News-Record.com

The newspaper has been accused of being responsible for many perceived ills over the years: losing business development clients, feeding society's immorality, the dumbing down of Greensboro, the loss of professional hockey, encouraging young people to abandon what's right, and even causing death.

But this is just too much to bear:

I can't believe that after all you wrote about Page and their lousy season, you would put a story about Grimsley on the front page the day of the state championship! (Underline is the writer's, not mine.) Have you not heard of the Sports Illustrated jinx? Now we have the News & Record jinx! Next year, just stay away!

That came as an e-mail this morning. I'm not sure if the writer was joking; I can only hope so. A story about Grimsley quarterback Josh Stewart was on the front page yesterday, and Grimsley did lose.

Let me just say this: There may be a political endorsement jinx, as those candidates who aren't endorsed often claim; I don't know. But I'm not copping to a cover jinx. No way.

Go Whirlies.