I have the 70-300VR and I love it. It is well regarded as a great value in the Nikkor lineup. It's shortcomings really show in low light but for outdoors during the day even on cloudy days it is fantastic. The 70-200 2.8's are nice but the prices are much higher and then you have to deal with the added weight. I have the Nikkor 80-200 2.8 and it is a beast compared to the 70-300 VR. I shoot pictures of our high school marching band and I use the 70-300 VR during the day and when we move to night time I switch to the 80-200 2.8 on a monopod.

You also don't say what Nikon camera you are using and you don't list it in your profile. If you are using the D5000 or down you will need an AF-S or equivalent lens as these camera's don't have built in focus motors. This can really limit what you can use if you don't want to manual focus.