peaked at the exact right time. Before the draft, one MLB scout, who wouldn't directly address Collier, told me that few if any players in Southern California go unnoticed considering the prestegious showcase circiut. Naturally, MLB scouts try to keep players a secret as long as possible.

In other words, Collier's name may not have been out there as much as other touted prospects, but nobody was overlooking this kid. He was going high in the draft whether anybody outside of a war room knew it or not.

It wasn't just his throw-your-head-back-curse-laden howling (during a live postgame interview, no less - maybe the best postgame interview EVER), not the sweaty tears or even the fact that he put Danny Ainge in a headlock long enough that the GM was visibly losing circulation.

It was most evident to me that Garnett could barely handle the release of 12 years of pent up combustible competitiveness when the championship was first sinking in. Several times before the clock expired on the Celtics 39-point win over the Lakers, Garnett bent down, put his hands on his knees and his head under a towel in what I feel sure was an attempt to keep his head from exploding.

For crying out loud, it was revealed that Garnett didn't sleep for a four-day period of the Eastern Conference Finals that stretched from sometime after Game 4 past Game 6. Tuesday night, he said he "wasn't fixin' to sleep for a week." And he probably didn't sleep LAST week. I know Jordan used to have all-night gambling sessions, but does that even compare to this?

With Thompson hardly pressing him for answers, Garnett broke down on camera. He kept repeating "I'm losing man. I'm losing," staring Thompson in the face with tears streaming down his own. His loyalty to the Timberwolves juxtaposed with the organization's inability to put players around him was the ultimate conflict for a person of his make up. He endured it far longer than most any other superstar would have. (Cough) Kobe.

Tuesday night made it all worth it for anybody who has sympathized with or admired Garnett for loyalty that's getting more rare by the season. He could barely stand up afterward. He was drunk before any of the champagne bottles were uncorked.

The best comparison I can think of is John Elway, but that isn't really all that close. Had Charles Barkley won a title, the emotional release might have been comparable. Allen Iverson may fall in the same category in terms of visible desire to win. Dan Marino wanted it bad, but not like Garnett.

Tuesday night was the perfect combination: a storybook ending for a player who tells his story like no other.

The third baseman drafted in the 39th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the New York Mets on June 5, confirmed he will sign with the organization.

Colony High School's Patrick Johnson, who was drafted in the 44th round by the Kansas City Royals, opted to attend Riverside Community College, which will make him eligible for next year's draft.

Here is the complete list of local players drafted:

Kyle Skipworth, C, Riverside Patriot HS -- Florida Marlins, first round (6th pick)
Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills HS -- Philadelphia Phillies, compensatory round A (34th pick)
Tyler Chatwood, RHP, Redlands East Valley HS -- Angels, second round (74th pick)
Andrew Liebel, RHP, Long Beach State (Damien) -- Toronto Blue Jays, third round (95th pick)
Jermaine Curtis, 3B, UCLA (Miller) -- St. Louis Cardinals, fifth round
Isaac Galloway, OF, Los Osos HS -- Florida Marlins, eighth round
Cody Puckett, SS, Cal State Dominguez Hills (Hesperia) -- Cincinnati Reds, eighth round
Danny Pertusati, OF, Damien HS -- Florida Marlins, 13th round
Reyes Dorado, RHP, Arizona State (Miller) -- Angels, 14th round
Ryan Babineau, C, UCLA (Etiwanda) -- Arizona Diamondbacks, 17th round
Jason Roenicke, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (Chino Hills) -- Toronto Blue Jays, 19th round
Jon Bravo, LHP, Azusa Pacific (Chino) -- St. Louis Cardinals, 23rd round
Ricky Oropesa, 3B, Etiwanda HS -- Boston Red Sox, 24th round
Matt Long, RHP, Cal State San Bernardino -- Tampa Bay Rays, 34th round
Jordan Leyland, 1B, San Dimas HS -- Tampa Bay Rays, 36th round
Matt Andriese, RHP, Redlands East Valley HS -- Texas Rangers, 37th round
Charlie Hinojosa, 3B, Don Lugo HS -- New York Mets, 39th round
Tony McClendon, OF, Damien HS -- Houston Astros, 41st round
Patrick Johnson, OF, Colony HS -- Kansas City Royals, 44th round
Carl Uhl, OF, UC Riverside (Serrano) -- Colorado Rockies, 49th round

The 6-foot-4, 200 pound senior, regarded by many as a first-round draft pick in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft on June 5, went 2-for-3 against Diamond Ranch but second-seeded Patriot (27-3) lost 5-3 with a trip to Friday's final at Dodger Stadium on the line.

After all I heard about Skipworth, I was surprised to see Diamond Ranch's leadoff batter, who drew a walk, break for second the very first pitch to the next hitter. A startled Skipworth bounced a day-late throw into second. But really, his pitcher's slow delivery didn't give him a chance. Skipworth quickly erased any doubts about his arm strength later that inning, gunning down a would-be base stealer at third by such a margin the guy didn't bother to slide.

Batting from the left side, Skipworth unfurled the fluid swing that produced these stats his senior season: a .540 batting average, 47 RBI and 13 home runs in just 94 at-bats (That's an RBI every second at-bat and a HR every 7.2 at-bats). Once he fills out that lanky frame, he is going to be an absolute man child.

