Angry Pope
All Raider
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- Feb 2, 2006
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A couple of football ones and a Raider one...
Things we do for our sports
By SHERRIE PEIF
Thanks to three Windsor High School students, I remember the day clearly.
“Just don’t touch the cup,” former Denver Bronco place kicker and FOX 31 Sports Director David Treadwell said to me as I ran out of the station.
That was in 2001. I was interning in the FOX sports department with Treadwell, and the Colorado Avalanche were well on their way to a Stanley Cup championship.
When the Cup came through town, it stopped, first, at FOX, taking most everyone by surprise. None of us had a camera — kind of ironic for a television station — so we all dashed off to buy a disposable model to take our picture with the ultimate possession in hockey.
But for fear of jinxing the Avs — or any other team for that matter — you can’t touch the Cup. It is the biggest superstition in professional hockey. In fact, hockey players seem to have a lot of them. Put the skates on the same way each time. Don’t wash the T-shirt. Eat the same pre-game meal. Or — if you’re ever in the Colorado Eagles’ locker room — DON’T step on the Eagles’ logo at the center of the rug.
When I learned of Garrett Mullins, Tanner Glahn and Donavon Suman taking shots of pickle juice before a football game to relieve stomach cramps, I thought a trip through sports’ superstitions would be fun.
It appears the Wizard linemen aren’t the only ones who pucker at the taste of soured pickle vinegar.
In Sept. 2000, the Philadelphia Eagles credited pickle juice for their energy levels in a 41-14 throttling of the Dallas Cowboys.
"I may start drinking pickle juice when I'm just sitting home chilling," defensive end Hugh Douglas told the St. Petersburg Times.
Legendary Chicago White Sox owner, Bill Veeck, once said the best cure for a slump was two pieces of cotton — one for each ear.
Former Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden would not let players leave the locker room for a game until running back Mark van Eeghen burped.
At the high school level, the Eaton Reds stopped washing their hats after they won the 2001 state championship to keep the rush alive — they went on to win three more in a row.
Ever wonder why basketball players wipe the soles of their shoes before a free throw? Some say it’s good luck. And many sports avoid wearing the color yellow because it’s unstable and spontaneous.
But those just touch the surface of how far sporting superstitions go. Check these out.
Baseball:
• It is bad luck if a dog walks across the diamond before the first pitch — when was the last time you remember a dog on Coors Field at the start of a game?
• It is bad luck to touch the baselines while running off and on the field between innings.
• Never lend a bat to another player.
• Some players sleep with their bat to get out of a hitting slump.
• If a pitcher is throwing a perfect game or a no-hitter, don’t talk about it.
Basketball:
• The last person to shoot a basket during warm-up will have the best game.
Fishing:
• Fish won’t bite if a barefoot woman passes the fisherman on the way to the dock.
• Throw back your first catch.
• Don't tell anyone how many fish you've caught until you're done or you won't catch any more.
Ice Hockey:
• It’s bad luck for hockey sticks to lie crossed.
• Don’t say “shutout” in the locker room before a game.
Rodeo:
• Always put the right foot in the stirrup first.
Tennis:
• It's bad luck to hold more than two balls at a time when serving.
• Avoid stepping on the court lines.
Most importantly, though, what ever your superstition is — don’t stop. Who knows what could happen.
Things we do for our sports
By SHERRIE PEIF
Thanks to three Windsor High School students, I remember the day clearly.
“Just don’t touch the cup,” former Denver Bronco place kicker and FOX 31 Sports Director David Treadwell said to me as I ran out of the station.
That was in 2001. I was interning in the FOX sports department with Treadwell, and the Colorado Avalanche were well on their way to a Stanley Cup championship.
When the Cup came through town, it stopped, first, at FOX, taking most everyone by surprise. None of us had a camera — kind of ironic for a television station — so we all dashed off to buy a disposable model to take our picture with the ultimate possession in hockey.
But for fear of jinxing the Avs — or any other team for that matter — you can’t touch the Cup. It is the biggest superstition in professional hockey. In fact, hockey players seem to have a lot of them. Put the skates on the same way each time. Don’t wash the T-shirt. Eat the same pre-game meal. Or — if you’re ever in the Colorado Eagles’ locker room — DON’T step on the Eagles’ logo at the center of the rug.
When I learned of Garrett Mullins, Tanner Glahn and Donavon Suman taking shots of pickle juice before a football game to relieve stomach cramps, I thought a trip through sports’ superstitions would be fun.
It appears the Wizard linemen aren’t the only ones who pucker at the taste of soured pickle vinegar.
In Sept. 2000, the Philadelphia Eagles credited pickle juice for their energy levels in a 41-14 throttling of the Dallas Cowboys.
"I may start drinking pickle juice when I'm just sitting home chilling," defensive end Hugh Douglas told the St. Petersburg Times.
Legendary Chicago White Sox owner, Bill Veeck, once said the best cure for a slump was two pieces of cotton — one for each ear.
Former Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden would not let players leave the locker room for a game until running back Mark van Eeghen burped.
At the high school level, the Eaton Reds stopped washing their hats after they won the 2001 state championship to keep the rush alive — they went on to win three more in a row.
Ever wonder why basketball players wipe the soles of their shoes before a free throw? Some say it’s good luck. And many sports avoid wearing the color yellow because it’s unstable and spontaneous.
But those just touch the surface of how far sporting superstitions go. Check these out.
Baseball:
• It is bad luck if a dog walks across the diamond before the first pitch — when was the last time you remember a dog on Coors Field at the start of a game?
• It is bad luck to touch the baselines while running off and on the field between innings.
• Never lend a bat to another player.
• Some players sleep with their bat to get out of a hitting slump.
• If a pitcher is throwing a perfect game or a no-hitter, don’t talk about it.
Basketball:
• The last person to shoot a basket during warm-up will have the best game.
Fishing:
• Fish won’t bite if a barefoot woman passes the fisherman on the way to the dock.
• Throw back your first catch.
• Don't tell anyone how many fish you've caught until you're done or you won't catch any more.
Ice Hockey:
• It’s bad luck for hockey sticks to lie crossed.
• Don’t say “shutout” in the locker room before a game.
Rodeo:
• Always put the right foot in the stirrup first.
Tennis:
• It's bad luck to hold more than two balls at a time when serving.
• Avoid stepping on the court lines.
Most importantly, though, what ever your superstition is — don’t stop. Who knows what could happen.