Baseball Magic: Routine or Ritual

Due to baseball being such a difficult sport, players should only expect to hit the ball and get on base one out every 4 at-bats. Being able to get on base one out of every three at-bats puts you under consideration as a great player. This is why when a player has an outstanding performance they will credit their success to so factor outside of the game. The player will credit the success to something he must have done differently because he believes his skills couldn’t have improved so quickly. In reality, their superstition is doing nothing, but by doing certain tasks, it puts their mind at ease and helps their performance. In Baseball Magic, George Gmelch also describes a story on page 324 about how players are trained animals because when they are thrown off of their routine they feel uneasy. 

Video of some player rituals: https://youtu.be/AZqJss85TRE

Famous Baseball Player Superstitions:

1.      Joe DiMaggio would always run from the outfield and touch second base before going into the dugout.

2.      New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is hits barehanded. Posada believes in the superstition that urinating on your hands help avoid calluses and hardening of your skin and regularly does it throughout the season.

3.      Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs would take exactly 150 ground balls during practice. Boggs would eat a chicken before every game. When the former Red Sox great would enter the batters box, he would draw the Hebrew word “chai” meaning life in the dirt before taking pitches.

4.      David Ortiz rests his bat against his leg, spits on his right hand, and claps when preparing for the batters box.

Fan Superstitions:

Not just the players try to use routines and rituals to help their team win. Fans also believe the slightest change in their lives can change the outcome of a game.

1.      Keeping everything the same

2.      Limiting the guest list

3.      Not watching

4.      Never talking, or even thinking about, a victory

Superstitions in other sports:

1.      Lebron James chalk toss

2.      Freethrow routines

3.      Tim Tebow prayer kneeling

4.      Soccer players refusing to aim at the goal during warm ups to not waste any of their “good shots”

Famous Team Superstitions:

1.      The Curse of the Bambino cited as the reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox inability to win a World Series for 86 years. The curse was the result of the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees. In 2004, the curse was reversed with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals by the Boston Red Sox.

2.      The Curse of the Black Sox is the spell that has caused the Chicago White Sox not to win a World Series championship for 90 years. The curse was the result of the 1919 Chicago White Sox throwing the World Series in exchange for payments from gambling. In 2005, the spell was broken when the Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros.

3.      The Angry Goat is yet another curse in baseball lore to explain a team’s misfortune. Local Tavern owner, Billy Sianis, brought his goat to Game Four of the 1945 World Series. The club owner had Sianis and his goat ejected from the ball park during the game. Sianis was said to have placed a curse on the Cubs proclaiming they would never win another pennant or play in another World Series at Wrigley Field again. The Chicago Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908.

Works Citied:

Atzenhoffer, Thomas. “Top 10 Soccer Superstitions.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/1243400-top-10-soccer-superstitions.

Brennan, Jay. “Major League Baseball's Top Superstitions and Rituals.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/375113-top-mlb-superstitions-and-rituals.

Brennan, Jay. “Major League Baseball's Top Superstitions and Rituals.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/375113-top-mlb-superstitions-and-rituals.

Knox, Kristopher. “Top 10 Luckiest Pregame Superstitions in the NFL.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/2661808-top-10-luckiest-pre-game-superstitions-in-the-nfl.

Reuter, Joel. “MLB Power Rankings: The 50 Strangest Superstitions and Rituals in Baseball.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/677898-mlb-power-rankings-the-50-strangest-superstitionsrituals-in-baseball-history.

Atzenhoffer, Thomas. “Top 10 Soccer Superstitions.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/1243400-top-10-soccer-superstitions.

Brennan, Jay. “Major League Baseball's Top Superstitions and Rituals.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/375113-top-mlb-superstitions-and-rituals.

Brennan, Jay. “Major League Baseball's Top Superstitions and Rituals.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/375113-top-mlb-superstitions-and-rituals.

Knox, Kristopher. “Top 10 Luckiest Pregame Superstitions in the NFL.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/2661808-top-10-luckiest-pre-game-superstitions-in-the-nfl.

Reuter, Joel. “MLB Power Rankings: The 50 Strangest Superstitions and Rituals in Baseball.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/677898-mlb-power-rankings-the-50-strangest-superstitionsrituals-in-baseball-history.