With professional golf knee-deep in its own silly season, the winter months are a time for sports fans to enjoy the NFL, NBA, and, of course, the court system.

Michael Vick, the former NFL superstar who proved that Virginia Tech is unable to teach people that conducting dog fights and murdering pit bulls is considered anti-social behavior, got his just due today, as a judge sentenced him to 23 months in prison.

Still on the docket for sports fans is Barry Bonds, who will see if he has as much pull as Scooter Libby in his upcoming trial for perjury and obstruction of justice (he doesn’t). And O.J. Simpson promises to be a bigger presence in the news in 2008 than any presidential candidate, as he will face charges in Las Vegas, where apparently they are anti-armed robbery, regardless of explanation.

Generally golf fans have little to worry about in these courtroom dramas, as golfers not named John Daly tend to stay out of trouble. In 2008, however, the PGA Tour’s Arjun Atwal should having his day in court, after his street racing experience in Florida went horribly wrong, leaving another driver dead.

So keep your heads up, golf fans. Even the best on the links will be having their own courtroom dramas in 2008. For fans and citizens, the best one can hope for in all the above cases is that justice is served. In Vick’s case, at first blush, it appears it has.

–WKW