Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Sport Year in Preview

The Box is nothing if not forward thinking. Who cares about “Sports Year in Review” rehash stories? Not me. Not you. Stories about the past bore forward thinkers. Anybody can write about what happened; the Box proposes to tell you what will happen, thereby saving you hours of unproductive time watching TV…time that could be spent working a second job.

Michael Vick, running a play that hasn’t been used in the criminal justice system for years, pleaded guilty to a dog-fighting conspiracy charge and then checked himself into prison early. A bold, unconventional run off-tackle and might well have carried the day, save for Judge Hudson’s vicious hit, nailing Vick in the pocket with a 23-month sentence, 6 months more than the prosecutors asked for. Still, a game effort, Michael.

What’s up for Vick in 2008? Good works. Under the guidance of federal prosecutors, Vick agreed to set aside $928,000 for the care of pit bulls seized from his dog-fighting operation. What else? Well, he can look forward to an April 2 Commonwealth of Virginia trial on charges of felony dog-fighting and felony animal cruelty. There’s a max of five years on each count. And, around that time, a five-million-dollar creditors lawsuit should be making its first court appearance. If Vick plays it right, he could get two weeks worth of courtroom, which translates into two weeks out of jail cell. That’s something to look forward to. And, since an arbitrator ruled he should repay the Atlanta Falcons $20 million in bonus money, there will be back-and-forth between his lawyers, their lawyers, generating plenty of paperwork for him to look over.

This means study time on the prison bunk bed! The same place where Jawaharlal Nehru wrote The Discovery of India, Martin Luther King wrote Letter From a Birmingham Jail, and Eldridge Cleaver wrote Soul on Ice. Again, something to look forward to and mayhap a new career. At one time Vick was the highest paid player in the NFL, but who’s to say this isn’t the best thing that ever happened to him?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Vick can look to his brother athletes over in Formula 1 racing for solace. The McClaren racing team got dinged $100 million for the unfortunate discovery of a Ferrari technical dossier in the home of McLaren’s chief designer. What’s up for 2008? It is rumored that Formula 1 drivers who fail a drug test for steroids or human growth hormone will be fined $5000 and given a stern warning. In writing.

I should take a moment and hand out our 2007 Sports Journalism Award. If sports journalists won’t honor each other, who will?

For getting to the bottom of baseball’s steroid scandal, the Sportbox Prize goes to The Trentonian, a 73,000-circulation daily serving Trenton, New Jersey. This, for their recent front page splashed with a photo of a smiling Roger Clemens wearing an orange 1970s disco shirt beneath a screaming headline that reads, "HE TOOK IT IN THE BUTT."

Just as an aside, I’ll believe Clemens is innocent when he sues somebody for slander. The way Barry Bonds hasn’t.

All right, listen up and I will tell you how to be invisible in plain sight. Regard, pilgrim, the San Antonio Spurs.

For the 1998–1999 season, the Spurs won the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks in five games. On to 1999–2000, the Spurs lost to Phoenix in the first round. On to 2000–2001, San Antonio led the NBA in home attendance, lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. On to 2001–2002, Spurs led in attendance again, lost to the Lakers again, this time in the Conference Semifinals. On to 2002–2003, Spurs won NBA championship, beating New York in six games. On to 2003–2004, Spurs lost to L.A. in the Conference Semifinals. On to 2004–2005, Spurs won the NBA Championship, beating Detroit in seven games. On to 2005–2006, Spurs lost the Conference Semifinals to Dallas in seven games. On to 2006–2007, Spurs won the NBA Championship, shutting out Cleveland in four games.

This makes San Antonio the fourth team in NBA history to win four championships. They’ve won three in the past five years. Their best players, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, and Duncan, are, respectively, 25, 30, and 31 years old. The Spurs are a legitimate dynasty, in league with Chicago, Boston, and the Lakers.

What’s up for 2008? Have you ever been to San Antonio? Have you ever wanted to go to San Antonio? After the Spurs win the championship this year, will that change?

