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Stories by Patrick Daugherty (RIP)

Not A Chargers Column

I nod toward the refrigerator, call out, "No food, bucko." Frank turns around, disappointed. I pour two cups of coffee, hand one to guest, take the other, and sit down at my desk. "You know …

November 8, 2007
A Set of Six

When I was six years old, my favorite sport was playing badminton with my mother. This was 1950s America, so she took care of her four kids, her husband, cooked the meals, cleaned the house, …

November 1, 2007
Play Ball

The count is 400 square miles as of Tuesday morning and 1000 homes destroyed. I've been following the fire of '07 by way of San Diego police scanner (http://scansandiego.net:7000/scanner3.ogg). Also, telephone, television, radio, and Channel …

October 25, 2007
Push When You're Hot

October 1 seems like a long time ago. Two and one half weeks is one way of calculating. Or, you could say it's a previous season using baseball time. Or, maybe it's no time at …

October 18, 2007
USD Football Coach Makes Good

Watching the USC/Stanford game on Versus. The spread is 40 1/2 in most of Vegas, 41 at Stations. Over/under is 57 1/2 in Nevada, 58 on the Internet. It appears Stanford is not intimidated by …

Who Would You Fire?

'Kill them all, God will know his own." There are several versions of this quote -- I like this one. It was spoken in 1209, during the Albigensian Crusade and subsequent land grab (Catholic French …

October 4, 2007
Greed Death March

They've risen from the sewers and they're back on TV, the walking undead from O.J.'s 1995 murder trial. And they're still hungry, still greedy, still needy for fame. Marcia Clark, the incompetent lead prosecutor in …

September 27, 2007
Somewhere Marty Is Laughing

Happily, I got the "Norv Is a Hack" column out of the way before the NFL season started, so I can say "Norv Is a Hack" now without being accused of jumping on the bandwagon. …

September 20, 2007
The Sport Of Love

The phone rings, I pick up, Dorothy Giliam says, "Hello." "Dorothy, been a long time. How are you?" UNLV, 1969 "I'm good," Dorothy says. "I finished editing Frank's book, and it's published now. I remarried. …

September 13, 2007
Chargers Preview Edition

Before we get to the Chargers, I should note Division II dwelling Appalachian State and its convincing 34-32 victory over nationally ranked (number 5) Division I opponent Michigan. The game was played at Michigan. Follows …

September 6, 2007
Michael Vick Is A Monster

On Monday, Michael Vick pleaded guilty to one count of "conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture." This is what a …

August 30, 2007
FedEx Cup. Round One.

Congratulations to professional golfer Brandt Snedeker, who won the Wyndham Championship on Sunday with a stunning two-point victory over the field. Perhaps I should make that, "won with a final score of 266, 22 under …

August 23, 2007
Battle Bowl 6

This is where it started: minorleaguefootballnews.com. I read, "The 4th Annual 'Hall of Fame' All-Star game is Saturday, December 8, 2007, 3:00 p.m., at Virgin River High in Mesquite, Nevada. Mesquite is the home of …

August 16, 2007
Abandoned Stories

Lately, some national sports stories have fallen off the table. For instance, what happened to Floyd Landis? Where's Ricky Williams? And, what's up with the NBA referee scandal? Donald Rumsfeld It's been three weeks since …

August 9, 2007
Young Barry Bonds

Not much I can do about this. The stars in baseball heaven have aligned with Mars, and with Saturn, while a blue moon hovers off the starboard side of Mercury. In other words, Barry Bonds …

August 2, 2007
Trust Me

You know things are bad when, as of Monday afternoon, NBA.com had no news about Tim Donaghy, the recently retired referee and alleged mob connected game fixer, save for a two-paragraph Friday press release from …

July 26, 2007
Mid-Summer Sports Issue

Regulars are aware that the Box regards American politics as a spectator sport. There are star players, teams, leagues, playoffs, and a national champion. Fans follow the game from childhood on, and once a fan …

July 19, 2007
News From The Camps

Coming close to football. The NFL preseason kicks off in three weeks and change, so it's not too early to start collecting the best sports reporting from team training camps. To begin, the Denver Broncos …

July 12, 2007
Field Trip

Aimlessly walking a bookstore floor letting what happens happen is a 20th-century amusement. Still, every few months I'll hie to a mall, load up on some tutti-frutti, mocca-yoko yummy ice slurp and stroll a vast …

July 5, 2007
Some This. Some That.

Got the California State Games press packet in the mail today. Seems a bit thinner this year. The California games is a development program of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Yes, I understand, you …

June 28, 2007
Where Were You...

If you follow the National Hockey League, you'll remember where you were on April 18, 1999, the day Wayne Gretzky scored his 2857th and last point. If you like college basketball, you'll remember that day …

June 21, 2007
Big Game Guide

Regard, I have happened upon our Department of Fish and Game Licensed Big Game Guides Web page. I envision a Great Hunter, right boot placed on a dead beast's ribs, Italian shooter shirt opened at …

Great Race. Part Two.

'Never heard of it." "It's a fairly unpublicized event," says Jim Penseyres. "ABC put it on TV from '81 through '87, but even then it didn't get much public attention." Penseyres is referring to Race …

June 7, 2007
Great Race. Part One.

