Time To Call It What It Is: The Curse of Mike Hart

The Red Sox had the Curse of the Bambino, after the Babe was sold to the Yankees.  Eighty-six years it lasted; no World Series title for the Red Sox.  The curse is over, apparently—or is it, given the Red Sox collapse this September?

Closer to home, we had the Curse of Bobby Layne, who allegedly said the Lions would not win a title for 50 years after trading him to Pittsburgh in 1958.  That one came true—plus, the Lions had the worst winning percentage in the NFL over those 50 years, even with some decent teams and Barry.

But we appear to have a new curse on the block:  The Curse of Mike Hart.  Mike Hart's flip and nasty "little brother" comment after a tough come-from-behind Wolverine win in 1987 has maybe not had quite the effect U-M fans would have liked since then.

Let's look at the evidence:

• Four wins in a row by the Spartans since that day, whether at U-M or Spartan Stadium.  First time since the Kennedy Administration. 
• The past three have been the first losses suffered by the Wolverines in each of their seasons.  That's pretty remarkable.  Things went downhill every year after each loss to the Spartans.   This year...? 

As for Mike Hart, his NFL career didn't go far, and he's now an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University—where he deserves to end his coaching days and maybe get an EMU Eagles watch in 35 years when he retires.

Sometimes, it doesn't pay to talk smack right after a comeback win.  Mike Hart did no favors for the University of Michigan with his comments.  But Spartan fans have four straight reasons to be pleased that he fired us up.  Eighty-six straight years might even it up, but as we approach Halloween, it's time to acknowledge:

The CURSE OF MIKE HART!