Wednesday, March 22, 2023
No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE
The Chimney Rock Chronicle
47 °f
Broadway
59 ° Thu
58 ° Fri
58 ° Sat
55 ° Sun
58 ° Mon
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Pickup Locations
  • Columns
    • All
    • Book Notes
    • Eating Well in the Real World
    • Fishing with Mike
    • From the Potting Shed
    • Fulks Run Follies
    • Gobbler Sports
    • Handy with Randy
    • Headlines from Plains Museum
    • Hiking With Ray
    • Local Business
    • Local Legends
    • Musings from the Woodpile
    • Personal & Professional Development
    • Randy's Ramblings
    • Reflections from a Fuller Life
    • Sarah's Recipes
    • The Gospel Vault
    • The View From Here
    • The Wandering Wilkins
    • When This You See
    Mattress Shopping

    Retta’s Column

    Hiking with Ray

    Hiking with Ray

    Rail hunting in the Tidal Marshes of Chincoteague, Virginia

    Rail hunting in the Tidal Marshes of Chincoteague, Virginia

    A rare photo of the old bridge at Cootes Store (photo courtesy of Jay Fulk)

    Fulks Run Follies

    Sarah’s Recipes

    Sarah’s Recipes

    Rounding the Bases

    Rounding the Bases

    Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

    Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

    Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

    Bass Fishing With Mike

    Photograph of Wes Dove

    Do I Feel Threatened?

    Handy With Randy

    Handy With Randy

    food truck

    Fat Boyz BBQ & More

    The Nelons

    The Nelons Part III

    Gail Godwin

    Classic Southern Novels

    Mary C. Fawley Fulk was about ten when she and her aunt showed hospitality to an enemy soldier.

    Our Family’s Stories

    baseball field

    2023 BHS Baseball and Softball Preview

    Trending Tags

    • Entertainment
      • All
      • Festivals
      • Kids Activites
      • Music
      • Off Broadway Players
      • Sports
      • Upcoming Events
      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Rounding the Bases

      Rounding the Bases

      baseball field

      2023 BHS Baseball and Softball Preview

      Pedaling West

      Local Author to Speak at New Market Library

      Kansas

      Hunting for the Lesser Prairie Chicken in the Cimarron National Grassland

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing With Mike

      A Spinning Demonstration

      A Hidden Gem in Plain View

      Rounding the Bases

      Rounding the Bases

      • Off Broadway Players
    • History
      • All
      • Bev's Historic Notes
      Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

      Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

      The Chimney Rock VFW Celebrates 75 Years of Service

      The Chimney Rock VFW Celebrates 75 Years of Service

      HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

      Highlights from the Plains District Memorial Museum

      Bad Roads

      Revolutionary War Service

      Mattress Shopping

      Retta’s Column

      HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

      Headlines from PLAINS DISTRICT MEMORIAL MUSEUM

      The Miller Family of the Genoa Area

      The Miller Family of the Genoa Area

      The Lantz Family

      The Lantz Family

      Timberville Historic Notes

      Timberville Historic Notes

    • Our Sponsors
      • Advertising
    • Home
      • About Us
      • Pickup Locations
    • Columns
      • All
      • Book Notes
      • Eating Well in the Real World
      • Fishing with Mike
      • From the Potting Shed
      • Fulks Run Follies
      • Gobbler Sports
      • Handy with Randy
      • Headlines from Plains Museum
      • Hiking With Ray
      • Local Business
      • Local Legends
      • Musings from the Woodpile
      • Personal & Professional Development
      • Randy's Ramblings
      • Reflections from a Fuller Life
      • Sarah's Recipes
      • The Gospel Vault
      • The View From Here
      • The Wandering Wilkins
      • When This You See
      Mattress Shopping

      Retta’s Column

      Hiking with Ray

      Hiking with Ray

      Rail hunting in the Tidal Marshes of Chincoteague, Virginia

      Rail hunting in the Tidal Marshes of Chincoteague, Virginia

      A rare photo of the old bridge at Cootes Store (photo courtesy of Jay Fulk)

      Fulks Run Follies

      Sarah’s Recipes

      Sarah’s Recipes

      Rounding the Bases

      Rounding the Bases

      Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

      Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing With Mike

      Photograph of Wes Dove

      Do I Feel Threatened?

