First a SI curse, now a Spark curse?

Do you believe in curses?

Superstitious athletes and sports fans have long been convinced of the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx. The thought goes that anyone who appears on the magazine cover can expect a sudden turn of bad luck.

In 2002, SI writer Alexander Wolff investigated virtually all of SI's 2,456 covers and found 913 "jinxes" -- "a demonstrable misfortune or decline in performance following a cover appearance roughly 37.2 percent of the time."

No matter how silly talk of "a curse" sounds, some athletes refuse to test their luck. For example, to illustrate Wolff's 2002 story, SI asked then St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner to pose for the cover with a black cat.

Warner refused.

So why all this sports talk in a food blog?

Well, one local restaurateur told me, kind of jokingly, kind of not, that he believes there may be a similar, local curse - the Spark curse. He claims that when Spark magazine has its birthday party at an establishment that place will soon go out of business.

Crazy talk, right? But is there any kernel, or, ahem, "spark" of truth to this "kiss of death" theory? I checked it out.

Spark's past birthday parties have been at the Red Room, Costa's Grill and Shaggy's on Main. And, yep, all have since permanently turned out the lights.

I threw out the "Spark jinx" tale to Spark editor Matt Sullivan and this is his response (thanks Matt!) :

"Well, it’s not like black voodoo caused anyplace to close the day after the party — in fact, every place that’s ever hosted a Spark birthday bash has asked if we’d to come back the following year. Shaggy’s and the Red Room stayed crowded ‘til the day they shut their doors – and both closed for reasons other than a lack of business. Not sure the Spark party is responsible for the regulations on alcohol sales in Delaware. The Costa’s guys, well, they found more success in better locations, so good for them. We’ve got a great shindig planned for Kelly’s Logan House next Friday, and I can personally assure you, the Logan House will be around for awhile yet to come.
And we’re already thinking about where to host the BIG 5th birthday bash next year. I think someone will be willing to risk hosting. "

Clearly if anyone has the luck of the Irish, it's Kelly's Logan House. The Trolley Square establishment has been a part of Delaware's drinking history since 1864.

In other words: Curse, schmurse. Raise a pint at the party and have fun.