I feel for you if you’re one of the sufferers of Paraskevidekatriaphobia. That would be having an abject fear of today’s date, which is considered unlucky for lots of folks.

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute – sounds like a fun place to work – that an estimated 17-21 million people in the United States are so paralyzed by fear of Friday the 13th that they will avoid their normal routines, and may even stay in bed. Another estimate says that between $800-900 million is lost in business, which frankly sounds a bit farfetched to me.

Even so, the fear is real for many, and the early origins for Friday the 13th getting its unlucky reputation goes back to a Norse myth, as well as the Last Supper when 13 individuals were present in the Upper Room. Another reference to the unluckiness of the date occurs in a 1907 novel, Friday, the Thirteenth, which popularized the superstition to a wide audience.

My feeling is that it is merely a superstition, and one that was spread even more with the release of the series of movies by the same name. It may seem rather silly to many of us, but the fear is also real for many others, and is one they must endure three times yearly.

The mere fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia, and there’s no telling how many folks buy into that. They sincerely believe strongly that the mere number itself is unlucky, and that is even the case in the sports world.

Number 13 is not extremely popular with athletes, but there have been notable exceptions. Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion wore the supposed unlucky number from 1970-1988, and it didn’t seem to affect his performance, but he is one of just three Reds to wear 13 in the long history of the franchise. The only other pair of Reds to don the number were Eddie Miller (1936-1947) and Eddie Pellagrini in 1952.

Other noteworthy Number 13s throughout sports history include Wilt Chamberlain, Dan Marino, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Machado, Steve Nash, Kurt Warner and Billy Wagner.

Only one left standing

One of the best stories in college hoops remains the lone undefeated team in Division I, the Miami RedHawks, who take a 24-0 record into tonight’s ESPN-televised matchup against their archrivals, Ohio University.

A couple of reasons for this being such an intriguing story is that Miami is getting it done the “old-fashioned” way, with numerous players staying in Oxford, Ohio, and not entering the transfer portal. Only one significant contributor from last year’s team departed for the NIL dollars, leaving a solid nucleus for head coach Travis Steele.

The former Xavier coach credits the culture at Miami, and the fact that his players had no desire to leave. Retention is the word used by Steele when he describes why this year’s team has enjoyed success. The RedHawks’ style of play – sharing the ball and shooting the three – fits this team like a glove as well. They understand their roles and play unselfishly and truly appear to enjoy being a part of something special.

There remain skeptics as to just how good Miami is nationally; it took a while for them to enter the rankings and their schedule is given as the primary reason.

They have a perfect record thus far, but like any team, the RedHawks have flaws. They are not super athletic, physically imposing, and rebounding can be an issue at times.

But they are unbeaten, they’re a treat to watch, and this guy is hoping they can do some damage in March. It’s been speculated as well that if Miami stumbles and doesn’t win the Mid-American Conference tournament, they will be left out of the Big Dance.

That would be a shame for Steele and his players, but an argument could be made either way. One recent bracketology projection has Miami getting a No. 11 seed and playing 6th-seeded Kentucky in the opening round.

I know many eyes would be keenly tuned into that one, and if you get a chance, I encourage you to check out the RedHawks tonight when they tangle with the Bobcats.

UK baseball opens season on the road

The opening of the college baseball season begins in earnest this weekend, with the Kentucky Wildcats aiming for a trip to Omaha for the College World Series, an accomplishment achieved in 2024. UK finished just 31-26 last year, but head coach Nick Mingione is optimistic about the team’s chances after an excellent recruiting year, and the hope of a much-improved pitching staff.

The team also known as the Bat Cats certainly has its work cut out if it hopes to get back to Omaha. As usual, the Southeastern Conference is absolutely loaded. One preseason poll ranks UK as the 11th best team in the league, and the preseason national poll from D1Baseball.com lists 11 teams from the SEC among its top 25. Kentucky is 18th in what at this time of year no more than an educated guess. UCLA is tapped as the top team in the country, followed by three SEC members: defending national champs LSU, Texas and Mississippi State. Other teams of interest include Louisville at No. 8, and SEC schools Arkansas (7th), Auburn (9th), Florida (13th), Tennessee (14th) and Georgia at No. 15.

If the Bat Cats can survive their imposing schedule and finish the season well in May with a strong showing in the SEC tournament, a run could be possible in the postseason. That’s how the team from two years ago did it, and this team has similar overall talent, but with less experience.

Kentucky players to keep an eye include sophomore shortstop Tyler Bell, who was named first team All-SEC in the preseason, and lefthanded starter Ben Cleaver, a second team selection. The Bat Cats open the season this afternoon at UNC-Greensboro, and have a doubleheader slated for Saturday versus the Spartans. The home opener at Kentucky Proud Park is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m., when the Morehead State Eagles visit.

A peek at tomorrow’s column

As promised in the Wednesday column, we’ll take a look at the Kentucky-Florida showdown, which will tip at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Gainesville. The Cats return home next Tuesday for a 9 p.m. game against Georgia, which for the purposes of this column is one of those cases of unfortunate timing. That is because the game will be played after the Feb. 18 column is written.

Another topic this guy is planning to yap about is how this college basketball season is shaping up for the stretch run before March, and how this may go down as the year of the freshmen.

Last but not necessarily least is that the calendar will be flipping to Feb. 14, so that means we will also discuss Valentine’s Day for a bit as well.

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“Happy is he who forgets (ignores?) what cannot be changed.” – Mark Twain