      Handy With Randy

      Handy With Randy

      food truck

      Fat Boyz BBQ & More

      The Nelons

      The Nelons Part III

      Gail Godwin

      Classic Southern Novels

      Mary C. Fawley Fulk was about ten when she and her aunt showed hospitality to an enemy soldier.

      Our Family’s Stories

      baseball field

      2023 BHS Baseball and Softball Preview

      Trending Tags

      • Entertainment
        • All
        • Festivals
        • Kids Activites
        • Music
        • Off Broadway Players
        • Sports
        • Upcoming Events
        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Rounding the Bases

        Rounding the Bases

        baseball field

        2023 BHS Baseball and Softball Preview

        Pedaling West

        Local Author to Speak at New Market Library

        Kansas

        Hunting for the Lesser Prairie Chicken in the Cimarron National Grassland

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

        Bass Fishing With Mike

        A Spinning Demonstration

        A Hidden Gem in Plain View

        Rounding the Bases

        Rounding the Bases

        • Off Broadway Players
      • History
        • All
        • Bev's Historic Notes
        Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

        Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

        The Chimney Rock VFW Celebrates 75 Years of Service

        The Chimney Rock VFW Celebrates 75 Years of Service

        HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

        Highlights from the Plains District Memorial Museum

        Bad Roads

        Revolutionary War Service

        Mattress Shopping

        Retta’s Column

        HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

        Headlines from PLAINS DISTRICT MEMORIAL MUSEUM

        The Miller Family of the Genoa Area

        The Miller Family of the Genoa Area

        The Lantz Family

        The Lantz Family

        Timberville Historic Notes

        Timberville Historic Notes

      • Our Sponsors
        • Advertising
      No Result
      View All Result
      The Chimney Rock Chronicle
      Subscribe
      Thank you to our Sponsors! Thank you to our Sponsors! Thank you to our Sponsors!
      Home Entertainment Sports

      Rounding the Bases

      Jeff Watts by Jeff Watts
      March 4, 2023
      in Columnists, Columns, Entertainment, Jeff Watts, Sports
      Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

      From the beginning of organized sporting events, superstitions, especially in baseball, have been practiced by its participants. Some are mild, such as Tiger Woods always wearing a red shirt on Sunday at a golf tournament, he is competing in. Some are pretty gross, like Bill Russell, one of the greatest basketball players ever, having to vomit before every game. In one instance, his teammates had to remind him to toss his cookies because by this time, they were superstitious too and thought they would lose without Bill’s pregame ritual.

      There were certain things that I practiced religiously while I played slow pitch softball. Never cross the bats when you lean them against the fence. Never step on a baseline between innings while entering or exiting the field. Ever hear of step on a crack, break your momma’s back? When I got in the batter’s box, I would tap my left shoe three times with the bat and the plate once. Every single time. One person on our team would never swing at the first pitch, no matter how good it was. Another would have to take his bat and draw the line in the back of the batters box so he knew exactly where to place his foot. This subject alone could probably fill half of the paper, so I’ll try to just hit the highlights. It is truly fascinating though.

      Many players truly believe that their superstitions and rituals improve their performance. Even if it gives the player a placebo effect of confidence or calms the nerves that happen with every sporting competition, the ritual helps the athlete have a positive outcome. If the person has a great performance after using that particular superstition, it would be bad luck to not follow the ritual until it doesn’t work anymore. People try to recreate the ritual followed for that day that you had the greatest success on the field. Superstition is also used when things aren’t going so well. The athlete is floundering and will try just about anything to get back to the level of performance that they are accustomed to. Whenever I would get in a hitting slump, it couldn’t possibly be my fault. The bat I was using had to be cursed in some way. If rubbing a rabbit’s foot over the barrel of the bat or tucking a 4-leaf clover inside the brim of my hat didn’t work, I had to change bats. If I immediately got a hit, I would stick with that one until all the luck ran out of it. Maybe I would determine that the original bat was no longer filled with fly balls and ground outs and it would get another chance. There was no amount of superstition that could help my fielding. The Gold Glove is awarded every year in Major League Baseball to the best fielder in each position. I was given the Iron Glove award for about 20 consecutive years. It was the sound the ball made clanking off my glove.

