Thin Line Between Superstitious and Freakin’ Psychotic
by kev on April 15, 2008 

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Imagine, if you will, you had a co-worker who did the following: When leaving his office, he sprinted to his destination. Every time he finished something — a meeting, a project, an e-mail — he would go to the bathroom (sprinting there, of course) and brush his teeth. After brushing his teeth, he would immediately eat four sticks of black licorice. He does this every day, several times a day.

In the real world, someone like this would be considered psychotic. No one would want to share an office with such an individual. You would try to avoid making eye contact with this person, and you would probably learn karate just in case you ever had to defend yourself against this maniac.

Right?

Well, in the game of baseball, this person would be former major leaguer Turk Wendell. Turk was definitely eccentric, but in the game of baseball he was just another superstitious player. Superstitions and baseball go hand in hand.

But why is that? Why are antics that would normally label a person as being “out of his freakin’ mind” dismissed as just another superstitious quirk if that person is a ballplayer or fan?

Some players think it is bad luck to step on the foul lines, so they intentionally step (some even leap) over them. Some players think it is bad luck not to step on the foul lines. If you saw someone at the mall intentionally avoiding, or intentionally stepping on, lines on the ground, you’d be so distracted you wouldn’t even notice the two dozen white teens dressed like gangsters at the food court.

Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs used to eat chicken three times a day when he played. For night games, he would take batting practice at exactly 5:17 pm and would run sprints at exactly 7:17 pm. If you had a roommate who did this, wouldn’t you silently be rooting for salmonella?

Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych used to talk to the baseball before every pitch. Granted, someone you know who did this would be quite entertaining to watch. But eventually, he’d start talking to his knives. That’s when you’d have to high tail it for the exit.

Some players refuse to wash items of clothing if they are playing well or their team is on a winning streak. Yes, I know being smelly doesn’t mean you’re crazy. But I’d bet good money the crazy guy who lives under the bridge in town doesn’t smell very good. Coincidence?

If a pitcher is throwing a perfect game or no hitter, his teammates refuse to talk to him. They’ll sit on the opposite side of the dugout just to avoid him. Why? Because they believe talking to him or being near him will jinx him. I can’t think of anywhere else in society where this tactic is practiced. Are there parents out there who ignore their young toddler whenever he or she goes an extended period of time without falling?

Perhaps the craziest of crazy superstitious acts happened recently when the New York Yankees dug up a jersey of Boston RedSox player David Ortiz. While construction work was being done for the Yankees’ new stadium, a Boston fan and Yankee hater buried the jersey in an area that was soon to be filled with concrete. The Boston fans’ goal? To put a “hex” on the new stadium.

Okay, this is just one crazy fan, right? Surely the other people involved in the story were a bit more level headed.

Ha.

Eventually, the Boston fan bragged about what he had done. The New York Post got wind of the story. The Post relayed it to New York Yankees management. Management’s response? To dig up — at the cost of more than $50,000 — the jersey.

“We turned this dastardly act into a positive one,” Levine (Yankee President) said.

“We want to thank The Post for raising this issue,” Levine said. “Two heroic construction workers gave us a tip where the shirt was, and we acted immediately.” (read story)

The Yankees are threatening criminal or civil charges against the fan who buried the jersey. Madness.

I love the game, but what is it about baseball that brings out the loony toon in a person?

Humor-blogs is superstitious like a fox.