BearTalk

Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour will join us for a live chat on Thursday, June 2 from 2-3 p.m. A lot has obviously gone on during this academic school year and Sandy will be here to answer your questions. We’ll have some reminders and the link to participate as we get closer.

Cal has just announced that the baseball program will be reinstated. Fundraising still sits at $9 million but is expected to reach the target number of $10 million soon.

The Cal baseball team must wait at least until next Tuesday — who knows when exactly — to find out whether its program will be reinstated for next season.

Chancellor Robert Birgeneau met with heavy-hitter fundraiser Stu Gordon on Friday morning and told him the group’s $9 million is still not enough — supporters must reach $10 million before he will reinstate the program.

A campus spokesman said there will be no announcement at least until Tuesday.

Here’s our early story on the issue.

I talked this afternoon with Doug Nickle, former Cal pitcher and one of the organizers last fall of Save Cal Baseball. He told me it’s a matter of when, not if, but declined to speculate on a timetable.

“Our commitment and the fact that we remain positive has not changed at all,” Nickle said. ”We know that we will earn reinstatement.”

It’s not a done deal yet . . . click here for the latest.

On the field, the No. 13 Bears (17-5) won their seventh straight game with a 4-0 victory at USF. It was Cal’s fifth shutout in seven games and eighth of the season. The club’s season ERA: 1.84.

Here’s our overview story from this morning’s editions on the Cal sports cuts.

Columnist Gary Peterson weighs on in the chances — and they’re not good — that baseball could someday return.

Doug Nickle of Save Cal Sports says the fight is not over.