There’s a pair of black socks that’s nearly 54 years old in my dresser drawer. They’re the socks that came with the rented tux I wore when Marilyn and I got married in 1961.
I’ve worn those socks just five other times—at the weddings of our five kids. Maybe if I’m lucky enough to be around for any of my grandkids’ weddings, I’ll wear them again. Who knows?
I’m not basically a superstitious guy. I don’t have any rituals or lucky clothes to wear when I play sports. Yet I wore that same pair of socks at each of my kids’ weddings! Why? I don’t know. They’re not my “lucky socks” or anything.
Not too long ago, I read an article about Michael Jordan. You wouldn’t think that the greatest basketball player of all time would rely on superstition, but Jordan, a five-time MVP, wore his UNC shorts under his uniform in every game while he led the Bulls to six NBA championships.
Jordan had led the Tarheels to the NCAA championship in 1982 and believed his uniform shorts brought him good luck. In order to cover his lucky pair, Jordan began wearing longer, baggier shorts, which inspired a trend in the NBA. Remember how short basketball trunks used to be?
Have you ever watched Ryan Braun, the Brewers’ right fielder, when he’s at bat? Before every pitch, he steps out of the batter’s box and adjusts the Velcro on both batting gloves. It’s almost like a ritual. Does it bring him luck?
I searched online for more examples of superstitions in the world of sports. One article I read talked about superstitions in stock car racing. Did you know that there are no green cars in professional stock car racing? Green’s unlucky! And drivers never carry $50 bills. Unlucky! And no peanut shells are permitted at tracks. Unlucky!
Brian Urlacher, the Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker and one of the “Monsters of the Midway,” could have been called the “Cookie Monster of the Midway.” He ate two chocolate chip cookies before every game.
Some of the superstitions among athletes might even cross the line between superstition and obsessive compulsive.
Do you remember Wade Boggs, a 12-time All-Star third baseman for the Red Sox? Boggs attributed much of his success to a daily routine, and he refused to alter his habits. These everyday customs including eating chicken before each game (his teammates called him “Chicken Man”), always taking batting practice at 5:17 and running sprints at 7:17, and drawing the word “Chai” (Hebrew for “life”) in the dirt before coming up to bat.
Whether it was Boggs’ undying allegiance to his superstitions or not, he had one of the finest pro baseball careers of all time.
Serena Williams is regarded as one of the greatest and most feared female tennis players of all time. She’s aggressive on court. But Williams believes much of her success is the result of closely followed routines.
These quirks include bringing her shower sandals to the court, tying her shoelaces a specific way, and bouncing the ball five times before her first serve and twice before her second. She wears the same pair of socks during an entire tournament run.
Probably the most superstitious player in the NBA now is Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Jason Eugene Terry. His list of quirks includes eating chicken before games (like Wade Boggs) and wearing five pairs of socks while playing. But his most bizarre habit occurs while he’s sleeping. The night before every game, Terry goes to bed wearing the shorts of the next day’s opposing team. A network of equipment managers and fellow players helped him assemble his sleep wardrobe.
I don’t personally remember this guy, but relief pitcher Turk Wendell was named the most superstitious athlete of all time by “Men’s Fitness” magazine. He sounds like a full-blown maniac in terms of his superstitions.
His many eccentricities includes always leaping over the baselines when walking to the mound, chewing black licorice while he was pitching, and brushing his teeth between innings. He always wore a necklace decorated with the sharp teeth of wild animals he had hunted and killed.
He was kind of crazy off the field, too. In 2000, Wendell insisted that the Mets make his contract for $9,999,999.99, in honor of his uniform number of 99.
Maybe saving my wedding socks for family weddings is not so weird, after all!
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