Stump-in' for Goodness in Sports

If it seems like sports have gone to the dogs recently -- what with the outing of A-Rod, the busting of Michael Phelps and the banning of boxer Antonio "Fists of Plaster" Margarito -- take heart. We've just found a real dog in sports worth celebrating. Call him Stump the Magic Spaniel.

We may have another 10 months to go this year, but there won't be a better comeback story in 2008 than Stump's, the brownish-red, short-legged, floppy-eared winner of best in show Tuesday night at the Westminster dog show. Stump is 10. Ten! That's 70 years old in dog years. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? This is the equivalent of Dikembe Mutombo winning this year's NBA MVP.

Stump had been retired for five years, dogging it, I guess you could say. But he returned to competition this week and all he did at Madison Square Garden was romp over a field of, well, young pups, from all over the world. It's a good thing Stump's handler and co-owner Scott Sommer let this dog out.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Stump wasn't favored to win. He was the, um, quintessential underdog. A giant schnauzer came in as the nation's top show dog and then there was Tiger Woods, a Scottish deerhound. They were considered among the, er, hot dogs.

But doggone it if Stump's story isn't better than that. This is the comeback part: Stump was forced to retire five years ago because he was at death's door, death's doggie door, that is. He suffered from some affliction that his owner said just shut down his body.

Stump was taken to the famous animal clinic at Texas A&M. He was treated for 19 days before being deemed fit enough to leave. Tuesday night he waddled away with the biggest trophy in the sporting world of dogs – a bowl, of course.

Am I barking up the wrong tree?