      For the remainder of this article, I will share some of the best baseball superstitions I have found after much research. Seems that lots of them have to do with a player’s undergarments. Starting off with Jason Giambi. When he was in a hitting slump, he would wear a gold thong that would magically reawaken his bat. Not sure what his criteria was for not wearing it. If I was hitting well, I would rock the gold every game.
      Some players do not use batting gloves. After repeated at bats, this would probably cause blisters. Moises Alou had a cure for that. He would pee on his hands. Supposedly, it made them tougher. Hopefully he didn’t perform this ritual in full view of his teammates.
      One of the best baseball name ever and one of the last pitchers to be successful with a knuckleball, R.A. Dickey, would creatively name his bats so he would have a closer relationship with them and hopefully hit better. One of his bats was named Orchrist the Goblin Cleaver. The name was burned into his bat under his signature.
      Jim Leyland, manager of the Detroit Tigers, refused to change his boxers during a winning streak. The Tigers won 11 games in a row. Not sure if he showered during that time and put on the same boxers?

      Wade Boggs is a Hall of Fame 3rd baseman and was one of the most superstitious players ever. He would have the same meal before every game. Two fried chicken breasts and one drumstick. When there was a night game, he took batting practice at precisely 5:17 pm. Fielding practice before games was exactly 150 ground balls, no more, no less. Each time he came to the plate, he would write the Hebrew word chai, which means life, in the batter’s box with his bat.
      Ken Griffey Jr, upon being traded to the Cincinnati Reds, celebrated his lucrative contract by buying a new Mercedes Benz. He immediately fell into the worst slump of his career. After going to the dealership he traded the car in at, he found out who bought it, offered him 10000 more than he paid for it, and bought it back. Sold the Mercedes and immediately started hitting again on his way to a Hall of Fame induction.

      Mark McGuire wore the same protective cup he purchased in high school. He was in the Major Leagues for 16 years.
      If a pitcher has a no hitter going, no one is allowed to speak to him, sit near him on the bench, or even look at him until the no hitter is complete or a hit is given up. If the no hitter is completed, the teammates are then allowed to mob him on the mound and offer congratulations.

      Hope you have enjoyed this month’s article and I leave you with a quote from the great Hank Aaron “In playing ball, and in life, a person occasionally gets a chance to do something great. When that time comes, only two things matter: being prepared to seize the moment and having the courage to take your best swing.”

      Jeff Watts

      Jeff Watts

      Jeff Watts is a lifelong resident of Rockingham County. He enjoys music, sports, and online business. He lives in Broadway with his wife Kristin, son Nathaniel and daughter Natalie.

      Next Post
      Spiritual Fitness Is Crucial

      Awaiting Jesus with Dogged Anticipation

      Popular Articles

      • Shenandoah Rail Trail meeting. Broadway

        The Shenandoah Rail Trail

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Fat Boyz BBQ & More

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • The Old Inn At Mauzy

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Cullers Run School in Hardy County, West Virginia

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Sarah’s Recipes

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Do I Feel Threatened?

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Gone, But Not Forgotten

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Ruritan Club Update: Focusing on Our Furry Friends

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • Handy With Randy

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • May Business Spotlight – Rockingham Driving Institute LLC

        0 shares
        Share 0 Tweet 0
      • About Us
      • Advertising
      • Contact
      • Pick Up Locations

      © 2021 The Chimney Rock Chronicle - Website & E-Commerce by Bare Web Design, Broadway Va.

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • Columns
      • Entertainment
        • Festivals
        • Kids Activites
        • Music
      • History
      • Sports
        • Thank you to our Sponsors!
        • Advertising

      © 2021 The Chimney Rock Chronicle - Website & E-Commerce by Bare Web Design, Broadway Va.