It’s been a disappointing week of sports, starting with another Villanova NCAA Basketball championship, not that I would have been any happier if Michigan had won it all. Furthermore, the only two Cubs games that I’ve watched the opposition joyously walked-off in victory. Tiger Woods has not played well at The Masters, so his hopes of becoming the greatest comeback sports story in history are dashed. The Portland Trailblazers are still fighting to win their division after a couple of tough outings. Oregon State baseball has dropped out of the top spot in college baseball, while I.U. had finally made it into the Top 10 before being upset by rival Purdue. My White Sox also lost their last two after a great two-win start to the season. It was a “weak week” for all of my favorites.

As far as “upsets,” last week was no different. While on our cruise ship near Greece, I had little access to the world of sports. It was just as well that I was far removed from “March Sadness,” with no teams left to follow. I was instead looking forward to seeing Olympia, the site of the very first Olympic Games and a must-see mecca for any sports fan. Due to high winds our ship was unable to port, so that site still remains on my bucket list. I was hoping to find an ancient gold medal that no one else had stumbled upon. It’s still there!

Despite these setbacks, I still managed to add to my sports collection with a couple of Sherm Lollar photos, White Sox Opening Day cards, and two Topps Now cards of Shohei Ohtani, the Angels rookie sensation from Japan who hit his first three home runs this week. I also wait with anticipation for Indiana high school basketball standout Romeo Langford to finally make his college decision, now that the McDonald’s All-American Game is history. He had 19 points, including three 3-pointers as his East team lost to the West. He’ll next play here in Portland next week as part of the Nike Hoop Summit that I will be attending. I think I’m headed for more disappointment in hoping that he will elect to play for Indiana next year. The only positive for Hoosier basketball in recent times has been the women’s NIT championship that they claimed last week in Bloomington. Go Lady Hoosiers!

The Cubbies much anticipated home opener will be Monday against the hot, division-leading Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs struggled against them early last year, but hopefully The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field will bring out the best from the “Good Guys.” I did find out that my wife and I will be in Chicago for this year’s Crosstown Classic at Guaranteed Rate Filed, so I’ll hopefully get to see both of my favorites on the diamond this September. The only other baseball game I have planned so far this year is Oregon State when they play here against Portland University at Ron Tonkin Field in a few weeks. It will be my second Beaver baseball game this year after seeing them beat Cal Poly in Surprise, Arizona. They won their first 13 games this year, then added a 7-game victory streak, before uncharacteristically losing three out of the next four against Washington and Utah. They’ll face the state rival Ducks for a three-game series in Corvallis before traveling here to Portland to battle the Pilots.

Here’s to a strong next week!