You don’t call out a hot streak on a broadcast. You don’t acknowledge a no-hitter or a perfect game. This are long-held superstitions amongst sports fans and broadcasters, but Monday afternoon on ESPN Los Angeles, John Ireland wondered how much people actually believe them.
Mason & Ireland were discussing John Flaherty’s performance on YES Network Sunday. The Yankees analyst noted that Alan Trejo, who was at the plate for the Rockies in the bottom of the 11th inning, had no home runs on the year. Just as he finished the sentence, Trejo blasted a game-winning home run to secure an 8-7 win for Colorado.
“He doesn’t even get the sentence out of his mouth before this guy hits a home run,” Ireland, who is the radio voice of the Lakers, said.
He noted that for all of the hemming and hawing about jinxing players, no one ever complained when Vin Scully would mention a no hitter was in progress for the Dodgers.
Producer and ESPN Los Angeles APD Greg Bergman said he believed fully in broadcaster jinxes. Ireland pointed out that Scully is Bergman’s hero. How does he justify that?
“Vin Scully is in a different category than anybody else,” Bergman replied.
Steve Mason took the jinx belief a step farther. He said that he doesn’t even want Ireland to text him to tell him if a perfect game is happening on television.
“Regardless of whether the players hear it, I think it’s out there. Like, I don’t like, John will text me and says ‘there’s a very special game’. Do not text me, and if you use the word ‘perfecto,’ we are not friends anymore.”
