The Rocky Colavito Curse Lives On, to the Chagrin of Sports Fan Hugh Hewitt

All in all, it was a decidedly mixed weekend for Ohio and Notre Dame sports fan Hugh Hewitt. His Cleveland Indians concluded a three-game losing streak (LOSERS!), sending the Boston Red Sox to the World Series. The Curse of Rocky Colavito lives on! (In the spirit of full disclosure, throughout his Little League years, the Kosher Hedgehog used a black ash Rocky Colavito signature Louisville Slugger, to great effect far exceeding his poor athletic abilities.) Yes, sport fans, it was certainly was unwise and indeed historically disastrous for the Indians to trade Colavito, the then-reigning American League home run leader, to the Detroit Tigers in 1960. According to sports writer Terry Pluto, who first wrote of the curse in his 1994 book, The Curse of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look at a 33-Year Slump, the curse prevents the Indians from winning the American League Pennant or a World Series. Uh, Pluto, make that a 47-year slump.

Now Rocky Colavito himself tried to lift the curse on October 12, 2007, announcing, "I hereby rescind The Curse of Rocky Colavito which has for decades prevented the Cleveland Indians from winning a World Series." That seemed to work for a few days, as Cleveland shot out to a 3-1 series lead after losing the opening game. But Rocky had been sloppy in his incantation; he should have added that the curse had kept the Indians from even getting into a World Series, much less winning one. Or perhaps the Curse deliberately allowed the Indians to get within one game of an American Pennant and the World Series, before demonstrating its power and dashing the dreams of Indian fans. One can practically hear demonic laughter in the background.

Hugh is also a big fan of Notre Dame football, and a inveterate mocker of USC. USC had its revenge on Saturday, 38-0.

The only solace for poor Hugh now is his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes, still sitting pretty at the top of the BCS rankings after eaking out a 24-17 win over Big 10 doormat Michigan State (5-3 overall, 1-3 in conference). Ohio State's other wins include lopsided victories against "powerhouses" such as Youngstown State, Akron, and Kent State. While that qualifies Ohio State to be football champion of the State of Ohio, it hardly justifies a number one national ranking. My own fond hope is that the BCS Number 5 ranked Arizona State University Sun Devils meet the Buckeyes in a national championship game, and avenge their 1997 Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State. I say that despite the likelihood that it will earn me a downstairs sleeping berth, since my wife is also an Ohio State fan.