Misc. Monday 04-25-11 - Very superstitious
This pre-game routine went even deeper, but I don't want everyone to think I am completely nuts. Although, the verdict might be in on that one already.
Of course my routine was a little different for each sport, but had the same principals and always included Warren G. Although Warren slowly made his way from that Sony Walkman, to a portable CD player, to a cheap MP3 player and then finally to an iPod while coaching, I can't remember a time I didn't listen to that song before a contest.
Superstitions, rituals and routines have been a part of sports since they started. Most all players have them, be it the way they dress before a game, what song they listen to or, most recently, how they give high fives before the game.
Most of the rituals from professional athletes we never see. How do we know that part of their superstition just might be to not have everyone know what their superstition is? But some we know about.
How about Tiger Woods? You know that one. He always wears a red shirt on Sundays, the last day of the golf tournament. Tiger is a Capricorn, and when Capricorns wear red, they are supposedly at their highest power. I am not a big Zodiac guy, so this doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but neither does Tiger's game anymore.
2005 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and lifetime .328 hitter Wade Boggs was precise. Boggs took batting practice at 5:17 p.m. before every night game. No one knows why, but obviously this worked for Boggs, who has been labeled one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball history.
Long time UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian was known for his towel biting. "Tark" would wet a towel before each game knowing that during the game, he would get dry mouth due to nerves. Tark would suck the towel like a toddler sucking their thumb. I guess cups of water are hard to find on a basketball team bench. Not.
Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher eats two cookies before each game. Both are chocolate chip and he never eats more than or less than two. Labeled by his teammates as the "Cookie Monster," Urlacher may be just a bit too scary for Sesame Street. Although, I think Snuffleupagus could take him.
Colorado Rockies slugger Jason Giambi wore a certain piece of revealing underwear every time they needed to get out of a slump. Gold metallic underwear at that. Don't think we need to discuss any further detail on this one.
Former Cleveland Indian Kevin Rhomberg had a touching problem. Rhomberg, if touched, would have to touch you back. Since all baseball players seem to act like 6 years olds, Rhombergs teammates would touch him secretly, causing him to have to touch everyone on the team so he knew he got the culprit.
Which brings me to my next and last example.
This athlete is the reason for wasting my time researching the rest of these guys.
He is "the" Sidney Crosby. Sid doesn't call his mom on any game day. He doesn't because the last time he did, he was injured in that game. This year, teammate Max Talbot (my daughter's favorite Pittsburgh Penguin) called Sid's mom before the Winter Classic. Sid was injured in that game and has only played one game since this season.
Sid also has issues with his sticks. Once he has them taped before a game, no one is allowed to touch them but him. He doesn't even want teammates near his sticks. If he feels that someone has touched them or that someone got too close to them, he will re-tape all of them. Also, when the Penguins play a road game, Sid takes his own tape. He never even considers using the visiting locker room tape.
If the Penguins are on the road and need to travel via bus to the arena, which the Pens often do, Sid will lift his feet and touch the bus window whenever the bus approaches railroad tracks. Come on now Sid, that seems pretty whack.
But all this aside, Sid's pre-game rituals might be the most crazy. When Sid enters the new, most awesome thing in the world, the Console Energy Center Arena in downtown Pittsburgh, directly across from the Igloo (the Penguins home arena its entire time as a franchise, until this season, when the new arena opened), he goes in the opposite direction of the rest of his team. You see, Sid refuses to walk past the visitors locker room.
Then Sid eats his pre-game peanut butter and jelly sandwich, made with the same peanut butter and jelly. I couldn't find any indications that Sid uses Smucker's, but the word is, it is always grape. Sid then plays a juggling soccer game with his teammates to tune in his reactions for the upcoming game. And finally, Sid puts on the nastiest Pittsburgh Penguins baseball cap your will ever see. I actually think you would need a tetanus shot just to look at this thing. It's that gross.
What if Sid listened to Warren G before the game? OK, maybe a little wishful thinking on my part. Miss ya, Sid.
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