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BY KEVIN FRIEDENBERG

In print | April 19, 2007

I’d be willing to bet that a fair share of you out there have heard of the Curse of the Bambino, or at least the Curse of King Tut’s Tomb. I know that if I asked you about the Kevin Friedenberg Sports Memorabilia Curse you probably would scratch your head and scoff. Aside from my immediate family I have never shared this curse, so be ready and be intrigued. And don’t worry, because unless you happen to be a merchandising professional athlete, you are safe from my wrath.

The Kevin Friedenberg Sports Memorabilia Curse is ferocious; it shows no mercy regardless of status. So what exactly is my curse? Basically, any sort of sports memorabilia that I collect, be it jerseys, autographs, posters or t-shirts, invariably spells doom for the athlete. As of now, not a single athlete whose name can be found in my bedroom has escaped this brutal fate. I believe that I have ended careers, forced retirements and incensed trades upon the simple act of memorabilia touching my hands.

It has become so bad that I no longer purchase any item upon which lies one of my favorite athletes. Too many times I have seen my favorite star go down shortly after I have acquired something with his name on it. Maybe athletes should pay me a small stipend so that I will not purchase anything they have licensed, because I may just hold the power to decide their fates.

I will now show you the list of athletes who have fallen victim, and what their fate was.

Boomer Esiason — jersey: One year after I received the jersey as a gift, my first favorite professional athlete retired.

Robert Edwards — jersey: Literally a month after I purchased Patriots running back Robert Edwards’ jersey, he blew his knee out at a Rookie flag football event. His leg was almost amputated.

Drew Bledsoe — jersey and poster: Only a year after I got a Bledsoe Jersey, he was hit by linebacker Mo Lewis so hard that he almost died of the internal injuries he sustained.

Ray Bourque — jersey and poster: I received this jersey of my all-time favorite hockey star one birthday, only to see him request a trade from the sluggish Bruins, with whom he had spent his entire career, to the eventual NHL champion Colorado Avalanche. I still have not forgiven that.

Adam Oates — jersey and poster: At least I had this poster for more than a year before he was traded to the Washington Capitals in 1997.

Dan Klecko — jersey: My most recent Patriot favorite’s jersey only spent a short time playing before he suffered a tragic knee injury and was subsequently cut by the team.

Ken Griffey Jr. — jersey and poster: Not only was Griffey traded to Cincinnati after his poster was hung on my wall, but he has subsequently spent an injury-plagued seven seasons there.

Kyle McLaren — autograph: After receiving the autograph I knew that McLaren was my new favorite NHL star. Unfortunately that year he delivered a vicious hit in the playoffs that earned him a suspension and subsequent releasing from the Bruins.

Frank Wycheck — autograph, jersey & poster: My former favorite NFL star retired only two years after I managed to hunt down all of the memorabilia items.

Nomar Garciaparra — t-shirt: Poor “Nomah,” he became very displeased with the Sox and left for the Cubs right after the t-shirt became popular.

Gabe “The Babe” Kapler — t-shirt: Not much to say here, bought the shirt and he retired two seasons later.

Tim Naehring — poster: I bought a Naehring poster at the local sporting goods store just before he was forced to retire at age 30 due to injury.

Who’s next?

Kevin is a first-year. You can reach him at kfriede1 [at] swarthmore [dot] edu.

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