Last week was one of the most disappointing in my 25 years in the sports reporting industry. Not only a lot of my games didn’t work out for me, not much in life did work for me either, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to share.

It’s Monday and Martin Luther King Day. Big! That means a big NBA card, half of it played in afternoon matinees.

I start the day with the red hot Utah Jazz (8-1 ATS L9) getting three on the Clippers. The Jazz are never in the game for three quarters, but a great fourth quarter actually has Utah up six with 1:03 to play. A layup from Cutino Mobley, a jumper from Sam Cassell and two free kicks from Elton Brand and we’re even with 19 seconds left. Kirilenko’s brick from six feet at the horn sends him into overtime where the Jazz take nine shots (eight from 20 feet or more) in what turns out to be a nine-point loss. Well, bounce back big time tonight.

The big college action on Monday kicks off with Kansas at Missouri. I (have) the Jayhawks on the road minus two. Kansas leads by seven points with 30 seconds remaining. Missouri somehow manages to tie things but sends Christian Moody to the line with 0.4 seconds less. Loss or thrust. Moody misses them both and we have life. Errrrr at least until they fold by three in overtime – Loser.

I (we) also have Southern Illinois, which is on an 11-game winning streak, getting 5 1/2 of Northern Iowa. Tied at 48 in regulation we head into the OT. The Salukis take a six point lead at the 2:54 mark and I’m feeling pretty good. The Panthers bury a 3-pointer with four seconds left and lead by six as we hook up in the second overtime.

Day One Recap: 0-3 in games where we had teams get points going into the final minute with a lead and then lose ATS in overtime.

I divide my time between Costa Rica and Las Vegas and on Tuesday I go to Sin City. The drive is uneventful, but twelve hours later I arrive at the front door of my condo and the door key has been demagnetized and won’t work. I can either walk a quarter mile with my luggage or wait for the next car and follow them. I wait 30 minutes and the driver I’m following gives me a look that would freeze the water in the lake 10 feet. Fast forward to Thursday.

My bonus board game of the year is Montana plus one in Northern Arizona. The Grizzlies are on a 10 game winning streak and lead 45-32 at the half extending to 58-39 early in the second half. Yes, the Lumberjacks go 10-13 from 3-point ground and shoot 64% from the field for the game to come back and win 83-80. No problem, I still have Xavier in Cincinnati and I’ll be sitting at Hank’s in Green Valley Ranch enjoying an amazing meal.

The Musketeers are down after ten seconds and never lead until there are five minutes left. We give four and a half. Xavier leads by five a couple of times and has a five point lead with 30 seconds remaining. The Bearcats have the ball and hit two 3-pointers, hitting the offensive board each time. An off-balance Jihad Mohammed three finds the mark and Xavier is up two with 12 seconds remaining. Dead unless there’s overtime. I GET IT! Xavier leads by five with 15 seconds remaining. A worthless three makes it 73-71 and that’s it. Did I mention Xavier was 1-18 from beyond the arc? Pass the Percicets and Drano please.

The next day I fly back to Costa Rica. I arrive at McCarron Airport three hours early to return the rental car and check in. To enter Costa Rica, you must have a guaranteed ticket that ensures your departure. This has never been a problem in my past 20 or so trips, but today I have an American Airlines employee looking for Employee of the Month. A $688 one-way ticket to Miami in April finally gets me on my way.

There’s a three-hour layover in Dallas, so I kick back and read USA Today. After boarding the plane, the crew decide that they will not fly as only two of the four toilets are working.

After two hours, the toilets are checked and all that is left is for the FAA to inspect for “leaks”. This doesn’t really bother me too much as I ponder whether the “leak” would freeze on its fall from 34,000 feet and kill someone or just burn up on its re-entry. After 16 hours I’m back in my condo in San Jose with a night of writing to look forward to.

I broke away on Saturday and actually made the jump on Sunday by winning with Rutgers early in college hoops and then cashing in on Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game. I need Carolina and the minors to have a very good day. Painfully apparent after only two series that Carolina has no chance, I can only wait for the bass. At 27-7 with five minutes to go I know I’m done. Alexander hits him from the one, 34-7. You absolutely know Delhomme is going to complete his first 10+ yard pass on this possession and he does, 47 yards to go and more.

Oh well, shit happens. I still have my NBA Play of the Day on Toronto plus seven on the Lakers. Toronto is 13-2 ATS in their L15 overall, 15-5 ATS on the road, while the Lakers are just 7-11 ATS at Staples Center. Toronto leads 71-53 in the third, so I essentially have a 25-point lead with eighteen minutes to play. The rest is history. The Lakers outscore the Raptors 69-33 the rest of the way as Kobe scores 81 points, 55 in the second half, 28 in the fourth quarter.

Now I know not many of you will shed a tear over a guy who reads, writes, and bets on sports for a living while spending half his time between Las Vegas and Costa Rica, but for just one week: Welcome to my world! !