It’s a bad week for this foursome in sports world

Think you’ve had a bad week? Think you’ve seen disappointment?

You should be the Memphis Grizzlies.

Or the people who run the Belmont Stakes.

Or Clinton Portis’ agent.

Or Floyd Landis.

Four losers so conspicuous in recent days, we just had to call them together for a group photo.

Grizzlies first. You’d think a 22-60 record – worst in the NBA civilized world – would get them enough Ping-Pong balls in the draft lottery that they’d be a lock for the No. 1 pick. Or at the very, very worst, No. 2.

Either would be fine. Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Might change their franchise forever.

Then the Grizzlies drew the No. 4 pick. Welcome to Memphis, Al Horford.

“I don’t like the draft lottery, never liked it,” Grizzlies president Jerry West told the media afterward. “It’s not sour grapes. I just think it’s a terrible system.”

The final indignity: Since Portland and Seattle hit the 1-2 jackpot, the Grizzlies not only will miss Oden and Durant, they’ll have to play against them in their own conference.

But what about the Belmont Stakes? No event I can think of is more dependent on other events for its success. If the Kentucky Derby and Preakness produce the same winner and a Triple Crown threat, the Belmont becomes the focal point of sport and a grand stage for history. At least for 2 1/2 minutes. Must-see TV.

And if there is no Triple Crown chance … then the Belmont becomes Eye on Gardening, on the iLife network.

When Smarty Jones chased a Triple Crown in 2004, the Belmont drew 120,139 fans. With no contender the next year, the announced crowd was 61,168.

You can imagine, then, how fervently the good folks of the New York Racing Association were rooting Kentucky Derby champion Street Sense down the stretch in the Preakness last Saturday.

Then Curlin won by a head. So close, but so, so, so far.

Street Sense’s trainer said his horse might not even run in three weeks. So when the Belmont goes to the post, there will not only be no Triple Crown to hype, but the Kentucky Derby champion might be in the barn, munching hay.

Or you could be Clinton Portis’ agent, trying to conduct damage control after your knucklehead client said during an interview that lots of people indulge in dog fighting, and since they own the dogs, nobody else should care, so what’s the big deal if Michael Vick put a few canines in the ring to rip each other to shreds?

There go Portis’ chances for Man of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Sounds as if he’s run too many power sweeps without a helmet.

Finally, there’s Landis. Sigh.

He sought a public hearing about his Tour de France drug charges so he could rail at the United States Anti-Doping Agency and French chemists and anyone else who says he’s dirty, and prove to the world what a swell guy and innocent victim he is.

Seemed like a good idea at the time. But after a few days of sordid courtroom chatter in the dignified legal atmosphere of Malibu, Calif., the test numbers from the lab are hardly the most noticeable mud splotches on Landis’ reputation.

The tactics from his camp have wandered from bizarre enough for Mr. Blackwell (Landis’ ever-present yellow tie is a supposed visual aid for anyone forgetting what color jersey the rightful Tour de France leader wears) to malicious enough to merit a “Law & Order” episode.

With three-time Tour champion Greg LeMond set to testify for the USADA, Landis manager Will Geoghegan called LeMond last week with a warning: Talk, and the story of LeMond’s sex abuse as a child, which LeMond had earlier discussed with Landis, becomes public fodder. The tabloids would not be far behind.

Landis fired Geoghegan, but not until after LeMond had taken the stand last Thursday and divulged the call.

And if that didn’t bother a few members in the Floyd Landis Fan Club, this was the release of this Landis blog post from a few weeks ago about LeMond: “If he ever opens his mouth again and the word ‘Floyd’ comes out, I will tell you all some things that you will wish you didn’t know.”

Why again, are they having this hearing? Oh, yeah. Floyd Landis says he’s clean.