Corey Reese
Published: March 29, 2006
Using the same bat, using the same glove, not stepping on the chalk lines. These are all superstitions and rituals that are common place in baseball, even with PJC’s baseball team. The rituals and superstitions start the day before a game for the Pirates.
“The day before the game we let the game’s starting pitcher choose the uniform that we will wear,” Head Coach Bill Hamilton said. “We have our two main colors, green and blue, for shirts and grey or white pants. It’s amazing the combinations that the guys come up with.”
Game day arrives and the team goes through a moment of silence before the game. The team also has a pre-game prayer that is players only, according to Hamilton.
“I missed some games because of a death in my family, and now the players won’t let me join in the prayer,” Hamilton said with a smile.
The players also have their own rituals and superstitions that they do.
“I try to wear the same uniform when I am pitching,” pitcher Eric Womack said.
“Music is a must for me,” pitcher Nick Pressley said. “My iPod stays hidden until just before game time. I also kinda keep to myself before the game.”
According to Pressley and Womack, there is one thing that messes up the karma.
“Tests,” Womack said. “Tests always ruin the karma of game day. You’re thinking more about the game than the test and it drops grades sometimes.”
The weirdest superstition?
“Bryant Thompson shaves his arms before the games he pitches,” Womack said.
Whether it’s shaving arms, tests ruining karma, or listening to music, Hamilton likes these things.
“They are all funny to me. I have my own too. If there is a right handed pitcher or batter at the plate, I will sit in the dugout with my right arm over my head. The same for left handed pitchers and batters,” Hamilton said.
Superstitions, rituals, and karma. All these things run rampant in baseball, and PJC’s team is no different.