I have been dormant over the last week upset that my picks for the 2018 NHL and NBA Finals have both flamed out.  I do have a chance to redeem myself through this column though.  You get a chance to follow me and my shenanigans as I watch the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The United States might not be in this year (but they will be in 2026 when they host it along with Canada and Mexico since it expands to 48 teams), but I’ve already picked a team.  I have chosen Portugal because I believe that Christiano Ronaldo will bring that same energy from that Euro 2016 championship to the pitch this summer.  I have a reputation for picking teams because of a player I like, but we can make an exception in this case.

That table above shows the group and team’s that will be playing.  Maybe the United States dodged a bullet, because who wants to travel to Russia anyways (and these are some tough teams…).

Mariners baseball will continue to entrance the Seattle area, but besides Seahawks mandatory minicamp this week (with an annoyingly absent Earl Thomas), the nation should turn to soccer or Futbol as the Europeans like to call it.  I won’t give large in-depth previews or analysis of the matches every day, but I will tell you things that I noticed and hopefully inform and perhaps humor you along the way.

The games start tomorrow, and this is one thing the Russians definitely won’t rig…