Michael Vick’s talent and humility brought him back

Dog lovers don’t have to like it, but patience, humility and, of course, enormous physical gifts brought Michael Vick back after a wildly out of whack moral compass led him astray. …

You’re probably a close relative or a soothsayer if you predicted as recently as last spring that Vick would be an NFL starter this season and “playing out of his mind,” as Philadelphia Eagles Coach Andy Reid noted this week. …

Sixteen months ago, the ex-ringleader of the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring was still imprisoned at Leavenworth, Kan. …

Ichiro Suzuki is a marvel. …

In the worst of his 10 major league seasons, the Japanese star batted .303 with 206 hits. …

Andrew Bynum, given his history of knee injuries and painfully slow recoveries, deserves to be dinged for postponing offseason knee surgery and possibly putting at risk his availability for the start of the regular season. …

Bynum, a month shy of his 23rd birthday, seemed to have matured last spring when he limped through the playoffs. …

Ongoing mystery: Why has nobody other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar developed a skyhook, which in the six-time most valuable player’s hands was virtually unstoppable? …

Reader Scott Seidenverg, noting the trend toward oddly colored playing surfaces in college football, suggests gold for USC, saying via e-mail, “If it was left long like U.S. Open turf, the refs would lose their flags, vastly improving USC’s chances.” …

Two years after a September prime-time loss to Oregon State torpedoed the national championship aspirations of Mark Sanchez and top-ranked USC, a loss to the Beavers on Saturday night would do the same to Boise State’s hopes. …

Who knew that Oregon State, which has not won a Rose Bowl game since the early 1940s, wielded such power? …

Yes, Jake Locker was abysmal against Nebraska, but former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti is off-base when he calls the Washington senior and projected first-round NFL draft pick only the fifth-best quarterback in the Pacific 10 Conference. …

Arizona’s Nick Foles tops his list. …

With Dodgers fans anxiously awaiting the end of the Frank and Jamie McCourt divorce proceedings as the club staggers to the end of a lost season, reader Doug Kelly of Sacramento e-mails to ask, “Can’t you just hear the old ‘Dragnet’ announcer saying, ‘In a moment, the results of that trial?’ ” …

Only the future of the franchise hangs in the balance. …

Reader Drew Janner of Westchester e-mails to wish a speedy recovery from surgery to Kings announcer Bob Miller, noting via e-mail that he looks forward to Miller’s return and “watching in June as you lift the Stanley Cup for the first time.” …

Miller says he’ll be ready to launch his 38th season Oct. 9. …

Four of the 11 teams that paid the NBA’s luxury tax last season — the Lakers, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic — reached the conference finals. …

Only one, the New York Knicks, missed the playoffs. …

It’s a good bet that Jeremiah Masoli misses Oregon a lot more than the high-flying Ducks miss their former quarterback. …

For the 12th time this year, Phil Mickelson this weekend has a chance to nudge Tiger Woods from atop the world rankings. …

Mickelson has never been No. 1. …

On this date in 1957, Gil Hodges and the Dodgers drew only 6,702 for their final game at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. …

In 21 of the next 28 seasons, after moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers led the major leagues in attendance. …

Jim Murray, in 1979: “ Ted Williams might have had the vision to see a ball curving 60 feet ahead, but Walter O’Malley had the vision to see three decades ahead.” …

Condolences to fans of Furthur who found themselves seated behind Bill Walton on Tuesday at the Greek Theatre. …

A dancing 7-foot Deadhead tends to block sightlines. …

Neil Schwartz, agent for holdout receiver Vincent Jackson, tells the Associated Press that other teams refer to Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith as “The Lord of No Rings.” …

Isn’t that LeBron James’ nickname?

jerome.crowe@latimes.com