Is the Centurion Captain Curse Real?

Back in the summer of 2016, Alex Becker drafted his team (Cream Cheese) and knew they would help him become a centurion. Each team had 25 scheduled games that summer, and Becker began the season with 98 wins. Six weeks and twelve games later, not only was Alex still waiting for his 99th win (and his team’s first win), but Cream Cheese had set the records for worst start and worst losing streak in Mixed/Comp MUD history. The 99th win came in that 13th game, and Becker became a centurion a week (albeit four games) later on July 17, 2016.

Miriam Nielsen had to wait a bit longer.

Before the summer of 2019, Miriam had 93 wins. In nine seasons with the league, Miriam boasted a win percentage of 65%, and she had never had a losing season. Miriam became a first-time captain that summer of 2019. Her team was Nothing Rhymes with Kumquat.

Nothing went right for Kumquat or Miriam. They started out with 11 straight losses, and after winning one, they lost the remaining five. Miriam went to 94 wins. Then, in the following fall season, Miriam only got four more wins, merely moving her to 98. By the time we were all able to get on the field again in summer of 2021, Miriam needed just two more wins. Of course, it took Miriam’s team 12 games to bring her to 100. And if you count it all, it was two years, three seasons, and 38 games after Miriam took on the captainship to find seven wins and get the century.

Here in the summer of 2022, we’ve got captain Liz Fritz and her baggage and former co-captain Charlie Eisenhood. They both began this season with 97 wins. We’re in the last week of the regular season now and their team (The Terror of Collective Decisions) has only won two games. Like Miriam and Alex, they seem to be suffering a captain-to-centurion curse. Nothing else makes sense. These two have been winning finals, in finals, or at least the top seed in seven of the last eight seasons.

They’ve got two more regular-season games. Will they seal the deal despite the disrepute like Becker, or will they keep the centurions in suspense like Nielsen? To complicate the moneyline, Liz and Charlie win at just over 50% in their MUD careers. Want to make a prediction? Or has the hex vexed you too?

See you out there.