March Madness, welcome back

A respected economist recently criticized Oregon lawmakers, saying they were “stupid” to do away with state-sponsored sports gambling.

That potshot, in our view, was the equivalent of an air ball.

Thursday, thanks to the 2005 Legislature’s willingness to scrap the state’s Sports Action lottery game, the Big Dance finally returns to Oregon. It means thousands of fans from eight universities have flocked to Portland, along with a small army of players, coaches and media personnel, for games at the Rose Garden today and Saturday in the first and second rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

– Excerpt from The Oregonian Editorial, March 18, 2009