Baseball superstition

Baseball is a sport with a long history of superstition. From the very famous Curse of the Bambino to some players' refusal to wash their clothes or bodies after a win, superstition is present in all parts of baseball. Many baseball players—batters, pitchers, and fielders alike— excuse excessive, repetitive routines prior to pitches and at bats to superstition. The desire to keep a number they have been successful with is strong in baseball. In fact anything that happens prior to something good or bad in baseball, can give birth to a new superstition. Some players rely on a level of meta-superstition: by believing in superstitions they can focus their mind to perform better. Many players and fans also believe that superstitions propagate their own fulfillment by influencing players and fans.

For further reading, see George Gmelch's analysis of the role of superstition in baseball. [cite web | url = http://www.dushkin.com/olc/genarticle.mhtml?article=27128 | title = Revised version of "Superstition and Ritual in American Baseball" from Elysian Fields Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 3, 1992, pp. 25-36 | last = Gmelch| first = George | year = 2000 | month = September | publisher = McGraw-Hill/Dushkin| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5OHaQX4IE | archivedate = 2007-04-21]

Famous or common superstitions

*Not stepping on the foul line when taking the field.
*Not talking about a no-hitter or perfect game in progress
*A lucky bat or glove.
*Equipment related (most famous example being Craig Biggio, who did not wash his batting helmet for the entire season)
*Drawing in the batter's box before each at-bat
*Making a sign (e.g., of the Christian cross) or touching a body part (e.g., tapping one's head) before or while batting
*Eating similar or the same food during success. Wade Boggs, for example, was well-known for eating chicken before games, among other superstitions.
*"Statting" a player by mentioning his excellent statistics in this situation is seen to jinx that player.
*The rally cap
*Not talking about the outcome of a 7 game series before it is over.
*Not shaving after the first postseason win
*Chewing only three wads of gum per game
*Tapping one's bat onto the home plate before an at-bat
*If a batter is hit by a pitch, they should not rub or touch the spot of impact
*If winning a game as guest one year and going back next year, going the same direction as before, if it was a loss go the other direction.
*If going to a game sitting in a certain way and won, sit the same way until a loss.
*Never throw/have a catch in front of the dugout.

References