Do you believe in superstitions? I did, but just in sports. I'd do the same things the same way every game, wore the same undershirt, wouldn't step on the foul lines but outside of that I I didn't and never really paid Friday the 13th much attention either, until one Friday evening in February.
It was Friday, February 13, 2015, Steve Vermillion and I were heading to Hillsboro for the final regular season basketball game of the year, Hillsboro versus...someone. Anyway we leave Washington Court House in the old PT Cruiser headed for Hillsboro down Rt. 62. Halfway there the check engine light comes on but I tell Steve, we're almost there I'm sure it'll be fine...It wasn't! We make it to Hillsboro for the game and as soon as we get set to take the air, Harry gives us the 4.3.2.1. the power goes out, not to the gymnasium but to our equipment. Not the first time we've had an issue getting on the air, no big deal, I have us back on in maybe two minutes. With no other issues during the first half of the game at all I still hadn't given the Friday the 13th superstition much thought, but just as the first half ended and I went to stand up, we're court side at Hillsboro on the home side at the press table so there's no standing, I realize I'm kinda stuck to the chair. I stand up, push the chair back and had sat in gum the entire first half, all down the back of my pants. Now I'm starting to think about Friday the 13th! Btw. I couldn't get the gum out of the pants and ended up throwing them away.
So the game ends, I can't even remember who won, we head to the car and it had snowed, not a lot but enough to cover the parking lot. I should have checked under the hood before we headed back, but honestly I had forgot about the car running hot. We get to the 62/28 four way and the check engine light comes back on, at this point there is no place to stop until you get to WCH. We kept going, slowly, and just as we get by Staunton the car starts to overheat. We make it just outside of town and the car comes to a stop, the engine blew, smoke rolling out everywhere. We pull safely onto a farm road just off 62 and call Tim Skaggs to come pick us up. He does and we're back on the way with all of our equipment plus Steve and I in Tim's S10, why he didn't drive the car??? I don't know. We head through town and Tim's truck starts running funny, we bottom out going over some tracks and realized his tire blew, completely shredded. Now I fully believe in Friday the 13th bad luck.
We go from crammed three deep in the S10 to four deep in the front seat of a tow truck! We finally get back to the radio station, the tow truck driver takes Tim and his truck to his house then brings the Cruiser back to the station. By this time it's around 11:30 p.m., I was living in Chillicothe and it's about a 35 minute ride. I look at Steve and look at the clock and say "$#@% I don't know about you but I'm staying right here"!! And I did, at least until after midnight. There was no way I was about to chance anything else going wrong on a Friday the 13th.
It's become a funny story we talk about now, especially on Friday the 13th and even more especially when it falls on a game day like it does today. For the most part I look back at that day as just a "if it could go wrong, it will go wrong day", but I'll always remember it and be a little extra careful every time this day rolls around.
Bryce.