Baseball is a game with a long history of superstitions, and there are some pretty great ones out there.  There's the whole not stepping on the baseline thing, the one where no one mentions the no-hitter or perfect game in progress, sporting a rally cap when your team is down in the ninth, and of course, the infamous growing of the post season beard: started by the 1908 White Sox and revived by the 2005 Red Sox.  Some have a lucky bat, a special glove, or refuse to sit anywhere but the same spot in the dugout.

Then, there are some that are a bit more drastic.  Like, when players refuse to wash a certain piece of, or their entire uniform, during a hot streak.  One time, Craig Biggio didn't wash his batting helmet for a whole season... which is not as disgusting as refusing to wash your jock strap after going 5-for-5. I hope no one actually does that.

Most recently, Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordoñez lopped off his luxurious locks on Wednesday (on the advice of his lovely wife who knows best) in an attempt to bring back the old Magglio.  You know, the one who doesn't suck at baseball.

Some superstitious activity lasts longer than others, and a few players have gone to great -- possibly obsessive/compulsive -- lengths to keep their winning ways intact.  Dennis Grossini, a Tigers minor leaguer, once followed a fairly rigid routine for the first three months of a season.  On each pitching day, he woke at exactly 10:00 am.  At 1:00 p.m. he went to the nearest restaurant for two glasses of iced tea and a tuna sandwich.  Later, at the ballpark, he changed into the same, unwashed jock and undershirt he wore during the previous winning game.  An hour before the contest, he chewed a wad of Beech-Nut chewing tobacco.  Yes, it had to be Beech-Nut. If it wasn't, the whole thing would've been blown to hell and he would've definitely lost the game.

After each pitch throughout the game, Grossini would touch the letters on his uniform and straighten his cap after each ball he pitched.  Before each inning began, he moved the rosin bag right back to the spot it was the inning before.  If he gave up a run that inning, he had to wash his hands.  Obviously, these things did Dennis' career little good, since he never enjoyed success in the big leagues.

Major leaguers are just as guilty of superstitions.  Wade Boggs' pregame routine?  He ate chicken before every single game during his career and left his house for the ballpark at precisely the same time each day.  For example, he'd pull out of the driveway at 1:47 for a 7:05 game.  Clearly, this was a good move on his part.

Larry Walker’s obsession with the number three was borderline out of control.  He took only three practice swings before stepping into the box.  He showered from the third nozzle.  He set his alarm for three minutes past the hour, and he got hitched on November 3rd at 3:33 p.m.  Oh yeah, he also wore #33.

Glenn Davis would chew the same piece of gum every day during hitting streaks, saving it under his ball cap.  Delicious.

Former Baltimore Orioles hurler Dennis Martinez would drink a cup of water after each inning and then tuck it under the bench upside down, one right after the other in a line.

Denny Neagle always went to a movie on days he was scheduled to start.

Eccentric New York Mets reliever Turk Wendell brushed his teeth between innings, chewed black licorice, and always drew three crosses in the dirt, waving at the center fielder before he pitched.

This last one makes me laugh the hardest.  Marge Schott, former ornery owner of the Cincinnati Reds, insisted that her field manager rub Schottzie, her St. Bernard, for good luck before each game for an entire season.  When the Reds were on the road, things got a little more disturbing when Schott would send a bag of the dog’s hair to his hotel room... presumably for him to touch before the games.

So, will Magglio's hair cut change his .271 batting average for the better?  Or will he have to resort to a more embarrassing kind of slump buster?

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really?
written by Sooze, June 30, 2009

Also, apparently Jeff Francouer has a pair of lucky turkey underwear...
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/06/30/braves-undefeated-when-jeff-francoeur-rocks-his-lucky-turkey-un

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Yikes
written by Sooze, June 25, 2009

The devil has many faces, my friend.

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So...
written by Mike Blewitt, June 25, 2009

Are you saying Kate Hudson is bad luck for A-Rod? Sort of ironic.

Most guys would consider that one of the biggest, ahem, hits of their entire career.

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