Superstitions: The unusual rituals of the Major League Players - MLB Feature
Sportsmen all over the World tend to be superstitious. Many of them believe that an unusual ritual or habit will help them in the field and so they follow them. Baseball players are no exception and perhaps are more superstitious than their counterparts
of other sports. Here are some unusual superstitions of baseball players.
Turk Wendell was probably the most superstitious baseball player ever. The pitcher had a ritual for just about anything in the game. He would jump over the foul line so not to touch it. He would even clear the dirt with the jump. He did not leave it at line
hopping. Every time he would go to pitch, he would have exactly four pieces of black licorice in his mouth.
Wendell would spit it after the innings and would brush his teeth in between innings. He was also very fond of the Number 9. He was Number 99 for New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies. His contract in 2000 was worth $9,999,999.99. He
would also wear a necklace made from the teeth of hunted animals, considering it to be a good luck charm. Every time a new hitter came to face him, he would pick up and throw the rosin bag down.
Wade Boggs certainly was one of the more superstitious ball players. The Hall of Famer would start his practice precisely at 5:17 every time he played a night game. In fielding, he would always field 150 ground balls, neither more nor less. Lastly, he would
write the Hebrew word Chai in the batter’s box every time he went out to bat. The word means life.
Don Robinson did not have the ball thrown to him when he came to pitch. If the ball was thrown to him by an umpire, he would let it go and not catch it and pick it after it had stopped rolling. Mark Fidrych would play like a kid in the sand whenever he went
to pitch.
Batter Craig Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero’s helmets were covered in pine tar whenever they came out to bat. Nyjer Morgan would wear blue argyle socks under his regular socks considering them to be good for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Derek Holland keeps a big appetite for the pre-game night as he orders meals worth $30. He’s not alone in having a pre-game food ritual. Matt Garza went to Popeye’s chicken every time he had a game to pitch in. Ryan Dempster would eat at the same Italian
restaurant the night before a home game in Chicago. Wade Boggs also had a food superstition. Before every game, he would munch down the same meal, a plate of fried chicken.
Batters love their bats as Richie Ashburn took it to another level. Quite a few times, he would sleep with his bat at night. Lenny Dykstra was not as fond of his equipment. Every time he got out, he would throw away his batting gloves.
Strangely enough, it’s not just the players. Sometimes management and even owners can be superstitious. Hiroshi Yamauchi, the majority stake owner of the Seattle Mariners has not watched his team play in person, even when they visited Japan where he resides.
He watches the team’s matches only on television.
Kevin Towers, the general manager of the San Diego Padres would move away from his suite and stop watching the match as soon as Trevor Hoffman would come to pitch. In his 16 years association with the Padres, Trevor saved 552 games, none of which were witnessed
by Towers.
The strangest superstition of all is probably done by Jason Giambi. Every time the hitter is out of form, he wears a golden thong. There are even rumors that he passes it around to help other team-mates get out of a slump.
Whether these superstitions work or not, many players follow them by heart. Such unusual acts by the baseball players may appear strange but they certainly add more flavour to the game.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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