Although, Skipworth struck out in the first inning along with his two teammates, something that seemed to complete a first-inning role reversal of the No. 2 seed and the team that finished third in their own league. After Patriot starting pitcher Mitch Patito hummed a 90-mph fast ball in for a first-pitch strike, an unflappable Diamond Ranch team had him in left field and a 2-0 lead before the inning was over. The Patriot reliever went the remaining 6 1/3 innings.

Skipworth carried his weight in the loss, reaching base his next three at-bats by sandwiching an error with two singles. He scored the go-ahead run in the fifth but could only watch as Diamond Ranch plated three runs in the final two innings to end his magnificent high school career.

Skipworth is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award to be announced in June.

Of the 20 scholarship offers the 6-foot-4, 211-pound Nunes received these are still under consideration: Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Tennessee, Arizona State, BYU, Stanford and Harvard.

Nunes original plan was to cut the list to five on May 27 and make a final decision shortly thereafter. He altered his plan to include eight schools and allowed that the time frame may be on a sliding scale too.

"If I am unable to make my final decision soon, I plan on taking my five official visits to assist me in making my decision," Nunes said in a statement. "I look forward to doing more research on the schools I've narrowed it down to and continuing the process."

Nunes was among a select group of quarterbacks invited to the Steve Clarkson Super Seven camp last weekend. According to Los Osos High School quarterback Richard Brehaut, one of Nunes' close friends who was also invited to the camp, the two were competing for an offer from UCLA in front of Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who were both in attendance. On Saturday night, Brehaut was offered a scholarship to UCLA, the only offer the school will make to a quarterback from the class of 2009, according to Brehaut. He verbally committed to the Bruins on the spot.

Nunes, however, is left with a plethora of other options.

"I wanted to reduce the number to five schools but, after long consideration, at this time the best I could do is eight," Nunes said. "It somehow feels uncomfortable because I would be blessed and fortunate to play for all the schools that have offered me a scholarship. However, I feel I owe the schools that are not in my top eight the respect to continue their QB recruiting with the same respect they have given me."

The 6-foot-3 205-pound junior held a private workout for UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow on Thursday at Los Osos and secured the offer Saturday with a strong showing in front of Chow and UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel at the Steve Clarkson Super Seven quarterback camp in Santa Barbara.

"UCLA has been my dream school since I was a kid," Brehaut said. "This is unbelievable. It's a dream come true. Everything about UCLA is perfect for me."

The UCLA coaching staff assured Brehaut he'll be the only quarterback from the class of 2009 offered a scholarship by the school, a distinction he was competing for with Upland High School junior quarterback Josh Nunes.

"I knew it was between me and Josh for that offer," Brehaut said. "We've always had a friendly rivalry and this was just one more thing we were competing for. Whatever he decides, he's going to end up at a great school. We've been friends since little league and we'll continue to be friends."

Brehaut has 15 other scholarship offers from schools including Colorado, Arizona State, Arizona and Oregon State. The 6-4, 211-pound Nunes will pare the list to five on Tuesday.

"They're both great quarterbacks," Los Osos coach Tom Martinez said of Brehaut and Nunes. "I think Richard has a few little intangibles on (Nunes) leadership-wise. Athletically he moves a little better but Josh has a strong arm and that height to see over the line."

Brehaut, who has been in contact with UCLA since attending its junior day in the spring of 2007, completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,348 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a junior, helping Los Osos to an 8-3 record.

A lifelong baseball player, Brehaut hadn't played organized football before arriving at Los Osos in 2005. His first inclination was to play linebacker, but the freshman coaching staff steered him under center.

He became Los Osos starting quarterback midway through his sophomore season.

Last season, according to Martinez, was when he demonstrated ability worthy of a program the caliber of UCLA.

"It's what he was hoping for but I don't think he knew if he would have a chance to go to a school like UCLA," Martinez said. "I don't think he knew where he would fit in."

He is the first quarterback deemed a fit by Neuheisel since his arrival to UCLA in December. Brehaut's non-binding verbal commitment makes him the seventh member of the UCLA 2009 recruiting class and the first offensive player.

"They took their time with this decision and wanted to make the best choice they could," Brehaut said. "And to know they picked me out of all these quarterbacks is an honor."

Or the Los Osos High School senior may decide to live in a San Diego State dorm room on a stipend for the next three years.

It depends on where the centerfielder is selected in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft on June 5.

"My first choice is to go pro," Galloway said Wednesday. "But if I'm not treated fairly in the draft then I'm prepared to go to school."

Galloway said he won't pass judgement on what he considers fair until he is selected. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder has heard rumors "from people around" that he'll be a top-five overall pick, not a small feat considering the draft consists of 50 rounds with 30 picks each.

Those rumors Galloway heard may not be unsubstantiated; A mock draft on MLBDraftSite.com has Galloway going fourth to the Baltimore Orioles organization. It has been brought to my attention that BaseballAmerica.com is likely a more reliable resource. It has Galloway rated its 36th best draft prospect.

Galloway signed a letter of intent in February to attend San Diego State. If he enrolls in a university, MLB requires a three-year wait until he is eligible for the draft again. If he attends junior college, an option still on the table, he'll be eligible for the draft in a year.

The decision may be an easy one if Galloway is selected in the first round, where the average signing bonus was $2.2 million in 2007.

"It's a money thing and it's about opportunity," Aude said. "If he doesn't think where he is picked is fair, he'll go to San Diego State for three years and get better."

Galloway batted .359 in 78 at-bats this season with five home runs, 16 RBI and 10 stolen bases.

There are certainly not any numbers that could describe how the fleet-footed Galloway patrols center field. There may not be words either.