mostly nonfiction and bakersfield news | August 25th, 2009
10 Randomly Weird Sports Superstitions
1. Justin Morneau’s slushy: A 2006 article on the Twins first baseman said he had to have a one-half Mountain Dew, one-half red or orange Slurpee before each game made by teammate Nick Punto.
2. Fantasy baseball superstitions: One fantasy baseball addict said he can’t watch his pitchers pitch. “It seems like whenever I do, bad things happen.” Another said he believes in the anti-jinx, which means he predicts bad outings for his players.
3. Sailing: Tuesdays are no boating days in Ghana. Fish need to rest, apparently. 19th Century sailors loathed hitting the high seas on Fridays or on December 31, the day Judas Iscariot was hanged. Bananas are bad luck and are not brought on board for reasons like slipping, getting the runs, and bringing vermin to the seas. So if you’re in a yachting contest, you know what to sneak aboard your competition’s vessel. The big question is, was there an episode of Star Trek about this? Oh, and in 1920, the America’s Cup had a ship racing called the Shamrock IV. It was the ship’s 4th challenge and the owner, Sir Thomas Lipten, had his very own collection of four-leafed clovers. That year also marked the 13th challenge.
4. Aussie Cricketer: Neil McKenzie, who is a South African Cricketer, used to tape his bat to the ceiling. He also had to have all toilet seats closed.
5. Nick Belardes fish boxers: Face News own managing editor once wore the same lucky Father’s Day fish boxers for 16 roller hockey games in a row. His Las Vegas hockey team went undefeated. The underwear were finally retired.
NOW for some pro hockey superstitions:
6. Taping Hockey Sticks: All hockey players have a manner in which they tape their sticks. But what about the Bakersfield Condors? Are their taping rituals weird? According to Vice President of Communications Kevin Bartl of the Condors, Paul Willet had the wildest taped hockey stick he ever saw. Bartl said Willet used an entire roll of tape per stick, which had a big ball of tape about 4 inches in diameter at the top.
7. Goalie Puking: NHL goalie Glenn Hall believed his team would lose if he didn’t puke before each game.
8. Talking To Posts: Goalie Patrick Roy is said to have carried on extended conversations with goal posts.
9. 88 Taps On The Ice: Karl Alzner of the Washington Capitals used to tap his stick 88 times during the national anthem, and would also trace the outline of the Canadian maple leaf right in time with the music.
10: Locked Box: One goalie was rumored to have carried around a locked box. When teammates broke into it they found a real horseshoe.
Sources: ESPN Magazine, Rotoworld.com, www.champions365.com, yachtingmagazine.com, NY Times, Fox Sports, Washington Post
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Random and Weird on Face News is brought to you by Random Obsessions: Trivia You Need To Know by Nick Belardes. Want to know about strange ailments like Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, mysterious places like Cannibal Island, or Star Wars oddities? Click here to order.
2 Responses for “10 Randomly Weird Sports Superstitions”
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wow these are great. I love the hockey ones!
there’s superstition in every obsession whether it be sports, music, whatever…
i have plenty of my own for different things.