Superstitions are a massive part of sports.
Some are normal, like the NHL’s superstar Evgeni Malkin always being the first on the ice and the last off for each period. Some are, well, less than usual.
Turk Wendell
Wendell is a former reliever for the Mets and Cubs. He had a few superstitions that he would follow each game.
The reliever would always chew black licorice while pitching, only wore the number 99, and hopped over the foul line every time he would approach the mound.
The strangest of all, Wendell would brush his teeth between every inning. A toothpaste sponsorship would have paid off a thousand times over.
Wade Boggs
The Chicken Man himself! Boggs famously ate a whole chicken before every game. Normally a carb-filled meal would suffice for a star, but pure protein was the choice for Boggs.
Wade Boggs was also known for routinely drinking 50-70 beers during every team road trip. It’s rumored that the third baseman drank over 100 beers during a cross-country flight!
"You're the ghost of Wade Boggs!" — "I'm not a ghost Charlie, you're just hallucinating. You had over 30 beers dude!" (Classic episode of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia") ⚾️ #MLB #Baseball #Beer 🍻 pic.twitter.com/swIgLw0zhJ
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) August 19, 2022
Jason Giambi
Possibly the strangest superstition of them all, Giambi had his famed golden thong to bust out of slumps.
Whenever he was having trouble at the plate, Jason Giambi would slip the thong on for help. Evidently, with a career batting average of .277.
He even lent it to teammates who needed the extra luck. Even the hall-of-famer Derek Jeter used it!
Jason Giambi's gold thong helped Derek Jeter out of the worst slump of his career 😂 pic.twitter.com/FcCaA3nJmQ
— 4 Train Savages (@FourSavages) February 2, 2023
“Curse of the Billy Goat”
In 1941, Chicago Cubs fan Billy Sianis was kicked out of Wrigley Field because his goat was bothering other fans. This led to the team adding another 71 years to their World Series drought!
The curse was ultimately broken in 2016 with Sam Sianis’ Uncle Billy “Goat” Sianis was kind enough to help out.
From toothbrushes to thongs to goats, baseball’s love of superstition is unmatched. And with players constantly looking for an edge, the next bizarre ritual is only a game away.
