So where has A Non-Traditional Sports Fan in America been lately? Sorry, everyone...

Last week I was on sabbatical for my first wedding anniversary. My wife and I celebrated one year on May Day... which also happens to be my regular posting time for this column. I was in southern Oregon, far from the sports world...

And then, when I came back, I came down with a particularly nasty cold. Sometimes obscure sports -- hell, ALL sports -- have to take a backseat in life. I didn't touch a computer for days...

On top of that, I have a pressing deadline for a new gig I have -- my first articles in print! -- for Asian Restaurant News, a trade publication for restaurant owners and managers who specialize in Asian cuisine. Yours truly has been tabbed to start writing a monthly "Business Tips" column for them. A lot of my research and writing has gone into this, and sports time has suffered as a consequence...

In this time period, my Montreal Canadiens have been run from the Stanley Cup playoffs... Roger Federer finally won a tournament for a change -- if I could go back in time and tell myself I would at some point have the chance to write that sentence, I would laugh myself out of the room... the Kentucky Derby passed in jubilation and tragedy as Big Brown passed Eight Belles to win -- right before the horse in the place position collapsed and was euthanized on the track... swimming records have tumbled under the assault of Speedo's controversial new LZR Racer suit... the IIHF World Championships see Canada marching onward precariously... cycling gears up for the start of the Giro d'Italia this weekend...

And yet, here I am, doing mere lip service to these events... does anyone even care? Let me know below...

I've got to get some restless illness-plagued sleep before work tomorrow... the Non-Traditional Sports Fan marches onward through life, and the hiatus ends next week... look for the tried-and-true quality you have come to expect then... as for now, it was enough to pound out these few sentences in between swipes at the tissue box and turning to sneeze...