A SPECIAL REPORT: COLLEGE SPORTS

OCTOBER CLASSIC? Major league baseball has struck out, but Orange County fans can still find plenty of college sports to watch, even baseball. . . . Local teams will soon start fall training, and Costa Mesa’s Southern California College--including pitcher Ila Borders, one of the few women ever to compete at the college level--plays its first practice game Oct. 11 against a team of community college players. . . . Coach Charlie Phillips says it’s a good show: “I like our game because, unlike the pros, we play fast and quick. You can get in a good game in about two hours.”

FOOTBALL BUZZ: Chapman University, which Saturday at Whittier started its first football season in 62 years, is preparing for its home opener at 7 p.m. this Saturday against Claremont, and Athletic Director Dave Currey says excitement is building. . . . “I can’t say we’ve sold 16,000 season tickets,” he said. “But I’ve talked to more faculty in the last two weeks about coming to an athletic game than I have in the last four years.”

NO WAY OUT: UC Irvine’s nationally ranked water polo team is down to its last line of defense. Junior Jeremy Storton, heir apparent to All-American goaltender Mike Rall, suffered a detached retina and is out indefinitely, so freshman Tom Davis from La Habra High is the only goalie. . . . “I told him to go get a flu shot right now,” said Irvine Coach Ted Newland. “I’ve got nobody else, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the cage.” Newland shouldn’t have to worry about Davis’ staying eligible--the biology major was a high school salutatorian.

WEATHER: Low clouds and fog. Highs in the 80s; lows in the 60s. (B6)