'Play' Curse Claims Another Victim

What did I tell you people about the Curse of Play?

First, Mike Mussina suffered a meltdown after sharing his pitching secrets with The New York Times's sports supplement.

Now Adam Vinatieri is on the hook for missing two key field goals, one of them a 29-yard chip shot that would've won last night's game against the San Diego Chargers for his team, the Colts.

The screwup comes just two weeks after Vinatieri was held up by Play writer Michael Lewis as the rare place kicker capable of ignoring the psychic pressures that cause his counterparts to choke in clutch situations.

"He has been spared," wrote Lewis. "And while he seems like the sort of person with the strength of mind to preserve his sense of self no matter what others think, he nonetheless lives in perpetual danger of having his character reappraised in light of the last big kick."

And if he didn't before, he does now.

(Personal note: If there's anyone from the Green Bay Packer organization reading this, please, for the love of God, keep Brett Favre away from Play.)