Silly Sports Superstitions and Rituals

#1
SmokeySteve

SmokeySteve

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#1
Mods - Merge or delete if there already was a thread about this.

Athletes and sports fans are notoriously superstitious. To help us all through the off season, thought we could have fun sharing some of ours. Maybe some of us could start up new ones. I'll start with my silliness:

Sacred Shaker from my first UT game - UT/Auburn 1985. I came to believe this relic possessed power to help UT. My friends also came around to my way of thinking. We placed it on the TV for away games. To this day some of us still think it had a hand in the 99 yard TD return in the UT/Iowa Kickoff Classic game as I called upon its power right before the play. Tragically this talisman has been lost to my many moves after college.

Sacred Coozie - Was at a party in NC for the UT/Alabama game in early '90's when Peyton trashed them starting with the opening throw to Kent. Happened to be using a new coozie. These are great as you can scrunch them when stressed, throw them at the TV (good or bad situation), etc. Came to believe this coozie was magical. Problem is I bought several more. Now I don't know which one is the "magical" one. So during games I have been known to force my guests to switch UT coozies with me in the hopes I find the magical one that whupped bama's azz.

Coon Skin Hat - always wanted one and my family finally gave it to me for xmas or birthday. I only wore it twice - UT/Penn State Citrus bowl 31-10 L and Florida-UT debacle 31-0 (Peyton's first year). So we were 0-2, 62-13 with the hat. Though I loved it, like old yella, I held a burning ceremony with Rocky Top playing in the background to cleanse UT of the black magic - I suspect it was manufactured in bama or florida.

Gotta be some better and funnier ones out there, let's hear from ya'll!
 
#2
#2
This wouldnt be one of those "I only wear the same underwear every game if we win threadS". Would it?
 
#3
#3
Sometimes I sit down before a Tennessee game against a high-ranked opponent and I actually think, for a second or two, that Tennessee will win.
 
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#5
#5
The most bat s__t nuts one I've ever seen and met was this guy - Turk Wendell. Met him when he was pitching for the Cubs minor league team

One of the craziest pitchers to play the game was Turk Wendell. He may also have been one of the most superstitious players.

According to Ryan Murphy of Men's Fitness, some of Wendell's superstitions included chewing black licorice while pitching, brushing his teeth in between innings, always hopping over the baseline and wearing a necklace of teeth from animals he hunted.

He also requested in 2000 that the New York Mets sign him to a contract of $9,999,999.99 to honor his number of 99.


Your coozies and coon skin caps have nothing on him
 
#7
#7
GreveHaller said:
The most bat s__t nuts one I've ever seen and met was this guy - Turk Wendell. Met him when he was pitching for the Cubs minor league team

One of the craziest pitchers to play the game was Turk Wendell. He may also have been one of the most superstitious players.

According to Ryan Murphy of Men's Fitness, some of Wendell's superstitions included chewing black licorice while pitching, brushing his teeth in between innings, always hopping over the baseline and wearing a necklace of teeth from animals he hunted.

He also requested in 2000 that the New York Mets sign him to a contract of $9,999,999.99 to honor his number of 99.


Your coozies and coon skin caps have nothing on him
Click to expand...

I remember him a few years back, sometimes when he was pitching on ESPN broadcasts, they would talk about his superstitions. I am quite sure there were more, some of which were quite outlandish.
 
#9
#9
When I played baseball in HS, I was a pitcher. I always stepped or jumped over the first or third base chalk line going off or on to the field. Not sure where I picked that up. Pretty sure there was a major league pitcher who did the same thing during that time.
 
#12
#12
TEX_VOLFAN said:
When I played baseball in HS, I was a pitcher. I always stepped or jumped over the first or third base chalk line going off or on to the field. Not sure where I picked that up. Pretty sure there was a major league pitcher who did the same thing during that time.
Click to expand...

Pedro did that.
 
#14
#14
TEX_VOLFAN said:
When I played baseball in HS, I was a pitcher. I always stepped or jumped over the first or third base chalk line going off or on to the field. Not sure where I picked that up. Pretty sure there was a major league pitcher who did the same thing during that time.
Click to expand...

Stepping on the lines is bad luck. Everyone knows this.
 
#16
#16
rockytop9808 said:
Stepping on the lines is bad luck. Everyone knows this.
Click to expand...

From my experience, it's only a pitcher's superstition. In terms of Wendell, though, I'm pretty sure he didn't just jump over the line, he jumped almost completely over the basepath.
 
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