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

2024’s Best Bitcoin & Crypto Casinos – Play BTC Casino Games Online

Best Bitcoin Casinos (2024): Top 10 Crypto Casino Sites for BIG Payouts

The Box is nothing if not forward thinking. Who cares about “Sports Year in Review” rehash stories? Not me. Not you. Stories about the past bore forward thinkers. Anybody can write about what happened; the Box proposes to tell you what will happen, thereby saving you hours of unproductive time watching TV…time that could be spent working a second job.

Michael Vick, running a play that hasn’t been used in the criminal justice system for years, pleaded guilty to a dog-fighting conspiracy charge and then checked himself into prison early. A bold, unconventional run off-tackle and might well have carried the day, save for Judge Hudson’s vicious hit, nailing Vick in the pocket with a 23-month sentence, 6 months more than the prosecutors asked for. Still, a game effort, Michael.

What’s up for Vick in 2008? Good works. Under the guidance of federal prosecutors, Vick agreed to set aside $928,000 for the care of pit bulls seized from his dog-fighting operation. What else? Well, he can look forward to an April 2 Commonwealth of Virginia trial on charges of felony dog-fighting and felony animal cruelty. There’s a max of five years on each count. And, around that time, a five-million-dollar creditors lawsuit should be making its first court appearance. If Vick plays it right, he could get two weeks worth of courtroom, which translates into two weeks out of jail cell. That’s something to look forward to. And, since an arbitrator ruled he should repay the Atlanta Falcons $20 million in bonus money, there will be back-and-forth between his lawyers, their lawyers, generating plenty of paperwork for him to look over.

This means study time on the prison bunk bed! The same place where Jawaharlal Nehru wrote The Discovery of India, Martin Luther King wrote Letter From a Birmingham Jail, and Eldridge Cleaver wrote Soul on Ice. Again, something to look forward to and mayhap a new career. At one time Vick was the highest paid player in the NFL, but who’s to say this isn’t the best thing that ever happened to him?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Vick can look to his brother athletes over in Formula 1 racing for solace. The McClaren racing team got dinged $100 million for the unfortunate discovery of a Ferrari technical dossier in the home of McLaren’s chief designer. What’s up for 2008? It is rumored that Formula 1 drivers who fail a drug test for steroids or human growth hormone will be fined $5000 and given a stern warning. In writing.

I should take a moment and hand out our 2007 Sports Journalism Award. If sports journalists won’t honor each other, who will?

For getting to the bottom of baseball’s steroid scandal, the Sportbox Prize goes to The Trentonian, a 73,000-circulation daily serving Trenton, New Jersey. This, for their recent front page splashed with a photo of a smiling Roger Clemens wearing an orange 1970s disco shirt beneath a screaming headline that reads, "HE TOOK IT IN THE BUTT."

Just as an aside, I’ll believe Clemens is innocent when he sues somebody for slander. The way Barry Bonds hasn’t.

All right, listen up and I will tell you how to be invisible in plain sight. Regard, pilgrim, the San Antonio Spurs.

For the 1998–1999 season, the Spurs won the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks in five games. On to 1999–2000, the Spurs lost to Phoenix in the first round. On to 2000–2001, San Antonio led the NBA in home attendance, lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. On to 2001–2002, Spurs led in attendance again, lost to the Lakers again, this time in the Conference Semifinals. On to 2002–2003, Spurs won NBA championship, beating New York in six games. On to 2003–2004, Spurs lost to L.A. in the Conference Semifinals. On to 2004–2005, Spurs won the NBA Championship, beating Detroit in seven games. On to 2005–2006, Spurs lost the Conference Semifinals to Dallas in seven games. On to 2006–2007, Spurs won the NBA Championship, shutting out Cleveland in four games.

This makes San Antonio the fourth team in NBA history to win four championships. They’ve won three in the past five years. Their best players, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, and Duncan, are, respectively, 25, 30, and 31 years old. The Spurs are a legitimate dynasty, in league with Chicago, Boston, and the Lakers.

What’s up for 2008? Have you ever been to San Antonio? Have you ever wanted to go to San Antonio? After the Spurs win the championship this year, will that change?

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

How to Get Legal Assistance When Your Car Accident Insurance Claim is Denied?

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.