Stories | Sporting Box
Hot Off the Griddle
Published March 10, 2010
Let’s see if I can reconstruct the fantasy I was operating under. It starts with a friend of mine, Philip Burns (landscape architect, retired Cal professor, Harvard Ph.D.), and a book he praised, Up and Down ...
Step 1. Maybe. Part 2.
Published March 3, 2010
Continuing with Tiger Woods, sex therapy, and David Peters, a marriage and family therapist working out of Mission Valley. Peters was born in Peoria, Illinois, raised in California. His dad worked in broadcasting, mom was a ...
Step 1. Maybe
Published Feb. 24, 2010
Tiger’s apology lecture probably did more good than bad with sports consumers. Saying that, I did smile when he said “I don’t get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply ...
Winter Olympics Backgrounder
Published Feb. 17, 2010
The first time I visited Vancouver was in the late ’60s. I was living in Fairbanks and decided to spend the winter outside, which is ... More Post a comment
Catch Up
Published Feb. 10, 2010
Bedtime, Super Bowl Sunday, marks the conclusion of the sports year for committed NFL fans. On Monday morning, the still engorged NFL fan arises from ... More Comment (1)
Super Bowl Edition
Published Feb. 3, 2010
An NFL placekicker has his own world. For him, the word “placekicker” is another way of saying “no contact.” Contact, for a placekicker, is referred ... More Comments (5)
Waiting on a Storyline
Published Jan. 20, 2010
The United States Mass Media Directorate is housed in a Washington D.C. secret facility often rumored to exist but never acknowledged by our government. This ... More Comment (1)
Making a Difference
Published Jan. 13, 2010
Last fall, the story made its way around the media fish tank to the North County Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Orange County Register, Orlando Sentinel, ... More Post a comment
Regarding Michael Oher
Published Jan. 6, 2010
It’s probably impossible to know the truth of it now. I’m talking about Michael Oher, starting right tackle for the Baltimore Ravens and subject of ... More Comments (4)
Two Stories
Published Dec. 30, 2009
I’ve been scrapbooking 2009 sports stories. Let’s see…Yankees win the World Series, A-Rod admits taking steroids, Michael Vick signs with Philly, Kobe wins one without ... More Comment (1)
Just in Time
Published Dec. 23, 2009
This column is for readers who will do their shopping on Christmas morning for the first time. Hold your heads high, people! Remember the three ... More Post a comment
Invictus
Published Dec. 16, 2009
The letter read, “You’re on your own.” It was typewritten on blank white paper and undated. The missive was from my magazine editor. She explained ... More Comment (1)
What a Crash
Published Dec. 9, 2009
Incredibly, Tiger Woods may not have enough money to buy his way out of this. Or, to put it another way, how many degrees of ... More Comments (9)
Resistance Is Futile
Published Nov. 24, 2009
One looks heavenward and cries out, “What have I ever done that deserves having the Detroit Lions thrust upon me every Thanksgiving?” No answer. Has ... More Comments (8)
Late Night Team Spirit
Published Nov. 18, 2009
Continuing with our colleges of San Diego road tour. Moraga, California, is 20 miles, 20 years, and two climatic zones east of San Francisco. Moraga ... More Comment (1)
2 1/2 Minutes on the Water
Published Nov. 11, 2009
Big bright sun, blue sky, no wind. I am standing on a small bluff overlooking Lake Merced, said lake located between the backside of San ... More Post a comment
Get Out There and Try It
Published Nov. 4, 2009
‘I’ve been surf kayaking for 12 years,” says Dan Carey, 60, owner of Carlsbad Paddle Sports in Oceanside. “There are guys who have been at ... More Comment (1)
Halloween Edition
Published Oct. 28, 2009
Halloween is the ideal holiday because, at least in this country, it isn’t about anything in particular. You have no obligation to be with family ... More Post a comment
Which One Survives?
Published Oct. 21, 2009
Whilst wandering 200 TV channels, I came upon a United Football League game on Versus, which, by the way, is a legitimate sports network (Tour ... More Comment (1)
He Was a Man
Published Oct. 14, 2009
A former executive of the Scottsdale cryonics company where baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams’s body is frozen launched a pay-per-view website with gruesome decapitation ... More Comments (23)
Looks Like New
Published Sept. 30, 2009
Reading classified ads in the sporting-goods section is like walking through a toxic dump of hope. Every ad is a dream abandoned. Follows are three ... More Comment (1)
This. And That.
