If anyone knows an effective way to deal with the highs and lows of following athletics, I'd like to hear it.

This is a column that might not have been written. At least not today.

After a full morning of campaign activities, I was pleased to return to my car in time to hear the Rangers' tying goal against the Devils in the third period. After winning on Thursday at Continental Airlines Arena, New York had returned home to Madison Square Garden for another matchup with New Jersey, and Blair Betts' equalizer gave them a realistic prospect of winning once more. As the remaining time in the third period bled off the clock and Devils goaltender Scott Clemmensen kept his team in the game, overtime was upon the fierce rivals. Despite the 4-on-4 format of extra time, this accomplished nothing further in settling the game at hand. The subsequent shootout was a nail-biter in which the resurgent Ranger netminder Kevin Weekes allowed just one goal to Brian Gionta, scorer of the Devils' two tallies in regulation. Michael Nylander scored for the home team before the sudden death stage commenced when Jaromir Jagr rang one off the post. After the Devils could not score in their half, callup Petr Prucha demonstrated why he should stay by delivering the game-winner for the Blueshirts, which came in addition to his score in the second.

After the Rangers' inability to seize two in a season from New Jersey for years, taking in a pair of wins during a three-day span against the Devils was to breathe rarified air. I only hoped that Cal football could rally from a slight 10-7 deficit against Oregon to make the second half worth watching by the time I got home. The Bears ended up fulfilling this hope with Marshaun Lynch’s 52 yard touchdown in the third quarter to cap a ten point comeback. With a minute plus on the clock and Cal nearing the Oregon 30, it looked as if points were imminent. However, the team went backward on consecutive plays. This forced Tom Schneider to attempt his third field goal after converting from 21 and 45 yards, but he hooked the 53-yarder that would have won the contest as time expired in the fourth quarter. This set up an overtime dominated by the Ducks, who scored on a short pass from Brady Leaf to James Finley and allowed the visitors just two yards on four plays. As Cal's ensuing drive resulted in a turnover on downs, I dejectedly shut off the television...and it was time to write.

I’ll be the first to tell you that I follow professional teams more intently, so the Ranger victory should have outweighed the heartbreak of nearly defeating the thirteenth-ranked Ducks. Somehow, though, I felt as if I were back where I began when the day started.

Losses are inevitable, but I never get used to them. The Knicks began their season with an overtime loss in Boston, and even a spirited comeback did not suffice to defeat Washington in their first game at home. There may be opportunities down the road, but it can be difficult to ignore the wasted ones from the past. You get the feeling, watching a team like this, that they need to convert the chances they do have as often as possible.

It’s safe to say that real basketball has left me disappointed initially, especially when considering the colossal amount of money New York has again thrown at new acquisitions. I suppose I’ll have to content myself with two lines I received after I completed an NBA fantasy draft and put the finishing touches on a club I named "Win Jerome James’ $":

CrunchTime: u have a good team
Digga: damn Jerome james, I love your team

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