No bull

The economy might have put the nail in the coffin for 2008 Portuguese festa bullfights, but animal-rights activists sure had a helping hand. And who can blame them? Torturing animals for sport is a pretty barbaric thing, even if that's not the intent of the event.

I mean, it's good fun for the humans, but what about the bleeding participant? Let's stage the event with a couple enterprising die-hards in a cow suit, and see how they fare.

The only part I will personally miss is the sound from the ring floating all the way to Press office at 10th and A streets. The noise of so many people gathered together in Tracy's downtown — and living it up with an ice-cold cerveca — is magic.

But for some, it's a nostalgic tragedy that there won't be a fight at the festa this year. Cheer up though, mates. The best part of last year's fight was when members of the Suicide Squad took on the fans. Maybe we can get them back for a bull-less encore.