Published Sept. 23, 2009
The Box has taken the pledge to stop writing Chargers Suck columns, and I think a fair-minded person would have to say I’ve held up ... More Comments (50)
Fire Poi Spinning
Published Sept. 16, 2009
This started out as a hula-hoop column. The primordial hula hoop was a dorky fad of the 1950s. I wondered if the beast still lived, ... More Comments (7)
Homeless SDSU Football Coach
Published Sept. 9, 2009
The Chargers are playing at Oakland Monday night, on the B side of ESPN’s double-header. Normally, I don’t count watching a game that includes the ... More Comments (4)
A League of Their Own
Published Sept. 2, 2009
The NFL season is upon us, and fans by the tens of millions are setting aside family time, domestic chores, and community service to meld ... More Comments (5)
The Silver Wink
Published Aug. 26, 2009
"Do you think there are 1000 active winkers in the country?” I’m speaking to Rick Tucker, 54, collector, historian, webmaster, and former pairs champion of ... More Post a comment
Becky Hurt
Published Aug. 19, 2009
Becky Hurt, 30, is a “Master Teaching Artist” at Eveoke Dance Center in North Park, at present teaching hip-hop dance. She is self-described as having, ... More Post a comment
Preseason Hotsheet
Published Aug. 12, 2009
Brett Favre can still play in the NFL says the retired quarterback, speaking to the Eupora High School (Eupora, Mississippi) student council. Favre was in ... More Post a comment
Come on Over
Published Aug. 5, 2009
‘We started a month or so ago. Right now we’re running tournaments twice a month. Our first tournament had five teams. Second tournament, seven. We’ve ... More Post a comment
College Pigskin Preview
Published July 29, 2009
Did you see the 2009 Mountain West Conference preseason media poll? TCU is picked to win the conference (a reasonable choice), BYU second, Utah third, ... More Post a comment
In Praise of T.O.
Published July 22, 2009
The T.O. Show debuted on VH1 Monday night and was immediately panned by critics. Detractors thought the show was contrived and phony, not like Big ... More Comment (1)
This Is Getting Interesting
Published July 15, 2009
As Wednesday’s morning sun rose over El Cajon’s In-N-Out Burger, Lance Armstrong is holding third place with 11 stages to go in the 2009 Tour ... More Comment (1)
Rich Guy Makes Good
Published July 1, 2009
Well, it’s the Fourth of July weekend and you know what that means…that’s right, the Ligue canadienne de football launches its 2009 season. Or, to ... More Comment (1)
Sent to Sea Level
Published June 24, 2009
‘You sit there with a machine that pumps an Albuturol mist into your lungs.” I ask, “Did you have a mask on?” “No. It’s like ... More Comments (2)
Home Again
Published June 17, 2009
An old Vegas friend is on the phone, we’ve been happily slandering a mutual acquaintance. Comes a pause in the conversation, David fills the hole ... More Comment (1)
Hanging On
Published June 10, 2009
The WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) is starting its 13th year in business, which makes it the longest-running women’s professional sports league (team-based subdivision) in ... More Post a comment
Rothman Rules
Published June 3, 2009
Regulars will recall Ben Rothman, 25, professional croquet player. I wrote about him in the May 6 issue. I’d not heard of professional croquet and ... More Post a comment
Retreat Sports
Published May 27, 2009
This is Saturday night, May 23, my birthday. I am celebrating at Jikojim, a Soto Zen retreat center in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The center ... More Comment (1)
Tweeterdee and Tweeterdum
Published May 20, 2009
Did you see the story about college coaches using Twitter to recruit? Twitter, for those doing max time at Pelican Bay, is a social networking ... More Post a comment
What Do You Know?
Published May 6, 2009
Here’s Ben Rothman, 25, a graduate of UC San Diego in psychology, a waiter, a construction worker, and currently ranked number 2 in the USA ... More Comments (3)
Sports Quiz Edition
Published April 29, 2009
These things are fun every long once in awhile. Every long once in awhile has passed. Let the fun begin. Short-Term Memory section, 2008 NFL ... More Comment (1)
Follow the Monkey
Published April 22, 2009
It is strange how a housekeeping ritual can grow to such a magical height that a continental gaggle of disparate people, all of whom have ... More Post a comment
What Do You Do?
Published April 15, 2009
‘Individual athletes contact me because they may be challenged within their sport, may get frustrated when losing a game and watching their play go downhill. ... More Post a comment
Rowing Part II
Published April 8, 2009
Back with Pattie Pinkerton, UCSD women’s crew head coach. She did student time at San Diego State in the ’70s, rowed in the USA National ... More Comment (1)
Rowing Part I
Published April 1, 2009
‘I found your bio on a UCSD web page. Do you also play viola for the San Diego Symphony?” “No,” a woman laughs. I’m talking ... More Comment (1)
Two-Hand Draw
Published March 25, 2009
You’ve been waiting for it, and now it’s finally come, the capstone of televised sports: Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open. This is professional bowling at its ... More Comment (1)
Be There!
Published March 11, 2009
The Box takes next week off, so regard this column as your March Madness early-bird primer. Clip and save. The 2009 NCAA Men’s Division I ... More Comments (2)
Mr. Sibley Will Be Here
Published March 4, 2009
The San Diego Bird Festival starts Thursday and continues through the weekend. Aforesaid bird gala can be found at the Marina Village Conference Center on ... More Post a comment
World Baseball Classic 2
Published Feb. 25, 2009
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) had an uneasy genesis in 2006. A year earlier, baseball, along with softball, was voted out of the Olympics, ordered ... More Post a comment
Conspiracy Is an Ugly Word
Published Feb. 18, 2009
The Westminster Dog Show was on TV last week. Here are the facts: Smooth-haired dachshunds have been showing at the Westminster since 1877, and not ... More Post a comment
While Everyone Lied
Published Feb. 11, 2009
This is a good day for Jose Canseco. Three of the four lead actors in baseball’s steroid melodrama — baseball commissioner Bud Selig, union boss ... More Comments (2)
Autoette in the News
Published Feb. 4, 2009
Okay, football is over. Now what? Well, pilgrim, can’t you hear the slap of leather and pop of a beer can? Hell, yeah — Padres ... More Comment (1)
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