I feel like I let a whole nation down yesterday, and I take full responsibility for the loss. I have watched or attended every single game this year, and without exception we've won when I wear my customary "game day" attire. If we play at home, I wear my white game shorts with 2004 Den shirt. If we play away, I wear my blue game shorts and 2006 shirt. Whenever we have lost this year, its been a case of me messing with karma and we all know what happens when you mess with karma...

Herein lies the woeful tale of how I have single handedly tried to ruin our season.

Oregon: Anger. After a poor start to the game, I tore my shirt off in anger, thus upsetting the gods and allowing Brooks' game winner to fall.

Stanford: Sloth. Following our annihilation of Cal, I was too lazy to wash my shirt for the Saturday tilt. I figured that we'd be fine if I just wore one of my other Den shirts, unwittingly allowing Larry Hill to go off in the second half. Clearly, I had underestimated the importance of the 2006 Den shirt for all away games.

West Virginia: Shame. I had to watch the game at a bar, and I shamefully hid my game shorts under a pair of jeans. Unwilling to subject myself to the criticism and stares of other patrons, I cowardly concealed my undying devotion to our team (to be fair, only true weirdoes wear basketball shorts to bars). I somehow thought I could keep seeing the same winning results without true sacrifice. I know now that this is not possible, and I believe that Florida will learn this lesson soon.

Washington: Gluttony. After one of Josh's breakaways in the WSU game, I accidentally spilled salsa on my lucky shirt. My gluttony proved costly, as I was unable to treat the stain until after the game. Can't take a shirt off mid-game, remember? As a result, my shirt was not in "game condition" for the Saturday match up, and again my antics cost the Bruins dearly.

California: Envy. Finally, yesterday I bowed to the excitement of the Pac-10 tournament. In year's past, I've always loved how devoted the fans are on the first day of the tournament. Nothing says devotion like skipping out from work on a Thursday to go watch 4 games. The fans there are always decked out in their team's finest wears. Not being able to resist, I donned my recently purchased "Howland is my Homeboy" shirt. I had always envied fans with customized/unique displays of loyalty. Sure I got a lot of compliments yesterday, but again I broke with tradition and cost the team. I'm certainly not saying that I think the Howland shirts are unlucky, its just that I messed with our mojo and now must live with the results.

The way I see it, is that we've got a week to get this thing straightened out. Maybe it's a good chance to rest tired legs and nurse injuries, but more importantly, it's a chance to do laundry. I implore each of you to break out every "slump-buster", lucky charm, and superstitious act at your disposal.

There will be plenty of time for other t-shirts after April 2nd...especially ones that celebrate a National Championship.