A Great Race seizes you, makes you wonder how a human being could start and finish such a thing. I don't include the Indy 500, any Formula 1 race, any NASCAR race, the America's Cup …

May 31, 2007
Waiting Games

How many lines have you stood in this month? Last month? Last year? What do you do while you're waiting? Think about sex? Hate the people in front of you? Think about sex? Replay a …

May 24, 2007
News You Can Use

'I want to know about their hats." "Well, yeah," the male voice trails off, rolls down the hill and slides into a dark, smelly bog. Silence. Now comes a wheezing-out breath, followed by, "There are …

May 10, 2007
Nothing In Particular

Occasionally, life provides a moment when two people take to the dance floor; it's just another dance for them, but this time, this dance, they reveal who they are. On Sunday, Jeff Gordon won the …

May 3, 2007
Landscape Sports

I ask, "Where did you go in San Diego?" "Mostly Balboa Park. It's a nice old park. I think it's one of the more successful parks around." Speaking is a man I'll call Charles Dyson. …

April 26, 2007
Political Sports

Since we have a circus, we might as well treat it like a circus and put some money on the second clown from the left. I'm referring to the presidential campaign that began the day …

April 12, 2007
One Of A Kind

April. Masters time again. Tiger Woods time again. Mr. Eldrick Woods has been around for a while -- turned pro in 1996 and won his first Masters in '97 -- so we can call him …

April 5, 2007
5 Star and Level 4

I wanted to know, so I asked, "Was there something about it that grabbed you? That made you say, 'This is fun!'" Jennifer Kleck, owner of Aqua Adventures, a kayak emporium on Mission Bay that …

March 29, 2007
Tale of Two Cities

At 7:30 a.m. on the morning of November 21, 1980, Charlie Wright and me were drinking at the Barbary Coast, a midsized casino adopted by locals on the corner of Flamingo and the Strip. Caesars …

March 22, 2007
March Madness Preview

It's NCAA Tournament time again, a three-week basketball pageant that comes around every March to remind us what a national playoff looks like. The NCAA lists 326 colleges as playing Division I basketball. Sixty-five teams …

March 15, 2007
Columbus Muscle Forks Rule

I'm wandering the floor of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, an acre of mom-and-pop bicycle manufacturers. The ambience is low key, PG, small scale, nonpolluting, sincere enthusiasm. So, you can understand why the bomber …

March 8, 2007
In With The Old

Which one of the following three events is least likely to happen? (a) meeting Santa Claus, (b) winning the British Open by six strokes, (c) becoming head coach of the best team in the NFL …

March 1, 2007
White Crane Spreads Its Wings Three Years Later

Three years ago I wrote a column about taking up the practice of tai chi and said I'd report back after a year. I did and promised an update in 12 months time. Did that …

February 22, 2007
Bike World Update

The Tour of California, second edition, begins Sunday. You'll recall that this is America's biggest big-deal professional bike race, featuring the biggest big-deal teams from Europe (CSC, T-Mobile, Rabobank), and the sole big-deal United States …

February 15, 2007
What Separates Men From Boys

Jim Burcio, 57, is sitting on a shop stool with a block of wood in his hand. He appears to be tall. He is slender, with salt-and-pepper hair and a ruddy, clean-shaven face. He's wearing …

February 8, 2007
Super Bowl Alert

We'd better go over security for Sunday's big game. Emergency Management magazine tells us "more than 70 government agencies have struck alliances" in order to make a safe Super Bowl Sunday. Tens of thousands of …

February 1, 2007
He Works Hard For The Money

When Chicago plays Indianapolis on Sunday next there will be several Super Bowl games going on at the same time. One game will be on radio, one on television, one in the stadium, one on …

January 25, 2007
Marty's Curse

I've been calling for Marty Schottenheimer's dismissal since the day he was hired. I take no pleasure -- indeed, it is troubling -- to find myself in the company of corporate media at this late …

January 18, 2007
Now Hiring

The Box will stand second to no one in getting game-ready for Sunday's Chargers/Patriots contest. This is the best playoff match-up to date and is required viewing for sports enthusiasts. But, let's not take our …

January 11, 2007
iPod Sports

Most of my four-gig iPod is taken up with audio books. There's a little music, too, mostly country-western tunes or torch singers such as Diana Krall. I get along with my iPod, not looking for …

January 4, 2007
2006 Sports

Close the drawer on 2006. On the yahoo side, we can mark up Jim Harbaugh and the University of San Diego Toreros football team. They went 11-1 this year and last. Harbaugh won two I-AA …

December 28, 2006
Minor Bowl

Christmas is upon us, which means two weeks -- make that three weeks of postseason college football. Everyone is familiar with the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl and other bowls of that ilk. But, …

December 21, 2006
May The Curse Be Lifted

Not too early to get our wishes for the New Year in order. Here's number one: San Diego and New Orleans meet in Super Bowl XLI. Philip Rivers vs. Drew Brees. Brees must feel like …

December 14, 2006
New Team On The Runway

I'm flipping back and forth between the Boise/Nevada game on ESPN2 and San Diego State's self-immolation in Albuquerque, which, thankfully, is only available on radio. Still, it feels like an unnatural act of media consumption, …

November 30, 2006
The Thanksgiving Column

I am acquainted with a big-city newspaper columnist who, every Thanksgiving, announces that many readers have written and e-mailed asking for his adorable, heart-tugging Thanksgiving column...the one he wrote in 1988, the one he replays …

November 22, 2006
Miss Putt-Putt Of 1958

Human beings are hard-wired for competition, that's how we got to be the top mammal on the planet. And, I should add, whether you're keeping score by evolution or creative design, we did it in …

November 16, 2006
Good Jobs

Spot quiz. How many of the following names do you recognize? Suzy Kolber, Michele Tafoya, Andrea Kramer, Lisa Guerrero, Armen Keteyian, Colleen Dominguez, Jill Arrington, and Jeanne Zelasko. If you said "zero," you're a normal, …

November 9, 2006

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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
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