For one contest, Julian Rizza looked like a front-page player. Four of his five NBA calls hit, placing 22nd and collecting 229.
The closing sports erased that cushion in two strokes. The World Cup returned 11.5 at 230th, and golf followed with 11 at 231st. A Hurricanes-led hockey card had managed 112th, but no result nearby could absorb both losses.
Elsewhere, baseball at 165th and the NFL Playoffs at 208th offered no counterweight. A 17-place fall left Rizza 237th with 768.5. His excellent NBA card remained a glimpse of the season that never formed around it.