Superstition

A few years ago, sports writer Elliott Kalb wrote about the superstitions of professional baseball players. Here are a few:

Joe DiMaggio would never run from the outfield to the dugout without touching second base.

Wade Boggs ate three chicken meals a day, which started when he had a good week, in 1977, in the minor leagues. He always had chicken at exactly 2:00. He had to come out for batting practice at 5:17.

Pitcher Turk Wendell had to brush his teeth between every inning. He also had to eat four pieces of licorice every inning.

Hall of Fame baseball player Kiki Cuyler did not play at all in the 1927 World Series because manager Donnie Bush wanted Cuyler to play center field and bat second in the lineup. Cuyler was extremely superstitious about batting in the third spot. Bush benched him until Cuyler would say he was sorry. He never did. The Pirates lost the World Series in four straight games to the Yankees.

They sound silly, don’t they? Do you have a superstition? A lucky penny? A rabbit’s foot? A crucifix?

Were superstitions to work, what would that say about who is in control of the world?