GAVRISH: I'm buying the wrong jerseys

I don't usually consider myself a superstitious person, even when it comes to sports. But curses, on the other hand, are a completely different story. And with the way the BU men's hockey team fell apart in the postseason, I thought for sure they had to have been cursed.

But could it have been my fault?

It's hard to admit publicly, but I've been cursed for many years. It doesn't involve witches or the Bambino or anything like that. It's more like the Sports Illustrated Jinx -- the one in which something bad happens to whomever SI decides to put on its cover. The chosen athlete seems to always get injured or choke in a big situation shortly after being featured in the magazine.

My problem is slightly different. I have the Jersey Curse. The truth is that every single sports jersey I've ever owned has been cursed.

Here's a few examples of what I mean. In 2001, I finally convinced my parents to buy me a Patriots jersey, and of course, I wanted it to be a Drew Bledsoe one. Then just a few games into the season, poor Drew suffered that fateful hit against the Jets and his football career was essentially over. Although I was disappointed that my new jersey was worthless, I didn't see anything suspicious about it at that point - especially since the Pats went on to win the Super Bowl.

But then other things began adding up. A few years later, I bought a Lawyer Milloy jersey to replace my old Bledsoe one, and within a couple weeks, Bill Belichick suddenly decided that the Pro Bowl safety was replaceable and cut him from the team. Now, that seemed a little weird.

Then I started thinking back to some of the other jerseys I've owned and realized that this phenomenon was nothing new. When I got a Paul Pierce jersey several years ago, he didn't get traded or released - he got stabbed in a nightclub!

And things got even stranger when the curse transferred over to baseball. I owned jerseys of Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra for just a few months before the curse got to them. Both were gone from Boston and have suffered multiple injuries and mediocre seasons since then.

But the clearest occurrence of the Jersey Curse came just a few years ago. My mother came home all excited because she had gotten me a brand new Celtics jersey for a very low price. Turns out it was an Antoine Walker jersey and, of course, it was so cheap because he no longer played for the Celtics.

I wore the jersey a couple times just to make my mom happy, and that's when things started getting weird again. In another genius Danny Ainge move, Antoine got traded back to the C's in the middle of the year and my jersey suddenly had some value again.

I thought perhaps I would be able to avoid the curse because of the strange circumstances concerning my Walker jersey. But no, the Jersey Curse took swift action as Antoine was shipped out of town again at the end of the season. He later went on to win a championship with the Miami Heat, while the Celtics just started rebuilding (otherwise known as "sucking"). There was no other explanation - I was cursed.

I've recently accepted my disability and have even considered using my powers for good. Sometimes I consider buying a Brett Favre or Roger Clemens jersey, just so that those guys will see the light and finally decide to retire.

Now this is the part of my story when I'd like to tell you about how I got to Boston University last fall, bought a hockey jersey and placed a horrible curse upon the Icedogs. It would explain so much and maybe even give the Terriers a little excuse for their pathetic showings in the Hockey East and NCAA Tournaments.

Plus, the events that took place on the past two Friday nights were just freaky. The losses to Boston College and Michigan State University were eerily similar. First off, both games started hours after they were supposed to because the earlier matchups had gone deep into overtime. BU stayed alive for only a couple minutes in each game before its opponent dominated the rest of the night. Either the Terriers have a shared bedtime, after which they can't play good hockey, or they're just another victim of my curse.

But unfortunately, I can't take any responsibility for the team's failure. I really wish I could say it was my fault, but the reality is that I never even bought a hockey jersey - partly because I didn't want to curse the Terriers and partly because the frickin' $90 price tag scared me away.

However, since my grandmother sent me a $5 check for Valentine's Day (who knows how much I'll get for Easter!), maybe I'll be able to afford my own jersey before next season.

That way, if the hockey team has a more successful year, then it will mean I am finally free of the Jersey Curse. And if by some chance the Terriers have another depressing season full of losses to UMass-Lowell and Northeastern University, then at least you will all have someone to blame.

Until then, I'll be eagerly awaiting your hate mail.

Bennett Gavrish, a freshman in the College of Communication, is a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. He can be reached at bennettg@bu.edu.