Jakeem Grant Gets Cursed Number in Miami

Sports is a mysterious place full of intrigue and wonder. It's also full of crazy people.

Hall of Fame baseball player Richie Ashburn slept with his bat. Hockey teams grow beards of solidarity in the playoffs. Michael Jordan wore a pair of North Carolina shorts under his Chicago Bulls jersey. Moises Alou peed on his own hands.

I bring those up to stabilize the credibility of superstitions in sports. I mean, would MJ have been Air Jordan if not for those dingy Carolina blue under trousers? I think not.

But it's not just superstitions in sports that make the news. There are many documented cases where whole teams are cursed.

The NFL is not immune to team wide curses either, the Cardinals made the mistake of thieving a NFL championship from the Pottsville Maroons in 1925 and they have been in a Championship drought ever since. Legend has it that the Cardinals won't win another championship until the 1925 trophy is returned to the good people of Pottsville.

All of this has a purpose, I promise, because our beloved Jakeem Grant is now in possession of another sports curse.

The Miami Dolphins jersey number of 19.

Immediately when news struck of his jersey number, Miami fans set Twitter ablaze with  hurt and despair at their new prized receiver receiving the cursed relic of no. 19.

Some were more positive, including the Miami Dolphins who called Grant a "Human Highlight Reel."

Apparently, the Miami Dolphins fanbase is fully aware of the no. 19 curse, but for the uninitiated (as I was a mere two hours ago), the no. 19 jersey has a long and tumultuous past.

Beginning in 1986, the jersey's premier into the Dolphins' arsenal of numbers used, Reyna Thompson had it for one year. Then, Scott Mitchell from 1991 to 1993, Bernie Kosar from 1994 to 1996, Nate Jacquet in 1998, Ted Ginn from 2007 to 2009, Brandon Marshall from 2010 to 2011, Legedu Naanee in 2012, and Armon Binns from 2012 to 2013.

There are several big names on the list, Brandon Marshall being one who had a decent year in the number, but was traded, hence the curse remaining.

Ginn had a solid run with the number, but vastly failed to match the ginormous hype that came with being a first round draft pick. His success in Miami hinged on his speed and return ability, something that Jakeem looks to bring to the table. All he has to do is break this curse.

He'll have to do what Naanee couldn't do (four games, one catch) and what escaped Binns -- IR, then retirement.

If Grant is great at anything, it's being elusive. The record-setting perennial underdog story has always had something in his way when is comes to him being successful. As far as Grant is concerned, this is just another road block he'll work to overcome.

"I've always been about a challenge, just to prove guys wrong, and I wanna be that guy to come in and just show them Jakeem Grant changed number 19 from a curse to a gift," Grant said (quote via PhinManiacs.com) "That's how I look at it, and I want the fans to know that number 19 is no longer a curse."

Man, I love Jakeem Grant. I might just go buy a no. 19 jersey.

Watch Jakeem Grant in Action at Texas Tech Below