Cheaters often win in sports - it’s just the nature of life.

But are there times when cheating can make you lose? Are there instances where breaking the rules, either through planned out schemes or simple willful ignorance, takes you or your team out of rhythm, invites in defeat?

Kenny Rogers and Michelle Wie might want to start asking themselves those questions. There are more differences than similarities between Rogers and Wie of course. Rogers is a 41-year-old cameraman-tossing veteran pitcher who’s about as adorable as an old metal garbage can. Wie is the 17-year-old Nike spokesdream who’s had adult men covertly leering at her legs for years - who sometimes does actually pose with puppies.

A camerman who put puppies around Kenny Rogers might rightly worry about puppies suddenly flying through the air.

Yet, both Rogers and Wie either sneered or smiled at the rules of their respective sports and nothing’s turned out quite right for either one of them since. Rogers slapped some goo on his hand that you didn’t have to be George Brett to identify as pine tar and went out there and pitched the game of his life thrice to push the Detroit Tigers to a 1-1 World Series tie.

Only a funny thing happened after the TV camera shed a light on the goo and Rogers gave a dubious “clump of dirt” defense. The Tigers didn’t win another game, the Cardinals rolled to a champagne bath and Rogers lost his chance to break Christy Mathewson’s postseason scoreless innings streak as well.

Wie showed her own disregard for the rules in big spots. She threw down an illegal drop, made a few jokes about the dryness of the rulebook and sat back and let the the violation reporter take it from her fans.

Since another rules violation at the British Open, Wie clearly hasn’t been herself. She’s not just not winning anymore. She’s losing in miserable fashion, tearing or collapsing to last in men’s events, never challenging in the Samsung.

Is sports karma here at work with Wie and Rogers? I’m no religious fundamentalist or even one of those everything happens for a reason Hallmark card people. But athletes are notoriously superstitious.

Wie and Rogers are surely wondering: Did they cheat themselves?

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