The Super Bowl in April?

We want to lead with football today. One story’s about an up-and-coming young man out of San Diego State, while the other isn’t really about the sport at all.

The Super Bowl, however, does serve as a mighty fine metaphor when one is trying to make a point. Now, book lovers don’t always turn to one of sport’s true blockbusters to make their points, but the folks behind the San Diego Book Crawl do. They like to call the three-day event  the “Super Bowl of books” and it’s charming enough to forgive them the hyperbole.

During this weekend’s book crawl, independent book sellers all across the county will throw open their doors and offer specials to regular patrons and the curious alike. And yes, there are prizes involved. Sure, it’s a business boost, but a spiritual boost as well for the small businesses; one employee says the event brings in so “many excited, fun and happy people.” Mireya Miner has more.

It’s a weekend for book lovers: Saturday is also the day for the 79th Latino Book and Family Festival, as our Alejandro Maciel broke down in his preview of the event.

Now to the real football. Chris Johnson could have a very big day today. The NFL Draft begins Thursday and the Aztec cornerback wowed scouts and observers at a pre-draft event in February, making him a possible first-round pick. As his SDSU coach said, “he killed it.” Noah Perkins explains what that performance might mean for Johnson’s future.

Thoughts? Opinions? Share them with us at news@timesofsandiego.com.